Restrictions to Access

May be used with assistance from the Technical Services staff.

Copyright Notice

Copyright is retained by the authors of items in these papers, or their descendants, as stipulated by United States copyright law.

Preferred Citation

[Identification of item], in the Charles Osborne Jeffress papers #4559, Southern Historical Collection, The Wilson Library, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

Acquisitions Information

Received from Emma Sharpe Avery Jeffress in August 1990.

Sensitive Materials Statement

Manuscript collections and archival records may contain materials with sensitive or confidential information that is protected under federal or state right to privacy laws and regulations, the North Carolina Public Records Act (N.C.G.S. § 132 1 et seq.), and Article 7 of the North Carolina State Personnel Act (Privacy of State Employee Personnel Records, N.C.G.S. § 126-22 et seq.). Researchers are advised that the disclosure of certain information pertaining to identifiable living individuals represented in this collection without the consent of those individuals may have legal ramifications (e.g., a cause of action under common law for invasion of privacy may arise if facts concerning an individual's private life are published that would be deemed highly offensive to a reasonable person) for which the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill assumes no responsibility.

Processed by: David L. Stickney, November 1990; Revised by Suzanne Ruffing, March 1996

Encoded by: ByteManagers Inc., 2008

Updated by: Nancy Kaiser, January 2021

Processing deferred pending expected additions.

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.

• Greensboro (N.C.)--Social life and customs.
• Greensboro News Publishing Company.
• Greensboro daily news (Greensboro, N.C.)
• Greensboro record (Greensboro, N.C.)
• Holy Trinity Episcopal Church (Greensboro, N.C.)
• Jeffress, Charles Osborne, 1915-1989.
• Jeffress, E. B. (Edwin Bedford), 1887-1961.
• Journalists--North Carolina.
• Publishers and publishing--North Carolina.
• WFMY-TV (Television station : Greensboro, N.C.)
• Wesley Long Community Hospital (Greensboro, N.C.)

• EDWIN BEDFORD JEFFRESS PAPERS (#1167).

Charles Osborne Jeffress was born in Greensboro, N.C., in 1915, the son of E. B. Jeffress, general manager and president of the Greensboro News Publishing Company, which owned the Greensboro Daily News, the Greensboro Record, and WFMY-TV. Charles Osborne Jeffress, known as Carl, was graduated from the University of North Carolina in 1938 with a degree in economics. He spent four years in the United States Army, serving in the Public Relations Office at Fort Bragg, N.C.

After World War II, Jeffress's career began in earnest. He started working as a reporter for the Greensboro Daily News and soon graduated to the copy desk. He then spent several years at the Daily News's Washington Bureau. Returning to Greensboro, he became editorial supervisor at the Daily News, then, in 1950, general manager of the Greensboro News Publishing Company. In 1965, he became publisher. Jeffress was also active in the growth of television, being instrumental in bringing live television to North Carolina on WFMY-TV, which was owned by the Greensboro News Publishing Company.

Jeffress was also extremely active in his community. He spent nine years on the Greensboro Planning and Zoning Board, eight of those years as chair. He was president of the board of directors of the Wesley Long Community Hospital, president of the Greensboro Tuberculosis Association, and chair of the state Christmas seal campaign and other charitable efforts.

He taught journalism at Elon College and was an active member of the Holy Trinity Episcopal Church. Jeffress, who served as president of the North Carolina Press Association, received many awards during his lifetime, including the Edward R. Murrow Award and the National Medal of Honor from the Daughters of the American Revolution.

Jeffress was married to Emma Sharpe Avery Jeffress. He died 25 August 1989.

Chiefly office files of Charles Osborne Jeffress, documenting his career at the Greensboro News Publishing Company, which owned the Greensboro Daily News, the Greensboro Record, and WFMY-TV. Also included are materials relating to Jeffress's community work, particularly at the Wesley Long Community Hospital and Holy Trinity Episcopal Church. Materials relating to Jeffress family members is also present, including detailed documentation of E. B. Jeffress sanity hearings.

The following list gives a general idea of the materials currently housed in each box. It is in the order as received from the donor. Note that original folder titles have, for the most part, been retained.