Robert Stephens, former mayor of Springfield, has donated ten London playscripts from the early 18th to the early 19th centuries to Special Collections and Archives, part of the Missouri State University Libraries. 

Stephens was friends with Bill Burling, a professor of English at Missouri State University. They met often for lunch, and they began collecting these playscripts as a joint venture-hobby.

Burling wrote many books, including  “Summer Theatre in London, 1661-1820, and the Rise of the Haymarket Theatre” and “The Colonial American Stage, 1665-1774: A Documentary Calendar.” 

Burling died in March 2009 at the age of 60 from melanoma cancer, which he had battled for years. According to his daughter, quoted in a March 12, 2009 article in The Standard, “Bill was an avid gardener, astronomer, chef, wine taster, crossword-puzzler, interior decorator, brick mason, musician, author, world traveler, theatregoer and songwriter.”

The MSU Libraries thanks Stephens and, posthumously, Burling, for this generous gift.