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

The R.V. Gannon Papers consist primarily of materials pertaining to the Junior Order United American Mechanics and also include a minute book for the Farmers’ Educational and Cooperative Union. Robert Vance (R.V.) Gannon was a Guilford County farmer and an officer in both organizations. The Farmers’ Educational and Cooperative Order advocated for farmers’ rights, while the Junior Order United American Mechanics promoted separation of church and state, Christian virtue, and anti-immigration sentiment. Researchers interested in American patriotic and fraternal organizations or the local history of McLeansville or Lexington, North Carolina, may find this collection useful.

Arrangement: This collection is organized into two series and arranged within series by document type. The series are: Farmers’ Educational and Cooperative Union, 1910-1912; and Junior Order United American Mechanics, 1917-1951.

Provenance: This collection was donated by Cheryl G. Lowe in April 2021 and assigned the accession number 2021.4.1. The donor is a granddaughter of Robert Vance Gannon.

Processing: This collection was organized and the finding aid was prepared by intern Rebecca Doss in June 2021.

BIOGRAPHICAL/HISTORICAL NOTE

Robert Vance Gannon (1876-1971) was born in McLeansville and lived there his entire life. A farmer and deacon at Alamance Presbyterian Church, he served as secretary of the McLeansville chapter of the Farmers’ Educational and Cooperative Union in 1913. He later joined the South Buffalo Council of the Junior Order United American Mechanics, holding offices that included secretary, Outside Sentinel, councilor, and representative to the State Council. He married Millie Avis Starr in 1908, and the couple had at least seven children.

The Farmers’ Educational and Cooperative Union was founded in 1902 in Texas and advocated for farmers’ rights to fair market access, direct election of senators, and women’s suffrage. It later became known as the National Farmers’ Union. Initially named the Union of Workers, the Order United American Mechanics was established during the anti-immigration riots of 1844-45 as an anti-Catholic and anti-immigrant patriotic organization. The Junior Order United American Mechanics was founded in 1853, and its membership quickly eclipsed its parent organization, declining only when the Great Depression made dues unaffordable. In 1925, the Junior Order established a children’s home in Lexington, known locally as the “Junior Home.” Originally intended for the orphaned children of members, the home now serves the Lexington area as a whole under the name American Children’s Home. It is interesting to note that the Junior Order had councils throughout the eastern United States in both urban and rural regions, and Guilford County had approximately 19 councils in 1951.

Biographical/Historical Sources: The biographical information about R.V. Gannon was obtained from materials in the collection, Ancestry.com, and his obituary (Greensboro Daily News, June 3, 1971). The historical information about the Farmers’ Educational and Cooperative Union and the American Children’s Home was drawn from the organizations’ official websites (https://nfu.org/about/; https://www.ach-nc.org/), while the history of the Junior Order United American Mechanics was found in the online Phoenixmasonry Masonic Museum and Library.

SCOPE & CONTENT NOTE

The types of materials in this collection include minute books, other record books, correspondence, a receipt, and printed materials. The collection focuses on the Junior Order United American Mechanics and also includes a minute book from the Farmers’ Educational and Cooperative Union. R.V. Gannon, who served in several positions in the South Buffalo Council of the Junior Order and as secretary of the McLeansville chapter of the Farmers’ Educational and Cooperative Union, collected these materials. Researchers interested in American fraternal orders may find this collection useful for its details about the membership requirements, goals, and proceedings of both organizations. For researchers studying the history of Lexington, North Carolina, the State Council bulletin and proceedings provide information about the founding of the Junior Children’s Home there.

SERIES DESCRIPTIONS

1. Farmers’ Educational and Cooperative Union.  1 folder (1 item).  1910-1912.

This series contains the secretary’s minute book of the McLeansville chapter of the Farmers’ Educational and Cooperative Union of America. Notably, many of the members overlap with the Junior Order United American Mechanics. The minutes primarily detail initiations, committee elections, and the purchase of supplies.

2. Junior Order United American Mechanics.  10 folders (11 items).  1917-1951.

This series consists of records relating to the Junior Order United American Mechanics, including a minute book for the South Buffalo Council (2:5) and the proceedings of the State Councils of 1946 and 1951 (2:7-8). Other State Council information can be found in a 1940 bulletin announcing a special session to discuss the Junior Children’s Home in Lexington (2:1) and correspondence from the state secretary regarding membership and death claims (2:3). The series also contains membership information in the form of: a pledge book recording members’ commitment to faith, anti-immigration, and American patriotism, among other things (2:6); a funeral benefit record book detailing instructions for enrollment and death claims (2:4); receipts and reports from officers (2:9-10); and a certificate granting a withdrawal card to member J.H. Abernathy of the Unity Council in Thomasville, North Carolina (2:2).

FOLDER LISTING

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

The W. Raymond Taylor Family Papers consist primarily of documents relating to the Perennial Gardeners, as well as printed materials from local businesses and civic organizations. W. Raymond Taylor established the Drama and Speech Department at the Woman’s College of the University of North Carolina, where he taught English and drama from 1921-1961 and established the theater program. He and his wife Bertie founded the Stage Decoration and Supplies Co. in their living room in 1923. Most materials in this collection were apparently created or acquired by Bertie, who was active in several women’s clubs, and their daughter Eloise, who attended Curry High School and worked at Security National Bank. Researchers interested in garden clubs or the high expectations of women’s clubs will find some illustrative membership documents in this collection. Also of note is Eloise’s high school civics project, which provides a snapshot of selected Greensboro institutions in the 1930s.

Arrangement: This collection is organized into three series and arranged within series by document type or subject. The series are: Perennial Gardeners, 1931-1952; Printed Material, 1931-1950s; and Taylor, Eloise, 1934-1940s.

Provenance: This collection was donated by Eloise Taylor Jackson’s daughter, Catherine J. Morris, in November 2018 and assigned the accession number 2018.53.1.

Processing: This collection was organized by Archivist Elise Allison, and the finding aid was completed by volunteer Ann Koppen in December 2021.

