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Collection Number: 04441

Collection Title: James Alexander Gray Papers (1889-1952), 1916-1991

This is a finding aid. It is a description of archival material held in the Wilson Library at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Unless otherwise noted, the materials described below are physically available in our reading room, and not digitally available through the World Wide Web. See the Duplication Policy section for more information.


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Size 1.5 feet of linear shelf space (approximately 500 items)
Abstract James Alexander Gray (1889-1952), was a white businessman and philanthropist of Winston-Salem, N.C. After graduating from the University of North Carolina in 1908, he served in various capacities with the Wachovia National Bank and R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Company, eventually becoming a high-level executive. He was also a member of the North Carolina Senate for two terms, 1917-1920. The collection contains correspondence, photographs, speeches, scrapbooks, family history writings, and printed items relating to James Alexander Gray. Many items concern the endowment fund Gray established for the benefit of eleven North Carolina colleges and universities, but there are also materials relating to Gray's professional and legislative activities and to the Gray family, including some about R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Company president and chair Bowman Gray.
Creator Gray, James Alexander, 1889-1952.
Curatorial Unit University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Library. Southern Historical Collection.
Language English
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Restrictions to Access
No restrictions. Open for research.
Copyright Notice
Copyright is retained by the authors of items in these papers, or their descendants, as stipulated by United States copyright law.
Preferred Citation
[Identification of item], in the James Alexander Gray Papers (1889-1952) #4441, Southern Historical Collection, The Wilson Library, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
Acquisitions Information
Received from the Gray family of Winston-Salem, N.C., in March 1986 (Acc. 86044); from James A. Gray III in January 2019 (Acc. 103540) and July 2019 (Acc. 103653).
Sensitive Materials Statement
Manuscript collections and archival records may contain materials with sensitive or confidential information that is protected under federal or state right to privacy laws and regulations, the North Carolina Public Records Act (N.C.G.S. § 132 1 et seq.), and Article 7 of the North Carolina State Personnel Act (Privacy of State Employee Personnel Records, N.C.G.S. § 126-22 et seq.). Researchers are advised that the disclosure of certain information pertaining to identifiable living individuals represented in this collection without the consent of those individuals may have legal ramifications (e.g., a cause of action under common law for invasion of privacy may arise if facts concerning an individual's private life are published that would be deemed highly offensive to a reasonable person) for which the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill assumes no responsibility.
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Processed by: SHC Staff

Encoded by: Benjamin Bromley, December 2008

Revisions by: Nancy Kaiser, February and August 2019

Since August 2017, we have added ethnic and racial identities for individuals and families represented in collections. To determine identity, we rely on self-identification; other information supplied to the repository by collection creators or sources; public records, press accounts, and secondary sources; and contextual information in the collection materials. Omissions of ethnic and racial identities in finding aids created or updated after August 2017 are an indication of insufficient information to make an educated guess or an individual's preference for identity information to be excluded from description. When we have misidentified, please let us know at wilsonlibrary@unc.edu.

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The following terms from Library of Congress Subject Headings suggest topics, persons, geography, etc. interspersed through the entire collection; the terms do not usually represent discrete and easily identifiable portions of the collection--such as folders or items.

Clicking on a subject heading below will take you into the University Library's online catalog.

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expand/collapse Expand/collapse Biographical Information

James Alexander Gray (1889-1952) was a white businessman and philanthropist of Winston-Salem, N.C. After graduating from the University of North Carolina in 1908, he served in various capacities with Wachovia National Bank and R. J. Reynolds Tobacco Company, eventually becoming a high-level executive. He was also a member of the North Carolina Senate for two terms, 1917-1920.

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expand/collapse Expand/collapse Scope and Content

The collection contains correspondence, photographs, speeches, scrapbooks, family history writings, and printed items relating to James Alexander Gray. Many items concern the endowment fund Gray established for the benefit of eleven North Carolina colleges and universities, but there are also materials relating to Gray's professional and legislative activities and to the Gray family, including some about R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Company president and chair Bowman Gray. One of the scrapbooks documents Gray family history, as well as life in and around Winston-Salem, N.C. during the early 20th century, restoration of Old Salem, the University of North Carolina, and formerly enslaved persons living in and around Winston-Salem.

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Contents list

expand/collapse Expand/collapse Papers, 1916-1991.

About 500 items.

Folder 1A

Original finding aid

Folder 1-2

Folder 1

Folder 2

Wake Forest Medical School

Photographs, correspondence, and documents relating to the opening of the Bowman Gray Medical School and the James A. Gray Memorial Building at Wake Forest University.

Folder 3-4

Folder 3

Folder 4

North Carolina State Senate

Speeches and other materials related to James Alexander Gray's service in the North Carolina State Senate, 1917-1920.

Folder 5-6

Folder 5

Folder 6

Honors

Honors given to James Alexander Gray, primarily during his terms on the boards of R. J. Reynolds and Wachovia National Bank.

Folder 7-10

Folder 7

Folder 8

Folder 9

Folder 10

Endowment gifts

Letters, newspaper clippings, and other materials about the endowment gifts James Alexander Gray gave to eleven North Carolina colleges and universities.

Folder 11-13

Folder 11

Folder 12

Folder 13

Gray family

Information regarding the Gray family, including family history and specific information about Bowman Gray.

Folder 14

Roaring Gap Baby Hospital

Letter and clippings about James Alexander Gray's gift to the Roaring Gap Baby Hospital.

Folder 15

Booklets

Two booklets, one in memory of James Alexander Gray, and one about his endowment of Bible lectures at the University of North Carolina.

Folder 16-18

Folder 16

Folder 17

Folder 18

James Alexander Gray funeral

Letters and clippings about James Alexander Gray's death, funeral, and legacy.

Folder 19-20

Folder 19

Folder 20

Tributes

Tributes to James Alexander Gray, mostly in newspapers and magazines.

Folder 21

Varsity letter

James Alexander Gray's varsity letter from his time as manager of the 1908 University of North Carolina football team.

Folder 22

Assorted newspaper clippings about James Alexander Gray

Folder 23

Family history

Acquisitions Information: Accession 103653

Includes written memories of James A. and Pauline B. Gray by their children, 1991; "Notes concerning James A. Gray Sr., his children, and grandchildren (mainly as recollected by James A. Gray and given to his son, Howard), 1950; and a copy photograph of the sons of Robert Gray and his wife, Mary Millis Wiley.

Image Folder P-4441/1

Photographs of James Alexander Gray and his family

Oversize Image Folder OP-P-4441/1

James Alexander Gray photographs

Photographs of James Alexander Gray, both as a youth and during his time in the North Carolina senate.

Oversize Volume SV-4441/1

Scrapbook containing newspaper clippings about James Alexander Gray's death and legacy

Oversize Volume SV-4441/2

Scrapbook, 1930s-1940s

Acquisitions Information: Accession 103540

Clippings with some original papers and photographs, covering Gray family history, life in and around Winston-Salem, N.C. during the early 20th century, restoration of Old Salem, and some material about the University of North Carolina. Also included are some clippings about formerly enslaved persons living in and around Winston-Salem.

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