Finding aid for the J.R. LeMaster papers

Biography of J.R. LeMaster

Author and educator J.R. LeMaster was born in Pike County, Ohio in 1934. He married Donna Thompson in 1952. He later married Wanda May Ohnesorge in 1966. He had three children from his first marriage: Lisa, Lynn and Lon.

LeMaster received his B.S. in 1959 from Defiance College in Defiance, Ohio. He received both his M.A. in 1962 and his Ph.D. in 1970 from Bowling Green State University.

LeMaster's teaching career includes performing as a high school English teacher, and English instructor at Defiance College, instructor at the Second Foreign Language Institute in Beijing, China, and serving as the Director of American Studies and professor of English at Baylor University in Waco, Texas.

LeMaster is also the author of several books. His main topic has been poet Jesse Stuart and he has acted as editor for many of Stuart's works. LeMaster also has published his writings including: book of poetry First Person, Second; and non-fiction China Teacher: An Intimate Journal, created from the journal he kept while teaching in Beijing.

Scope and Content

The J.R. LeMaster papers span from 1960 to 1993 and document LeMaster's literary and teaching careers. The collection contains manuscripts and typescripts of LeMaster's and Jesse Stuart's works; collected writing of other writers; correspondence; publications; professional organization materials; work records from Defiance College and Baylor University; photographs; speeches; literary reviews; newsletters; and materials from the Jesse Stuart Foundation. The manuscripts are for works by LeMaster. LeMaster's correspondents include writers Stuart and Lee Pennington; Stuart's family; and other educators.

Statement of Arrangement

Subject Terms

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Preferred Citation

Researchers are requested to cite collection name, collection number, and Ohio University, Athens, Ohio in all footnotes and bibliographical references.