BIOGRAPHICAL NOTE

William Raymond Taylor (1895-1976) is best known as the founder of the Drama and Speech Department at the Woman’s College of the University of North Carolina (later the School of Theatre in the College of Visual and Performing Arts at UNC Greensboro), where he taught English and drama from 1921-1961. The Taylor Theater was named in his honor in 1967. Taylor earned his BA from UNC-Chapel Hill in 1915 and his MA from Harvard in 1916. He first taught English, French, and speech at Alabama Polytechnic Institute (later Auburn University) from 1916-1921 and founded its Drama Department. At the Woman’s College, he established the first official drama group, the “Play-Likers,” and directed over 200 plays. After his retirement in 1961, he focused on the company that he and his wife had started in their living room in 1923, the Stage Decoration and Supplies Co., which offered design services and equipment to performance venues throughout the U.S., as well as in Canada and South America. An award-winning rosarian, he cultivated over 250 varieties of roses.

Bertie Yancey Taylor (1895-1988) was born in Mecklenburg County, Virginia, and became the first female Railway Express agent in the United States, according to her obituary. She and W. Raymond Taylor were married in 1919 and had three children: Elizabeth, Eloise, and William Raymond Jr. A member of the Perennial Gardeners for over twenty years, Bertie served as the club’s treasurer in 1949-50. She was also a member of the Rose Society and the Daughters of the American Revolution, and a charter member of the UNC Greensboro faculty wives. At First Baptist Church in Greensboro, she was active in the Sunday School and the Woman’s Missionary Union. In addition to sharing her husband’s love of gardening, she was his partner in their stage supply company.

Eloise Taylor Jackson (1921-2010) graduated from Curry High School on the campus of the Woman’s College in 1938 and from Woman’s College in 1942. That year, she married fellow Curry graduate William E. “B.J.” Jackson, who was a radio announcer and sports broadcaster for radio stations in Greensboro and Wilson, and then for WPTF in Raleigh. After college, Eloise worked as a bookkeeper and teller at Security National Bank in Greensboro, and she was later the librarian at the North Carolina Museum of History in Raleigh for over 25 years. A member of Hayes Barton Baptist Church in Raleigh, she also served on the North Carolina Governor’s Council on Aging. She and her husband had three daughters: Catherine, Elaine, and Jean.

Biographical Sources: The biographical information about W. Raymond Taylor was acquired from the article about him in the online Encyclopedia of UNCG History and an article entitled “Building Legacies at UNCG: Taylor Theatre.” Additional details were obtained from Ancestry.com, the Greensboro city directories, and the obituaries of Bertie Yancey Taylor (Greensboro News & Record, April 15, 1988) and Eloise Taylor Jackson (The News & Observer, December 10, 2010, https://www.legacy.com/us/obituaries/newsobserver/name/eloise-jackson-obituary?id=11379767).

SCOPE & CONTENT NOTE

The types of materials in this collection include club yearbooks, correspondence, and minutes; a school assignment; and printed materials such as brochures, a catalog, flyers, and programs. Most of the items belonged to W. Raymond Taylor’s wife Bertie or daughter Eloise.

More than half of this collection relates to the Perennial Gardeners, of which Bertie Taylor was a long-time member. The women’s club materials, also including a Junior Woman’s Club yearbook, provide a glimpse of the expectations of members and their sense of mission and decorum. Also included in the collection are printed materials from local department stores and a Town of Hamilton Lakes swimming permit. Eloise’s high school civics project contains a wealth of information on schools and also includes sections on churches, public safety, and public health, offering a window into the educational, civic, and health priorities of the time.

Only a few items in this collection relate to W. Raymond Taylor: a flyer and Christmas card from his stage supply company; a flyer for one of his Play-Likers performances, “The Streets of New York” (1931); and four programs from a series of performances in Aycock Theatre, the theater at Woman’s College that he helped design.

SERIES DESCRIPTIONS

1. Perennial Gardeners.  10 folders (26 items).  1931-1952.

Basic documents from Bertie Taylor’s garden club, the Perennial Gardeners, comprise this series. The club’s mission was “to study gardening fundamentals and to be interested actively in community problems relating to local improvement.” The documents include membership rosters (1:6), by-laws (1:3), annual reports (1:2), minutes (1:7), club calendars (1:10), correspondence (1:4), and a self-graded club rating sheet (1:9). Newspaper clippings describe the club’s activities, leadership, and lectures (1:8). The first of two narrative histories includes interesting material about the effect of the war years and interactions with Negro gardening clubs in efforts to beautify downtown Greensboro (1:5).

2. Printed Material.  8 folders (17 items).  1931-1950s.

The brochures, handbooks, programs, catalogs, and flyers in this series range from shopping to recreation and entertainment. Highlights include a Town of Hamilton Lakes swimming permit (2:7), a book of Christmas songs from Belk’s Department Store (2:1), a fashion show program from Ellis Stone (2:2), and a Meyer’s Department Store catalog showing the kitchen tools and cookware, furniture, and small appliances available at the time (2:5).

The Junior Woman’s Club yearbook (2:4) provides an interesting snapshot of a women’s club that was “for the purpose of promoting social, economic, intellectual, and spiritual growth among the younger women of Greensboro.” It includes a handwritten tally of participation points, of which a minimum number were required of new members. The yearbook likely belonged to Eloise, but neither Bertie nor Eloise is listed in the membership.

The only materials relating to W. Raymond Taylor in this collection are a brochure promoting his stage production company, which details the range of supplies it provided, a blank Christmas card from the company (2:6), and a flyer for “The Streets of New York,” a Play-Likers production that Taylor directed (2:8). Four programs and one flyer relate to a Junior League Concert series in Aycock Theatre at Woman’s College (2:8). The programs contain advertisements that illustrate some of the goods and services available in Greensboro at the time.

3. Taylor, Eloise.  2 folders (6 items).  1934-1940s. 

This series contains daughter Eloise’s high school civics project (3:1), as well as an employee time card and deposit books, slips, and envelopes from Security National Bank, where she worked (3:2). The project was for her civics class at Curry High School and covers schools, churches, the police and fire departments, and public health. In addition to breakdowns and descriptions of these sectors and individual institutions, the project delineates segregation in schools and churches. It also includes newspaper clippings with additional detail about things such as a mass resignation of teachers, a lack of clothing that prevented many black children from attending school, a serious forest fire, and a concern for sanitation and contagious diseases.

FOLDER LISTING

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 consists primarily of photographs and printed materials relating to the Hayes-Taylor Memorial YMCA, the first non-white YMCA in Greensboro. Upon opening in 1939, Hayes-Taylor quickly became a center for the community, most notably hosting civil rights rallies in the 1960s. Of particular interest are a history written to mark its 50th anniversary, a book of floor plans and budgets for the 1985-1995 building renovations and additions, photographs of the building, and assorted materials from the regular activities of the YMCA. Researchers interested in local African American history or recreational activities may find this collection useful.

