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Captain Richard M. Wright of the U.S. Naval Academy Class of 1941 describes his education at the Academy and then his career during World War II on the USS Tennessee and the submarines USS Pogy, USS Parche and USS Spadefish. Postwar commentary relates his continued career in submarines USS Blower, USS Cochino, and USS Scabbardfish.

The collection includes papers and publications produced or related to the administration of John Decatur Messick. Materials include biographical records, correspondence, articles, newspaper clippings, administrative records, and other miscellaneous items.

Robert Ryves (later Rives) is traces back to 1465 France. His family eventually settled in North Carolina in the mid 1700's. Robert Ryves descendant John Gaston Rives Jr was born on June 24, 1854 in Edgecombe County, North Carolina. This collection spans 1818-1957, 2007 and contains three pages removed from the Rives family Bible, containing birth, death, and marriage records dating between 1818 and 1957, genealogy of the Rives family back to 1465 France, and a photograph of John Gaston Rives Jr. The strength of this collection is the genealogical records.

Papers of R. L. [Russell Lee] Jones (1941) consisting of Happy Days at Hurdle Mills [ca. 1908 – 1941] Typescript & Photographic prints. Bound hard cover. Note: Includes 15 pages of photographic prints tipped in; historical account of the Hurdle Mills Game Club, in Hurdle Mills, North Carolina, which provided winter hunting for northerners; includes photographic prints of local buildings and people; R. L. Jones was elected first vice president of the club (1908); Stuart Wright note inside front cover: "Charles (Charlie) Lawson was my maternal grandmother's brother, Person County, NC."

Charles O'Hagan Horne, Jr.'s personal files related to the planning of John F. Kennedy's visit to Greenville, North Carolina in 1960 during his presidential campaign.

Lemuel Showell Blades, III, (1933-2011) began his career as a lawyer and then went on to become the president of the Norfolk Telephone Company while serving on a number of committees in Elizabeth City, and New Bern, North Carolina. This collection spans from 1711-2011 and includes newspaper clippings, photographs, genealogical charts, letters, oral histories, books, videos, and career files. The strength of this collection is the genealogical overview of the several generations linking to the Blades family.

Papers (1870-1981) including correspondence, legal documents, ledgers, literary manuscripts, stock certificates, deeds, charters, minutes, photographs, clippings, financial records, orders and publications.

Collection contains a variety of items relating to Eastern North Carolina especially including a photograph of East Carolina Teacher's College scene (ca. 1940's); a theater Program (ca. 1933/34) for a play presented by The Episcopal Junior Guild, Austin Building, East Carolina Teacher's College; and a Measles in Quarantine Keep Your Babies Away From Measles Broadside (4/7/1934) posted on the home of Ella Viola McGowan when she had the measles. Also included are photographs (some unidentified) of World War II era of which several pertain to military bases such as the 657th Engineer Topographic Battalion (40th Infantry Division, U.S. Army), and one is of Cecil May in U.S. Marine corporal uniform; a photocopy of a letter (1913) containing reminiscences of Confederate veteran John W. Vernelson (of N.C. State Troops) war service and describing the Veterans Reunion at Gettysburg, PA; receipts (1909-1910) for sales by Crown Bottling Works in New Bern, NC; Pitt County, NC, land grants and deeds (1782-1837) related to the Boyd, Edwards, and Nobles families; Bible Records and birth and death records for the Eldridge, Wilder/Hatsell, Pittman, Moore, Sewell, and Davis families; and the book (2011) "One of the Lucky Ones," Edgar Cannon's Contributions in World War II. Other materials (1856-2001) consist of manuscripts, research clippings, notes, photocopies, photographic prints, programs, notebooks, and newspapers, relating to the history and genealogy of Eastern North Carolina, especially Robersonville and Williamston in Martin County, NC. Also included are a 1941 color silent 16mm film about Greenville and slides (ca. 1970) documenting tobacco and old houses in Pitt County, NC.

Collection consists of a photograph album with leather decorative cover belonging to James R. Coles, an African American who served in the U.S. Navy Reserve during World War II. Accompanying paperwork and insignia badges (1943-1944) indicates he was a motor machinist's mate and was appointed apprentice petty officer first class. The album contains mostly unidentified photographs of African American sailors in training, aboard a train, and with possible girlfriends and family. Two shots also depict the sailors with their white commanding officer. Also included are autograph pages that his fellow sailors signed and listed their home addresses.

Papers of R. V. Verlin (1950-1970 [Bulk: 1970]) documenting the life and literary career of the prolific Cedar Falls, Iowa-born American novelist and short story writer, who was also a reviewer, editor, painter, lithographer and creative writing educator at the University of Washington, Columbia University, the Iowa Writer's Workshop, and Brown University, among other universities; consisting of proofs and manuscript materials relating to his novel Doctor Cobb's Game (1970) and loose manuscript items transferred from the Stuart Wright Book Collection relating to Cassill's first novel The Eagle on the Coin (1950).