Call Number:

Coll.38

Repository:

John J. Wilcox, Jr. LGBT Archives, William Way LGBT Community Center

Extent:

0.25 linear feet ((1 flat box))

Language:

English

Preferred Citation:

William Meneely papers, 1970-2012, Ms. Coll. 38, John J. Wilcox, Jr. LGBT Archives, William Way LGBT Community Center, Philadelphia, PA.

Date:

1970-2012 (inclusive)

Creator:

Meneely, William E., 1952-1996

Form:

Commonplace books, Diaries, Photocollage, Photographs, and Poetry

Abstract:

William Ernest Meneely (1952-1996) was born in Uniontown, Pennsylvania, the son of Arthur William Meneely and Grace Elouise Cook. He worked for 16 years at Georgia State University Library, where he was Head of Collection Development, retiring in 1992. Among the materials included in the collection are personal writings, photographs, and a collection of his artwork in the form of collages with mostly gay male subject matter created using cut-out images from magazines.

William Ernest Meneely (1952-1996) was born in Uniontown, Pennsylvania, the son of Arthur William Meneely and Grace Elouise Cook. He graduated from Mountain View School District, in Kingsley, Pennsylvania, in 1970. He attended Bucknell University, where he received a Bachelor of Arts degree in classics in 1974. In 1976, he received a Master of Arts degree in classics from the University of Kentucky, and a Master of Library Science degree from the University of Pittsburgh. Meneely worked for 16 years at Georgia State University Library, where he was Head of Collection Development, retiring in 1992.

Meneely enjoyed playing celtic harp, needlepoint and crochet, reading and dancing. He was an avid traveler, a passionate gardener, wrote poetry and created artistic collages. He was active in Gay Men's Spirit Vision and volunteered for AIDS Survival Project as a peer counselor, the Men's Center and Actor's Express in Atlanta, GA. He was a member of Atlanta Friends Meeting.

William Meneely died in Haven House on March 3, 1996, survived by a brother and a sister. A memorial service was held for him at Atlanta Friends Meeting and his ashes were scattered among gardens in Atlanta, Georgia.

The materials in the William Meneely papers include an obituary and memorial program as well as correspondence concerning the disposition of his personal effects; his high school, college, and graduate school diplomas; personal writings including poetry, a diary of his travels through Ireland, London, Paris, and the French countryside, and a commonplace book; a "Book of Memories" from his retirement from Georgia State University; photographs of Meneely, some of his friends, and his travels in Ireland; and a collection of his artwork in the form of collages with mostly gay male subject matter created using cut-out images from magazines.