- unitid
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{"value"=>"Sc MG 921", "type"=>"local_call"}
{"value"=>"23356", "type"=>"local_mss"}
{"value"=>"b21009854", "type"=>"local_b"}
- unitdate
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{"value"=>"1938-2010", "type"=>"inclusive", "normal"=>"1938/2010"}
{"value"=>"1960-2000", "type"=>"bulk", "normal"=>"1960/2000"}
- unittitle
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{"value"=>"Wallace Terry papers"}
- physdesc
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{"format"=>"structured", "physdesc_components"=>[{"name"=>"extent", "value"=>"41.2 linear feet", "unit"=>"linear feet"}, {"name"=>"extent", "value"=>"109 boxes", "unit"=>"containers"}, {"name"=>"extent", "value"=>"16.31 mb (3 computer files)"}], "supress_display"=>true}
- repository
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{"id"=>"SCM", "value"=>"Schomburg Manuscripts, Archives and Rare Books Division"}
- abstract
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{"value"=>"Wallace Terry, Jr. (1938-2003) was an African-American journalist, author, documentarian, oral historian, and educator best known for his reporting on the experiences of black soldiers in the Vietnam War. The Wallace Terry papers consists of files chronicling his career as a journalist and published author; his work as a visiting professor of journalism; his education; and his posthumous acclaim."}
- prefercite
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{"value"=>"[Item], Wallace Terry papers, Sc MG 921, Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, Manuscripts, Archives and Rare Books Division, The New York Public Library"}
- origination
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{"value"=>"Terry, Wallace, 1938-2003", "type"=>"persname", "role"=>"creator"}
- bioghist
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{"value"=>"<p>Wallace Houston Terry, Jr. (1938-2003) was a journalist, author, documentarian, oral historian, and educator best known for his reporting on the Civil Rights Movement, the Vietnam War, and the Black Power Movement. Born in New York City and raised in Indiana, Terry attended Shortridge High School, where he was elected class president, attended the High School Journalism Institute at Indiana University, served as president of the high school's Model United Nations chapter, and was the first black editor of the school's newspaper, <span class=\"title\">The Daily Echo</span>.</p> <p>From 1956 to 1957, Terry worked as a reporter for <span class=\"title\">The Indianapolis News</span>. During this time he also began studies at Brown University, where he wrote for <span class=\"title\">The Brown Daily Herald</span>, and became the first black editor of an Ivy League newspaper. Terry graduated in 1959 with a Bachelor of Arts in Religious Studies, and with minors in Classics and English. That same year he started graduate school at the University of Chicago as a Rockefeller Fellow in theology, and later studied international relations as a Nieman Fellow at Harvard.</p> <p>In 1957, while reporting for <span class=\"title\">The Brown Daily Herald</span>, Terry succeeded in arranging an exclusive interview with Arkansas' segregationist governor, Orval Faubus. As a result of the interview, a photograph of Terry shaking hands with the governor was published on the covers of many national newspapers. This acclaim led to a position at <span class=\"title\">The Washington Post</span>, where at age 19, Terry became the youngest reporter ever hired by the paper. He wrote for <span class=\"title\">The Washington Post</span> from 1958 to 1963, covering the Civil Rights Movement, and penning a pioneering series on The Black Muslims, a nationwide organization of approximately 70,000 Islamic black nationalists led by Elijah Muhammad. In 1961, Terry was granted active membership to The National Press Club, serving as president of the organization from 1962 to 1965.</p> <p>Terry was hired at <span class=\"title\">Time</span> magazine in 1963 as their first black national correspondent. Initially reporting from Washington, D.C., he traveled to Vietnam in 1967 to take on the role of Deputy Saigon Bureau Chief. As the first full-time black war correspondent, he authored a number of cover stories on the Vietnam War, reported on the Tet Offensive, accompanied ground troops in the A Shau Valley and on Hamburger Hill, and flew combat missions with American and South Vietnamese pilots. In 1968, he helped lead a rescue effort with <span class=\"title\">New Republic</span> correspondent Zalin Grant to retrieve the bodies of four reporters who were killed during a combat offensive. While at <span class=\"title\">Time</span> Terry was also granted exclusive interviews with Julian Bond, Medgar Evers, Lyndon B. Johnson, Martin Luther King, Jr., Bobby Seale, Adlai Stevenson, and Malcolm X.