H. Glendon Steel papers

The core of the H. Glendon Steele papers lies in the volumes of poetry written by Steele throughout his life. The collection includes 225 poems, on a variety of subjects, some of which are found in a bound (unpublished) book entitled, "Songs of Indiscretion." The remaining poems are found in two black spring binders and a brown folder. The black spring binders are titled "A Further View" and "Volume II", respectively, and the brown folder is also titled "Volume II," but contains nine poems not found in the other works. Most of the poetry cannot be dated, although there is a date of 1942 given on the title page of "Songs of Indiscretion."

Enhancing this core collection are Steele's personal diary and materials that he presumably used in his class lectures as a Professor of Literature. The personal diary was kept by Steele on a daily basis during the following periods: June 1 to August 5, 1943, November 11 to December 1, 1944, and February 8 to April 24, 1946. In his personal diary, he reflects on issues that were causing conflict in his life, thus offering a glimpse of the inner life of a writer and a teacher. His diary offers us a view of him as a unique individual, troubled by love, his compassion for human kind, his friendships, his zeal for teaching, and how these often conflicting forces affected his life.

Of further interest to the researcher is a small collection of classroom materials, including two English 101 exams, a folder of poetry by famous authors, and a series of lecture notes.

H. Glendon Steele is brought to life most by his poetry and his diary, offering us a view of an intelligent, sensitive man with an almost overwhelming passion to help others. But these writings also reflect a man dealing with internal conflict, a perfectionist who became more critical of himself and his abilities as an instructor, writer, and friend.