Collection context
Summary
- Creators:
- Tompkins, Walker A. (1909-1988)
- Abstract:
- Materials produced or compiled by Walker A. Tompkins, historian and author of histories on Goleta and Santa Barbara, California.
- Extent:
- 33 Linear Feet (11 cartons, 17 document boxes, 4 flat oversize boxes, 1 map cabinet drawer, 110 open reel audiotapes, and 7 audiocassettes)
- Language:
- English .
- Preferred citation:
-
[Identification of Item], Walker A. Tompkins collection. SBHC Mss 19. Department of Special Research Collections, UC Santa Barbara Library, University of California, Santa Barbara.
Background
- Scope and content:
-
The collection mopstly contains Tompkins's writings - on local and regional history, as well as historical fiction - and related research files. Also included are some historical manuscripts donated by others to Tompkins. Much of the subject matter relates to the Santa Barbara and Goleta areas.
Materials may include manuscripts, monographs, serials, newspapers, clippings, photographs and albums, negatives, audiotapes, scrapbook, maps, and artifacts generated and collected in the course of Tompkins's research.
- Biographical / historical:
-
Walker A. Tompkins (July 10, 1909-November 24, 1988 ) was born in Prosser, Yakima County, Washington. He was the son of Charle E. and Bertha Tompkins who had moved to Washington from Missouri. Tompkins grew up on a wheat farm in Walla Walla County before moving with his family to Turlock, California in 1920. He began his writing career in Turlock, at the age of fourteen, as a reporter for the Daily Journal. At the age of 21, he sold his first western novel to Street and Smith of New York, just before beginning college at Washington State. He also attended Modesto (California) Junior College.
In 1931, Tompkins went to work at the (Portland) Sunday Oregonian. He also wrote fiction on the side for magazines, books, radio, and later, television. During the 1930s, he worked his way around the world, travelling to Europe, Asia, Africa, and the Dutch East Indies. He wrote western pulp stories during these journeys and collected his fees for them on the fly. At the beginning of World War II, Tompkins was drafted into the Army where he served as a correspondent in Europe for three years. Following the war, he settled in Santa Barbara, California where he began concentrating on local history.
Dubbed "Two-Gun Tompkins" early in his career for his prodigious output of pulp westerns, he wrote western fiction for 30 years before switching to history and biography. He was best known for his work in the latter field, especially his regional histories which focused on the Santa Barbara area. He referred to his book, Santa Barbara History Makers (1983) as his "magnum opus."
While working on his many projects, he also held a job as a reporter for the Santa Barbara News-Press from 1957 to 1973, where he was the author of the column "Santa Barbara Yesterdays." He also did a radio show that aired for 20 years on a local station and was in constant demand as a speaker. Tompkins was greatly interested in the history of Santa Barbara's neighborhoods and sought to encourage his readers and listeners to appreciate the unique attributes of each. To this end, he published his twelve-pamphlet series, Santa Barbara's Neighborhoods (originally published between 1977 and 1980, later collected in one volume, 1989).
Tompkins continued to write throughout his life, publishing a number of works, ranging from an institutional history to a series of boys' adventure novels, after his official retirement. Tompkins served on the Board of Directors for the Santa Barbara Historical Society and the Santa Barbara County Landmarks Advisory Committee. In 1975, he was honored by the California State Legislature for his contributions in the area of regional history.
The information in this biography was drawn largely mainly from accounts of Walker A. Tompkins' life published in The Santa Barbara News-Press, The Santa Barbara Independent, and The Chinook Observer (Long Beach, Washington) in November and December 1988. For further biographical information, see Box 1 of the collection.
- Acquisition information:
- Gifts of Barbara H. Tompkins, widow of Walker A. Tompkins, 1990-2005. Additional materials gifted by Eric Hvolboll, 1991, and the Santa Barbara Public Library, 2019.
- Arrangement:
-
The collection has been arranged by topic and format into 11 series:
- Series 1: Biographical files
- Series 2: Correspondence
- Series 3: Financial records
- Series 4: Research files
- Series 5: Writings
- Series 6: Historical materials
- Series 7: Artifacts
- Series 8: Photographs and illustrations
- Series 9: Maps
- Series 10: Other
- Series 11: Audiotapes
- Physical location:
- A portion of the collection is located at the Southern Regional Library Facility (SRLF).
- Rules or conventions:
- Describing Archives: A Content Standard
Access and use
- Restrictions:
-
Some files in this collection may contain restricted materials, such as financial records. A portion of the collection is stored offsite. Please contact the Department of Special Research Collections in advance to request access.
- Terms of access:
-
Property rights to the collection and physical objects belong to the Regents of the University of California acting through the Department of Special Research Collections at the UCSB Library. All applicable literary rights, including copyright to the collection and physical objects, are protected under Chapter 17 of the U.S. Copyright Code and may be retained by the creator and the copyright owner, heir(s), or assigns.
All requests to reproduce, quote from, or otherwise reuse collection materials must be submitted in writing to the Department of Special Research Collections at UCSB at special@library.ucsb.edu. Consent is given on behalf of the Regents of the University of California acting through the Department of Special Research Collections at UCSB as the owner of the physical items and is not intended to include or imply permission from the copyright owner. Such permission must be obtained from the copyright owner, heir(s), or assigns. It is the responsibility of the researcher to determine who holds the copyright and pursue the copyright owner or their assignees for permission to publish where the UC Regents do not hold the copyright.
- Preferred citation:
-
[Identification of Item], Walker A. Tompkins collection. SBHC Mss 19. Department of Special Research Collections, UC Santa Barbara Library, University of California, Santa Barbara.
- Location of this collection:
-
UC Santa Barbara LibrarySanta Barbara, CA 93106-9010, US
- Contact:
- (805) 893-3062