Inventory of the Guion Griffis Johnson Papers, 1873-1987

Collection Number 4546

unc seal
Manuscripts Department, University Library of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Collection Information
block Descriptive Summary
block Administrative Information
block Online Catalog Headings
block Biographical Note
block Collection Overview
plus Detailed Description of the Collection
block Items Separated
block Related Collections
Contact Information:
Manuscripts Department
CB#3926, Wilson Library
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Chapel Hill, NC 27514-8890
Phone: 919/962-1345
Fax: 919/962-3594
Email: mss@email.unc.edu
URL: http://www.lib.unc.edu/mss/
Back to Top

Descriptive Summary

Repository
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Library. Southern Historical Collection.
Creator
Johnson, Guion Griffis, 1900- .
Title
Guion Griffis Johnson Papers, 1873-1987
Call Number
4546
Language of Materials
Materials in English
Extent
Items: About 32,600
Linear Feet: 70.5
Abstract
Guion Griffis Johnson of Chapel Hill, N.C., was a professor, author, scholar, journalist, women's advocate, and general civic leader. Johnson held a Ph.D. in sociology from the University of North Carolina. She published three books: A Social History of the Sea Islands (1930), Antebellum North Carolina (1937), and Volunteers in Community Service (1967). Her husband was Guy Johnson, professor of sociology at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. In the 1920s and 1930s, Johnson and her husband worked together at the Institute for Research in Social Science at University of North Carolina.
Correspondence, writings, subject files, and other materials relating to Johnson's professional and family life. Topics of primary interest include civil rights, race relations, volunteerism, women's equality, education, school desegregation, poverty, international cooperation, and general public welfare. The bulk of the materials relate to Johnson's work with numerous women's, church, fraternal, and public service organizations at both the local and national levels. Among Johnson's more important organizational affiliations were the American Association of University Women, Chi Omega Fraternity for Women, the North Carolina Council of Women's Organizations, the North Carolina Federation of Women's Clubs, the North Carolina Council for World Affairs, the Methodist Church, and United Church Women (Church Women United). There is also a large collection of Johnson's writings, including material from her books and copies of speeches from her many speaking engagements. Also included are a small number of items relating to her student and teaching careers at the University of North Carolina and elsewhere; family correspondence; and a few family documents, including photographs and genealogical materials relating to the Johnson and the Griffis families, chiefly relating to North Carolina and Texas.

Back to Top

Administrative Information

Restrictions to Access
This collection has restrictions to access. Please see details below or contact the Manuscripts Department for more information.
Usage Restrictions
Use of audio or video materials may require production of listening or viewing copies.
Acquisitions Information
Received from Guy Benton Johnson in February 1990 (Acc. 90024).
Processing Information
Processed by: Michael Darren Ullman and Thomas Kevin B. Cherry, June 1995
Encoded by: Eben Lehman, May 2006
This collection was processed with support, in part, from the National Endowment for the Humanities, Division of Preservation and Access.
Preferred Citation
[Identification of item], in the Guion Griffis Johnson Papers #4546, Southern Historical Collection, The Wilson Library, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
Copyright Notice
Copyright is retained by the authors of items in these papers, or their descendants, as stipulated by United States copyright law.
Back to Top

Online Catalog Headings

These and related materials may be found under the following headings in online catalogs.

American Association of University Women.
Chi Omega Fraternity for Women. Epsilon Beta Chapter (University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill).
Church Women United.
Civil rights--United States--History--20th century.
Family--North Carolina--Social life and customs--20th century.
Griffis family.
International relations--Societies, etc.
Johnson family.
Johnson, Guion Griffis, 1900- .
Johnson, Guy Benton, 1901- .
Methodist Church--North Carolina--History--20th century.
North Carolina Council for World Affairs.
North Carolina Council of Women's Organizations.
North Carolina Federation of Women's Clubs.
North Carolina--History--1775-1865.
Race relations--United States--History--20th century.
School integration--United States--History.
Sea Islands--Social conditions.
United Church Women.
Volunteerism--History--20th century.
Women--Societies and clubs--History--20th century.
Women--United States--Social conditions--20th century.
Women historians--North Carolina--History--20th century.
Women in church work--North Carolina--History--20th century.
Women, Methodist--United States--History--20th century.
Women social reformers--North Carolina--History--20th century.
Women social scientists--North Carolina--History--20th century.
Women's rights--United States--History--20th century.
Back to Top

Related Collections

Guy Benton Johnson Papers (#3826)
Human Betterment League Records (#4519)
Penn School Papers (#3615)
Back to Top

Biographical Note

Guion Griffis Johnson was the second of John William and Elizabeth Stephens Griffis' five children. Born in Wolfe City, Tex., her parents moved to Greenville, Tex., when she was eleven. After graduating from Greenville High School, Johnson attended Burleson College for two years, then received her A.B. from Mary Hardin-Baylor College, where she later served as head of the Department of Journalism. Johnson also earned a bachelor's degree in journalism from the University of Missouri (1923) and a Ph.D. in history and sociology from the University of North Carolina (1927). On 3 September 1923, she married Guy Benton Johnson. They had two sons: Guy Benton, Jr. (Benny), born 19 August 1928, and Edward, born 1 March 1933.

Beginning in 1924, the Johnsons worked at the Institute for Research in Social Science at the University of North Carolina, where Guy also served as professor in the Department of Sociology. For the most part, Johnson spent most of her academic career researching historical and current problems of the poor and disadvantaged. After completing her dissertation, Johnson studied the African American population on St. Helena Island, S.C., as a staff member for the National Research Council Study of the Negroes of St. Helena Island. In 1930, she published her first book, A Social History of the Sea Islands of South Carolina and Georgia, which was based on this research. Her later research on North Carolina history resulted in Antebellum North Carolina: A Social History in 1937. During 1939-1940, Johnson participated in the Carnegie-Myrdal Study of the Negro in America.

During World War II, Johnson took an active role in the civic life of Chapel Hill. As a volunteer, she was head of the Community Service Committee of the Chapel Hill Rationing Board, information executive for the Chapel Hill Office of Civilian Defense, and collector of war records for Orange County, N.C.

