Bookmark this page or copy and paste URL to Email message William Lyon collection 1964-2010NAU.MS.171
Biographical NoteWilliam Henry Lyon (also known as Bill Lyon) was born March 14, 1926 in Marshall, Missouri to parents William H. Lyon Senior and Laura Eubank Lyon. After graduating from Marshall High School in 1944, Lyon participated in the United States Navy's V-12 officer training program and served during World War II. Lyon recieved a Bachelor of Science degree in education from Central Missouri, State College, a Master of Arts in history from the University of Chicago, and a Ph.D. from the University of Missouri. Lyon married Marilyn Stewart and had four children, Laurinda, Peggy, Marc, and Matthew. Lyon had a long career in higher education. He taught at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University (also known as Virginia Tech) between 1949 and 1956 before recieving his Ph.D in 1958. Shortly after obtaining his degree, Lyon and his family moved to Flagstaff, Arizona, where Lyon taught as a professor of history at Arizona State College at Flagstaff (ASC) (now Northern Arizona University, or NAU). He was known as a member of the so-called "Missouri Mafia," professors from Missouri who were hired by President Lawrence J. Walkup, also originally from Missouri. Lyon served as the academic chair of the Social Studies Department at ASC/NAU, later the History Department, for 19 years. In 1962, Lyon helped establish a scholarship in honor of his colleague William Tinsley. He directed or served on the W.W. Tinsley Scholarship Committee throughout the 1960s. Lyon retired from his position at NAU in 1988. Lyon authored, edited, or co-edited several books, including The Pioneer Editor in Missouri, 1808-1860(University of Missouri Press, 1965), Journalism in the West (Sunflower University Press, 1980), and Those Old Yellow Dog Days: Frontier Journalism in Arizona, 1859-1912 (Arizona Historical Society, 1994). He also prepared several unpublished manuscripts, including Sentinels of the Southwest: Navajo Culture and History (1984). He wrote numerous academic and journal articles, such as "Planting the Mustard Seed: The Flagstaff Boyhood of William Merrell Vories, Missionary to Japan" (The Journal of Arizona History, vol. 38, no. 3, 1997) and 'The Navajos in the American Historical Imagination, 1868-1900" (Ethnohistory, vol. 45, 1998). Lyon further prepared family histories and autobiographical materials including his recollections of the development of Flagstaff-based organizations such as the Flagstaff Federated Community Church and the Flagstaff Symphony Orchestra, as well as NAU units including the Special Collections Library, Gammage Library, the NAU Retirees' Association, and the Social Studies / History Department at NAU. Lyon was a member of (and briefly president of) the Arizona Association of University Professors, a charter member of the Arizona State Historical Society, a violinist with the Flagstaff Symphony Orchestra, and a board member for the Flagstaff Federated Community Church and Cancer Society State Board. He was also a strong supporter of the Special Collections Library (now Special Collections and Archives of Cline Library) at NAU and donated personal materials as well as organizational records in his possession to the library. He served as president of the NAU Retirees Association from 1992 to 1993. Bill Lyon died September 18, 2010 in Flagstaff. Information in this biographical note is based on a September 22, 2010 obituary for Willam Lyon in the Arizona Daily Sun, collection materials, and 1996 oral history interviews with Monte Poen. Scope and ContentThe William Lyon collection (NAU.MS.171) contains research materials, correspondence, and manuscripts of books, journal articles and other writings created by William Henry Lyon in connection to his role as a professor of history at Northern Arizona University, including photocopies of the Arizona Corporation Commission records of dissolved Arizona newspapers reproduced from the microfilm. It also contains a scrapbook containing newspaper clippings, awards, photographs, correpondence, and other materials documenting William Lyon's career at NAU. RestrictionsConditions Governing Access
No restrictions on access and use in the Miriam Lemont Reading Room. Conditions Governing Use
Researchers are advised that Cline Library does not hold copyrights to the photocopies of Arizona Corporation Commission records of dissolved Arizona newspapers found in Box 1 of the William Lyon collection or the oral history interview with Ethel Wallace. It is the responsibility of the user to obtain permission to publish from the owner of the copyright (the institution, the creator of the record, the author or his/her transferees, heirs, legates, or literary executors). The user agrees to indemnify and hold harmless the Arizona Board of Regents for Northern Arizona University, its officers, employees, and agents from and against all claims made by any person asserting that he or she is an owner of copyright. Related MaterialWilliam Merrell Vories collection, NAU.MS.394 La Iglesia Metodista Unida Church Collection , NAU.MS.375 Flagstaff Symphony Orchestra collection, NAU.MS.257, NAU.PH.90.19 Flagstaff Federated Church collection, NAU.MS.180, NAU.PH.423 Monte Poen collection, NAU.OH.96.108 Philip Rulon papers, NAU.MS.442 Location of Originals
Original records of dissolved Arizona newspapers found in Box 1 of the William Lyon collection (NAU.MS.171) are held by the Arizona State Library and Archives. The location and ownership of original recordings for the oral history interview with Ethel Wallace are unknown as of 2022. Administrative InformationPreferred Citation
[Title or brief description of item or file.] William Lyon collection, NAU.MS.171, Box [ ], Folder [ ]. Northern Arizona University. Cline Library. Special Collections and Archives. Flagstaff, Arizona. Processing Information
SCA staff processed photocopied newspaper materials in the William Lyon collection prior to 1979. Peter Runge created an updated Encoded Archival Description (EAD) finding aid and oversaw processing of additional materials in the William Lyon collection circa 2009. In 2022, Sam Meier corrected encoding errors in the existing finding aid, added additional descriptive information, and integrated other materials donated by Lyon into the collection. Container List
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