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This collection has access 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 Duplication Policy section for more information.
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Collection Overview
| Size | 49.5 feet of linear shelf space (approximately 49,000 items) |
| Abstract | Willis D. Weatherford of Black Mountain, N.C., was president of the Blue Ridge Assembly, Black Mountain, N.C., 1906-1944; president of the Y.M.C.A. Graduate School, Nashville, Tenn., 1919-1946; trustee of Berea College, Berea, Ky., 1916-ca. 1962; faculty member of Fisk University, 1936-1946; director of the Southern Appalachian Studies Project, 1956-1968; and lifelong student of race relations in the South. The collection includes correspondence, financial records, printed material, reports, writings, speeches, photographs, and other material relating to the professional and personal life of Willis D. Weatherford. Many items are records, 1917-1944, of the YMCA Graduate School and of the Blue Ridge Assembly. Other papers document Weatherford's involvement, 1911-1943, in the YMCA at the regional and national level; his tenure, 1936-1946, as a professor at Fisk University; his involvement in the Commission for Interracial Cooperation and other interracial organizations, 1923-1969; his position on the board of trustees and as assistant to the president of Berea College, Berea, Ky., 1924-1969; his role as initiator and director of the Southern Appalachian Studies Project, 1956-1968; his membership on the North Carolina Governor's Coordinating Council on Aging; and his service on the board of directors of the American Cast Iron Pipe Company of Birmingham, Ala., which supported the Blue Ridge Assembly. Individuals important in the collection include Thomas Elsa Jones, president of Fisk University; William J. Hutchins and his son Francis S. Hutchins, both presidents of Berea College; playwright Paul Green; Tennessee congressman John Sparkman; writer and Weatherford biographer Wilma Dykeman; individuals involved with the Commission on Interracial Cooperation, including director Will W. Alexander, secretary James D. Burton, women's work director Jessie Daniel Ames, educational director Robert B. Eleazor, Arthur F. Raper, and Howard W. Odum; Roy Rowe; North Carolina Governor Dan K. Moore; and Fletcher Sims Brockman of the YMCA. |
| Creator | Weatherford, Willis D. (Willis Duke), 1875-1970. |
| 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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Biographical Information
| 1 December 1875 | Born in Weatherford, Tex., son of Samuel L. and Margaret Turner Weatherford |
| 1895 | B.S., Weatherford [Junior] College, Weatherford, Tex. |
| 1899 | B.A., Vanderbilt University |
| 1900 | M.A., Vanderbilt University |
| 1907 | Ph.D., Vanderbilt University |
| 1902-1919 | International student secretary of YMCA |
| 1903-1907 | Married Lula Belle Trawick |
| 1906-1944 | President, Blue Ridge Assembly (later known as Blue Ridge College, Inc.) |
| 1907 | Set up the Southern Summer School for Social Science and Christian Workers of Blue Ridge |
| 1907 | Author: Fundamental Religious Principles in Browning's Poetry; College Problems |
| 1910 | Author: Negro Life in the South |
| 1911 | Author: Introducing Men to Christ |
| 1912 | Author: Present Forces in Negro Progress |
| 1912 | Served on Standing Committee on Negro Problems of the Southern Sociological Congress |
| 1914-1957 | Married Julia McCrory |
| 1915 | Served on Board of Governors of the Southern Sociological Congress |
| 1916 | Author: Christian Life, a Normal Experience; Personal Elements in Religious Life |
| 1916-circa 1962 | Trustee, Berea College, Berea, Ky. |
| 1917 | Editor: Report on Law and Order Conference |
| 1917 | Organized a law and order conference dealing with the lynching problem in the South, held at Blue Ridge, N.C. |
| 1919 | Attended organizational meeting of the Commission on Interracial Cooperation, Atlanta, Ga. |
| circa 1919 | Took part in forming the Interracial Commission in Tennessee from the Tennessee Law and Order League |
| 1919-1936 | President, Southern College of the YMCA (later known as the YMCA Graduate School), Nashville, Tenn. |
| 1920 | Editor: Interracial Cooperation |
| 1924 | Author: The Negro from Africa to America |
