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This collection has access restrictions. For details, please see the restrictions.
This collection has use restrictions. For details, please see the restrictions.
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 FAQ section for more information.
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Collection Overview
| Size | About 32,600 items (51.5 linear feet). |
| Abstract | Samuel Talmadge Ragan (1915-1996) was managing and executive editor of the News and Observer (Raleigh, N.C.), 1948-1969; editor and publisher of The Pilot (Southern Pines, N.C.), 1969-1996; award-winning poet; writing teacher; and supporter of the arts in North Carolina. Ragan served as the first secretary of the North Carolina Department of Art, Culture, and History from 1972 to 1973. In 1982, he was named Poet Laureate of the state of North Carolina by Governor James B. Hunt. He was also chair of the North Carolina Arts Council, chair of the North Carolina Writers' Conference, and president of the Friends of Weymouth, which operates the Weymouth Center for Arts and Humanities in Southern Pines. Ragan died at his home in Southern Pines on 11 May 1996. Papers document Sam Ragan's career as a journalist and his role as patron of the arts in North Carolina. Correspondence files include materials relating to newspaper organizations, the North Carolina Arts Council, North Carolina Writers' Conference, North Carolina Writers' Network, and the Weymouth Center for the Arts and Humanities. Subject files include information about the Freedom of Information Act and on the Free Press-Fair Trial confrontation of 1968, along with correspondence from various North Carolina writers. Writings include materials regarding Ragan's The Tree in the Far Pasture (Blair, 1964), typescripts of commentaries from "Sam Ragan Reports," which aired on WTVD television in Durham, and drafts of works by other writers. There are also materials relating to Ragan's tenure at the News and Observer, typescripts of the columns, and letters to the editor used on the editorial page of The Pilot. Financial information chiefly relates to the The Pilot. Also included are photographs of Sam Ragan alone and with others and recordings of North Carolina Writers' Conference banquet dinners. |
| Creator | Ragan, Sam, 1915- |
| Language | English. |
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Information For Users
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Subject Headings
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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Subject Headings
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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Biographical
Information
Samuel Talmadge Ragan was born in Berea in Granville County, N.C., in 1915. He was graduated from Atlantic Christian College in 1936 and was awarded a Doctorate of Literature from there in 1972. Ragan served as the first secretary of the North Carolina Department of Art, Culture, and History from 1972 to 1973. He wrote two award winning collections of poetry, The Tree in the Far Pasture in 1964 and To the Waters Edge in 1971, along with several works of non-fiction and prose. In 1982, he was named Poet Laureate of the state of North Carolina by Governor James B. Hunt, Jr. He could be seen on television giving commentaries on WUNC-TV and doing "Sam Ragan Reports"on WTVD in Durham.
Ragan was active in the promotion of literature and the arts in North Carolina. He was chair of the North Carolina Arts Council, a member of the founding commission and original Board of Trustees of the North Carolina School of the Arts, president of the North Carolina Literary and Historical Association, and president of Friends of Weymouth, which operates the Weymouth Center for Arts and Humanities in Southern Pines. Additionally, Ragan chaired the North Carolina Writer's Conference; conducted workshops for writers at North Carolina State University for nine years; and served on the faculties of St. Andrews College, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, North Carolina State University, and Sandhills College.
For twenty years, Ragan served as managing editor and executive editor of the News and Observer in Raleigh, N.C. When Katherine Boyd gave up ownership of The Pilot, a weekly newspaper in Southern Pines, N.C., Ragan took over as editor. For 27 years, Ragan edited and published The Pilot and continued to publicize and promote North Carolina writers by publishing more book reviews and literary news than most larger papers. Ragan died at his home in Southern Pines on 11 May 1996 after a long illness.
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Scope and Content
These papers primarily document Sam Ragan's participation in the journalism profession and his role as patron of the arts in North Carolina. There is only a small amount of material related to his own poetry. Correspondence files include materials from professional newspaper associations, such as the North Carolina Associated Press News Council and the Associated Press Managing Editors Association, and from organizations devoted to the arts, particularly the North Carolina Arts Council and North Carolina Writers' Conference. Later correspondence files include applications for the Writers In Residence Program at Weymouth Center in Southern Pines. Frequent correspondents are Doris Betts, Virginia Love Long, Heather Ross Miller, and Thad Stem, Jr. among others.
