Guide to the Selz C. Mayo Papers, 1936 - 1963 MC 00160 -- NCSU Special Collections

MC 00160 Guide to the Selz C. Mayo Papers, 1936 - 1963

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The Selz C. Mayo Papers primarily contains documents from the 1940s and 1950s, when Mayo was a professor in the small but growing Department of Rural Sociology at North Carolina State College. Much of the collection consists of correspondence with fellow professors and researchers, organizations related to his research interests, and students and others whom Mayo assisted. Along with a limited amount of Mayo's writings and research, the collection contains records of his membership in professional organizations, including the North Carolina Rural Chuch Institute.

Restrictions to Access

This collection is open for research; access requires at least 24 hours advance notice.

Acquisitions Information

Gift of Selz C. Mayo, 1982.

Preferred Citation

[Identification of Item], Selz C. Mayo Papers, MC 160, Special Collections Research Center, North Carolina State University Libraries, Raleigh, North Carolina.

Copyright Notice

North Carolina State University does not own copyright to this collection. Individuals obtaining materials from the NCSU Libraries' Special Collections Research Center are responsible for using the works in conformance with United States copyright law as well as any donor restrictions accompanying the materials.

Processing

Processed by: Valerie Gillispie; machine-readable finding aid created by: Valerie Gillispie

Biographical Note

Selz Cabot Mayo was born in Pamlico County, North Carolina on September 20, 1915. After attending high school, he received a B.S. in Sociology from Atlantic Christian College (now Barton College) in 1935. Mayo went on to earn an M.S. degree in Rural Sociology from North Carolina State College in 1938 and a Ph.D. in Sociology from the University of North Carolina in 1942.

Mayo joined the faculty of North Carolina State in 1939 as an instructor, and remained with the University for 42 years, until 1981. During that time, Mayo was a professor in the Department of Rural Sociology, and became the head of the department in 1960. In 1963, he was named head of the Department of Sociology and Anthropology as well, and in 1965 the Department of Rural Sociology was absorbed into the Department of Sociology and Anthropology. Mayo remained the head of this department until his retirement in 1981. During his career at North Carolina State, Mayo also taught courses at the Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary and Shaw University.

Always active as a professor as well as a community member, Mayo had broad interests, including farm labor, demography and population, health services, education, and social change. All of his interests revolved around his main professional focus, rural communities and their development. Mayo edited the journal "Rural Sociology" from 1941 to 1951, and was a member of the American Sociological Association, the Population Association of America, the North Carolina Rural Church Institute, and the Rural Sociology Society, in which he served as Vice President in 1963 - 1964. He also served as President of the Southern Sociological Society from 1963 - 1964, after being the Secretary-Treasurer of that organization. In 1974, Mayo was elected President of the North Carolina Sociological Association. In addition to his membership in many organizations, he also published over 150 articles and essays.

Upon Mayo's retirement in 1981, Frederick L. Bates remarked, "His career-long goal has been to bring the message of sociology and its research methods to other fields, particularly to fields such as education, engineering, and to the technical fields of agriculture, and to social work." Mayo continued to work after his retirement on a history of sociology at North Carolina State University. Mayo died at the age of 68 on November 16, 1983.

Scope and Content Note

This collection contains materials relating to both the personal and professional life of Selz C. Mayo. It documents his correspondence, research, writings, and membership in organizations primarily while he was professor of Rural Sociology at North Carolina State College in the 1940s and 1950s. The correspondence includes letters to and from researchers, professors, professional organizations, students, and community members. This correspondence documents Mayo's communication with others who shared his research interests, and those for whom he recommended materials pertaining to rural sociology. The research materials include both notes and collected secondary resources on rural sociology and extension activities. The documents relating to Mayo's research reflect his interest in rural people and education. There is a sampling of Mayo's own in the Writing series that demonstrate his professional and academic interests. These include both articles and booklets. Finally, the organizational documents describe Mayo's active involvement in the Association of Southern Agricultural Workers and the North Carolina Rural Church Institute, among others, through correspondence, memorandums, minutes, and organizational information.

Identification

MC 00160

Creator

Mayo, Selz C. (Selz Cabot), 1915-1983

Quantity

1.5 Linear feet

General Physical Description note

3 archival storage box

Location

For current information on the location of these materials, please consult the Special Collections Research Center Reference Staff external link .

Language

English

Related Material

Charles Horace Hamilton Papers, 1930 - 1967 (MC 00159)

Agriculture--Southern States--Social Aspects

Association of Southern Agriculture Workers.

Committee for North Carolina.

Mayo, Selz C. (Selz Cabot), 1915-1983

North Carolina Rural Church Institute.

North Carolina State University. Dept. of Rural Sociology--Faculty.

North Carolina State University. Dept. of Rural Sociology--History.

Rural churches--Southern States

Rural extension--North Carolina.

