Processing note: See also Addition of November 2001.

Early personal correspondence relates to Yoder's high school and undergraduate years at the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill. Later correspondence was directed to Yoder at Oxford, England. Included are several personal letters from Willie Morris and Ed Selig, two friends Yoder met while at Oxford; letters from Jane Warwick, Yoder's future wife; and a few letters from Charles Kuralt, one congratulating Yoder on his Rhodes Scholarship.

Processing note: See also Addition of November 2001.

Personal and professional correspondence relating to the Charlotte News, where Yoder was acting editorial page editor. Included are notes from local politicians; letters from former professors John Ehle and Walter Spearman, notes from William C. Friday, president of the University of North Carolina; inquiries about job opportunities at the New York Times and Washington Post; and correspondence with C. Vann Woodward. Personal correspondence includes letters from tutors at Oxford and from friends made while at Oxford, including Edward I. Selig, Willie Morris, Van Doorn Ooms, and Dick Baker, along with other Oxford alumni Reg Stanton, Vince Larson, Richard Sylvester, and Gary Christiansen.

Processing note: See also Addition of November 2001.

Personal and professional correspondence, with an emphasis on professional correspondence relating to the Greensboro Daily News, including letters from readers and work-related correspondence with Jonathan Daniels, editor of the News and Observer of Raleigh, N.C. Letters, 1964-1965, reflect Yoder's year-long tenure as assistant professor of history at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. The 1970 personal correspondence reflects Yoder's relinquishment of the office of secretary for the Rhodes Scholarship class of 1956. In the 1970s, topics include Vietnam, with editorial comments and reactions from readers; national politics and elections, especially Yoder's correspondence with Eve Auchincloss, an editor of Bookworld; and Richard Nixon and Watergate, with several interesting responses to editorials. In 1974, Yoder began a long correspondence with United States Senator Daniel Patrick Moynihan of New York. The series ends with news of Yoder's move to the Washington Star.

Also included is personal correspondence with Van Ooms, Willie Morris, and Dick Baker, as well as letters from William C. Friday, John Ehle, Louis R. Wilson, Sam Ragan, James Reston, and C. Vann Woodward. During this time, Yoder began corresponding with John Shelton Reed and Joel L. Fleishman.

Processing note: See also Addition of November 2001.

Professional correspondence emphasizing national issues and the Washington Star, with some personal correspondence. Professional correspondence contains readers' responses to editorials; job inquiries and resumes sent to Yoder; invitations to speak at conferences; and letters from national politicians. Included are letters from Ambassador Gerard Smith on the SALT Treaty, senators Sam Nunn and Daniel P. Moynihan, Supreme Court Justice Lewis F. Powell, and other United States representatives and senators. Personal correspondents inlcude Tom Wicker of the New York Times, William C. Friday, John Shelton Reed, William F. Buckley, Jr., Joel L. Fleishman, Eve Auchincloss, and Willie Morris. There are several letters of congratulations to Yoder for winning the Pulitzer Prize in April 1979.

Items of note include a 1978 memo from Yoder to Murray Gart, editor-in-chief of the Washington Star, about editorial operations. Yoder mentions this memo in the rough draft of the Washington Star memoir in Series 2.4. Correspondence relating to the demise of the Washington Star appears throughout the summer of 1981. Letters is late 1981 include job offers from national, regional, and local newspapers. There is also one letter from Joe Alsop, about whom Yoder wrote a book.

Processing note: See also Addition of November 2001.

Professional correspondence emphasizing national issues that Yoder had written about in his column for the Washington Post Writers Group, with responses from readers to editorials and some personal correspondence. Correspondence in 1992 documents Yoder's teaching position at Washington and Lee University. Several letters in 1993 discuss the publication of Yoder's book on Joe Alsop, with comments from the three academic readers. Of note in the 1994 correspondence are a letter to JoAnne Prichard, executive editor, University of Mississippi Press and publisher of Yoder's book about flying on Airforce One and other materials relating to the flight ant to Bill Clinton. From 1994 to 1996, there are several letters that express Yoder's worry about falling interest in his column and his decision to stop writing the column to concentrate on his teaching at Washington and Lee.

Also included are letters from Joel L. Fleishman, Willie Morris, William F. Buckley, Lewis F. Powell, Jr., John S. Reed, Arthur Schlesinger, Jr., Daniel P. Moynihan, Anna Karavangelos (associate editor of the WPWG), James Reston. Tony Lewis, William Frankel, Tom Wicker, George F. Will, C. Vann Woodward, Virginius Dabney, and William C. Friday. There are also computer printouts of letters by Yoder, birthday cards, and letters from Ed Selig and other old friends--Dick Baker, James B. Meriwether, James Wagner, and William D. Snider.

