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Collection Overview
| Size | 6.5 feet of linear shelf space (approximately 1,700 items) |
| Abstract | Frankie Edith Parker (1922-1993) was Jack Kerouac's first wife, from 1944 until their separation in 1946 and legal annulment in 1952. Henri Cru (1921-1992) was Kerouac's friend at Horace Mann Preparatory School in New York City. Parker and Cru dated until Cru introduced Parker to Kerouac in 1942. Kerouac kept in touch with both Parker and Cru until his death in 1969. This collection contains the personal papers and photos of Parker and Cru, including the originals of four letters from Kerouac to Parker and a 1947 never-produced screenplay on which Kerouac collaborated with Cru. Other correspondents and notable individuals in the collection include Allen Ginsberg, Gabrielle Kerouac, G. Caroline ("Nin") Kerouac, Joan Vollmer Adams Burroughs, William Burroughs, Herbert Huncke, Lucien Carr, Neal Cassady, Carolyn Cassady, Joan Haverty, Jan Kerouac, Stella Sampas Kerouac, Albert Cru (Henri Cru's father), Tom Waits, Vicki Russell, Ann Charters, Robert Creeley, John Fitzgerald, Céline Young, Bill Morgan, Gerald Nicosia, and Fernanda Pivano. There is also information about the 1982 Kerouac Conference at the Naropa Institute. |
| Creator | Kerouac, Edie Parker, 1923-1993. |
| Curatorial Unit | University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Rare Book Collection. |
| Language | English, with an occasional item in French |
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Information For Users
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Processing Information
Processed by: Kate Moriarty, December 2004
Encoded by: Roberta Engleman, June 2006
Finding aid updated by Dawne Howard Lucas in April 2020 to change the collection number from Z9999.1.P37 to 70032
Updated by: Nancy Kaiser, November 2020; Dawne Howard Lucas, February 2021
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Subject Headings
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.
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Biographical Information
Edie Parker Kerouac, 1922-1993
Frankie Edith Parker was born 20 September 1922 in Detroit, Mich., to an upper-middle-class family. She grew up in the Detroit area, spent her summers in the family's second home in Asbury Park, N.J., and had extended stays at her grandmother's in New York City. In the early 1940s Parker attended Columbia University, where she studied art. While in New York City, she met and dated Henri Cru, a prep-school friend of Jack Kerouac. Cru introduced Parker to Kerouac in 1942, shortly before shipping out for service in World War II. Parker was living with Joan Vollmer (the future wife of William Burroughs) in one of three apartments they shared during the early- to mid-1940s and which served as a residence and gathering place for the two women and a number of their friends.
Parker introduced Kerouac to Allen Ginsberg and Lucien Carr. Soon William Burroughs; Herbert Huncke; Neal Cassady; Hal Chase; Carr's girlfriend, Céline Young; and others were incorporated into the circle. On 22 August 1944 Parker married Kerouac while he was in jail as a material witness in the Carr-Kammerer murder case, thereby freeing up her trust-fund money and enabling her to post Kerouac's bail. The couple lived in Grosse Pointe, Mich., with Parker's mother and sister for a few months before Kerouac returned to New York. Parker also left for New York and there followed two years of the couple living with Kerouac's family or with Vollmer and other friends. Kerouac was frequently absent during this period, but when he was home, Parker worked odd jobs as a stevedore, longshoreman, cigarette girl, and model to support his writing.
In 1946 the couple separated and Parker returned to Grosse Pointe. The marriage was legally annulled in 1952. Parker remarried twice, to Mike Dietz (1952-1954) and Pat Garvin (1959-1969). Kerouac contacted her periodically throughout the years, and even proposed a visit shortly before he died in 1969. Parker figured in several of Kerouac's novels under the pseudonyms Judie Smith (The Town and the City), Elly (Visions of Cody), and Edna Palmer (Vanity of Duluoz). Parker herself did not read Kerouac's books and was not aware of the extent of his fame until she attended his funeral. She subsequently spent the rest of her years speaking on Kerouac and writing her memoirs, which were never published. She authored several articles on Kerouac and appeared in the film What Happened to Kerouac?
In part prompted by writing her memoirs, Parker kept in touch with Ginsberg; Burroughs; Neal Cassady's wife, Carolyn Cassady; and several others associated with the Beats. In 1979 she contacted Cru after thirty years and they remained close friends until his death in 1992. Parker met Tim Moran in 1984 and offered him a home. Moran became her caretaker for six years, during which time he was introduced to Cru. When Moran moved to New York in 1990, he became Cru's caretaker until 1992. Moran assisted Parker with her memoirs, and shortly before she died on 29 October 1993, Parker willed her papers to Moran.
Henri Cru, 1921-1992
Henri Cru was born on 2 April 1921 in Massachusetts to an English mother and French father. The family had recently moved from France and Cru's father, Albert Cru, became a French professor in Massachusetts. They moved to New York City when Albert Cru joined the faculty of Columbia Teachers College. Henri Cru was not diligent in his studies and was sent to Paris for a time during high school. He returned to the United States, where he met Jack Kerouac while attending Horace Mann School, a prep school in New York. Upon graduation, Cru joined the Coast Guard, and soon after, the merchant marine. Cru's mother and Edie Parker's grandmother lived in the same New York City building and in 1939 Cru and Parker started dating. In 1942 Cru introduced Parker to Jack Kerouac, and shortly afterward shipped off for World War II. Though Parker and Cru's commitment to each other had fluctuated, Cru was hurt and angry for a few years after Parker and Kerouac dated and married.
