The collection is open for research use except for Box 13 which contains personal identification numbers and private financial information.
This collection was a gift from Ollen Lawrence Burnette, Jr. to the Small Special Collections Library at the University of Virginia on December 16, 2014.
This collection is arranged into four series: Series 1. Research and manuscripts, Series 2. Teaching and consulting, Series 3. Military and naval Intelligence, and Series 4. Personal papers
Ollen Lawrence Burnette, Jr., a native of Bethel, North Carolina, who grew up in Richmond, Virginia, is a historian, educator, writer, and editor. He was born September 30, 1927 to Ollen Lawrence and Eva E. (Highsmith) Burnette (descendants of Highland Scots) and was educated at the University of Richmond where he obtained a Bachelor's degree in history and philosophy in 1945. He received an M. A. in history in 1948 from the University of Virginia, and a Ph.D. in history and political science, also from the University of Virginia, in 1952. He also holds an honorary LL.D. degree from Southwestern Adventist University, Keene, Texas (1989) and a doctorate in International Law and Diplomacy from Canterbury, UK (2014). He served in the United States Navy from 1945 to 1947 and had a parallel career as a Naval Intelligence Officer with active and reserve status from 1954 to 1987, retiring with the rank of Captain.
He taught history and government at Petersburg High School in Petersburg, Virginia from 1948 to 1949, and Virginia Military Institute from 1951 to 1953. He was an editor for Charles Scribner's Sons, 1953-1957 and the State Historical Society of Wisconsin, 1957-1963. His career as a history professor and University administrator began at Birmingham-Southern College from 1963-1972 and Stratford College from 1972 to 1974. He was a Visiting Professor of History at North Carolina State Agricultural & Technical University from 1975-1976. He was also a lecturer at the Naval War College in 1976 while holding the position of executive director of the West Piedmont Planning District Commission from 1975 to 1980. He was an assistant to the Superintendent at Virginia Military Academy from 1981 to 1986.
In addition to being an educator and an editor, Dr. Burnette served as a historical researcher, a planning and development consultant, and a mediator. He has been a consultant to several university administrations and president of several of his own companies, including Timber Ridge Enterprises, LTD., Around Again, LLC., and the Perdido Bay Foundation. Following his work as a consultant he continued to teach as a Senior Adjunct Professor of History and Foreign Relations at the University of West Florida, Pensacola, Florida (2000-2014) and Senior Professor in the Elderhostel program of Faulkner State Community College in Fairhope, Alabama.
His publications include "Coastal Kingdom: A History of Baldwin County, Alabama", "A Soviet View of the American Past", "A Syllabus of American History", "Wisconsin Witness to Frederick Jackson Turner", "Life in America", "Beneath the Footnote: A Guide to the Use and Preservation of American Historical Documentation", "Readings on the Development of the American Constitution", "Lights Upon the Distant Shore: Poems by O. Lawrence Burnette, Jr.", "Historic Baldwin County: A Bicentennial History", "Son of Carolina: A Memoir", and "Making American Foreign Policy in the Political Pressure Cooker".
He has held memberships or trustee positions in the American Institute of Professional Planners, West Piedmont Planning District Commission, Baldwin County Historic Development Commission, Stonewall Jackson Hospital, Lexington, KY, Omicron Delta Kappa, and Phi Beta Kappa. Dr. Burnette has received distinguished awards for his fields of specialization: history and culture of the South; U. S. military history, and American constitutional and diplomatic history. He is an honoree in "Who's Who in America" and the recipient of numerous awards for excellence in teaching and historical writing. He was appointed a distinguished lecturer at the Naval War College in 1976; received a Distinguished International Professor citation at the State Technical University of Saint Petersburg, Russia in 1997, a Distinguished Service Award from the United States Department of State and the American Association of University Professors, and named Distinguished Professor by the American Association of Schools and Colleges. He also has an outstanding record in his Naval Intelligence career and has received many medals including a Victory Medal from World War II, a National Defense Service Medal, an Armed Forces Reserve Medal, a Naval Reserve Medal and a Meritorious Service Medal. He was a Naval-Aide-de-Camp to the governor of Virginia [1986?] and is fluent in Russian.
Sources:
https://www.lib.ua.edu/Alabama_Authors/?p=889
https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4754968.OLawrence_Burnette
Resumes and papers in the collection.
MSS 15864, Ollen Lawrence Burnette, Jr. papers, Small Special Collections Library at the University of Virginia.
