Sabrie Williams Reid Papers

1947-1970
Manuscript Collection #293
Creator(s)
Reid, Sabrie Williams, 1904-1993
Physical description
2.17 Cubic Feet, 2500 items , consisting of correspondence, records and reports, work-plans, vouchers, guides, directories, forms, training material, newsletters, publications, and miscellaneous.
Preferred Citation
Sabrie Williams Reid Papers (#293), East Carolina Manuscript Collection, J. Y. Joyner Library, East Carolina University, Greenville, North Carolina, USA.
Repository
ECU Manuscript Collection
Access
Access to audiovisual and digital media is restricted. Please contact Special Collections for more information.

Papers (1947-1970) associate educational supervisor, North Carolina State Board of Education, 1947-1969; consisting of correspondence, records and reports, work-plans, vouchers, guides, directories, forms, training material, newsletters, publications, memoranda, office schedule, applications, etc.


Biographical/historical information

Sabrie Williams Reid (b. 1904) was born in Dozier, Alabama. She attended secondary schools and college in Alabama, and later studied at the University of North Carolina. In the late 1920's, she moved to Plymouth, N.C., where she held various federal agency positions until 1947, when she joined the State Board of Education as an associate Educational Supervisor. She worked in the state's school lunch program in supervisory capacities until her retirement in 1969.


Scope and arrangement

Correspondence in the Reid papers revolves around School Food Service reviews of school lunch programs in Mrs. Reid's eighteen-county northeastern district. Reports (1956-1965) usually attached to letters, deal with the evaluation of aspects of school lunch management: numbers participating in school lunch and special milk programs, quality of meals, filing and record-keeping procedures, prices, personnel, and program requirements. Much of the correspondence concerns Mrs. Reid's continual efforts to better "type A" lunches and forbid sales of foods other than cafeteria-served lunches in the school. Other reports include lunchroom managers' reports, which deal with numbers of students participating; prices; menu planning; food quality; and personnel education. Correspondence (1958-1963) from State Supervisor Anne Maley to county superintendents and school principals in the northeastern district concerns the financial status of schools, lunch program audits, and discrepancies and deficiencies in lunchroom record-keeping. Of interest also are letters (June 19, 1959 and enclosures) concerning the addition of a cafeteria to a Pitt County school.

Much of the correspondence is in the form of memoranda from School Food service administrators. Memoranda (1965) from O. L. Searing, State Supervisor of School Food Services, concern, among other things, the implementation of a new type A food policy; related questions of federal reimbursement; suggested procedures for the implementation of the policy; and a survey of the priority of areas of concern of school supervisors and superintendents. Memoranda (1969-1970) from Ralph W. Eaton, Director of School Food Service, concern the administration of the School Food Services division of the Department of Public Instruction. Eaton's statements of policy and procedure relate primarily to the Special Assistance Milk programs, the free and reduced-price lunch program, "A La Carte" menu programs, federal reimbursement policy, federal subsidies, the National School Lunch Program, and evaluation programs.

Correspondence in the personnel file of Sabrie Reid relates to her duties as the Plymouth, North Carolina Rent Information Clerk under the Rent Division of the Office of Housing Expediter in 1946. The records describe the duties of a chief clerk of rationing and rent control, 1942-1947.

Many of the job-related records maintained by Mrs. Reid would lend themselves well to quantitative interpretation. As assistant supervisor and later supervisor for the School Food Service, she maintained monthly activity summaries (1950-1958). These records relate statistical information about meetings, conferences, and activities in which she participated. Similarly, monthly summary reports (1954-1955) break down statistically the number of days worked in field and in office, units and schools visited, miles traveled and reimbursed, subsistence reimbursement, and leave summary. Monthly itineraries (1957-1965) provide a daily breakdown of place of work and proposed activities. Monthly activity calendars (1955-1958) consist of activities written in daily blocks on monthly calendars, plus a statistical summary of days in office and field, travel and subsistency reimbursement, and leave-time. Annual reports provide comment on Mrs. Reid's supervisory goals: adequate lunches, full utilization of programs, and elimination of foods other than those provided by the cafeteria. These reports (1956-57- 1957-58) describe meetings, records and menu inspection, preparation of the school financial reports, and school needs. Statistical summaries are also appended. Other annual reports consist of work plans (1957-58 - 1960-61).