Subject files include materials relating to the Freedom of Information Act and the Free Press-Fair Trial confrontation of 1968. There is a significant amount of material regarding the North Carolina Arts Council, North Carolina Writers' Conference, North Carolina Writers' Network, and Weymouth Center. Subject files also contain correspondence from writers, including Doris Betts, Charles Edward Eaton, Paul Green, Bernice Kelly Harris, Heather Ross Miller, and Charleen Swansea, along with literary works submitted for publication in The Pilot.
Writings authored by Sam Ragan include manuscripts of the poems, correspondence, and production materials for A Tree in the Far Pasture (Blair, 1964). There are typescripts of and note cards from speeches on various newspaper and literary topics as well as introductions. Also included are book reviews, editorials, and other works written for The Pilot and the News and Observer. Works by Joe Clarke, Edward Dixon Garner, Heather Ross Miller, Ovid Williams Pierce, Thad Stem, Jr., Nell Joslyn Styron, and Ross Talarico are also included. There are materials relating to Heres to the Land: A Celebration of 60 Years by the North Carolina Poetry Society (North Carolina Poetry Society, 1992) and Weymouth: An Anthology of Poetry (St. Andrews Press, 1987).
There are also typescripts of the columns and letters to the editor used on the editorial page of The Pilot. There is financial information relating to the News and Observer, The Pilot, and Ragan's personal finances. Also included are photographs chiefly of Sam Ragan alone and with others and cassette recordings of North Carolina Writers' Conference banquet dinners.
Additions of 2002 and 2007 include material similar in nature to the original deposit. Additions have not been integrated.
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Series Quick Links
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Series 1. Correspondence and Related Materials, 1948-1996.
Arrangement: chronological.
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Subseries 1.1. 1948-1968.
Arrangement: chronological
This subseries includes materials received while Sam Ragan was the Managing Editor and later Executive Editor of the Raleigh News and Observer. Contained in the subseries are materials relating to the North Carolina Associated Press News Council, including minutes and weekly logs. There are some materials relating to the Associated Press Managing Editors Association, including letters from other managing editors congratulating Ragan on his election to the presidency of the organization in 1968.
Items of particular interest include a letter dated 1961 from Pierre Salinger, press secretary to John F. Kennedy; genealogical information about Adlai Stevenson sent to Ragan by Stevenson's sister Elizabeth S. Ives in 1968; an undated letter from Ben Dixon MacNeil (signed MacN) mentioning a letter written by Thomas Wolfe's sister to Maxwell Perkins; and an undated note from Randall Jarrell. There are also letters to Ragan regarding his "Southern Accent" column, letters attached to literary submissions, and some other materials. The dated material includes letters from Henry Belk, Jim Chaney, Jonathan Daniels, Paul Green, Bernice Kelly Harris, Hiram Haydn, Ruth Moose, Mike Ross, and Elizabeth S. Ives. Undated material includes letters from Doris Betts, Katherine Boyd, Jonathan Daniels, Charles Edward Eaton, William Friday, Lucy Inman, Guy Owen, Charles Poe, Thad Stem, Richard Walser, and Charleen Swansea.
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Subseries 1.2. 1969-1996.
Arrangement: chronological.
Correspondence created and received by Sam Ragan beginning with his tenure as Editor-in-Chief of The Pilot and ending with his death in 1996. Correspondence is of a personal and business nature and includes letters to the editor (some with Ragan's annotations), letters from North Carolina authors regarding their participation in the Writers In Residence Program at Weymouth Center for the Arts and Humanities, and letters attached to literary works. There are memoranda, minutes from meetings, newsletters, catalogs, flyers, invitations, and some other materials from various individuals and organizations.
Correspondents include:Adcock, Betty; Boyd, James; Rivers-Coffey, Rachel; Cooper, Pat; Dalmas, Victor; Daniels, Jonathan; Eaton, Charles Edward; Gurkin, Katherine; Holt, Rochelle Lynn; Ives, Elizabeth Stevenson; Macleod, Norman; Miller, Heather Ross; Owen, Guy; Reilly, Jack; Rudder, Virginia (Virginia Love Long), Sanford, Terry; Stem, Thad; Styron, Nell, Stephenson, Shelby; Wood, Jane; and Wellman, Manly Wade.
