Robert H. Lefley (1927- ) Collection

The Robert Lefley collection fills twenty-six boxes. Spanning the years from 1936 to 2015, the bulk of the collection dates from the 1950s through the 1980s; it largely reflects Lefley’s work with Chicago-area print and broadcast media. The collection is organized into several segments: general and educational materials; correspondence, publications, other written records, and audiotape recordings relating to WFMT-FM and the Fiction Review radio program; Chicago Housing Authority records; and Inland Steel Industries records.

The collection includes general biographical and educational materials relating to Lefley’s formal education. These materials date from his elementary school through university experiences but also include documents associated with his service in the United States Army. Lefley’s time at Chicago’s Lane Technical High School, 1941-1945, is well reflected in runs of The Lane Tech Daily and The Lane Tech Prep, a school newspaper and a magazine for which he served as a contributor, writer, and editor.

Of particular significance within the collection are those materials, in both written and magnetic tape format, documenting Lefley’s tenure as host of WFMT-FM’s important Fiction Review radio program. Lefley, during his years with that program, 1954-1961, engaged in lengthy and serious dialogue with numerous authors of both national and international renown. In addition to featuring these interviews, the magnetic tapes occasionally include readings from the works of significant literary figures. Such readings are themselves often performed by notable individuals. The interviews and readings were broadcast and later re-broadcast by WFMT-FM. Written materials associated with Fiction Review include correspondence with authors, Lefley’s interview notes, and contemporary publications relating to program guests.

Records relating to Lefley’s service with the Chicago Housing Authority date from the period 1974-1980 and document press coverage of that agency.

Completing the collection are serial publications of Inland Steel Industries largely dating from the mid-1970s through the early 1990s.