Arrangement: This collection is organized in three series and arranged within series by subject. The series are: Audiovisual, 1999-2000; Photographs, ca. 1939-1990s; and Printed Material, 1941-2018.

Provenance: This collection was donated by Thomas J. Scott Sr. in September 2020 and assigned the accession number 2020.21.1.

Processing: This collection was organized and the finding aid was prepared by intern Amanda McBryde in February 2023.

HISTORICAL NOTE

The Jesse Moorland YMCA was founded in 1932 by a group of local African Americans as the first non-white YMCA in Greensboro. They approached Ceasar Cone in 1939 to help fund a building, and he agreed with the stipulation that it be renamed for two of his family’s employees, Sally Hayes and Andrew Taylor. The Hayes-Taylor Memorial YMCA opened on December 31, 1939, on the corner of East Market and Dudley streets, and it quickly became a community center, hosting civil rights rallies in the 1960s and providing a meeting place for participants in the lunch counter sit-ins. Hayes-Taylor remained independent until 1972, when it became one of the charter branches of the Metropolitan Greensboro YMCA.

By 1985 the building needed an upgrade. A fundraising campaign started, and in 1986 the facility closed for construction. After several delays, the funds to complete the project were raised, and Hayes-Taylor had a soft reopening for summer camps and some member activities when the building was about 80% complete in 1992. Three years later, the work was fully complete and a dedication ceremony was held. Throughout this time, the director was Thomas “Tom” J. Scott Sr., who served from 1971 until his retirement in 2000. In 2013 a campaign was launched to raise funds for an entirely new facility, which opened in 2015 on East Florida Street in Barber Park. The old building was demolished in 2018.

Historical Sources: The historical information was acquired from materials in the collection and “New state-of-the-art YMCA opens Monday” (News & Record, January 4, 2015).

SCOPE & CONTENT NOTE

This collection contains audiovisual recordings, photographs, and assorted printed materials pertaining to the Hayes-Taylor Memorial YMCA. Of particular note are a history written to mark its 50th anniversary, a book of floor plans and budgets for the 1985-1995 building renovations and additions, and photographs of the building before and after renovations. Also included are many items that document the regular activities of the YMCA, such as programs for events and awards banquets, a recording of one awards banquet, and photographs of community events. Researchers interested in local African American history or recreational activities may find this collection useful.

SERIES DESCRIPTIONS

1. Audiovisual.  2 folders (2 items).  1999-2000.

This series consists of two VHS cassettes containing recordings of the Hayes-Taylor YMCA’s awards and recognition banquet in 1999, the year of its 60th anniversary, and Thomas J. Scott Sr.’s retirement on March 18, 2000.

2. Photographs.  6 folders (76 items).  ca. 1939-1990s.

Most of the photographs feature events held at the Hayes-Taylor YMCA, including awards banquets (2:1), the first soap box derby in 1972, a day camp and swimming special, and a preschool graduation (2:3), as well as day-to-day use of the YMCA, such as people working out and children playing in a gymnasium (2:5). Of potential historical interest are photographs of the original YMCA building from the 1930s and from the dedication of the renovated building in 1995 (2:2). Also noteworthy is a set of negatives that were in an envelope marked “Landing of Corner Stone” and dated 1939 (2:4). Two of these do not match this description and may be from another event. Portraits of George Bridges, Dr. William M. Hampton, Dr. George C. Simkins Sr., and an unidentified woman are also included (2:6).

3. Printed Material.  18 folders (152 items).  1941-2018.

This series contains programs, newspaper clippings, meeting minutes, and more ranging from the earliest days of the Hayes-Taylor YMCA in the 1940s to the announcement that the original building would be torn down in 2018, with a focus on the 1985-1995 renovations. Items relating to these renovations, which formed a significant chapter in Hayes-Taylor history, include a book of floor plans and budgets (3:6), documents from fundraising efforts and Building and Executive Committee meetings (3:4-5; 3:8), and an invitation to and two copies of the program from the dedication ceremony and open house in 1995 (3:7).

Of particular interest among the materials not relating to the renovations are a history of the Hayes-Taylor written to mark its 50th anniversary (3:10) and selected programs from the annual awards and recognition banquets between 1995 and 2016 (3:1-2). Documents generated by the everyday activities of the YMCA include the program for the 1994 May Day performance, the 1995 spring/summer schedule of activities, and promotional materials for the Greensboro YMCAs (3:8; 3:11). Pertaining to the administration of Hayes-Taylor are the 1998-1999 Board of Management Manual, as well as a booklet containing information on the 1991 Board of Management and its committee members and goals (3:3).

Newspaper clippings make up the majority of this series. Articles from The Future Outlook document the early days of the YMCA, from the opening in 1939 to early membership drives and community events (3:14). The Greensboro Daily News articles promote Hayes-Taylor and the activities offered there, while most of the Carolina Peacemaker and News & Record articles document the hurdles faced by the renovations (3:13; 3:15-16). Items relating specifically to Thomas J. Scott Sr. include an article announcing his appointment as director and the program from his retirement celebration (3:18). Also of note is a booklet documenting the history of the Greensboro Men’s Club, which was published on its 75th anniversary in 2004 while Scott served as the president (3:9).

FOLDER LISTING

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

The Gordon Gray Papers consist primarily of correspondence conducted between Gordon Gray and genealogist Jo White Linn while the latter was doing research for a book about the Gray family. Entitled The Gray Family and Allied Lines: Bowman, Lindsay, Millis, Dick, Peebles, Wiley, Shannon, Lamar, McGee, the book was coauthored by Gordon Gray and published in 1976. The correspondence contains details about Gordon Gray’s ancestors and their relation to the city of Greensboro as well as prominent families from the area. Also included are copies of historical documents that provide limited context for the correspondence. Researchers interested in the Gray family’s connection to early Greensboro may find this collection helpful. A researcher studying the Dick and Lindsay families could find this collection somewhat useful, but it contains little specific information about these families.

Arrangement: This collection is organized into two series and arranged within series by date or document type. The series are: Correspondence, 1971-1980; and Miscellaneous, 1779-1975.

