When Linda Grace Hoyer wasn’t busy writing her short stories and other works of fiction, she was often busy writing letters to her family and friends. Much of this correspondence was between mother and son – writing which began in earnest when John Updike left the farm house in Plowville, Pennsylvania to study at Harvard in the fall of 1950. This collection will contain digitized letters and postcards spanning nearly forty years. Portions of the collection will be added to the repository as time and resources permit.
Permissions to use these images for anything other than educational use should be directed to the Special Collections Department of the Myrin Library at Ursinus College.
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Letter from Linda Grace Hoyer to John Updike, April 16, 1951
Linda Grace Hoyer
In this typed letter from Linda Grace Hoyer to her son, John Updike, Linda describes the recent loss of inspiration while working on her novel, but speaks of her plans to push forward in writing. Linda updates John about life at home during the spring and her plans for the farm.
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Letter from Christopher Lasch to Linda Grace Hoyer, April 13, 1951
Christopher Lasch
In this typed letter from John Updike's roommate, Christopher Lasch, to Linda Grace Hoyer, Christopher thanks Linda for her kindness during a visit to Plowville over the spring vacation. Christopher also provides his opinion of the Dear Juan novel.
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Letter from Linda Grace Hoyer to John Updike, April 9, 1951
Linda Grace Hoyer
In this typed letter from Linda Grace Hoyer to her son, John Updike, Linda updates John about life at home after his visit on spring break. Linda describes the sadness she feels from missing John's presence, and hopes he and Christopher Lasch enjoyed their stay.
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Letter from Linda Grace Hoyer to John Updike, March 22, 1951
Linda Grace Hoyer
In this typed letter from Linda Grace Hoyer to her son, John Updike, Linda updates John on her progress with the novel and wonders how her husband will spend his time at home during break. She also speculates about John's class rank at Harvard.
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Letter from Linda Grace Hoyer to John Updike, March 19, 1951
Linda Grace Hoyer
In this typed letter from Linda Grace Hoyer to her son, John Updike, Linda describes plans for John to visit with the Greenwich Updikes during spring break. She also comments on John's school work, discussing philosophies of education and happiness.
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Letter from Linda Grace Hoyer to John Updike, March 16, 1951
Linda Grace Hoyer
In this typed letter from Linda Grace Hoyer to her son, John Updike, Linda inquires about John's plans for spring break and warns him not to accept charity from the Greenwich Updikes. She also praises John for his exam grades.
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Letter from Linda Grace Hoyer to John Updike, March 14, 1951
Linda Grace Hoyer
In this typed letter from Linda Grace Hoyer to her son, John Updike, Linda wishes John a happy birthday and updates him on the expected arrival of his cake to Harvard.
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Letter from Linda Grace Hoyer to John Updike, March 12, 1951
Linda Grace Hoyer
In this typed letter from Linda Grace Hoyer to her son, John Updike, Linda notes that Wesley and her father have been arguing lately. She shares her plans for sending a birthday cake to John and comments about boys in the community and the draft.
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Letter from Linda Grace Hoyer to John Updike, March 9, 1951
Linda Grace Hoyer
In this typed letter from Linda Grace Hoyer to her son, John Updike, Linda relates a story about selling hay. She updates John about her progress on the novel and writes about Wesley receiving cards from an "unknown woman".
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Letter from Linda Grace Hoyer to John Updike, March 7, 1951
Linda Grace Hoyer
In this typed letter from Linda Grace Hoyer to her son, John Updike, Linda thanks John for conducting research on the historical facts within her novel. She updates John about her progress and worries that an early spring might set her behind schedule.
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Letter from Linda Grace Hoyer to John Updike, March 4, 1951
Linda Grace Hoyer
In this typed letter from Linda Grace Hoyer to her son, John Updike, Linda praises John's latest cartoon work and advises him not to worry about his health. She ponders a recent church sermon and relates a story of the dogs' adventure with a muskrat.
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Letter from Linda Grace Hoyer to John Updike, March 1, 1951
Linda Grace Hoyer
In this typed letter from Linda Grace Hoyer to her son, John Updike, Linda details research she has done regarding her novel. She also updates John about life at home and the continued recognition he is receiving for his work on the Harvard Lampoon.
