Marjorie Hunter Collection
Scope and Contents
This collection is arranged alphabetically by type of material into nine series, then chronologically within each series, where applicable. The series are Books; Correspondence; Literary Productions; Maps; Photographs; Printed Material; Prints and Drawings; Realia; Scrapbook. Primarily, the collection contains materials documenting Marjorie Hunter's time as a student at Elon College in the late 1930s, early 1940s as well as her career as a journalist/reporter for the Washington Bureau of the New York Times. The information is documented through correspondences, interview transcripts, newspaper articles, and pages from Hunter's personal scrapbooks. Not only does this collection shed light into the world of one of the greatest female journalists/reporters, but also provides unique primary sources relating to media coverage and United States history. The smallest series' in this collection include Books, Literary Productions, Maps, Prints and Drawings, and Realia. Of particular historical significance, the State of the Union Address given by Lyndon B. Johnson on January 14, 1969 can be found in the Literary Production series (3:1). In addition, included in the Literary Production series is Marjorie Hunter's original thesis that she wrote titled History of Journalism in Alamance County, NC (3:2). She submitted the thesis in 1942 in order to receive partial fulfillment of the requirements for a Bachelor of Arts degree from Elon College (3:2). Moreover, the Realia series is the only series in the collection that contains 3-dimensional objects. Specifically, this series includes the original Elon College Alumnus Award that was given to Marjorie Hunter on May 20, 1972 (8:2). One of the larger series in the collection encompasses multiple types and formats of Correspondence. This series is arranged alphabetically by type of Correspondence and then chronologically, where applicable. Specifically, this series contains original transcripts from various interviews, Congressional, and presidential press conferences, primarily while Hunter was a reporter for the New York Times [(1961-1986) (2:4-2:7)]. Furthermore, this series contains letters discussing a mixture of different issues relating to various time periods throughout Marjorie Hunter's career as a journalist (2:9-2:18). One of the largest series in the collection contains mainly black and white Photographs. Most of the Photographs are of Marjorie Hunter either pictured in a group setting or individually (5:7-5:9). Additionally, this series contains many autographed photographs of past U.S. Presidents and political figures, both from the state and national level. However, the majority of the Photographs are of unidentified people, places, and dates. Printed Material makes up the largest series in this collection. This series is divided up alphabetically by different types of material and then chronologically, where applicable. Specifically, the series includes materials such as certificates, diplomas, pamphlets, newspaper clippings, press passes, and many other types of Printed Material. Another large series in this collection contains preservation photocopies taken from the original pages of Marjorie Hunter's six personal Scrapbooks. Within each Scrapbook, one will find multiple types of materials including photographs (now filed with the Photograph series), newspaper clippings, cartoons, drawings, and much more. Each Scrapbook page intimately expresses what sort of items, news related stories, information, and people that Marjorie Hunter was most interested in keeping and knowing.
Dates
- Creation: 1940 - 1990
Creator
- Hunter, Marjorie, 1922-2001. (Person)
Conditions Governing Access
Collection is open for research.
Copyright Notice
The nature of the Archives and Special Collections of Belk Library means that copyright or other information about restrictions may be difficult or even impossible to determine despite reasonable efforts. The Archives and Special Collections of Belk Library claims only physical ownership of most materials. The materials from our collections are made available for use in research, teaching, and private study, pursuant to the U.S. Copyright Law. The user must assume full responsibility for any use of the materials, including but not limited to, infringement of copyright and publication rights of reproduced materials. Any materials used for academic research or otherwise should be fully credited with the source.
