Letters from Harry A. Siitonen (born 1926), Los Angeles, February 11-14, 1958
Scope and Content of Collection
The collection consists of letters from a single male correspondent to Dennice DuRay, c/o A. Spire, 8336 East 2nd Street, Downey, CA, in late 1951; and from five male correspondents to Gladys L. Ragan, 8336 E. 2nd Street (1956: 10727 1/2 Western, Downey, and 1958: 10831 1/4 Brookshore, Downey), from early 1955 to late 1958, by five male correspondents. The correspondences appear to have been initiated by DuRay and Ragan in response to advertisements placed in the personals sections of Los Angeles newspapers, including the Mirror. Information in the letters and the fact that both women lived at the same address and never met their correspondents face-to-face, suggests that DuRay and Ragan were less than truthful to their correspondents, and may have been impostors, possibly even the same individual. The letters contain substantial discussion of sex, including homosexual acts, although the orientation of the men was predominantly heterosexual. The collection includes summary notes on each letter made by the processing archivist.
Dates
- Creation: February 11-14, 1958
Creator
- From the Collection: Ragan, Gladys L. (Person)
- From the Collection: DuRay, Dennice L. (Person)
Conditions Governing Access note
Access restricted.
Extent
From the File: 8 folders
Language of Materials
From the Collection: English
Repository Details
Part of the ONE Archives at the USC Libraries, University of Southern California Repository
909 West Adams Boulevard
Los Angeles California 90007 United States
(213) 821-2771
askone@usc.edu