For three years, Johnson lived in Atlanta, Ga., where she was heavily involved in church work. Upon returning to Chapel Hill in 1947, she began an intense period of work with women's organizations. During this time, she founded the North Carolina Council of Women's Organization, while also serving on the boards of the American Association of University Women, the North Carolina Federation of Women's Clubs, the North Carolina Council on World Affairs, and Church Women United, and working with other organizations at both the local and national level. Her chief motivation in this work at the organizational level was to promote greater effectiveness through better organization, while at the individual level she sought to increase the leadership skills of women and the social consciousness of all citizens.

The Johnsons were frequent visitors to Africa, touring and working in Liberia, Nigeria, Zaire, Morocco, and South Africa, where Johnson lectured at Rhodes University in 1960. Johnson's trips to Africa permitted her to continue her academic research and promote her educational goals, and also be involved in Christian missionary work. Her missionary work also took her to Japan, Hong Kong, Thailand, Saudi Arabia and Pakistan.

Johnson published her third book, Volunteers in Community Service, funded by the North Carolina Fund, in 1967. She also collaborated with Guy on a history of the Institute for Research on the Social Sciences (1980).

Johnson was progressive politically, acting as a strong proponent of school desegregation, social welfare programs, and women's equality. She was also an advocate of greater concern for and involvement in world affairs and supported the effort to build a strong United Nations.

In her later years, Johnson continued to serve on advisory boards and gave many lectures in North Carolina. She was also honored with many lifetime achievement awards, including the University of North Carolina's Distinguished Alumnus Award and the Chi Omega Distinguished Service Award for Women. Johnson died at her home in Chapel Hill on 12 June 1989.

Found among Johnson's papers was a poem, author unknown, sent to her in 1951 by Louise Ballard:

     On Monday she lunched with the Housing Committee,
     With statistics and stew she was filled;
     Then she dashed to a tea on the "Crime in Our City"
     and dined with the Church Ladies Guild.
     On Tuesday she went to the Babies' Week Lunch
     And a tea on Good Citizenship.
     At a dinner she spoke on the Trade Union bunch;
     There wasn't a date she dared skip.
     On Wednesday she managed two annual dinners,
     One at noon and the other at night;
     On Thursday a luncheon on "Bootlegging Sinners,"
     And a dinner on "War, Is it Right?"
     "World Problems We Face" was the Friday noon date
     And a luncheon address as you guessed.
     The she wielded a fork while a man from New York
     Spoke at a dinner on "Social Unrest."
     On Saturday noon she fell in a swoon,
     Missed a speech on the "Youth of the Land."
     Poor thing, she was through, for she never came to,
     But died with a spoon in her hand.

An outline of Johnson's activities appears below. See the Series 11 description for a listing of her writings.

1917-1919 Burleson College
1921 A.B., Mary Hardin-Baylor College
1923 B.J., University of Missouri
1921-1924 Head, Journalism Department, Mary Hardin-Baylor College
1924-1927 Research Assistant, Institute for Research in Social Sciences, University of North Carolina
1927 Ph.D., University of North Carolina
1927-1934 Research Associate, IRSS
1928-1929 Staff member, National Research Council Study of the Negroes of Saint Helena Island, S.C.
1934-1939 Research in North Carolina history
1939-1940 Research staff, Carnegie-Myrdal study of the Negro in America
1937, 1948-1949 Field research among Lumbee Indians, Robeson County, N.C.
1943-1944 Lecturer, Naval V-12 program, University of North Carolina
1945-1947 Executive Secretary, Georgia Conference on Social Welfare
1947-1959 Community organization consultant
1960 Lecturer, Rhodes University, Grahamstown, South Africa
1967-1968 Research director, North Carolina Council of Women's Organizations
1975-1977 Research and writing of history of IRSS in collaboration with Guy B. Johnson

Among the professional, civic, and other organizations to which she belonged were:

North Carolina Literary and Historical Association (vice-president, 1947-1949)
Historical Society of North Carolina (vice-president, 1962-1964)
Southern Historical Association
Southern Sociological Society
American Association of University Women, North Carolina Division (vice-president, 1950-1954; National Committee, 1954-1959)
Chapel Hill PTA (president, 1937-1938; district PTA officer, 1938-1939)
Panhellenic Council, University of North Carolina (advisor, 1938-1939, 1940-1944, 1947-1953)
University YWCA, University of North Carolina (board, 1939-1944)
Chapel Hill War Price and Rationing Board (Community Service Committee chair, 1942-1944)
Orange County Office of Civil Defense (public relations officer, 1942-1944)
Collector of war records for Orange County, 1942-1944
Advisory Committee on Sororities, University of North Carolina, 1947
National Public Relations Council for Health and Welfare Services (board, 1945-1949; chair, 1947-1949)
Chapel Hill Community Council (board, 1947-1948)
Chapel Hill Community Club (board, 1947-1949)
North Carolina Family Life Council (board, 1948-1951)
North Carolina Federation of Women's Clubs (NCFWC) (board, beginning in 1948; first vice-president, 1950-1952)
Chapel Hill Council of Churches (president, 1950)
North Carolina Council on World Affairs (board, 1950-1968; president, 1959)
Church Women United, North Carolina Department (board, 1955-1971)
North Carolina Council of Women's Organizations (NCCWO) (president, 1957-1961; board, beginning in 1957)
Women's Advisory Council for Federal Civil Defense, 1956-1959
Chi Omega Foundation, Epsilon Beta (president, 1952-1960, 1962-1970; board, beginning in 1952)
North Carolina Women's Scholarship Fund (president, 1957-1961; board, beginning in 1957)
North Carolina State Film Board, 1962-1964
North Carolina Commission on the Status of Women, 1963-1964
International Cooperation Year, 1964
Human Betterment League of North Carolina (board, beginning in 1962; president, 1966-1967)
Penn Community Services, Frogmore, S.C. (Program Review Committee, 1965-1974)
North Carolina Society for the Prevention of Blindness (Program Committee chair, 1968-1975; board, 1968-1979)
North Carolina State Commission on the Study of the Public School System, 1967-1968
North Carolina Commission on Comprehensive Health Planning, 1968-1969
State Youth Advisory Board, 1970-1976
Alpha Kappa Delta
Chi Omega
Delta Kappa Gamma
Order of the Valkyries
Phi Beta Kappa
Theta Sigma Phi
Back to Top

