William Wright Bryan Papers
Collection
Identifier: Mss-0249
The papers include audio tapes, blueprints, certificates, correspondence, clippings, day-timers, drafts and research files related to Clemson An Informal History of the University 1889-1979, file cards, maps, newspapers, phonograph records, photographs, posters, programs, prints, reprints from newspapers, subject files, and a VHS tape.
The papers date from 1890-1991, with the bulk of the of the collection dating from 1931-1991. Most of correspondence is from 1953-1991 while most of the subject files are from 1931-1974. The bulk of the Tricentennial Commission and book papers span shorter periods of time, 1967-1972 and 1976-1979 respectively.
The papers were accessioned between 1984 and 1996. Several of the accessions included boxes of disorganized material without folders. Some of the papers suffered water damage and only portions were recovered and donated.
The material relates to Bryan's career as a journalist, newspaper editor, Clemson administrator and historian as well as his experience as a prisoner of war and a member of the South Carolina Tricentennial Commission. Bryan served as a member of the South Carolina Tricentennial Commission and collected news articles as well as keeping his own papers about that organization's activities. After retiring from Clemson, Bryan devoted himself to completing a history of Clemson.
The bulk of the correspondence is focused upon those periods when Bryan accepted new jobs (1953 and 1963), retired (1970-1971) or died (1991) with congratulatory, well wishes and condolences from family, friends and business associates. Some more substantive correspondence with Robert C. Edwards, Jenkin Lloyd Jones, Ben Robertson, Wallace Trevillian, and Donald Whitehead can be found in the subject files.
The subject files document aspects of Bryan's career as a journalist, particularly his experiences during World War II when he served as war correspondent for The Atlanta Journal and NBC. Included are copies of some of his articles and transcripts of his radio broadcasts as well as material related to his experiences as a prisoner-of-war. The subject files include a large number of newspaper and magazine clippings related to topics of interest to Bryan. They contain material about the American Society of Newspaper Editors, the Gridiron Club, and other newspaper associations in which Bryan participated. There are some papers concerning his friendships with fellow journalists such as Ben Robertson and Jenkin Lloyd Jones as well as substantial clippings files about the freedom of the press, some major publishers and newspapers in the United States, and World War II and D-Day in particular. The subject files contain further information about Clemson, primarily related to Bryan's activities as Vice President for Development and alumnus. There is some information about his father Arthur Buist Bryan and the Bryan family.
The South Carolina Tri-centennial Commission files include many newspaper clippings about the activities of the Commission, minutes and reports, printed material, and some correspondence. The celebration of the state tri-centennial served as a catalyst for a variety of activities and projects that were successful to varying degrees.
There are several drafts and proof sheets of Clemson An Informal History of the University 1889-1979 as well as some correspondence and research notes. Bryan collected some early published material about Clemson's history that is also included as well as card files for Clemson subjects and individuals.
Many aspects of Clemson University are covered in the collection including: alumni and alumnae, faculty, history, presidents, and the School of Textiles. Other subjects include newspaper publishing in the United States during the Twentieth Century, reporters and reporting in the United States, World War II with particular emphasis upon the D-Day invasion and campaigns in France in 1944 and German prisoners-of-war.
The papers contain scattered letters from influential journalists particularly at high points in Bryan's career as well as some correspondence from Clemson faculty, administrators, and alumni. There is more substantial correspondence from Robert C. Edwards, Jenkin Lloyd Jones, Ben Robertson, Wallace Trevillian, and Don Whitehead.
A number of files related to Atlanta history, Ralph McGill, Margaret Mitchell, Georgia history, the White Primary Bill, and the Georgia Supreme Court were donated by the Bryan family to the Atlanta Historical Society.
The journalist, university administrator and historian, William Wright Bryan was born in Atlanta, Georgia August 6, 1905, the son of Arthur Buist and Inez Sledge Bryan. He grew up in Clemson South Carolina where his father had graduated from the College in 1898 and then taught English 1905-1918, afterward serving as agricultural editor for the South Carolina Experiment Station and Cooperative Extension Service, 1918-1958.
Wright Bryan attended Calhoun-Clemson elementary and high school, 1912-1922 and then attended Clemson College where he graduated in 1926 with a BS in Civil Engineering. During the four years that he attended Clemson, Bryan had worked on the campus newspaper, The Tiger, serving as its editor his senior year. Beginning in high school, Bryan began to help his father file sports stories with local newspapers and served as a stringer for them while at Clemson. During the summer of 1924 he worked at the Greenville Piedmont and did so again during the summer after graduation in 1926.
Bryan attended the University of Missouri for a year in 1926-1927 and then began in August 1927 working at the Atlanta Journal prior to receiving a degree. He served as city hall reporter, 1929-1934, city editor 1935-1940, managing editor, 1940-1943, associate and managing editor 1943-1945, and editor 1945-1953.