| 1925 | Chair, Tennessee Commission on Interracial Cooperation; member, Board of Directors, Atlanta University |
| 1927-1970 | Member of the Board of Directors of ACIPCO |
| 1932 | Editor: Survey of the Negro Boy in Nashville |
| 1934 | Editor: Survey of Negro Boy Life in Nashville, Tenn. |
| 1934 | Author: Race Relations (co-authored with Charles S. Johnson, President, Fisk University) |
| 1935 | Author: Life Sketch of James Brownson Dunwoody DeBow |
| 1936 | YMCA Graduate School closes |
| 1936-1946 | Head, Department of Religion and Humanities, Fisk University, Nashville, Tenn. |
| 1945 | Blue Ridge Association sold to the Southern Region Headquarters of the YMCA |
| 1946 | Accepted position at Berea College dealing with instructional development and student recruitment |
| 1948 | Author: Analytical Index of DeBows Review |
| 1954-1957 | Organized and directed the development of the outdoor pageant, Wilderness Road |
| 1955 | Editor: Religion in the Appalachian Mountains; Educational Opportunities in the Appalachian Mountains |
| 1955 | Author: Pioneers of Destiny |
| 1956-1968 | Organizer and director of the Southern Appalachian Studies Project |
| 1957 | Author: American Churches and the Negro |
| 1962 | Author: Life and Religion in Southern Appalachia (co-authored with Earl D. C. Brewer); Studies in Christian Experience |
| 1962 | Editor: The Southern Appalachian Region: A Survey (co-edited with Thomas R. Ford) |
| 1965-1967 | Served on the Governor's Council on Aging |
| 21 February 1970 | Died |
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Scope and Content
Correspondence, financial records, printed material, reports, writings, speeches, photos, and other material relating to the professional and personal life of Willis D. Weatherford. Many items are records, 1917-1944, of the YMCA Graduate School and of the Blue Ridge Assembly. Other papers document Weatherford's involvement, 1911-1943, in the YMCA at the regional and national level; his tenure, 1936-1946, as a professor at Fisk University; his involvement in the Commission for Interracial Cooperation and other interracial organizations, 1923-1969; his position on the board of trustees and as assistant to the president of Berea College, Berea, Ky., 1924-1969; his role as initiator and director of the Southern Appalachian Studies Project, 1956-1968; his membership on the North Carolina Governor's Coordinating Council on Aging; and his service on the board of directors of the American Cast Iron Pipe Company of Birmingham, Ala., which supported the Blue Ridge Assembly. Individual important in the collection include Thomas Elsa Jones, president of Fisk University; William J. Hutchins and his son Francis S. Hutchins, both presidents of Berea College; playwright Paul Green; Tennessee congressman John Sparkman; writer and Weatherford biographer Wilma Dykeman; individuals involved with the Commission on Interracial Cooperation, including director Will W. Alexander, secretary James D. Burton, women's work director Jessie Daniel Ames, educational director Robert B. Eleazor, Arthur F. Raper, and Howard W. Odum; Roy Rowe; North Carolina Governor Dan K. Moore; and Fletcher Sims Brockman of the YMCA.
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Series Quick Links
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Series 1. YMCA Graduate School and Blue Ridge Association, 1917-1944.
Chiefly records of the YMCA Graduate School and the Blue Ridge Association during the years in which Willis D. Weatherford was the president of each of these organizations: 1919-1936 for the Graduate School, 1917-1944 for Blue Ridge. The material consists primarily of incoming and outgoing correspondence, reports, meeting minutes, lists, applications, and printed material. It covers all aspects of managing these institutions: fundraising, administration, recruitment of students and staff, Christian leadership training, student work assignments, student projects, relations with the Southern Region Headquarters of the YMCA, cooperation between the YMCA Graduate School and other Nashville schools including Vanderbilt University, Scarritt College, and Fisk University, relations between Blue Ridge and Black Mountain College, and conferences held at Blue Ridge. The papers also include material pertaining to Lee School for Boys and attempts to establish Cragmore School for Girls at Blue Ridge during the winter months.