Organizations represented include:Arts Advocates of North Carolina, Friends of Weymouth, Lost Colony Foundation, North Carolina Arts Council, North Carolina Awards, North Carolina Department of Cultural Resources, North Carolina Press Association, North Carolina Writers' Conference, North Caroliniana Society, Paul Green Foundation, Ruth Pauley Lecture Series, Sandhills Community College, and University of North Carolina School of Journalism and Mass Communication.
| Folder 28-36 |
1969 #04490, Subseries: "1.2. 1969-1996. " Folder 28-36Folder 28Folder 29Folder 30Folder 31Folder 32Folder 33Folder 34Folder 35Folder 36 |
| Folder 37-46 |
1970 #04490, Subseries: "1.2. 1969-1996. " Folder 37-46Folder 37Folder 38Folder 39Folder 40Folder 41Folder 42Folder 43Folder 44Folder 45Folder 46 |
| Folder 47-55 |
1971 #04490, Subseries: "1.2. 1969-1996. " Folder 47-55Folder 47Folder 48Folder 49Folder 50Folder 51Folder 52Folder 53Folder 54Folder 55 |
| Folder 56-65 |
1972 #04490, Subseries: "1.2. 1969-1996. " Folder 56-65Folder 56Folder 57Folder 58Folder 59Folder 60Folder 61Folder 62Folder 63Folder 64Folder 65 |
| Folder 66-74 |
1973 #04490, Subseries: "1.2. 1969-1996. " Folder 66-74Folder 66Folder 67Folder 68Folder 69Folder 70Folder 71Folder 72Folder 73Folder 74 |
| Folder 75-78 |
1974 #04490, Subseries: "1.2. 1969-1996. " Folder 75-78Folder 75Folder 76Folder 77Folder 78 |
| Folder 79-83 |
1975 #04490, Subseries: "1.2. 1969-1996. " Folder 79-83Folder 79Folder 80Folder 81Folder 82Folder 83 |
| Folder 84-88 |
1976 #04490, Subseries: "1.2. 1969-1996. " Folder 84-88Folder 84Folder 85Folder 86Folder 87Folder 88 |
| Folder 89-94 |
1977 #04490, Subseries: "1.2. 1969-1996. " Folder 89-94Folder 89Folder 90Folder 91Folder 92Folder 93Folder 94 |
| Folder 95-100 |
1978 #04490, Subseries: "1.2. 1969-1996. " Folder 95-100Folder 95Folder 96Folder 97Folder 98Folder 99Folder 100 |
| Folder 101-106 |
1979 #04490, Subseries: "1.2. 1969-1996. " Folder 101-106Folder 101Folder 102Folder 103Folder 104Folder 105Folder 106 |
| Folder 107-113 |
1980 #04490, Subseries: "1.2. 1969-1996. " Folder 107-113Folder 107Folder 108Folder 109Folder 110Folder 111Folder 112Folder 113 |
| Folder 114-121 |
1981 #04490, Subseries: "1.2. 1969-1996. " Folder 114-121Folder 114Folder 115Folder 116Folder 117Folder 118Folder 119Folder 120Folder 121 |
| Folder 122-130 |
1982 #04490, Subseries: "1.2. 1969-1996. " Folder 122-130Folder 122Folder 123Folder 124Folder 125Folder 126Folder 127Folder 128Folder 129Folder 130 |
| Folder 131-140 |
1983 #04490, Subseries: "1.2. 1969-1996. " Folder 131-140Folder 131Folder 132Folder 133Folder 134Folder 135Folder 136Folder 137Folder 138Folder 139Folder 140 |
| Folder 141-158 |
1984 #04490, Subseries: "1.2. 1969-1996. " Folder 141-158Folder 141Folder 142Folder 143Folder 144Folder 145Folder 146Folder 147Folder 148Folder 149Folder 150Folder 151Folder 152Folder 153Folder 154Folder 155Folder 156Folder 157Folder 158 |
| Folder 159-165 |
1985 #04490, Subseries: "1.2. 1969-1996. " Folder 159-165Folder 159Folder 160Folder 161Folder 162Folder 163Folder 164Folder 165 |
| Folder 166-180 |
1986 #04490, Subseries: "1.2. 1969-1996. " Folder 166-180Folder 166Folder 167Folder 168Folder 169Folder 170Folder 171Folder 172Folder 173Folder 174Folder 175Folder 176Folder 177Folder 178Folder 179Folder 180 |
| Folder 181-187 |
1987 #04490, Subseries: "1.2. 1969-1996. " Folder 181-187Folder 181Folder 182Folder 183Folder 184Folder 185Folder 186Folder 187 |
