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Romer Grey papers, approximately 1920-1976

 Series
Identifier: MSS 6081 Series 7

Scope and Contents

Contains personal correspondence, financial records, and contact information for people associated with Romer Grey. The materials include records of Romer, women with whom he was in relationships, and records of his professional activities, dating from approximately 1920 to 1976.

Dates

  • approximately 1920-1976

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

5 boxes

8 folders

Language of Materials

English

Arrangement

Arranged in four subseries: 1. Romer Grey personal papers and correspondence, 1952-1976. 2. Romer Grey financial records, 1930-1973. 3. Romer Grey business records, between 1920 and 1976. 4. Margaret A. Ingram correspondence and manuscripts, 1937-1968.

Repository Details

Part of the L. Tom Perry Special Collections Repository

Contact:
1130 HBLL
Brigham Young University
Provo Utah 84602 United States