Marshall W. Fishwick Collection

Access and use

Location of collection:
Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University
Special Collections, University Libraries (0434)
Newman Library
Virginia Tech
P.O. Box 90001
560 Drillfield Drive
Blacksburg, VA 24062-9001
Contact for questions and access:
Phone: (540) 231-6308
Fax: (540) 231-3694
Restrictions:

The collection is open for research.

Terms of access:

Publication of personal materials from the collection requires permission from the donor until 2033. The copyright status of this collection is unknown. Copyright restrictions may apply. Contact Special Collections and University Archives (specref@vt.edu or 540-231-6308) for assistance in determining the use of these materials.

Preferred citation:

Researchers wishing to cite this collection should include the following information: [identification of item], [box], [folder], Marshall W. Fishwick Collection, Ms1985-007, Special Collections and University Archives, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, Va.

Summary

Extent:
103 Cubic Feet 75 boxes, 2 folders
Creator:
Fishwick, Marshall William, 1923-2006
Abstract:
This collection contains course and teaching related materials, photographs, manuscripts, audiovisual and electronic material, scrapbooks, and the professional and personal correspondence of Marshall William Fishwick, professor of Humanities and Communication Studies at Virginia Tech, 1976-2003.
Language:
The majority of this collection is in English. However, there are a few letters in French. Translations of these letters have been created and are included with the items.
Preferred citation:

Researchers wishing to cite this collection should include the following information: [identification of item], [box], [folder], Marshall W. Fishwick Collection, Ms1985-007, Special Collections and University Archives, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, Va.

Background

Scope and content:

This collection contains course and teaching related materials, photographs, manuscripts, audiovisual and electronic material, scrapbooks, and the professional and personal correspondence of Marshall William Fishwick, professor of Humanities and Communication Studies at Virginia Tech, 1976-2003.

Note: Audiovisual and electronic materials from this collection, including VHS and cassette tapes, film, floppy disks, slides, and negatives are inventoried separately. A spreadsheet of these materials by format is available (file will automatically download).

Biographical / historical:

Marshall William Fishwick was born July 5, 1923, in Roanoke, Virginia. After receiving his BA from the University of Virginia in 1943, Fishwick served with the American Fleet during World War II. He then went on to receive his MA from the University of Wisconsin in 1946, followed by his PhD from Yale University in 1949.

In 1949, Fishwick began teaching at Washington and Lee University in Lexington, where he remained until 1962. He served as director of the Wemyss Foundation from 1962 to 1964, chaired Lincoln University's Art and American Studies departments from 1964 to 1970, and taught at Temple University from 1970 to 1976. From 1976 until his retirement in 2003, Fishwick taught at Virginia Tech, where he founded the American Studies and Popular Culture programs.

Fishwick co-founded the Popular Culture Association with Ray B. Browne and Russel B. Nye in 1970 and began the journal International Popular Culture. He wrote and contributed to more than 40 books, and received eight Fulbright Awards and multiple grants, which allowed him to teach abroad throughout Europe and Asia. He was a member of the Guild of Scholars of the Episcopal Church and historiographer of the Diocese of Southwest Virginia. One of Fishwick's highest accomplishments as a multidisciplinary scholar was starting the academic movement in popular culture studies.

Fishwick married his third wife and Virginia Tech colleague Ann La Berge in 1995. He had four children with his first wife and two stepdaughters.

Marshall Fishwick died in Blacksburg, Virginia, on May 22, 2006.

Source:

Smith, Leanne E. "Marshall W. Fishwick (1923–2006)." In Encyclopedia Virginia. Accessed December 2, 2019. https://www.encyclopediavirginia.org/Fishwick_Marshall_W_1923-2006

Acquisition information:
The initial donation from the Marshall W. Fishwick Collection was received by Special Collections and University Archives in 1985. The majority of the collection was donated in 2007.
Processing information:

The processing, arrangement, and description of the Marshall W. Fishwick Collection began in 2016 and was completed in June 2018. Additional material (boxes 72-75) was processed in March 2022.

Arrangement:
  • Series I: Papers are in their original order. Folders were replaced and filed in new boxes in the order in which they were received.
  • Series II: Audiovisual and Electronic Materials is subdivided by material type. Note: Boxes 1-13, 70-71, and 75 contain audiovisual and electronic materials from this collection, including VHS and cassette tapes, film, floppy disks, slides, and negatives. A spreadsheet of these materials by format is available for download and searching (file will automatically download).
    • VHS tapes
    • Film reels
    • Audiocassette tapes
    • Computer disks
    • Floppy disks
    • Slides
    • Photographic negatives
    • Artifacts
    • Photographs and albums in this collection are in their original order. Folders were replaced and filed in new boxes in the order in which they were received
  • Series III: Oversize Materials
Physical location:
Please note: This collection is located in off-site storage and requires 2-3 days notice for retrieval. Please contact Special Collections and University Archives for more information.
Rules or conventions:
Describing Archives: A Content Standard