Faculty Records: Wendell Smiley Papers

1943-2000
University Archives #UA90-17
Creator(s)
Smiley, Wendell W. (Wendell Wayne), 1908-1992; Smiley, Elva
Physical description
1.25 Cubic Feet
Preferred Citation
[Item description].  Wendell Smiley Papers.  UA90-17, Box [number].  University Archives, East Carolina University, Greenville, NC.
Repository
East Carolina University Archives
Access
The collection is open for research use.

Collection contains career related materials including biographical information, correspondence, speeches, ECU Retired Faculty Association newsletters as well as personal items, such as travel journals, of East Carolina Library Director Wendell Smiley.


Biographical/historical information

Wendell Wayne Smiley was born on June 15, 1908 in Charlestown Township, North Carolina. He was the eldest son of Arthur Lee and Sarah "Sallie" Stevenson Smiley, who parented four boys and three girls. Smiley's father was a principal in the Swain County school system. His high school years were split between schools; he attended Hazelwood for two years, Almond High School for a year, and finally graduated from Marshall High School. He completed two years at Mars Hill College before transferring to the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where he majored in science and graduated with a B.S. degree. From 1928 to 1929, he taught mathematics and chemistry at Charles L. Coon High School in Wilson. From 1929 to 1934, he was a member of the library staff at UNC, and directed the establishment of the general undergraduate library. For five years he served as the director of the documents library and labored over the development the microfilm laboratory.

From 1939 to 1942, Smiley was a librarian at the Georgia Teachers College. He spent the following year at Mercer University. East Carolina Teachers College sought out Smiley for his services as a librarian. He stayed at ECTC for thirty years. Mr. Smiley had a big vision for an expansion of library services; his greatest achievement was to realize the construction of a new building, the James Y. Joyner Library. At his retirement, the Microfilms Room was named after him for the duties he performed for the school.

Mr. Smiley was active during his young age, as a member of the North Carolina Library Association and the American Library Association. He was also the president of the Georgia Library Association from 1941 to 1942, and served as secretar/ treasurer of the Greenville Rotary Club from 1956 to 1978. His biography is listed in Leaders in Education, Who's Who in America, Who's Who in Library Science, and Who's Who in the Southeast.

On November 23, 1932, he married Elva Ruth Parkinson, they had five children together, Wayne, Ralph, Scott, Steve, and Sara.


Scope and arrangement

Collection contains career related materials including biographical information, correspondence, speeches, ECU Retired Faculty Association newsletters as well as personal items, such as travel journals, of East Carolina Library Director Wendell Smiley.


Administrative information
Copyright notice

This material is made available for use in research, teaching, and private study, pursuant to U.S. Copyright law. The user assumes full responsibility for any use of the materials, including but not limited to taking precautions against infringement of copyright and respecting the publication rights of reproduced materials. All rights are reserved and retained regardless of current or future development or laws that may apply to fair use standards. Any materials used should be fully credited with their source according to the example given in the Preferred Citation note. Requests for assistance with citations and images of publication quality should be directed to specialcollections@ecu.edu. This collection may contain materials with sensitive or confidential information that is protected under federal or state law. The user assumes full responsibility for using such information and is advised that the disclosure of such information about identifiable living individuals without their consent may have legal ramifications.


Related material

This collection is a part of Faculty Records.


Key terms
Personal Names
Smiley, Wendell W. (Wendell Wayne), 1908-1992
Corporate Names
East Carolina University--Faculty
East Carolina University. Retired Faculty Association
Topical
Academic library directors--North Carolina--Greenville
Librarians--North Carolina--Greenville

Container list
Box 1 Folder 1 Librarian of Congress Correspondence, 1960-1961
Box 1 Folder 2 "The Official Publications of South Carolina"- thesis, 1939
Box 1 Folder 3 Televised Courses, undated
Box 1 Folder 4 Library Development in North Carolina Before 1930, 1971
Box 1 Folder 5 Speeches, undated
Box 1 Folder 6 Memorial Wall Correspondence, undated
Box 1 Folder 7 ECU Retired Faculty Association, 1988-1992
Box 1 Folder 13 Wendell W. Smiley Microforms Collection Dedication Program, 1984-04-14
Box 2 Slides of East Carolina campus
Box 3 Century Society Award, 1987
Box 1 Folder 8 Smiley Family Reunion, 1990
Box 1 Folder 9 Smiley Travel Journals, undated
Box 1 Folder 10 Travel Essays, 1959-1974
Box 1 Folder 11 Smiley Autobiography, undated
Box 1 Folder 12 Wendell Smiley Biography, 1943-1973
Box 2 Slides of Smiley graves, Undated
Box 4 Legal documents, 1932-1993
Box 4 Elva and Wendell Smiley obituaries and funeral information, 1992-2000
Box 4 Coastal North Carolina memorabilia, Undated
Box 4 East Carolina University Alumni Association, 1972
Box 4 Teaching certificates, 1926-1928
Box 4 Radio Station Licenses KAKO, 1977
Box 4 Correspondence, 1951-1994
Box 4 Clippings, 1932-1994
Box 4 Ephemera, 1968-1994
Box 4 Elva Smiley photographs, 1997
Box 4 Brook Valley Garden Club, Undated
Box 4 Friends of Joyner Library photographs, 1994
Box 4 Writings, Undated
Box 4 Reflection by Steve Smiley, Undated