Around 1947, Cru moved to San Francisco and invited Kerouac to visit him, join the merchant marine, and look for work on vessels in the area. This inspired Kerouac's first cross-country trip, recounted in On the Road, in which Cru figures as Remi Boncoeur. During his stay with Cru, the two collaborated on the never-produced screenplay "Blood and Paper or Lunchtime Wake" (Folder 78). Cru is later depicted as Deni Bleu in Kerouac's Visions of Cody, Desolation Angels, Lonesome Traveler, and Vanity of Duluoz.
Cru remained in the merchant marine up until his retirement in the mid- to late 1980s. He worked primarily as an electrician, but he also served as (ship) fireman, oiler, pumpman, junior engineer, refrigerating engineer, deck engineer, lifeboatman, and bouncer. His work took him to Asia, India, Europe, and South America.
Cru's primary residence during this time was Greenwich Village, N.Y., and he frequently saw Kerouac when they were both in town. Later, in his letters to Parker and Tim Moran, Cru mentions that the visits became increasingly difficult as Kerouac's alcoholism progressed, producing a reluctance in Cru to spend large amounts of time with his friend.
In 1979 Parker contacted Cru and the two resumed a close acquaintance. Cru was diagnosed with diabetes, and around 1980 his left leg was amputated below the knee. Parker visited Cru and helped him in his hospitalizations in the 1980s. Parker also introduced Cru to Tim Moran, who became his caretaker in the early 1990s. In 1988 Cru, Parker, and Moran attended the dedication of the Jack Kerouac Commemorative in Lowell, Mass. Cru died in August 1992. As Parker would do a year later, Cru willed his papers to Tim Moran.
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Scope and Content
The Edie Parker Kerouac and Henri Cru Papers were donated by Tim Moran, the friend and caretaker of Edie Parker and Henri Cru, and by John Moran, Tim's brother. The collection consists of the personal papers, photographs, scrapbooks, and publications of Edie Parker, Jack Kerouac's first wife, and the personal papers, photos, and scrapbook of Kerouac's prep-school friend, Henri Cru. The personal accounts present in Parker's unpublished memoirs and the correspondence of both Cru and Parker contribute significantly to our knowledge of Kerouac. Included in the collection are the originals of four letters and a telegram from Kerouac to Parker from 1943, 1957, and 1969 (Folder 22). Other correspondents and notable individuals in the collection include Allen Ginsberg, Gabrielle Kerouac, G. Caroline Kerouac (Nin Kerouac), Joan Vollmer Adams Burroughs, William Burroughs, Herbert Huncke, Lucien Carr, Neal Cassady, Carolyn Cassady, Joan Haverty, Jan Kerouac, Stella Sampas Kerouac, Albert Cru (Henri Cru's father), Tom Waits, Vicki Russell, Ann Charters, Robert Creeley, John Fitzgerald, Céline Young, Bill Morgan, Gerald Nicosia, and Fernanda Pivano. There is also information about the 1982 Kerouac Conference at the Naropa Institute.
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Series Quick Links
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Subcollection 1: Edie Parker Kerouac.
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Series 1. Correspondence and Related Materials, 1930s-1993.
Arrangement: Alphabetically by correspondent, then chronologically within each folder. Dates following correspondents' names below represent the time-span of the correspondence.
Personal correspondence of Edie Parker. Notable correspondents include Beat authors and associates, such as William Burroughs, Joan Vollmer Burroughs, Lucien Carr, Carolyn Cassady, Robert Creeley, Allen Ginsberg, Herbert Huncke, Jack Kerouac, Ed White, and Céline Young. Also included is correspondence relating to Parker's attempts to publish her memoirs.
| Folder 1 |
Joan Vollmer Adams Burroughs, 1945-1946Johan Burroughs was Parker's NYC Rroomate in the 1940s and married William Burroughs. Includes four letters from Joan Burroughs to Parker. |
| Folder 2 |
William Burroughs, 1945-1983Nine letters and cards from Burroughs to Parker. |
| Folder 3 |
William Burroughs, 1983-1992Contains letters to Parker from Irae Silverburg and James Gauerholz, often conveying the sentiments of William Burroughs. |
| Folder 4 |
Lucien Carr, 1979-1983Contains two postcards and one letter to Parker from Lucien Carr. |
| Folder 5 |
Carolyn Cassady, 1978-1983Letters include references to Parker's and Cassady's relationships with the Beats. Includes photocoies of Parker's letters to Carolyn Cassady, which Cassady sent to Tim Moran, he heir to Parker's papers |
| Folder 6 |
Ann Charters, 1992Charters was one of Jack Kerouac's biographers. Includes a request for copies of letters to Parker from Jack Kerouac. |
| Folder 7 |
Robert Creeley, 1980Contains two typed notes from Creeley to Parker. |
Folder 8-15
Folder 8Folder 9Folder 10Folder 11Folder 12Folder 13Folder 14Folder 15 |