</p> <p>In 1969, while still stationed in Vietnam, Terry crafted a questionnaire regarding race relations and attitudes among soldiers that was distributed to 833 black and white soldiers in various regions and units throughout South Vietnam. The following year, the results of the survey were analyzed by professors at Harvard University with the assistance of Howard Zinn. Terry's survey was the only study of American racial attitudes that occurred during the Vietnam War.</p> <p>Terry went on to conduct interviews with enlisted black American soldiers in Europe in 1972. He was assigned the project as part of a civilian envoy for the Survey Project on Human Relations for the Commander-in-Chief of the United States Air Force, where he surveyed soldiers regarding racial issues. That same year the documentary album <span class=\"title\">Guess Who's Coming Home: Black Fighting Men Recorded Live in Vietnam</span> was released. The album was narrated and edited by Terry, and featured the voices of black Vietnam combat soldiers.</p> <p>In 1974, Terry was hired as a visiting professor of journalism at Howard University, where he taught courses on investigative reporting and contemporary issues in journalism until 1982. It was during his time teaching journalism courses that Terry conceived of the idea for his book, <span class=\"title\">Missing Pages: Black Journalists of Modern America: An Oral History</span>. The book chronicled the careers of black American journalists whose stories Terry found to have been omitted from previous accounts of journalistic history. Although the book would not be published until after Terry's death, he worked on it throughout the 1980s and 1990s, interviewing dozens of black journalists, and drafting chapters and proposals. Among those profiled are Leon Dash, James Hicks, Ethel Payne, William Raspberry, Barbara Reynolds, Max Robinson, and Bernard Shaw.</p> <p>Terry continued to forge a successful post-Vietnam War journalism career. From 1978 to 1979, he was a national commentator for CBS Radio New Spectrum in New York City, and was hired as Inquiry Editor at the brand new <span class=\"title\">USA Today</span> newspaper in 1982. Those he interviewed at <span class=\"title\">USA Today</span> included Jimmy Carter, Jerry Falwell, John Lewis, and Marian Wright Edelman. He also appeared as a news analyst on such programs as <span class=\"title\">Meet the Press</span>, <span class=\"title\">Face the Nation</span>, and <span class=\"title\">CBS Evening News</span>, and gave news commentaries on National Public Radio, Voice of America, WUSA- TV, and WTOP Radio in Washington.</p> <p>In 1980, Terry collaborated with his wife, Janice, on a television series he created and produced called <span class=\"title\">The Family Tree</span>. Janice wrote the series scripts, which presented minute-long profiles of black Americans discussing their family histories. The show featured such guests as Harrison Benton, Bernard Brooks, Simmie Knox, and Malik Edwards.</p> <p>In 1984, Terry's Pulitzer Prize nominated book, <span class=\"title\">Bloods: An Oral History of the Vietnam War by Black Veterans</span>, was released. Between 1984 and 1990, Terry embarked on a series of book tours for <span class=\"title\">Bloods</span>, visiting high schools, colleges, museums, and veterans' centers in over 100 cities, and performing a one-man show of multimedia lectures called, \"Bloods: An Evening with Wallace Terry.\" In 1986, the Frontline documentary, <span class=\"title\">The Bloods of 'Nam</span>, was co-produced and narrated by Terry. He interviewed some of the soldiers whose stories appeared in <span class=\"title\">Bloods</span> regarding their experiences coming home after the Vietnam War.</p> <p>Terry was hired as the first black contributing editor at <span class=\"title\">Parade Magazine</span> in 1990, a position he held until 2003. His writing for the publication was focused on the stories of African-American achievement in education, business, and the entertainment industry. Individuals whom Terry profiled included Herman Cain, Morgan Freeman, Samuel L. Jackson, Don Johnson, James Earl Jones, Quincy Jones, Sinbad, Montel Williams, and Stevie Wonder.</p> <p>On May 29, 2003, Terry died of the rare vascular disease Wegener's Granulomatosis. He is survived by his wife Janice, and their three children.</p> <p>In 2006, Terry's Army fatigues, battle flags, camera, and typewriter were featured in the exhibit, <span class=\"title\">Soul Soldiers: African Americans and the Vietnam Era</span>, which was the first national exhibition to commemorate the black experience in Vietnam. <span class=\"title\">Soul Soldiers</span> was curated by the Senator John Heinz History Center in Pittsburgh, and Terry was the sole war correspondent featured in the exhibit.</p>"}
- scopecontent
-
