UH Libraries acquires a new collection celebrating the legacy of incomparable Texan Tommy Tune.

    WHAT DIDN’T TEXAN TOMMY TUNE  accomplish in the performing and visual arts world? Students and scholars will be able to explore that question and much more thanks to a new collection at University of Houston Libraries that preserves and celebrates the legacy of the prolific dancer, singer, director and choreographer. Tommy Tune and his sister, Gracey Tune, generously gifted the items to UH. Gracey is the founder and artistic director of Arts Fifth Avenue in Fort Worth, where much of the collection was housed.
    Mary Manning, the archivist instrumental in the collection’s acquisition, sees a host of opportunities for how it can advance academic and scholarly productivity. “The Tommy Tune Collection is a significant contribution to the study of theater history, particularly musical theater,” she says. “Tommy Tune is not only a talented singer, actor and dancer but also a celebrated director, producer and choreographer. His archives will be enlightening to scholars and performers researching any of these fields.”
    Thomas James Tune was born in Wichita Falls, Texas, and grew up in Houston, where he attended Lamar High School. After graduating from The University of Texas at Austin, the 6-foot-6 tap dancer began graduate studies in directing at the University of Houston but soon left Texas for New York City, where his career launched from day one. In 1965, Tune made his Broadway debut in the production of “Baker Street,” followed by “A Joyful Noise” (1966) and “How Now, Dow Jones” (1967).
    Tune is the recipient of 10 Tony Awards, including the 2015 Tony for Life Achievement in the Theatre. He is the only star in theatrical history to win in four categories and the only person to win the same Tony Awards two years in a row. Tune was also awarded the National Medal of Arts, the highest honor for artistic achievement, by President George W. Bush. He was honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 1993.
    And those accolades only scratch the surface. Tune’s illustrious performing arts career comes alive in the massive collection, which includes costumes, scripts, production and publicity photos, newspaper articles, posters, paintings, scrapbooks, correspondence, sheet music, playbills, drawings, souvenir books, production documents and awards and honors.
    Katy Allred, assistant university archivist, will survey each item, bit by meticulous bit. Archival materials often arrive at UH Special Collections in containers such as plastic tubs or cardboard boxes. Items might have binders, such as rubber bands that can harden and stick, or fasteners that can rust. Part of the job of an archivist like Allred is to go through the entire collection, identify preservation concerns and intervene. This process will bring to light the condition of each item, which will inform preservation in archival enclosures, such as how to store Tune’s dazzling sartorial pieces. “We don’t usually get collections with a lot of costumes,” Allred says. “The challenge of preserving hats, shoes and coats will be a new thing to learn.”

    Allred will gain a sense of how to arrange the collection into series for the finding aid that will be published online. “I know how important and inspirational Tommy Tune has been for so many aspiring performers in my own life, people from the South who looked up to him as someone like them who made it,” Allred says. “I can’t wait to make this collection available and accessible to everyone.” The collection will be of particular interest to UH students, faculty and researchers seeking primary source materials on Tune’s life and career, including documentary filmmakers, biographers, dance historians, musical theater performers, directors, producers and choreographers.
    “The Tommy Tune Collection is a transformative addition to both our University Archives and our Visual and Performing Arts collections,” says Lauren Gottlieb-Miller, associate dean for special libraries and preservation. “This gift ensures that students, researchers and artists will have a direct connection to one of the great creative forces of American theater for generations to come. We are honored to steward Tommy Tune’s legacy in the city and University that helped shape him.”
    This collection is being processed and is not yet available for viewing. Visit libraries.uh.edu/special-collections for more information.