A cherished collection loaned to MTSU‘s James E. Walker Library for an exhibit is now a permanent part of its heritage.
Dr. J. Lee Owen of Murfreesboro, a retired pediatrician, and his wife, Sophia, have presented their priceless assemblage of Eudora Welty literature to the library’s Special Collections office for students, faculty and visitors to study for generations to come.
The collection was on display at the library in April and May 2017 in an exhibit titled “Eudora Welty: Her Life and Legacy.”
Welty, a Jackson, Mississippi native, won the 1973 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction for her novel “The Optimist’s Daughter” but was better known for her short stories. Her other honors include the O. Henry Prize, the National Book Award and the Presidential Medal of Freedom. She died in 2001.
“This is a major addition to our special collections,” said Dr. Philip Phillips, assistant dean of the University Honors College and a professor of English. “It includes all first-edition books, a lot of autographed first editions and magazine items.”
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