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Letter from Linda Grace Hoyer to John Updike, February 27, 1951
Linda Grace Hoyer
In this typed letter from Linda Grace Hoyer to her son, John Updike, Linda writes about growing old and feeling distant from John. She thanks John for the continued help with researching her novel and commends him for stopping his correspondence with Nancy Wolf.
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Letter from Linda Grace Hoyer to John Updike, February 26, 1951
Linda Grace Hoyer
In this typed letter from Linda Grace Hoyer to her son, John Updike, Linda writes about the health of her father, who may have suffered a seizure. She also worries that her novel is becoming a "chore."
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Letter from Linda Grace Hoyer to John Updike, February 23, 1951
Linda Grace Hoyer
In this typed letter from Linda Grace Hoyer to her son, John Updike, Linda describes reactions from home and from the Reading Eagle offices to John's initiation into the Harvard Lampoon. She notes changes to the Shillington school district and wonders if her novel is good or bad.
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Letter from Linda Grace Hoyer to John Updike, February 21, 1951
Linda Grace Hoyer
In this typed letter from Linda Grace Hoyer to her son, John Updike, Linda provides her opinions about second-hand clothing and notes that John's letters have become too infrequent.
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Letter from Linda Grace Hoyer to John Updike, February 19, 1951
Linda Grace Hoyer
In this typed letter from Linda Grace Hoyer to her son, John Updike, Linda tells John about reactions from the community regarding his acceptance to the Harvard Lampoon. She describes the many movies she has been seeing and updates John about "the dog story."
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Letter from Linda Grace Hoyer to John Updike, February 15, 1951
Linda Grace Hoyer
In this typed letter from Linda Grace Hoyer to her son, John Updike, Linda congratulates John on his acceptance to the Harvard Lampoon and writes about notifying the Reading Eagle of his accomplishment.
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Letter from Linda Grace Hoyer to Walter S. Dillon, February 14, 1951
Linda Grace Hoyer
In this typed letter from Linda Grace Hoyer to Walter S. Dillon, Linda writes to the staff of the Reading Eagle to inform them that John Updike has a job writing for the Harvard Lampoon. Linda outlines John's accomplishments and thanks Walter for his kindness to her son.
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Letter from Linda Grace Hoyer to John Updike, February 13, 1951
Linda Grace Hoyer
In this typed letter from Linda Grace Hoyer to her son, John Updike, Linda updates John about the family's finances and describes progress writing her novel and researching Spanish history.
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Letter from Linda Grace Hoyer to John Updike, February 9, 1951
Linda Grace Hoyer
In this typed letter from Linda Grace Hoyer to her son, John Updike, Linda writes about tragic events in Reading. She describes the snow in Plowville and tells John about a novel she is reading.
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Letter from Linda Grace Hoyer to John Updike, February 7, 1951
Linda Grace Hoyer
In this typed letter from Linda Grace Hoyer to her son, John Updike, Linda updates John about her progress working on the Dear Juan novel and contemplates it as a means of escape. Linda urges John not to worry about his scholarship, encouraging him to continue with cartooning.
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Letter from Linda Grace Hoyer to John Updike, February 5, 1951
Linda Grace Hoyer
In this typed letter from Linda Grace Hoyer to her son, John Updike, Linda writes about her inability to translate Latin and discusses the educational qualifications of various teachers at Shillington High School.
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Letter from Linda Grace Hoyer to John Updike, February 4, 1951
Linda Grace Hoyer
In this typed letter from Linda Grace Hoyer to her son, John Updike, Linda updates John about selling hay to the farm owned by Mr. and Mrs. Ellis. She describes recent events at church, including members of the congregation meddling in each other's lives.
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Letter from Linda Grace Hoyer to John Updike, February 2, 1951
Linda Grace Hoyer
In this typed letter from Linda Grace Hoyer to her son, John Updike, Linda continues to lament the poor financial performance of the farm. She updates John about her novel and her mother's conversion to Lutheranism.