| Folder 188-197 |
1988 #04490, Subseries: "1.2. 1969-1996. " Folder 188-197Folder 188Folder 189Folder 190Folder 191Folder 192Folder 193Folder 194Folder 195Folder 196Folder 197 |
| Folder 198-207 |
1989 #04490, Subseries: "1.2. 1969-1996. " Folder 198-207Folder 198Folder 199Folder 200Folder 201Folder 202Folder 203Folder 204Folder 205Folder 206Folder 207 |
| Folder 208-227 |
1990 #04490, Subseries: "1.2. 1969-1996. " Folder 208-227Folder 208Folder 209Folder 210Folder 211Folder 212Folder 213Folder 214Folder 215Folder 216Folder 217Folder 218Folder 219Folder 220Folder 221Folder 222Folder 223Folder 224Folder 225Folder 226Folder 227 |
| Folder 228-243 |
1991 #04490, Subseries: "1.2. 1969-1996. " Folder 228-243Folder 228Folder 229Folder 230Folder 231Folder 232Folder 233Folder 234Folder 235Folder 236Folder 237Folder 238Folder 239Folder 240Folder 241Folder 242Folder 243 |
| Folder 244-257 |
1992 #04490, Subseries: "1.2. 1969-1996. " Folder 244-257Folder 244Folder 245Folder 246Folder 247Folder 248Folder 249Folder 250Folder 251Folder 252Folder 253Folder 254Folder 255Folder 256Folder 257 |
| Folder 258-269 |
1993 #04490, Subseries: "1.2. 1969-1996. " Folder 258-269Folder 258Folder 259Folder 260Folder 261Folder 262Folder 263Folder 264Folder 265Folder 266Folder 267Folder 268Folder 269 |
| Folder 270-289 |
1994 #04490, Subseries: "1.2. 1969-1996. " Folder 270-289Folder 270Folder 271Folder 272Folder 273Folder 274Folder 275Folder 276Folder 277Folder 278Folder 279Folder 280Folder 281Folder 282Folder 283Folder 284Folder 285Folder 286Folder 287Folder 288Folder 289 |
| Folder 290-298 |
1995 #04490, Subseries: "1.2. 1969-1996. " Folder 290-298Folder 290Folder 291Folder 292Folder 293Folder 294Folder 295Folder 296Folder 297Folder 298 |
| Folder 299-301 |
1996 #04490, Subseries: "1.2. 1969-1996. " Folder 299-301Folder 299Folder 300Folder 301 |
| Folder 302 |
Undated 1969-1970 #04490, Subseries: "1.2. 1969-1996. " Folder 302 |
| Folder 303 |
Undated 1975 #04490, Subseries: "1.2. 1969-1996. " Folder 303 |
| Folder 304-306 |
Undated 1970s #04490, Subseries: "1.2. 1969-1996. " Folder 304-306Folder 304Folder 305Folder 306 |
| Folder 307-308 |
Undated 1970s-1980s #04490, Subseries: "1.2. 1969-1996. " Folder 307-308Folder 307Folder 308 |
| Folder 309-314 |
Undated 1980s #04490, Subseries: "1.2. 1969-1996. " Folder 309-314Folder 309Folder 310Folder 311Folder 312Folder 313Folder 314 |
| Folder 315-318 |
Undated 1980s-1990s #04490, Subseries: "1.2. 1969-1996. " Folder 315-318Folder 315Folder 316Folder 317Folder 318 |
| Folder 319-322 |
Undated 1990s #04490, Subseries: "1.2. 1969-1996. " Folder 319-322Folder 319Folder 320Folder 321Folder 322 |
| Folder 323-328 |
Undated #04490, Subseries: "1.2. 1969-1996. " Folder 323-328Folder 323Folder 324Folder 325Folder 326Folder 327Folder 328 |
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Series 2. Subject Files, 1950-1996.
Arrangement: alphabetical.
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Subseries 2.1. 1950-1970.
Arrangement: alphabetical.
Files created while Sam Ragan was Editor of the Raleigh News and Observer. The American Society of Newspaper Editors Association files include information about the Freedom of Information Law. There are also files with clippings and speeches by Ragan on the Free Press-Fair Trial confrontation between the American Press and the American Bar Association in 1968.