Sociology, Rural--Research--North Carolina

Sociology, Rural--Southern States

Sociology, Rural--Study and teaching--North Carolina

This collection is organized into four series: Correspondence, Research, Writings, and Organizations. Mayo, with some assistance from his secretary, had organized his papers into roughly these four groups. Correspondence was organized alphabetically, chiefly by surname. The Research series has been maintained in the order in which Mayo left them. A collection of Mayo's writings were received and filed together. Organizations were divided by group, and have been filed this way.

MC 160 Series 1: Correspondence, 1942 - 1951
0.75 Linear feet (1.5 archival boxes)

This series contains correspondence between Mayo and other researchers, professors, organizations, students, and others. The three main categories of the correspondence series are People Related to Research Interests, Organizations Related to Research Interests, and General. Letters are arranged alphabetically according to personal name or organization name.

People Related to Research Interests, 1942 - 1951

[Box 1, Folder 1] A - Bi

Alexander, Frank D., , 1951

Atwater, Reginald M., 1947

Barlow, Frank D., Jr., 1947 - 1948

Beers, Howard W., 1948 - 1951

Bishop, Charles E., 1950

[Box 1, Folder 2] Bl- Br

Blackwell, Gordon W., 1944 - 1951

Bobbitt, Robert McDaniel, 1947 - 1951

Brewer, Earl D. C., 1945

des Brunner, Edmund, 1951

[Box 1, Folder 3] C - Da

Chambers, Martin Reed, 1945 - 1947

Christensen, Harold T., 1950

Comfort, Richard O., 1946

Davies, Vernon, 1947 - 1948

Davis, Dan R., 1948

Davis, Joseph S., 1950

Davis, Kingsley, 1951

[Box 1, Folder 4] De - Du

Dean, S. P., 1945 - 1947

Demerath, Nicholas, 1947

Denton, Alfred M., Jr., 1951

Duncan, O.D., 1948 - 1951

[Box 1, Folder 5] E - F

Ensminger, Douglas, 1948

Ferriss, Abbott L., 1942 -1949

Fessler, Donald R., 1951

Fink, Arthur E., 1948 - 1949

Forster, G. W., 1946 - 1950

Fullerton, Kie, 1946 - 1948

Furfey, Paul Hanly, 1942

                                       [Box
                                       1,
                                       Folder
                                       6]
                                       G - H
                                       Gamble, Clarence J.,
                                             1950
                                          
Gee, Wilson,
                                             1950
                                          
Gibson, W. L.,
                                             1947
                                          
Greene, R. E. L.,
                                             1950
                                          
Grigsby, S. Earl,
                                             1949 - 1950
                                          
Grisette, Felix A.,
                                             1945 - 1951
                                          
Hagood, Margaret Jarman,
                                             1950 - 1951
                                          
Hamilton, C. Horace,
                                             1949 - 1951
                                          
Hay, Donald G.,
                                             1949 - 1950
                                          
Hedrick, W. P.,
                                             1950
                                          
Hitt, Homer,
                                             1950 - 1951
                                          

[Box 1, Folder 7] J - L

Jocher, Katherine, 1946 - 1947

Johnson, Alice M., 1949

Larson, Olaf F., 1948 - 1951

Leagans, J. Paul, 1948

Lewis, Myron F., 1947 - 1949

Longmore, T. Wilson, 1950 - 1951

[Box 1, Folder 8] M - Sc

McCoy, Charles S., 1950

Martin, Robert E., 1947 - 1951

Matthews, M. Taylor, 1950 - 1951

Robinson, William McKinley, 1947

Santopolo, Frank, 1951

[Box 1, Folder 9] Schuler, Edgar A., 1944 -1949

[Box 1, Folder 10] Sm - W

Smith, Marion B., 1948

Taylor, Carl C., 1951

Tate, Leland B., 1947

Tripp, Thomas Alfred, 1947 - 1948

Umstead, Vertee, 1945

Vance, Rupert B., 1951

Wakeley, Ray E., 1951

Williams, Robin M., Jr., 1948 - 1950

Organizations Related to Research Interests, 1942 - 1951

[Box 1, Folder 11] A - B

American Association of University Professors, 1945 - 1951

American Council for the Community, 1950 - 1951

Bureau of the Census, 1942 - 1949

[Box 1, Folder 12] C

Carolina Power and Light Company, 1950 - 1951

Committee for North Carolina, 1946 - 1947

Community Council of Raleigh and Wake County, Inc., 1949 - 1951

Cooperative Extension Work in Agriculture and Home Economics, State of North Carolina, 1945 - 1951

Cooperative Extension Work in Agriculture and Home Economics, State of Wisconsin, 1945