Provenance: This collection was donated by Gordon Gray’s son, Bernard Gray, in March 2020 and assigned the accession number 2020.4.1.

Processing: This collection was organized and the finding aid was completed by volunteer Holly Barefoot in October 2021.

BIOGRAPHICAL NOTE

Born in Baltimore, Maryland, Gordon Gray (1909-1982) was the second son of Bowman Gray Sr. (1874-1935), who later served as chairman of the board of R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Company. After being educated in the Winston-Salem Schools and at Woodberry Forest School, Gordon Gray graduated from UNC-Chapel Hill as valedictorian in 1930, obtained a law degree from Yale University in 1933, and practiced law until 1937. He owned the Winston-Salem Journal, the Twin City Sentinel and WSJS radio station, and he represented Forsyth County as a state senator in 1939, 1941, and 1947.

Gray served in the U.S. Army during World War II. In 1947, he was appointed assistant secretary of the army, then undersecretary, and finally secretary in 1949. The next year, he resigned that position to become president of the University of North Carolina system. During his tenure, the Atlantic Coast Conference was created, the four-year medical, dental, and nursing schools opened at UNC-Chapel Hill, and the university acquired licenses to operate an FM radio station and a statewide educational television network. In addition, the first black students were admitted. Gray resigned as president of the university system in 1955 to become assistant secretary of defense for international security affairs under President Dwight Eisenhower. In 1961, he was appointed to the Foreign Intelligence Advisory Board, on which he served until it was dissolved in 1977.

Gordon Gray had a longstanding interest in historic preservation and genealogy. He served as chairman of the board of the National Trust for Historic Preservation from 1962-1973 and as a member of the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation from 1967-1973. In the latter position, he often testified before congressional committees to obtain government funding for the National Park Service and historic preservation. In the 1970s, Gray hired Jo White Linn to help him research and write a book about his Gray ancestors; The Gray Family and Allied Lines: Bowman, Lindsay, Millis, Dick, Peebles, Wiley, Shannon, Lamar, McGee was published in 1976. Gray was descended from Robert Lindsay and his second wife, Ann (Nancy) McGee, in whose house the first Guilford County court was held. In addition, he was indirectly related to the family of Governor John Motley Morehead.

Biographical Sources: The biographical information was obtained from the article about Gordon Gray in the Dictionary of North Carolina Biography, Vol. 2 D-G, edited by William S. Powell (Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina Press, 1986), as well as from materials in the collection.

SCOPE & CONTENT NOTE

This collection consists primarily of correspondence between Gordon Gray and lineage specialist Jo White Linn about their research pertaining to the Gray family. Also included are letters between Linn and other individuals as she pursued various lines of inquiry. A few pieces of correspondence are between Gordon Gray and relatives or other individuals who were able to provide background information. Miscellaneous items such as family trees and an introduction to the diary of Elizabeth Dick Lindsay shed some light on the Gray family’s connection with the Lindsay family and would be of particular interest to those researching that family.

SERIES DESCRIPTIONS

1. Correspondence.  28 folders (ca. 250 items).  1971-1980.

The correspondence focuses on the history and genealogy of the Gray family, with the majority being between Gordon Gray and lineage specialist Jo White Linn, whom Gray hired to assist in his research. The series is organized chronologically with the exception of content concerning Julius Alexander Gray, Robert T. Gray, and the Lindsay family. Some items pertain to the family history as it relates to Guilford County and the surrounding area.

The correspondence between Gordon Gray and Jo White Linn began in October 1973 when Gray requested that Linn verify the accuracy of information contained in a booklet about the Gray family published in 1932. The largest part of the correspondence transpired between 1974 and 1976, when the book was published. After that year, their occasional letters relate to questions generated by the book.

One folder of correspondence relates to Julius Alexander Gray, who married Emma Victoria Morehead, a daughter of Governor John Motley Morehead and niece of Jesse Lindsay (1:26). These letters are between Mary Lewis Rucker Edmunds and Guilford County historian James MacLamroc. Included amongst them are a copy of a family tree showing Governor Morehead’s children, their spouses, and their children, as well as a typescript of a letter written to Julius Alexander Gray by his sister Lizzie.

The correspondence pertaining to the Lindsay family includes a letter written by Governor John Motley Morehead (1:27) in which the governor seems to say that Andrew Lindsay was elected Col. Commandant of the 88th Regiment of N.C in October 1840. Correspondence between Gordon Gray and Fanny Patton relates to Robert T. Gray, who was Gordon Gray’s great uncle (1:28). This thread contains some interesting stories about the life and experiences of Robert T. Gray, who was an officer in the Confederate Army during the Civil War.

2. Miscellaneous.  8 folders (11 items).  1779-1975.

This series consists of miscellaneous materials that do not seem to be associated with a piece of correspondence. Included are maps, family genealogy, the introduction to the diary of Elizabeth Dick Lindsay, and a brief history of the first Guilford County court, which was held in the home of Robert Lindsay. The majority of items are copies of originals, with the one exception being a legal document dated 1779-1780.

Of particular interest is a speech delivered by Mrs. Albert Lee Thompson in 1962 at the placement of a marker commemorating the site of the first Guilford County court (2:3). The speech includes a brief history and description of the Robert Lindsay house. The marker was erected under the auspices of the Guilford Battle Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution. Also of interest is a copy of the introduction to Elizabeth Dick Lindsay’s diary, which was published in 1975 and covers the years 1837-1861 (2:4). It gives a description of the Lindsay homestead and a short history of the family’s ownership of the property. This series also includes a genealogy of the Lindsay family of Virginia, as well as copies of various reports and texts that trace the family lineage to Scotland (2:2).

FOLDER LISTING

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

The C.C. Fordham Family Papers contain a variety of materials relating to Fordham Drug Store at 514 S. Elm Street and the Fordham family. The collection consists primarily of correspondence, financial and legal papers pertaining to downtown property bought and sold by the Fordham family, and newspaper clippings about the drug store and some family members. Also included are several photographs of the drug store and C.C. Fordham Jr. Researchers interested in Fordham Drug Store, the Fordham family, or downtown Greensboro businesses may find this collection useful.

Arrangement: This collection is organized into six series by document type and arranged within series by subject and/or document type. The series are: Correspondence, 1927-1994; Financial, 1909-1967; Legal, 1920-1967; Miscellaneous, 1957; Photographs, 1912-2008; and Printed Materials, 1897-1998.

