A New Addition of Athletics Photographs from the 1960s and 1970s

We are excited to announce that a new accession of photographs to the Department of Athletics Collection is available for research. This accession is particularly special since it contains images of less-documented sports — including women’s sports and intramural sports — from the 1960s and 1970s.

Included in this addition are images of the Titleholder’s Championship (also called the Women’s Pro Tournament), held at Southern Pines and sponsored by UNC in 1972.  The Titleholder’s Championship was only a handful of championship-level events for professional women’s golf in the 1970s, and the winner of the event — Sandra Palmer — was one of the most accomplished female golfers of the time. The addition also includes photographs of the 1963 renovations to Kenan Stadium.

The selection of photos below include images of men’s intramural handball; women’s intramural basketball, volleyball, tennis, and bowling.

 

Noteworthy Firsts: Vermont C. Royster

At the University Day celebration on October 11, 2016, Chancellor Carol Folt announced a new program to name scholarships after notable “firsts” in UNC history. In recognition of the individuals recognized as pioneers at UNC, the University Archives is publishing blog posts with more information about each of the twenty-one “firsts.” This post is part of that series.

When Vermont C. Royster began his studies at UNC in 1931, he was no stranger to the campus.  He was born in Raleigh, and his father, Wilbur Royster, was a professor of Greek and Latin at the university. Although Royster did receive his degree in Classics, his mark on UNC as a student, alumnus, and professor was made through his journalism — writing for the Wall Street Journal and later teaching at the School of Journalism. Royster was one of the first UNC alumni to receive a Pulitzer prize in 1953 (the same year as W. Horace Carter), and he later received a second Pulitzer in 1984.

Close up of a young, white male dressed in a suit.
Royster’s profile in the 1935 Yackety Yack.

Royster began his journalism career at UNC, where he worked for several campus publications, including The Daily Tar Heel and The Student Journal.  During his senior year, he revived and wrote a column in the Daily Tar Heel titled “Around the Well,” which highlighted and described various campus happenings and gossip.

In addition to being drawn to journalism at UNC, he was also an active writer and participant in the Department of Dramatic Arts.  As part of a play-writing course, he wrote and staged two plays — Shadows of Industry and Prelude — both of which can be found in the archives.

After graduating, Royster went on to begin the journalism career for which he is well known.  He moved to New York and began working for the Wall Street Journal in 1936.  He retired from the Wall Street Journal in 1971 and joined UNC’s School of Journalism as a faculty member later that year.  Over the course of his career — both as a professional journalist and university professor — he won two Pulitzer Prizes: the first in 1953 for Editorial Writing and the second in 1984 for Commentary.

Royster died in 1996, and his personal papers are housed in the Southern Historical Collection at Wilson Library. In addition, Royster published several books over the course of his life — including My Own, My Country’s Time, A Pride of Prejudices, and Journey Through the Soviet Union — all of which can be found in UNC Libraries.

Sources & Additional Readings:

Collection of “Around the Well” columns

“Vermont C. Royster (1914-1996),” written by Will Schultz.  North Carolina History Project. http://northcarolinahistory.org/encyclopedia/vermont-c-royster-1914-1996/.

Vermont Royster papers #4432, Southern Historical Collection, The Wilson Library, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

The Essential Royster: a Vermont Royster reader. edited by Edmund Fuller. Chapel Hill, N.C. : Algonquin Books, 1985.

My Own, My Country’s Time: a journalist’s journey. Vermont Royster. Chapel Hill, N.C. : Algonquin Books, 1983.

A Pride of Prejudices. Vermont Royster. Chapel Hill, N.C. : Algonquin Books, 1984.

Journey through the Soviet Union.  Vermont Royster. New York, D. Jones [1962].

Now Available: Edie Parker Papers

We are pleased to announce a new addition to University Archives, the Edie Parker Papers.

Edie Parker (then Edie Knight) attended UNC from 1947 to 1949. As a student, she was active in student government, Greek life, and the Model United Nations. The collection — mostly in the form of a scrapbook — includes materials from the Women’s Intercollegiate Government Forum that Parker planned, orientation booklets, rush invitations, clippings about the Model UN from the Daily Tar Heel, and letters from male suitors. While at UNC, Parker also participated in a conference about the U.S. role in European recovery from World War II that Mademoiselle magazine hosted in 1948. Her notes from the conference are included in the collection. Parker’s scrapbook and accompanying papers provide insight into the life of a woman student at UNC during the late 1940s.

Below, we’ve highlighted just a few items from the Edie Parker scrapbook, including photographs of UNC students and the 1949 UNC Commencement program.