Henry Cru, 1979-1992Contains letters from Cru to Parker. Enclosures of the letters contain the various materials Cru included in his correspondence, such as off-track betting information, clippings, and photos. There are several instances in which Cru sent Parker photocopies of letters he wrote to someone else. 8: Henri Cru, 1979-1982 #70032, Series 1. Correspondence and Related Materials, 1930s-1993., Folder 89: Henri Cru, January-June 1983 #70032, Series 1. Correspondence and Related Materials, 1930s-1993., Folder 910: Henri Cru, July-December 1983 #70032, Series 1. Correspondence and Related Materials, 1930s-1993., Folder 10The letter dated 18 July talks about Jack Kerouac; Kerouac's second wife, Joan; and their daughter, Jan. Enclosures include a photo of Cru in the background of a horse race event, and a copy of Robert Pegg's "On the Road to Grosse Pointe," a piece on Edie Parker. 11: Henri Cru, 1984-1985 #70032, Series 1. Correspondence and Related Materials, 1930s-1993., Folder 11Includes a note to Parker requesting she return his original "Blood and Paper or Lunchtime Wake," a screenplay he co-wrote with Jack Kerouac. Original can be found in Folder 78. 12: Henri Cru, 1986 #70032, Series 1. Correspondence and Related Materials, 1930s-1993., Folder 12The 25 July enclosure includes a photocopy of a phone bill to Remi Bon Coeur, Henri Cru's alias in Jack Kerouac's On the Road. 13: Henri Cru, 1987 #70032, Series 1. Correspondence and Related Materials, 1930s-1993., Folder 13Includes the book of poems and accompanying poster, "Nobody Loves You Like My Body Loves You," by Robin Dancer. 14: Henri Cru, 1988-1992 #70032, Series 1. Correspondence and Related Materials, 1930s-1993., Folder 1415: Henri Cru, Dates Unknown #70032, Series 1. Correspondence and Related Materials, 1930s-1993., Folder 15 |
| Folder 16 |
John Fitzgerald, 1944, 1982-1983Later letters include reminiscences of Parker, Jack Kerouac, and Allen Ginsberg, seemingly in answer to questions from Parker. Jack Kerouac was Fitzgerald's son's godfather. |
| Folder 17 |
Allen Ginsberg, 1960-1980Seven postcards from Ginsberg to Parker. |
| Folder 18 |
Elizabeth Gratch, 1988Gratch assisted Parker with her memoirs in 1988. Includes letters to Parker, and to the agent, Mitchell Hamilburg. |
| Folder 19 |
Herbert Huncke, 1948, 1983Two letters from Herbert Huncke to Parker. |
| Folder 20 |
Gabrielle Kerouac, 1944Includes letters from Gabrielle Kerouac, Jack Kerouac's mother, to Edie Parker and Jack Kerouac, and a clipping on the Carr-Kammerer murder case. |
| Folder 21 |
G. Caroline "Nin" Kerouac, 1943-1944Includes one letter from Nin Kerouac, Jack Kerouac's sister, to their parents and two to Jack Kerouac |
| Folder 22 |
Jack Kerouac, 1940s, 1950s, 1969Contains the following documents, including some of Jack Kerouac's final letters:
|
| Folder 23 |
Stella Sampas Kerouac and Tony Sampas, 1969-1971, 1978-1980Contains five letters from Stella Kerouac, Jack Kerouac's third wife, to Parker, and two to Parker's sister, Charlotte, including a denial of her involvement in any Kerouac biographies. Also includes two letters from Tony Sampas, Stella's brother, to Parker |
| Folder 24 |
John Kingsland, 1945, 1981Contains three letters from Kingsland to Parker. |
| Folder 25 |
Henry Kingswell, 1974-1980Kingswell assisted Parker with her memoirs from 1974 to 1979. Includes three separate agreements between Parker and Kingswell dated 1974. |
| Folder 26 |
Richard Lerner Productions, 1986Contains a letter and contract concerning Parker's participation in the production of the documentary film What Happened to Kerouac? |
| Folder 27 |
Lowell Historic Preservation Commission, 1987-1988Includes letters regarding Parker's donation of Jack Kerouac's typewriter to their museum exhibit, as well as photocopied clippings on, and an invitation to, the opening of the Jack Kerouac Commemorative |
| Folder 28 |
John Montgomery, 1982-1988Includes letters from Montgomery, a Kerouac biographer, to Parker, and an article on a Kerouac reunion in Lowell, Mass., that features Parker. |
| Folder 29 |
Joy Walsh, 1980-1988Contains letters to Parker from Joy Walsh, the publisher of Moody Street Irregulars: A Jack Kerouac Newsletter. |
| Folder 30 |
Dave Moore, 1980-1987Moore was editor of The Kerouac Connection newsletter, associated with Beat Brotherhood: The Jack Kerouac Appreciation Society, and authored "Book of Dreams: A Name Index." Letters indicate that Parker was able to answer several of Moore's questions regarding the people represented in Kerouac's book. Her addendum to his article, entitled "Dave Moore's 'Book of Dreams: A Name Index' Addenda and Annotations," was published in Moody Street Irregulars, No. 10 in 1981. See Folder 50 for the publication. |
| Folder 31 |
Tim Moran, 1985-1993Contains letters from Parker to Tim Moran, who was Parker's caretaker in her later years, her last assistant on her memoirs, the heir to her papers, and the source of this collection. |
| Folder 32 |
Bill Morgan, 1986Contains a letter from Morgan, Allen Ginsberg's biographer, to Parker requesting letters that Ginsberg wrote her to assist in the editing of his journals. See Folder 74 for letters from Morgan to Parker regarding the 1986 festschrift, Best Minds: A Tribute to Allen Ginsberg, and Parker's contributions, "Fond Memories of Allen" and "Four Years Between Us." |
| Folder 33 |
Gerry Nicosia, 1983-1990Contains letters to Parker from Nicosia, author of the Kerouac biography Memory Babe. Nicosia had interviewed Parker in preparation for the book. For Parker's corrections to Nicosia's manuscript, see Folder 82. |
| Folder 34 |
