Unsung History: Reed Peggram
Episode Date: January 26, 2026
Host: Kelly Therese Pollock
Guest: Dr. Etheline Whitmire (Professor of African American Studies, University of Wisconsin-Madison; Author of The Remarkable Life of Reed Peggram)
Episode Overview
This episode explores the extraordinary yet largely forgotten life of Reed Peggram, an African American scholar, writer, and gay man who survived World War II-era Europe, found love amidst crisis, and endured both triumph and tragedy. Host Kelly Therese Pollock interviews Dr. Etheline Whitmire, whose new biography illuminates Peggram’s journey through academic excellence, racial and sexual marginalization, harrowing wartime captivity, and the enduring legacy of a life lived on his own terms.
Key Discussion Points & Insights
1. Introduction to Reed Peggram (00:00–10:20)
- Background: Born in Boston in 1914 to Mary and Harvey Peggram, Reed was primarily raised by his grandmother, Laura, after family hardships. Harvey, after serving in WWI, became disabled due to mental illness.
- Academic Promise: Exceptional from a young age, Reed attended the historic Boston Latin School (one of few Black students) and later Harvard, graduating magna cum laude in Romance Languages (1935), inducted into Phi Beta Kappa.
- Graduate Studies: Despite setbacks—rejection from the Rhodes Scholarship and Harvard's PhD program—he persisted at both Harvard and Columbia University.
- Personal Side: Reed’s love life intersected with notable figures like Leonard Bernstein, who rebuffed his advance in a deeply personal letter (notable poem quoted at 09:00).
- Paris and Beyond: Awarded fellowships, Reed left for Paris in 1938 to study at the Sorbonne and conduct research, but remained in Europe as WWII broke out, despite warnings to return home.
- Relationship with Arne Hauptman: Met and fell in love with Danish artist Arne Hauptman, choosing to risk everything to stay with him as war closed around them. Their determination to stay together led to hardship, internment in Italian concentration camps, an eventual escape, and rescue by the all-Black 370th Regiment, 92nd Division (09:50).
- Aftermath: Returned to the US in 1945, found physically and mentally diminished, spent years hospitalized, and never saw Arne again. Died in Boston in 1982.
2. Dr. Whitmire’s Path to Reed Peggram (10:20–12:10)
- Discovery: Dr. Whitmire’s research began serendipitously during a writing retreat in Denmark, uncovering Peggram’s story through African American newspaper archives.
- Surprise at His Story: “The most incredible story to me was about this scholar from Harvard, Reed Pegram. I had never heard about him… working on a PhD at Harvard during World War II…captured by the Nazis and escaped…” (Dr. Whitmire, 11:14)
3. Unearthing Personal Letters & Family Collaboration (12:10–14:51)
- Unlikely Connection: Met Peggram’s grandniece, Teju, at a seminar in Copenhagen; learned the family kept 200+ letters from Reed, covering Paris, Copenhagen, Florence, and New York.
- Research Goldmine: “I just found it to be a treasure trove… I couldn't have asked for more.” (Dr. Whitmire, 14:00)
4. From Working-Class Boston to Harvard (14:51–16:46)
- Grandmother’s Role: Laura Reed, with only a third-grade education but fierce ambition, ensured Reed accessed elite educational opportunities.
- Self-Confidence: “He seemed to live his life as if he had the right to go to all of these spaces and places... he never seemed to have any doubt about his self-esteem.” (Dr. Whitmire, 16:04)
5. Seeking Acceptance Abroad, and the Road to Europe (16:46–18:51)
- Barriers at Home: Encountered racism and homophobia at Harvard/Columbia.
- Obtaining Fellowships: Initial rejection due to a dean's “warning” about his race; eventually secured the Rosenwald Foundation support to study in Paris.
- Defiance in the Face of War: “He said, I'm just going to stay here until the first bombs start falling. I'll figure things out from there.” (Dr. Whitmire, 18:32)
6. The Shakespeare and Company Library File (19:01–21:10)
- Literary Life: Whitmire accessed Peggram’s 1938–39 borrowing records; he read widely in gay and modernist literature, preferring male authors, reflecting both interests and limited exposure to Black writers in academic settings.
- On Analyzing the Records: “I started with a few Christopher Isherwood books… the subject matter were a lot of them are about young men on adventures… it was fascinating.” (Dr. Whitmire, 20:03)
7. Charisma and an International Social Network (21:10–23:37)
- Magnetic Personality: Reed befriended and impressed artists, writers, and socialites, including Leonard Bernstein, Jan Gay, Stephen Spender, Tony Sabanski (“the Count”), and more.
- Loss of Sources: Many friends were gay and left no descendants; much of Reed’s contemporaneous reputation survives only in his own letters.