Haunted House of Master Mangum

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From the Daily Tar Heel, 31 October 1985

 

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David Brown begging for sympathy from visitors in Mangum’s Haunted House Wednesday Night (From the Daily Tar Heel, 31 October 1985)

Halloween is fast approaching, and students across campus are deciding what costume to wear for a night out on Franklin Street. The tradition of roaming Franklin Street on Halloween began in the early 1980s and while the tradition is well known across the state, it’s not the only way students on campus have celebrated the holiday.  In the fall of 1981, residents of Mangum dormitory decided they wanted to buy an ice machine for the building. When they learned the University wouldn’t cover the costs under its enhancement policy, they took matters into their own hands and decided to raise the money themselves by staging a haunted house.

The first Mangum Haunted House opened at 7 p.m. on October 30, 1981 and visitors paid $1 for a guided tour through “madmen, a hell scene, a cemetery scene, and a lot of other scary scenes,” according to Mangum Resident Assistant Billy Leland (from the Daily Tar Heel, 30 October 1981). The 1st Annual Mangum Haunted House was open until midnight on the 30th and from 7 p.m. until 1 a.m. on the 31st.  The event was a success, and an ice machine was purchased.

The event continued until the mid-1990’s, with Mangum residents trying to create a new and scarier version of the haunted house each year, and beginning in 1982, proceeds from ticket and t-shirt sales were donated to the North Carolina Jaycee Burn Center.

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“Slime, anyone?” From the Daily Tar Heel, 31 October 1985
skullman
From the Daily Tar Heel, 31 October 1986

“Throwing the Sand from the Spit-box”: More Student Misconduct, 1841-1847

Last month, we shared a selection of student infractions from the misconduct ledger for the 1840 academic year, found in the Office of the Registrar Records (#40131). Today we’re breaking out the ledger for 1841-1847 for a fresh batch of unusual misbehavior.

watson

“Watson – whittling a stick at Evening prayers”

ruffin“Tos. Ruffin – calling a Dog into Rec[itation] Room”

lucas“Lucas – throwing the sand from the spit-box”

larcy“Larcy [?]- Throwing acorns, or other missiles in the chapel on Sunday”

hooker“Hooker – taking seat by the fire and stubbornly refusing to leave upon repeated commands to do so”

holmes“L. Holmes, Shepherd – Playing at chess during study-hours”

brevard“E.J Brevard, Murphy, Wilson, Donohs., Thomas – Engaged in very unbecoming amusement on Tuesday afternoon”

caldwell“Caldwell – crying like a sheep as he passed the Fresh[man] R[ecitiation] Room”

johnson“Johnson, Hines?, Rogers? – sleigh riding in study hours”

scales“Scales – Crowing like a Rooster before Prof. Hooper’s Recitation room door”

“Exceedingly Improper” Student Behavior, 1840

For a number of years, student absences and instances of misconduct were recorded in ledgers by University administrators. Several of these ledgers, dating from 1838 to 1847, have survived in the Records of the Office of the Registrar (#40131) and provide an fascinating (and often entertaining) view of student life on campus in this period.

Students were frequently cited for eating, talking, sleeping, or being generally “disorderly” during class or prayers, answering for other students during roll calls, and bringing the wrong books to class. Other offenses were more unusual. We’ve rounded up a few of the most interesting from the October-November 1840 ledger below.

webb

“Webb – Playing on the flute in study hours (not the first time)”

bruce

“Bruce – patting Hawkins on the shoulder during Rec[ication] in such a manner as to produce a laugh”

barnett

“Barnett – throwing water over the bannister at a retreating student”

lucas

“Lucas – persisting in cutting and eating sassafras”

battle

“Battle Freshman – pouring water on Mitchell Sunday evening. Mitchell making an outrageous noise thereupon.”

daniel

“Daniel – calling out ‘snap’ as he came to Rec[itation]”

rtate

“R Tate – putting finger into his mouth, then making ugly noise on withdrawing it”

ivyetal“Ivy, Manly, McIlhenny, Shorter, Taylor – Exceedingly improper conduct at Sunday Recitation.”

[From Volume 9, the Records of the Office of the Registrar (#40131), University Archives]

 

The Chimera Fantasy and Science Fiction Club

Although Carolina does not currently host any official sci-fi student groups, Chapel Hill was home to the Chimera Fantasy and Science Fiction Club from 1984 to 1996.  The Chimera Club was open to all students interested in science fiction and fantasy in film, television, fiction, and tabletop games. The Chimera Club even held an annual ChimeraCon for twelve years! A frequent guest to ChimeraCon was Orson Scott Card.  Card is the author of the popular novel-turned-film Ender’s Game.  Check out some of the ChimeraCon programs below!