This series also contains a substantial amount of material relating to Weatherford's other professional interests. Material on the American Cast Iron Pipe Company (ACIPCO) of Birmingham, Ala., relates to Weatherford's responsibilities as a member of the board of directors and of the wage committee, labor relations at the plant, and the involvement of many of the company's executives on the Blue Ridge board of directors and their financial support for Blue Ridge. The papers also reflect Weatherford's interest in race relations; problems presented by interracial participation in conferences in an era of legally mandated segregation constitute an important topic. Correspondence concerning Weatherford's courses on race relations at the YMCA Graduate School is also included. Material pertaining to research for Weatherford's books and projects as well as personal financial material and correspondence with close friends is included in this series.
The arrangement of this series adheres closely to the order of the material as received. The files consist of subject folders arranged by year. Within each year, the YMCA Graduate School material precedes that of Blue Ridge, with the files for each institution filed alphabetically. Users should note that Weatherford's filing system contained many inconsistencies, and there is a great deal of overlap between the YMCA Graduate School and the Blue Ridge material. Most folder headings are those used by Weatherford and his staff, except for some folders and titles added or altered for consistency and in order to make the material more accessible.
During processing, much routine material was discarded or sampled. Material discarded includes routine bills and receipts, requests for transcripts, equipment catalogs, notices of board meetings, recommendation letters, copies of form letters, and requests for information at the Blue Ridge grounds. Folders containing samples of the original correspondence are so labeled.
This series overlaps in part with other series. For more extensive material on race relations, users should consult Series 5. Race Relations and Series 3. Fisk University. Material on the YMCA and its Southern Region Headquarters, which supervised Weatherford in his roles as a president of the YMCA Graduate School and Blue Rige, is filed in Series 2. National YMCA. Finally, Series 6. Other Papers includes personal material and papers relating to the American Cast Iron Pipe Company, 1943-1969.
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Series 2. National YMCA, 1911-1943.
Correspondence (mainly incoming), meeting minutes, schedules, reports, proposals, and printed material relating to the national, regional, and Tennessee state organization of the YMCA. The bulk of the material dates from 1921 to 1936, at which time Willis D. Weatherford retired from direct employment in the YMCA, although he was indirectly employed by the Y during the summers at Blue Ridge through 1943. Much of the material focuses on Weatherford's involvement with the Student Department and with committees relating to personnel, training, and professional standards, therefore reflecting his role as an educator and administrator of institutions dedicated to preparing students for YMCA and religious work.
Although many of Weatherford's activities relate to the YMCA movement in the South, Weatherford was also active in the YMCA at the national level. Weatherford maintained extensive contacts with directors of YMCA colleges and camps throughout the United States. He was also involved in placing secretaries abroad, especially in Asia. He was at the forefront of efforts to achieve racial equality in YMCA institutions. The papers reflect Weatherford's role in bringing about a compromise in a dispute between national and local organizations that resulted in the YMCA's 1923 Constitution.
This series overlaps with the YMCA Graduate School/Blue Ridge Series because the regional YMCA administered these institutions. Therefore, most correspondence between Weatherford and regional or national officers, or between these officers and YMCA secretaries about the Graduate School and Blue Ridge is included in this series. Information about programs and issues to be discussed at YMCA conferences to be held at Blue Ridge is also included in this series, whereas material regarding conference arrangements that pertains to Blue Ridge operations is filed in Series 1. Material for 1928 relating to local committees for training agencies, including the YMCA Graduate School are also included in this series because the committees were part of a nationally organized program.
The material is filed by year, and by subject titles within each year. These files reflect Weatherford's original titles, but have been systematized and the material has been rearranged so that the folder contents and titles are more consistent. The titles roughly reflect YMCA committees and divisions. Because various committees and divisions often cooperated on projects or because members served on many committees, the subject matter of many folders overlaps. Although no longer employed by the YMCA in any capacity after 1943, Weatherford continued to be a member, kept abreast of Y activities, and occasionally served on committees and attended meetings. Material relating to the National YMCA after 1942 is located in Series 5.
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Series 3. Fisk University, 1936-1947.
