Clara Hieronymus Papers

Clara Booth Wiggins Hieronymus (1913-2013) was born on 25 July 1913 in Mississippi. She moved to Nashville, Tennessee in 1950, and in 1956 became the arts critic for The Tennessean newspaper, a position she held for nearly 40 years. Over the course of her career, Hieronymus was an influential figure in Tennessee theatre, fostering local artists as well as organizing international conferences and regular theatre tours to New York City and London. Her accomplishments also included being a founding member of the American Theatre Critics Association (ATCA) in 1974, and co-authoring the book, Requiem for a Nun: On Stage and Off with Barbara Izard in 1970. Hieronymus holds a degree in Business Administration from the University of Tulsa, a Master’s in Sociology and Social Work from the University of Oklahoma at Norman, and an Honorary Doctorate of Fine Arts from Rhode Island College. She was named in the book Women in American Theatre as one of the top 10 female theatre critics in the country. Hieronymus died in Savannah, Tennessee on 30 November 2013.