Manuscripts

Walter W. King Jr. Papers

ca. 1940s-1970s. ½ box (35 folders), 111 items.MSS. COLL. #161

NOTE:  The numbers cited in parentheses, e.g. 1:5, refer the researcher to the Series#:Folder# in which that name/topic will be found.

INTRODUCTION

This collection contains materials relating to Walter W. King Jr., a local businessman and partner in the construction firm of King-Hunter, Inc. Of note are twenty-two reels of 16mm film with footage of construction, family activities, and King’s time stationed in Hawaii during World War II. The majority of the collection consists of photographs showing King-Hunter construction projects, and some printed materials relating to the company are also included.

Arrangement: This collection is organized into three series and arranged within series by subject. The series are: Correspondence, 1960; Photographs, ca. 1940s-1970s; and Printed Materials, ca.1950s-1970s.

Provenance: This collection was donated by Mrs. Walter W. King Jr. in February 2002 and assigned accession number 2001.84.2.

Processing: This collection was organized and the finding aid was prepared by intern Hannah Hemphill in May 2017.


BIOGRAPHICAL NOTE

Born in Greensboro, Walter Winburne King Jr. (1914-1982) graduated in the last engineering class at UNC Chapel Hill (1935). He first began working in construction in 1935 with George W. Kane. During World War II, King was a lieutenant commander in the Navy. Upon his return in 1946, he joined Robert Hunter and started King-Hunter, Inc. Some of the company’s notable projects include Wesley Long Community Hospital, the WFMY building, parts of the Greensboro Daily News buildings, and the addition to Jackson Library at UNCG. After King’s death in 1982, the company was sold to Gulf States.

King was actively involved in the Greensboro community through multiple organizations. He served on the Board of Trustees at Moses Cone Hospital, was president of the Greensboro Symphony Orchestra, and was in the Kiwanis Club, just to name a few. He received the Greensboro Area Chamber of Commerce’s Distinguished Citizen Award posthumously in 1982 and was described as a “businessman who cared.” He married to Elizabeth H. Yates on October 11, 1942, and the couple had three children: Elizabeth K. Brantley, W. Winburne King III, and Charles Y. King. The family lived at 1003 W. Cornwallis Dr. in Greensboro.

Biographical Sources: The sources for this biographical note include Walter King’s obituary (Greensboro Daily News, May 25, 1982) and “Walter King Honored” (Greensboro Daily News, November 17, 1982).


SCOPE & CONTENT NOTE

This collection consists primarily of photographs and film but also includes a letter and some printed materials. The photographs are a mix of renderings and King-Hunter construction projects. Notable images show additions to Greensboro buildings, including First Presbyterian Church, the Greensboro Daily News and Southern Bell. Some photographs indicate prominent architects such as C.C. Hartman and Edward Lowenstein. Among the printed materials are a booklet of King-Hunter buildings and various publications about construction projects, such as the Dillard Paper Company and the Greenlaw building at UNC-Chapel Hill. While the bulk of the collection focuses on King-Hunter, twenty-two reels of 16mm film give insight into King’s family life through family activities, parties, holidays and trips.


SERIES DESCRIPTIONS

1. Correspondence.  1 folder (1 item).  1960.

The only item in this series is a letter from the United States Air Force about the completion and acceptance of a contract by King-Hunter, Inc.

2. Photographs.  28 folders (103 items).  ca. 1940s-1970s.

This series consists of black and white and a few color photographs of King-Hunter buildings, the majority in Greensboro and Guilford County. Most of the photographs are renderings or exterior views, with some listing architects. Of note are aerial views of Wesley Long Hospital during construction (2:25) and the Proximity Print Works warehouse (2:19). Several photographs show additions to buildings, including First Presbyterian Church (2:8), the Greensboro Daily News (2:11), and Southern Bell (2:22). Rare interior images show Dillard Paper Company’s offices (2:5), as well as the UNCG (formerly Woman’s College) Nursery School (2:24). The few photographs from outside Greensboro include the Alamance County Hospital (2:2), Southeastern Hospital in Lumberton (2:21), St. Mary’s Episcopal Church in High Point (2:23), and a rendering of Fieldcrest Mills, Inc. in Spray (2:6).

In addition to the photographs, this series includes twenty 3-inch film reels and two 6-inch reels of 16mm film. The 3-inch reels contain both construction footage and footage of Walter King’s family life. The construction (reels 3-9) is primarily of a house but also includes construction at UNCG and a church steeple. This footage shows African American and white construction workers (reels 3&5). The family film (reels 5, 8, 10-22) includes birthdays, Christmas, several trips, and activities such as horseback riding, ice skating, boating, etc. The two 6-inch reels (reels 1&2) show scenery in Hawaii and Greensboro soldiers stationed there.

3. Printed Materials.  6 folders (7 items).  ca. 1950s-1970.

A highlight of this series is the “King-Hunter, Inc.” booklet that provides several examples of the construction company’s accomplishments (3:4). Other materials include newspaper clippings and company newsletters about King-Hunter construction projects, such as Contracting in the Carolinas (3:2) and the Dillard Paper Company’s Dilpaco Digest (3:3). Also included is an awards ceremony program for the prizewinning building at Pope Air Force Base, which King-Hunter constructed (3:1).


FOLDER LISTING

SeriesFolderContents 
11Correspondence-- United States Air Force (1960)
21Photographs-- 16mm Film (ca. 1940s-1960s)
2-- Alamance County Hospital (ca. 1959)
3-- Carolina Steel & Iron Company
4-- Curtiss Candy Company Warehouse
5Photographs-- Dillard Paper Company
6-- Fieldcrest Mills, Inc. (Spray; 1957)
7-- First Federal Savings
8-- First Presbyterian Church (ca. 1946-1954)
9Photographs-- Forum VI
10-- Greensboro Airport (old)
11-- Greensboro Daily News (ca. 1956-1970s)
12-- Greensboro, Downtown Aerial View
13Photographs-- Greensboro Manufacturing Company (1952)
14-- Guilford County Law Enforcement Center (1975)
15-- J.P. Stevens & Company Truck Terminal (1953)
16-- Justice Drug Company (1956)
17Photographs-- Miscellaneous
18-- Northeast Shopping Center (1959)
19-- Proximity Print Works Warehouse (ca. 1953)
20-- Rollins Supply Company
21Photographs-- Southeastern Hospital (Lumberton)
22-- Southern Bell (addition; 1961)
23-- St. Mary's Episcopal Church (High Point)
24-- UNCG (ca. 1953-1973)
25Photographs-- Wesley Long Hospital (ca. 1961)
26-- W.F. Fancourt Company (1961)
27-- WFMY-TV
28-- White Rock School (Forsyth County)
31Printed Materials-- Architectural Awards Ceremony (1968)
2-- Contracting in the Carolinas (1970)
3-- Dilpaco Digest (Dillard Paper Company; 1979)
4Printed Materials-- King-Hunter, Inc. (ca. 1950s)
5-- Newspaper Clipping
6-- Smith Richardson Scout Service Center (ca. 1974)