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 Elmer R. Oettinger Jr. Papers #5109, Southern Historical Collection, Wilson Library, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

Provenance

Received from Elmer R. Oettinger Jr. of Chapel Hill, N.C., in November 2002 (Acc. 99375 and 99378).

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.

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.

• Dramatists, American--North Carolina--History--20th century.
• Families--North Carolina--Social life and customs.
• Lawyers--North Carolina--History--20th century.
• National Conference of Commissioners on Uniform State Laws.
• Oettinger family.
• Oettinger, Elmer R.
• Radio broadcasting--North Carolina.
• Television broadcasting--North Carolina.
• United States. Navy--History--World War, 1939-1945.
• University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill--Faculty--History--20th century.
• University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Institute of Government.
• Wilson (N.C.)--Social life and customs.

• Southern Oral History Program Collection (#4007), L-46

Elmer R. Oettinger Jr. was born in 1913 and raised in Wilson, N.C. After graduation from Charles L. Coon High School in 1930, Oettinger attended the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill and earned a Bachelor's degree in 1934, a law degree in 1939, a Master's degree in dramatic arts in 1952, and a Ph.D. in English in 1966. Oettinger served as an officer, 1943-1945, in the United States Navy and actively pursued careers in the theater, the practice of law, and broadcast radio.

In 1960, Oettinger joined the full-time faculty of the Institute of Government at the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill and served there until 1979, when he retired from his positions as professor of public law and government and assistant director of the Institute. While at the Institute, Oettinger's activities were not confined to academia and much of this collection's materials reflect Oettinger's intellectual engagement with a number of state, national, and international organizations interested in various aspects of communications and the law. He was especially involved with the National Conference of Commissioners on Uniform State Laws, the American Bar Association, and a number of local organizations such as North Carolina's News Media-Administration of Justice Council.

Oettinger died in 2010.

The collection includes personal and business letters; texts of speeches; manuscript and published versions of original writings; institutional materials, such as memoranda and conference reports; publicity clippings; yearbooks; and photographs relating to Elmer R. Oettinger Jr.

Subject matter may be broadly divided into two distinct eras. Prior to 1960, materials are topically varied and reflect Oettinger's educational activities; his military service with the United States Navy during World War II; and his interests in pursuing careers in the theater, the practice of law, and broadcast radio. After 1960, when Oettinger joined the Institute of Government at the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill as a full-time faculty member, the materials, while continuing other streams, most often reflect his activities as a professor of public law and government. These activities were not confined to academia and much of these later materials reflect Oettinger's intellectual engagement with a number of state, national, and international organizations interested in various aspects of communications and the law.

The earliest materials date from 1862 to 1930 and include Oetttinger family documents, yearbooks, photographs, and letters largely from Wilson, N.C.

Separated materials include photographs (P-5109).