James H. Rudy papers, 1923-1958, bulk 1952-1956
A Guide to the records at the Indiana University Archives
Electronic finding aid encoded by Beth Benda
Summary Information
Repository
Indiana University Archives
1320 East Tenth Street
Herman B Wells Library E460
Bloomington, IN 47405-7000
Phone: 812-855-1127
Email: archives@indiana.edu
http://www.libraries.iub.edu/archives
Creator
Rudy, James H., 1909-1956.
TitleJames H. Rudy papers, 1923-1958, bulk 1952-1956
Collection No.
C49
Extent
1.2 cubic feet (2 boxes)
Language
Materials are in English.
Abstract
James H. Rudy is an Indiana University
alumnus who was granted an AB in English in 1932. In his will Rudy left the bulk of his
estate to Indiana University, which was used to begin and fund the Rudy Professorships
to attract and retain outstanding faculty. Collection consists of papers brought
together after Rudy's death by the Owensboro, Kentucky law firm Wilson and Wilson, who
represented Rudy's friends and lawyer when his sister, Sarah Gray Rudy McNulty,
contested his will. Collection includes notes, correspondence, journals and ledgers,
depositions, and legal papers. The depositions include Rudy's family and friends in
addition to Indiana University Vice President and Treasurer Joseph A. Franklin. Prominent
correspondents include Rudy's mother-in-law Grace Blair, his mother Katherine F. Rudy,
his sister Sarah McNulty, and family friends Linda and Charles Boswell.
Access Restrictions
This collection is open for research.
Advance notice is required.
Biographical Note
James H. Rudy was an Indiana University alumnus (1932) whose estate was used to
establish the fund for the distinguished "Rudy Professors."
Born in 1909, James H. Rudy was raised in Owensboro, Kentucky near the Kentucky Indiana
border where his family were farmers and coal company owners. James Rudy attended Castle
Heights Military Academy in Lebanon, Tennessee, where he was a promising but uneven
student. His mother was adamant that he receive a college degree, so after graduating
from high school, he entered Virginia Military Institute in Lexington, Virginia. Not
happy at VMI, Rudy transferred to Indiana University to continue his studies. During the
summer of 1929, he had a journalism internship at
The Clarksdale
Daily Register
in Clarksdale, Mississippi. He graduated in 1932 after earning
his A.B. in English.
After his graduation, Rudy returned to his parents’ home in Owensboro, Kentucky and
began looking for a job. Around 1935 he tried his hand at journalism on the
Paducah Sun-Democrat in Paducah, Kentucky. He married
Virginia Blair, a former Indiana University student, in December 1935. They moved back
to Owensboro, about 1941 to take up farming. Together they had three children: Sarah
Pauline, Katherine Frances, and James Henry Rudy. In January of 1952, possibly fearing
commitment to an asylum and the loss of her children, Virginia drove to a spot near
Gentryville, Indiana, and shot and killed their three children before turning the gun on
herself. In 1956, James Rudy used that same gun to kill himself while in his own
bed.
Rudy’s will stipulated that the bulk of his estate be donated to Indiana University.
After defending the will against a legal challenge from Rudy’s sister, Sara Gray Rudy
McNulty, the Board of Trustees used the estate to establish a fund for "Rudy
Professors." Originally only for English professors, the "Rudy Professorships” were
later interpreted more broadly and used "to attract and retain outstanding faculty."
Edwin Cady of the English Department was the first to be awarded a "Rudy
Professorship."
