Lately Thomas [Robert V. Steele] Collection
This collection houses correspondence, photographs, notebooks, and manuscripts documenting three of Lately Thomas' works: Storming Heaven (1970), A Pride of Lions (1971), and When Even Angels Wept: the Senator Joseph McCarthy affair (1973).
Dates
- 1944-1975
Conditions Governing Access
Collections are stored offsite and must be requested in advance. See www.special.lib.utk.edu for detailed information. Collections must be requested through a registered Special Collections research account.
Conditions Governing Use
The UT Libraries claims only physical ownership of most material in the collections. Persons wishing to broadcast or publish this material must assume all responsibility for identifying and satisfying any claimants on www.special.lib.utk.edu for detailed information. Collections must be requested through a registered Special Collections research account.
Extent
2.25 Linear Feet (2 record boxes, 1 flat box)
Abstract
This collection houses correspondence, photographs, notebooks, and manuscripts documenting three of Lately Thomas' works: Storming Heaven (1970), A Pride of Lions (1971), and When Even Angels Wept: the Senator Joseph McCarthy affair (1973).
Biographical/Historical Note
Robert V. Steele was born in 1898 in Waterbury, Connecticut. His father was a Methodist minister and later a general church officer. Steele briefly served in the U. S. Marine Corps (1918-1919) but did not see overseas action. In 1955, he was employed by the Los Angeles Times. In this position he began investigating the career of Aimee Semple McPherson. The story of her 1926 so-called kidnapping affair was told in Steele's book The Vanishing Evangelist (1959). This publication also marked the first time Steele used the pseudonym Lately Thomas.
Arrangement
Collection consists of three boxes divided into two series:
- Series I: Correspondence, Photographs, and Notebooks
- Series II: Notebooks, Manuscripts, and Other
Acquisition Note
This collection was given to Special Collections by Robert V. Steele in 1976.
Repository Details
Part of the Betsey B. Creekmore Special Collections and University Archives, University of Tennessee, Knoxville Repository