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Romer Grey photographs, approximately 1915-1980

 Sub-Series
Identifier: MSS 6081 Series 10 Sub-Series 5

Scope and Contents

Contains photograph documenting Romer Grey's family and life, mostly after the death of his father in 1939. It contains photographs of Romer Grey from when he was a child, with his wife, Octave "Bea" Grey, and with his son, Romer Grey III. It also documents his role in the Flying Sphynx Ranch, Zane Grey Trails, and his relationship with Margaret A. Ingram dating from approximately 1915 to 1980.

Dates

  • approximately 1915-1980

Creator

Conditions Governing Access

Open for public research.

Conditions Governing Use

It is the responsibility of the researcher to obtain any necessary copyright clearances. Permission to publish material from Zane Grey papers must be obtained from the Supervisor of Reference Services and/or the L. Tom Perry Special Collections Board of Curators.

Biographical History

Romer Grey (1909-1976) was the oldest son of Zane and Lina Elise Grey, a producer, writer, and executive of Zane Grey Inc. and Romer Grey Inc.

Romer Zane Grey was born on October 1, 1909 at Lackawaxen, Pennsylvania. Romer followed in the footsteps of his father in many ways including with his love of the outdoors and with his career pursuits. He contributed to his father’s work on occasion by suggesting ideas for books including Western Union, and characters such as Tex Thorne. He is also accredited with writing the "Big Little Books," which were his father's stories, but composed by Romer. He would later write various western novels, many of which included aspects of and characters used by his father. He also spent a lot of time on fishing expeditions with his father, which gave him the expertise to write two books on fishing. From 1930 to 1931, he pursued a career in animation employing many of the most prominent animators of the era. Despite creating the character of Binky the Bear-Cub, the studio never took off and little is remaining.

Romer married Dorothy Chasen in 1930 and had one child before they divorced, and was married another three times during his life. He served in the Pacific in World War II as a pilot and acted as president of Zane Grey, Inc. He built his own company entitled Romer Grey, Inc. but always found it difficult to live in the shadow of his father and was never able to break free from that feeling. He died on March 8, 1976 at Pasadena, California.

Extent

50 photographs

Language of Materials

English