Collection Overview

Correspondence, writings, subject files, and other materials relating to Guion Griffis Johnson's professional and family life. Topics of primary interest include civil rights, race relations, volunteerism, women's equality, education, school desegregation, poverty, international cooperation, and general public welfare. The bulk of the materials relate to Guion Griffis Johnson's work with numerous women's, church, fraternal, and public service organizations at both the local and national levels. Among Guion Griffis Johnson's more important organizational affiliations were the American Association of University Women, Chi Omega Fraternity for Women, the North Carolina Council of Women's Organizations, the North Carolina Federation of Women's Clubs, the North Carolina Council for World Affairs, the Methodist Church, and United Church Women (Church Women United). There is also a large collection of Guion Griffis Johnson's writings, including material from her books and copies of speeches from her many speaking engagements. Also included are a small number of items relating to her student and teaching careers at the University of North Carolina and elsewhere; family correspondence; and a few family documents, including photographs and genealogical materials relating to the Johnson and the Griffis families, chiefly relating to North Carolina and Texas.

Back to Top

Arrangement of Collection

1. Correspondence and Related Materials
1.1. General Correspondence
1.2. Family Correspondence
2. American Association of University Women
3. Chi Omega Fraternity for Women
3.1. General Chi Omega Materials
3.2. Epsilon Beta Foundation of Chi Omega
3.3. North Carolina Women's Scholarship Fund of Chi Omega
3.4. Chi Omega Distinguished Service Award for Women
4. Government Boards and Commissions
4.1. War Price and Rationing Board
4.2. National Women's Advisory Committee on Civil Defense
4.3. Comprehensive Health Planning Task Force
4.4. Governor's Commission on the Status of Women
4.5. Governor's Study Commission on the Public School System of North Carolina
4.6. International Cooperation Year
4.7. North Carolina Conference on Aging
4.8. North Carolina Film Board
4.9. Youth Advisory Board
4.10. Youth Advisory Council
5. World Affairs Organizations
5.1. American Association for the United Nations
5.2. North Carolina Council for World Affairs
5.3. Other Organizations
6. North Carolina Council of Women's Organizations
6.1. Correspondence
6.2. Office and Organization Materials
6.3. Committees
6.4. Resource Information
6.5. Events
6.6. Volunteer Programs
7. North Carolina Federation of Women's Clubs
7.1. Correspondence
7.2. International Relations Department
7.3. Office and Organization Materials
8. Church Related Material
8.1. United Church Women
8.2. North Carolina Council of Churches
8.3. The Methodist Church
8.4. Related materials
9. Other Organizations
9.1. Georgia Conference on Social Welfare
9.2. Penn Community Services
9.3. Human Betterment League
9.4. National Publicity Council for Health and Welfare
9.5. National Social Welfare Assembly
9.6. North Carolina Society for the Prevention of Blindness
9.7. North Carolina Adult Education Committee
9.8. YWCA
9.9. North Carolina Family Life Council
9.10. Historical Society of North Carolina
9.11. North Carolina Society of County and Local Historians
9.12. North Carolina Literary and Historical Society
9.13. Federation of North Carolina Historical Societies
9.14. Chapel Hill Community Council
9.15. Chapel Hill Council of Women's Organizations
9.16. League of Women Voters
9.17. Miscellaneous Organizations
10. Greek Life
10.1. Social Organizations
10.2. Honor Societies
11. Writings
11.1. Writings by Johnson
11.2. "Antebellum North Carolina" Research Notes
11.3. Writings by Others
12. Speeches
12.1. General File
12.2. Speeches by Johnson
12.3. Swansboro Lecture
12.4. Speeches by Others
13. Subject Files
14. Class Materials
14.1. Graduate Work
14.2. Teaching Assignments
15. Family, Personal, and Biographical Materials
16. Newspaper Clippings
17. Photographs
Back to Top

Items Separated

Oversize papers (OP-4546/1: blueprints of Johnson house (6); OP-4546/2: high school and college diplomas)
Photographs (P-4546/Folders 1-7)
Oversize photograph (OP-P-4546/1)
Audiotape (T-4546/1
Videotape (VT-4546/1)
Back to Top

