John Pleasant McCoy Collection, 1930/2006

Access and use

Location of collection:
University of Richmond
Rare Books and Special Collections
Boatwright Library
University of Richmond
28 Westhampton Way
Richmond, VA 23173
Contact for questions and access:
POC: Lynda Kachurek
Phone: (804) 289-8458
Fax: (804) 287-1840

Summary

Extent:
1.6 Cubic Feet
Creator:
McCoy, John Pleasant, 1906-1974
Language:
English
Abstract:
The McCoy Collection documents the life, work, and legacy of author John Pleasant McCoy(1906-1974) and includes copies of his books, correspondence, newspaper clippings, personal items and ephemera, and materials related to his death. Materials in this collection date from 1930-2006.

Background

Scope and content:

This collection contains materials pertaining to the life and work of John Pleasant McCoy, spanning the period of 1930-2006. These materials include multiple copies of his novels, correspondence with publishers, personal correspondence, newspaper clippings regarding his life and works (including a scrapbook of newspaper clippings), newspaper clippings and ephemera regarding his death, personal notes and ephemera belonging to him and his wife Doris McCoy, a manuscript of a memoir written by his wife and their niece after his death, and the bullet that caused his paralysis. A suitcase belonging to Doris McCoy is used to contain much of the collection. The materials are separated by whether they are personal or professional in nature. In Series I, personal materials are ordered by type and in a chronological manner, allowing for gaps where materials are undated. Series II is divided into subseries according to McCoy's literary works, with a final subseries for miscellaneous professional documents and records that aren't strictly correlated with specific works.

Biographical / historical:

John Pleasant McCoy was born in Grundy, Virginia on January 3rd, 1906. In 1928 he graduated from the University of Richmond and in the following years spent time in a variety of professions, including BS&C Railroad shop clerk, farm laborer,civil engineer, semi-professional baseball player,teacher, and Ohio riverboat deckhand. In 1936, he was shot in the spine while trying to stop a fight between two men in Grundy, Virginia, and was paralyzed for the rest of his life. He spent years in the facility then known as the Virginia Home for Incurables as doctors were uncertain he would survive. During this time he wrote his first book Swing the Big-Eyed Rabbit, published in 1944. This novel won second place in the 1943 Thomas Jefferson Contest for Southern Writers, sponsored by E. P. Dutton & Co. He went on to write three more books, Big as Life in 1950, Love for a Stranger in 1954, and The Secret Doorways in 1971. McCoy married Doris Quillin in 1948. The couple met in Grundy, Virginia and became acquainted while working as teachers in 1931. The couple lived in Richmond, Virginia until McCoy's death in 1974. Following his death, Doris moved back to her hometown of Gate City, Virginia, then in 1980 moved to Johnson City, Tennessee where she lived until her death in 2006.

Arrangement:

This collection is organized into two series.

  1. Series 1: Personal
  2. Series 2: Professional
Rules or conventions:
Describing Archives: A Content Standard