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Marian Brownlow papers
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Held at: University of Pennsylvania: Kislak Center for Special Collections, Rare Books and Manuscripts [Contact Us]3420 Walnut Street, Philadelphia, PA 19104-6206
This is a finding aid. It is a description of archival material held at the University of Pennsylvania: Kislak Center for Special Collections, Rare Books and Manuscripts. Unless otherwise noted, the materials described below are physically available in their reading room, and not digitally available through the web.
Overview and metadata sections
Marian Brownlow (1933-2012) was an American educator and historical researcher. She was born Marian Fortna in Denver, Pennsylvania, graduated from Lebanon High School in 1951, and attended Lebanon Valley College, where she trained as a music teacher. In 1959 she married Donald Brownlow, a historian and teacher of history at the Haverford School. They collaborated on several books, including Checkmate at Ruweisat: Auchinleck's Finest Hour, a military history of Claude Auchinleck's North African campaign during World War II. Marian Brownlow developed a close relationship with Auchinleck, frequently visiting him in Marrakech until his death in 1981. She and Donald Brownlow separated in 1981 and divorced in 1987.
This collection documents the life of Marian Brownlow during the later years of her marriage to and divorce from Donald Gray Brownlow, an experience which appears to have left her questioning her place in the world. During this time, she took several trips to Marrakech to care for Field Marshal Claude Auchinleck, with whom she and Donald Brownlow had developed a friendship in the process of researching the book Checkmate at Ruweisat: Auchinleck's Finest Hour. Her personal belief that Field Marshal Auchinleck had been mistreated by the British government resulted in her collecting and writing about his situation. Though ostensibly a research collection regarding Auchinleck, the majority of the material is personal in nature, and not of interest to historical researchers. The collection contains correspondence concerning Auchinleck's health and accommodations, as well as information about the end of the Brownlows' marriage; research material related to Auchinleck; personal information about Marian Brownlow, including material related to her teaching and musical performances; photographs of Marian Brownlow's trips to Marrakech, as well as other photographs of trips taken with Donald Brownlow; audio recordings of conversations with Claude Auchinleck, as well as parties privy to the Brownlows' separation and divorce; and memorabilia, including flowers and plants collected by Marian Brownlow in Marrakech and gifts given to Marian by Donald Brownlow.
Gift of Marian Brownlow, 1982-1984
- Publisher
- University of Pennsylvania: Kislak Center for Special Collections, Rare Books and Manuscripts
- Access Restrictions
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The bulk of this collection is restricted until 2062 by directive of donor. Portions of Boxes 5, 14, and 15 are available for research use.
- Use Restrictions
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Copyright restrictions may exist. For most library holdings, the Trustees of the University of Pennsylvania do not hold copyright. It is the responsibility of the requester to seek permission from the holder of the copyright to reproduce material from the Kislak Center for Special Collections, Rare Books and Manuscripts.