Summary
Abstract
Fred Waring and the Pennsylvanians: Music composer, arranger, conductor, and performer.
Dates
- Creation: 1910-2011
Extent
703 Linear Feet (Housed in 638 containers, including Paige boxes and drop front boxes.)
Background
Biographical / Historical
Fred Waring was born on June 9, 1900 in Tyrone, Pennsylvania. He left his home in 1915 to go on tour with a four man band that included his brother, Tom, and also entered Penn State to study engineering. In 1916, he formed the band, ldquo;The Pennsylvanians,rdquo; and by 1922, he was recognized around the country as one of the nationrsquo;s top band leaders and choral arrangers.
Mr. Waring was a pioneer in broadcasting, starting his first weekly coast-to-coast radio musical show for Gold cigarettes, during President Franklin D. Roosevelt's first term. By 1934, he was nationally known as the "King of Radio."
He also was one of the first to venture into television. His weekly, hour-long musical show made its debut on CBS on Easter in 1949.
Mr. Waring divided his choral group into two sub-groups: The Young Pennsylvanians and the Waring Blendors. The latter was named for the Waring blendor, the appliance Mr. Waring financially backed.
In 1983, Waring was awarded a Congressional Medal of Honor, the nationrsquo;s highest honor for a civilian.
Waring had become a trustee and distinguished alumnus of Penn State. Penn Statersquo;s Pattee Library was selected to house the massive "Fred Waring's America" collection.
He died on July 29, 1984, just after completing his annual workshop.
Scope and Contents
The collection contains the records pertaining to the business and operational aspects of Fred Waring and the Pennsylvanians as well as the business records of Fred Waring's America. Includes business correspondence, tours, financial records, legal papers, workshops, television shows, photographs, and fan mail.
Collection Arrangement
Arranged chronologically.
Physical Location
For current information on the location of these materials, please consult the Penn State University Libraries catalog via the link above. Archival collections may be housed in offsite storage. For materials stored offsite, please allow 2-3 business days for retrieval.
Processing Information
Processed by Special Collections staff. Sarah Meyer inventoried the unprocessed Additions series between Fall 2021-Spring 2022. She artificially intellectually arranged this series by item type. She removed rusty paperclips and staples, but did not rehouse folders or physically arrange materials.
Using These Materials
Repository Details
Part of the Eberly Family Special Collections Library Repository
104 Paterno Library
Penn State University
University Park 16802 USA
(814) 865-1793
spcollections@psu.edu
Conditions Governing Access
For information on accessing this collection please contact the Special Collections Research Services Unit at spcollections@psu.edu.
Conditions Governing Use
Photocopies of original materials may be made available for research purposes at the discretion of the Eberly Family Special Collections Library. Photocopies or reproductions of original materials may be subject to fees as outlined by the Pennsylvania State University Libraries reproduction policies.
Copyright is retained by the creators of items in these papers, or their descendants, as stipulated by United States copyright law. Patrons seeking advice on the availability of unpublished materials for publication should consult relevant copyright law and laws of libel.
Preferred Citation
[Identification of item], Fred Waring papers, 00336, Eberly Family Special Collections Library, Pennsylvania State University.
- Title
- Guide to the Fred Waring papers
- Status
- Published
- Author
- Prepared by Special Collections Library faculty/staff
- Date
- 2017
- Description rules
- Describing Archives: A Content Standard
- Language of description
- English
- Script of description
- Latin
Revision Statements
- 2021: Lexy deGraffenreid updated standardized notes to current standard and updated the Finding Aid Status, Oct. 29, 2021
- 2022: Lexy deGraffenreid updated the Additions series for Sarah Meyer's inventory and updated the Processing Information note. She also updated the extent to reflect recent assessment work. February 21, 2022