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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 Duplication Policy section for more information.
Size | 15.5 feet of linear shelf space (approximately 12,800 items) |
Abstract | Norval Neil Luxon (1899-1989) was a journalist, professor of journalism, and Dean of the School of Journalism at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, 1953-1964. Born in London, Ohio, he served in the Navy, 1917-1919, before earning a B.S. in journalism (1923) and M.A. in history (1931) from Ohio State University and Ph.D. in history (1940) from UCLA. Luxon held a variety of editorial posts on several newspapers and taught journalism and served in administrative capacities at Ohio State until 1953, when he was appointed Dean of the School of Journalism at the University of North Carolina. As a member of several national journalism organizations, Luxon wrote and spoke widely on the importance of maintaining high standards in journalism education and of a solid background in the humanities to practicing journalists. Luxon was married to Ermina Munn in 1928, and the couple had one son, Norval Neil Luxon Jr. Luxon died in Chapel Hill, N.C., in 1989. The collection includes correspondence chiefly between Norval Neil Luxon and other journalists, newspaper editors, deans of journalism schools, and faculty and administrators at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Also included are speeches and lectures given by Luxon; teaching and other materials from Luxon's tenure at Ohio State and the University of North Carolina; clippings; materials related to Luxon's graduate work at UCLA and his dissertation on the history of the Niles' Weekly Register ; books and other publications related to journalism and journalism education; correspondence and other materials belonging to his wife, Ermina Luxon, that document life in Chapel Hill, N.C., and the Munn family of Ohio; story boards and other materials related to television advertising for the ice cream division of the Walter M. Lowney Company (relation of these materials to other materials in the collection is unclear); and other items. Correspondents include Edward W. Barrett, Herbert Brucker, Chilton Rowlette Bush, Ralph D. Casey, Clifton Daniel, Earl English, Mark F. Ethridge, William C. Friday, Gail Godwin, Gordon Gray, Gerald W. Johnson, Bernard Kilgore, W. M. Kiplinger, A. H. Kirchhofer, Holt McPherson, Frank Luther Mott, Ralph O. Nafzinger, Sam Ragan, James Reston, Vermont Royster, and J. Carlyle Sitterson, among many others. |
Creator | Luxon, Norval Neil, b. 1899. |
Curatorial Unit | University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Library. Southern Historical Collection. |
Language | English |
Processed by: Noah Huffman, August 2007
Encoded by: Noah Huffman, August 2007
Updated by: Nancy Kaiser, January 2021
Back to TopThe 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.
Norval Neil Luxon (1899-1989) was a journalist, professor of journalism, and dean of the School of Journalism at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, 1953-1964. Born in London, Ohio, Luxon served in the Navy, 1917-1919, before earning his B.S. in journalism and M.A. in history from Ohio State University in 1923 and 1931, respectively. In 1940, Luxon received a Ph.D. in history from UCLA after completing his dissertation on the history of the Niles' Weekly Register, a nineteenth-century news magazine. Luxon held a variety of editorial posts on the Columbus Citizen, Canton Daily News, Oteen (N.C.) Skylight , and the El Paso Herald. Luxon taught journalism and served in administrative capacities at Ohio State until 1953, when he was appointed Dean of the School of Journalism at the University of North Carolina. During his tenure at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, the school added a Master's program in 1954 and an interdisciplinary program leading to the Ph.D. in mass communications research in 1964. As a member of several national journalism organizations, Luxon wrote and spoke widely on the importance of maintaining high standards in journalism education. He insisted that a solid background in the humanities was critical to the success of practicing journalists in addition to practical and vocational training in the rudiments of journalism.
Luxon was married to Ermina Munn in 1928, and the couple had one son, Norval Neil Luxon Jr. Luxon died in Chapel Hill, N.C., in 1989 at age 90.
Back to TopMaterials include correspondence chiefly between journalist, professor, and dean of the School of Journalism at the University of North Carolina Norval Neil Luxon and other journalists, newspaper editors, deans of journalism schools, and faculty and administrators at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Also included are speeches and lectures given by Luxon; teaching and other materials from Luxon's tenure at Ohio State University and the University of North Carolina; clippings; materials related to Luxon's graduate work at UCLA and his dissertation on the history of the Niles' Weekly Register; books and other publications related to journalism and journalism education; correspondence and other materials belonging to his wife, Ermina Luxon, that document life in Chapel Hill, N.C., and the Munn family of Ohio; story boards and other materials related to television advertising for the ice cream division of the Walter M. Lowney Company (relation of these materials to other materials in the collection is unclear); and other items. Correspondents include Edward W. Barrett, Herbert Brucker, Chilton Rowlette Bush, Ralph D. Casey, Clifton Daniel, Earl English, Mark F. Ethridge, William C. Friday, Gail Godwin, Gordon Gray, Gerald W. Johnson, Bernard Kilgore, W. M. Kiplinger, A. H. Kirchhofer, Holt McPherson, Frank Luther Mott, Ralph O. Nafzinger, Sam Ragan, James Reston, Vermont Royster, and J. Carlyle Sitterson, among many others.
