Restrictions to Access

This collection contains additional materials that are not available for immediate or same day access. Please contact Research and Instructional Service staff at wilsonlibrary@unc.edu to discuss options for consulting these materials.

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 Billy Arthur papers #4448, Southern Historical Collection, Wilson Special Collections Library, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

Acquisitions Information

Received from Billy Arthur, Sr., of Chapel Hill, N.C., in May 1986 (Acc. 86068), May 1988 (Acc. 88048), August 1988 (Acc. 88086), December 1994 (Acc. 94179), and May 1997 (Acc. 97066), and from Billy Arthur Jr., of Chapel Hill, N.C., in April 2000 (Acc. 98607).

Received from Billy Arthur of Chapel Hill, N.C., on 14 May 1997.

Received from Billy Arthur Jr., of Chapel Hill, N.C., in April 2000 (Acc. 98607).

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: Marion Pressler with assistance from Connie Cartledge and Angela Abbatiello, October 1986 and subsequent additions

Encoded by: ByteManagers Inc., 2008

This collection was revised with the support of the Randleigh Foundation Trust.

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.

• American wit and humor--20th century.
• Arthur family.
• Arthur, Billy, 1911-2006.
• Comedians--United States--History--20th century.
• Dwarfs--United States.
• Fordham, Christopher C.
• Hobby equipment industry--North Carolina--History--20th century.
• Journalists--North Carolina--History--20th century.
• Newspaper publishing--North Carolina--History--20th century.
• North Carolina--Politics and government--1865-1950.
• North Carolina--Politics and government--1951-
• North Carolina. General Assembly. House of Representatives--Officials and employees.
• Sanford, Terry, 1917-1998.
• Smith, Dean, 1931-
• University of North Carolina (1793-1962)--Students--Social life and customs.
• Vaudeville--History.

The collection includes correspondence, writings, photographs, and other materials relating to Arthur. Letters document Arthur's career as a writer, reading clerk in the North Carolina House of Representatives, comedian, and businessman. Notable correspondents include Terry Sanford, Dean Smith, Christopher Fordham, many state and national politicians, and various editors and publishers. Writings include newspaper clippings; syndicated material; and book-length manuscripts, among them a book of North Carolina humor. There is also material relating to the activities of Arthur family members and materials Arthur used in his comedy routines. In addition, there are three scrapbooks documenting all phases of Arthur's life and many photographs of Arthur, his family, and his friends.

• Photographs (PF-4448/1-10)
• Audiocassettes (C-4448/1-2)
• Oversized papers (2 folders)