Mary Jayne “MJ” Williams papers

Collection

Identifier: IWA1339

Staff Only
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Scope and Contents

The Mary Jayne “MJ” Williams papers date from 1959 to 2002 and measure 1.5 linear feet in four boxes. The papers are arranged in two series: Biographical and Theatre.

The Biographical series consists of a brief biography written by Williams’ daughter, correspondence from friends and past students, and newspaper clippings from her long career as a teacher. Some of the newspaper clippings depict Williams’ role in fighting against the Iowa High School Speech Association’s censorship rules that ban depictions of smoking, drinking, and other “lewd” behaviors in stage productions.

The Theatre series contains two subseries: Fairfield and West High. The Fairfield subseries is composed of a scrapbook that includes photographs, newspaper clippings, and programs from Williams’ stage productions at Fairfield High School in Fairfield, Iowa. Arranged by production, the West High subseries is made up of director’s notes, scripts, photographs, programs, and other stage production memorabilia from Williams’ time at West High School in Iowa City, Iowa.

Dates

Creation: 1959 - 2002

Creator

Williams, Mary Jayne "MJ" (1914-2002) (Person)

Conditions Governing Access

The papers are open for research.

Conditions Governing Use

Copyright held by the donor has been transferred to the University of Iowa. However, copyright status for some collection materials may be unknown. Transmission or reproduction of materials protected by U.S. Copyright Law (Title 17, U.S.C.) beyond that allowed by fair use requires the written permission of the copyright owner. Works not in the public domain cannot be commercially exploited without permission of the copyright owners. Responsibility and potential liability based on copyright infringement for any use rests exclusively and solely with the user. Users must properly acknowledge the Iowa Women’s Archives, The University of Iowa Libraries, as the source of the material. For further information, visit https://www.lib.uiowa.edu/sc/services/rights/

Biographical / Historical

Mary Jayne “MJ” Lessenger Williams was born in 1915 in New London, Iowa. She attended the University of Iowa and graduated in 1937. Starting in 1946, she began teaching English and directing plays at the New London High School. Williams taught her son, Gary, and daughter, Sammi, both in the classroom and on stage. In 1956, she accepted a position at Fairfield High School in Fairfield, Iowa. There, she was allowed to re-shape the high school’s drama department.

In 1969, Williams moved to Iowa City and became an English teacher and drama director at West High School. She put on productions of The Matchmaker, Our Town, The Mousetrap, Oklahoma, and Bye Bye Birdie, along with children’s theatre productions of Alice in Wonderland, Aladdin, and Pinocchio. She retired from West High in 1990. Williams was added to the Hall of Fame of the Iowa High School Association in 1990 as a culmination of her forty-four years as a teacher and drama director. MJ Williams died on November 12, 2002.