Betty Speir Papers

1885-1994, 1996, 1998, undated
Manuscript Collection #386
Creator(s)
Speir, Betty Smith
Physical description
21.2 Cubic Feet, 54 archival boxes
Preferred Citation
Betty Speir Papers (#386), 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.

Personal files (1975-2000) for active North Carolina Democratic Party member and advocate for women Betty Speir, including correspondence, reports, agendas, minutes and memos pertaining to the equal rights amendment, the governor's crime commission, and state and local democratic party politics.


Biographical/historical information

Betty Speir, alumna of East Carolina University, served on the ECU Board of Trustees, ECU Board of Visitors, North Carolina State Board of Education, North Carolina Museum of History Board, North Carolina Crime Commission, and the National Democratic Party Executive Committee. She chaired the Women's Forum of North Carolina, the North Carolina Democratic Party, the Board of the North Carolina Center for the Advancement of Teaching, and the Communities in Schools of Pitt County. Speir founded the Pitt County Education Foundation and was the first woman chair of the Pitt County Democratic Party.

All the information above was obtained from the 100 Incredible ECU Women webpage at East Carolina University's Division of Diversity Advancement Women's Roundtable website. For more information, please visit the Women's Rountable website at:http://www.ecu.edu/cs-admin/mktg/womensroundtable/index.cfm

East Carolina University Division of Diversity Advancement. "100 Incredible ECU Women." http://www.ecu.edu/cs-admin/mktg/womensroundtable/100_incredible_women_a_d.cfm (August 2010).


Administrative information
Custodial History

April 9, 1979, 6 containers, 1cu. ft.; Personal files (1975-1978), including correspondence, reports, agendas, minutes and memos pertaining to the equals rights amendment, the governor's crime commission, and state and local Democratic party politics. Donor: Mrs. Betty Speir

November 7, 1979, (Unprocessed addition 1), 1 cu. ft.; Files (1978-1979) for Governor's commission on crime control. Donor: Mrs. Betty Speir

September 10, 1982, (Unprocessed addition 2), 2 cu. ft.; Files (1978-1981) of the N. C. Crime Commission, the Juvenile Justice Planning Commission and the Democratic party activities. Donor: Mrs. Betty Speir

December 30, 1983, (Unprocessed addition 3), 1 cu. ft.; State Board of Education files (1982). Donor: Mrs. Betty Speir

January 7, 1985, (Unprocessed addition 4), 2 cu. ft.; Files (1981-1984) pertaining to State Board of Education. Donor: Mrs. Betty Speir

June 28, 1988, (Unprocessed addition 5), 1 cu. ft.; Personal files pertaining to local, state and National Democratic Party activities (1976-1984), the 1984 Democratic National Convention, and the Democratic National Committee (1982-1984). Other files concern the N. C. State Board of Education (1981-1986) and school discipline. Donor: Mrs. Betty Speir

December 12, 1989, (Unprocessed addition 6), 1 cubic foot; Files (1985-1987) pertaining to the N.C. State Board of Education. Donor: Mrs. Betty Speir

March 4, 1997, (Unprocessed addition 7), 1 1/2 cubic feet; Democratic Party files, including Democratic National Convention materials (1980-1992). Donor: Mrs. Betty Speir

September 4, 1997, (Unprocessed addition 8), 3 cubic feet; Files (1983-1986) of member of the N.C. State Board of Education. Donor: Mrs. Betty Speir

November 11, 2004, (unprocessed addition 9), ca. 3,500 items, 3.15 cubic feet; Papers (1971 - 2000) including correspondence, telephone numbers, scrapbooks, photographs & memorabilia relating to the donor’s membership and activities in behalf of the state and national Democratic Party. See preliminary inventory. Donor: Betty Speir.

January 13, 2005, (Unprocessed addition 10), ca. 511 items, 1.0 cubic feet; Papers (1965-1998) relating to the Democratic Party of North Carolina Executive Committee, Democratic National Committee, North Carolina State Board of Education, Governor's Crime Commission, Lillian's List of North Carolina, Democratic Women of North Carolina, and concerning education, women's issues, and Democratic political candidates including Jim Hunt, Terry Sanford, including correspondence, notes, documents, and printed materials, etc. See preliminary inventory. Recd. 12/9/2004. Donor: Betty Speir.

September 6, 2005, (Unprocessed addition 11), 57 items, 0.25 cubic feet; Collection (June-November 1984) of correspondence, newsletters, printed materials, etc., relating to the Democratic Party of North Carolina and the election campaign of 1984. Donor: Betty Speir.

November 4, 2005, (Unprocessed addition 12), 700 items, 3.00 cubic feet; Collection (1967-1996, n.d.) of correspondence, newsletters, printed materials, etc., relating to the Democratic Party of North Carolina, Pitt County Democrats, Democratic Women of North Carolina, the Democratic Party National Committee and local, state, and national election campaigns of 1968-1996. Donor: Betty Speir.

July 6, 2006, (Unprocessed addition 13), 1 items, 0.0001 cubic feet; Pageant speeches (4/11/1924) at the Eastern Carolina Exposition, Kinston, North Carolina, of Christine Pollock and Harold Hargett, recreating the scene when the Ladies of Jones County, NC represented by Mrs. Nannie P. Smith (Kinsey), presented their hand-made flag to the Men of Company G, represented by Capt. Sawyer, on the unit's departure for service in the Civil War, ca. 1861. Carbon typescript. Donor: Betty Speir.

May 26, 2009, (Unprocessed addition 14), 14 items, 0.014 cubic feet; Papers (1928-1980) including Historical Background of Jones County (1928-1980) typescript & Betty Speir material including a photograph, letter on tax revision; newspaper clippings regarding Betty Speir's election as State Chariman, a meeting of the Pitt County Democratic Women, 1st District Delegates, Jefferson-Jackson Day Dinner program, & an Agenda for Joint Metting of Newspaper Methodist Retirement Home Site Comittee & Citizens of Greenville Area; & oversized newspaper clippings, etc. See preliminary inventory. Donor: Betty Speir.

June 4, 2010, (Unprocessed addition 15), 707 items, 1.05 cubic feet; Papers (1897-1994) pertaining to Mrs. Speir's role in Greenville, Pitt County, North Carolina, & National Democratic Party politics, including: her support of Jim Hunt's gubernatorial campaigns in 1976 & 1993; her letters of recommendation for persons seeking office or employment; her service as vice chair of the North Carolina Democratic Party; her membership on the Democratic National Committee & of various other committees & commissions, including committees on cotton, crime, the Equal Rights Amendment & other women's issues; & including newspapers, correspondence, speeches & directories & printed materials & oversized materials. Box 50 Restricted to 1/10/2064. See preliminary inventory. Donor: Betty Speir.

March 14, 2014, (Unprocessed addition 16), .25 cubic feet; Papers (1885-1939), including agreements, contracts, deeds, receipts for city government taxes paid, and business papers relating to J. B. Pollock, register of deeds, Trenton, Jones County, North Carolina. Many of the receipts also concern Mrs. J. J. Simmons of Trenton. Donor: Betty Speir.

Source of acquisition

Gift of Mrs. Betty Speir

Processing information

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
Speir, Betty Smith
Corporate Names
Democratic Party (N.C.)
Democratic Party (U.S.)
East Carolina University--Alumni and alumnae
North Carolina. Governor's Crime Commission
North Carolina. Governor's Crime Commission. Juvenile Justice Planning Committee
North Carolina. State Board of Education
Topical
Equal rights amendments--North Carolina
Women--Political activity--North Carolina