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Gail Plummer papers

 Collection
Identifier: MS 0667

Scope and Contents

The Gail Plummer papers (circa 1960-1980) consist mainly of scrapbooks detailing productions at Kingsbury Hall, the University of Utah's summer festivals, and Babcock Theater. The scrapbooks are a comprehensive look at each of the shows Kingsbury Hall did in the 1940s and 1950s. There are scrapbooks for the regular season and for the summer festivals. Each one contains programs, letters, tickets, and news clippings about each show. The collection is arranged with Gail Plummer's scrapbooks first, for 10 boxes. Box eleven contains biographical material concerning Gail Plummer, as well as a scrapbook of history regarding Kingsbury Hall. Next are five scrapbooks compiled by Maud May Babcock, in boxes 16 through 18. Then, there are three volumes containing programs from Salt Lake Theater productions of 1901-1902, comprising boxes 19 and 20. These scrapbooks are an invaluable source of theater information, offering a comprehensive look at the end of the Salt Lake Theater and the beginning of Kingsbury Hall. They also illustrate how the summer festivals brought the arts together, merging theater with music and dance, and bringing together some of the great artistic organizers of their generation: C. Lowell Lees, Maurice Abravanel, Willam Christensen, Glade Peterson, and Gail Plummer. The 1996 addendum (boxes 21-24) contains scrapbooks and other documents regarding the career of Gail Plummer. Included are documents regarding University of Utah dramatic activities, including cast lists and production programs, and scrapbooks documenting the career of Maud May Babcock, a University of Utah speech and drama professor. As noted in the inventory, many of the materials in this addendum are photocopies of original documents. Boxes 25-27 consist mainly of Salt Lake Theater and Salt Lake Dramatic Association programs.

Dates

  • circa 1860-1980

Creator

Language of Materials

Collection materials are in English.

Conditions Governing Access

Twenty-four hour advanced notice encouraged. Materials must be used on-site. Access to parts of this collection may be restricted under provisions of state or federal law.

Conditions Governing Use

The library does not claim to control copyright for all materials in the collection. An individual depicted in a reproduction has privacy rights as outlined in Title 45 CFR, part 46 (Protection of Human Subjects). For further information, please review the J. Willard Marriott Library’s Use Agreement and Reproduction Request forms.

Biographical Sketch

Edmund Gail Plummer was born 14 May 1899 in Daniel, Washington County, Utah, the son of Walter and Josephine Plummer. He received his B.A. from Brigham Young University in 1927, and his M.A. from the University of Utah in 1935. He was a speech instructor at the University of Utah and the manager of Kingsbury Hall from 1933 to 1957. Kingsbury Hall was dedicated in 1930 following the closing of the Salt Lake Theater in 1928. Maud May Babcock recommended Plummer for the job of manager, and the University Dramatic Club had a home. The building was an independent department, serving the campus and the community. Each year a freshman play, a varsity play, and productions sponsored by Theta Alpha Phi were performed, as well as big musical productions for the summer festivals. Gail Plummer married Elva Swindle, who helped work for the theater, balancing books and selling tickets for ten years. They had two children, Bonnie and Tom. Plummer managed the Utah State Symphony as well, for two years starting in 1944. He worked closely during his career with symphony conductor Maurice Abravanel, dance instructor Willam Christensen, director C. Lowell Lees, and actor and stage designer Vern Adix. Through his success with the theater and his support for the public library, Gail Plummer earned respect in the community as a person bringing culture, art, and education to Utah. His book, The Business of Show Business (1961), gives a detailed account of his years of work with the theater. It is available in the Marriott Library's circulating collection. Gail Plummer died 23 October 1964, just before the new public library he inspired was ready to open.

Extent

17.75 Linear Feet

Additional Description

Abstract

The Gail Plummer papers (circa 1960-1980) consist mainly of scrapbooks detailing productions at Kingsbury Hall, the University of Utah's summer festivals, and Babcock Theater. Other scrapbooks, theater programs, and family and personal materials are also included. These materials were collected by Gail Plummer, a speech and theater instructor at the University of Utah, and his wife, Elva Plummer.

Immediate Source of Acquisition

Boxes 1-20 were donated in 1982.

Boxes 21-24 were donated in 1996.

Boxes 25-27 were donated in 1999.

Boxes 28-30 were transferred from University of Utah Archives and Records Management in 2017.

Separated Materials

Photographs were transferred to the Multimedia Division of Special Collections (P0138).

Processing Information

Processed by Jennifer Breaden in 1993.

Addendum processed by Lisa DeMille in 1999.

Addendum processed by Betsey Welland in 2017.

Subjects

Related Names

Creator

Finding Aid & Administrative Information

Title
Inventory of the Gail Plummer papers, circa 1860-1980
Author
Finding aid created by Jennifer Breaden
Date
© 1993 (last modified: 2017 and 2019)
Description rules
Describing Archives: A Content Standard
Language of description
English
Script of description
Latin
Language of description note
Finding aid encoded in English in Latin script.

Repository Details

Repository Details

Part of the J. Willard Marriott Library Special Collections Repository

https://lib.utah.edu/collections/special-collections/index.php
Contact:
295 South 1500 East
Salt Lake City Utah 84112 United States
801-581-8863

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