Name |
Relationship to James H. Rudy |
Occupation |
Blair, Fran |
Brother-in-Law; Brother of Virginia Blair |
US Army Soldier |
Blair, Grace F (Mrs. M. W. Blair) |
Mother-in-Law; Mother of Virginia Rudy & Linda Boswell |
Church Worker; homemaker |
Blair, Marion W. |
Father-in-Law; Husband of Grace Blair; Father of Virginia Rudy &
Linda Boswell
|
Engineer |
Boswell, Charles |
Brother-in-Law; Husband of Linda Blair Boswell |
Episcopal Priest |
Boswell, Linda Blair |
Sister-in-Law; Sister of Virginia (Blair) Rudy; Wife of Charles
Boswell
|
|
Dee |
Rudy's black hired hand |
Hired Farm Worker |
Felix, Fred |
State Trooper who found Virginia & children’s bodies |
State Trooper |
Kennedy, James |
Cousin of James Rudy |
|
Kennedy, William |
Cousin of James Rudy |
|
Lenon, Maurice E. |
James Rudy's friend |
Jeweler, businessman |
Lenon, Violet |
Virginia Rudy's friend |
Nurse |
Matthew |
Rudy's Mother's black hired hand |
Hired Farm Worker |
McNulty, Sara Gray Rudy |
Sister of James Rudy; Daughter of George & Katherine
Rudy
|
|
Oldham, Dr. John |
James Rudy's Doctor |
Physician |
Rudy, George H. |
Father of James & Sarah Rudy; Husband of Katherine Rudy |
Farmer; businessman |
Rudy, James H. |
Husband of Virginia Rudy; Son of George & Katherine Rudy |
Farmer; journalist |
Rudy, James Henry "Butch" |
Son of James & Virginia Rudy |
Child |
Rudy, Katherine "Kitty" |
Mother of James & Sarah Rudy; Wife of George Rudy |
Business woman & farm wife |
Rudy, Katherine Frances "Kitty" |
Daughter of James & Virginia Rudy |
Child |
Rudy, Sarah Pauline "Sally" |
Daughter of James & Virginia Rudy |
Child |
Rudy, Virginia Blair |
Wife of James H. Rudy; Daughter of Marion & Grace Blair |
Homemaker & farm wife |
Wigginton, William |
James Rudy’s last lawyer, executor & 10% beneficiary of J. Rudy
Will
|
Attorney |
Arrangement
Organized into four series: Personal writings; Depositions; Legal packets; and
Correspondence
Scope and Content Note
The James H. Rudy papers consists of papers brought together after Rudy's death by the
Owensboro law firm, Wilson and Wilson, who represented Rudy's friends and lawyer when
his sister, Sarah Gray Rudy McNulty, contested his will. Included are family
correspondence and papers, Rudy's personal journals, diaries, and ledgers, including
typescripts of these records made by investigators. There are also depositions, reports,
and handwritten notes made by the lawyers, in addition to any other materials used in
their investigation. Wherever possible, the folder headings in the Personal Writings,
Depositions and Legal Packets Series are as the law firm labeled them.
Personal writings, 1942-1956, consist of notes, correspondence, and journal and ledger
entries made by James Rudy. The series is further divided into two sub-series, Notes and
Drafts, consisting of legal pads with personal notes and drafts of correspondence, and
Journal and Diaries, 1942-1956, made up of journals/ledgers that Rudy kept for himself
and his mother. These journals primarily consist of notes about his farm and the
financial affairs of his mother, which Rudy attended to until her death in 1954
Depositions, 1958, consist of the depositions Wilson and Wilson took during preparation
for their legal case. Included here are depositions from Rudy's family and friends and
by Indiana University Vice President and Treasurer Joseph A. Franklin. Also included is
the testimony of the officers who investigated the deaths in 1952.
The third series, Legal packets, is made up of packets of materials pulled together by
the Wilson and Wilson law firm. Included are witness statements, transcripts of
correspondence, and notes by the lawyers. One packet contains several wills, coroner
reports and related material.
The final series, Correspondence, 1923-1958, consists of correspondence of the Rudy's
family and friends. It is organized into two sub-series. The General sub-series includes
correspondence to and from James Rudy as well as correspondence of the family to or from
several acquaintances. The Legal sub-series includes the folder "James Rudy
Miscellaneous (primarily correspondence re. division of parents property), 1926-1955"
which includes a letter dated March 17, 1952 that is James Rudy’s discussion of his
plans to conduct an analysis of the causes for his wife’s suicide. No analysis is
included.
-
Indexing Terms
-
The following terms have been used to index the description of this collection in
IUCAT, the IU Libraries' online
catalog. Materials about related topics, persons or places can be found by searching the
catalog using these terms.
-
-
Names
-
Wilson and Wilson
(Owensboro, Ky.) --Archives.
-
Indiana University
--Archives.
-
Indiana University
--Faculty --Selection and appointment --History --20th century --Sources.
-
Indiana University
--Endowments --History --20th century --Sources.
-
Indiana University.
-
Wilson and Wilson (Owensboro, Ky.)
-
Rudy, James H.,
1909-1956 --Correspondence.
-
Rudy, James H.,
1909-1956 --Archives.
-
Rudy, James H.,
1909-1956 --Diaries.
-
Rudy, James H.,
1909-1956 --Will.
-
Rudy, James H.,
1909-1956 --Estate.
-
Rudy, Virginia Blair,
d. 1952 --Correspondence.
-
Rudy, Virginia Blair,
d. 1952 --Archives.
-
Franklin, Joseph
Amos, 1904-1981--Archives.
-
McNulty, Sarah Gray
Rudy --Correspondence.
-
McNulty, Sarah Gray
Rudy --Archives.
-
Blair, Grace
--Correspondence.
-
Rudy, Katherine F.
--Correspondence.
-
Rudy, Katherine F.
--Archives.