Correspondence, course outlines, lists, and reports from Weatherford's years as a professor at Fisk University. Much of the correspondence focuses on fundraising for Fisk's endowment campaign, 1938-1938; for a revitalized Department of Religion and Philosophy; and for research in Fisk's Humanities Institute, of which Willis D. Weatherford was the director.
Weatherford was instrumental in developing Fisk's Department of Religion and Philosophy, and much of the correspondence relates to organization, curriculum, hiring, student recruiting, and scholarships, as well as for funding for this program. Material regarding the library, which Fisk purchased from the YMCA Graduate School is also included. Other topics included in the correspondence are the summer Ministers' Institutes sponsored by Fisk, and the Committee For Youth Work Among Negroes (especially 1945), a Nashville organization.
Thomas Elsa Jones, president of Fisk, other Fisk faculty members, and fundraising representatives for Fisk, are the main correspondents. Material relating to Fisk dated prior to 1937 are filed in Series 1. Users interested in race relations should consult Series 5. Material other than correspondence pertains to the same topics; it is filed chronologically by year following correspondence.
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Series 4. Berea College, 1924-1969.
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Subseries 4.1. Berea College Administration, 1929-1969.
Correspondence, reports, lists, and printed material relating to the administration and operation of Berea College. The two primary correspondents are William J. Hutchins (president 1920-1939), whose letters constitute the bulk of the series through 1939; and his son Francis S. Hutchins (president 1939-1967).
During William J. Hutchins's tenure as president, the particulars of board meetings, faculty, college policies, building projects, finances, and Berea's mission as a Christian institution are the main topics of discussion. The correspondents also address the issue of student conduct and the campaign against smoking among students that took place during 1932. Letters discussing the YMCA Graduate School's field projects at the Berea College are also filed in this series, although the resulting reports are in Series 1.
In the early years of Francis S. Hutchins's tenure as president, the possibility of a navy contract for wartime use of Berea's facilities, reorganization of the upper and lower schools (Berea operated a high school as well as a college), and fundraising were the most important issues. In 1946, Berea hired Willis D. Weatherford as a student recruiter and as a fundraiser. Consequently, after 1946, the subseries includes correspondence with high school principals, parents, and prospective students. Correspondence about fundraising and with potential donors also increases after 1946. This correspondence addresses fundraising both for the College's endowment and for special projects. Building projects, upgrading the hospital and the college's health and nursing programs required special fundraising efforts.
Berea's celebration in 1955, however, was the most important project except for the Southern Appalachian Studies Program (see Subseries 2). Weatherford both initiated and supervised the production of an outdoor drama, Wilderness Road, written expressly for Berea by Paul Green; it was the centerpiece of the centennial celebration. The series includes considerable correspondence during the 1950s (and almost all the material for 1954 and 1955) about the commission for the play, its storyline, production of the drama, construction of an amphitheatre, and craft exhibits at the performances. Paul Green, director Sam Selden of the University of North Carolina's Playmakers, and general manager Ted Cronk are among those with whom Weatherford corresponded on this subject. Weatherford also occasionally corresponded with Kermit Hunter, another playwright, about other outdoor dramas.
Other topics covered in the correspondence include tours by Berea's Country Dancers; Weatherford's books, Educational Opportunities in the Appalachian Mountains (1955) and Religion in the Appalachian Mountains; a workshop on children's literature in Appalachia held in July 1959; plans for the development of what eventually became the W. D. Weatherford and W. A. Hammond Southern Appalachian Collection of History and Literature (1960s); a proposed merger between the Berea College Foundation School and the public school system of the town of Berea; and Berea's contract with the International Cooperation Administration (1960-1962) for assistance in the development of rural institutes in India. The subseries also includes some letters that discuss the Southern Appalachian Studies project in addition to other topics. Many letters to and from Francis S. Hutchins are of this nature. All correspondence with Hutchins has been filed in this subseries in order to make it more accessible.
