Overview
Philip Francis Gura (born 1950), Harvard College Class of 1972, intellectual and cultural historian, is the William S. Newman Distinguished Professor of American Literature and Culture at the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill since 2000. Gura’s diaries and Harvard class notes chiefly focus on his undergraduate program and student experiences at Harvard College from 1966 to 1975. Diaries from 1963 to 1965 chronicle Gura’s bird watching experiences as a teenager, while his diaries from 1970 to 2001, document Gura’s transition from a Harvard graduate student to English professor. Gura's correspondence from 1964 to 1985 with his mentors and fellow academics, including Sacvan Berkovitch, Larzer Ziff, and Lawrence Buell, illustrate his research interests and interaction with American history, literature, and religious scholars.
Dates
- Creation: 1963-2001
Creator
- Gura, Philip F., 1950- (Person)
Researcher Access
Open for research with the following exception: Personnel and student records are closed for 80 years. Specific restrictions are noted at the folder level.
Extent
1.58 cubic feet (4 document boxes, 1 pamphlet binder)The collection contains diaries and Harvard class notes written by Philip F. Gura from 1963 to 2001. The diaries chiefly document Gura’s undergraduate program and student experiences at Harvard College from 1966 to 1975. The diaries chronicle his adjustment to college life, his exploration of personal interests, and the forming of student friendships. Gura’s entries while a Harvard student includes his reflections on local and historical events such as the student strikes of April 1969 at Harvard, the Apollo moon landing, the assassination of Martin Luther King, and the Vietnam War. Gura’s diaries from 1963 to 1966 chronicle his bird watching experiences as a teenager. Gura’s graduate study at Harvard, his career as an English professor at Middlebury College and the University Colorado, and his work as an editor for the journal Early American Literature are documented from 1970 to 2001. The entries from 1970 to 2001 are infrequent. Gura’s Harvard class notes focus on classes in American literature and history, offering a glimpse into the academic life of a Harvard undergraduate in the late 1960s and early 1970s. Gura's correspondence from 1964 to 1985 with his mentors and fellow academics, including Sacvan Berkovitch, Larzer Ziff, and Lawrence Buell, illustrate his research interests and interaction with American history, literature, and religious scholars.
Biographical note
Philip Francis Gura (born 1950), Harvard Class of 1972, intellectual and cultural historian, is the William S. Newman Distinguished Professor of American Literature and Culture at the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill since 2000. Gura received his AB in History and Literature in 1972 from Harvard College and his PhD in the History of American Civilization in 1977, from Harvard University. Before joining the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill faculty, Gura was a teaching fellow at Harvard College (1973-1974), an instructor at Middlebury College (1974-1976), and Professor of English and American Studies at the University of Colorado (1976-1987). Gura’s research focuses on colonial America, Transcendentalism, religious history, and nineteenth-century American music history. Gura is the author or editor of thirteen books, writes poetry, and plays the clawhammer banjo in traditional Appalachian style.
Arrangement
The collection is organized into three series:
- Diaries, 1963-2001
- Harvard class notes, 1969-1971
- Correspondence, 1964-1985
Acquisition
- Gift of Philip F. Gura, Accession 2019.777; 2019 June 24.
- Gift of Philip F. Gura, Accession 2023.0931; 2023 February 25.
- Gift of Philip F. Gura, Accession 2024.1053; 2024 February 12.
Processing Information
Philip F. Gura’s diaries and Harvard class notes (Accession 2019.777) were processed in September 2019 by Dominic P. Grandinetti. Processing for Gura’s correspondence (Accession 2023.0931) was completed in April 2023 by Dominic P. Grandinetti. Processing Gura's class notes related to Harvard English and history courses (Accession 2024.1053) completed by Dominic P. Grandinetti in March 2024.
Processing included rehousing the records into appropriate containers and creating this finding aid.
Creator
- Gura, Philip F., 1950- (Person)
- Title
- Gura, Philip F., 1950-. Philip F. Gura personal archive, 1963-2001: an inventory
- Description rules
- dacs
- Language of description
- und
- EAD ID
- hua23019
Repository Details
Part of the Harvard University Archives Repository
Holding nearly four centuries of materials, the Harvard University Archives is the principal repository for the institutional records of Harvard University and the personal archives of Harvard faculty, as well as collections related to students, alumni, Harvard-affiliates and other associated topics. The collections document the intellectual, cultural, administrative and social life of Harvard and the influence of the University as it emerged across the globe.
Pusey Library
Harvard Yard
Cambridge MA 02138 USA
(617) 495-2461
archives_reference@harvard.edu