John S. Mayfield (1904-1983)

It is with deep sorrow that we announce the death on April 26, 1983, of Library Associates trustee John S. Mayfield. He was vice-chairman of the trustees, chairman of the program committee and a member of the executive committee. Born in Bosque County, Texas, in 1904, he received a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Texas in 1930, a Master of Arts degree from Southern Methodist University in 1932, and did graduate study at Columbia University. For more than fifty years he was engaged in bibliographical research, book and manuscript collecting, and library management. He was the author of many literary and bibliographical articles and he had been a contributing editor to the Columbia Encyclopedia. During 1961-1971 he was curator of Manuscripts and Rare Books at Syracuse University and editor of The Courier. In recent years he was librarian of the Army and Navy Club in Washington. During his lifetime he assembled important collections of books and manuscripts of English and American poets and authors. His collection of books and manuscripts by and about Algernon Charles Swinburne is world renowned, and he wrote many articles about the life and work of Swinburne. His collection included manuscripts and books of Lord Byron, Mark Twain, Sidney Lanier, Booth Tarkington, Robinson Jeffers, Amy Lowell, Sam Houston, and many other literary and historical persons. He enjoyed having scholars and students visit and use his collections in his home, and he had given books and manuscripts to Georgetown and other libraries in the United States and England. His many friends knew him as a warmhearted, friendly person whose modesty hid his many talents and achievements. His wonderful dry sense of humor and innate friendliness made being in his company a special joy at all times. He was a bookman, in the very best sense of the word, but never flaunted the vast knowledge of books and authors upon which he drew so effortlessly in conversation. Mr. Mayfield is survived by his wife, Edith, who often accompanied him on his literary trips and book collecting expeditions.