Printed materials (1960-1990) received by Drs. Joseph and Lala Steelman related to the National Democratic Party and related organizations concerning social, environmental, and political issues (1969-1990). The collection also includes family files on Steelman and Edmisten families, plus large collection of familial correspondence. Records pertaining to the Steelmans' time at East Carolina are located in University Archives.
Dr. Joseph Flake Steelman was a longtime faculty member of the History Department at East Carolina University where he was instrumental in creating the Master's Degree Program in History and the East Carolina Manuscript Collection. Born in Moravian Falls, North Carolina, to Joseph Sankey Steelman (1887-1983) and Gertrude née Edmisten (1982-1965), he was the eldest of three, his two brothers being Hoke Hayes Steelman and John Britt Steelman. His father was a farmer and his mother a schoolteacher. He completed his undergraduate education in history at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 1943. He then was recruited into the United States Army Specialized Training Program for foreign language skills. After his honorable discharge from the US Army in 1946, Steelman returned to the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill to complete a doctorate in history. He then went on to teach at Cortland State College, now SUNY at Cortland, in New York. In 1959, he came to what was then East Carolina College as a professor of history; he retired in 1985 as Professor Emeritus of History. Dr. Joseph Steelman passed away on January 21, 2015 at the age of 92.
Dr. Lala Carr Steelman was born in 1926 in Milledgeville, Georgia, to Iverson Curry Carr and Ruth A. Hardie Carr. She attended Georgia State College for Women (now Georgia College) and received her M.A. and Ph.D. degrees in history for the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. In 1955 she became an assistant professor of history at East Carolina College (now East Carolina University) where she taught for the next thirty years before retiring as a Professor Emeritus of History. After a short illness, Dr. Lala Carr Steelman passed away on May 13, 1998.
Joseph Flake Steelman married Lala Carr on August 30, 1947. They had two children, both named for their parents. A daughter, Lala Carr Steelman II, and a son Joseph Flake Steelman Jr. known as Joey. Joey was killed in an electrical accident in New Bern, North Carolina, in 1969.
The Joseph F. & Lala Carr Steelman Papers span the years 1802 to 1996, documenting the personal, professional, and wartime experiences of Drs. Joseph Flake Steelman and Lala Carr Steelman, along with materials reflecting their family's genealogy and public interests.
The collection is arranged in four series:
Series 1: Political and Social Organizations, 1976–1990: This series contains letters, newsletters, and pamphlets related primarily to the Democratic Party of North Carolina and national Democratic Party fundraising activities. Additional materials include correspondence and printed matter from environmental, social, and political advocacy organizations reflecting the Steelmans' civic engagement with issues such as conservation, nuclear disarmament, and political campaigns. The files preserve the donors' original arrangement in chronological groupings.
Series 2: Steelman Family Records, 1802–1996: This series includes genealogical notes, estate documents, academic records, professional files, résumés, and employment contracts for members of the Steelman family. Materials document multiple generations, including Joseph F. Steelman's military service, university appointments, and family legal matters. Items range from 19th-century genealogy to late 20th-century professional correspondence.
Series 3: World War II Correspondence, 1939–1946: This extensive series consists of wartime letters written by Joseph F. Steelman to his parents and brothers, and letters he received from family members and friends while serving in the U.S. military during World War II. The correspondence traces his training and postings at various locations in the United States and Europe, offering insight into his daily life, family ties, and reflections on wartime service. Folders are arranged chronologically by location and recipient.
Series 4: General Correspondence, 1947–2001: This final series contains assorted personal correspondence from the postwar period, including letters, postcards, and photographs exchanged with family, friends, and fellow servicemen. Materials are arranged chronologically.
Gift of Dr. Joseph F. Steelman
Encoded by Apex Data Services
Processing completed 3/14/2017 by Leah Powell Turner.
Literary rights to specific documents are retained by the authors or their descendants in accordance with U.S. copyright law.