The correspondence file contains two outgoing letters from Halley: a brief (possibly unsent) letter to writer/publisher Ken Wachsberger and a handwritten letter to two friends asking for their support after Halley was accused of sexual misconduct involving a child.
The largest file in this collection consists of scripts for plays Halley wrote or co-wrote in approximately the 1970s, which include Tales of the Sea, The National Desire, The Werewolf of Grosse Point, The Curse of Belle Isle, Cheap Shots, and A Grave Matter. The theatre flyers and playbills folder holds ephemera associated with these and other performances.
The clippings consist of a 1994 article Halley wrote about his experiences as a cab driver, a 1986 article by Jim Gustafson about the MC5, and Halley's 2007 obituary. Finally, the collection includes a 45 RPM vinyl recording of songs written by Pat Halley and a J. Sase.
Born and raised in Detroit, Pat Halley was a vibrant part of the artistic scene in Detroit's Cass Corridor in the 1960s and 1970s. He wrote and performed in plays for a variety of underground theatre troupes. He also worked as a reporter for the fledgling Fifth Estate Magazine. In 1973, Halley gained national notoriety when he threw a pie in the face of Guru Maharaji, a spiritual leader whom Halley believed to be a fraud. Two of the Guru's followers assaulted Halley, landing him in the hospital. Halley recovered, but the assailants were never prosecuted.
In the late 1970s, Halley began a three-decade long career as a cab driver. Though he left Fifth Estate's team, he continued to write articles on a freelance basis for Fifth Estate and other local publications. Halley married Linda Zimmerman in 1979. The couple had two children before separating. Halley died by suicide in 2007.
