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Buford Boone papers

 Collection
Identifier: MSS-0187

Scope and Contents note

This collection documents Boone's career in journalism both in Macon, Georgia and Tuscaloosa, Alabama. His papers cover the years 1924-1981, with the bulk spanning the years 1949-1968, and reflect his career, personal life, and world travels. Of particular interest are the papers dealing with Autherine Lucy’s enrollment at the University of Alabama in 1956; papers dealing with Boone's receipt of the Pulitzer Prize in 1957 for editorial writing, and papers dealing with the 1964-68 Ku Klux Klan law suit. The collection is arranged in the following series: Correspondence, Scrapbooks, Litigation Papers, Speeches, Editorials about Autherine Lucy, Phonograph Records, Cassette Tapes, Theses and Dissertations, News Clippings, Photographs, Memorabilia, Miscellaneous items dealing with his early career and personal life, and Newspapers. The Correspondence consists of letters written to the Tuscaloosa News and to Boone personally, concerning the Lucy incident along with copies of his replies, letters of congratulations on his winning the Pulitzer Prize, a telegram from President Johnson concerning Boone's appointment to a presidential commission (declined), letters from Mr. Lowell Brandle concerning Boone's inclusion in a book about courageous editors, and miscellaneous correspondence dealing with his career. Prominent correspondents include: Martin Luther King, Jr., J. Edgar Hoover, Roy Wilkins. The scrapbooks are fourteen in number. These refer both to personal and professional aspects of Boone's life. Included in the books is information on his early days at the Macon Telegraph, his move to the Tuscaloosa News, columns and editorials by Boone, news clippings and photos of his world travels, clippings of Tuscaloosa News stories on the Lucy incident, his speech to the Citizen's Council in 1957, correspondence, awards, stories of local interest and items dealing with the Pulitzer Prize. The Speech Series consists of copies of speeches given by Boone between 1957 and 1965. The speech and related background materials dealing with his address to the West Alabama Citizen’s Council in January 1957 are of particular interest. The phonograph records in the collection are live recordings of that speech. The papers dealing with the Ku Klux Klan libel suit of 1964 provide information on the activities of the local Klan and Robert Shelton, Imperial Wizard of the Ku Klux Klan. The Autherine Lucy Editorial Series includes copies of editorials written by Boone in 1956 and documents the controversy that surrounded Boone because of his editorials. These editorials resulted in Boone’s winning a Pulitzer Prize in 1957. The collection also contains material on Boone’s trip around the world with the National Association of Editors and Commentators. This includes news columns, photos, trip itineraries, and memorabilia. One major gap in the collection is the lack of materials from Boone's years with the FBI. This collection will be of great interest to anyone investigating the history of civil rights in Alabama in particular, or the South in general. The materials on the KKK are very good and since Robert Shelton is the Imperial Wizard of the national Klan group, it would be of interest to anyone investigating the activities of the Klan on any scale. The collection could also be used by a compiler of a history of Tuscaloosa. Mr. Boone published the only newspaper in town from 1947-1974, and thus controlled information flow to a very great extent. His papers are also interesting as a study of a man who had convictions and stuck by these convictions even in the face of certain unpleasant consequences.