Included are files pertaining to Ragan's involvement with the North Carolina Arts Council. The Writers files include correspondence from Doris Betts, Charles Edward Eaton, Paul Green, Bernice Kelly Harris, Adrienne Marcus, Heather Ross Miller, Guy Owen, Campbell Reeves, Fred Ross, Phillips Russell, and Charleen Swansea. There is also some general correspondence files and reference files relating to Ragan's civic and literary activities.
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Subseries 2.2. 1970-1996.
Arrangement: alphabetical.
Included are correspondence files, author files, articles and poems submitted for use in The Pilot from various authors, and typescripts of speeches written by Ragan. There are materials relating to Weymouth Center, including correspondence regarding the Writers In Residence Program, administrative materials, and financial information.
There are a few files relating to The Pilot and newspaper-related organizations. Other files pertain to Ragan's civic and literary activities with various organizations including the North Carolina Arts Council, the North Carolina Writers' Network, and the Paul Green Foundation.
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Series 3. Writings, 1960-1993 and undated.
Arrangement: alphabetical.
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Subseries 3.1. Writings by Sam Ragan, 1962-1993 and undated.
Arrangement: alphabetical.
Included are drafts of manuscripts for Collected Poems of Sam Ragan: Poet Laureate of North Carolina (St. Andrews Press, 1990); manuscripts of the poems; correspondence and production materials for A Tree in the Far Pasture (Blair, 1964) and the printer's set of Back to Beginnings: Adlai E. Stevenson and North Carolina (1969), a book Ragan co-authored with Elizabeth Stevenson Ives. There are typescripts of the commentaries from "Sam Ragan Reports", which aired on WTVD in Durham, N.C. Also included are typescripts and note cards of speeches on newspaper, literary, and other topics. Some typescripts of speeches have handwritten drafts attached. There are also book reviews, editorials, and other works written for The Pilot and the News and Observer.
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Subseries 3.2 Writings by Others, 1960-1993 and undated.
Arrangement: alphabetical.
Drafts of works by Joe Clark, Ovid Williams Pierce, Thad Stem , Jr., Nell Joslin Styron, and Ross Talarico. There is a poetry scrapbook belonging to Edward Garner Dixon with handwritten and typed versions of his poems and a speech written by Heather Ross Miller. There are photocopied pages with annotations from Here's to the Land: A Celebration of 60 Years by the North Carolina Poetry Society (North Carolina Poetry Society, 1992) along with correspondence and production materials. There are also photocopies of the poems used in Weymouth: An Anthology of Poetry (St. Andrews Press, 1987), along with a small amount of other material.
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Series 4. Editorial Page Materials, 1991-1992.
Arrangement: chronological.
Materials used to create the editorial page of The Pilot grouped by the date of the issue in which they appeared. There are typescripts of editorials written by Sam Ragan, typescripts of his "Southern Accent" column, letters to the editor printed in the Public Speaking section, and typescripts of other columns that appeared on the editorial page.
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Series 5. Financial Materials, 1941-1992.
Arrangement: alphabetical.
Information about the News and Observer, The Pilot, and some records of Ragan's personal finances. Also included are bills and correspondence regarding accounts from the period before Ragan owned The Pilot. Later information includes letters to stockholders, payroll, accumulated totals sheets, and statements of assets and liabilities. Most of the material from the News and Observer consists of statements of earnings and liabilities. Personal records include bills, receipts, insurance statements, and a small amount of other material.
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Series 6. Pictures, 1950-1996 and undated.
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Series 7. Other Media.
Arrangement: chronological.
Chiefly audio tapes of the North Carolina Writers' Conference tribute dinners, interviews with Sam Ragan, and a small amount of other material. NOTE: T-4490/1 through T-4490/18 are cassettes.
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Additions
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Addition of 2002 (Acc. 99221), 1940s-1990s.
Letters to Sam Ragan, circa 1940s-1980s; photocopies of Ragan's "Southern Accent," column in The Pilot, 1974-1993; a scrapbook featuring clippings of Ragan's Ahoskie story, 1947; a prospectus for establishing a repertory theater in North Carolina, 1966; and other papers of Sam Ragan, circa 1960s-1990s
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Addition of 2007 (Acc. 100851), 1940s-1990s.
Correspondence and related materials, writings by Sam Ragan and others, business papers, printed materials, and clippings. There are also photographs of Sam Ragan with others, primarily at social gatherings.
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Items Separated