Provenance: This collection was donated by C.C. Fordham III’s eldest daughter, Pamela Fordham Richey, on behalf of herself and her sisters, Susan Fordham Crowell and Betsy Fordham Templeton. It was received in April 2018 and assigned the accession number 2018.9.1.

Processing: This collection was organized and the finding aid was prepared by intern Meredith Groce in June 2018.

BIOGRAPHICAL NOTE

The Fordham family was involved in both civic and business ventures in Greensboro, primarily through their ownership and operation of Fordham Drug Store (1898-2002) at 514 South Elm Street. The building was constructed around 1895 in the Italianate style with a large sculpture of a mortar and pestle at the top of its façade to indicate the location of a pharmacy. The drug store was known for its ornate, Mexican marble soda counter installed in 1909; shortly after the store closed in 2002, the counter was moved to Lane Drug Store at 2021 Martin Luther King Jr. Dr.

Christopher Columbus Fordham Sr. (1869-1938) was born in Comfort, North Carolina, and joined the North Carolina Pharmaceutical Association in 1897. He opened Fordham Drug Store in Greensboro on July 21, 1898, and presided as head pharmacist until his death in 1938. He and his wife, Maggie Barnes (1871-1961) of New Bern, North Carolina, had four sons: Christopher Columbus Jr., Jefferson, Woodrow, and Ed.

Christopher Columbus Fordham Jr. (1903-1969) was born in Greensboro and graduated from Greensboro High School, where he was a notably talented football and baseball player. He went on to play football at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and was on the national championship winning team of 1922. In 1927, he joined his father as a pharmacist at Fordham Drug Store, where he mixed medications and worked behind the soda counter serving drinks and ice cream. Upon his father’s death in 1938, he took over the business. He was appointed to the North Carolina Board of Health in 1939 and also served as chairman of the Guilford County Board of Health, chairman of the N.C. Veterans Commission, director of the Bank of Greensboro, president of the N.C. Pharmaceutical Association, and president of the Greensboro Chamber of Commerce. Along with other members of his family, he was active at West Market Street United Methodist Church. He married Frances Clendenin (1903-1988), who eventually did the bookkeeping for the drug store, and the couple had two sons: Christopher Columbus III (1926-2008) and Henry Clendenin (1929-1958). The family owned a farm on Rock Creek Dairy Road, as well as several other properties throughout Greensboro. C.C. Fordham Jr. died of a heart attack while delivering a prescription on May 2, 1969.

Jefferson Barnes Fordham (1905-1994), a younger brother of C.C. Fordham Jr., graduated Phi Beta Kappa from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and received his law degree from Yale University in 1930. He subsequently worked in both government service and private practice in Washington, D.C., and then served as a lieutenant commander in the Navy during World War II. After the war, he went on to hold law professorships at Louisiana State University, Vanderbilt University, and Ohio State University. In 1952, he joined the faculty of the University of Pennsylvania Law School. As dean of the law school, he testified at Congressional hearings in which he advocated for individual rights, racial equality, and fair housing, three causes on which his law career focused in both private and public practice. In 1972, he joined the faculty of the University of Utah at Salt Lake City Law School, where he remained until his death.

Christopher Columbus Fordham III (1926-2008) was born in Greensboro to Frances Clendenin and Christopher Columbus Fordham Jr. As a teenager, he worked at Fordham Drug Store as a soda jerk. He received his Certificate of Medicine from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 1949 without completing his undergraduate degree, and earned his medical degree from Harvard in 1951. After practicing medicine in Greensboro until 1958, he joined the UNC Chapel Hill medical school faculty. He left to become Dean of the Medical College of Georgia in 1969, but returned to UNC Chapel Hill as Dean of the School of Medicine from 1971 to 1979. As chancellor of the university from 1980 to 1988, he instituted programs that brought awareness to the need for public education in North Carolina. He and his wife, Barbara Byrd (1927-2018), had three daughters: Pamela, Susan, and Betsy.

Biographical Sources: The sources used to compile this biographical note include materials in the collection (especially newspaper clippings), Ancestry.com, the Guilford County Register of Deeds database, and the obituary of C.C. Fordham Sr. (Greensboro Daily News, July 4, 1938). Additional information about C.C. Fordham III was obtained from “Former Chancellor Chris Fordham ’47 Dies at 81” in the Carolina Alumni Review, “Christopher Columbus Fordham, III and Fordham Hall” in The Carolina Review: A Virtual Museum of University History, and his obituary (The Carrboro Citizen, August 21, 2008). Further details about the building at 514 S. Elm St. that housed Fordham Drug Store were found through the Guilford County GIS Data Viewer and the Greensboro Public Library website.

SCOPE & CONTENT NOTE

This collection consists of correspondence, financial and legal documents, photographs, and a variety of printed materials pertaining to the Fordham family and their impact on local, regional, and national communities through their professional and civic activities. The majority of the collection relates to Fordham Drug Store from 1920 to 1969. The materials that make up most of the collection include letters from local businesspeople, financial and legal records of property transactions, and newspaper clippings about the drug store and family members. Researchers interested in Fordham Drug Store, Greensboro businesses, or the impact of certain members of the Fordham family may find this collection useful. In addition, researchers studying the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill or the University of Pennsylvania Law School may find this collection useful because it includes documents from these schools spanning multiple generations of the Fordham family.

SERIES DESCRIPTIONS

1. Correspondence. 10 folders (15 items). 1927-1994.

This series consists of both business and personal correspondence received by various members of the Fordham family. The first folder contains condolences sent to the family from law schools around the country upon the death of Jefferson Fordham (1:1). Also included is the manuscript of the eulogy given by Jefferson’s colleague Jim Hollbrook at his memorial service at the University of Utah College of Law.

The professional accomplishments of C.C. Fordham Jr. are highlighted in a letter from North Carolina Governor Clyde R. Hoey appointing Fordham to the State Board of Health in 1939 (1:8). Also included is a certificate announcing this appointment signed by the governor. A personal remembrance of C.C. Fordham Sr. is noted in a letter to his grandson, C.C. Fordham III, from Banks D. Kerr (1:3). Kerr attaches an excerpt of the January 1936 issue of The Carolina Journal of Pharmacy that praises Fordham Sr. for his easygoing manner and remarkable kindness towards his close friends and customers.