In 1943, Bryan accepted a temporary assignment to cover the war in Europe for the Atlanta Journal, Atlanta radio station, WSB, and NBC. On June 6, 1944 he broadcast the first report of the D-Day invasion after flying over Normandy with paratroopers. Bryan continued to report on the war in France until captured by the German army on September 12, 1944. He was a prisoner of war at Oflag 64 in Szubin Poland until liberated by the Russian army on January 21, 1945.
Returning to Atlanta in 1945, Bryan served as editor of the Atlanta Journal. He was active in civic organizations such as the Red Cross. He received the Medal of Freedom in 1947 from NATO Supreme Commander General Dwight D. Eisenhower. Active in a variety of professional organizations, he held leadership positions in the American Society of Newspaper Editors and served as its President in 1952-1953.
In early 1954, Bryan accepted the editorship of the Cleveland Plain Dealer and continued in this position for a decade. Bryan weathered labor disputes at the newspaper and continued editorial support for Republicans at the national level. During that time he was active in civic affairs in Cleveland as well as serving as an Overseer of Sweet Briar College, 1957-1970.
Bryan continued to have a keen interest in his alma mater serving as the President of the Alumni Association in 1958 as well as being on the Board of the Clemson Foundation. He had the distinction of delivering the commencement address at Clemson College in both 1946 and 1956. At the later date he was awarded an LLD. In 1963, after leaving the Plain Dealer, Bryan accepted the position as Vice President for Development at Clemson, a position he held through 1970. Upon retirement, he continued living in Clemson and devoted himself to researching and writing, Clemson An Informal History of the University 1889-1979. In 1987 Clemson University awarded William Wright Bryan the Clemson Medallion, its highest honor.
Wright Bryan married Ellen Hillyer Newell of Atlanta in 1932. They had three children, Ellen Newell (Mrs. Brent A. Tozzer Jr.), Mary Lane (Mrs. John K. Sullivan) and William Wright Bryan Jr. He died on February 13, 1991.
18.3 Cubic Feet (34 boxes of manuscripts; 1 box of file cards; 1 box of daytimers, 1 box with approximately 125 photographs; 1 box with 8 audio cassette tapes, 3 phonograph records and 1 VHS tape; 1 oversize box with 4 photographs, 16 certificates, 2 sets of galleys, 1 degree, and one program; 4 oversize folders with 2 blueprints, 27 maps, 6 newspapers, 4 photographs, 2 posters, 4 programs, 4 prints, 6 reprints from newspapers, 1 set of spinning test charts, and 1 symbol)
English
Wright Bryan, journalist, university administrator, and historian worked on a number of newspapers and was a war correspondent eventually serving as managing editor of the Atlanta Journal and editor of the Cleveland Plain Dealer. He returned as Vice President for Development to his alma mater, Clemson University and wrote a history of it. The papers contain information about his career and his interests in journalism, World War II and Clemson University. There are various drafts and research material related to Clemson An Informal History of the University 1889-1979.
During processing an organization of the papers was created. Some parts of the papers did have files particularly in the case of the Tricentennial Commission papers and the book material. The correspondence is in chronological order, the subject and Tricentennial Commission files are in alphabetical order by folder title with material within folders arranged chronologically. The book files are in order by chapter and the book's research files are in alphabetical order by folder title with material within folders arranged chronologically. Photographs are in alphabetical order by folder title; the oversize material is arranged by size of the items, the day-timers and address book are in chronological order and the card files are in alphabetical order by subject title or last name.
Acquired from:
Wright and Ellen Bryan, Mary Lane Bryan Sullivan and Ellen Newell Bryan Tozzer over a period of years between 1984 and 1996.
Wright Bryan acquired a variety of research material during his career as a journalist and then historian of Clemson. In addition to those that Bryan created, there are files that likely were given to him by other unidentified journalists, Clemson alumni and faculty as well as from his father, Arthur Buist Bryan.
Jane Kidd of Clemson News Services provided copies of the cassette tapes of Bryan's 1984 NPR interview (84-49) and WLOS TV (84-57) interview about D-Day.
Formerly accessions 84-30, 84-49, 84-57, 86-114, 90-139, 91-60, 91-82, 91-91, 92-6, 92-26, 92-37 and 96-56.
Material Separated From Bryan Papers
Manuscripts and University Archives
Wright Bryan collected a number of manuscripts given to him while he was researching Clemson: An Informal History of the University, 1889-1979. The following have received separate accessions:
The following have been added to manuscript collections and series in the University Archives:
Newspaper Clippings
A wide variety of newspaper clippings related to Clemson University have been added to the clippings series in the University Archives. Although not an exhaustive listing, material was added to the following folders
Series 37 Subject Files
Series 38 Biographical Files
Photographs
A variety of photographs were removed to University Archives Series 100 Photographs:
Processed by Mike Kohl and student assistants Jill Constante, Iryna Maslennikova, Deepak Vembar and Cornelius Harrington between 2001-2004.
The conversion of this finding aid to Encoded Archival Description format was made possible with a grant from the South Carolina State Historical Records Advisory Board in 2009-2010. The finding aid was prepared for encoding by Carl Redd.
Part of the Clemson University Libraries Special Collections and Archives Repository