A Guide to the Patricia Finley Papers, 1941-1993 (bulk 1986-1993)

Biographical Note

Patricia Finley was born in 1919 at West Point, New York. She enjoyed writing journals, poems, and short stories and often participated in writing workshops where she wrote about her own experiences and recollections.

Her father was in the military and she and her family moved a lot while she was growing up. Finley attended three different schools during her high school years, Highland Falls, New York; Columbus, Georgia; and Junction City, Kansas. Finley graduated high school in 1935, at the age of sixteen, from Junction City, Kansas.

After graduation her family moved to Vermont and due to Finley's age, her mother insisted she move too, Finley enrolled in Goddard Junior College in Barre, Vermont for her first year of college. Her second year, she attended Stoneleigh Junior College in Rye Beach, New Hampshire, and her last years were spent at the University of Vermont.

After graduating from college, she began working for the United States government in Camp Beauregard, Louisiana where she worked from 1941-1942. In February of 1943 she met her husband, Glenn Finley, United States Army 2nd Lieutenant, while in Louisiana. On March 19, 1943 the two were married. The couple had four children, Glenn III, Radcliffe, Trish, and Mary Lee.

She was a writer in San Antonio during the 1980s and 1990s. She died on September 14, 1994.

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Scope and Content Note

The Patricia Finley Papers span the years 1941-1993 with the bulk of the material from 1986-1993. The majority of the material consists of writings from a writers' workshop.

The collection is divided into two series: Writings and Other Material.

The Writings series is divided into three subseries: Writing Workshop Material, Notebooks and Handwritten Notes, and Other Writings. These subseries consist mostly of writing workshop material containing autobiographical essays, poetry, notes, various reading material, and assignments from writing workshops she attended. Also included are various articles and other writings

The Other Material series includes articles by James J. Kirkpatrick entitled "Writer's Art," other articles and reading material, letters, souvenirs from a trip, a writing aptitude test booklet, and notes related to her writing.

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Restrictions

Access Restrictions

This collection is housed at UTSA's Main Campus and must be accessed via the John Peace Library Special Collections reading room. To request access, please use the Collections Request Form.

Usage Restrictions

Permission to publish materials from the collection must be obtained from University of Texas at San Antonio Libraries Special Collections.

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Administrative Information

Preferred Citation

[Identification of item], Patricia Finley Papers, MS 19, University of Texas at San Antonio Libraries Special Collections.

Acquisition Information

Received as a gift from Col. Glenn Finley, Jr., in June 1996 (Acc. 1996-009).

Processing Information

Processed by Tatina Wulzer, Collections Assistant, April 2008.

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Detailed Description of the Collection

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