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[Identification of item], D.W. Newsom papers, University Archives, Duke University.
The D.W. Newsom papers were received by the University Archives as a transfer in 2003.
Processed by Sherrie Bowser, June 2007
Encoded by Sherrie Bowser, July 2007
Accession A2003-3 is described in this finding aid.
Descriptive sources and standards used to create this inventory:
This finding aid is NCEAD compliant.
condensed from
D.W. (Dallas Walton) Newsom was an educational administrator, county manager, scholar, and poet. He was born in Littleton, North Carolina to Marion Eaton and Annie Soule Heptinstall Newsom in 1873. Newsom entered Trinity College (now Duke University) in the fall of 1895 beginning a twenty-seven year association with the institution.
During his student days at Trinity, Newsom was a member of various scholastic and social clubs including Phi Beta Kappa, the 9019, Sigma Upsilon, and the Alpha Phi chapter of Kappa Alpha. He was also a campus leader serving as senior class president, editor of The Trinity Archive, as well as holding various officer positions in the Hesperian Literary Society. His involvement in the Hesperian Literary Society culminated in his winning its orator's medal in 1898. At the end of his first year, Newsom became the private secretary to President John C. Kilgo prompting a life-long friendship between the two men.
When Newsom graduated from Trinity in 1899 he received a post in Havana, Cuba, on recommendation from President Kilgo, where he served as a private secretary to the comptroller of customs in the U.S. Customs House. In 1901, Newsom returned to Trinity becoming the college registrar and six years later college treasurer a post he held until 1923. During this time, Newsom was also the recording secretary to the Board of Trustees and a member of the officers' finance committee.
In 1923, Newsom left academic administration to enter private enterprise opening a real estate and insurance sales and service office in Durham. He was active in private business for seven years. Concurrently, he also served as secretary-treasurer and then president (1928) of the Durham Real Estate Board and as director of the State Board of Realtors.
Newsom also held several public offices. In 1924 he was appointed to the Durham County Board of Commissioners. He served for four terms. Governor Angus W. McLean named him to the Governor's Commission for a Survey and Study of County Government designed to "project the modernization of county governments" in 1925. This appointment led to Newsom's appointment to the Governor's County Government Advisory Commission (1927-1931). In 1930 Newsom became Durham County's first county manager, and one of the few county managers in the nation.
Newsom's published works include two books of poetry:
The Newsom collection primarily contains material collected or created by D.W. Newsom concerning Trinity College president John C. Kilgo. Materials present include correspondence between Newsom and Kilgo, clippings of Kilgo's speeches, articles, visitations, and obituary from various local and regional newspapers, and some biographical writings regarding Kilgo. Major subjects include: Trinity College (Durham County, NC); Christian education; and the Methodist Episcopal Church, South.
Also present in the collection are some materials relating to Newsom's administrative duties at Trinity College including a repair book (1911-1918), some memoranda concerning Trinity College, and miscellaneous letters. Of particular note are the responses to a janitorial service survey sent by Newsom to Trinity's peer institutions in 1920 asking for operational details of various institutions' housekeeping staff. Questions on the survey address race of staff, number of hours worked, salary, paid vacation/sick-leave, bonuses, division of responsibilities, retention, and age of workers.
Newsom kept various notebooks for jotting down thoughts, poetic words, and subjects of interest such as physics or Kilgo, philosophic quotations, and writings. These notebooks are present in the collection. Many of Newsom's notes are in shorthand.
The Newsom collection is divided into the following series: correspondence, printed matter, subject files, writing and speeches, and oversize. The materials in the collection date from 1884-1972, bulk 1886-1922.
These are searchable subject entries for this collection. Performing a search on these subjects in the Duke University Libraries online catalog will bring up other related research materials.