Miscellaneous material include financial reports, donor lists, people to contact, lists of foreign students at Berea College, lists of scholarships awarded Berea students for post-graduate study, reports on Berea's student industries and work program, reports on educational policies, minutes from meetings of the board of trustees and of various committees, meeting and travel schedules, enrollment figures, material on the proposed school merger, publicity material, and material relating to the production of Wilderness Road. Some material of this nature is included in the correspondence because it was enclosed in letters.
The correspondence in this subseries is arranged chronologically and by correspondent within each year. The non-correspondence follows the correspondence and is arranged by year, and then, for years that include more than one folder of material, by type of material or by topic.
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Subseries 4.2. Southern Appalachian Studies, 1956-1968.
Primarily correspondence, reports, and organizational material for the Southern Appalachian Studies project and drafts of chapters for the project's findings, published as The Southern Appalachian Region: A Survey. The Southern Appalachian Studies project developed as a result of a Berea College-sponsored interdenominational conference of southern clergy held in 1956 to address the problems of Appalachia. In 1957, Berea College received a grant from the Ford Foundation to undertake the study as well as a number of other related projects. Willis D. Weatherford served as director of administration for the project. The board of directors included Weatherford and other members of the executive committee, as well as representatives from Berea College, the Council of the Southern Mountains, and eight of the largest Protestant denominations in the South. The board employed scholars at several southern universities to undertake studies on a variety of topics. In addition, the project sponsored a writer's workshop at Berea College in 1959 and two workshops and study tours of the Appalachian region for administrators of social agencies who worked with Appalachian migrants in Akron, Chicago, Cincinnati, Cleveland, Columbus, Detroit, and New York. After completion of the study in 1961, Weatherford worked with the United States government, state governors, and churches to implement programs in the Southern Appalachian region. Among the correspondents included in this series is Tennessee Congressman John Sparkman.
The series documents all aspects of the study, but it includes only limited material on the preparation of the studies themselves, except for the report on Appalachian literature and writers, which Weatherford co-authored with Wilma Dykeman. Weatherford also corresponded with Stokely and her husband, James Stokley, about novels that Weatherford commissioned them to write, as well as about a biography of Weatherford, published in 1966 as Prophet of Plenty: The First Ninety Years of W. D. Weatherford. The subseries also includes a draft of a chapter for the study by Rupert B. Vance. Correspondence between Weatherford and Francis S. Hutchins, president of Berea College, about the project is filed in Subseries 4.1. More correspondence and material on the Southern Appalachian Studies project is located in the special collections department of the Berea College library. Weatherford's interest in Appalachia led him to become involved in other projects and organizations, primarily in western North Carolina. Material related to these projects is filed in Series 5.
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Series 5. Race Relations, 1923-1969.
Arrangement: by type of material, then by year.
Correspondence, reports, and other material relating to Willis D. Weatherford's participation in a variety of interracial organizations, his contacts with African American colleges, and his research on race relations. Much of the material consists of correspondence with other members of the Commission on Interracial Cooperation. Notable correspondents include Will Winton Alexander, director; James D. Burton, Interstate Secretary for Tennessee; Jessie Daniel Ames, Director of Women's Work and director of the Commission's auxillary, the Association of Women For the Prevention of Lynching; Robert B. Eleazor, educational director; Arthur F. Raper; and Howard W. Odum. The topics include organizational and personnel matters, projects designed to improve interracial relations, anti-lynching efforts, and the campaign against the poll tax. The series also includes material relating to the organizations that succeeded the Commission on Interracial Cooperation, including the Southern Regional Council and various state human relations councils.
While president of the YMCA Graduate School, Weatherford maintained close ties with African American colleges such as Tuskegee Institute, Atlanta University, and Fisk University. He also followed closely the progress of the Rosenwald Schools and other projects for African American education. The series also includes material relating to his textbook, Race Relations: Adjustment of Whites and Negroes in the United States, coauthored with Charles Johnson of Fisk University, and to The American Churches and the Negro. An acknowledged authority on race relations, Weatherford also received many requests for information about books and courses on this topic.
Some material pertaining to race relations is filed in other series. Correspondence and other material relating to projects and research conducted under the auspices of the YMCA Graduate School and to joint projects between the Graduate School and Fisk is filed in Series 1. Users should also consult Series 3 on Fisk University.