From the Chimera Fantasy and Science Fiction Club of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Records, #40310-z
From the Chimera Fantasy and Science Fiction Club of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Records, #40310-z
From the Chimera Fantasy and Science Fiction Club of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Records, #40310-z
From the Chimera Fantasy and Science Fiction Club of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Records, #40310-z
From the Chimera Fantasy and Science Fiction Club of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Records, #40310-z
From the Chimera Fantasy and Science Fiction Club of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Records, #40310-z
From the Chimera Fantasy and Science Fiction Club of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Records, #40310-z
From the Chimera Fantasy and Science Fiction Club of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Records, #40310-z
From the Chimera Fantasy and Science Fiction Club of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Records, #40310-z
From the Chimera Fantasy and Science Fiction Club of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Records, #40310-z
From the Chimera Fantasy and Science Fiction Club of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Records, #40310-z
From the Chimera Fantasy and Science Fiction Club of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Records, #40310-z

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Carolina Summer Reading Program

The Round House by Louise Erdrich
The Round House by Louise Erdrich

For the summer of 2014, incoming students were asked to read The Round House by Louise Erdrich.  Set on a Ojibwe reservation in North Dakota, the novel is a coming-of-age story about a boy on the cusp of manhood who seeks justice and understanding in the wake of a terrible crime that upends and forever transforms his family.  We hope that everyone who attended the Summer Reading discussions on August 18th enjoyed a stimulating conversation!

Composed of faculty, staff, and students, the book selection committee works to choose a book that meets the following criteria:

  • Intellectually stimulating — stretch students’ minds, cause students to think about things they might not have before
  • Enjoyable, engaging, relatively short, easy to read, up-to-date
  • Reading that will provoke interesting discussion
  • Appropriate for developmental level of incoming students
  • Addresses a theme/topic that is applicable to students themselves (i.e., societal issues)

Because the books chosen often address societal issues, book selections usually spark some debate.  During my first year, the committee assigned the book Covering: the Hidden Assault on Our Civil Rights.  Two years later, I had the pleasure of co-leading a discussion on Picking Cotton: Our Memoir of Injustice and Redemption.  However, one of the most controversial books chosen was Approaching the Qur’án: The Early Revelations.  Selected for the 2002-2003 academic year, the choice inspired heavy backlash from students, alumni, and the general public as well as a lawsuit from individuals concerned about the University pushing Islam on its students.

From the Summer Reading Program of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Records, #40273, University Archives
From the Summer Reading Program of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Records, #40273, University Archives

Pre-printed postcards were distributed by the Family Policy Network (FPN), a Virginia-based, socially conservative Christian organization. The group, whose chairman, Terry Moffitt, earned his undergraduate degree from UNC-CH in 1981, opposed selection of Approaching the Qur’an for the Summer Reading Program. The FPN said that the suras selected for the book create a false impression of Islam, painting it as a peaceful religion. Moffitt and another leader of the FPN  joined with three UNC freshmen in filing a federal lawsuit arguing that the book choice violated First Amendment guarantees of freedom of religion. A federal judge denied the plaintiffs’ request for an injunction, ruling the University was not forcing students to read the book and was not violating the First Amendment. A federal appeals court panel upheld the lower court ruling. The chancellor’s office received more than 20,000 postcards from throughout the United States.

From the Summer Reading Program of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Records, #40273, University Archives
From the Summer Reading Program of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Records, #40273, University Archives

However, not everyone was opposed to the committee’s book selection.  Students, alumni, and others wrote to Chancellor Moeser to express their support of the school’s decision.  Many of these supporters applauded a choice that would lead to a greater understanding of other cultures and religions in the University.  One student wrote a letter to Chancellor Moeser to assure him that she did not believe the school was attempting to convert its students to Islam.  The student compared the situation to being asked to read about Hitler.  “One does not believe reading about Hitler makes one a Nazi…”

To see all of the Carolina Summer Reading Program’s past choices, you may visit their website. To read more about controversial book choices, you may visit Wilson Library’s online exhibit, A Right to Speak and Hear: Academic Freedom and Free Expression at UNC.

We’d love to hear from students and alumni about your take on this year’s summer reading!  Have you read any of the previous years’ books? 

“Can you get a date for my roommate? She’s real cute!”

About a year ago, we wrote about restrictions on UNC’s female students in the 1950s and 1960s. Women were often not allowed to travel alone or after certain hours.  While perusing  a fraternity scrapbook from 1951, we found a telegram from a student’s sweetheart referencing these types of rules.

From the Records of the North Carolina Xi of Sigma Alpha Epsilon Fraternity.  SV-40334/1, Scrapbook, 1951-1952.
From the Records of the North Carolina Xi of Sigma Alpha Epsilon Fraternity. SV-40334/1, Scrapbook, 1951-1952.

 

Summer Plans

From the Records of the North Carolina Xi of Sigma Alpha Epsilon Fraternity.  SV-40334/2, Scrapbook, 1954.
A 1954 scrapbook from the Records of the North Carolina Xi Chapter of Sigma Alpha Epsilon Fraternity (SV-40334/2).

This page from a 1954 scrapbook shows members of UNC’s chapter of Sigma Alpha Epsilon fraternity and friends on a trip to the beach.

What are your plans this summer?  Will you be going to the beach?