Other items in this series include property appraisals for tracts of land on Greene, Elm, Market, and other streets in downtown Greensboro (1:2,4,10); these appraisals do not appear to concern properties owned by the Fordham family but rather adjacent to their properties. Of interest are the deeds to similar plots belonging to the Fordham family (1:7,9) for residences and farmland.

2. Financial. 4 folders (14 items). 1909-1967.

The financial documents mainly pertain to the sale and acquisition of property. One item records that C.C. Fordham Sr. sold a portion of his farm in northeast Guilford County in 1927 to acquire commercial property on Greene Street (2:3). Other documents show that this Greene Street property continued to be appraised by his son, C.C. Fordham Jr., over the following decades (2:1). The most interesting materials in this series are the 1909 order forms for the marble counter and iceless fountain for Fordham Drug Store (2:4). The counter and fountain became well-known features of the store that were recognized in statewide publications, including the June 2016 issue of Our State magazine. This article claims that the counter was the first to serve Coca-Cola drinks in Greensboro. Researchers may find the order forms useful because they show how the counter was conceptualized. Miscellaneous items in this series that do not appear to pertain to the Fordham family include loans noted to J.B. Stroud and Boyd T. Toben (2:2).

3. Legal. 5 folders (23 items). 1920-1967.

This series is primarily comprised of deeds to land purchased on Elm and Greene streets by both C.C. Fordham Sr. and C.C. Fordham Jr. One such deed—between C.C. Fordham Sr. and J.T. Plot in 1922—includes a contract that lays out the conditions for a wall to separate the commercial properties of both men on South Elm Street (3:3). The last folder in the series contains several contracts finalizing the sale of multiple properties in downtown Greensboro to C.C. Fordham Jr. (3:5).

4. Miscellaneous. 1 folder (1 item). 1957.

This pastel portrait of C.C. Fordham Jr. was painted by artist D. Williams in 1957. Fordham is shown wearing a dark suit and tie.

5. Photographs. 1 folder (6 items). 1912-2008.

The photographs show Fordham Drug Store primarily during the time C.C. Fordham Jr. ran the business. Of particular interest is a photo of C.C. Fordham Jr. mixing what appears to be a soda behind the store’s well-known marble counter in 1969. Another photo shows C.C. Fordham Jr. at the counter in the back of the store where he mixed medicines and prescriptions. Also of note are an undated exterior of Fordham Drug Store from across South Elm Street, and a 1912 interior that shows a portion of the marble counter, the shelves and goods on the store’s walls, and three unidentified employees.

6. Printed Materials. 6 folders (38 items). 1897-1998.

The printed materials consist of certificates, school yearbooks, newspaper clippings, and published writings pertaining to the Fordham family and the many institutions with which they were affiliated. Included are C.C. Fordham Sr.’s 1897 membership certificate for the North Carolina Pharmaceutical Association and the 1953 Distinguished Service Award presented by the Greensboro Chamber of Commerce to Fordham Drug Store (6:1). The latter is signed by the chairman of the Chamber of Commerce for that year—C.C. Fordham Jr.

Materials relating to Greensboro High School include C.C. Fordham III’s 1943 high school diploma and the directory given out at his 50th high school reunion in 1993 (6:2). The 1921 Greensboro High School yearbook, titled The Reflector (6:2), represents the year that C.C. Fordham Jr. graduated; it mentions that he excelled on the football and baseball teams, and was president of the Athletic Association.

The newspaper clippings are separated into folders for Fordham Drug Store and the Fordham family. Coverage of the store includes a 1969 article entitled “Nostalgia Presides at Fordham’s” that shows how the store maintained historical elements, and contains images of objects in the store at the time. Another story published in 1995 highlights the store’s history of friendliness and excellent service over 97 years (6:3). Newspaper coverage of the Fordham family goes beyond the drug store, with clippings encompassing the appointments of family members to select positions within their respective fields, obituaries, and personal profiles. Multiple articles announce the sudden death of C.C. Fordham Jr. in May 1969. Other clippings highlight the appointments of Jefferson Fordham as dean of the University of Pennsylvania Law School and C.C. Fordham III as chancellor of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (6:4).

Miscellaneous documents included in this series are a placard about the history of the Fordham surname and a pictorial history of the football program at the University of North Carolina, which mentions C.C. Fordham Jr.’s involvement on the team in the 1920s (6:5). Also featured in this folder is a collection of poems by Charlie Sharpe, who worked at Fordham Drug Store from 1960 to 1991 (6:5); several of the poems are reflections and memories from his time at the store. Finally, the series contains the manuscript of a letter titled “Equality in American Constitutional Perspective” written by Jefferson Fordham and featured as the headlining piece of the December 1968 edition of the Philadelphia Sunday Bulletin (6:6). This letter reveals Fordham’s thoughts on the political inequalities of the time, which he claims are contradictory to the laws laid out in the Constitution.

FOLDER LISTING

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

Mattye and William Reed were influential African American members of the Greensboro community. Mattye is best known for her contributions to NC A&T State University’s African Heritage Center and William for being Dean of the School of Agriculture at the university. This collection consists primarily of printed materials and artwork. Highlights include two screen prints by Greensboro artists Eva Hamlin Miller and Alma Adams, and a broadside and LP relating to vocalist Margaret Tynes. Also of note are three photographs of graduating classes at Immanuel Lutheran College and a program for “The Unveiling of the February One Monument” at A&T. William Reed’s career is represented through his report entitled “Reconnaissance soil survey of Liberia” and materials relating to the 1955 U.S.-Soviet Agricultural Exchange. Researchers interested in Greensboro’s African American cultural heritage, A&T faculty or the Mattye Reed African Heritage Center may find this collection useful.

Arrangement: This collection is organized into six series and arranged within series by document type and/or subject. The series are: Audiovisual, 1962-2011; Art, ca. 1950s-1990s; Correspondence, 1987-1994; Miscellaneous, ca. 1920s; Photographs, ca. 1930s-1960s; and Printed Material, 1951-2015.

Provenance: This collection was donated by Bernetiae Reed in 2017 and assigned the accession number 2017.44.1.

Processing: This collection was organized and the finding aid was prepared by intern Ava Freyaldenhoven in July 2020.

