Macdonald-Kelce Library Blog

In remembrance of Professor Emeritus Richard Mathews

We at the Macdonald-Kelce Library were saddened to hear of the recent passing of University of Tampa Professor Emeritus Richard Mathews.

Dr. Mathews taught at UT as Charles A. Dana Professor of English. He served as director of The University of Tampa Press, and for 30 years edited UT’s award-winning Tampa Review, Florida’s oldest continuously published literary journal. Throughout his tenure at UT, he was a constant champion and advocate for the library, and his legacy endures here through his donation of the Tampa Book Arts Studio book and print collection to the Macdonald-Kelce Library.

Dr. Mathews’ love of literature and poetry was matched by his passion for letterpress printing. He created and directed the Tampa Book Arts Studio (TBAS) from 2008 until his retirement in 2020. Prior to its closing, TBAS included a working letterpress printshop with equipment from the 19th and early 20th centuries. The Book Arts Studio library focuses on the age of letterpress printing, with special emphasis on private and independent presses; examples of more than 600 presses are represented. Today, this invaluable collection totals more than 10,000 items and is housed in the Macdonald-Kelce Library’s Archives and Special Collections. 

In addition to his service at UT, Dr. Mathews authored several books on science fiction and fantasy, including, Fantasy: The Liberation of Imagination (Routledge 2002), and his poetry appeared widely in magazines and anthologies including Poet Lore, Southern Poetry Review, Berkeley Poetry Review, Louisville Review, and A Geography of Poets. His two collections of poetry are A Mummery (Konglomerati, 1975) and Numbery (Borgo, 1995).

He will be missed. 

-Gino Pasi, Special Collections Librarian

Above: Dr. Mathews displays a copy of the literary journal Tampa Review, September 1988.  

Below: (L) Walking in the academic procession of the December 2003 UT graduation ceremony. (R) In class, September 1988.