Ollen Lawrence Burnette, Jr. papers, 1815-2014, 6 cubic feet, containing Dr. Burnette's research and manuscripts for "Coastal Kingdom: A History of Baldwin County, Alabama" and other writings (1953-2011); correspondence with history professors and academics at state and private universities about teaching jobs, education, and history (1946-2003); military service records and assignments (1945-1987), and personal papers (1815-2011) including correspondence, school papers and yearbooks, pocket diaries, financial and legal papers, business ventures, organizations, awards, medals, photographs, church affiliations, and politics. Also included are papers of the Highsmith family containing slave receipts, confederate money, and a "cipher" book.
There are letters from two United States presidents, Harry S. Truman (1960) and Barack Obama (2001), thanking him for a copy of one of Burnette's books. There is also a letter describing the race riots in Birmingham, Alabama in 1963, and a letter from Dr. Burnette to Senator Eugene McCue about the closing of the schools in Virginia due to desegregation in 1959.
The papers are grouped into four series: Research and manuscripts, teaching and consulting, military and naval intelligence, and personal papers.
Dr. Burnette's research and manuscripts consist of articles, newspapers, notes, drafts, or page proofs and five CD's for "Costal Kingdom: A History of Baldwin County, Alabama", "Perdido Bay Rediscovered", "Lights on a Distant Shore", "The Adventures of Shadow the Sea Dog", "American Constitution", "Baldwin County: A Bicentennial History", and "Making American Foreign Policy in the Political Pressure Cooker". There is also correspondence with publishers about manuscripts and reviews. Included is a letter from historian Ed Ayers praising Dr. Burnette for "Son of Carolina". Other works that are mentioned in this series are "The Great Soviet Encyclopedia", "A Soviet View of the Past", "History among the Paperbacks", and the "Wisconsin Magazine of History".
Chapter 1 The Land and It's First Peoples (Prehistory-ca. 1500) research notes, title page, outline, and table of contents. There is a lot of research including the Alabama Historical Quarterly,and information on Miller Reese Huchison and other Alabama families.
Chapter 2 Spanish Exploration and Settlements Attempts (1519-1670) and newspaper clipping about a buried town on Santa Rosa Island (2003)
Chapter 3 Under the Flags of France and Britain (1670-1783) drafts and notes
Baldwin County Historical Society paper on Judge Harry Toulmin 1766-1823 prepared by Harry T. Toulmin (1976) and "The Point Clear Jackleg History Insert" by David A. Bagwell.
Chapter 5 Antebellum Baldwin (1819-1861) including notes and papers by David A. Bagwel on "Highlights of the History of the Point Clear Area" and "Justice John Archibald Campbell United States Supreme Court 1853-1861". There are index cards of research and information on Blakely State Park and Mobile Alabama.
Chapter 6 A County in the Middle of a Civil War and Chapter 7 Reconstruction of a Southern County (1865-1876) and index card notes. There is also information on the murder of a Union man named Joseph Bruton.
Research on Civil War battles in Alabama including "Movement to Danley's on Fish River" by W. Frank Laraway and articles about Fort Monroe and Point Clear . There are newsletters from the Baldwin County Historical Society
Chapter 8 Bourbon Democracy and the Timber Boom (1876-1890) and research on index cards.
Chapter 9 A Flood of Immigrants and World War I (1890-1920)and a paper on the origins of Siverhill Colony and research index cards.
Chapter 10 Baldwin Between the World Wars (1920-1941) and research index cards.
Chapter 11 Impact of World War II (1940-1945) and research notes.
Chapter 12 Tourism, the Land Boom, and Politics (1950-1990), researh notes, Gulf Coast Historical Review, and travel brochures for Alabama.
Chapter 13 Baldwin in Transition (1990-Present), research notes, and information on Alabama counties including Baldwin County. There are extracts from the South Alabama Regional Planning Commission regarding Gulf Ecological Management Systems.
Tourism brochures for Alabama (used for research)
Correspondence and publishing contracts with Publish America. Also included is "The Adventures of Shadow the Sea Dog" which he asked to have published along with a request for "Readings in the Development of the American Constitution"
Talk or paper presented to the Baldwin County Historical Society by Ollen Lawrence Burnette, Jr.
"Lights Upon a Distant Shore" poems by Ollen Lawrence Burnete, Jr. published by PublishAmerica.
