The Ursinus College - John Updike Connection

Did you know that there is a connection between Pulitzer Prize winner John Updike and Ursinus College?

Well, there is!

Both of Mr. Updike’s parents, Linda Grace Hoyer and Wesley Updike met while students at Ursinus and graduated together in 1923.

Linda Grace Hoyer came to Ursinus from Shillington, PA and was an English-Historical major.

Wesley Updike came to Ursinus from Trenton, NJ and was a Chemical-Biological major.

They met each other on their very first day at Ursinus, became close friends during their college days and married two years after graduating.

Mr. Updike’s mother was also a successful fiction writer and when she passed on, he gave her literary papers to the Myrin Library.

Among this special collection are drafts of her short stories, correspondence with editors from The New Yorker, diaries, news clippings and an unpublished novel.

The Linda Grace Hoyer Updike Literary Papers are available in the Founders’ Room of the Myrin Library.