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Collection Number: 05113

Collection Title: Nelson Ferebee Taylor Papers, 1903-2002

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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Size 6.5 feet of linear shelf space (approximately 3,000 items)
Abstract Nelson Ferebee Taylor (1920-2004) of Oxford, N.C., was a corporate lawyer, professor of law, and chancellor of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, 1972-1980. The collection consists of personal and legal papers of Nelson Ferebee Taylor. Taylor's personal papers are comprised of correspondence; school writings, club records, and other materials from when he was a student at Oxford High School, the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill, and Harvard University Law School; financial papers; newspaper clippings and other biographical materials; photographs; printed materials; and sound recordings. There are a few items relating to his service in the United States Navy during World War II and to his tenure as law professor and chancellor at the University of North Carolina. Also included are two unpublished memoirs, one by Taylor and one by his grandfather, Nelson MacPherson Ferebee. The legal materials chiefly concern Taylor's work as a corporate lawyer with Arthur, Dry and Dole (later Arthur, Dry, Kalish, Taylor and Wood), working on cases for Uniroyal, inc., United States Rubber Company, and other corporate entities. Included are correspondence, daily calendars, contracts, stock certificates, and other administrative and legal papers. The sound recordings found in the collection are presumably recordings of speeches given by Taylor.
Creator Taylor, Nelson Ferebee.
Curatorial Unit University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Library. Southern Historical Collection.
Language English
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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 Nelson Ferebee Taylor Papers #5113, Southern Historical Collection, Wilson Special Collections Library, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
Acquisitions Information
Received from Nelson Ferebee Taylor of Chaple Hill, N.C., in February 2003 (Acc. 99416) and from Diane J. Taylor of Chapel Hill, N.C., in August and November 2005 (Acc. 100159, 100277).
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.
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expand/collapse Expand/collapse Processing Information

Processed by: Brian Dietz and Nancy Kaiser, January 2006

Encoded by: Nancy Kaiser, January 2006

Updated by: Anne Wells, December 2017

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expand/collapse Expand/collapse 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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expand/collapse Expand/collapse Biographical Information

Nelson Ferebee Taylor (1920-2004) of Oxford, N.C., was a corporate lawyer, university chancellor, and professor of law.

Taylor graduated from the University of North Carolina in 1942 with a degree in American history. While a student, he participated as a member or officer of Phi Beta Kappa, University Club, the student legislature, Zeta Psi, Order of the Golden Fleece, and the Order of the Grail. After graduation, Taylor enlisted in the United States Navy. During World War II, he served as a midshipman aboard destroyers in the Atlantic, Mediterranean, and Pacific, during which time he was awarded the bronze star, nine battle stars, and two commendations. After release from active duty, Taylor attended Harvard Law School, from which he graduated in 1949. Following law school Taylor studied at Oxford University on a Rhodes Scholarship.

Upon returning to the United States, Taylor joined the New York law firm of Arthur, Dry and Dole, as an associate from 1951 to 1958. He made partner at Arthur, Dry, Kalish, Taylor and Wood, where he stayed until 1970.

Taylor maintained close ties to North Carolina throughout his corporate law career. He served as president of the University of North Carolina Alumni of Metropolitan New York and as trustee of the North Carolina Society of New York. In 1968, he returned to North Carolina as a visiting professor. Two years later he accepted the position of vice president for administration, a position he held until his tenure as the university's fifth chancellor, from 1972 to 1980. His administration was marked by improvements to library facilities, endowment growth, and building on the campus. Taylor resigned as chancellor in 1980 for health reasons, but remained on the law school faculty until his retirement in 1991.

Taylor received many honors while at the University of North Carolina, including the Frederick B. McCall Award for teaching excellence in 1983; a Distinguished Service Medal in 1988 from the the UNC General Alumni Association; and honorary doctor of laws degrees from Elon College in 1973, Duke University in 1977, and UNC in 1993. In 2001, he received the William R. Davie Award from the UNC Board of Trustees.

Taylor married Louise Ellington in 1946 and with her had daughters Louise Ferebee Taylor, Sarah Taylor Peterson, and Martha Gregory Taylor. In 1986, he married his second wife Diane Jackson Taylor.

