Creator: Ehle, John, 1925-
Collection number: 4555
View finding aid.
Abstract: John Marsden Ehle, Jr., author of novels and works of non- fiction, was born in Asheville, N.C., and has lived most of his adult life in Winston-Salem. He served as special assistant to North Carolina Governor Terry Sanford, 1963-1964, and has been instrumental in establishing and furthering many significant educational, desegregation, and anti-poverty projects. He is married to British actress Rosemary Harris. Included are materials documenting both the literary career and public service activities of John Ehle. Literary materials include correspondence, clippings, and financial items relating to Ehle’s novels and other works, as well as notes, drafts, and galleys. Family items include correspondence of Ehle’s parents and a few items relating to Rosemary Harris. Other materials relate to Ehle’s work with various public and private institutions. These include files generated in the course of Ehle’s work in the Governor’s Office, especially his efforts on behalf of the North Carolina School of the Arts and the North Carolina School of Science and Mathematics. There are also files relating to the Ford Foundation, the National Endowment for the Humanities, the National Federation for the Arts and Humanities, Duke University, and the Penland School of Crafts. Photographs and audio-visual materials include family photographs and photographs used as book illustrations; audio disks of radio shows that Ehle wrote or acted in; tapes of interviews done for various books; and filmstrips, chiefly on North Carolina history, which Ehle produced, sometimes in collaboration with others. A few items relate to Rosemary Harris.
Repository: Southern Historical Collection
Collection Highlights: Includes reports and correspondence regarding the North Carolina College for Negroes and materials pertaining to his 1965 book, The Free Men. As a special assistant to North Carolina Governor Terry Sanford, 1963-1964, he worked on several desegregation and anti-poverty projects.