Carol M. Newman, Jr., Papers

Access and use

Location of collection:
Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University
Special Collections, University Libraries (0434)
Newman Library
Virginia Tech
P.O. Box 90001
560 Drillfield Drive
Blacksburg, VA 24062-9001
Contact for questions and access:
Phone: (540) 231-6308
Fax: (540) 231-3694
Restrictions:

Collection is open for research.

Terms of access:

The copyright status of this collection is unknown. Copyright restrictions may apply. Contact Special Collections and University Archives for assistance in determining the use of these materials. Reproduction or digitization of materials for personal or research use can be requested using our reproduction/digitization form: http://bit.ly/scuareproduction. Reproduction or digitization of materials for publication or exhibit use can be requested using our publication/exhibition form: http://bit.ly/scuapublication. Please contact Special Collections and University Archives (specref@vt.edu or 540-231-6308) if you need assistance with forms or to submit a completed form.

Preferred citation:

Researchers wishing to cite this collection should include the following information: [identification of item], [box], [folder], Carol M. Newman, Jr., Papers, Ms1978-004, Special Collections and University Archives, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, Va.

Summary

Extent:
0.4 Cubic Feet 1 box; 1 oversize folder
Creator:
Newman, Carol M., Jr. (Carol Montgomery), 1910-1997
Abstract:
This collection contains the papers of Carol Montgomery Newman, Jr., a graduate of Virginia Tech (BS in biology, 1931), writer and editor for The New Yorker (1949-1972), and Virginia Tech Department of English faculty member (1934-1949, 1972-1975). Includes correspondence relating to The New Yorker, including letters and notes from Charles Addams, Louis Auchincloss, S.J. Perelman, J. D. Salinger, and William Shawn; other materials relating to the magazine, including a manuscript poem by John Updike, drawings by Frank Modell, and newspaper clippings relating to various staff members; a selection of Newman's writings; correspondence relating to Virginia Tech; and materials relating to Virginia Tech's 1931 commencement.
Language:
The materials in the collection are in English.
Preferred citation:

Researchers wishing to cite this collection should include the following information: [identification of item], [box], [folder], Carol M. Newman, Jr., Papers, Ms1978-004, Special Collections and University Archives, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, Va.

Background

Scope and content:

This collection contains the papers of Carol M. Newman, Jr., a 1931 graduate of Virginia Tech (BS, biology), writer and editor for The New Yorker (1949-1972), and faculty member of Virginia Tech's Department of English (1934-1949, 1972-1975). The collection contains such materials as correspondence, printed materials, drawings, and certificates. Many of the materials in the collection are accompanied by explanatory notes written by Newman.

The collection includes letters and notes from people associated with The New Yorker, including founder Harold Ross; editor William Shawn; writers Louis Auchincloss, Joyce Cary, Emily Hahn, Dan Jacobson, J. D. Salinger, and E. B. White; and cartoonists Charles Addams and Frank Modell. Also related to The New Yorker, the collection contains a file of general materials collected by Newman, including a manuscript poem ("B.W.I.") by John Updike, original drawings by Frank Modell, and newspaper clippings about people associated with the magazine. Of Newman's writings, the collection contains examples from The New Yorker, Virginia Tech's Context, and various newspapers and magazines.

The collection also contains a small assortment of correspondence relating to Virginia Tech. The file includes a 1930 letter from Will Grove ("Uncle Bill") Witt, a popular campus personality of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Also included are letters from H. S. Grenoble, of the Department of Industrial Engineering; President Julian A. Burruss; Director of Athletics C. P. Miles; and English professors Clifford Harrison and Dayton Kohler. Transcriptions of letters written by Newman to English Professor Edward L. Tucker in the 1980s are included as well. An assortment of materials relating to Virginia Tech's 1931 commencement completes the collection and includes such materials as Newman's diploma, the commencement program, a letter of congratulations from President Julian A. Burruss, Newman's valedictory address, and a Phi Kappa Phi certificate.

Biographical / historical:

Carol Montgomery Newman, Jr., the son of Carol and Caroline Fain Newman, was born in Bristol, Virginia on September 1, 1910. Reared in Blacksburg, Virginia, he attended Virginia Tech and served as editor of the school newspaper during his senior year. After graduating in 1931 as class valedictorian with a a BS degree in biology, Newman held a number of writing jobs at public relations firms and newspapers in Washington, DC; New York; Richmond; and New Brunswick, New Jersey. He also served as an English instructor at Virginia Tech from 1934 to 1942, joining the department in which his father (1879-1941) had served as head for many years. Newman married Jean Mills (1913-1994) in 1942, and the couple would have two children.

During World War II, Newman served in the US Navy. Following his discharge as a lieutenant commander in 1945, Newman obtained an MA in English from the University of Virginia and resumed his position at Virginia Tech. He was hired by The New Yorker as a reporter (writing under the name "Montgomery Newman") and later served as a fiction editor for the magazine. After retiring from the The New Yorker in 1972, Newman again returned to Blacksburg and rejoined the university's English department before finally retiring. Carol M. Newman died on June 2, 1997, and was buried in Blacksburg's Westview Cemetery.

Acquisition information:
The Carol M. Newman, Jr., Papers were donated to Special Collections in three accruals, dated 1978, 1988, and 2000.
Processing information:

The processing, arrangement, and description of the Carol M. Newman, Jr., Papers commenced and was completed in July, 2012.

Arrangement:

The collection is arranged by subject matter.

Rules or conventions:
Describing Archives: A Content Standard