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PROFESSIONAL

 Series
Identifier: 2

  • Staff Only
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Scope and Contents

From the Collection:

The Muriel Anne Dryden papers date from 1935 to 1990 and measure 2.5 linear feet. The papers are arranged in five series: Personal, Professional, Writings, Newspaper clippings, and Photographs. The bulk of the papers document Dryden's personal life through photographs and memorabilia as well as her work on a book about the translation of the Holy Bible from Aramaic and the cultural history of the peoples of Kurdistan.

The Personal series (1935-1990 and undated) contains family memoirs, personal correspondence, a journal discussing Dryden's social and political views, school memorabilia and travel logs from her journeys to England. The personal correspondence provides insight into Dryden's political views, especially in the "letters to the editor" correspondence. One noteworthy item is a draft of a letter to Julie Nixon discussing Dryden's personal perspective of Watergate as "an injustice of the entire show which is all it was." (Correspondence, Personal, 1984-1990 and undated.) This appears to be the only place in the collection where Watergate is mentioned.

The Professional series (1944-1985 and undated) encompasses Dryden's years as a government employee. This series has abundant personnel records from her employment, including a "Security Investigation" document. This series also contains some of the social invitations she received from the White House and prominent Republican Party politicians.

The Writings series (1958, 1976-1986 and undated) includes two written chapters of the book and copious notes from which the manuscript would have been written. The notes cover a broad scope, ranging from the Aramaic language, to Eastern thought and expression, to descriptions of Assyria. This series also contains the paper "Eastern Scriptures in Western Language" written by Dryden on the subject she was expanding upon to create the book. This series also contains two unpublished articles.

The Newspaper clippings series (1960-1976 and undated) includes a few articles written by Dryden as well as articles on her participation in notable choral performances with Duke Ellington and for President Eisenhower at the White House.

The Photographs series (1938-1981 and undated) consists primarily of personal photographs of family and friends, along with a few professional photographs of Dryden in various places of employment. An autographed photograph of President Nixon and his staff is also included.

Dates

  • Creation: 1935-1990

Creator

Conditions Governing Access

The papers are open for research.

Extent

From the Collection: 2.50 Linear Feet

From the Collection: Photographs in boxes 2 and 5 boxes

Language of Materials

From the Collection: English

Repository Details

Part of the Iowa Women's Archives Repository

Contact:
100 Main Library
University of Iowa Libraries
Iowa City IA 52242 IaU
319-335-5068
319-335-5900 (Fax)