Delius Papers

This Records Subgroup contains the papers of Betty Delius related to the foundation, organization, administration and programming of a Merton collection and Merton Center at the college. The date range of the materials is circa 1960 to 1980. The papers include correspondence (much are copies of letters between members of the Merton Legacy Trust and others involved in the foundation of the Merton Center); architectural specifications, plans and photographs of the Thomas Merton Room at the Bellarmine Library; forms and contracts; finding aids for the early collection; bibliographies; committee minutes; an address list of Merton correspondents; and working files. There is one original piece signed by Merton: "Concerning the Collection in Bellarmine College Library", which was read at the opening ceremony for the Merton Room in 1963. Books, pamphlets, newspaper clippings, and early Merton Center brochures and programs from Delius' papers have been interfiled with other parts of the collection. The files detail the arrangements made to obtain a small collection of Merton's papers at Bellarmine, the renovation of space in the library for a Merton Room, the designation of Bellarmine as official repository of Merton's papers, the collection and arrangement of the books and manuscripts, foundation of the Thomas Merton Studies Center, staffing of the Merton Center, rules governing ownership and use of the collection, accession lists, and programming for Merton related events at the college that were hosted by the Merton Center. Ms. Delius donated the papers to the Merton Center in July of 2005.