Finding aid for the Mary Whitcomb Hess papers

Biography of Mary Whitcomb Hess

Mary Whitcomb Hess (MWH) was a philosopher, author and poet. She was born December 11, 1893 in the small farming town of Hayden, Indiana. She was the daughter of Harry Young Whitcomb and Caroline Elizabeth Nighswander. She began her career as a teacher in Hayden and Vernon, Indiana. In 1918 she married John Hess (JH) and moved to Lawrence, Kansas. MWH continued her studies, receiving a bachelor's in Philosophy in 1926 and joining Phi Beta Kappa. In 1927, MWH and family moved to Athens, Ohio where JH became chairman of the German department at Ohio University (OU). During this time, MWH obtained a master's in Philosophy from OU. Her published work The Name is Living (1936) was a result of her thesis.

Early in her writing career, MWH developed the theory that the individual can directly confront the objects of knowledge within the structure of poetic language. This ability to transcend the static meaning of words had a direct bearing on much of her writing. In 1927 Warner Fite of Princeton University described her philosophical theories of poetry as, "very Platonic and somewhat mystically Einsteinian."

MWH wrote several journal articles on philosophy, literature, political and social theory, music, art, and mysticism. Over 160 articles were published in scholarly, religious, and trade publications. MWH was listed in Who's Who in Philosophy in 1942 and in American Catholic Who's Who. Her poetry is included in at least nine anthologies.

On October 12, 1988 MWH was the subject of a special symposium sponsored by the OU Department of Philosophy. In the words of Dr. George Weckman, this was an opportunity "to honor a distinguished graduate." At the symposium, MWH's daughter Mary Carolina Hess presented the Philosophy Department with her mother's rare 1681 edition of the book, The Works of Isaac Penington. She also presented the department copies of MWH's articles and an annotated bibliographical checklist.

MWH continued writing up until her death at the age of 93 at Raphael's Home in Columbus, Ohio on February 12, 1987.

Scope and Content

The Mary Whitcomb Hess (MWH) papers span from 1924 to 1975 and document MWH's life as a writer and philosopher of religion and poetry.

Box 1 contains offprints of her textual publications from 1926 to 1976. These essays and commentaries on philosophical, literary, and religious topics were published primarily in Catholic periodicals as well as some philosophical journals. These are arranged alphabetically by title. The checklist noted below includes a four-page subject index (p. 31-34); a copy of this index is appended to the inventory.

The second, smaller box contains a loose leaf binder of Hess's collected poems (also arranged alphabetically by title). Also in the box are two pamphlets related to Penington or Quakerism. In addition, a Fall 1930 catalog of "Quaker and Other Books" from the Friends Bookstore. Two of Mrs. Hess's poems were set to music by composer Earl E. Kelly. The original score for a song "White Wings Flying," published as a poem in 1953, and a photocopied score for "River Asleep," from a poem published in 1959, are housed with the collection. Lastly, there are 2 copies of the annotated bibliography, "M. Whitcomb Hess, A Bibliographical Checklist of Fifty Years: 1924-1974," written by her daughter, Sister Mary Carolina Hess S.N.D., upon which this inventory is largely based.

Statement of Arrangement

Subject Terms

The following terms have been used to describe this collection.

Subjects:

Preferred Citation

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

Other Finding Aid

A paper copy of the folder list is available.