Lalia Phipps Boone Papers, 1950-1986

Overview of the Collection

Creator
Lalia Phipps Boone, 1907-
Title
Lalia Phipps Boone Papers
Dates
1950-1986 (inclusive)
Quantity
12 cubic feet
Collection Number
MG182 (collection)
Summary
Correspondence, maps, books, and other research material relating to Boone's interest in Idaho place names and her career as a elementary and secondary school English teacher and university professor, including term papers and theses written under her direction.
Repository
University of Idaho Library, Special Collections and Archives
Special Collections and Archives
University of Idaho Library
875 Perimeter Drive
MS 2350
Moscow, ID
83844-2350
Telephone: 2088850845
libspec@uidaho.edu
Languages
English
Sponsor
Funding for encoding this finding aid was provided through a grant awarded by the National Endowment for the Humanities.

Biographical NoteReturn to Top

Daughter of a minister and one of seven children, Lalia Phipps Boone was born April 19, 1907 in Tehuacana, Texas. She graduated from Westminster Jr. College in Tehuacana in 1925. From 1925 to 1944 she taught school first in Navaroo Co. schools, then at Wortham High School in Wortham, Texas. At the same time she was attending East Texas State College where she received her B.A. in English in 1938. She was principal of Wortham High School from 1944 to 1946. She continued her studies and received her M.A. in Medieval Literature and Linguistics in 1947 from the University of Oklahoma where she served as an instructor in the English Department from 1946 to 1949. She then became the first woman professor at the University of Florida where, in 1951 she became the first woman to receive a doctoral degree from that institution; again her emphasis was on Linguistics and Medieval Literature.

She continued teaching at the University of Florida, moving through the ranks from instructor to assistant, and finally to associate professor until 1965 when the accepted a position as Professor of English at the University of Idaho. She remained at the university until her retirement from teaching in 1973; her final year was as Professor of Education. Following her retirement she spent several years serving as a consultant to secondary schools in Idaho and Spokane, Washington.

Dr. Boone is the author of many books and articles including From A-Z in Latah County (1984), Idaho Place Names: A Geographical Dictionary (1985), Petroleum Dictionary (1951), "Post Offices of Latah County, Idaho," "Names of Idaho Counties" Names, XVI, No.1, March 1968 (reprinted in Congressional Record, June 4, 1970), plus many articles on the history of words and teaching language skills to children.

She was instrumental in organizing the Idaho Council of Teachers and served as its president for several years. She was also a member of the American Association of University Women, American Dialect Society, American Name Society, Modern Language Association, National League of American Pen Women, Idaho Council of Teachers of English, and the Idaho Educational Association. In 1966 she was named Penrose Fellow by the American Philosophical Society. She received the American Association of University Women's Idaho Golden Anniversary Endowment Award in 1982.

Following the completion and publication of her Idaho place name book she moved to Silver Spring, Maryland. She died there December 1, 1990.

Content DescriptionReturn to Top

The papers of Lalia Phipps Boone span the years 1950 to 1986, with the bulk of the material covering the years 1970 to 1985.

The material includes correspondence, maps, books, and other research material for her book on Idaho place names, and correspondence, publications and other items concerning her commitment to the teaching of English to elementary and secondary students. Also included are term papers, theses, and dissertations written under her direction.

Administrative InformationReturn to Top

Arrangement

The papers in this record group were in no naturally discernable order when received; therefore a series order was imposed during processing. The papers were easily separated into two groups, those concerned with her interest in Idaho place names, and those concerned with her interest in the teaching of English.

The Idaho Place Names Project began in 1966 as a personal hobby. She wanted to know why Idaho place names sounded strange to her southern ears and wanted to know what the names meant; her aim was to compile an Idaho place names dictionary. The project received early funding from the National Science Foundation, and in 1968 became one of two pilot projects in the American Name Society nationwide Place Name Survey. She began editing her work for publication in 1983, publishing first a volume on Latah County place names in 1984, and the state volume the following year.