{"value"=>"<p>The Wallace Terry papers date from 1938 to 2007 (bulk dates 1960-2000), and detail his career and legacy. Beginning with Terry's birth certificate and concluding with the 2007 posthumous publication of his book,<span class=\"title\"> Missing Pages: Black Journalists of Modern America</span>, the collection provides a narrative of Terry's work through his authored articles, recorded interviews, manuscripts, published works, photographs, correspondence, and research. Although there are personal letters, family photographs, and items documenting Terry's academic achievements, the collection's focus is on his professional life as a chronicler of the Civil Rights Movement, the experiences of black soldiers, and the careers of black journalists, activists, celebrities, and politicians. The collection offers insight into the endeavors Terry often pursued simultaneously, and reveal the manner in which his projects often informed one another.</p>"}
{"value"=>"<p class='list-head'>The Wallace Terry papers are arranged in ten series:</p>\n<ul class='arrangement series-descriptions'>\n<li><div class='series-title'><a href='/scm/23356#c1379377'>Series I: Journalism</a></div>\n<div class='series-date'>1956-2010</div>\n<div class='series-description'><p>Terry's journalistic career is conveyed through files related to his reporting at <span class=\"title\">The Indianapolis Daily News</span>, <span class=\"title\">The Washington Post</span>, <span class=\"title\">Time</span>, <span class=\"title\">USA Today</span>, <span class=\"title\">Parade</span>, and <span class=\"title\">Vietnam Veterans of America</span>; his tenure as president of the Capital Press Club; his interviews and surveys conducted in Vietnam and Europe; and his commentaries for radio and television. Terry's tenure with the Capital Press Club is represented through souvenir programs, photographs, correspondence, gavels from his time as president, and press clippings. The photographs, many of which also depict Terry, feature such figures as Lyndon B. Johnson, Lady Bird Johnson, Edward Kennedy, Hubert Humphrey, Whitney Young, and Walter Cronkite. There is also a large selection of correspondence written to Terry from such individuals as John F. Kennedy; Lyndon B. Johnson; Robert Wagner; Nelson Rockefeller; Sargent Shriver; A. Philip Randolph; and many other politicians, elected officials, and journalists. Additionally, Terry held on to a selection of political memorabilia from his reporting on the 1964 presidential campaign that includes his press passes and inauguration invitations.</p> <p>Terry's <span class=\"title\">Time</span> Washington Correspondent files contain full transcripts of interviews he conducted with Malcolm X, Julian Bond, Jesse Jackson, Bobby Seale, and Whitney Young. Other materials include files of his reporting on Hanafi Muslims, press passes to the 1967 National Conference on Black Power, and notes from an interview with Lyndon B. Johnson.</p> <p>Terry kept files of the interviews he conducted in Vietnam, some of which informed his book, <span class=\"title\">Bloods: An Oral History of the Vietnam War</span> and the album, <span class=\"title\">Guess Who's Coming Home: Black Fighting Men Recorded</span>. These folders are arranged chronologically, and hold interview notes and drafts of articles he authored for <span class=\"title\">Time</span>.</p> <p>The Vietnam Correspondent files also contain research materials Terry collected while stationed in Saigon. These files contain clippings, military resources, and propaganda materials targeted at Black American soldiers that were distributed by the National Front of Liberation of South Vietnam.</p> <p>Files pertaining to Terry's survey of American servicemen includes background research, data sheets, drafts, raw data, transcriptions, survey analysis, participant quotes, and articles about the survey.</p> <p>The Vietnam photographs were either taken by Terry or depict him, and are in the form of prints, contact sheets, and slides. Many of the photographs include typed captions with the year and location. The photographs portray conditions in Vietnam and the individuals Terry interviewed, and chronicle his tenure as Saigon correspondent between 1967 and 1969.</p> <p>The documentary album, <span class=\"title\">Guess Who's Coming Home: Black Fighting Men Recorded Live in Vietnam</span>, was edited, narrated, and produced by Terry. The full transcripts of the album, as well as correspondence and reviews have been preserved. The transcript includes handwritten annotations and edits.</p> <p>After returning from Vietnam, Terry continued to conduct interviews with black soldiers, most of which were recorded and preserved in the form of typed transcripts. These files are arranged alphabetically by last name. In 1972, he traveled to Europe and conducted dozens of interviews with black enlisted servicemen. These files are arranged by interview location, and also contain full interview transcripts.