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Stan Soocher Collection on John D. MacDonald

 Collection
Identifier: MSS 0626

Scope and Content

This archive consists of materials that Stan Soocher collected while involved in helping organize John D. MacDonald Conferences and working on the JDM Bibliophile Magazine that was dedicated to the legacy of the prolific writer John D. MacDonald.

These archival materials include: correspondence with key figures such as JDM Bibliophile editor Ed Hirshberg, leading JDM expert Walter Shine and others who worked to honor John D. MacDonald’s legacy; conference planning documents, programs and memorabilia; article drafts and research files for some of the articles Stan wrote for the Bibliophile; and press clippings about or mentioning John D. MacDonald.

Dates

  • Creation: 1981 - 1998

Creator

Access

The collection is open for research.

Biographical/Historical Note

In his career, Stan Soocher has served as a journalist, lawyer and educator focusing on the entertainment industry. Born in Bangor, Maine, he grew up in Miami, Florida, and earned a Bachelor of Arts in English and Master of Arts in English from the University of Florida in the 1970s. After establishing himself as a reporter and editor in New York City on the staff of the nationally distributed rock-music magazine Circus, he became interested in the legal rights of writers and earned a Juris Doctorate degree from New York Law School in 1983.

While in law school, Stan began writing a weekly section for The National Law Journal covering recent federal appeals court decisions. He also wrote occasional articles about entertainment law for The National Law Journal and other publications, winning national journalism awards for his music law articles in The National Law Journal, Rolling Stone and Musician Magazine.

In 1984, Stan became a licensed New York lawyer. In 1985, for The National Law Journal’s publisher he founded the monthly trade publication Entertainment Law & Finance, which he continued to work on as Editor-in-Chief more than 38 years later. In addition, Stan authored the books They Fought the Law: Rock Music Goes to Court (1998) and Baby You’re a Rich Man: Suing the Beatles for Fun & Profit (2015). In 2014, he was the recipient of the State Bar of Texas Entertainment, Arts & Sports Law Section’s “Texas Star Award” for “Outstanding Contribution and Achievement in the Field of Entertainment Law.”

In 2000, Stan was appointed as a tenured Associate Professor at the University of Colorado Denver, where he initially served as Chair of the Department of Music & Entertainment Industry Studies, then as full-time faculty member in the University’s Music Business program. After earning a Full Professorship, he retired from the University as a Professor Emeritus in 2021.

Stan remembers that while growing up, the first John D. MacDonald story he read was “Elimination Race” in the short-story collection book High Gear about fast-car drivers. Later, drawn to MacDonald’s works primarily for John D.’s environmental concerns, Stan read nearly all MacDonald’s short-story compilations, novels and non-fiction books.

During the 1990s, Stan got involved in the planning of and speaking at John D. MacDonald Conferences, and was listed as an Associate Editor for the JDM Bibliophile. Articles Stan wrote for the JDM Bibliophile included Issue #52 “The Chartreuse Chanteuse” (written in the style of John D. MacDonald as an opening chapter of an imagined new Travis McGee novel); Issue #54 “John D. MacDonald Online: A Look at a JDM Computer Discussion Group”; Issue #55 “Salvage, Please: The Letters of John D. MacDonald and Marlene Dietrich,” (a somewhat different version of the article appeared in the Miami Herald’s Tropic Magazine, July 2, 1995); Issue #58 “The Long Lawyerly Look: An Examination of the Legal Profession In John D. MacDonald’s Works, From F. Lee Bailey To the Travis McGee Novels”; and Issue #60 the obituary “Walter Shine: JDM Expert ‘Par Excellence’.”

Source:

Biographical information by Stan Soocher.

Extent

.41 Linear Feet (1 Box)

Language of Materials

English

Abstract

This archive consists of materials that Stan Soocher collected while involved in helping organize John D. MacDonald Conferences and working on the JDM Bibliophile Magazine that was dedicated to the legacy of the prolific writer John D. MacDonald.

Location

University of Florida Smathers Library Building

Acquisition Information

Donated by Stan Soocher in 2023.

Related Materials

Title
A Guide to the Stan Soocher Collection on John D. MacDonald
Status
Completed
Author
Finding aid created by Matt Kruse
Date
July 2023
Description rules
Finding Aid Prepared Using Dacs
Language of description
English
Script of description
Latin
Language of description note
Description is written in English.

Repository Details

Part of the Special and Area Studies Collections, George A. Smathers Libraries, University of Florida Repository

Contact:
George A. Smathers Libraries
PO Box 117005
Gainesville Florida 32611-7005 United States of America
352-273-2755