Boltin, Thelma - A handwritten letter sent to Will McLean (c. 1986) updating the condition of fellow folk musician ("The World's Greatest Banjo Player") Paul Champion ("Bulletin for Will"), who was in need of a heart transplant. According to the REMEMBERING PAUL CHAMPION website: "George Paul Champion Jr. was born on March 23, 1938 in the Panama Canal Zone. Paul's father, George Paul Champion Sr. was born on August 12, 1911 in Marion, Williamson County, Illinois. He died on March 22, 1969 in Sacramento, California. Paul's paternal grandparents were Robert G. and Lula B. Champion. Mr. Champion was born about 1886 in Kentucky and was a traveling candy salesman. Paul's mother, Helen J. Jeffers, was born on June 28, 1916 in Tangipahoa Parish, Louisiana. Helen was married during 1936 in Taylor County, Florida to George Paul Champion Sr. She died on June 18, 1973 in Osceola County, Florida. Paul also had one aunt, Margaret Louise Jeffers, who was born on April 18, 1915 in Tangipahoa Parish, Louisiana. Margaret was married during 1937 in Taylor County, Florida to Frank W. Gillespie. Mr. Gillespie rose to the rank of Brigadier General in the U.S. Air Force and had a distinguished career. Both Frank and Margaret are deceased and buried in the Ft. Sam Houston National Cemetery in Texas. Paul's maternal grandparents were Paul E. and Margaret Jeffers. Mr. Jeffers born during October 1884 in Pope County, Minnesota and was a logging company operator in Louisiana and Jacksonville, Florida. Paul's maternal great-grandparents John and Margaret Jeffers were both immigrants from Ireland to Canada. Paul Champion died on February 14, 1986 in Gainesville, Florida..." Florida folk music historian, Ron Johnson, called Paul Champion "...The bridge between Florida folk and Florida bluegrass for many years..." According to THE FLORIDA MEMORY BLOG website: "Thelma Ann Boltin, affectionately known as 'Cousin' Thelma, was a storyteller, emcee, teacher and long-time director of the Florida Folk Festival. Her dedication to sharing Florida’s folk traditions brought diverse groups of artists to the festival each year, and established the festival’s reputation for celebrating unique and varied cultures..."
Scope and Content
Spanning a period beginning with his genealogical roots in the late 19th Century and detailing the private and public life of "Florida's premier folklorist" from his birth until his passing in 1990, THE WILL McLEAN FLORIDA FOLK MUSIC COLLECTION consists of family history and photographs, handwritten song lyrics and poetry, promotional posters, handbills, brochures and programs, recordings (various formats), artifacts (his iconic black wool hat, harmonicas, a guitar, etc.) as well as correspondence between McLean and his family, musical collaborators and colleagues and his longtime companion and champion Margaret Mary Longhill. This fascinating research collection reveals a complicated, creative and eccentric activist who lived to sing the praises of his home and to bring attention to the history of Florida and the environmental damage that threatened the ecology of this beautiful and fragile landscape. The researcher will find a vast archive of primary source ephemera that chronicles the 20th Century Florida folk music world and the talented musical pioneers who paved the way for future artists who now entertain and inform at the many folk festivals across the state.
Dates
- Creation: 1885 - 2000
Creator
- From the Collection: McLean, Will, 1919-1990. (Person)
Access
The collection is open for research.
Extent
From the Collection: 15 Linear Feet (18 Boxes, 1 Guitar and case, and 2 Oversize Folders)
Language of Materials
From the Collection: English
Repository Details
Part of the Special and Area Studies Collections, George A. Smathers Libraries, University of Florida Repository
George A. Smathers Libraries
PO Box 117005
Gainesville Florida 32611-7005 United States of America
352-273-2755
special@uflib.ufl.edu