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expand/collapse Expand/collapse Scope and Content

The collection consists of personal and legal papers of Nelson Ferebee Taylor (1920-2004), a corporate lawyer, professor of law, and chancellor of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, 1972-1980. Taylor's personal papers are comprised of correspondence; school writings, club records, and other materials from when he was a student at Oxford High School, the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill, N.C., and Harvard University Law School; financial papers; newspaper clippings and other biographical materials; photographs; printed materials; and sound recordings. There are a few items relating to his service in the United States Navy during World War II and to his tenure as law professor and chancellor at the University of North Carolina. Also included are two unpublished memoirs, one by Taylor and one by his grandfather, Nelson MacPherson Ferebee. The legal materials chiefly concern Taylor's work as a corporate lawyer with Arthur, Dry and Dole (later Arthur, Dry, Kalish, Taylor and Wood) in New York, working on cases for Uniroyal, inc., United States Rubber Company, and other corporate entities. Included are correspondence, daily calendars, contracts, stock certificates, and other administrative and legal papers. The sound recordings found in the collection are presumably recordings of speeches given by Taylor.

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Contents list

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expand/collapse Expand/collapse Series 1. Personal Papers, 1903-2002.

About 1,000 items.

Arrangement: alphabetical by subject.

Taylor's personal papers are comprised of correspondence; school writings, club records, and other materials from when he was a student at Oxford High School, University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill, and Harvard University Law School; financial papers; newspaper clippings and other biographical materials; photographs; and printed materials. There are a few items relating to his service in the United States Navy during World War II and to his work at the University of North Carolina. Also included are two unpublished memoirs, one by Taylor and one by his grandfather, Nelson MacPherson Ferebee.

Folder 1

Correspondence, 1938-1969

Folder 2

Correspondence, 1970-1972

Folder 3

Correspondence, 1973-1988 and undated

Folder 4

Address Book

Folder 5

Awards and honors, 1968-1999

Folder 6

Calendar, 1944

Folder 7

Club memo book

Folder 8

Deed, 1966

Folder 9

Financial materials

Folder 10

Greeting cards

Folder 11

Journal: "A Few Thoughts and Reflections Commencing in January 1950"

Folder 12

Memo book

Folder 13-14

Folder 13

Folder 14

Miscellaneous printed material

Folder 15-17

Folder 15

Folder 16

Folder 17

Newspaper clippings

Folder 18

Notecards

Folder 19

Other family materials

Folder 20

Other family materials: "Some things I have done, heard, seen," 1903

Memoirs of Nelson MacPherson Ferebee

Folder 21

"Recollections: Some things I have heard, seen, done," 2002

Memoirs of Nelson Ferebee Taylor

Folder 22

School material: Harvard Law

Folder 23

School material: Oxford High School

Folder 24-36

Folder 24

Folder 25

Folder 26

Folder 27

Folder 28

Folder 29

Folder 30

Folder 31

Folder 32

Folder 33

Folder 34

Folder 35

Folder 36

School material: University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill

Includes audio recordings of Taylor's oratories on freedom of speech, the American way of life, and better relations with Duke University (D-5113/1-3)

Folder 37

Sympathy cards

Folder 38-39

Folder 38

Folder 39

United States Navy

Folder 40-41

Folder 40

Folder 41

University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill

Folder 42

University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill Alumni Review

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expand/collapse Expand/collapse Series 2. Legal Papers, 1963-1970.

About 2,000 items.

Arrangement: alphabetical by subject.

The legal materials chiefly concern Taylor's work as a corporate lawyer with Arthur, Dry and Dole (later Arthur, Dry, Kalish, Taylor and Wood), working on cases for Uniroyal, inc., United States Rubber Company, and other corporate entities. Included are correspondence, daily calendars, contracts, stock certificates, and other administrative and legal papers. The bulk of these papers were arranged by Taylor into binders labeled "Legal Documents" and "Miscellaneous Papers," both of which include indexes.