Detailed Description of the Collection

1. Correspondence and Related Materials, 1879-1895, 1918-1987.

About 7,600 items.
Family correspondence that pre-dates Johnson's birth can be found in Subseries 1.2.; correspondence with Benny Johnson during his years at Harvard, 1948-1950, is filed in Subseries 1.3.
Back to Top
1.1. General Correspondence, 1918-1987.
About 7,500 items.
Arrangement: chronological.
Letters from family members, including a long series of letters from Johnson's mother to Johnson with family news; invitations asking Johnson to attend events, some with copies of her replies; letters from women leaders of various organizations containing information about more than one group or that relate chiefly to personal affairs; and letters from Guy Benton Johnson, daughter-in-law Mimi, and son Guy Benton Johnson, Jr. (Benny), with family and Chapel Hill news.
Invitations to speak and information about conferences and groups in which Guion Johnson had only a passing interest make up the bulk of these materials. The volume increases significantly in 1948 and explodes in the 1950s when Johnson assumed state-wide positions in both AAUW and NCFWC. During this time, Johnson appears to have spoken primarily on citizenship, world affairs, the United Nations, leadership training, and the strengthening of club programs.
General correspondence begins in 1918 with a series of letters written by Marvin B. Pierce, Johnson's high school friend, who was in Naval school at Harvard. These letters detail news of mutual friends, happenings in wartime Cambridge, and Pierce's battle with influenza. Also dated 1918 is a letter from Guy Johnson, explaining why he could not take Guion to a dance, which begins a series of love letters that follow through the next few years, culminating in the couple's marriage in 1923. A good number of these letters are detail happenings at the train station and mail office where Guy worked one summer.
In 1922, Johnson began her training at the University of Missouri's School of Journalism. Some correspondence between 1923 and 1926 details her creation of the School of Journalism at Mary Hardin-Baylor College, the Texas High School Press Association, and the Texas Intercollegiate Press Association. Between 1923 and 1933, there are a series of letters from Pritchett "Pat" Harrison, a former teacher of Johnson's, telling of her continuing life struggles. There are also a few letters during the early 1920s relating to Johnson's research on the National Women's Party; of special note are letters from Gaeta Wold Boyer (28 October 1924) and Ruby A. Black (10 December 1924), editor of The Matrix.
In 1926-1927, there are a few letters from Guy regarding his field research, doctoral work, and the Institute for Research in Social Science. In 1936, there are also reports of Guy's field research in Nashville, Birmingham, and Montgomery. In 1939, he reported from New York on his work with Gunnar Myrdal, and, in 1943-1944, there are some letters from Guy regarding his first days with the Southern Regional Council.
Letters of interest from about Chapel Hill include the following: Julia Cherry Spruill on Thomas Wolfe's visit (27 January 1937); Howard K. Beale on University of North Carolina History Department gossip at his expense (14 July 1942); Benny Johnson on the "filming" of Thomas Wolfe's life in Chapel Hill (23 Oct 1944); Benny on Allard Lowenstein's University of North Carolina political career (12 April 1949; 3 May 1949).
In 1946, Benny spent the summer travelling through South Carolina and visiting black and white churches with a Methodist youth caravan. He reported his activities to his parents in a series of letters. In other church-related matters, Johnson took over the teaching of one of the largest Sunday School classes in the South when she began teaching the Alonzo Richardson Sunday School Class at St. Mark's Methodist Church in Atlanta in 1946. When she left Atlanta to return to Chapel Hill, "Mama Kate" Hall and Beulah E. Phillips, two of the women in this class continued to write to her. Their letters continue through the mid-1950s and primarily recount their church activities.
Beginning in 1947, there are letter from Benny at Harvard, where he was pursuing a doctorate in sociology. These letters contain information about his classes, research, and social life. Letters relating to Benny, 1948-1950, are chiefly to him from his parents and relate to their work, speaking schedules, and brother Edward's scouting news. There are also letters from Benny's future wife Mimi and college friend Allard Lowenstein. Letters frequently mention the 1950 Frank Porter Graham United States Senate race. Of particular interest are letters from Lowenstein about Chapel Hill news and the Senate race (5 October 1949; 19 October 1949; 6 February 1950).
Alicia Blue (later Wise) began writing to Johnson in 1949 when Johnson started teaching and performing research in Pembroke, N.C., among the Lumbee Indians. Alicia Blue was a teenager and wrote about local happenings in her family and in the Lumbee community. These letters are sporadic, but continue throughout the 1950s.
In 1950, there is correspondence about Frank Porter Graham's United States Senate race and the organization of women who supported him. There are also letters concerning the 1954 Kerr Scott campaign for the United States Senate, for which Terry Sanford was campaign manager. In the following year, there are letters from Ruth Elgin Suddeth who was writing a historical drama for Georgia's Jekyll Island. In 1952, there is a letter accompanying Frances Doak's reminiscences of Hope Summerell Chamberlain.
In 1952-1954, Benny wrote letters recounting his problems with the draft board, his attempts to receive a military commission, and his experiences at boot camp.
Folder 1
1918
Folder 2
1919
Folder 3-4
1918-1920
Folder 5
1921
Folder 6
1922-1923
Folder 7-8
1924
Folder 9
1925
Folder 10-11
1926
Folder 12
1927
Folder 13
1928-1929
Folder 14
1920s undated
Folder 15
1930-1933
Folder 16
1934-1936
Folder 17
1937-1939
Folder 18
1940
Folder 19
1941
Folder 20
1942-1943
Folder 21-22
1944
Folder 23
1945
Folder 24-25
1946
Folder 26-30
1947
Folder 31-35
1948
Folder 36-40
1949
Folder 41-45
1950
Folder 46-50
1951
Folder 51-60
1952
Folder 61-67
1953
Folder 68-72
1954
Folder 73-76
1955
Folder 77-78
1956
Folder 79-84
1957
Folder 85-87
1958
Folder 88-94
1959
Folder 95
1950s undated
Folder 96
1960
Folder 97-98
1961
Folder 99-101
1962
Folder 102-105
1963
Folder 106-109
1964
Folder 110-113
1965
Folder 114-116
1966
Folder 117-119
1967
Folder 120-123
1968
Folder 124-127
1969
Folder 128
1960s undated
Folder 129-131
1970
Folder 132-135
1971
Folder 136
1972
Folder 137-139
1973
Folder 140-143
1974
Folder 144-148
1975
Folder 149-159
1976
Folder 151-152
1977
Folder 153-154
1978
Folder 155-157
1979
Folder 158
1970s undated
Folder 159-161
1980
Folder 162-164
1981
Folder 165-166
1982
Folder 167-168
1983
Folder 169-170
1984
Folder 171-172
1985
Folder 173
1986-1987
Folder 174
1980s undated
Folder 175-181
Undated
Back to Top
1.2. Family Correspondence, 1879-1895.
21 items.
Arrangement: chronological.
Letters written to Wilson Shannon Griffis, Guion Griffis Johnson's grandfather, that were given to Johnson by her father, John Griffis, in 1954. These letters were written by Shannon Griffis's brother, cousins, and aunt from Stockton, Cal., Dowagiac, Mich., and locations in Iowa. They recount family news, deaths and illness, and discuss politics and weather. Subjects include farming opportunities in Kansas (17 January 1879), health springs (9 May 1881?), Chinese laborers as domestics (13 May 1881), trusts and monopolies (27 January 1888), and prohibition in Michigan (2 April 1888).
Folder 182
1879
Folder 183
1881
Folder 184
1882
Folder 185
1887
Folder 186
1888
Folder 187
1893
Folder 188
1895
Folder 189
Undated