Charlotte Maire Parker, 1930s-1945Charlotte Maire Parker was Edie Parker's mother. Folder contains childhood letters from Edie to her mother, and two 1944 letters written from the 118th Street apartment that speak of Jack Kerouac. See Folder 169 for another letter from the same address. Included are several letters dated 1945 from her mother encouraging Edie to leave the Beat crowd and divorce Jack Kerouac. |
| Folder 35 |
Mrs. Walter Mackay Parker, 1942Contains one letter to Edie Parker from her grandmother. |
| Folder 36 |
Charlotte Parker Pattison, 1940s, 1970sCharlotte Parker Pattison was Edie Parker's sister, who also went by "Sis" and "Charlie." Includes a 1979 card to Charlotte from Dorris Johnson speaking of Edie Parker and Jack Kerouac. |
| Folder 37 |
Jim Perrizo, 1986-1990Perrizo was Parker's assistant in editing her memoirs from 1986 to ca. 1987. Includes copies of letters from Perrizo to publishers and a letter to Parker regarding contradictions in Parker's memoirs. |
| Folder 38 |
Fernanda Pivano, 1981-1982Three letters to Parker from Pivano Sottsass, Kerouac's Italian translator. |
| Folder 39 |
Publishers and Agents, 1978-1988Contains letters regarding her memoirs from Parker and her assistant, Jim Perrizo, to publishers and agents. Rejections from publishers include those from St. Martin's Press, Grove Press, Arbor House, and W. W. Norton and Co. Also included is a copy of the 22 November 1986 retraction Parker sent to The Sterling Lord Agency regarding her claims to Jack Kerouac's estate. |
| Folder 40 |
Duncan Purcell, 1944-1945Contains four letters to Parker from Purcell, a New York friend of Parker and Joan Vollmer Adams Burroughs. Letters refer to Vollmer and Jack Kerouac, and two are addressed to Mrs. John Kerouac. |
| Folder 41 |
Sotheby's, 1983Contains a letter of interest in response to Parker's enquiry regarding memorabilia of Jack Kerouac. |
| Folder 42 |
The Unspeakable Visions of the Individual, 1979-1981Letters to Parker from Arthur and Kit Knight regarding her Kerouac-related stories and photographs for publication. |
| Folder 43 |
Tom Waits, [1982?]Contains a letter from the performer to Parker mentioning Jack Kerouac as one of his influences. |
| Folder 44 |
Edward White, 1982Includes a photocopy of a 1947 letter from Jack Kerouac to Edward White containing a message for Edie Parker, and a 1982 letter from White to Parker reminiscing about 1945-1947 days with Jack Kerouac. |
| Folder 45 |
Céline Young, 1944-1945Contains four letters to Parker from Young, a girlfriend of Lucien Carr. |
| Folder 46 |
Judith Young, 1986Contains an unsigned Memorandum of Agreement and letters to Parker and Jim Perrizo regarding the (unsuccessful) hiring of Young to professionally edit Parker's memoirs. |
| Folder 47 |
Miscellaneous Letters A-RContains letters and cards to Parker from friends, family, and associates. |
| Folder 48 |
Miscellaneous Letters S-ZContains letters and cards to Parker from friends, family, and associates. |
| Folder 49 |
Miscellaneous Letters: Authors unknownContains letters and cards to Parker from friends, family, and associates. |
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Series 2. Writings, 1940s-circa
1988.
Arrangement: Chronological.
Material relating to Edie Parker's unpublished memoirs. It is divided into five subseries: Published Writings; Memoirs; Other Writings; Writings by Jack Kerouac; and Writings by Others. The series includes published articles and poetry by Edie Parker, typescript and manuscript versions of her unpublished memoirs, and writings by others. Folders 78-80 contain writings by Jack Kerouac, including a typescript screenplay written with Henri Cru.
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Subseries 2.1. Published writings.
Arrangement: Chronological.
Contains two published excerpts from Parker's unpublished memoirs, "You'll Be Okay." Also contains Parker's published additions to Moore's "Book of Dreams: A Name Index" and Save the Frescoes That Are Us: A Detroit Tribute to Jack Kerouac, a book of poetry co-edited by Parker and M. L. Liebler which includes seven poems by Parker and a copy of the 8 September 1969 letter from Jack Kerouac to Parker. The original letter can be found in Folder 22.
| Folder 50 |
Published writings"Dave Moore's 'Book of Dreams: A Name Index' Addenda and Annotations." (Fall 1981). Moody Street Irregulars, no. 10, pp. 18-21. Save the Frescoes That Are Us: A Detroit Tribute to Jack Kerouac. (1982). M. L. Liebler and F. E. Kerouac-Parker (Eds.). Detroit: Ridgeway Press. Signed by Liebler and Parker. "Seventy White Candles in the Limelight." (July 1984). The Kerouac Connection, no. 3, pp. 3-4. "The Popsicle Man." (April 1985). The Kerouac Connection, no. 6, pp. 3-5. To William S. Burroughs: Essays and Poems Celebrating the 1987 River City Reunion. (1987). Roseville, MI: Ridgeway Press. Parker's "Fond Memories of Allen" and "Four Years Between Us" can be found in: Morgan, Bill (Ed.). (1986). Best Minds: A Tribute to Allen Ginsberg. NY: Lospecchio Press. |
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Subseries 2.2. Memoirs.
Arrangement: Typescript manuscript drafts constitute the first section, followed by handwritten drafts. No attempt has been made to order the documents.