-
Boswell, Linda
--Correspondence.
-
Boswell, Linda
--Archives.
-
Boswell, Charles R.
--Correspondence.
-
Boswell, Charles R.
--Archives.
-
Rudy, Virginia Blair, d. 1952.
-
Franklin, Joseph Amos, 1904-1981.
-
McNulty, Sarah Gray Rudy.
-
Blair, Grace.
-
Rudy, Katherine F.
-
Boswell, Linda.
-
Boswell, Charles R.
-
Separated Material
Files not related to Rudy, cancelled checks, Indiana University transcripts, medical
records, Thermofax copies of original letters and journal transcripts included elsewhere
in the collection have all been removed from this collection.
Provenance
This collection was transferred by the Owensboro, Kentucky, law firm, Wilson and Wilson,
to the Indiana University Archives.
Administrative Information
Acquisition Information
Accession 0139.
Usage RestrictionsThe donor(s) of this collection have not transferred their copyrights for the materials to the Trustees of Indiana University.
For more information, please contact the Indiana University Archives staff.
The Indiana University Archives respects the intellectual property rights of others and does not claim any copyrights for
non-university records, materials in the public domain, or materials for which we do not hold a Deed of Gift. Responsibility
for the determination of the copyright status of these materials rests with those persons wishing to reuse the materials.
Researchers are responsible for securing permission from copyright owners and any other rights holders for any reuse of these
materials that extends beyond fair use or other statutory limitations.
Digital reproductions of archival materials from the Indiana University Archives are made available for noncommercial educational
and research purposes only. If you are the copyright holder for any of the digitized materials and have questions about its
inclusion on our site, please contact the Indiana University Archivist.
Preferred Citation
[Item], James H. Rudy papers, Collection C49, Indiana University Archives, Bloomington.
Processing InformationProcessed by Verlon L. Stone.
Completed in January
2005.
Series:
Personal writings, 1942-1956
Subseries:
Journals and diaries, 1942-1956
Box 1
1942-1945
1951-1952
of Katherine F. Rudy expenses, 1954
1956
Subseries:
Notes and drafts, undated
Box 1
Notes, correspondence, business & personal, undated
Box 2
Transcripts of legal pads by James H. Rudy, undated
Series:
Depositions, 1958
Box 2
Linda Blair Boswell, Joseph A. Franklin, Charles R. Boswell, Violet
Lenon, Maurice Lenon, and William Wigginton, 1958
Fred Felix and William Walton Cornett, 1958
Charles W. Lucas and Roscoe F. Medcalf, 1958
Sarah Gray Rudy McNulty, 1958
Series:
Legal packets, 1942-1959,
undated
Box 2
Excerpts and transcripts of legal pads and diaries of James H. Rudy,
undated
Miscellaneous legal memos, notes, documents: wills, coroner reports,
letters, 1942-1959
Summaries and excerpts of letters of James H. Rudy, undated
Series:
Correspondence, 1923-1958,
undated
Subseries:
General, 1923-1956,
undated
Box 2
Mrs. M. W. (Grace) Blair, 1951-1956
Mrs. M. W. (Grace) Blair to James Rudy, 1952-1953
Linda (Blair) Boswell to James Rudy, 1955
Castle Heights Military Academy, 1928
Mrs. Bryon (Ella Jewell) LaRue to Mrs. George (Katherine F.) Rudy,
1926
Maurice Lemon, 1954
Sara Gray (Rudy) McNulty to Mrs. George (Katherine F.) Rudy,
1927-1929
John S. Oldham, M.D. to Mrs. Marion Blair, 1956
George Rudy to Mrs. George (Katherine F.) Rudy, 1923
George Rudy to James Rudy, 1934
Mrs. George (Katherine F.) Rudy to James Rudy, 1926
James Rudy to Mrs. M. W. (Grace) Blair,
1946-1953
1954-1956
James Rudy to Linda & Charles Boswell, 1941-1956,
undated
James Rudy to Sarah Gray Rudy McNulty, 1927
James Rudy to George Rudy, 1932,
undated
James Rudy to Mrs. George (Katherine F.) Rudy, 1924-1938,
undated
James Rudy to Virginia (Blair) Rudy, undated
Virginia Blair Rudy, 1942-1951
Virginia Military Institute, 1926-1927
Subseries:
Legal, 1923-1958,
undated
Box 2
Charles Boswell to William Wilson, Attorney, 1958
James Rudy, Miscellaneous, 1926-1955,
undated
Primarily correspondence regarding the division of parents’ property.
To Mrs. George (Katherine F.) Rudy, 1923-1952
Wilson and Wilson to James Rudy, 1953
Earl S. Winter to James Rudy, 1952