Back to Top

2. American Association of University Women, 1946-1980.

About 1,500 items.
Arrangement: chronological.
Newsletters, constitutions, bylaws, convention programs (state, regional and, national), proceedings of conferences, publications (handbooks, membership rules, lists of accredited institutions) and minutes (Chapel Hill branch, state division executive committee, national Social Studies Committee, and North Carolina Literary and Historical Association Awards Committee relating to the AAUW's Juvenile Literature Award). Many materials concern Johnson's work on local and national Social Studies Committees (note that the national body changed its name to the Committee on Social and Economic Issues in 1957).
Materials begin with Johnson's becoming the chair of the Social Studies Committee of the Atlanta Branch of the AAUW in 1946. Under her guidance, the branch led a study of juvenile delinquency as well as holding informational meetings on mental illness. A few items dealing with each issue are present. Back in North Carolina in 1949, Johnson became chair of the local branch Membership Committee and led the branch Social Studies Committee in studying problems associated with aging. There are a few items in the collection relating to these activities.
There is much correspondence about Johnson's role as vice-president of the North Carolina state division and as state membership chair, focusing especially on the creation of the Salisbury and Cullowhee branches. Some items, 1950-1951, relate to the AAUW's support for the creation of a world government, a movement against which the Daughters of the American Revolution protested strongly.
Documents show that, in 1951, Johnson led an effort as chair of the state division's Program Coordinating Committee to avoid overlapping programs and minimize conflicts in scheduling among the state's women's groups. As a result, the North Carolina Council of Women's Organizations (NCCWO) was founded. There are a few letters and some minutes related to the birth of this group. (For more information on the NCCWO, see Series 6).
Materials also document an AAUW adult education program on international relations and world understanding that was established in 1952. In the same year, the Leadership Training Workshop was instituted, under the joint auspices of the NCCWO, aimed at introducing women leaders to better program planning, membership drives, and other organizational issues. Also documented in 1952 are awards that the AAUW created for local North Carolina historians and North Carolina juvenile literature writers. Johnson served as chair of the Juvenile Literature Award Committee; the award was presented during "culture week," sponsored by the North Carolina Literary and Historical Association.
Other issues dealt with on the state division level include kindergartens in the public schools (1954), a woman chancellor at the North Carolina Woman's College (1956), the appointment of a woman to the State Board of Education (1955), United Nations Day Observance (1954), and the AAUW's joining the State Legislative Council and North Carolina Traffic Safety Council. There are also materials showing that Johnson was offered and declined the state AAUW presidency in 1955.
In 1955, Johnson joined the national Social Studies Committee. After this time, most of the AAUW material is related to issues dealt with by this committee: regional reactions to the Supreme Court, mental health, individual liberties, changing social relationships (integration), and problems of automation. Included are circular letters, informational packets, and minutes and agendas of meetings at which these topics were discussed.
On the national level, the Social Studies Committee changed its name to the Committee on Social and Economic Issues in 1957. In 1959, Johnson left the Committee. After that, although she maintained her membership in the AAUW, she was never as active in the organization as she had previously been.
Principal AAUW correspondents include North Carolina state division presidents Lucie Humber, Leontine Plonk, and Leslie Syron; state executive committee members Juanita Henry, Roma Cheek, Mary Shotwell, and Lucille Clasz; national chair of the Social Studies Committee Janet MacDonald; and national social studies associate Edith Sherrard. Christopher Crittenden was Johnson's major correspondent regarding the juvenile literature award.
Folder 190
Constitutions and bylaws
Folder 191
1946
Folder 192
1947-1948
Folder 193
1949
Folder 194-195
1950
Folder 196-199
1951
Folder 200-203
1952
Folder 204-207
1953
Folder 208-211
1954
Folder 212-216
1955
Folder 217-221
1956
Folder 222-227
1957
Folder 228-234
1958
Folder 235
Mental Health Project, 1958
Folder 236
Project on Aging, 1958
Folder 237-239
1959
Folder 240
1960-1961
Folder 241
1962
Folder 242
1963
Folder 243
1964-1967
Folder 244
1968-1969
Folder 245
1970-1980
Folder 246
Undated

