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Malvina Stephenson Collection

 Collection
Identifier: CAC-PP-074
Consisting of eight cubic feet of material, the Stephenson collection includes letters, clippings, speeches, newsletters, and press files. This material mainly concerns her work with Kerr and her research for a biography she intended to write on the senator. As a result, the subjects covered in the collection reflect the interests of Senator Kerr. Topics include water resource development, natural resource conservation, agriculture, petroleum industry and trade, education, and electric power. There are also photographs and scrapbooks, including one scrapbook on Kerr's early work with the U.S. space program as well as one devoted to the senator's book, Land, Wood, and Water.

Dates

  • 1911-1967
  • Majority of material found in 1948-1963

Language of Materials

English

Conditions Governing Use:

The University of Oklahoma asserts no claim of copyright over photographs in this collection taken by private citizens. Any publication of such photographs requires the consent of the copyright holder.

Extent

10.75 Linear Feet (9 containers)

Biographical Information:

Reared in Sapulpa, Oklahoma, Malvina Stephenson received a master's degree in journalism from the University of Oklahoma in 1936. That same year she became a feature writer for the Tulsa World, thus establishing a journalistic relationship that extended over fifty years. In 1940, she moved to Washington, D.C., and started an independent news bureau. During the next decade, she worked in various jobs covering the nation's capital. In 1951, she became the press secretary to Senator Robert S. Kerr and held the position until his death in 1963. Stephenson then reestablished herself as a free lance writer. She also began to contribute stories to the Tulsa World again. In 1990, following the nomination of the entire Oklahoma congressional delegation, she was named to the Oklahoma Journalism Hall of Fame. Stephenson died in 1996.

Arrangement of Materials:

This collection contains 3 series: Manuscripts, Oversize, and Photographs. Folders are arranged alphabetically. The Manuscript Series is arranged alphabetically with all biographical material on Robert S. Kerr sorted to the end of the series and subsequently arranged alphabetically. Most of the photographs in the Photograph Series are arranged into groups based on content and event.

Accruals:

Accruals and additions: April 1998.
Title
Guide to the Malvina Stephenson Collection
Language of description
The collection description/finding aid is written in English

Repository Details

Part of the Carl Albert Center Congressional and Political Collections Repository

Contact:
630 Parrington Oval
Room 202B
Norman Oklahoma 73109 United States