Manuscripts Department
Library of the University of North Carolina
at Chapel Hill
SOUTHERN HISTORICAL COLLECTION
#4525
THOMAS EDWARD RATCLIFFE
Inventory
Abstract: Thomas E. Ratcliffe worked int he Loan Department
of the National City Bank, New York, N.Y., 1934-1939;
served in the U.S. Army in Europe in World War II; and
held various positions at the Library of the
University of Illinois, 1946-1971.
Chiefly letters from Thomas Ratcliffe to friends
and colleagues. Ratcliffe's letters comprise diary-
like accounts of his experiences in New York City as a
young man working at his first job at National City
Bank; as a captain in World War II; traveling in
Europe after the war; and as a reference librarian at
the University of Illinois. The letters contain
frequent references to leisure activities, including
the theater, literature, television, movies, and
cocktail parties. Many of the letters reflect the
racial attitudes of the postwar period. Most of the
letters are addressed to James R. Baird, Ruth Deane
White Hill, Georgia Counch Nash, Lucille Smith, or
Mary Stephens.
Online Catalog Terms:
Baird, James R.
Banks and banking--New York (N.Y.)--History--20th century.
Europe--Description and travel--1945-1970.
Hill, Ruth Deane White.
Leisure--United States.
Nash, George Couch.
National City Bank of New York.
Ratcliffe, Thomas Edward, 1911-1988?
Reference librarians--Illinois--History--20th century.
Smith, Lucille.
Stephens, Mary.
United States--Race relations--20th century.
University of Illinois (Urbana Champaign campus). Library.
Size: About 2,000 items (3.5 linear feet).
Provenance: Received from the estate of Thomas Edward
Ratcliffe in November 1988.
Access: No restrictions.
Copyright: Retained by the authors of items in these papers, or
their descendants, as stipulated by United States
copyright law.
Table of Contents:
Introduction
Biographical Note
Collection Overview
Series Descriptions
Series 1. Baird, James R.
Series 2. Hill, Ruth Deane White
Series 3. Nash, Georgia Couch
Series 4. Smith, Lucille
Series 5. Stephens, Mary
Series 6. Other Correspondence
Series 7. Biographical Information
Series 8. Pictures
Shelf List
INTRODUCTION
Biographical Note
1911 Born, Roanoke Rapids, North Carolina
1929-1934 AB, American History, University of North Carolina
1933 Personnel Survey, TVA, Chapel Hill, North Carolina
1934-1939 Credit Investigator and Branch Department Head
Personal Loan Department, National City Bank, New
York City
1939-1940 University of Illinois, Urbana
1940-1941 Assistant Agricultural Librarian, University of
Illinois, Urbana
1942-1946 U.S. Army - retired with stomach ulcer as major of
field artillery
1946-1948 University of Illinois Library (Urbana),
Assistant, Acquisitions Department
1949 BS in Library Science, MS
1949-1952 University of Illinois Library (Urbana),
Undergraduate librarian
1952 Reference librarian and assistant professor of
Library Science
1955 Associate professor
1965 Professor
1971 Retired to Winston-Salem, North Carolina
1988? Died (will was admitted to probate in September
1988)
(Source: Who's Who in Library Science, 1966)
Collection Overview
This collection chiefly contains letters written by Thomas
Ratcliffe to his friends and colleagues. Ratcliffe's letters
compose diary-like accounts of his experiences: his life in New
York City as a young man fresh from college life working at his
first job; life as a World War II captain; traveling in Europe
after the War; and a career as a University of Illinois reference
librarian. The letters contain copious references to activities
of leisure and amusement, including the theater, literature,
television, movies, and cocktail parties enjoyed by Ratcliffe and
his friends. Many of the letters reflect the racial attitudes of
the post-war period.
Ratcliffe apparently retrieved his letters from each of his
corespondents. He arranged the letters by correspondent, and
this scheme has been maintained. The collection is thus arranged
as follows:
Series 1. Baird, James R.
Series 2. Hill, Ruth Deane White
Series 3. Nash, Georgia Couch
Series 4. Smith, Lucille
Series 5. Stephens, Mary
Series 6. Other Correspondence
Series 7. Biographical Information
Series 8. Pictures
SERIES DESCRIPTIONS
Series 1. Baird, James R.
