MERTON'S CORRESPONDENCE WITH:
Beecher, John, 1904-1980
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Descriptive Summary
Record Group: Section A - Correspondence
Dates of materials: 1963-1966
Volume: 4 item(s); 7 pg(s)
Scope and Content
This exchange of letters, two from Merton and two from John Beecher, gives an account of the opposition that authors on civil rights, non-violence, and social reforms faced in the 1960's from within the Church and in secular society. Beecher struggled with the Jesuit administration of Santa Clara University around the time Merton's work on nuclear war was banned, while both speak with a positive voice about the future of the Church.
Biography
John Beecher was a poet whose works often expressed social concerns such as civil rights, non-violence, and workers' rights. During the 1960's, his work on the publication Ramparts got him dubbed a "Communist" by Governor George Wallace of Alabama, which Beecher claimed was an "honor". He would return to Alabama, where he claimed the KKK wanted him dead, in 1966 to serve as a visiting professor at Miles College, a traditionally black institution. He and his wife Barbara were received back to the Catholic Church in 1965, and he describes the changes in the Church in Birmingham since his boyhood days there. He and Barbara were also art printers, and Merton approached them to do specialty additions of some of his work.
Usage Guidelines and Restrictions
Related Information and Links
See published letter from Merton in Witness to Freedom, p. 97.
Other Finding Aids
If the person in correspondence with Merton has full text records in the Merton Center Digital Collections, there will be a numeric link to them below.
Series List
This Record Sub-Group is not divided into Series and is arranged chronologically.
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