</p> <p>The <span class=\"title\">Parade</span> files contain correspondence, contracts, research, and story suggestions; full issues of the magazine that feature his articles; and files for the interviews he conducted. Audio recordings of these interviews are found in Series XI. The Interviews files hold excerpts of the interviews, handwritten annotations, and drafts of the articles. Among those profiled are Zalin Grant, Sinbad, Christopher Walken, Montel Williams, and Stevie Wonder.</p></div></li><li><div class='series-title'><a href='/scm/23356#c1379477'>Series II: Books</a></div>\n<div class='series-date'>1967-2007</div>\n<div class='series-description'><p>Although <span class=\"title\">Bloods: An Oral History of the Vietnam War by Black Veterans</span> was the only book Terry published in his lifetime, his efforts to write and publish books about the experiences of black soldiers and black journalists were ongoing. There are files devoted to both his published and unpublished works, however the bulk of Series II relates to <span class=\"title\">Bloods</span>.</p> <p>Included in the files for <span class=\"title\">Bloods</span> is Terry's research, interview transcripts, early drafts and manuscripts, his business dealings with agents and publishers, correspondence, and citations from other writers. There is also a large selection of files that address the book's publicity, and a series of lecture tours Terry embarked on after the book's release. The <span class=\"title\">Bloods</span> files are arranged chronologically, and reflect the manner in which the book was researched, written, revised, published, and promoted.</p> <p>The Interviews files hold the transcripts and notes from interviews Terry conducted with Vietnam soldiers and veterans. The files are arranged alphabetically by last name, and exist as audio recordings in Series XI. Terry's handwritten index cards of questions are also held in the Interview files.</p> <p>The Early Drafts and Manuscripts of <span class=\"title\">Bloods</span> date back to 1967. These writings represent Terry's work in the early stages of conceptualizing the book, drafts of individual chapters, chapter revisions, and various iterations of the manuscript including the original full version. Drafts of individual chapters recount the story of a single soldier whose interview transcripts and notes are held in the Interviews files.</p> <p>Terry spent a number of years traveling around the county giving multimedia lectures inspired by <span class=\"title\">Bloods</span>. The Lecture Tour files contain the materials related to these travels, which includes funding documentation, itineraries, schedules, photographs, posters, flyers, programs, and speaking contracts. The Speaking Contracts hold one file for each location of the tour, and are arranged chronologically.</p> <p>Files related to Terry's other published book, <span class=\"title\">Missing Pages: Black Journalists of Modern America: An Oral History</span>, consists of research that dates back to 1979, as well as manuscripts and proposals from as early as 1980. There are some posthumous versions of the manuscript that contain correspondence and notes written by Terry's wife, Janice, although the majority of the <span class=\"title\">Missing Pages</span> files focus on Terry's interviews with and research on black journalists. These files are arranged alphabetically by last name. While some files contain only research and notes, there are full interview transcripts with many of the journalists, some of which appeared in the final published book. Audio recordings of these interviews are also found in Series XI.</p> <p>Terry's Unpublished files contain full manuscripts, partial drafts, outlines, and book proposals. These works include a biography of ‘Chappie' James, a few versions of a memoir, and a subsequent book about soldiers' experiences in Vietnam entitled, <span class=\"title\">Heroic Hearts: How the Dream of Martin Luther King Came True on the Battlefields of Vietnam</span>. Terry conducted a number of interviews which were intended for inclusion in <span class=\"title\">Heroic Hearts</span>, and whose transcripts have been preserved.</p></div></li><li><div class='series-title'><a href='/scm/23356#c1379688'>Series III: Teaching</a></div>\n<div class='series-date'>1974-1993</div>\n<div class='series-description'><p>Terry's teaching career files contain items from his time as a visiting professor at Howard University and artist-in-residence at The College of William and Mary. Included are clippings, correspondence and memoranda, photographs, and items related to the individual courses he taught.