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Series 6. Other Papers, 1943-1969.
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Subseries 6.1. American Cast Iron Pipe Company, 1943-1969.
This subseries documents Weatherford's participation as a member of the board of directors of the American Cast Iron Pipe Company of Birmingham, Ala., and as a member of the firm's wage benefits committee. The company's Eagan Plan (a program of profit sharing and employee representation on the board of directors), attempts by United Mine Workers to unionize the company in the early 1960s, the problems of the iron industry, profits and losses, the particulars of board and committee meetings, and other business affairs are the main topics discussed in correspondence. Correspondence referring to research for a biographical sketch of John J. Eagan, the company's founder, is filed in Subseries 6.3.
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Subseries 6.2. Subject Files, 1943-1969.
Primarily reports and publications of various organizations, financial material, personal material, miscellaneous notes, and printed items. This material covers most of the same topics described in Subseries 6.1.
Weatherford also served as a member of the North Carolina Governor's Council on Aging during his later years. Correspondence relating to Weatherford's membership covers recreational activities for the elderly, public relations for the council, funding for projects, local senior citizens' organizations, federal programs affecting the elderly, health affairs, and meetings. Among the correspondents are Roy Rowe and North Carolina Governor Dan K. Moore.
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Subseries 6.3. Miscellaneous Correspondence, 1943-1969.
Correspondence relating to Willis D. Weatherford's numerous interests, involvement in a variety of institutions, and personal letters from family, friends, and former colleagues. Topics covered in this series include YMCA activities, religion, poverty and economic development in the Appalachian region, the activities of the North Carolina Film Board (of which Weatherford was a member), programs at Blue Ridge, speaking engagements, publication of Weatherford's Analytical Index of DeBow's Review, and Wilma Dykeman's biography of Weatherford.
Former YMCA colleagues such as Fletcher Sims Brockman constitute the largest group of correspondents in this subseries. Although Weatherford was no longer employed by the YMCA after 1936, he sustained an interest in YMCA activities and continued to serve on committees throughout his life, particularly the Campus Advisory Council to which he was appointed in 1956. Letters from YMCA officers and secretaries deal with issues confronting the organization (especially the civil rights movement), meetings, and campus programs.
The subseries also includes correspondence from officials of the Blue Ridge Assembly after the YMCA Southern Area Council purchased the Assembly grounds in 1943. Most of the correspondence is dated 1943-1946, as Weatherford and the Southern Area Council wound up the affairs of Blue Ridge's former administration. Later material focuses primarily on meetings at Blue Ridge and invitations to Weatherford to speak. This subseries also includes many letters from former YMCA Graduate School students and Blue Ridge participants.
The Appalachian region constituted Weatherford's other primary interest during the 1950s and 1960s. Although the Southern Appalachian Studies Project absorbed much of Weatherford's energy in this area, he was also involved in many related regional organizations. Through these organizations Weatherford promoted efforts to alleviate poverty in the region, and to promote regional culture and interests. Other projects included plans for a tourist information area on Interstate 40 on the North Carolina-Tennessee state line and building a new Methodist church and library in Weatherford's hometown of Black Mountain. For Weatherford, efforts at reform in Appalachia were always linked to religion; he also contributed to the efforts of the National Council of Churches in the region.
This subseries also includes many letters from family and friends. This correspondence primarily includes letters between Weatherford's wife, Julia McRory Weatherford, and her husband and son, Willis Duke Weatherford Jr., primarily in the late 1940s; from Willis Duke Weatherford Jr., his wife Anne, and their children, especially during the 1960s; and from close friends Robert and Ethel Eleazor. Letters from many other relatives and personal friends are included.
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Series 7. Pictures, Circa 1900-1960.
Mainly pictures of applicants for the YMCA Graduate School and Blue Ridge, taken between 1920 and 1940. Included also are photographs of Willis D. Weatherford by himself and with groups of people, photographs of identified groups and scenes, and a few unidentified photographs.
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Items Separated
Processed by: Rebecca McCoy and Lynn Roundtree, 1987
Encoded by: Eben Lehman, April 2007
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