Of significance in the collection are forms (1956-1957) containing statistical information on the schools of the eighteen-county northeastern district. These records include listings of city-count schools, type of school, federal programs approved, end-of-year financial balance, average daily attendance and lunches served, approved prices, and reimbursement rates.

Numerous records concern the various federally subsidized food programs administered by the School Food Service. Records relating to the national free lunch program consist of a U.S. Department of Agriculture booklet of regulations (1967), USDA booklets relating to eligibility requirements (1968-1970), an income scale (undated) for determining eligibility for free and reduced lunches, a checklist for free lunch policy (undated), and a form (undated) for determining free lunch policy. In addition, the records contain a free lunch policy statement (Dec. 16, 1968) of the Pender County School system.

Federal Nonfood Assistance Program material includes a booklet (undated) pertaining to the disposition of equipment purchased by schools with federal funds, a booklet (undated) suggesting equipment needs in lunchrooms, and a Nonfood Assistance application form.

Child Nutrition Act of 1966 material is comprised of a typescript (undated) of the proposed act; a statement of S. R. Smith, USDA official, before a House subcommittee (February 18, 1966); and an undated estimate of funds- ostensibly by Mrs. Reid- needed under the Child Nutrition Act.

A USDA memorandum from Russell James deliberates on USDA policy regarding supervisory visits to schools' Special Milk Programs (August 27, 1960), while another booklet deals with Special Milk Program policy in the areas of facilities, personnel, food management, finances, records, and program objectives.

Several policy guides, published by the School Food Service (1965-68) are of interest in the papers. These guides deal with rules, regulations, policies, and procedures governing lunchroom operation.

School Food Service standards and objectives material include a list of seven suggestions for improvement (June 18, 1970) written by Mrs. Reid; a list of suggestions of areas in which local supervisors could benefit (undated); and papers (undated) delineating acceptable standards of philosophy, student services, personnel, and administration in the School Food Service. Other papers (undated) deal with qualifications of lunchroom personnel, School Food Service objectives, and a typescript five-point program of responsibilities of food service administrators, apparently prepared by Mrs. Reid.

Several School Food Service and related administrative personnel directories are included: a Department of Public Instruction staff directory (November 21, 1969), a city-county school superintendents directory (including School Food Service Directors and Supervisors, 1969), a school lunch staff directory (undated), and a directors and supervisors directory (undated).

Two booklets (undated) deal with staff organization. The first concerns organization within the school food service, which includes organizational flow-charts and job descriptions; the second deals with qualifications, duties, and responsibilities of a School Food Service director or supervisor.

Several surveys, evaluations and reports are included. A report by Mrs. Reid analyzes school lunch menus in the northeastern area (Jan., 1961). Other reports (1949-1970, undated) concern wholesale values of commodities, lunchroom facilities and federal program participation, statewide payroll studies, a school survey, a fee survey, SFS consultant reports, USDA reports, a NSLP school comparative report, a Pitt County SFS report, state car use reports, and analyses of school lunch operations by fiscal years.

Conference and committee reports consist of reports (1954-1970, undated) of workshops, supervisors' conferences, work conferences, staff conferences and minutes of committee meetings. Themes most often touched in these reports are group procedures, evaluation, objectives, personnel development, policy philosophy, administrative functions and procedure, and planning. Proceedings reports (1966-1969) consist of typescript or published volumes that deal with much the same material.

School Food Service training records constitute a large portion of the collection. In addition to a training program attendance record (1957), the collection contains a USDA School lunch training guide (1959), comprised of sections on planning training meetings, presenting aims and objectives of the NSLP, record-keeping, planning Type A Lunches, managing money, and buying. Also included are training material handouts (undated).

A School Food Service course (undated), Organization and Personnel Management, comprises a significant portion of the Reid papers. The course consists of an outline and eleven lessons, organized for televised teaching. Several issues (Nov., 1949-May, 1963) of "School Lunch in the Tar Heel State," a School Food Service newsletter, contain cafeteria-related articles. Another newsletter (1946-1949), published by the University of Alabama, concerns food service in that state. Other School Food Service publications (1947-1965, undated) included an annual bulletin, a workshop announcement, a special issue for National School Lunch Week, an assessment of North Carolina school lunch program from 1943-1949, a school food service bibliography, a guide for encouraging participation, and a course outline of school lunch programs.

Of interest in the miscellaneous file are a supervisor's office schedule for 1957-1958, a USDA food cost guide for Type A lunches, a report from the Second Congress on Medical Quackery (Oct., 1963), and applications of several daycare nurseries for the Special Food Service Program for Children (Aug., 8, 1969).