The place name series contains two articles on Idaho place names written by Dr. Boone, one on Indian place names, the other on the names of Idaho counties which was reprinted in the Congressional Record in 1970 at the request of Senator Frank Church. The main correspondence file contains letters to and from informants, these are arranged chronologically. The remaining letters which were arranged by place name organizations also contain newsletters.

Dr. Boone applied for several grants to enable her to financially support the project; copies of these grants are included in the collection.

Items dealing with the volume of Latah County place names were separated and are listed under the Latah County subheading.

The Research materials include articles on counties, areas, cities, National Forests, and creeks and rivers. Also included are a few manuscript notes, newspaper clippings, and brochures published by various cities. The maps have been separated by type and are arranged alphabetically.

The file cards containing the assembled data were originally in metal file drawers. The cards were removed and placed in archival boxes, two rows to a box; therefore, the folder numbers in boxes 4-8 actually refer to rows rather than folders. Many of the place names on these cards do not appear in the final edition of the Idaho Place Names book.

The final items in this series are books which she used in gathering information. Many of these books which are arranged alphabetically by main entry are marked up, and several have entries cut out. All of these books are also available in the Special Collections Library.

The second series contains correspondence of a general nature, including a 1974 letter from Alma Keeling in which she discusses the trials of writing and editing and publishing her book The Uncovered Wagon. The correspondence is in chronological order. Other materials are related to the teaching of English at the elementary and secondary level and include correspondence, publications, study guides, and typed copies of stories written by early elementary school children near Moscow; this may be part of the thesis research done by one of Dr. Boone's graduate students. There is one sheet of paper which compares Johnson's Dictionary to that of Nathaniel Bailey; this was the label for a box of index cards which was discarded. There is no evidence that Dr. Boone ever published an article on this topic. Tetsumaro Hayashi was a student of Dr. Boone's at the University of Florida. He continued to correspond with her and send her reprints of his articles and copies of a journal he edited on John Steinbeck. This material is contained in one folder. The University of Idaho folder contains memos and a bibliography of Publications on Idaho Folk Traditions.

Thesis, dissertations, and term papers directed by Dr. Boone are in alphabetical by author order near the end of this series. The final items include index cards and tape recordings pertaining to folklore, and index cards noting the dialect used in Marjorie Rawlings' books.

In addition to the index cards for the Johnson's Dictionary project, duplicate copies of computer print outs of the Idaho Place Names book were discarded as were the final index cards from which the book was compiled. In all the bulk was reduced by 1.5 cubic feet.

Acquisition Information

The papers of Lalia Phipps Boone were donated to the University of Idaho Library by Dr. Boone in October 1986 and May 1989.

