Fred Pfeil papers
Scope and Contents
The Fred Pfeil papers is as diverse as it is large, comprised of drafts, finished works, correspondence, photographs, research material, and a few personal effects. At almost 3,000 items, it is one of the largest and most complete collections of a Trinity College professor held in the Trinity College Archives.
From this varied collection of documents and other assorted material emerges a story that Pfeil helped to write not only with his own creative works, but also in the autobiographies/biographies that reside in this collection (folder 257) and the material he and his family chose to retain from his earliest school days. Impressive in particular is the amount of material related to Pfeil’s writings—including preliminary notes to drafts and finished works. The entire creative process is clearly shown for almost every piece he wrote, notably poems, short stories, several novels (one published) and a libretto, all of which are well-represented in this collection.
Dates
- Creation: 1953 - 2011
Conditions Governing Access
This collection is open to the public and must be used in the John M.K. Davis Reading Room of the Watkinson Library, Trinity College Library, Hartford, Connecticut. Researchers must register and agree to copyright and privacy laws when using this collection.
Conditions Governing Use
Digital surrogates may be provided to researchers, in accordance with the duplication policy of the Watkinson Library.
Copyright resides with the creators of the documents or their heirs unless otherwise specified. It is the researcher's responsibility to secure permission to publish materials from the appropriate copyright holder.
Archival materials may contain sensitive or confidential information that is protected under federal and/or state right to privacy laws or other regulations. While we make a good faith effort to identify and remove such materials, some may be missed during processing. If a researcher finds sensitive personal information (e.g. social security numbers) in a collection, please bring it to the attention of the reading room staff.
Biographical / Historical
Born in Port Allegany, Pennsylvania in 1949, Fred Pfeil attended Amherst College (receiving a B.A., summa cum laude, in 1971), then Stanford, where he attained an M.A. in 1973. Pfeil started teaching as an assistant professor of English at Stephens College in Columbia, MO in 1976. In 1979 he moved to Oregon State University and later joined the Trinity College faculty in 1985.
Pfeil was a prolific writer, activist, and beloved teacher. He wrote novellas, novels, short stories, poems, reviews, a libretto, and scholarly articles in addition to literary, political, and cultural criticism. He won many prizes for his literary works, namely the 1994 Pushcart Prize and the O. Henry Prize for short stories in 1979. The New York Times named his debut novel, Goodman 2020 “Notable Book of the Year”. He served as editor, fiction editor and principal adviser for the Minnesota Review for twenty-five years.
Pfeil was very active in community engagement, working with the Alternatives to Violence program in Connecticut prisons, Fair Shake Hartford, the Help Increase the Peace campaign in Hartford schools, and many more organizations. Pfeil was always an advocate for those in need and fought tirelessly for justice and peace.
Pfeil died of cancer in Hartford on 29 November 2005.
For additional biographical information, please see folder 257, “Biographies” which contains a collection of biographies and autobiographies of Pfeil as well as his journals, folders 259 through 271. There is also a timeline of his life in folders 257 (transcript) and 264 (original document).
Extent
23.5 Cubic Feet (23 records center cartons with 475 folders, and one flat box of oversized materials (box 24)) ; 1 box (16.25 in. x 13 in. x 10.5 in.) equals 1 cubic foot ("cubic foot" defined in SAA Dictionary) 1 flat box (2.5"H x 17"W x 20.75"D) equals .51 cubic feet (as defined by UNLV Archives Calculator)
Language of Materials
English
Abstract
The Fred Pfeil Papers consist of correspondence, manuscripts, journals, books, photographs, activist materials, commemorative materials, address books, and calendars originating from Professor Fred Pfeil (1949-2005), a Trinity professor of English, writer, critic, and activist.
Arrangement
The Fred Pfeil papers are laid out roughly as Pfeil left them, with as little intervention and manipulation to Pfeil’s original system as possible.
The collection contains 24 Boxes, 475 Folders, including one flat box of oversize items (Box 24).
Boxes 1-11, folders 1-253: notes, drafts, etc. and miscellaneous documents related to Pfeil’s writings and activism as well as some correspondence
Boxes 12-17, folders 254-368: assorted documents, personal materials and books/journals containing Pfeil’s published writings or journals Pfeil edited, along with Pfeil’s material relating to the Hartford Area Mediation Program [HAMP]
Box 18, no folders: oversize plaques
Box 19, folders 369-399: predominately Pfeil’s early writings and poetry
Box 20, folders 400-412: documents, etc. relating to Pfeil’s education and early life including material relating to Pfeil’s parents (folder 406) and photographs of Pfeil throughout his lifetime (folder 407)
Box 21, folders 413-438: documents relating to Pfeil’s illness and subsequent passing including get well and sympathy cards and other personal items/effects
Box 22, no folders: collection of address books, calendars and photographs
Box 23, folders 442-475: notes, drafts, etc. and miscellaneous documents related to Pfeil’s writings and teaching as well as some correspondence
Box 24, folders 439-441: oversize items
Immediate Source of Acquisition
This collection was donated by Elli Findly in March 2007. Additional records donated by Elli Findly in April 2012.
- Title
- Guide to the Fred Pfeil papers
- Status
- In Progress
- Author
- Amy M. FitzGerald, using a Microsoft-Word finding aid originally prepared for electronic publication by Michael Dewberry, edited and expanded by Henry Arneth.
- Date
- February 23, 2022
- Description rules
- Describing Archives: A Content Standard
- Language of description
- English
- Script of description
- Latin
Repository Details
Part of the Watkinson Library - Archival Collections Repository
Trinity College Library
300 Summit St.
Hartford Connecticut 06106