Tom Andrews, Poet, Correspondence with Debbie Gill
Collection
Collection Number: A&M 4694
Correspondence from Tom Andrews sent to his friend, Debbie Gill (née Carey). Most were written during his time as a student at Hope College in Michigan. Gill was studying at West Virginia University at the time of this correspondence. In these letters, Andrews speaks only briefly about his writing and education. The conversations are personal in nature, with Andrews mentioning trips home to Charleston, sharing jokes, discussing relationships, and sending regards to other family and friends living near Gill in West Virginia.
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Permission to publish or reproduce is required from the copyright holder. For more information, please see the Permissions and Copyright page on the West Virginia and Regional History Center website.”
Thomas Chester "Tom" Andrews (April 30, 1961 – July 18, 2001) was an American poet who grew up in Charleston, West Virginia with his parents, Ray and Alice Andrews, and an older brother, John, who died at age 16 in 1980. When Andrews was 11, he got into the Guinness Book of World Records by clapping for over 14 hours.
He graduated from George Washington High School (Charleston, WV) in 1979. He studied at Oberlin College during his senior year in college, and graduated from Hope College with a B.A. (1984). While at Hope he studied under Jack Ridl and developed his love of poetry. He then graduated from the University of Virginia with an M.F.A. in Creative Writing (1987). He went on to lecture at the University of Michigan (1987-1988), taught at Ohio University (ca. 1991-1996), then served as Faculty at Purdue University (1996-?). In 1999, he won a Poetry Fellowship to the American Academy in Rome.
Prior to being diagnosed with hemophilia, Tom developed a great interest in motorcycles. While his diagnosis meant he shouldn’t continue to ride, he maintained his interest, he co-founded and edited the online magazine/forum "Beginner Bikes."
He wrote and edited many books of poetry; his works include:
0.01 Linear Feet (1 folder (0.1 in.))
English
West Virginia and Regional History Center / West Virginia University / 1549 University Avenue / P.O. Box 6069 / Morgantown, WV 26506-6069 / Phone: 304-293-3536 / URL: https://wvrhc.lib.wvu.edu/
Gift of Gill, Debbie, 2021 February 28.
Part of the West Virginia and Regional History Center Repository