Folder 43

Correspondence, 1963-1970

Folder 44

Calendar, 1965

Folder 45

Calendar, 1966

Folder 46

Calendar, 1967

Folder 47

Calendar, 1968

Folder 48

Calendar, 1969

Folder 49-51

Folder 49

Folder 50

Folder 51

Certificate of Organization, By-laws, and Plans

Folder 52

Contract: United States Rubber Company and Kaiser Aluminum and Chemical Corporation, 1957

Folder 53-54

Folder 53

Folder 54

Contract

Folder 55-58

Folder 55

Folder 56

Folder 57

Folder 58

Daily file, 1968-1970

Folder 59-61

Folder 59

Folder 60

Folder 61

DuPont case

Folder 62

Legal documents 1-30

Includes index

Folder 63

Legal documents 31-60

Folder 64

Legal documents 61-80

Folder 65

Legal documents 81-90

Folder 66

Legal documents 91-105

Folder 67

Legal documents 106-115

Folder 68

Legal documents 116-123

Folder 69

Miscellaneous index

Folder 70

Miscellaneous papers 1-13

Folder 71

Miscellaneous papers 14-22

Folder 72

Miscellaneous papers 23-29

Folder 73

Miscellaneous papers 30-41

Folder 74

Miscellaneous papers 42-48

Folder 75

Miscellaneous papers 49-61

Folder 76

Miscellaneous papers 62-69

Folder 77

Miscellaneous papers 70-74

Folder 78

Miscellaneous papers 75-87

Folder 79

Miscellaneous papers 88-91

Folder 80

Miscellaneous papers 92-99

Folder 81

Miscellaneous papers 100-109

Folder 82

Miscellaneous papers 110-115

Folder 83

Miscellaneous papers 116-123

Folder 84

Miscellaneous papers 124-134

Folder 85

Miscellaneous papers 135-143

Folder 86

Miscellaneous papers 144-152

Folder 87

Miscellaneous papers 153-161

Folder 88

Miscellaneous papers 162-169

Folder 89

Miscellaneous papers 170-175

Folder 90

Miscellaneous papers 176-186

Folder 91

Miscellaneous papers 187-196

Folder 92

Miscellaneous papers 197-206

Folder 93

Miscellaneous papers 207-216

Folder 94

Miscellaneous papers 217-228

Folder 95

Miscellaneous papers 229-235

Folder 96

Miscellaneous papers 236-243

Folder 97

Miscellaneous papers 244-253

Folder 98

Miscellaneous papers 254-264

Folder 99

Miscellaneous papers 265-275

Folder 100

Miscellaneous papers 276-282

Folder 101

Miscellaneous papers 283-289

Folder 102

Miscellaneous papers 290-298

Folder 103

Miscellaneous papers 299-304

Folder 104

Miscellaneous papers 305-309

Folder 105

Miscellaneous papers 310-318

Folder 106

Miscellaneous papers 319-326

Folder 107

Miscellaneous papers 327

Folder 108

Miscellaneous papers 328

Folder 109

Miscellaneous papers 329-332

Folder 110

Miscellaneous papers 333-344

Folder 111

Miscellaneous papers 345-354

Folder 112

Miscellaneous papers 355-364

Folder 113

Miscellaneous papers 365-375

Folder 114

Move from New Jersey to Delaware

Folder 115

Operating agreement: The Borden Company, United States Rubber Company, and Mon Ochem Inc. Exhibits A-D

Folder 116

Restricted stock 1-8

Folder 117

Restricted stock 9-15

Folder 118-119

Folder 118

Folder 119

Supplementary materials

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expand/collapse Expand/collapse Series 3. Sound Recordings, undated.

5 items.

Arrangement: In order as received.

Processing information: Titles compiled from original labels.

Presumably sound recordings of speeches given by Taylor. Recordings are on instantaneous discs of various sizes. Also includes annotated record sleeves found with two of the recordings.

Folder 120

D-05513/2-3: Record sleeves

Audiodisc D-05513/1

"Freedom of Speech"

6" Instantaneous Disc

Audiodisc D-05513/2

"American Way of Life"

8" Instantaneous Disc

Audiodisc D-05513/3

"Battle Relations with Duke", "Abolition of 'Buccaneer'"

8" Instantaneous Disc

Note on original sleeve reads: "good resonance; labored at times; needs easier communication style; posture"

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expand/collapse Expand/collapse Series 4. Oversize and Photographs

Oversize Paper Folder OPF-5113/1

Oversize papers

Image Folder PF-5113/1

Photographs

Oversize Image Folder OP-PF-5113/1

Oversize images

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