Archives West Finding Aid

Jay Kalez attended the University of Washington. He became an author of mystery, detective, and adventure stories.

Jay Kalez was a freelance writer in Spokane. He wrote stories about World War II based on his experiences in the U.S. Navy, and later expanded his topics to include stories about crime, athletics, air combat, and cowboys. These pulp magazine stories led to more factual essays about the West that were published in western magazines.

To earn a living, however, Kalez held several different jobs, including that of a personnel officer for the Spokane office of the Works Progress Administration, administrative officer for the Eastern Washington and Northern Idaho office of the Office of Price Administration, and for the Liaison Branch of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers

[Source: Edward W. Nolan and the Eastern Washington State Historical Society/Northwest Museum of Arts & Culture, Joel E. Ferris Research Library and Archives]