Materials related to Parker's unpublished memoirs, "You'll Be Okay." Includes notes, outlines, letters, and typescrpt and handwritten versions of the manuscript.
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Subseries 2.3. Other writings
Arrangement: Chronological
Manuscripts include typescripts of Parker's publications as well as poems in manuscript and typescript.
| Folder 71 |
Seventy White Candles in the Limelight" |
| Folder 72 |
Typescript of "Dave Moore's 'Book of Dreams: A Name Index' Addenda and Annotations." Folder 30 contains correspondence relating to the article. |
| Folder 73 |
"Remembering Mrs. William Seward Burroughs: Joan Vollmer Adams"Excerpt from Parker's unpublished memoirs: "You'll Be Okay" published in To William S. Burroughs's "Essays and Poems Celebrating the 1987 River City Reunion." |
| Folder 74 |
"Fond Memories of Allen" and "Four Years Between Us" (1986)Typescripts of Parker's prose and poetry contributions to the 1986 festschrift Best Minds: A Tribute to Allen Ginsberg, edited by Bill Morgan. Includes related letters from Morgan to Parker. |
| Folder 75 |
Original folder title: "Already Published, In Process."Typescript and handwritten poems and articles by Parker. |
| Folder 76 |
Unpublished, untitled manuscript poem by Parker. |
| Folder 77 |
Notebook of poems, notes, and fragments of Parker's memoirs. |
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Subseries 2.4 Writings by Jack Kerouac
Arrangement: Alphabetical by title.
Manuscripts of unpublished poems and a book report by Jack Kerouac. Also includes a screenplay co-written with Henri Cru. The documents are not dated, but are estimated to have been written in the 1940s.
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Series 3. Financial and Legal Materials
Arrangement: Within folders, contents are arranged chronologically.
Materials relating to Parker's marriage to Jack Kerouac, to income received from a trust fund, and to a debt settlement court case.
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Series 4. Scrapbooks and Biographical Materials, 1930s-1993.
Arrangement: Arrangement: Folder 88 contains biographical materials relating to Parker. Folders 89-108 contain the contents of 13 scrapbooks made by Parker. The scrapbooks are dismantled. Printouts of the photographed layout of pages can be found at the beginning of each scrapbook's materials.
Materials include clippings, photos, and printed ephemera. The themes of the scrapbooks are for the most part either Parker and her family or Jack Kerouac and other Beat writers. Photos of Henri Cru are also present. Original scrapbook titles have been retained.
| Folder 88 |
Biographical Materials, 1922-1988.Contains Parker's 1922 Certificate of Birth Registration, a 1944 Columbia University course schedule, and Medicare, Social Security, and AARP cards. |
Folder 89-91
Folder 89Folder 90Folder 91 |
Scrapbook 1, 1939-1982.Jack Kerouac is the primary theme of this scrapbook. Many items are copies of originals found elsewhere in the collection, such as letters (originals in Folder 22) and records pertaining to Kerouac's marriage to Parker (originals in Folder 84). Also included are photos of Kerouac, Henri Cru, and Parker's family, as well as a rare photo of Vicki Russell, a significant figure in Allen Ginsberg's life. |
| Folder 92 |
Scrapbook 2: "Kerouac, Lowell, Movie, Events I," 1976-1987.Contains clippings and printed materials regarding Kerouac. Included are photos of Parker and of Kerouac's grave. |
| Folder 93 |
Scrapbook 3: "Movies, Kerouac Lowell Movie Events II," 1986-1987.Contains clippings and printed materials on Kerouac, several of which refer to the film What Happened to Kerouac? Includes a letter to Parker from Nicosia regarding the role his Memory Babe (1986) played as background material for the film. |
| Folder 94 |
Scrapbook 4: "Burroughs I Naropa," 1975-1988.William Burroughs is the primary theme of this scrapbook. Contains clippings and printed materials on Burroughs, postcards of him, exhibit announcements of art by him, and a greeting card featuring one of his paintings sent by him to Parker. Also includes clippings and printed materials on the Naropa Institute's 1982 On the Road: The Jack Kerouac Conference, letters to Parker regarding her participation in the conference, and business cards collected by Parker at the event. Additional materials on the conference are in Folder 131. |
| Folder 95 |
Scrapbook 5: "Naropa III," 1975-1989.Contains clippings and printed materials on Jack Kerouac, Gary Snyder, and Amiri Baraka. Also includes 1982 travel information on the USSR and a photo of Parker. |
| Folder 96 |
Scrapbook 6: "Ginsberg," 1979-1988.Contains clippings and printed materials on Allen Ginsberg, postcards from Ginsberg to Parker, and photos of Ginsberg and Parker at a book signing. |
| Folder 97 |