Processing note: See also Addition of November 2001.

Correspondence relating to Yoder's teaching position at Washington and Lee University and personal correspondence, including Yoder's responses to pieces he read, material relating to the death of Charles Kuralt, and a letter to Bill Clinton thanking him for inviting the Yoder family to the White House for dinner and a movie. Also included is a short column about that evening.

Arrangement: alphabetical.

Undated letters, mostly responses to editorials and some correspondence with friends.

Processing note: See also Addition of November 2001.

Articles and essays by Yoder, some of which were used as columns. Some materials may have been used as speeches. However, if there was no information identifying an item as a speech, it was placed in either the folder marked "Addresses" or filed alphabetically (see also speeches in Series 2.6). Larger works were are listed by title.

Processing note: See also Addition of November 2001.

Drafts of books by Yoder. The drafts are not complete nor are there drafts of all the books. In some cases, there are photocopied material and notes that Yoder collected while writing particular books. Much of this material relates to Joe Alsop, Washington journalist during the early to mid 20th century.

Processing note: See also Addition of November 2001.

Book reviews by Yoder, most in manuscript form with revisions. These are filed in alphabetical order, followed by notes and printed copies of reviews.

Processing note: See also Addition of November 2001.

Columns and editorials written by Yoder throughout his career. The materials are arranged chronologically and follow the same groupings as in Series 1. Early materials consist mostly of newspaper clippings of articles from school writings, the Daily Tar Heel, the Charlotte News, and the Greensboro Daily News. Most columns are those that Yoder wrote for the Washington Post Writers Group, 1982-1996. WPWG columns are drafts that were sent to the syndicate for publication. A few photocopies and clippings supplement this chronology. Note that there are no complete runs of columns.

Processing note: See also Addition of November 2001.

Arrangement: chronological.

Working notebooks with a few diary/journals. Many of the notebooks contain first drafts of letters, book reviews, and editorial columns. The computer printout diary entries for 1984-1986 contain some materials that Yoder later used in columns.

Processing note: See also Addition of November 2001.

Arrangement: chronological.

Speeches delivered by Yoder on a variety of topics, including the role of the press, the Constitution, and free speech. See also articles and essays in Series 2.1.

Processing note: See also Addition of November 2001.

Early subject files of materials and newspaper clippings that Yoder apparently intended to use for editorials. Several of the clippings are from the late 1950s and early1960s; many are from the Charlotte News and Greensboro Daily News. Note that Yoder's original file folder titles have, for the most part, been retained.

Processing note: See also Addition of November 2001.

Materials relating to conferences attended by Yoder and to professional associations to which Yoder belonged. Conference materials consist of correspondence, schedules of events, and other materials.

Processing note: See also Addition of November 2001.

Files relating to Yoder's time as a professor at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro and Georgetown University. Included are syllabi, textbook requisition forms, bibliographies, and graduation ceremony programs.

Processing note: See also Addition of November 2001.

Class course work, quizzes and exams, notebooks, and papers written by Yoder while at the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill and at Jesus College, Oxford University, England.

Processing note: See also Addition of November 2001.

Arrangement: by subject.

Biographical information regarding Yoder and genealogical information about his ancestors. Materials include passports, newspaper clippings, press releases, transcripts, biographical sketches, and photocopies of genealogical papers.

Processing note: See also Addition of November 2001.

Personal financial records regarding Yoder's house and investments, with some financial material of the Washington Post Writers Group, including agreements, budget information, and subscriptions.

Processing note: See also Addition of November 2001.

Awards given to Yoder, commencement programs and funeral programs attended by Yoder, and other items.

Arrangement: chronological.

Personal and professional correspondence is divided into subseries that correspond to the professional positions that were held by Yoder.

Arrangement: by type.

Articles, drafts of editorials, essays, books, and columns, a brief diary, reporters notebooks, and speeches written by Yoder.

Arrangement: by type.

Reviews of Yoder's books and a collection of editorials and columns written by other journalists.

Arrangement: by type.

Research and background materials for columns and editorials; programs and schedules from conferences and professional associations; and teaching materials such as notes, syllabi, and evaluations from students.

Arrangement: by type.

School materials, such as report cards, notes, and papers; biographical and genealogical materials including programs, govenment records, and newspaper clippings; financial materials; and awards, pamphlets, and other papers.

Arrangement: by type.

Cartoon drawing of Yoder by Bill Sanders, Yoder's childhood drawings, and photographs of Yoder with his family and friends.