Conditions Governing Reproduction and Use

The copyright status of this collection is unknown. Copyright restrictions may apply. Contact Special Collections and University Archives for assistance in determining the use of these materials. Reproduction or digitization of materials for personal or research use can be requested using our reproduction/digitization form: http://bit.ly/scuareproduction . Reproduction or digitization of materials for publication or exhibit use can be requested using our publication/exhibition form: http://bit.ly/scuapublication . Please contact Special Collections and University Archives (specref@vt.edu or 540-231-6308) if you need assistance with forms or to submit a completed form.

Conditions Governing Access

The collection is open to research.

Preferred Citation

Researchers wishing to cite this collection should include the following information: [identification of item], [box], [folder], Lenore McComas Coberly Papers, Ms1992-035, Special Collections and University Archives, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, Va.

Immediate Source of Acquisition

The Lenore McComas Coberly Papers were acquired by Special Collections and University Archives prior to 1993.

Processing Information

The processing and description of the Lenore McComas Coberly Papers commenced and was completed in October, 2023.

Biographical / Historical

Lenore Coberly (nee McComas) was born in Hamlin (Lincoln County), West Virginia, on February 23, 1925. She graduated from West Virginia University and obtained a master's degree from the University of Pittsburgh and married Camden Arthur Coberly (1922-2001) in West Virginia in 1946; the couple had four children. The Coberlys moved to Madison, Wisconsin, where Camden Coberly obtained a Ph.D. in chemical engineering. A published poet and writer, Lenore Coberly taught creative writing at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. She died in Madison on September 28, 2022, and was buried in Forest Hill Cemetery, Madison.

Robert Henderson "Bob" Adkins, son of Albert G. and Mary Anna Dingess Adkins, was born in Ferrellsburg (Lincoln County), West Virginia, on October 27, 1903. He established R. H. Adkins and Companies in Hamlin (Lincoln County) in 1927. He remained active in the oil and gas industry throughout his life and also served as chairman of the board of Lincoln National Bank. Twice married, to Madge Hager (1895-1972) and Rena Weaver (1927-2018), he fathered two children, the first dying in infancy. Bob Adkins died in Hamlin on October 12, 1999, and was buried in Lincoln Memorial Cemetery, Hamlin.

Scope and Contents

This collection contains papers of writer Lenore McComas Coberly, relating to Robert Henderson "Bob" Adkins, 20th-century owner and operator of an oil and gas business in Lincoln County, West Virginia. The collection includes 26 typescript pages of notes (with manuscript corrections) from interviews conducted with Adkins in July, 1990, accompanied by a cover letter from Adkins' secretary. The interviews focus on Adkins' experiences in the oil and gas industry in southern West Virginia, together with reminiscences of his own life and local and family history. Also included is a photocopy of Coberly's completed article, "Bob Adkins, Lincoln County Gas Man," appearing in the Summer 1992 issue of Goldenseal magazine.

Rights Statement for Archival Description

The guide to the Lenore McComas Coberly Papers by Special Collections and University Archives, Virginia Tech, is licensed under a CC0 ( https://creativecommons.org/share-your-work/public-domain/cc0/ ).