Scrapbook 7: "Lowell, Asbury Park II," 1944-1988.Contains an invitation to the 1988 opening of the Jack Kerouac Commemorative, photos of Parker's family, and clippings on Asbury Park, N.J., where the Parkers had a summer home. |
| Folder 98 |
Scrapbook 8, 1974-1988.Contains clippings and photocopies of articles on Parker, Jack Kerouac, and Kerouac-related productions. Also includes photos of Parker with Allen Ginsberg and William Burroughs. |
Folder 99-100
Folder 99Folder 100 |
Scrapbook 9: "Autobiographies, Writers," 1969-1986.Contains clippings and printed materials on Jack Kerouac, including several clippings on his death, on Kerouac-related events and productions, and on the 1982 Naropa Institute On the Road: The Jack Kerouac Conference, in which Parker participated. Also contains reviews of Beat biographies and autobiographies and coverage of the 1986 ouster of Barney Rosset from Grove Press. |
| Folder 101 |
Scrapbook 10: "Memory Babe, Beats Writers, Poets, Books," 1973-1986.Contains clippings and printed material related to Jack Kerouac and photocopies of letters regarding Parker's attempts to secure royalties from Kerouac's books (originals in Folder 84). Also included are a photo of Parker from the 1940s, one of Carolyn Cassady and Jan Kerouac (Jack Kerouac's daughter) in 1978, one of Robert Creeley, and two proofs of Kerouac in 1964 with Saul Bellow and an unidentified individual. |
| Folder 102 |
Scrapbook 11: "Celebritys [sic], Kerouac, Influence, Products," 1986-1991.Contains clippings and printed material on Beat authors, publications, and Beat-related events and productions. |
Folder 103-105
Folder 103Folder 104Folder 105 |
Scrapbook 12: "Or Products I Have Known," 1942-1992.Contains photos of Herbert Huncke, Parker and her family, and Henri Cru and his family sent to Parker by Cru. Also includes letters to Parker from Ginsberg, Nicosia, Cru, and William Burroughs Communications. Other materials include clippings and printed material on Jack Kerouac and Beat-related events, including coverage of talks on Kerouac by Parker. |
Folder 106-108
Folder 106Folder 107Folder 108 |
Scrapbook 13, 1983-1992Contains clippings and printed material on Jack Kerouac, other Beat writers, and Beat associates. Includes flyers on and coverage of talks on Kerouac by Parker, and a note to Parker from Henri Cru. |
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Series 5. Printed Materials, 1959-1992.
Arrangement: Folders 109-111 contain newsletters and magazines. Each title is arranged chronologically. Folder 112 contains printed ephemera arranged chronologically, and Folders 113-119 contain newspapers and clippings, also arranged chronologically.
Most of the material pertains to Jack Kerouac and the Beats.
| Folder 109 |
The Kerouac Connection, Ed. Dave Moore, Nos. 3-7, 9-14, 18-19 (July 1984-Spring 1990).Numbers 3 and 6 are in Folder 50 and contain Parker's articles "Seventy White Candles in the Limelight" and "The Popsicle Man," respectively. |
| Folder 110 |
Moody Street Irregulars: A Jack Kerouac Newsletter, Nos. 11, 13, and 16/17 (1982-1986).Number 10 can be found in Folder 50 and contains Parker's article "Dave Moore's 'Book of Dreams: A Name Index' Addenda and Annotations." Numbers 14, 16/17, 20/21, 22/23, and 24/25/26 can be found in Folder 155. |
| Folder 111 |
Soup, (1980). Soup, (1990). Beatniks from Space, No. 6 (1986). North Shore Life, Vol. 7, no. 2 (April/May 1987).Pages 94-96 of Soup, 1980, contain five poems by Jack Kerouac the originals of which are in Folder 79. Pages 22-27 of North Shore Life contain articles on Jack Kerouac and the Kerouac Commemorative. |
| Folder 112 |
Time, Vol. 130, no. 12 (September 21, 1987). Beat Scene, No. 15 (ca. 1993).Page 79 of Time contains a picture and brief coverage of the participants in the 1987 River City Reunion event in honor of William Burroughs. Pictured are Robert Creeley, Anne Waldman, Andrei Codrescu, Edie Parker, William Burroughs, and Allen Ginsberg. |
| Folder 113 |
Contains photocopied articles and printed materials from 1974-1992. Many of the articles cover talks given by Parker on Jack Kerouac. |
| Folder 114 |
Contains clippings on Jack Kerouac from 1959-1973 from an unlabeled envelope. |
| Folder 115 |
Contains clippings from 1968-1971 from an unlabeled envelope on a loan shark case in Parker's hometown. |
Folder 116-119
Folder 116Folder 117Folder 118Folder 119 |
Newspapers and clippings 1980-1990. |
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Series 6. Photographic Materials, 1930s-ca.
1988.
Arrangement: Eight folders of photographic prints precede a folder of photographic negatives.
The subjects of the materials are primarily Parker, Jack Kerouac, Beat associates, and Henri Cru.
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Subseries 6.1. Photographic Prints.
Arrangement: Photos are organized into four subjects: Edie Parker, Jack Kerouac and Beats, Henri Cru, and Unidentified. Within each subject photos are arranged chronologically. Chronological.