Back to Top

3. Chi Omega Fraternity for Women, 1925-1926, 1943-1986.

About 3,300 items.
Johnson was initiated into Chi Omega Fraternity for Women while pursuing her Bachelor's degree in Journalism at the University of Missouri (Rho Alpha Chapter) in 1923. From that time until her death, she was actively associated with this organization, especially the Epsilon Beta Chapter at the University of North Carolina. She served the Chapel Hill chapter as advisor for personnel; as president of the Epsilon Beta Foundation, which owned the chapter house and related property; and as member of the board of both the North Carolina Women's Scholarship Fund of Chi Omega and the Chi Omega Distinguished Service Award for Women. In the 1950s, she also acted as trouble-shooter for the national office of Chi Omega, travelling all over the eastern seaboard and south holding "firesides" to discuss individual sorority problems ranging from disgruntled housemothers to poor house management to unacceptable rushing practices. The chapter house in Chapel Hill was named for Johnson in 1973.
Back to Top
3.1. General Chi Omega Materials, 1925-1926, 1943-1986.
About 1,500 items.
Correspondence, publications, and other materials related to Chi Omega on both the national and chapter levels. Correspondence begins in 1925 with a letter regarding "the situation" in Chapel Hill from Mary Love Collins, longtime national president of Chi Omega. Correspondence resumes in 1943 with a letter to outlining the characteristics of appearance and behavior that hostesses should look for in female students. There are also letters to and from the national officers about Johnson's chapter visits and a great many letters pertaining to recommendations for prospective pledges. Some materials touch on fundraising for purchasing chapter houses, 1951-1952 and 1968-1973, and maintenance of the Chapel Hill house.
Materials from the 1950s document Chi Omega officers' concern about the National Student Association (NSA), a liberal student organization whose founder came from Chapel Hill, and its goal of forcing all student organizations to discard discriminatory clauses. There are allusions to "the constitutional freedom to associate" throughout this portion of correspondence. There are also letters about the initiation of the Chi Omega Service Award (February 1951), the Chi Omega Prize in Sociology at University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill (April 1952), and various national conventions.
Other materials include chapter house information, house rules, alumnae information, questionnaires for pledges, rushing information, newspaper clippings, chapter newsletters, and Chi Omega publications. There are also materials on Johnson's visits to other chapters, including lists of committee chairs and bylaws from various chapters visited, notes, expense account reports, and copies of reports to the national office for visits made 1952-1956.
Principal correspondents include longtime national officers, Mary Love Collins and Elizabeth Dyer; alumnae Annie Laurie Hutchins, Marjorie Yokley, and Erdene Rountree; University of North Carolina's Dean of Women Katherine Kennedy Carmichael; and Ann Sterling, chapter advisor at Southern Methodist University.
Folder 247
Correspondence, 1925-1926
Folder 248
Correspondence, 1943
Folder 249
Correspondence, 1950
Folder 250
Correspondence, 1951
Folder 251-252
Correspondence, 1952
Folder 253-257
Correspondence, 1953
Folder 258-261
Correspondence, 1954
Folder 262-264
Correspondence, 1955
Folder 265-268
Correspondence, 1956
Folder 269-272
Correspondence, 1957
Folder 273-275
Correspondence, 1958
Folder 276
Correspondence, 1959
Folder 277
Correspondence, 1960-1961
Folder 278
Correspondence, 1962
Folder 279
Correspondence, 1963
Folder 280
Correspondence, 1964
Folder 281
Correspondence, 1965
Folder 282
Correspondence, 1966
Folder 283
Correspondence, 1967
Folder 284
Correspondence, 1968
Folder 285
Correspondence, 1969
Folder 286
Correspondence, 1970
Folder 287
Correspondence, 1971-1972
Folder 288
Correspondence, 1973
Folder 289
Correspondence, 1974
Folder 290
Correspondence, 1975
Folder 291
Correspondence, 1976
Folder 292
Correspondence, 1977
Folder 293
Correspondence, 1978
Folder 294
Correspondence, 1979
Folder 295
Correspondence, 1980
Folder 296
Correspondence, 1981
Folder 297
Correspondence, 1982
Folder 298
Correspondence, 1983-1986
Folder 299
Correspondence, undated
Folder 300-302
Chapter visiting, 1952-1956
Folder 303
House
Folder 304
Alumnae
Folder 305
Rushing
Folder 306
Questionnaires for pledges
Folder 307
Miscellaneous
Folder 308
Notes
Folder 309-310
Clippings about Chi Omega
Folder 311
Clippings about Epsilon Beta
Folder 312
"Epsilon Beta News," 1950-1980
Folder 313
"Owl Talk," Rho Alpha of Chi Omega, University of Missouri, 1954-1978
Folder 314
Other Chi Omega newsletters
Folder 315
Convention and "firesides" materials, 1952-1956
Folder 316
Founding of Chi Omega chapter, Emory University, 1953-1954
Folder 317
Conventions and "firesides" materials, beginning in 1957
Folder 318
Chi Omega policies and bylaws
Folder 319
Instructions for undergraduates
Folder 320
Pledge materials
Folder 321
Alumnae materials
Folder 322-324
"Eleusis"
Back to Top
3.2. Epsilon Beta Foundation of Chi Omega, 1950-1986.
About 1,200 items.
Arrangement: chronological.
Correspondence, minutes, and financial materials relating to the foundation that owned and operated the Guion Griffis Johnson Chapter House of the Epsilon Beta Chapter of Chi Omega Fraternity for Women. Correspondence relates to the purchase of the chapter house in 1952, fundraising letters to and responses from alumnae, general maintenance of the house, applications and selections of housemothers, outfitting of rooms with carpets and furniture, and maintenance of insurance policies. Beginning in 1965, there is a good deal of information concerning the various Franklin Street real estate deals entered into by the Foundation, its attempt at building a new chapter house, and its subsequent remodeling and addition to the existing structures.
Folder 325
Membership lists
Folder 326
Correspondence, 1950-1951
Folder 327-332
Correspondence, 1952
Folder 333-335
Correspondence, 1953
Folder 336
Correspondence, 1954
Folder 337
Correspondence, 1955
Folder 338
Correspondence, 1956
Folder 339
Correspondence, 1957
Folder 340
Correspondence, 1958-1959
Folder 341
Correspondence, 1960
Folder 342
Correspondence, 1962
Folder 343-345
Correspondence, 1963
Folder 346
Correspondence, 1964
Folder 347
Correspondence, 1965