Correspondence with publishers, comments about "History among the Paperbacks", a review by Dr. Burnette on "America's Outward Thrust: Approaches to Foreign Affairs, 1865-1890", and praise from Edward Ayers on "Son of Carolina"
Poems to his wife Jeanne and a paper, "The Scottish Reformation: A Personal View"
The Historical News (The Southern Historical News, Inc.) 1998, July, October and 1999, April with information about the history of Alabama. Dr. Burnette may have used the newspapers for research on his book "Coastal Kingdom"
Newspapers including the Baldwin Register (2001), Baldwin County Press (2002), and an article from GoSport (2002) contain information about the history of Alabama in which Dr. Burnette may have used for research on his book "Coastal Kingdom"
The "Mobile Register" (2002) contains information about the history of Alabama in which Dr. Burnette may have used for research on his book "Coastal Kingdom"
Dr. Burnette correspondence with history professors and academics at state and private universities about teaching jobs, education, and history. There are also personal letters with colleagues and friends including James Southall Wilson, Edward Younger, John Cook Wyllie, C. J. Bishko, Douglas Southall Freeman, Harry F. Byrd, Thomas T. Hammond, Thomas P. Abernethy, and William Haygood.
Edward Younger was trying to help Dr. Burnette find a position in Virginia, including the University of Virginia. Burnette met with President Edgar F. Shannon to discuss establishing a publication press for the University.
Some materials have been removed to a restricted box because they have identification numbers or financial information.
Correspondents include Harry F. Byrd, Douglas S. Freeman, C. J. Bishko, Stewart W. Anderson, Thomas P. Abernethy, Oron J. Hale, Thomas T. Hammond, John Cook Wyllie, and James Southall Wilson.
Correspondents include John Cook Wyllie, Ralph W. Cherry, C. J. Bishko, and Gordon Gray.
Some materials including activity reports, assignment orders, grades from navy courses, and travel vouchers have been removed to a restricted box because they contained identification numbers or personal financial information.
Military and Naval Intelligence papers from Dr. Burnette's military career including his pilot flight record book from 1947, navy orders, transfers, requirements, fitness reports and evaluations, annual qualifications questionnairs, medical exams, activity reports, training, and promotions.
Annual qualifications questionnaires, discharge papers and commendations.
Certificates and lists of training accomplishments.
Congratulations on being promoted to the rank of Captain.
Paper prepared by Members of the Defense Intelligence Agency Headquarters
Personal papers relating to Dr. Burnette's life include family letters, pocket diaries, financial and legal papers (trust funds, scholarship funds, church donations, divorces, and real estate properties), business ventures, organizations, awards, school papers, yearbooks, photographs, church affiliations, and politics. Also included are papers from his mother's family (Highsmith) such as genealogy information, photographs, slave receipts, confederate money, and a "cipher" book.
Business ventures include Timber Ridge Enterprises, LTD., Perdido Bay Foundation, Lillian, Alabama, Stonewall Jackson Hospital, Lexington, Virginia and Around Again, LLC. Organizations include the Baldwin County Historical Society, Alabama Baldwin County Historic Development Commission, Alabama, West Piedmont Planning District Commission, Virginia, Omicron Delta Kappa, and Phi Beta Kappa. Political papers include a letter from Harry S. Truman and Barack Obama thanking Dr. Burnette for a copy of "A Soviet View of the American Past" and "Making American Foreign Policy in the Political Pressure Cooker". There is also a letter describing race riots in Birmingham, Alabama and a letter that Dr. Burnette wrote to Senator Eugene O. McCue, Jr. regarding the closing of schools in Charlottesville, Virginia during desegregation. There are letters and papers showing his interest in Civil Rights, democratic processes and civic duties.
Letters awarding Captain Burnette Navy citations for Joint Service Commendation medal 1986; Certificate for Meritorious Service Medal for outstanding service as a Reserve Intelligence Area Coordinator 1979; and the President of the United States award for Legion of Merit as a Senior Intelligence Adviser from 1983 to 1986) were removed from this folder because they contained private identification numbers.
Pocket diaries with many daily entries.
Traffic accident report; Around Again business papers; sponsorship of Russian exchange student; and stamp collection.
Newspaper clippings about books written by Dr. Burnette and his position on Civil Rights issues.
Letters from President Barack Obama and Harry S. Truman thanking Dr. Burnette for a copy of his book; a letter from Dr. Burnette to Senator E. O. McCue, Jr. about the closing of schools in Charlottesville, Virginia due to desegregation; and a letter from Dr. Burnette to President Obama asking to meet with him and offer his services in any context that he desires. Other correspondents include Senator Sam Nunn, and Chief of Staff Jack Watson. There is a resolution honoring Dr. Burnette for his work with West ZPiedmont Planning District Commission and other papers about Congress and legislation, of particarly interest regarding Florida.
Pitt County Public School, University Richmond, and University of Virginia grade records, letters with foreign pen pals, and photographs.
This book was found in the collection.
Papers with personal indentification numbers or financial information that were removed from the collection for privacy and protection.