| Folder 120 |
Edie Parker Photographs, 1943-198812 items. Includes early 1940s photos of Parker in Asbury Park, N.J., and N.Y.; a photo of her at a diner; in a Michigan State sweatshirt outdoors holding pruning shears; with filmmaker Lewis MacAdams; with Tim Moran at Kerouac's grave in 1988; in a restaurant with Henri Cru and Tim Moran, 1988; and a later black and white of Parker fixing her hair in front of a mirror, alongside a 1940s photo of her in a similar stance. |
| Folder 121 |
Photo Album, ca. 19871 item. Snapshots of book signings at the 1987 River City Reunion event (see Folder 132), including photos of Parker, Allen Ginsberg, William Burroughs, Anne Waldman, Lawrence Ferlinghetti, Michael McClure, and Andrei Codrescu. Other photos of Parker and unidentified individuals are included. |
| Folder 122 |
Jack Kerouac and Beats Photographs, ca. 1940-1950s5 items. Ca. early 1940s tintype souvenir photo of Kerouac holding a cigarette, wearing a plaid jacket. On the back is written "Zagg," the nickname Kerouac was given based on the zigzag way in which he ran on the football field. 1940s head shot of Kerouac turned to camera. 1947 photograph of Joan Adams Burroughs's baby daughter, Julie, at Burroughs's farm. Two other photos are of unidentified individuals at the farm. |
Folder 123-126
Folder 123Folder 124Folder 125Folder 126 |
Photographs mounted in plastic of Kerouac and Vicki Russell, 1940s. 5 items.123: Kerouac wearing a double-breasted suit in front of Parker's summer home in Asbury Park. #70032, Subseries 6. Photographic Materials, 1930s-ca. 1988. 6.1. Photographic Prints., Folder 123124: Two photobooth pictures. First photo of Kerouac in a Coast Guard cap ca. 1943-1944 (enlargement in Folder 91); second photo of Kerouac with scarf and cigarette. #70032, Subseries 6. Photographic Materials, 1930s-ca. 1988. 6.1. Photographic Prints., Folder 124125: Kerouac wearing a navy cap at Columbia University, 1944. On the back of the photo is written "Apparition de l'enfer… John Kerouac 1944 C.U., NYC (Photo by R. Christie)." #70032, Subseries 6. Photographic Materials, 1930s-ca. 1988. 6.1. Photographic Prints., Folder 125126: : Two photobooth pictures. First photo is of Vicki Russell; second is a profile of Kerouac (enlargements in Folder 91). #70032, Subseries 6. Photographic Materials, 1930s-ca. 1988. 6.1. Photographic Prints., Folder 126 |
| Folder 127 |
Henri Cru, 1930s-50s3 items. Childhood photograph of Cru with another boy, identified on the back as Bill. 1940s photograph of Cru with girlfriend, Helen. Photograph, possibly of Cru, ca. 1950s, with an unidentified woman. |
| Folder 128 |
Unidentified.1 item. |
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Subseries 6.2. Photographic Negatives.
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Series 7. Other Papers and Related Materials, 1945-1987.
Arrangement: Materials include information and letters regarding talks given by Parker and conferences she attended. Additional items include pawnbroker receipts from the 1940s and Parker's press packet. Original folder titles have been retained and are in quotes.
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Subcollection 2: Henri Cru.
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Series 8. Correspondence, 1982-1983.
Arrangement: Alphabetically by correspondent, then chronologically within each folder. Dates following correspondents' names below represent the time-span of the correspondence.
Personal correspondence of Henri Cru. Notable correspondents include author and filmmaker Regina Weinreich; Joan Haverty, Jack Kerouac's second wife; and Jan Kerouac, Kerouac's daughter by Haverty.
| Folder 137 |
Doctors, 1983 |
| Folder 138 |
Joan Haverty, 1968Haverty was Jack Kerouac's second wife and mother of his daughter, Jan Kerouac. This letter refers to child support back payments for Jan that Kerouac owed Haverty. |
| Folder 139 |
Jan Kerouac, 1968, 1982Jan Kerouac was Jack Kerouac's daughter. Contains two letters from her to Cru. |
| Folder 140 |
Stephen Kurman, 1992Includes photos of Cru hospitalized during his last few days and letters regarding the settling of his estate. |
| Folder 141 |
Dave Moore, 1984Moore was editor of The Kerouac Connection newsletter. This letter to Cru regards additional questions Moore had for an interview he conducted with Cru. The interview was published in the Spring 1987 issue of The Kerouac Connection, number 13 (see Folder 109). |
Folder 142-147
Folder 142Folder 143Folder 144Folder 145Folder 146Folder 147 |
Tim Moran, 1988-1992Tim Moran was Cru's friend and caretaker. He inherited Cru's papers and is the donor of the Edie Parker and Henri Cru Papers collection. Folders contain correspondence between Cru and Moran. Enclosures of the letters contain the various materials Cru included in his correspondence, such as off-track betting information, clippings, and photos. There are several instances in which Cru sent Moran photocopies of letters he wrote to someone else. 142: Tim Moran, 1988 #70032, Series 8. Correspondence, 1982-1983., Folder 142143: Tim Moran, 1989 #70032, Series 8. Correspondence, 1982-1983., Folder 143Contains a photocopy of a handwritten note and a 1960 telegram from Jack Kerouac to Cru. Also includes a letter addressed to Jim Perrizo, Parker's assistant for her memoirs, in which Cru recounts a story of Jack Kerouac asking Cru in the 1950s to help him get on the train to visit his mother in Florida. Kerouac's previous attempts were unsuccessful because he got drunk on his way to the station. 144: Tim Moran, Jan-May 1990 #70032, Series 8. Correspondence, 1982-1983., Folder 144145: Tim Moran, Jun-Dec 1990 #70032, Series 8. Correspondence, 1982-1983., Folder 145146: Tim Moran, 1991 #70032, Series 8. Correspondence, 1982-1983., Folder 146Includes an account by Brian Hassett of Cru's 70th birthday party. 147: Tim Moran, 1992 #70032, Series 8. Correspondence, 1982-1983., Folder 147 |
| Folder 148 |
Edie Parker, 1978-1990Includes a 7 April 1978 card in which Parker initiates contact with Cru after 30 or more years. |
| Folder 149 |
Fernanda Pivano, 1963 |
| Folder 150 |
Regina Weinreich, 1983-1984Includes reference to a radio interview Weinreich conducted with Cru, Parker, and Gerry Nicosia. |
| Folder 151 |
Miscellaneous Letters, 1968-1991Includes a 1992 postcard from Cru's sister, Yvonne, and photos sent to Cru by an unidentified individual. |
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Series 9. Financial materials, 1968,
1986.
| Folder 152 |
Contains a bill addressed to Cru and a 1968 check from Cru to the Southern Pacific Railroad Company. |
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Series 10. Scrapbook and Biographical Materials, ca. 1883-1984..