Administrative information
Custodial History

October 8, 1975, 2 cu. ft; Files (1943-1970), concerning the establishment and administration of N.C. Public School Lunchroom Program. Gift of Mrs. Sabrie W. Reid, Plymouth, N.C.

Source of acquisition

Gift of Mrs. Sabrie W. Reid

Processing information

Processed by D. Lawson, May 1978

Encoded by Apex Data Services

Copyright notice

Literary rights to specific documents are retained by the authors or their descendants in accordance with U.S. copyright law.


Key terms
Personal Names
Reid, Sabrie Williams, 1904-1993
Corporate Names
School Food Service Foundation
Topical
National school lunch program
Nutrition policy--United States
School children--Food--Economic aspects--United States
School children--Nutrition--Government policy--United States
School food service directors--Training of--North Carolina
School lunchrooms, cafeterias, etc.--Management--North Carolina

Container list
Box 1 Folder a Supervisory Review Correspondence , 1956 - 1960
Box 1 Folder b Supervisory Review Correspondence , 1961 - February, 1962
Box 1 Folder c Supervisory Review Correspondence , March 1962 - 1963
Box 1 Folder d Supervisory Review Correspondence , January 1964 , February 1964
Box 1 Folder e Supervisory Review Correspondence, March 1964 - 1970
Box 1 Folder g Personnel Material, 1947 - 1969
Box 1 Folder h Monthly Activity Summaries, 1950 - 1958
Box 2 Folder a Monthly Summary Reports, 1954
Box 2 Folder b Monthly Itineraries, 1957 - 1965
Box 2 Folder c Monthly Activity Calendars, 1955 - 1958
Box 2 Folder d Annual Reports and Work-Plans, 1956 - 1961
Box 2 Folder e Travel and Expense Vouchers, 1950 - 1953
Box 2 Folder f Travel and Expense Vouchers, 1954 - 1965
Box 2 Folder g Food Service Status of Schools Reports, 1956 - 1957
Box 2 Folder h Free Lunch Records, 1967 - 1970, undated
Box 2 Folder i Nonfood Assistance Program Material, undated
Box 2 Folder j Child Nutrition Act of 1966 Material, 1966, undated
Box 2 Folder k Special Milk Program, 1958 - 1967, undated
Box 2 Folder l Acts and Laws Concerning National School Lunch Act, 1964 - 1966, undated
Box 2 Folder m N. C. School Food Service Policy Guides, 1965
Box 2 Folder n N. C. School Food Service Policy Guides, 1965 - 1967
Box 3 Folder a N. C. School Food Service Policy Guides, 1968
Box 3 Folder b N. C. School Food Service Standards and Objectives, 1970, undated
Box 3 Folder c Staff Directories, 1969, undated
Box 3 Folder d N. C. Day Care and Nursery Records, undated
Box 3 Folder e Staff Organization and Material, undated
Box 3 Folder f Surveys, Evaluations, and Reports, 1949 - 1970, undated
Box 3 Folder g Conference and Committee Reports, Notes, and Correspondence, 1954 - 1970, undated
Box 3 Folder h Conference and Committee Proceedings and Reports, 1964 - 1965
Box 3 Folder i Conference and Committee Reports, 1966 - 1969, undated
Box 4 Folder a School Food Service Administrative Forms, undated
Box 4 Folder b School Food Service Evaluation Forms, undated
Box 4 Folder c School Food Service Evaluation Forms, undated
Box 4 Folder d School Food Service Instruction Training Records, 1949 - 1957, undated
Box 4 Folder e U. S. D. A. School Lunch Training Guide, 1959
Box 4 Folder f School Food Service Training Material, undated
Box 4 Folder g Organization and Personnel Management Material, 1969, undated
Box 5 Folder a Organization and Personnel Management Material, undated
Box 5 Folder b "School Lunch in the Tar Heel State", 1949 - 1958
Box 5 Folder c "School Lunch in the Tar Heel State", 1958 - 1960
Box 5 Folder d "School Lunch in the Tar Heel State", 1960 - 1963
Box 5 Folder e "School Lunch and Nutrition News", 1946 - 1949
Box 5 Folder f Tar Heel School Food Service Publications, 1948 - 1965
Box 5 Folder g Tar Heel School Food Service Publications, undated
Box 5 Folder h Miscellaneous, 1956 - 1969, undated