Posted in Tar Heelia, tagged anthony foxx, charlotte nc mayors, federal communications commission, frank mcninch, mae west, orson welles, radio censorship, war of the worlds on May 2, 2013 | Leave a Comment »
Transportation Secretary nominee Anthony Foxx isn’t the first former Charlotte mayor to be tapped for a high-profile federal job. That was Frank McNinch, who as chairman of FDR’s Federal Communications Commission (1937-39) dealt with controversial figures ranging from Orson Welles to Mae West. About Welles’ “War of the Worlds” McNinch lamented that “any broadcast that [...]
Posted in Tar Heelia, tagged children of carolina, Ethel Theodora Rockwell, Kristina DuRocher, raising racists, unc extension bulletin on April 22, 2013 | 1 Comment »
“The University of North Carolina Extension Bulletin in 1925 published a booklet of historical pageants for youths, ‘Children of Old Carolina,’ by Ethel Theodora Rockwell. … Any elementary school in North Carolina was obliged to send $10 for each performance [it staged], while those outside North Carolina had to pay $25. “The cast of ‘Children [...]
Posted in From the Stacks, Just A Bite, Memorabilia Moment, Tar Heelia, Tar Talk on April 18, 2013 | Leave a Comment »
The North Carolina Collection Gallery proudly announces the launch of Carolina Keepsakes, a digital collection of some of the Gallery’s most interesting and significant items. As the main photographer for this project, one of my favorite items is the shaving kit of David L. Swain, president of UNC and former governor of North Carolina. This [...]
Posted in Artifact of the Month, History, Memorabilia Moment, Tar Heelia, Tar Talk on April 17, 2013 | 1 Comment »
For decades, patriotic souvenir hunters have chipped away at Plymouth Rock and cut fragments from White House curtains. Less exuberant collectors satisfy themselves with the mass-produced trinkets available at historic sites. In a recent article on Smithsonian.com, curator Larry Bird attributes this behavior to our desire to “touch” the past by owning a piece of [...]
Posted in Recipes, Tar Heelia on April 12, 2013 | Leave a Comment »
Happy National Grilled Cheese Day! It’s not too late celebrate. Grab your favorite cheese and bread, put some butter in a pan, and get to celebrating. Happiness is a Hot Cheese-Tomato Sandwich from A Taste of the old and the new. Cognac Ham Sandwiches from What’s left is right : what to do with leftovers [...]
Posted in From the Stacks, History, Tar Heelia, Tar Talk, UNC History on April 12, 2013 | Leave a Comment »
The expected naming of Carol Folt as the next chancellor of UNC-Chapel Hill will mark the first time in the university’s 224-year history that a woman has held the top post. But Folt follows on the heels (pardon the pun) of several other women who have held significant positions with the University. Katherine “Kitty” Carmichael, [...]
Posted in Tar Heelia on March 25, 2013 | 12 Comments »
Yesterday’s New York Times had a story about a Texas magazine that recently hired a Barbecue Editor. It’s an interesting piece, but one does get the impression from reading it that the Texans invented the job and that nobody had ever thought to do it before them. The Times article says that the position “exists [...]
Posted in Tar Heelia, tagged elizabeth city independent, h.l. mencken, outhouses, pajamas, w. o. saunders on March 24, 2013 | Leave a Comment »
“If the South had 40 editors like W. O. Saunders, ” H. L. Mencken wrote, “it could be rid of most of its problems in five years.” Saunders put out the weekly Elizabeth City Independent from 1908 until 1937. He exposed corruption and bigotry with great courage, but he attracted more attention with his rambunctious [...]
Posted in Tar Heelia on March 22, 2013 | Leave a Comment »
Several new titles just added to “New in the North Carolina Collection.” To see the full list simply click on the link in the entry or click on the “New in the North Carolina Collection” tab at the top of the page. As always, full citations for all the new titles can be found in [...]
