Background on Russell K. Alspach
After earning his doctorate from the University of Pennsylvania in 1932 for his study of poets from the Irish literary revival, Russell K. Alspach was engaged for nearly a decade teaching English at his alma mater. In 1942, however, his academic path took a sharp turn when he joined the U.S. Navy for the duration of the Second World War, and he remained in the service afterward, spending eighteen years as head of the Department of English at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point before retiring with the rank of Brigadier General in 1965.
From his days as a graduate student, Alspach maintained a strong focus on Irish poetry, especially the work of William Butler Yeats, but his interests ranged widely to include Percy Bysshe Shelley and William Faulkner. A productive scholar, Alspach was widely known for his studies of Yeats and for his variorum edition of Yeats' poetry and plays, as well as for his book Irish Poetry: From the English Invasion to 1798 (1959).
Taking a post-retirement appointment at UMass in 1966, Alspach hardly retired, eventually becoming Chair of the Department of English and teaching until his final retirement and death in 1980.
Scope of collection
Russell Alspach's Papers contain professional correspondence, drafts of writing, and reviews written by Alspach, and includes correspondence with Liam Miller, founder of the Dolmen Press. This small collection includes grant applications and notes for Alspach's Yeats Study Series, as well as a 3.75 inch monographic recording of readings and music by unidentified artists, and a cassette tape copy. SCUA is also home to the Alspach Yeats Collection of rare books.
Inventory
Russel K. Alspach Papers
1939-1986
17 folders
Correspondence
1949-1954
Box 1: 1
Correspondence
1955-1959
Box 1: 2
Correspondence
1960-1967
Box 1: 3
Correspondence
1968-1972
Box 1: 4
Correspondence
1973-1975
Box 1: 5
Correspondence
1976
Box 1: 6
Correspondence 1977
1977
Box 1: 7
Faulkner, William
1962-1986
Box 1: 17
Grants: National Endowment of the Humanities
ca.1978
Box 1: 8
Grants: Research Application
ca.1973-1977
Box 1: 9
Joyce, James
1939-1965
Box 1: 10
Spelt from Sibyl's Leaves
1973 Apr.
Box 1: 12
Transcript of Articles
ca.1970
Box 1: 13
Yeats, W. B.: copies of letters by Yeats
1876-1909
Box 1: 14
Yeats, W. B.: Newspaper articles on W. B. Yeats
1956-1966
Box 1: 15
Yeats, W. B.: Research on Yeats
1965-1966
Box 1: 16
Script of Miller tape: Cassette Tape
1963 Oct. 9
Box 1
Script of Miller tape: Monographic Recording
1963 Oct. 9
Box 1
Administrative information
Search terms
Subjects
- Irish literature
- University of Massachusetts Amherst--Faculty
- University of Massachusetts Amherst. Department of English
Contributors
- Alspach, Russell K. (Russell King), 1901- [main entry]
- Yeats, W. B. (William Butler), 1865-1939
Link to similar SCUA collections