</p></div></li><li><div class='series-title'><a href='/scm/23356#c1379699'>Series IV: Film and Television</a></div>\n<div class='series-date'>1974-2001</div>\n<div class='series-description'><p>The Film and Television files consist mostly of materials from productions that were released, and contain clippings, correspondence, interview questions, notes, press packets, and reviews. The most thoroughly documented of these projects is, <span class=\"title\">The Family Tree</span>, which contains files for each guest and host. These files are arranged alphabetically by name, and hold background research and annotated drafts of scripts. Also of interest is the film treatment for an unreleased film adaptation of <span class=\"title\">Bloods</span>.</p></div></li><li><div class='series-title'><a href='/scm/23356#c1379745'>Series V: Special Events</a></div>\n<div class='series-date'>1975-2000</div>\n<div class='series-description'><p>Series V holds materials concerning various speaking engagements and special events that Terry helped to organize. The Speaking Engagements files contain speeches, sermons, lectures, and eulogies. This series also holds files that pertain to \"Rendezvous with War,\" a three day symposium Terry organized, and <span class=\"title\">The Way We War</span>, an artistic collaboration with his son, David. These include correspondence, media coverage, notes, posters, and press releases.</p></div></li><li><div class='series-title'><a href='/scm/23356#c1379757'>Series VI: Committees and Boards</a></div>\n<div class='series-date'>1975-2000</div>\n<div class='series-description'><p>Terry's service as a member of the Committee on Minority Affairs and Board of Trustees at Brown University; the Board of Visitors at the College of William and Mary; and Veterans Administration Advisory Committee on Readjustment is illustrated through correspondence, meetings minutes, and memoranda.</p></div></li><li><div class='series-title'><a href='/scm/23356#c1379765'>Series VII: Other Projects and Plans</a></div>\n<div class='series-date'>1975-2003</div>\n<div class='series-description'><p>Other Projects and Plans contain files of correspondence, papers authored by Terry, notebooks of project plans and goals, research materials, and multiple versions of his resume.</p></div></li><li><div class='series-title'><a href='/scm/23356#c1379777'>Series VIII: Awards</a></div>\n<div class='series-date'>1964-1999</div>\n<div class='series-description'><p>Throughout Terry's career he was the recipient of many awards and accolades for his work addressing civil rights issues, the experiences of soldiers in Vietnam, and the careers of black journalists. Series VIII consists of certificates, citations, commendations, and plaques earned by Terry, as well proclamations, resolutions, and keys to various cities issued to him.</p></div></li><li><div class='series-title'><a href='/scm/23356#c1379788'>Series IX: Personal</a></div>\n<div class='series-date'>1938-2007</div>\n<div class='series-description'><p>Personal files consist of Terry's birth certificate, family photographs,correspondence, and materials documenting his education. Included are awards, certificates, photographs, newspaper clippings, transcripts, and college acceptance letters. Also found here are items related to his children's education, obituaries, memorial programs, and sympathy letters regarding the death of Terry's parents.</p></div></li><li><div class='series-title'><a href='/scm/23356#c1379806'>Series X: Legacy and Posthumous</a></div>\n<div class='series-date'>2003-2007</div>\n<div class='series-description'><p>Series X is comprised of clippings, eulogies, obituaries, programs, and tributes from Terry's memorial service. Also included is the press packet from the 2006 exhibition, <span class=\"title\">Soul Soldiers: African Americans and the Vietnam Era</span>, as well as Terry's Army fatigues, camera, typewriter, and battle flags that were were displayed as part of the exhibit. The flags were created and flown by African-American servicemen in Vietnam.</p></div></li></ul>\n", "type"=>"arrangement"}
- acqinfo
-
{"value"=>"<p>Purchased from Janice Terry, 2016.</p>"}
- processinfo
-
{"type"=>"processing", "value"=>"<p>Compiled by <span class=\"name\">Heather Lember</span>, <span class=\"date\">2016</span>.</p>"}
- accessrestrict
-
{"value"=>"<p>Access is unrestricted. All reproduction requests subject to limitations noted in divisional policies. Sound and video materials are unavailable pending digitization.</p>"}
- userestrict
-
{"value"=>"<p>Information on copyright available from repository.</p>"}
- dsc_type
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combined
- date_start
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1938
- keydate
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1938
- date_end
-
2010
- date_inclusive_start
-
1938
- date_inclusive_end
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2010
- date_bulk_start
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1960
- date_bulk_end
-
2000
- extent_statement
-
41.2 linear feet (109 boxes); 16.31 mb (3 computer files)