Biographical / Historical
Note: The numbers cited in parenthesis refer the researchers to the Series#:Folder# in which that name/topic will be found (example 1:5)
Early Years:
* Born June 2, 1922 in Bethany, West Virginia
* Lived in Bethany until she was 6 years old when her family moved to Elon College, NC
* Father was Dr. Joshua A.Hunter, he taught Education and French at Elon College from 1929-1934
* Mother was Minna Hunter and she taught in the local public school system
* Graduated from Burlington High School in 1938
* Attended Elon College from 1938-1942
* Received a Bachelor's degree from Elon College and graduated on May 18, 1942
* While she was a student at Elon College, she was the managing editor for the Maroon and Gold (now The Pendulum) from 1938-1940, and then Co-editor from 1940-1941
* She dated the editor from the Maroon and Gold and soon became very interested in journalism
* She was also a correspondent for the Burlington Times-News while she was a student at Elon College
Journalism Career:
* May 19, 1942 she started work as a reporter for the Raleigh News and Observer
* She worked as a reporter for the Houston Press in Houston, TX from 1949-1950
* After working for the Houston Press, she moved back to North Carolina and worked for the Winston-Salem Journal from 1950-1961
* She covered the North Carolina General Assembly and Legislature during the years of 1953-1961
* On July 10, 1961 she started working for the Washington Bureau of the New York Times
* While at the New York Times she was a Congressional reporter. She also traveled with and interviewed many U.S. Presidents, as well as other notable political figures
* President John F. Kennedy was in office shortly after she arrived at the New York Times, and she got to meet him on many occasions
* She traveled about 115, 000 miles with Gerald Ford, and he was her favorite interviewee
* She interviewed Gerald Ford the day before President Richard Nixon resigned (August 8, 1974) and at the same time the day before Gerald Ford became President
Awards and Certificates:
* In 1950, she was named the woman's editor of the Journal, Sunday Journal, and Sentinel
* At one point, she was the winner of the News and Feature Division of North Carolina Press Women's Association annual writing competition (date unknown)
* May 20, 1972, she was awarded the Elon College Outstanding Alumnus Award during the annual Alumni Day banquet in the McEwen Dining Hall. She was the 28th recipient of this award and the 5th woman graduate of Elon College to receive the award
Memberships and Organizations:
* While at Elon College she was a member of the Beta Omicron Beta Sorority, Panvio Literary Society, and the Delta Psi Omega (national honorary dramatic fraternity)
* Member of the Gridiron Club (Washington, DC-a newsman group, but had only 15 female members)
* 1968-1969, she was the President of the Women's National Press Club-this honor was interpreted to be the highest honor given to a woman in journalism. When the Club started admitting men, the name was changed to Washington Press Club. The National Press Club started admitting women in 1971. The Washington Press Club and National Press Club merged in 1985, admitting both men and women
* In 1992, she was inducted into the North Carolina Journalism, Advertising, and Public Relations Hall of Fame
* Vice President of the Washington, DC chapter of Sigma Delta Chi (society of professional journalists)
Later Years:
* Retired from the Washington Bureau of the New York Times in 1986
* She became interested in writing books, mainly about politics
* She died April 11, 2001 from acute leukemia
Biographical Sources:
Mss.Coll.#001-2:5; 6:12; 6:14; 6:15
The New York Times (via ProQuest Historical Newspapers database) April 11, 2001, pg. B7
Extent
1.25 Linear Feet (3 archival boxes, one of which is oversized and contains two plaques.)
Language of Materials
English
Abstract
This collection is arranged alphabetically by type of material into nine series, then chronologically within each series, where applicable. The series are Books; Correspondence; Literary Productions; Maps; Photographs; Printed Material; Prints and Drawings; Realia; Scrapbook. Primarily, the collection contains materials documenting Marjorie Hunter's time as a student at Elon College in the late 1930's, early 1940's as well as her career as a journalist/reporter for the Washington Bureau of the New York Times. The information is documented through correspondences, interview transcripts, newspaper articles, and pages from Hunter's personal scrapbooks. Not only does this collection shed light into the world of one of the greatest female journalists/reporters, but also provides unique primary sources relating to media coverage and United States history.
Arrangement
The collection is arranged alphabetically by type of material into nine series, then chronologically within each series, where applicable. The series are Books; Correspondence; Literary Productions; Maps; Photographs; Printed Material; Prints and Drawings; Realia; Scrapbook.
Physical Location
The collection is located in Belk Library Archives Satellite Shelving at Elon University. Please contact the Archivist and Special Collections Librarian for further details about the location.
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Gift of Marjorie Hunter's Last Will and Testament, 2001. Please refer to the Correspondence Legal file for more information.
Accession Number
#2005.01.1
Processing Information
Processed by Katie Nash, February, 2006
Subject
- Johnson, Lyndon B. 1908-1973. (Person)
- Nixon, Richard M. 1913-1994. (Person)
- Ford, Gerald R., 1913-2006 (Person)
- Elon College--History. (Organization)
- Elon College--Students. (Organization)
- Author
- Encoded by Katie Nash, January, 2008
- Description rules
- Describing Archives: A Content Standard
- Language of description
- Undetermined
- Script of description
- Code for undetermined script
Repository Details
Part of the Belk Library Archives & Special Collections Repository
