Mildred Lawrence Correspondence: A Letter to Dr. Lena de Grummond (1966)

Letter from Mildred Lawrence, Orland, Florida, to Professor Lena Young de Grummond, Hattiesburg, Mississippi sent on July 1st, 1966. (Typewriter)
Dear Mrs. de Grummond:
Please forgive my delay in acknowledging your letter of May 20, but I have been engulfed in book proofs and a new manuscript and friends daughters weddings.
Under separate cover, I am sending along two manuscripts as they went to the publisher’s– CRISSY AT THE WHEEL for the 9–to12s and ALONG COMES SPRING for the teenagers. There are two galley proofs, one for ISLAND SECRET and the other for INDIGO MAGIC–one, as you see, divided into pages and the other without either page divisions or illustrations. I don’t even have any proofs with the illustrations, as I have strewn them around during talks in the schools and at book fairs. I have also included one of the extremely elegant proofs that HArcourt, Brace & World, who have published all my books except my very first one, SUSAN’S BEARS, which was a Story Parade PictureBook put out by Grosset & Dunlap, have taken to sending these last two or three years. (That is an involved sentence for you! I don’t use that kind in my books.)
And, since you especially asked for rough notes, I am sending you a few pages of the manuscript from which I made the final copy THE TREASURE AND THE SONG, which will be out any day now. A horrible sight, isn’t it? Usually I tear all this into small pieces with the greatest joy the minute the book comes out. I simply don’t have illustrations and seldom part with them, although one of my jacket painters sends me the originals sometimes, but those I can’t part with. I use them for talks too and to adorn the walls of my house!
I will also enclose a paperback copy of PEACHTREE ISLAND, one of Harcourt, Brace & World’s new Voyager books, especially for the children. It has the same illustrations and type as the hardback 948 edition, which is also in print still. Some of the teenage ones are in Dutch and German but I seem to have no copies of those. I hope that these items will be of use to you.
Sincerely, (signed with pen) Mildred Lawrence

Mildred Lawrence: author, reporter, mother. Mildred Lawrence, a woman of many tricks and trades, published over two dozen books in her lifetime. Born on November 10, 1907, in Charleston, Illinois, Mildred Lawrence started her career as a reporter for the Flint Journal in Flint, Michigan. Then, in 1945, Lawrence published her first book, Susan's Bears, a children's picture book about overcoming fear. Being a mother of a girl (and a mature, knowledgeable girl herself), Lawrence thought it was only fitting to write about girls and the issues that are universally faced by all ages. Therefore, her writing career began.

Reaching audiences from seven years old to fifteen years old, her children's and contemporary coming-of-age books became beloved by many. Trying not to preach to any of her readers, Lawrence provided life lessons in all her books that had a powerful effect on readers, eventually leading to her commendable reviews from the New York Times, Publishers Weekly, and Horn Book Magazine. Residing in Orlando, Florida, Mildred Lawrence came into contact with Dr. Lena de Grummond when de Grummond wrote asking for manuscripts and "rough notes" relating to her books. This eventually led to nine boxes of Mildred Lawrence manuscripts and correspondence that the University of Southern Mississippi currently holds.

Around 1966, the de Grummond Children's Literature Collection, one of the leading research collections in children's literature in the nation created by Dr. Lena de Grummond, began. Toward the beginning of the 1960's, the contemporary literature era commenced, which changed the face of publishing for the United States. Becoming extremely popular amongst young adults, readers loved the relatable aspects to contemporary literature, recognizing situations in the books they were reading in their own life. Dr. de Grummond recognized what Mildred Lawrence had to offer the children's literature collection (and hundreds of other authors), and at the very beginning of the collection (1966) contacted Mildred Lawrence.

In the letter to Dr. Lena de Grummond on July 1, 1966, Lawrence begins the letter conversationally, proving how she and de Grummond are, if not good friends, good acquaintances. Lawrence begins by apologizing for her late reply, claiming that she has been overwhelmed with book proofs and weddings. Additionally, Lawrence attaches two manuscripts for Crissy at the Wheel (1952) and Along Comes Spring (1958). Answering de Grummond's specific request for "rough notes," Lawrence includes a few pages of the manuscript for her latest book The Treasure and the Song (1966). She even includes a paperback copy of Peachtree Island (1948) that was a part of a special edition of books.

Through Christmas cards, letters giving directions around Orlando, Florida, or more manuscripts of Lawrence's novels, Mildred Lawrence and Dr. Lena de Grummond stayed in contact. The letter exchange from July 1966 shows more than just an exchange between an author and an archivist. The letter shows friendship through its casualness and ease in conversation. Additionally, noting the date (July 1, 1966), Mildred Lawrence's manuscripts were some of the first to be added to the de Grummond Children's Literature collection (at least to the official collection), specifically adding to the contemporary part of the collection. Over her lifespan, Mildred Lawrence impacted readers and aided people in research with her donations to the de Grummond Children's Literature Collection.

Sophia Lyons, Sophomore, English Major

**Items of the Month featured in 2024 and 2025 will be the work of Southern Miss students who took HON 303, a seminar held in Fall 2024 focusing on archives and special collections.