BIOGRAPHICAL NOTE

William E. Reed (1914-2006) was born in Colombia, Louisiana, and studied agricultural science at Southern University in Baton Rouge. Mattye Marie Scott (1918-2003) was born in Plaquemine, Louisiana, and earned a nursing license from Emory University as well as a B.S. in health and physical education from the Tuskegee Institute in 1957. William earned his masters from Iowa State University in 1940 before returning to Southern University to teach. Around this time, Mattye also briefly taught at Southern University. In 1942, she became the first nurse of color with the Louisiana State Board of Health in East Baton Rouge Parish. This same year Mattye and William married, a union that would last 61 years.

In 1946, William had completed his PhD in soil chemistry from Cornell and was working at Southern University when the State Department asked him to join a mission to survey the economic prospects of Liberia. This mission stemmed from a $20 million loan given to Liberia by the United States under President Roosevelt to build a port. After it ended in 1949, the Reeds relocated to Greensboro, where William became the Dean of the School of Agriculture at A&T University while Mattye was employed as a nurse. Mattye worked at the Greensboro polio hospital and taught at Dudley High School, implementing a two year vocational nursing program. In 1955, William was part of the U.S.-Soviet Agricultural Exchange, a 12-man delegation sent to Russia for five weeks.

William spent 1957-59 with the International Development Service in Ghana, where his work in soil conservation helped build dams and improve grazing and crop production. Another program in which he was involved vaccinated livestock to deter the spread of diseases. In 1959, Mattye became one of the first nurses of color at Moses Cone Hospital in Greensboro. Two years later, the couple moved to Nigeria, where William worked as the assistant Agency for International Development (AID) mission director until 1968. During this time, Mattye worked as a part-time embassy nurse and a volunteer in public health. After this mission, William worked as the Deputy AID Director in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, until 1972. The next year, the Reeds returned to Greensboro and William became the AID Officer in Residence at A&T for the U.S. Agency for International Development. From 1978 until his retirement in 1986, William worked as A&T’s Director of International Programs and Associate Dean for Research.

After a 30 year nursing career, Mattye became involved in A&T’s African Heritage Center when it opened in 1968. She donated many African and Caribbean artifacts from her travels and was passionate in encouraging others to donate their African art to the university. She became the center’s director in 1973 and retired in 1988. Her legacy is a museum that is named in her honor and holds over 6,000 artifacts from around 35 countries. In 1997, William was inducted into the A&T School of Agriculture Hall of Fame. Mattye and William Reed were active members at the Episcopal Church of the Redeemer in Greensboro and are survived by their three daughters Edwarda, Carol, and Bernetiae. Bernetiae Reed created the Sylvester Brown family newsletters, DVDs and books on Thomas Jefferson’s slaves found in this collection.

Biographical Sources: The sources for this biographical note include Mattye and William’s obituaries (News & Record, December 14, 2003 and April 15, 2006), a 1992 oral history interview with William Reed by the Association for Diplomatic Studies and Training Foreign Affairs Oral History Project (Reed, William E.toc.pdf), an article published after Mattye’s death summarizing her contributions to the African Heritage Center (News & Record, December 13, 2003); and an announcement from the School of Agriculture at A&T about William’s induction into the Hall of Fame. Other information comes from metadata in images loaned for scanning by Bernetiae Reed.

SCOPE & CONTENT NOTE

This collection consists of items that shed light on the Reed family’s contributions to Greensboro and their time in African countries. The types of materials include audiovisual, artwork, correspondence, photographs and printed material. A VHS tape of Mattye and William’s 50th wedding anniversary can be found in the audiovisual series, while an invitation and cocktail napkin from the event are in the correspondence series. Art pieces of note include portraits of both William and Mattye, the first a drawing from Ethiopia and the second a pastel profile. Mattye Reed’s ties to Greensboro’s African American art community are represented through screen prints by artists Alma Adams and Eva Hamlin Miller, as well as a broadside and LP relating to vocalist Margaret Tynes. Also of note are three photographs of the Mattye and William Reed posing in traditional Nigerian dress with acquaintances in Nigeria. These images showcase their time abroad, while William’s work in Africa is represented by his “Reconnaissance soil survey of Liberia.”

SERIES DESCRIPTIONS

1. Audiovisual.  5 folders (5 items).  1962-2011.

The audiovisual materials include two historical documentaries produced by Bernetiae Reed, and a VHS recording of Mattye and William’s 50th wedding anniversary celebration in 1992. Two LPs feature the A&T Fellowship Gospel Choir and an operatic recital by Margaret Tynes, an internationally successful singer, A&T graduate and friend of the Reed family.

2. Art.  7 folders (7 items).  ca. 1950s-1990s.

This series includes a 1972 portrait of William Reed produced in Ethiopia and a pastel portrait of Mattye Reed in profile. Influential local artists Eva Hamlin Miller and Alma Adams are represented with a 1960 screen print and a 1990s screen print illustrating a Senegalese marketplace, respectively. Miller studied art in New York, Italy and Nigeria before coming to North Carolina to teach art at Bennett College and A&T. Adams was one of Miller’s students at A&T. Together, they founded the African American Atelier in downtown Greensboro. Miller served as curator of the Atelier until her death in 1991, and Adams later became a U.S. Representative. Also included in this series is a print of Russian bears from a Shishkin painting titled “Morning in a Pine Forest”; it was given to William Reed while on the 1955 U.S.-Soviet Agricultural Exchange.

3. Correspondence.  3 folders (4 items).  1987-1994.

This correspondence consists of three invitations. One addressed to Mattye Reed from the Greater Greensboro Republican Women’s Club describes a luncheon at Starmount Country Club, while another that is not addressed invites recipients to a special showing of the A&T “Black Heritage Expo” and a reception. A copy of Mattye and William’s 50th wedding anniversary invitation is accompanied by a cocktail napkin from the event.

4. Miscellaneous.  2 folders (3 items).  ca. 1920s.

This series contains a handwritten recipe for making syrup and handwritten instructions for bottling Ly-nola with a Ly-nola envelope. The Ly-nola instructions are written on Hotel Guilford letterhead, connecting this item to Greensboro.

5. Photographs.  2 folders (6 items).  ca. 1930s-1960s.

Three oversized photographs show the Reeds dressed in traditional Nigerian clothing and posing with acquaintances in Nigeria in the 1960s. Another three oversized photographs show graduating classes from Immanuel Lutheran College in Greensboro around the 1930s-1940s.

