Dr. Robert M. Dell was born in New York, N.Y., on October 5, 1920. After earning a Bachelor's degree in English at Franklin and Marshall College, Dell joined the United States Navy. Upon his honorable discharge in 1946, he earned a Master's from Columbia in 1949 and a PhD in English from New York University in 1960, and completed post-doctoral work at Cambridge University. Dell then spent more than forty years at Pace University as a professor and as the Chair of the Literature and Communications Department. At Pace, Dell established a theater workshop and drama club and directed productions. Dell lived in Scarsdale and Mount Kisco, N.Y., had a summer home in Corinth, Vermont. In his retirement, he lived in Wenham, Mass., where he died June 2, 2000.

This collection is composed of clippings; correspondence with then Vice President Hubert Humphrey; ephemera related to theater; photographs from the late nineteenth century; publications, particularly play scripts; and theater programs, the bulk of which are from Boston, New York, and London, England. The photographs are posed portraits of unidentified men, some of which are annotated on the reverse.

The collection measures 3.5 linear feet and is arranged alphabetically in six subseries: A. Clippings; B. Correspondence; C. Ephemera; D. Photographs; E. Publications; and F. Theater programs. Within each subseries, items are arranged alphabetically.