Beverly Jane Porter papers

Collection

Identifier: ACCN 3212

Staff Only

Scope and Contents

The Beverly Jane Porter Papers (1936-2010) consist primarily of correspondence from Porter living in South Africa to family in the United States. Most of the letters are addressed to Porter's parents. The earliest letters are from New York in 1936. From 1939 through 1955, she writes from Northern Rhodesia now Zambia; Durban, South Africa; and Johannesburg, South Africa. In these lengthy letters, Porter provides family updates regarding their health and studies. She also writes about their "frightfully hectic" social life where bridge luncheons and buffet suppers often occur. She also touches upon her husband's work as a metallurgist recovering uranium. In 1949, British physicist, Sir John Cockcroft, visits her husband for a tour of the Witwatersrand University lab and mines. The letters from 1969 through 1970 are written from various countries during trip to Europe, the Mediterranean, and South Africa. The correspondence also includes telegrams, postcards, and photostatic copies via Airgraph. Also included are Porter's United States passports, death certificate, and general materials.

Click here to view digitized correspondence from the collection or the links below.

Dates

1936-2010

Creator

Porter, Beverly Jane (Person)

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 / Historical

Beverly Jane Slabaugh Porter was born on January 8, 1917 in Salt Lake City, Utah to Edwin P. Slabaugh and Susan Hampton. While at the University of Utah in the mid-1930s, Porter was a member of the French Club, Women's Glee Club, and Kappa Kappa Gamma. In the late 1930s, she moved to New York City to study voice. She married Robert Rampton Porter in 1938. The couple moved and lived in Africa for nearly two decades while Robert worked as a consulting metallurgist. The couple had four children. Porter passed away on July 21, 2010.