E. Thomas Starcher collection on the UMD Drama Wing
Collection
0436-SCPA-STARCHER
E. Thomas Starcher was best known for his teachings in the University of Maryland's Speech department from 1949 through 1984, as well as for being the originator and director of UMD's Drama Wing from 1954 to 1984. The E. Thomas Starcher collection on the UMD Drama Wing consists of one bound book including newspaper and magazine photograph clippings of theater performances, speech department students, drama students, and some photos of Starcher. Most of the photographs are credited to Starcher.
0.25 Linear Feet (Folder) : One bound volume ; 9.25" x 11"
The E. Thomas Starcher collection on the UMD Drama Wing covers the period from 1954-1981; the bulk of the materials date from 1954-1980. The collection consists of newspaper and magazine clippings of photographs and news stories related to the local and traveling plays Starcher directed, the photos taken of certain events in the UMD Speech Department, and other photography involvements of which he was a part.
Enoch Thomas Starcher (b. 1917; Carthage, Missouri - d. 1997; Carthage, Missouri) was hired to teach at the University of Maryland's Speech department in 1949. He taught over 12,000 students in formal university classroom settings as well as teaching extension courses in a variety of venues, including the Pentagon, Andrews Airforce Base, Maryland School of Nursing, White House Police, and the Maryland State Troopers. Starcher also did consultant work for companies, some include the Atomic Energy Commission, the Federal Bureau of Narcotics and Dangerous Drugs, the National Bureau of Standards, and McGrawHill.
In 1957, Starcher completed the certification to become a guidance-counselor by the Maryland State Board of Education. Also around 1957, Starcher founded The Drama Wing at UMD, where he directed “problem plays.” Such plays served the dual purpose of entertaining audiences and educating by highlighting behavioral problems of young children and teenagers to offer insight on strategies to address them for parents and educators. The Drama Wing held over 800 performances, being local and traveling.
Such travels led to performances throughout Maryland, Virginia, Pennsylvania, Delaware, New Jersey, New York, D.C., Missouri, and Arkansas. The Drama Wing was commissioned by the National Institute of Mental Health to perform a play for the International Convention on Suicide Prevention in Washington, D.C. With this, Starcher was awarded a life membership in the Maryland Parents and Teachers Association for “Outstanding Contributions to the Children and Youth of Maryland.”
In addition to his work with the Speech Department and the Drama Wing, Starcher was the Photo Relations Director for the Speech department at UMD and had over 500 photographs published in local, national, and international periodicals. A number of his publications and photograph credits list him as his pseudonym, George Spelvin (a common name used in theater). In 1978, he was recognized by the University of Maryland Honors Night as an “Outstanding Professor in contributions to the University of Maryland” through theater and Drama Wing presentations.
This collection is organized into a single series:
Gift of E. Thomas Starcher II, July 5, 2022.
Part of the Michelle Smith Performing Arts Library