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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 1600 items (10.0 linear feet) |
| Abstract | Thomas Grey Wicker (1926- ), journalist and author, worked for the Winston-Salem Journal; the Nashville Tennesseean; and served as staff writer, chief of the Washington bureau, and associate editor for the New York Times. He wrote numerous works of fiction and non-fiction, including several presidential biographies. The papers of Tom Wicker primarily relate to his work as a newspaper reporter, bureau chief, and editor, chiefly for the New York Times, and as a writer of fiction and non-fiction works. Included are drafts of his major works and research materials for some books, especially A Time to Die (1975), which is represented by items collected during and after Wicker's participation as an observer at the 1971 prison riot standoff at the Attica Correctional Facility in Attica, N.Y., and One of Us: Richard Nixon and the American Dream (1991). Also included are drafts of articles on various topics and some materials relating to freelance work he undertook in the 1990s. Professional correspondence mostly relates to the publication and distribution of Wicker's books; other professional papers include briefs and press releases accumulated during Wicker's tenure at the New York Times. Many writings and professional materials relate to Richard M. Nixon, Lyndon B. Johnson, John F. Kennedy, or John Erlichman, and to politics, government, and/or race relations in the United States and in North Carolina. Personal papers include a few writings and other papers relating to Wicker's early life in Hamlet, N.C.; letters from his time as a student at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, N.C., 1944-1948; letters to his parents while he served in the United States Navy during World War II and in the early 1950s; and other items relating to the Wicker family. |
| Creator | Wicker, Tom. |
| 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.
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Biographical Information
Thomas Grey Wicker was born in Hamlet, N.C., on 18 June 1926 to Delancey David Wicker and Esta Cameron Wicker. He joined the Navy's V-12 program in 1944 and attended the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, N.C., graduating with an A.B. in journalism in 1948.
After working for a number of smaller newspapers in North Carolina, Wicker was hired as a copy editor by the Winston-Salem Journal in 1950. He eventually became the first Washington editor for the Journal. Wicker was a Nieman Fellow at Harvard, 1957-1958, and then served as associate editor of the Nashville Tennesseean in 1960. That same year, he was hired by the New York Times as a staff writer. From 1964 to 1968, he was the chief of the Washington bureau of the Times. He served as associate editor of the Times from 1968 until his retirement in December 1991.
In 1971, Wicker was called upon by prisoners at the Attica Correctional Facility at Attica, N.Y., to act as an observer during their standoff with prison officials and was present through the conclusion of the incident. He later described the event in A Time to Die (1975).
Other non-fiction works include Kennedy Without Tears (1964), JFK and LBJ (1966), On Press (1978), One of Us: Richard Nixon and the American Dream (1991), and Tragic Failure: Racial Integration in America (1991). In addition, he worked on a number of scripts and treatments for television, most prominently acting as a consultant for the movie Attica, which was based on A Time to Die.
Among Wicker's works of fiction are three novels published under the pseudonym Paul Connolly: Get Out of Town (1951), Tears Are For Angels (1952), and So Fair, So Evil (1955). Novels published under his own name include The Kingpin (1953), The Devil Must (1957), The Judgement (1961), Facing the Lions (1973), Unto This Hour (1984), and Easter Lilly (1997).
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Scope and Content
The papers of Tom Wicker primarily relate to his work as a journalist, bureau chief, and editor, chiefly for the New York Times, and as a writer of fiction and non-fiction works. Included are drafts of his major works and research materials for some books, especially A Time to Die (1975), which is represented by items collected during and after Wicker's participation as an observer at the 1971 prison riot standoff at the Attica Correctional Facility in Attica, N.Y., and One of Us: Richard Nixon and the American Dream (1991). Also included are drafts of articles on various topics and some materials relating to freelance work he undertook in the 1990s.
Professional correspondence mostly relates to the publication and distribution of Wicker's books; other professional papers include briefs and press releases accumulated during Wicker's tenure at the New York Times.
Many writings and professional materials relate to Richard M. Nixon, Lyndon B. Johnson, John F. Kennedy, or John Erlichman, and to politics, government, and/or race relations in the United States and in North Carolina.
Personal papers include a few writings and other papers relating to Wicker's early life in Hamlet, N.C.; letters from his time as a student at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, N.C., 1944-1948; letters to his parents while he served in the United States Navy during World War II and in the early 1950s; letters relating to the death of his mother, Esta Cameron Wicker, in 1989; and letters to Wicker's father, Delancey David Wicker, from his employer, the Seaboard Coast Line Railroad.
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Series Quick Links
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Series 1. Non-fiction Works, 1956-1998.
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Subseries 1.1. Books, 1962-1996.
Materials relating to Tom Wicker's non-fiction works. Included is draft material for Kennedy Without Tears, JFK and LBJ, A Time to Die, On Press, One of Us, and Tragic Failure. There are also notebooks containing handwritten draft material for One of Us and On Press, as well as research materials used in the preparation of A Time to Die and One of Us.
