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Patricia Dix Papers

Call Number

MSS.224

Dates

1940-2001, inclusive
; 1986-2001, bulk

Creator

Dix, Patricia R. (Patricia Rose), 1955-2001
Arnoldi, Katherine (Role: Donor)

Extent

4 Linear Feet in 4 records cartons

Language of Materials

Materials primarily in English, with some materials in French and German.

Abstract

Patricia "Pat" Rose Dix (1955-2001) was a freelance editor and writer in New York City. She was born in Brooklyn, attended Queen Mary College at the University of London, and spent most of her adult life living in Greenwich Village and the Lower East Side in Manhattan. This collection provides a glimpse of life in New York City during the downtown arts scene that emerged in the 1970s through the early 1990s. Materials include resumes; birth, marriage, and naturalization certificates; annotated and handwritten writings; correspondence; sketches; clippings and articles; brochures; utility bills and receipts; postage stamps; flyers; notebooks; day planners; and photographs.

Biographical Note

Patricia "Pat" Rose Dix, a freelance editor and writer, was born on December 6, 1955 in Brooklyn, New York. Her parents, Robert Armstrong Dix and Joan Wright Donegan were married at the Church of Transfiguration in 1949 in Manhattan. Her father was born in England and became a naturalized citizen in 1954. Dix attended Queen Mary College at the University of London from 1973 to 1975 where she studied Medieval History.

Dix spent most of her adult life living in Greenwich Village and the Lower East Side of Manhattan. She worked as a caregiver, freelance legal secretary, and freelance editor while working toward her personal goal of becoming a published author. She was an avid correspondent to friends, family, medical and literary professionals, and theater actors. Dix also struggled with health issues that led her to become interested in nutrition and healthy living. She had problems with her lungs and required oxygen therapy. Dix passed away on December 4, 2001, two days before her forty-sixth birthday.

Arrangement

The materials are arranged in the order in which they were received from the donor.

Scope and Contents

This collection provides a glimpse of life in Greenwich Village and the Lower East Side of Manhattan during the downtown arts scene that emerged in the 1970s through the early 1990s. Materials include Dix's professional resume and her friend, Kevin Stevens' resume; Dix's birth certificate, her parents' marriage license and certificate, and her father's birth and naturalization certificates; annotated and handwritten original writings that included sketches; clippings and articles regarding NYC cultural events, book reviews, diseases, nutrition, and healthy living; postage stamps; brochures regarding oxygen therapy; utility bills and receipts; event flyers from downtown literary and theater events; notebooks that contain Dix's personal thoughts and feelings and general notes related to work; day planners; and photographs of unidentified men and women, and a few headshots.

The bulk of the collection includes Dix's writings and correspondence that document her daily life in New York City between 1986 and 2001, and address numerous topics including her personal relationships with men, specifically a man named John; theater; politics and terrorism; cigarettes and smoking; her mother's death; issues she had with people she lived with and their neighbors; frustrations with her writing not being published; working as a caregiver for a woman named Ruth and their daily visits to the Metropolitan Museum of Art; drugs; music; fashion; book reviews; New York Times articles; and her physical and mental health. Dix's most notable writing in the collection is a piece she wrote entitled "Betty Boop: A Feminist Timeline," where Dix describes a fictional account of Betty Boop's life growing up. Much of her writing is present in her correspondence with friends and literary professionals. The majority of correspondence includes letters to and from Dix's friends in England, John and Sue; Teofilo "Teo" R. Ruiz, a Brooklyn College professor she worked with; and letters to medical professionals. Many of Dix's letters to medical professionals were addressed to physicians and expressed her concerns regarding the problems with her lungs and her interactions with doctors and nurses at various medical facilities.

Conditions Governing Access

Materials are open without restrictions.

Conditions Governing Use

Copyright (or related rights to publicity and privacy) for materials in this collection, created by Patricia Dix, was not transferred to New York University. Permission to use materials must be secured from the copyright holder.

Preferred Citation

Identification of item, date; Patricia Dix Papers; MSS 224; box number; folder number; Fales Library and Special Collections, New York University.

Location of Materials

Materials are stored offsite and advance notice is required for use. Please request materials at least two business days prior to your research visit to coordinate access.

Immediate Source of Acquisition

Donated by Katherine Arnoldi in 2008. The accession number associated with this collection is 2008.224.

Appraisal

Medical records for Patricia Dix and social security information for Patricia Dix and Joan Dix were removed from box 1 folder 34, box 2 folder 9, and box 3 folder 12 for deaccession.

Collection processed by

Jennifer E. Neal

About this Guide

This finding aid was produced using ArchivesSpace on 2023-08-20 17:01:55 -0400.
Using Describing Archives: A Content Standard
Language: Finding aid written in English

Processing Information

Materials were placed in new acid-free folders. Original folder titles, when available, were retained. Materials that were in envelopes were removed and unfolded. Photographs were placed in photograph sleeves.

Repository

Fales Library and Special Collections
Fales Library and Special Collections
Elmer Holmes Bobst Library
70 Washington Square South
2nd Floor
New York, NY 10012