1942-1946 and 1978. About 150 items.
Arrangement: chronological.
James Richard Baird, an educator, was born in Jellico,
Tennessee, in 1910. He reached the rank of lieutenant in the
United States Navy Reserves, serving from 1943 to 1946. Baird
was a post-war fellow of the Rockefeller Foundation at the
University of Paris from 1948 to 1949. He earned a Ph.D. at Yale
in 1947, and spent the remainder of his life as an English
professor at universities in Hawaii, Connecticut, Rhode Island,
and Japan. This series consists of letters from Ratcliffe to
Baird, chiefly documenting Ratcliffe's activities during World
War II, much of which he spent in the United States as an
instructor of officers.
1942
Folder 1 January-June
2 July-December
1943
3 January-June
4 July-December
1944
5 January-June
6 July-December
1945
7 January-July
8 August-December
9 1946-1978
Series 2. Hill, Ruth Deane White
1969-1987. About 600 items.
Arrangement: chronological.
Chiefly letters from Ratcliffe to Deane Hill. Deane Hill was
acquisitions assistant at the University of Illinois-Urbana,
1949-1950 and 1952-1953; catalog assistant, 1950-1952; and
bibliographer, 1953-1958. Ratcliffe corresponded with Deane Hill
after she left Urbana for work in other libraries in Illinois,
and their correspondence continues throughout Ratcliffe's
retirement to Winston-Salem.
Folder 10 1969
1970
11 January-May
12 June-December
1971
13 January-June
14 July-December
1972
15 January-April
16 May-August
17 September-December
1973
18 January-July
19 August-December
1974
20 January-June
21 July-December
1975
22 January-July
23 August-December
1976
24 January-June
25 July-December
1977
26 January-April
27 May-December
28 1978
1979
29 January-June
30 July-December
1980
31 January-June
32 July-December
1981
33 January-June
34 July-December
1982
34a January-March
34b April-June
34c July-August
34d September-December
1983
34e January-February
34f March-May
34g June-September
34h October-December
1984
34i January-March
34j April-June
34k July-September
34l October-December
1985
34m January-March
34n April-July
34o August-December
1986
35 January-June
36 July-December
37 1987
Series 3. Nash, Georgia Couch
1934-1986. About 200 items.
Arrangement: chronological.
Georgia Couch Nash was an assistant in the Periodicals Section
at UNC-CH, 1933-1934, at the same time that Ratcliffe was a
student assistant in the library. About 1934, Couch became
Periodicals Librarian at Temple University in Philadelphia, where
she remained until her marriage to H. N. Nash. Georgia Nash
encouraged Ratcliffe to pursue a career in librarianship when he
became disenchanted with his job at the National City Bank in New
York. Georgia Nash was a cousin to William Couch, director of
the UNC Press, 1932-1945.
Folder 38 1934-1936
39 1937-1944
40 1945-1973
41 1974-1977
42 1978-1979
43 1980
44 1981
45 1982
46 1983-1987
Series 4. Smith, Lucille
1979-1983. About 150 items.
Arrangement: chronological.
Unlike the other series in the collection, Series 4 contains
chiefly letters written to Ratcliffe. These letters are from
Lucille Smith, Ratcliffe's colleague at the University of
Illinois. Her letters were written after his retirement to
Winston-Salem and contain news from the library.
1979
Folder 47 January-September
48 October-December
1980
49 January-June
50 July-December
1981
51 January-June
52 July-December
1982
53 January-May
54 June-December
1983
55 January-June
Series 5. Stephens, Mary (Mrs. W. Bruce)
1942-1946. About 600 items.
Arrangement: chronological
Stephens served variously at UNC as administrative assistant
to Dean Carroll of the College of Commerce, Dr. Fink of the
School of Social Work, and with the Population Center.
Ratcliffe's letters to her compose diary-like documentation of
his participation in World War II. Ratcliffe produced typed
transcriptions of his letters to Stephens from 1942 to 1943.