Detailed Description of the CollectionReturn to Top

Series I. Idaho Place Names , 1950-1986Return to Top

Container(s) Description Dates
Box/Folder
1/1
Articles by Lalia Boone
2 items
1970-1985
Correspondence
Box/Folder
1/2-3
General
138 items
1966-1985
1/4-5
American Name Society
53 items
1965-1984
1/6
Forest Service
15 items
1976-1985
1/7
Idaho Commission on Geographical Names
28 items
1893-1986
1/8
Latah County Historical Society
8 items
1978-1985
1/9
Place Name Survey of the United States
15 items
1972-1979
1/10
Research students
3 items
1972
1/11
Western States Geographic Names Conference
6 items
1984
1/12
Background: How the project began
4 items
ca. 1972
1/13
U.S. Geological Survey Publications on geographical names
10 items
1978-1986
1/14
Samples, forms, and formats
14 items
undated
Grant applications
Box/Folder
1/15
American Philosophical Society
3 items
1967
1/16
Association for the Humanities in Idaho
23 items
1983-1985
1/17
Kaypro
7 items
1983
1/18
John Calhoun Smith Memorial Fund (University of Idaho)
19 items
1983-1984
1/19
National Endowment for the Humanities
2 items
1972
1/20
University of Idaho Research Committee
5 items
1970-1973
1/21
Printing cost estimates
8 items
1983
1/22
Introduction: draft
1 item
undated
Latah County Volume
Box/Folder
1/23
Accent Graphics, correspondence
9 items
1983
1/24
General correspondence
2 items
1983-1984
1/25
Copyright and ISBN applications
12 items
1983-1984
1/26
Latah County Historical Society publications
2 items
1981-1983
1/27
Book orders and related correspondence
24 items
1984-1985
1/28
Book review of From A to Z in Latah County
7 items
1984
1/29
Metsker map of Latah County
2 items
undated
Research Material
Box/Folder
1/30
Articles, general
7 items
1880-1978
1/31
Articles on counties
4 items
undated
1/32
Articles on areas
4 items
undated
1/33
Articles on cities
4 items
1918-1966
1/34
Domestic geographic name proposals
135 items
1964-1970
1/35-36
Creeks and rivers
5 items
undated
1/37
Field work sheets
17 items
undated
1/38
Lists of names of post offices, railway stations, etc.
6 items
1884-1984
1/39
National Forest place names
6 items
1942-1976
1/40
Student papers
3 items
undated
1/41-42
"Scratchings" (manuscript notes)
31 items
undated
2/43
Newspaper clippings
118 items
1954-1982
2/44-46
Brochures
68 items
undated
Maps
Box/Folder
2/47
Information on
5 items
1969
2/48
Idaho State
5 items
1976-1981
2/49-52
National Forests
27 items
1954-1982
2/53
Counties
11 items
1950-1980
2/54
Quadrangle
8 items
1952-1984
2/55
Miscellaneous
10 items
1957-1981
3/56-63
Big Sky county maps
45 items
1972-1981
3/64-66
Computer printout of assembled data, (with corrections)
1 item
1987?
Index and information cards (by county)
Box/Folder
4/67-68
Ada-Butte
7200
5/69-70
Camas-Fremont
7000
6/71-72
Gem-Latah L
7800
7/73-74
Latah M-Owyhee
7800
8/75
Owyhee-Washington
3200
8/76
Bibliography
1200
9-10/77-124
Books
48 items
1946-1977

Series II. Other activities , 1958-1986Return to Top

Container(s) Description Dates
Box/Folder
10/125
Application to write the academic history of the University of Idaho
1 item
1986
10/126
Application for consideration as Idaho Writer in Residence
6 items
1985
10/127
Correspondence, general
59 items
1958-1985
10/128
Correspondence, Dictionary of American Regional English
21 items
1966
10/129
Correspondence, teaching of English
16 items
1965-1973
10/130
Publications and study guides used in teaching English at the primary and secondary level
14 items
1964-1966
10/131-132
Stories by children
1 item
1971-1972
10/133
Communication Skills Through Authorship Program
2 items
undated
10/134
"The Story Behind..." (individual words)
7 items
undated
10/135
Johnson's Dictionary information
1 item
undated
10/136
Newspaper clippings about Lalia Boone
27 items
1966-1984
10/137
Recommendations for students
12 items
1969-1972
10/138
Tetsumaro Hayashi
8 items
1966-1969
10/139
University of Idaho, memos, etc.
4 items
1970-1971
10-11/140-151
Papers, theses, dissertations
33 items
1954-1972
12/151
Folklore cards and tapes
2310 items
undated
12/152
Index Cards: Dialect used in all Marjorie Rawlings' books
300 items
undated

Names and SubjectsReturn to Top

Subject Terms

  • Names, Geographical -- Idaho
  • Teachers -- Idaho -- Records and correspondence

Corporate Names

  • University of Idaho -- Faculty -- Correspondence

Occupations

  • Professor of English, University of Idaho, 1965-1973.

Other Creators

  • Personal Names
    • Boone, Lalia Phipps, 1907- --Archives.