6. Printed Material.  13 folders (21 items).  1951-2015.

As the largest series, the printed materials include books, periodicals, pamphlets and programs. A pamphlet highlights a 1969 Berhane Mehary exhibit in Ethiopia. The programs for events at A&T consist of “The Heritage of African Dress” and “The Unveiling of the February One Monument,” the latter accompanied by a postcard showing images from “The Making of the February One Monument.” William Reed’s “Reconnaissance soil survey of Liberia” provides a firsthand look at the work he did for the State Department, while an issue of The Annals of Iowa includes a chapter entitled “Diplomatic Farmers: Iowans and the 1955 Agricultural Delegation to the Soviet Union,” of which William was a part. Bernetiae Reed published two volumes of The Slave Families of Thomas Jefferson, which contain the history of Monticello, pictures, and family trees. She also produced seven newsletters relating to former slave Sylvester Brown and his descendants. The newsletters provide updates within the extended family as well as historical information, and a program details a family reunion in 1998.

FOLDER LISTING

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 consists of photographs and printed materials pertaining to Vick Chemical Co. and its successors. Best known for the cold salve called Vicks VapoRub, the company was founded by Lunsford Richardson and retained family ownership until it was acquired by Proctor & Gamble in 1985. Company newsletters comprise the bulk of this collection, providing insight into the company’s culture and work environment during the 20th century. Researchers interested in business history, Vick Chemical Co. history and operations, and the pharmaceutical industry may find this collection useful.

Arrangement: This collection is organized into two series and arranged within series by document type and/or subject. The series are: Photographs, ca. 1940s-1980; and Printed Materials, 1933-1993.

Provenance: The bulk of this collection was donated by Ed Morrah in February 2017 and assigned the accession number 2017.8.1. Ed Morrah began working for Vick Chemical Co. in 1961 as a Planning Engineer, eventually became Director of Engineering for the Healthcare Division, and retired from Proctor & Gamble in 1994. He obtained these materials from several colleagues at the company, including Eddie Leonard. Ben Fort gave him most of the items dating before 1960, as well as the photograph taken at the Pennsylvania plant in 1980. The collection also includes eight newsletters dating from 1960-1963 that were transferred from the Outer Banks History Center in 2003 and assigned the accession number 2003.33.1.

Processing: This collection was organized and the finding aid was prepared by volunteer Elizabeth Moore in May 2017. Additional newsletters were incorporated and the finding aid was updated by Archivist Elise Allison in November 2020.

HISTORICAL NOTE

Lunsford Richardson and John Fariss bought the W.C. Porter drug store in Greensboro in 1890 and renamed it Richardson & Fariss. While working as a pharmacist, Richardson developed a variety of home remedies, including a vaporizing salve for colds that he called Vicks Magic Salve; it later became known as Vicks VapoRub. In 1898, Richardson sold his share in the drugstore to form the Lunsford Richardson Wholesale Drug Company, which sold remedies to merchants in the counties surrounding Greensboro. He sold this business in 1905 to found Vick’s Family Remedies; when that company began to lose profit, his son, Smith Richardson, suggested that it scale back its product line to focus on its unique product, Vicks VapoRub.

The company opened its plant on Milton Street in Greensboro in 1910 and changed its name to Vick Chemical Co. a year later. During the 1918 Spanish influenza pandemic, the Milton St. plant operated continuously and VapoRub sales increased from $900,000 to $2.9 million in 1919. By incorporating innovative advertising techniques, such as billboards and streetcar advertising, and offering free samples, sales continued to grow. The company established a second plant in Greensboro on Wendover Avenue near Latham Park in 1936; this location produced cough syrups and cough drops.

In 1938, Vick Chemical Co. acquired the William S. Merrell Company, at the time the largest pharmaceutical company in the country. It purchased two more companies in the 1940s, and changed its name to Richardson-Merrell Inc. in 1960 as a nod to its founders. As it continued to grow, Richardson-Merrell moved out of the Milton St. and Wendover Ave. plants into a larger plant on Swing Road in 1966. In 1980, the Merrell division was sold to Dow Chemical Company, and the remaining division became Richardson-Vicks, Inc. This company was bought by Procter & Gamble in 1985.

Historical Sources: The historical information was obtained from The Early History and Management Philosophy of Richardson-Merrell, by Smith Richardson (Richardson-Merrill, Inc., 1975), as well as the finding aid for the Richardson-Vicks, Inc., Records in the Southern Historical Collection at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Information on the Greensboro plants was found in Jim Schlosser’s The Beat Goes On (Greensboro Bicentennial Commission, 2008) and Remembering Greensboro (Charleston, SC: History Press, 2009), as well as in newsletters in the collection.

SCOPE & CONTENT NOTE

The types of materials found in this collection are photographs and printed materials. The bulk of the collection consists of newsletters that document company culture in Greensboro, as well as at the plant in Hatboro, Pennsylvania. While the newsletters provide some information on the company, they focus largely on the personal interests and professional accomplishments of employees by featuring employees of the month, highlighting worker hobbies and vacations, and announcing advancements within the company.

SERIES DESCRIPTIONS

1. Photographs.  4 folders (15 items).  ca. 1940s-1980.

The photographs depict professional and social scenes relating to Vick Chemical Co. Ten images show employees posing for group portraits, some with company buildings in the background (1:1). One photograph features employees filling out a company-wide survey (1:2). Two photos show company social events, including a dinner and a Christmas party (1:4). A photo of employees at the Hatboro, Pennsylvania plant in 1980 includes Ben Fort and Lunsford “Lump” Richardson, grandson of the VapoRub inventor (1:3).

2. Printed Materials.  47 folders (ca. 335 items).  1933-1993.

The printed material includes a banquet program and menu from January 1942 (2:1) and a health insurance plan from 1951 detailing benefits (2:3). Annual reports from 1945-1946 contain information on the company’s sales and earnings, mission and goals, production, and new products (2:2). Employee surveys provide a glimpse of satisfaction and morale (2:4). While the newsletters contain some information on company policy and production, they are mostly employee-centered, highlighting family news, hobbies, community service and promotions of individual employees. Also included is an “employee of the month” column. Earlier newsletters feature columns specifically for female employees with recipes and tips for homemaking; later issues encourage employees to vote (2:30) and feature articles on the benefits of exercising (2:43) and stress management (2:44).

FOLDER LISTING