8. Love in Wartime: Arne Hauptman and Defiant Loyalty (23:37–26:03)
- Refusal to Leave Without Arne: Despite pleas from family, Harvard, and funders, Reed stayed in Europe for years, enduring danger, for love.
- Endless Obstacles: Paperwork and US immigration hostility rendered it “almost impossible” for Arne to follow Reed to America.
9. The Historian’s Challenge: Sorting Fiction from Fact (28:33–30:43)
- Escape from Internment: Documentation from wartime is sparse and sometimes contradictory; Whitmire triangulated sources, assessed trauma response in testimony, and weighed logic and cross-references to construct the escape narrative.
- On Truth and Memory: “I look for consistencies or inconsistencies in other stories… using multiple sources.” (Dr. Whitmire, 30:30)
10. Peggram’s Lost Literary Career (30:43–33:23)
- Trauma and Silence: Years of institutionalization, “electroshock therapy and possibly a lobotomy,” likely ended Reed's creative ambitions. “Mentally, he just was… he never wrote again.” (Dr. Whitmire, 32:08)
- Legacy in Letters: Though prolific as a correspondent and aspiring novelist, Peggram’s story endured thanks to painstaking family preservation.
11. The Importance and Fragility of Recovery Work (33:23–35:14)
- Lost Voices: Whitmire emphasizes the value of African American newspapers and family archives in rescuing untold histories: “These are stories that can motivate other people, hopefully younger people, to go into these spaces and not to get discouraged.” (Dr. Whitmire, 34:12)
- Reed’s Message: “Just go for it and pursue whatever things that you're interested in. You have the right to do those things.” (Dr. Whitmire, 39:20)
12. Postwar Lives, Unfulfilled Reunion (35:44–37:31)
- Reed and Arne’s Fates: Despite their devotion, Reed and Arne never reunited. Arne’s later life in Denmark was marked by sadness and estrangement, his story almost entirely lost to his descendants.
13. Affirmative Action, Institutional Barriers, and Enduring Relevance (38:15–39:30)
- Current Resonance: Reed’s journey through Boston Latin and Harvard is poignant in contemporary affirmative action debates: “He was given an opportunity to attend, and he thrived at these institutions… I just hope that more people can take something from his story…” (Dr. Whitmire, 38:49)
Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments
-
On Chance Discovery: “The most incredible story to me was about this scholar from Harvard, Reed Pegram. I had never heard about him.”
—Dr. Etheline Whitmire, 11:14 -
On Archival Serendipity: “I just found it to be a treasure trove… just fascinating to read these letters of him talking about his adventures in all these European cities.”
—Dr. Etheline Whitmire, 13:42 -
On Belonging: “He never seemed to have any doubt about his self-esteem, which I liked. And I’m sure he got that from his grandmother. Like, why not? Why can’t we go to these prestigious institutions?”
—Dr. Etheline Whitmire, 16:04 -
On Staying for Love: “He would not leave until he thought Arnold Hoffman could return. And it turned into a years-long odyssey.”
—Dr. Etheline Whitmire, 25:13 -
On Literary Loss: “But sadly, all we have left are some of his academic writing. But I think he would be thrilled that there’s a book about him.”
—Dr. Etheline Whitmire, 32:44 -
On the Message of Peggram’s Life: “He liked to pursue things that weren’t stereotypically African American. And yet he decided to just go ahead and explore his love for the arts in the way that he wanted to and go to these spaces and felt like he belonged...”
—Dr. Etheline Whitmire, 39:01
Key Timestamps
- 00:00–10:20: Host introduction, Reed Peggram’s life overview
- 10:20–14:51: Dr. Whitmire’s research journey; finding the family letters
- 14:51–18:51: Reed’s academic ascent, family influences, and first steps toward Europe
- 19:01–21:10: The Shakespeare and Company library file; Reed’s reading habits
- 21:10–23:37: Building friendships and social circles in Europe
- 23:37–26:03: Wartime Europe, Reed’s devotion to Arne, repeated refusal to leave
- 28:33–30:43: Piecing together wartime escape narratives, historian’s methods
- 30:43–33:23: Trauma, hospitalization, and why Reed never wrote his novel
- 33:23–35:14: Recovery work, the hidden importance of archives and newspapers
- 35:44–37:31: Fate of Arne Hauptman; the loss of connection in Denmark
- 38:15–39:30: Affirmative action, institutional access, and inspiration
Final Thoughts
This episode sensitively evokes the extraordinary highs and lows of Reed Peggram’s life—his intellectual brilliance, profound love and steadfastness, devastating wartime ordeals, and ultimately, the loss and neglect that obscured his story. Through Dr. Whitmire's passionate scholarship and the survival of family archives, Peggram's legacy is reclaimed as both a cautionary tale and a source of inspiration for those who dare to write themselves into history's uncelebrated corners.