Folder 348
Correspondence, 1966
Folder 349
Correspondence, 1967
Folder 350
Correspondence, 1968
Folder 351
Correspondence, 1969
Folder 352-356
Correspondence, 1970
Folder 357
Correspondence, 1971
Folder 358
Correspondence, 1972-1979
Folder 359
Correspondence, 1984-1986
Folder 360
Correspondence, undated
Folder 361
History
Folder 362
Minutes, 1952
Folder 363
Minutes, 1953
Folder 364
Minutes, 1954
Folder 365
Minutes, 1955
Folder 366
Minutes, 1956
Folder 367
Minutes, 1957
Folder 368
Minutes, 1958-1959
Folder 369
Minutes, 1960-1962
Folder 370
Minutes, 1963
Folder 371
Minutes, 1964
Folder 372
Minutes, 1965
Folder 373
Minutes, 1966
Folder 374
Minutes, 1967
Folder 375
Minutes, 1968
Folder 376
Minutes, 1969
Folder 377
Minutes, 1970
Folder 378
Minutes, 1971-1975
Folder 379-380
Minutes, 1976-1979
Folder 381
Minutes, 1980-1985
Folder 382
Minutes, 1986
Folder 383
Financial materials, 1952-1953
Folder 384
Financial materials, 1954
Folder 385
Financial materials, 1955
Folder 386
Financial materials, 1956
Folder 387
Financial materials, 1957
Folder 388
Financial materials, 1958
Folder 389
Financial materials, 1959
Folder 390
Financial materials, 1960-1961
Folder 391
Financial materials, 1962
Folder 392
Financial materials, 1963
Folder 393
Financial materials, 1964
Folder 394
Financial materials, 1965
Folder 395
Financial materials, 1966
Folder 396
Financial materials, 1967
Folder 397
Financial materials, 1968
Folder 398
Financial materials, 1969
Folder 399
Financial materials, 1970
Folder 400
Financial materials, 1971
Folder 401
Financial materials, 1972
Folder 402
Financial materials, 1973
Folder 403
Financial materials, 1974
Folder 404
Financial materials, 1975
Folder 405
Financial materials, 1976
Folder 406
Financial materials, 1977
Folder 407
Financial materials, 1978
Folder 408
Financial materials, 1979
Folder 409
Financial materials, 1980
Folder 410
Financial materials, 1981
Folder 411
Financial materials, 1982-1986
Back to Top
3.3. North Carolina Women's Scholarship Fund of Chi Omega, 1958-1986.
About 500 items.
Arrangement: chronological.
Correspondence, minutes, pledge cards, and address lists pertaining to a scholarship fund for women established by the Epsilon Beta Chapter of Chi Omega as a gift to the University of North Carolina in celebration of the chapter's 50th anniversary. For 15 years, beginning in 1958, alumnae of Epsilon Beta chapter worked to provide a scholarship for women "equal to the Morehead Scholarship" offered by University of North Carolina. Fulfilling its goal, the chapter presented the University with $40,000 in 1973. The fundraising organization remained intact following this gift in order to raise additional funds for smaller scholarships, among them the Marjorie Yates Yokley Scholarship.
Originally meant to support a woman in graduate work, the award was first offered to an undergraduate woman studying pharmacy. Before this first recipient had been graduated, Federal Title IX nondiscriminatory policies caused University of North Carolina to drop the stipulation that the award be limited to women.
Most of the correspondence is with Marjorie Yates Yokley and Erdene Rountree, presidents of the Fund's board of directors and both of whom personally undertook massive mailing campaigns. One alumna was contacted in Saigon in 1968. Alumnae addresses, acknowledgements, and reports to Johnson on the campaign's progress comprise most of this correspondence. In 1967, there are letters pertaining to Marjorie Yates Yokley unexpected death. After 1973, announcements and minutes of semi-annual board meetings predominate.
Letters of interest include Johnson's letters of 21 January 1962 explaining why the 50th anniversary gift was to be a woman's scholarship fund and 7 May 1963 documenting the history of the Fund, and correspondence, 1976-1977, with the William Geer, director of University of North Carolina's Scholarships and Financial Aid, regarding Title IX.
Folder 412
Bylaws
Folder 413
1958
Folder 414
1959-1960
Folder 415
1951
Folder 416-417
1962
Folder 418-420
1963
Folder 421-422
1964
Folder 423
1965
Folder 424
1966
Folder 425
1967
Folder 426-428
1968
Folder 429
1969
Folder 430
1970-1971
Folder 431
1972
Folder 432
1973
Folder 433
1974-1976
Folder 434
1977-1979
Folder 435
1980
Folder 436
1981-1986
Folder 437-438
Pledge cards
Folder 439
Pledge slips
Folder 440
Address list
Back to Top
3.4. Chi Omega Distinguished Award for Women, 1953-1986.
About 100 items.
Arrangement: chronological.
In 1950, the Epsilon Beta chapter of Chi Omega fraternity for women presented its first Distinguished Award for Women. The award recognized the lifetime achievements of a woman who had "furthered the status of women, or by her own achievements so exemplified high qualities of womanhood."
Johnson, who received the award in 1955, served as the chapter's representative on University of North Carolina's Selection Committee beginning in 1953. Among the other Committee members were Dean of Women Katharine Kennedy Carmichael; Norma Berryhill, wife of the dean of the University of North Carolina Medical School; Gladys Hall Coates, award recipient and co-founder of the Institute of Government; Chancellor Robert B. House; and Vice Chancellor and later Special Assistant to the Chancellor, Douglass Hunt.
Of interest is documentation of the 1970 award offered to Dorothy Glenn, member of the University of North Carolina board of trustees and medical advisor to the Vietnamese government on obstetrics and gynecology. Because awardees had to be present to receive the award, Glenn had not been able to accept one in the past. Assured by her husband that Glenn would not be available in 1970, the committee offered the award to Ellen Black Winston. In the meantime, the chapter offered to award to Glenn in Vietnam. Both Winston and Glenn showed up for the award, the latter flying in from Vietnam at her own expense. Winston received the Distinguished Award for Women, and Glenn received the chapter's Distinguished Alumna Award on the following day.
Materials include minutes and notices of Selection Committee meetings, with a few letters between Committee members, the chapter, and the recipients. Especially interesting are biographical sketches of the women nominated for the award.
Folder 441
1953-1954
Folder 442
1957-1958
Folder 443
1961-1963
Folder 444
1964-1967
Folder 445
1969-1970
Folder 446
1971-1972
Folder 447
1973-1975
Folder 448
1976
Folder 449
1977-1979
Folder 450
1980-1983
Folder 451
1984-1985
Folder 452
1986
Folder 453
Undated
Folder 454
Clippings