Dates

  • 1935-1968
  • Majority of material found within 1949 - 1968

Creator

Biographical/Historical note

James Buford Boone Sr. was born January 8, 1909, in Newnan, Georgia. Upon his 1929 graduation with an A.B. degree in journalism from Mercer University in Macon, Georgia, Boone took a position as reporter for the Macon Telegraph and News. Boone stayed in this position until 1938 when he was named city editor, and in 1940 he became managing editor. From 1942-1946 Boone served as an FBI agent, returning to the Telegraph and News in 1946 as editor. In 1947 Boone left Macon for Tuscaloosa, Alabama, where he took on dual roles as editor and publisher of the Tuscaloosa News, holding these positions until 1968. Buford Boone was awarded the 1957 Pulitzer Prize for Editorial Writing for his coverage of Autherine Lucy’s enrollment at the University of Alabama. Lucy was the first African American student to register at The University of Alabama. With assistance from NAACP attorneys, Lucy secured a court order allowing her to register. She enrolled as a graduate student in library sciences at the University on February 3, 1956. By the third day of classes, a mob of students and residents harassed and assaulted Lucy as she attended class, throwing eggs and insults. The University expelled her later that day “for her own protection.” The University of Alabama remained segregated until 1963. Throughout Lucy’s brief period as a student at the University, Boone wrote a series of editorials deploring mob rule, segregation, and racism and called for calm and reasoned action. Boone was also known throughout his newspaper career for his solid stand against the Ku Klux Klan and its violent activities. Because of this stand, Boone was involved in a libel suit brought against him by the Klan from 1964-1968.

Buford Boone died on February 7, 1983.

1909 born in Newnan, Georgia, January 8. 1929 graduated with A.B. in journalism from Mercer University, Georgia. 1929-1938 reporter for the Telegraph and News, Macon, Georgia. 1938-1940 city editor for the Macon Telegraph and News. 1940-1942 managing editor for the Macon Telegraph and News. 1942-1946 special agent for the FBI 1946-1947 editor for the Macon Telegraph and News. 1947-1968 editor/publisher of the Tuscaloosa News, Tuscaloosa, Alabama. 1954-1968 president of Tuscaloosa Newspapers, Inc. 1957 recipient of the Pulitzer Prize for Editorial Writing. recipient of the Freedom Foundation George Washington medal for editorial writing. recipient of the Lovejoy Award, Colby College, Maine. 1968 recipient of the Algernon Sydney Sullivan Award, the University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa, Alabama. 1968-1974 chairman of the board of Tuscaloosa Newspapers, Inc. 1974 retired.

Extent

4.9 Linear Feet (3.5 linear feet and 14 volumes)

Language of Materials

English

Additional Description

Abstract

Correspondence, scrapbooks, litigation papers, speeches, editorials, etc., of this Pulitzer Prize winner and long-time Tuscaloosa News editor.

Series Descriptions

The Correspondence Series consists of letters written to the Tuscaloosa News and to Boone personally and concerning various topics, including Autherine Lucy and the Pulitzer Prize. Prominent correspondents include Martin Luther King, Jr., J. Edgar Hoover, and Roy Wilkins.

The Speech Series consists of copies of speeches given by Boone between 1957 and 1965. The speech and related background materials dealing with his address to the West Alabama Citizen’s Council in January 1957 are of particular interest. The phonograph records in the collection are live recordings of that speech.

The papers dealing with the Ku Klux Klan libel suit of 1964 provide information on the activities of the local Klan and Robert Shelton, Imperial Wizard of the Ku Klux Klan.

The collection also contains material on Boone’s trip around the world with the National Association of Editors and Commentators. This includes news columns, photos, trip itineraries, and memorabilia.

The collection also contains material on Boone’s trip around the world with the National Association of Editors and Commentators. This includes news columns, photos, trip itineraries, and memorabilia.

The Scrapbooks Series consists of 14 scrapbooks relating to personal and professional aspects of Boone’s life, including his early days at the Macon Telegraph; his move to the Tuscaloosa News; clippings and photos of his world travels; Autherine Lucy; and his 1957 speech to the West Alabama Citizen’s Council.

Provenance

Bequest of Buford Boone, 1978

Subjects

Related Names

Creator

Finding Aid & Administrative Information

Title
Guide to the Buford Boone Papers
Status
Completed
Author
Sheila D. Baquet and Thomas J. Frieling, 1978; updated, Merrily Harris and Donnelly Lancaster, 2003; Donnelly Lancaster, 2006
Date
March 2014
Description rules
Describing Archives: A Content Standard
Language of description
English
Script of description
Latin

Repository Details

Repository Details

Part of the The University of Alabama Libraries Special Collections Repository

https://www.lib.ua.edu/libraries/hoole/
Contact:
Box 870266
Tuscaloosa AL 35487-0266
205.348.0513