This fund was established in 1999 with a bequest following the death of Clyde de Loache Ryals. Dr. Ryals received his Ph.D from Penn in 1957, specializing in the Victorian poets Alfred Lord Tennyson and Robert Browning, and served as chairman of the Duke University English Department from 1979 to 1982. In keeping with Dr. Ryals's academic interests, this fund supports acquisitions in English literature from the period from 1830 to 1900.