1942
Folder 56 January-April
57 May-June
58 July-August
59 September-October
60 November-December
1943
61 January-February
62 March-May
63 June-July
64 August-October
65 November-December
1944
66 January-February
67 March-April
68 May-June
69 July-August
70 September
71 October
72 November-December
1945
73 January
74 February-March
75 April-May
76 June-July
77 August, 1-12
78 August, 13-31
79 September
80 October
81 November
82 December
1946
83 January-February
84 March-April
1951
85 April
Selected typescripts, 1942
86 21 January-16 April
87 24 April-10 July
88 19 July-13 October
89 18 October-21 December
Selected typescripts, 1943
90 29 December-16 March
91 30 March-2 June
92 7 June-22 July
Series 6. Other Correspondence
1939-1980. About 200 items.
Arrangement: alphabetical by correspondent, then chronological.
Ratcliffe's correspondence with several different friends and
colleagues, including documentation of Ratcliffe's experiences in
Europe, particularly France, following World War II.
Folder 93 Bell, Mary Lois, July-August 1960 (letters from
Ratcliffe in Spain and Greece)
94 Frash, Robert M., September 1948-April 1949 (letters
from Ratcliffe in France)
95-96 Marinelli, Anne Vera, January 1948-May 1949, 20 April
1974 and undated (letters from Ratcliffe in France)
97 O'Brien, Lt. R. E., August 1945-October 1949
98 Robertson, Donald C. and Midge, July-August 1960
(letters from Ratcliffe in Spain; also includes some
typed transcriptions of handwritten originals)
99-104 Rogier, Evelyn, August 1947-December 1952 (letters
from Ratcliffe document vacations in Washington state,
British Columbia, the Black Hills; travel in France,
Italy, Sweden, Denmark; and vacations to San Francisco
and Hawaii. Also included are letters from Rogier in
Bogota, Columbia)
105 Weddington, Ellis, January 1945-July 1946 (letters
written to Ratcliffe from the B.V.D. Corporation,
Empire State Building, New York)
106 Miscellaneous (July 1939-February 1980)
Series 7. Biographical Information
10 items.
Arrangement: alphabetical.
Biographical information collected by Ratcliffe about
correspondents in this collection. Some of the information
Ratcliffe photocopied from Who's Who in America, and some
information he wrote based on his own recollections.
Folder 107 Baird, James Richard
108 Hill, Ruth (Deane) White
109 Nash, Georgia Couch
110 Ratcliffe, Thomas E.
111 Stevens, Mary
112 Other (contains information about some of the
correspondents in Series 6)
Series 8. Pictures
P-1. Jack[ie?] and John Harmon, Christmas Day 1944, Anniston,
Alabama. John in uniform. Black & white, bust length.
P-2. Jackie Harmon, October 1945, Anniston Alabama. "Blouse by
Court Cutter. Skirt by Peck & Peck. Shoes by J. J.
Slater." Seated on grass. Black & white.
P-3. Jackie and John Harmon, October 1945, Anniston, Alabama.
Both seated on grass. Black & white.
P-4. Man in uniform with inscription: "To: Thomas E., you are
one of the greatest men it has been my good fortune to
meet - and I sincerely hope we shall always be close and
real friends. Anon! Marty. February 1946." Black &
white, bust length.
P-5. Man in uniform with inscription: "To: Thomas E., All the
best and for always!!!! Sincerely, Martin. February
1946." Black & white, bust length.
P-6-8. Evelyn Rogier and Edward Ratcliffe, ca. August 1947.
Seated in front of fireplace.
P-9. Five men and one woman standing in front of car. Black
and white.
P-10. Six men (including Ratcliffe) and one dog standing beside
car in front of two-car garage. Black & white.
P-11. Three men and four women with car in background.
P-12- Women (including Evelyn Rogier) and men standing in
16. garden.
SHELF LIST
Box 1. Series 1 (folders 1-21)
Box 2. Series 2 (folders 22-37)
Box 3. Series 3 (folders 38-46)
Series 4 (folders 47-55)
Box 4. Series 5 (folders 56-78)
Box 5. Series 5 (folders 79-92)
Series 6 (folders 93-106)
Series 7 (folders 107-112)
Items separated:
Series 8 Pictures