[Box 1, Folder 13] F - N

Farmers Cooperative Exchange, 1948 - 1951

National Planning Association, 1947

North Carolina Conference for Social Service, 1947 - 1949

North Carolina Council of Churches, 1946

North Carolina Dental Society, 1947

[Box 1, Folder 14] P - Sh

People's Hospital, Inc., 1946

Progressive Farmer, 1945 - 1952

Shaw University, 1947 - 1951

[Box 2, Folder 1] So - W

Southeast Regional Land Tenure Research Committee, 1951

Southern Sociological Society, 1944 - 1951

State Planning Board, 1944

United States Department of Agriculture, 1944 - 1945

Wake County Health Department, 1949

General, 1942 - 1951

[Box 2, Folder 2] A - B

[Box 2, Folder 3] C - D

[Box 2, Folder 4] E - G

[Box 2, Folder 5] H - L

[Box 2, Folder 6] M

[Box 2, Folder 7] N - R

[Box 2, Folder 8] S - Y

MC 160 Series 2: Research, 1948 - 1953
0.05 Linear feet (0.1 archival boxes)

This series includes notes, speeches, lists, statistics, and a booklet about two research topics in which Mayo was interested: extension activities and the study of rural sociology in the south. The contents of each folder were filed together originally, and this arrangement is preserved.

[Box 2, Folder 9] Extension Activities in North Carolina[no date], 1951 - 1953,

[Box 2, Folder 10] Rural Sociology in the Southeast, 1948

MC 160 Series 3: Writings, 1946 - 1963
0.05 Linear feet (0.1 archival boxes)

The Writings series contains a small sampling of Mayo's writings on rural communities, distribution of healthcare specialists in North Carolina, and other rural sociology topics. Several articles are reprints from sociology journals, and one article is a progress report written for the North Carolina Agricultural Experiment Station. Also included is a booklet about changing population trends in North Carolina. These writings, which cover a broad span of time, were originally grouped together in the collection, and this organization is preserved.

[Box 2, Folder 11] 1946 - 1963

MC 160 Series 4: Organizations, 1936 - 1963
0.65 Linear feet (1.3 archival boxes)

The Organizations series contains correspondence, memoranda, minutes, and other organizational information about several groups to which Mayo belonged. The Association of Southern Agricultural Workers, the North Carolina Rural Church Institute, and Committee for North Carolina were all organizations in which Mayo contributed his expertise on rural sociology. Mayo's participation in the School of Agriculture Open House Planning Committee and the State of the University Conference Committee reflects his long-standing relationship with the University. Each organization's materials were originally filed all together, and have since been broken down into smaller categories, such as correspondence, conference materials, and so on.

Association of Southern Agricultural Workers, 1947 - 1951

Correspondence

[Box 2, Folder 12] 1947 - October, 1948

[Box 2, Folder 13] November, 1948 - September, 1950

[Box 2, Folder 14] Announcements, Conference Materials[no date], 1949 - 1951,

[Box 2, Folder 15] Speech Notes, 1949

News Service, Committee for North Carolina, 1947 - 1948

[Box 2, Folder 16] Correspondence, 1947 - 1948

[Box 2, Folder 17] Press Releases and Clippings[no date], 1948,

North Carolina Rural Church Institute, 1936 - 1953

Correspondence

[Box 2, Folder 18] 1942 - 1949

[Box 2, Folder 19] 1950 - 1953

[Box 3, Folder 1] Memoranda, 1947 - 1952

[Box 3, Folder 2] Minutes, 1940 - 1953

[Box 3, Folder 3] Organizational Information[no date], 1951,

[Box 3, Folder 4] Constitution, By-Laws, Articles of Incorporation, 1947 - 1948

[Box 3, Folder 5] Articles, Brochures[no date], 1951 - 1953,

[Box 3, Folder 6] Financial Records, 1936 - 1953

[Box 3, Folder 7] Member and Attendence Rosters[no date], 1944 - 1953,

School of Agriculture Open House Planning Committee, 1961 - 1963

[Box 3, Folder 8] Memoranda, 1961 - 1963

[Box 3, Folder 9] Minutes, 1962 - 1963

[Box 3, Folder 10] Organizational Materials, 1962 - 1963

[Box 3, Folder 11] Planning Information, Brochures[no date], 1962 - 1963,

State of the University Conference Committee, 1953 - 1954

[Box 3, Folder 12] Correspondence, 1953 - 1954

[Box 3, Folder 13] Memorandums, 1953 - 1954

[Box 3, Folder 14] Conference Materials and Programs, 1953 - 1954

[Box 3, Folder 15] Discussion Topics[no date], 1953,

[Box 3, Folder 16] Reports and Recommendations, 1953

[Box 3, Folder 17] Participant Rosters, [no date]

[Box 3, Folder 18] Extension Services Materials, [no date]

[Box 3, Folder 19] Presentation Notes[no date], 1954,

How to use this collection

This collection is open for research; access requires at least 24 hours advance notice. For more information contact us via mail, phone, fax, or our web form.

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Telephone

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