Restrictions to Access

No restrictions. Open for research.

Restrictions to Use

No usage restrictions.

Preferred Citation

[Identification of item], in the Parachute Club of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Records #40390, University Archives, The Wilson Library, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

Acquisitions Information

Received as a gift from Francis J. Hale III in December 2012 (Records transfer 20121213.1), June 2014 (Records transfer 20140602.1 and 20140611.1), and January 2018 (RT 20180102.1).

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: Amanda Loeb, July 2014

Encoded by: Amanda Loeb, July 2014

Finding aid updated because of adiition by Jennifer Coggins and Laura Smith, July 2019

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.

• College students--North Carolina--Societies, etc.
• Parachuting.
• Skydiving.
• Student activities--North Carolina.
• University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill--History.
• University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill--Students--History.
• University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Parachute Club.

The Parachute Club of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, also known as the Sport Parachute Club, was founded in 1968 by students Francis J. Hale III and Robert A. "Bob" Bolch, who had previously participated in jumps with the University of South Carolina Parachute Club and received parachute training from United States Air Force personel at Fort Bragg, N.C. Founded as a co-ed organization, the club required members to sign a waiver releasing the university from liability. Members performed jumps at Raeford Airport in Hoke County, N.C., and later at the Carolina ParaCenter in Roanoke Rapids, N.C. Two experienced students served as Jumpmasters and instructors for club members. The club competed in both individual and team jumps, and were judged on landing accuracy and style. The club hosted the North Carolina Collegiate and Open match at Roanoke Rapids, N.C., in 1973, and sent a team to the National Collegiate Championships in 1972 and 1973. The club acquired equipment at their own expense and received donations from parachute clubs at Fort Bragg, N.C. A club member died in a parachute accident in 1972 when her parachute failed to deploy correctly.

Records of the UNC Parachute Club consist of training materials and student forms; club publicity materials; materials collected at competitions; and various clippings, equipment catalogs, and photographs. Training materials consist of notes on the skill levels of various club members; equipment manuals and instructions; medical forms clearing students as fit to jump; waivers releasing the university from liability; a Federal Aviation Administration Advisory Circular on safety procedures for parachute jumpers and pilots; United States Parachute Association (USPA) doctrine, regualtions, forms, and special bulletins; a list of parachute jumping areas by state; and USPA Instructor Certification course materials. Publicity materials include local newspaper articles about the club; correspondence and news releases from USPA; stationery samples; and correspondence regarding potential sponsorship of the club by North Carolina National Bank. Competition materials are from the National Collegiate Parachuting League Championships, the University of South Carolina Annual Parachute Meet, and the North Carolina Collegiate and Open Parachute Meet. They include rules and regulations; critique and questionnaire forms; fliers and advertisements; information sheets; registration materials; competition results; and USPA correspondence regarding the eligibility of students. There are some financial materials, consisting of bank statements and a few notes on jump prices and equipment. Photographs consist of negatives taken at various competitions, one print made from the negatives, and one contact sheet. Photographs also include several digital color and black-and-white images scanned from prints of the parachute team in competition.

• Photographs (PF-40390/1)
• Digital Folder (DF-40390/1)