Arrangement: Folder 153 contains biographical materials relating to Cru. Folder 154 contains the contents of a scrapbook. The scrapbook is dismantled. Printouts of the photographed layout of pages can be found at the beginning of the materials.
| Folder 153 |
Biographical Materials, 1942-1984Contains several forms of identification for Cru, including a 1942 Coast Guard ID, a 1969 passport, a 1984 U.S. Merchant Mariner's Document, his Social Security card, and a New York-area transportation Card for Handicapped Persons. Also included is a fragment of the narrative from the scrapbook (see Folder 154), and an obituary mounted in plastic of his father, Albert Cru. |
| Folder 154 |
Scrapbook 14, ca. 1883-1972The scrapbook is a history of the Cru family and was a Christmas gift to Cru from his sister, Yvonne, in 1972. Materials include an eight-page narrative of the Cru family history, a family tree, and photos of family members and homes. Includes a 1911 postcard from Cru's father, Albert Cru, to Cru's mother, Anna Marie "Nita" Cru. |
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Series 11. Printed Materials, ca.
1883-1984..
Arrangement: Newsletters precede an inner folder of clippings. Items are in chronological order within their format.
Consists of newsletters and clippings pertaining to Jack Kerouac and the Beats.
| Folder 155 |
Moody Street Irregulars: A Jack Kerouac Newsletter, Nos. 14, 16/17, 20/21, 22/23, 24/25/26 (1984-1991). Also includes contemporary reviews of Jack Kerouac's Desolation Angels, Visions of Cody, and the film What Happened to Kerouac?Number 10 of the Moody Street Irregulars can be found in Folder 50 and contains Parker's article "Dave Moore's 'Book of Dreams: A Name Index' Addenda and Annotations." Numbers 11, 13, and 16/17 can be found in Folder 110. |
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Series 12. Photographic Materials, 1939-ca.
1980s.
Arrangement: A folder of photographic prints is followed by one of negatives and one of slides.
Subject matter includes Cru, his friends and family, cities from his travels, and scenes of him at work as an electrician for the merchant marine.
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Subseries 12.1. Photographic Prints.
Arrangement: Chronological, loosely based on dates in the captions on the back of the photos.
| Folder 156 |
Chronological, loosely based on dates in the captions on the back of the photos. |
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Subseries 12.2 Negatives.
| Folder 157 |
A portrait of Cru ca. 1939 (photographic print in Folder 156).Cru and his sister, Yvonne, early 1940s (photographic print in Folder 156). Five of Cru's apartment, ca. 1980s. |
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Subseries 12.3. Slides.
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Series 13. Other Papers and Related Materials, 1934-1990.
Arrangement: Materials include address books, notebooks, printed ephemera, and a book.
| Folder 159 |
Book: Malot, Hector. (1934). Sans Famille. Philadelphia: John C. Winston Co.The book was "Edited with notes and vocabulary" by Cru's father, Albert L. Cru, and is dedicated to Henri Cru. It also contains an autographed inscription from Albert Cru to Henri Cru. |
| Folder 160 |
Address book (ca. 1958-1959).Names listed include Allen Ginsberg, Lucien Carr, and several entries for Jack Kerouac. |
| Folder 161 |
Address book (1980s). |
Folder 162-163
Folder 162Folder 163 |
Two spiral-bound notebooks belonging to Cru. |
| Folder 164 |
Materials relating to the Naropa Institute's 1982 On the Road: The Jack Kerouac Conference in Boulder, Colorado. |
| Folder 165 |
Notes and printed ephemera. |
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Series 14. Other Donated Materials, 1944-2004.
Arrangement: Materials include items donated by John Moran, brother of Tim Moran, and forwarded to the library by the latter in no discernible order.
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Subseries 14.1. Tim Moran.
Arrangement: Items are separated by format into three folders of printed ephemera, magazines, and newspaper. Within each folder items are in chronological order.
Materials include Beat-related newsletters, clippings, printed ephemera, and a typescript speech by Herbert Huncke.
| Folder 166 |
Contains a typescript of Herbert Huncke's penultimate speech given in 1995 in Lowell, Massachusetts, at the "Lowell Celebrates Kerouac" event. Also contains a Jan Kerouac press kit distributed by Gerald Nicosia during the 1994 NYU Beat Conference in support of Jan's attempt to gain control of the Kerouac estate. |
| Folder 167 |
Dharma Beat, Issues 2-3 (Spring and Fall 1994).Page 38 of the New York Times Magazine for 1995 contains an article on children of Beat writers. Page 39 of the New York Times Magazine for 1996 contains an article by Allen Ginsberg on Herbert Huncke.
|
| Folder 168 |
Clippings on a lawsuit between Parker's sister, Charlotte Pattison, and Tim Moran regarding the rightful ownership of Parker's papers. Also includes obituaries and articles on Herbert Huncke and Allen Ginsberg. |
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Subseries 14.2. John Moran.
Materials include a letter, an Allen Ginsberg typescript, and photographs. Materials in Folders 171-176 consist of 11 x 14 photographs by Tim Moran.
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Items Separated