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Guide to the Warren Austin Papers
PA Mss 80
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Title: Warren Austin papers
Dates: 1939-1999
Collection number: PA Mss 80
Creator:
Austin, Warren R. (1911-1999)
Collection Size:
7 linear feet, plus 55 film reels
(13 document boxes, 1 flat box).
Repository:
University of California, Santa Barbara. Library.
Dept. of Special Collections
Santa Barbara, CA 93106
Abstract: Papers of Warren Austin (1911-1999), owner of Val Verde estate in Montecito, California. Austin was a close friend of Dame
Judith Anderson, a patron of the Lobero Theatre (Santa Barbara, CA.) and personal physician to the Duke and Duchess of Windsor.
Physical location: For current information on the location of these materials, please consult the library's online catalog.
Languages:
Languages represented in the collection:
English
Use of the collection is unrestricted.
Copyright has not been assigned to the Department of Special Collections, UCSB. All requests for permission to publish or
quote from manuscripts must be submitted in writing to the Head of Special Collections. Permission for publication is given
on behalf of the Department of Special Collections as the owner of the physical items and is not intended to include or imply
permission of the copyright holder, which also must be obtained.
Warren Austin papers. PA Mss 80, Department of Special Collections, University Libraries, University of California, Santa
Barbara.
Donated by Nancy Oliva, March 2010.
Biography / Administrative History
Dr. Warren R. Austin (1911-1999) was personal physician to the Duke and Duchess of Windsor while the Duke was Governor of
the Bahamas during World War II. After the end of the war, Dr. Austin moved to Montecito California, where he established
his practice in the Montecito Medical Center in 1948, and married Florence Heath Horton Austin (1915-1991) in 1956. In 1956,
Dr. and Mrs. Austin purchased the Val Verde estate in Montecito from Marjorie Buell. Val Verde, an Italianate mansion designed
by Bertram Goodhue in 1893 for Henry Dater and added to by garden designer Lockwood de Forest for Wright Ludington, is considered
one of the premier original Southern California estates. Dr. and Mrs. Austin expanded the estate from 9 to 17.4 acres.
In addition to his medical career, Dr. Austin was deeply involved in theater and music in Santa Barbara, bringing many performances
to the city as director of Val Verde Productions, including, among others,
The Bernard Shaw Story (1966) starring Bramwell Fletcher,
Dear Liar (1967) starring Sally Goldwater, and
Hamlet (1970), with Dame Judith Anderson in the title role. In the course of these activities and as a patron of the arts in Santa
Barbara, Dr. Austin struck up important friendships with Dame Judith Anderson, British Theater administrator Michael Hallifax,
and Zoe Caldwell, famed for her performance alongside Dame Judith Anderson in Medea. Dr. Austin was involved in the Broadway
Theatre League of Santa Barbara and a patron of the Lobero Foundation, where he was instrumental in establishing the Dame
Judith Anderson Fund.
Dr. Austin was the founder of the Canoe Island French Camp on Orcas Island, San Juan Islands, at which he served as camp physician.
Scope and Content of Collection
Much of this collection consists documents relating to Dr. Austin's activities in drama and music as a patron of the arts
and head of Val Verde Productions in Santa Barbara. Documents include clippings, correspondence, photos, flyers, programs,
drafts of press releases written by Dr. Austin himself, notes, ledgers, and records of fund raising activities.
The rest of the collection comprises papers pertaining to the Val Verde Estate, including a map of the Ludington tract, financial
documents, photographs, and many documents relating to the Val Verde trust from the 1990's, as well as records, clippings,
photographs, and correspondence pertaining to Dr. Austin's Canoe Island French Camp.
Personal items include photographs, correspondence, and personal documents of both Warren Austin and Florence Heath Horton
Austin.
Among the photographs are early images of Santa Barbara buildings, including the Lobero Theater and the Montecito Fire Station,
as well as photographs of Dame Judith Anderson and Zoe Caldwell.
The collection is divided into the following series: I. Theater and music, II. Val Verde estate, III. Canoe Island French
Camp, IV. Personal items, V. Correspondence, VI. Photographs, VII. Miscellaneous, VIII. Oversize, IX. Home movie film reels.
Series I. Theater and music has been subdivided by production. Production files include photographs, correspondence, clippings,
ledgers, notes, magazine features, flyers, programs, and printer's plates. Series II. Val Verde estate and Series III. Canoe
Island French Camp include photographs, artwork, correspondence, legal and financial documents. The remaining series contain
personal items relating to Warren Austin and Florence Heath Horton Austin and include correspondence, photographs, financial
documents, certificates and notebooks. The collection includes 55 home movie film reels.
The following terms have been used to index the description of this collection in
the library's online public access catalog.
Anderson, Judith, Dame, 1898-1992
Clippings
Correspondence
Home movies
Photographs
Programs