Among the A Time to Die materials are items relating to prisons and corrections policy in the United States; speeches and other press releases by Nelson Rockefeller and Russell Oswald; a transcript of an interview with observer Herman Schwartz; notes that appear to date from Wicker's involvement as an observer at the Attica prison riot in 1971; a note dating from the riot from the prisoners in Attica's C Block to those holding the D Yard; a note from the Attica prisoners to Bobby Seale; a letter written by Eldridge Cleaver to Tom Wicker on the subject of the riot; the report of the New York State Special Commission on Attica (the McKay Commission); a booklet of interviews with Attica inmates; documents from several meetings of the Attica Observers' Committee; a cassette featuring an interview with Roger Champen along with a typed transcript; a cassette containing part of Wicker's press conference after the retaking of Attica; and an audio copy of A Time To Die. There is also a script for the television adaptation of A Time to Die entitled Attica, for which Wicker acted as a consultant, and several reviews and other papers relating to A Time to Die.
Research materials for One of Us consist of notes and transcripts from interviews with, and some speeches by, figures involved with the Nixon administration. These include Richard M. Nixon, Elmer Bobst, Leonard Garment, William P. Rogers, Arnold Hutschnecker, Arthur Burns, Frank Sorg, and Bryce Harlow. There are tapes of an interview with John Ehrlichman, as well as a number of tapes documenting a conference on the Nixon administration held at Hofstra University in 1987.
Also included are a draft of Wicker's Tragic Failure and an article submitted by Wicker to The Nation, which is primarily composed of excerpts from the book.
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Subseries 1.2. Articles, 1956-1998.
Arrangement: chronological.
Published articles on political, social, and other topics written by Tom Wicker. These include clippings of articles on literary topics that Wicker wrote for the Winston-Salem Journal in the late 1950s, as well a large number of articles written for the New York Times during Wicker's tenure as head of the paper's Washington bureau and some opinion pieces written after he had become an associate editor for the Times. The articles from the New York Times discuss a range of topics relating to national electoral politics, primarily covering the presidential campaign of 1960 and various aspects of the subsequent John F. Kennedy and Lyndon B. Johnson administrations. The articles also feature extensive coverage of the 1960 Barry Goldwater and Nelson Rockefeller campaigns. In addition, there are occasional pieces written for other publications, such as the Earth Times, and interviews conducted by Wicker with Ramsey Clarke and Gore Vidal.
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Series 2. Fiction, 1952-1998.
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Subseries 2.1. Novels, 1961-1998.
Arrangement: chronological.
Draft material from novels, both published and unpublished, by Tom Wicker, including "Second Chance" (1958), The Judgment (1961), Facing the Lions (1973), Unto This Hour (1984), Easter Lilly (1997), and "Oyster Bay" (undated). There is also undated draft material for a novel under the working title of "McBee," which appears never to have been completed.
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Subseries 2.2. Stories, Scripts, Treatments, 1952-1997.
Arrangement: chronological.
Draft versions of short stories, scripts, and treatments.
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Series 3. Professional Correspondence, 1952-1997.
Arrangement: chronological.
Correspondence relating to various aspects of Tom Wicker's professional life. Included are a large number of letters acknowledging the receipt of complimentary copies of Wicker's books; correspondence of a perfunctory nature from Felix Rohatyn, Kurt Vonnegut, and Russell Baker; and letters from people associated with William Morrow Inc. and Viking Press, the principal publishers of Tom Wicker's literary work.
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Series 4. Professional Papers, 1963-1997.
Arrangement: chronological.
Papers relating to Tom Wicker's professional activities. Included are press statements and briefings from when Wicker was chief of the Washington Bureau of the New York Times; notebooks that document his participation in the Protect Historic America Project; papers from his work with the Freedom Forum at Vanderbilt University; lecture notes and other materials from courses on journalism and on racial issues in the United States given during his tenure as professor at Davidson College in the fall of 1997; papers documenting the sentencing of Stanley Sanders; and documents relating to publication of and compensation for several of Wicker's books.
A series of essays written by Henry Hall Wilson discusses the history of state politics in North Carolina since the 1950s, the practical aspects of relations between the executive and legislative branches of the United States government, his service in the Kennedy and Johnson administrations, and his tenure as president of the Chicago Board of Trade.
Six notebooks and other notes are undated, but appear to have been composed during Wicker's tenure at the Washington Bureau of the New York Times.
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Series 5. Personal Papers, 1917-1998.
Arrangement: by type, then chronological.
Correspondence and other papers relating to the personal and family life of Tom Wicker. There is correspondence between Wicker and his parents dating from World War II and into the 1950s, when Wicker was serving in the United States Navy. There are many letters of condolence sent to Tom Wicker from family members, friends, and colleagues after the death of his mother, Esta Cameron Wicker.
Also included are documents dating from Wicker's childhood; notebooks he kept while a Nieman Fellow at Harvard in 1957; a book of photographs of Hamlet, N.C.; community awards; a daily planner from 1975; papers from Wicker's work with the Vermont Symphony; unpublished poetry; a series of letters to Wicker's father, Delancey David Wicker, from his employer, the Seaboard Coast Line Railroad; and a number of press clippings documenting Wicker's life, particularly his connections to North Carolina.
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Items Separated
Separated items include 23 photographs (P-5012), 30 audio cassettes (C-5012/1-30), and 5 posters (OP-5012/1-5.)
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