Restrictions to Access

No restrictions. Open for research.

Copyright Notice

Copyright is retained by the authors of items in these papers, or their descendants, as stipulated by United States copyright law.

Preferred Citation

[Identification of item], in the William A. McKnight Papers #4470, Southern Historical Collection, Wilson Library, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

Acquisitions Information

Transferred from the Department of Romance Languages, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, with permission of heirs, in November 1986. Received from Norva M. Bounds of Cedar Point, N.C., in March 2003 (Acc. 99451) and Bill Ilgin in May 1998 (Acc. 098116).

Sensitive Materials Statement

Manuscript collections and archival records may contain materials with sensitive or confidential information that is protected under federal or state right to privacy laws and regulations, the North Carolina Public Records Act (N.C.G.S. § 132 1 et seq.), and Article 7 of the North Carolina State Personnel Act (Privacy of State Employee Personnel Records, N.C.G.S. § 126-22 et seq.). Researchers are advised that the disclosure of certain information pertaining to identifiable living individuals represented in this collection without the consent of those individuals may have legal ramifications (e.g., a cause of action under common law for invasion of privacy may arise if facts concerning an individual's private life are published that would be deemed highly offensive to a reasonable person) for which the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill assumes no responsibility.

Processed by: Nick Robinson, Lynn Holdzkom, Nancy Kaiser, 1986, 1987, 2004

Encoded by: Nancy Kaiser, September 2004

Updated because of addition in December 2018.

Diacritics and other special characters have been omitted from this finding aid to facilitate keyword searching in web browsers.

The following terms from Library of Congress Subject Headings suggest topics, persons, geography, etc. interspersed through the entire collection; the terms do not usually represent discrete and easily identifiable portions of the collection--such as folders or items.

Clicking on a subject heading below will take you into the University Library's online catalog.

• Authors, Spanish--20th century.
• Buero Vallejo, Antonio, 1916-
• Casona, Alejandro, 1903-1965.
• Garcia Pavon, Francisco, 1919-
• Languages, Modern.
• McKnight, William A. (William Albert), 1911-1986.
• Modern language journal.
• Spanish literature--20th century.
• University of North Carolina (1793-1962)--Faculty--History--20th century.
• University of North Carolina (1793-1962). Dept. of Romance Languages.
• University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill--Faculty--History--20th century.
• University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Dept. of Romance Languages.

• Sturgis Elleno Leavitt Papers (#1967)
• Spanish and Catalan Drama Collection, Rare Book Collection

William A. McKnight served on the faculty of the Department of Romance Languages at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill from 1936 to 1978 and was active in promoting the study of contemporary Spanish literature.

Born in Shelby, N.C., McKnight grew up in Denver, N.C., and was a 1932 graduate of Davidson College. He received his M.A. in 1937, and Ph.D. in 1951, from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

During his tenure in Chapel Hill, McKnight played a significant part in the development of the University's holdings in Spanish literature, particularly the Spanish Drama Collection. He was also instrumental in the University's acquisition of the Wyatt Andrew Pickens Collection of Foreign Language Books.

He also served as chair of the Contemporary Spanish Literature Section of the Modern Language Association (MLA); assistant editor for Spanish of the Modern Language Journal; and chair of the MLA's Spanish Bibliography Committee, which began publishing the Bibliography of Contemporary Spanish Literature in 1953. He was also a Peace Corps teacher and advisor.

McKnight received the Tanner Award for Excellence in Teaching in 1963. In 1978, a permanent endowment fund was established in his name at the Ravenscroft School in Raleigh to provide financial assistance to students and teachers in the school's foreign language program.

McKnight died on 11 June 1986.

The collection includes correspondence, notes, photographs, and other materials chiefly relating to the work with contemporary Spanish authors of William A. McKnight, professor of romance languages at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Correspondence, some in Spanish, is largely with and about contemporary Spanish authors and booksellers, including Antonio Buero Vallejo (1916-2000), Alejandro Casona (1903-1965), and Francisco Garcia Pavon (1919- ). There is also some material relating to McKnight's work as assistant editor for Spanish of the Modern Language Journal and his role in Spanish literature collection development at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Several bibliographical lists of Spanish literature are included. Materials are in subject files created and titled by McKnight.

Photographs (PF-4470/1).