Back to Top

4. Government Boards and Commissions, 1941-1982.

About 1,300 items.
Back to Top
4.1. War Price and Rationing Board, 1941-1945.
About 100 items.
Lists of Orange County volunteers, press releases, a community service guidebook, clippings, and some letters relating to Johnson's work with the Office of Price Administration. (See also clippings in Series 16.)
Johnson served as chair of the Community Service Committee on the Orange County War Price and Rationing Board. She established an information desk for the Office of Price Administration in the Orange County War Rationing Office, ran an educational training program on wartime consumption, and planned and carried out a conference on the War Price and Rationing Board in Chapel Hill in 1943. The principal writer of the few letters in this subseries was Ruth Vick Everett, information officer with the Office of Price Administration in Raleigh.
Folder 455
Correspondence, 1942-1944
Folder 456
Volunteer lists and information booklets
Folder 457
Press releases
Folder 458
Miscellaneous
Folder 459
Clippings
Back to Top
4.2. National Women's Advisory Committee Civil Defense, 1954-1959.
About 250 items.
Correspondence, agendas, minutes, and conference materials related primarily to Johnson's service on the National Women's Advisory Committee on Civil Defense. In 1943, North Carolina Governor J. Melville Broughton asked Johnson to serve as Civilian Defense Collector of War Records for Chapel Hill and Orange County. In 1951, the North Carolina Council of Civil Defense began working with women's groups in the state to promote civil defense. For the next several years, Johnson worked on civil defense matters on the state level.
After a conference on civil defense in Charlotte in May 1956, Johnson became a member-at-large of the National Women's Advisory Committee on Civil Defense, attending national meetings from 1957 to 1959. These meeting materials include proceedings of the conferences; brochures and pamphlets with titles such as "Emergency Mass Feeding," "Effects of Nuclear Weapons," and "Prepare the Home"; rosters of participants; and transcriptions of some speeches.
Also included are a few North Carolina newsletters, 1954-1961, as well as a few highly scattered issues of the national "Newsletter By, For, and About Women in Civil Defense" and a comic book devoted to civil defense and nuclear warfare. Correspondence chiefly deals with attendance at meetings and travel reimbursement.
Folder 460
Correspondence
Folder 461-465
National Women's Advisory Committee, 1956-1959
Folder 466
Women's Council on Civil Defense, Region 3, 1957
Folder 467
Home Preparedness Workshop Guide for Group Leaders
Folder 468
Home Preparedness Award Program
Folder 469
North Carolina materials
Folder 470
Civil Defense Training Institute for North Carolina Women's Organizations
Folder 471
Newsletters
Folder 472
Miscellaneous printed materials
Back to Top
4.3. Comprehensive Health Planning Task Force on Diagnosis and Treatment, 1966-1971.
About 25 items.
Johnson served on the Task Force on State Advisory Council on Comprehensive Health Planning in 1968-1969. Included are minutes, reports, and statistical information on numbers of doctors and hospital facilities in 75 of the most rural counties in North Carolina, and a two-volume study on public health needs conducted by the North Carolina Regional Medical Program
Folder 473-476
Comprehensive Health Planning Task Force of Diagnosis and Treatment
Back to Top
4.4. Governor's Commission on the Status of Women, 1961-1965.
About 300 items.
Johnson chaired the Committee on Voluntary Organizations and Expanded Services of the Governor's Commission on the Status of Women. Among the committee's tasks was a survey and analysis of the various women-led volunteer organizations around the state. Correspondents include other committee members, including Ruth Current, Leontine Plonk, and Avis Dudley. Additionally, there is some correspondence between Johnson and Louise M. Latham, dean of women at North Carolina College.
Minutes, agendas, and reports have been interfiled with the correspondence. More correspondence, minutes, lists and reports can also be found in the last three folders entitled "North Carolina."
Included among the reports is a reprinted copy of "The Changing Status of Southern Woman," which Johnson wrote for The South in Continuity and Change. Other reports stress women's achievements, with the particular focus on work within volunteer organizations.
Folder 477-479
Correspondence
Folder 480-481
Drafts of report
Folder 482
Final report
Folder 483
Miscellaneous
Folder 484-490
Volunteer survey
Folder 491
Volunteer study
Folder 492-494
North Carolina
Back to Top
4.5. Governor's Study Commission of the Public School System on North Carolina, 1967-1968.
About 25 items.
Johnson chaired the Human Values of Educational Goals Committee of the Task Force for the Governor's Study Commission on the Public School System of North Carolina, 1967-1968. Letters are generally from Neil A. Rosser, executive director of the commission, and from Herbert R. Paschal and Garland A. Hendricks, who served as chairs of the task force. A final report of Johnson's committee is included.
Folder 495-496
Governor's Study Commission of the Public School System on North Carolina
Back to Top
4.6. International Cooperation Year, 1964-1966.
About 15 items.
President Lyndon B. Johnson proclaimed 1965 International Cooperation Year to highlight the need for further cooperation between nations and to commemorate the 20th anniversary of the United Nations. Johnson served on the Women's Committee on International Cooperation. Correspondence is primarily with Gladys A. Tillett, chair of the committee. Also included is a 1966 letter from Vice-President Hubert Humphrey thanking Johnson for her work and informing her of the plans for promoting international cooperation.
Folder 497
International Cooperation Year
Back to Top
4.7. North Carolina Conference on Aging, 1951-1956.
About 10 items.
Materials from a conference on aging held in June 1951. Included are reports on aging, employment, and welfare; brochures about the conference; and a small book of the proceedings.
Folder 498
North Carolina Conference on Aging
Back to Top
4.8. North Carolina Film Board, 1963-1965.
About 25 items.
Johnson served on the advisory board of the North Carolina Film Board, which was active 1963-1965, during which it completed 16 files of an educational/public affairs nature. Included are publicity materials, press releases about the films, and some correspondence with Director James Beveridge.
Folder 499-500
North Carolina Film Board
Back to Top
4.9. Youth Advisory Board, 1967-1975.
About 500 items.
In early 1968, Johnson began working with the Youth Councils of North Carolina (YCNC) on a proposal to create a Youth Commission of North Carolina, which would coordinate, strengthen, and develop youth councils across the state. Among the early correspondents are Juanita (Mrs. J. Frank) Bryant, president of the North Carolina Federation of Women's Clubs; H. T. Conner, of the Department of Administration and director of the Youth Commission Project Committee; and Ruth Gill, secretary of the Youth Commission Project Committee.
On 5 May 1969, the state legislature passed the Youth Council Bill. The Youth Advisory Board (YAB) was appointed on 7 May 1970, with Juanita Bryant as executive secretary. Chief correspondents during this period are Juanita Bryant, Conner, Gill, and YCNC Director Murray Folgar. From 1973 to 1975, there is much correspondence with Jim Caplanides, YAB executive secretary of the YAB.
Other materials include minutes, reports, newsletters, and promotional pieces produced by various youth councils around the state. (See also Subseries 4.10.)
Folder 501
Governing documents
Folder 502
Goals, objectives, and plans
Folder 503
Membership applications
Folder 504
Youth organizations of North Carolina
Folder 505
Youth Advisory Board applications
Folder 506
Promotional pieces
Folder 507
Membership lists
Folder 508
Finances
Folder 509
Clippings
Folder 510-516
Correspondence, 1968-1975 and undated
Folder 517-518
Minutes and agendas
Folder 519-520
Reports
Folder 521
Newsletters
Folder 522
Executive board applications
Folder 523
Committees
Folder 524
Conferences
Folder 525
Proposals
Folder 526
Miscellaneous
Back to Top
4.10. Youth Advisory Council, 1966-1982.
About 75 items.
The Youth Advisory Council was founded in 1975 under the aegis of the Youth Advisory Board (YAB). Johnson served on the Board for its first two years. Most of the correspondence is with Jim Caplanides, executive secretary of the YAB, 1975-1976. Much of the correspondence and other materials revolve around organizational matters and the annual Youth Involvement Day. (See also Subseries 4.9.)
Folder 527
Governing documents
Folder 528
State Youth Council
Folder 529