The Ethelyn M. Parkinson Papers, 1953-1999, document her writing career. The bulk of the collection covers the period from 1953 to 1966 when Parkinson was writing short stories and comic strips, and was publishing six of her thirteen children's books. There is very little personal information included in the records as the material centers around her professional life. The collection is organized into five series: biographical information, correspondence, writings, teaching, and publications.
The biographical information, 1961-1999, contains publisher's newsletters, publicity material, the author's obituary notice, and personal photographs of Parkinson. The correspondence documents collaborations between Parkinson, and her editors and publishers, 1953-1966. Also, there is a letter from Mary Stevens, a popular children's illustrator, expressing her enthusiasm at being asked to illustrate Parkinson's comic strip, “Lane Allen's Diary.” Stevens illustrated the comic strip from its first appearance in this collection on May 2, 1954, until December 20, 1964. She also illustrated four of Parkinson's books: Double Trouble for Rupert, Good Old Archibald, Triple Trouble for Rupert, and The Terrible Troubles of Rupert Piper.
Among Parkinson's writings are manuscripts, published and unpublished short stories, and original storyboards and storylines for the comic strip “Lane Allen's Diary.” Teaching materials, 1957-1963, consist of lesson plans in which her short stories are used to illustrate different writing techniques. Publications consist of numerous juvenile trade journals that include copies of her short stories and comic strips, 1953-1967.