Back to TopArrangement: alphabetical.
Processing Note: Original file folder titles have, for the most part, been retained.
Correspondence chiefly with journalists, newspaper editors, deans of journalism schools, and faculty and administrators at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Of particular interest is extensive and candid correspondence with A. H. Kirchhofer, editor of the Buffalo Evening News. Topics discussed include journalism, journalism education, recruiting and retention in the newspaper industry, and other journalists. Also included are subject files related to Luxon's involvement in professional journalism organizations and other topics of interest to him.
Arrangement: chronological.
Speeches and lectures given by Luxon as part of his teaching duties and at professional conferences.
Folder 239 |
Speeches at Ohio State, 1947-1953 |
Folder 240 |
Speech Notes, 1953-1960 |
Folder 241 |
Speeches, 1954-1955 |
Folder 242 |
Speeches, 1956 |
Folder 243 |
Humanities Lecture and Other Speeches, 1957 |
Folder 244 |
Association for Education in Journalism (AEJ): Speech and Comments, 1957Text of Luxon's controversial AEJ speech regarding professional standards and "fewer but better schools of journalism." Also included are letters sent to Luxon in response to the speech. |
Folder 245 |
Speeches, 1958-1959 |
Folder 246 |
Speeches, 1960-1961 |
Folder 247 |
Speech by John F. Kennedy on University Day, University of North Carolina, 1961 |
Folder 248 |
Speeches and Introductions, 1961-1966 |
Folder 249 |
American Newspaper Publishers Association: Speech, 24 April 1968 |
Detailed class outlines, exam questions, syllabi, reading lists, and other materials used by Luxon to teach journalism classes at the University of North Carolina.
Folder 250 |
Journalism 53: Outline, Spring Semester, 1954 |
Folder 251-254
Folder 251Folder 252Folder 253Folder 254 |
Journalism 161: Outline |
Folder 255 |
Journalism 191: Outline |
Folder 256 |
Journalism 251: Outline |
Box 23 |
Journalism 161 and 191: Exam Questions and Other Teaching Materials, 1950s-1960s |
Correspondence, research notes, clippings, publications, reviews, and other material related to Luxon's graduate studies in history at UCLA and research for his dissertation on the history of Niles' Weekly Register, a nineteenth-century news magazine.
Box 24 |
Material regarding UCLA and the Niles' Weekly Register , 1937-1950 |
Correspondence, clippings, booklets and other materials related to Luxon's tenure at Ohio State University. Luxon taught journalism and served as Assistant to the President at Ohio State until 1953, when he was appointed Dean of the School of Journalism at the University of North Carolina.
Box 25 |
Material related to Luxon's tenure at Ohio State, circa 1940-1953 |
Arrangement: alphabetical
Chiefly clippings from Columbus newspapers in the 1930s regarding Miller and Bostwick, the Citizen-Dispatch fight, and other cases.
Processing Note: Luxon housed the clippings in a large alphabetical "Giant File," which has been maintained and is arranged alphabetically.
Box 26 |
Clippings from Columbus Newspapers, circa 1930s |
Clippings concerning the School of Journalism at the University of North Carolina. Clippings concern events at the school, accreditation, Luxon's retirement, and other topics.
Box 27 |
Clippings regarding the School of Journalism, 1950s-1960s |
Books and articles authored by Luxon, and other books and publications regarding journalism and journalism education.
Box 28-29
Box 28Box 29 |
Books, Pamplets, Magazines, and Other Publications, circa 1930-1970 |
Letters and other material belonging to Ermina (Munn) Luxon, wife of Norval Neil Luxon. Letters, postcards, and invitations sent to Ermina Luxon document Chapel Hill social life during the 1950s and 1960s. Also included are materials related to the Munn family of Ohio.
Processing Note: Letters to Ermina Luxon have been left in envelopes (unsealed).
Box 30 |
Letters to Ermina Luxon, circa 1950s-1960s |
Folder 257 |
Ermina's Mother: Correspondence, circa 1960s |
Folder 258 |
Greeting Cards and Other Materials |
Folder 259 |
Ermina's Birthday |
Folder 260 |
Munn family |
Story boards and other materials related to television advertising for the ice cream division of the Walter M. Lowney Company. The relation between these materials and other materials in the collection is unclear.
Oversize Paper Folder OP-4585/1 |
Walter M. Lowney Company: Story Boards, circa 1950s |
Restricted material includes student grades and other evaluative material pertaining to students.
Box 32 |
Restricted Material |