| Scope and content |
The bulk of the collection concerns the publication of Weep No More, My Lady and Then My Old Kentucky Home Good Night! Materials include correspondence; copies of Debnam's 1950 radio broadcasts that inspired Weep No More, My Lady; the manuscript of Weep; copies of both books; clippings; and a scrapbook. Other materials reflect Debnam's work as a newspaperman and radio commentator. Of particular interest is material pertaining to Debnam's 1945 coverage for WPTF of the war in the Pacific. Correspondence from Tinian, Iwo Jima, and other locations discuss his movements and the conditions under which he worked. Also includes area tape of Debnam's broadcast during the attack on Balikpapan, a WPTF publication that discusses his interviews, and photographs. General correspondence pertains to various aspects of Debnam's career, including letters to Debnam wrote to his wife during a trip to Europe in 1948, in which he describes the economic conditions of Europe. Also included are typescripts of Debnam's broadcasts from a Virginia radio station, speeches, tapes of Debnam's interviews, photographs, and clippings. |
| Access restriction | No access restrictions. |
| Cite as |
Waldemar E. Debnam Papers (#426), Special Collections Department, J. Y. Joyner Library, East Carolina University, Greenville, North Carolina, USA. |
| Terms of use | Literary rights to specific documents are retained by the authors or their descendants in accordance with U.S. copyright law. |
| Acquisitions source |
Joyner- Gift of Mrs. W. E. Debnam. |
| Biographical note | Waldemar Eros Debnam, son of Joseph Eppye and Birdie Lee (Speight) Debnam, was a journalist and author. After graduating from the University of North Carolina, Debnam began his journalism career by working for his father's newspaper, the Standard-Laconic of Snow Hill, N.C. Later, Debnam helped start the Norfolk News-Index and worked as a commentator for WPTF radio in Raleigh, N.C. He gained notoriety during the 1950s for authoring Weep No More, My Lady, a book critical of Eleanor Roosevelt, and Then My Old Kentucky Home Good Night!, a book concerning the 1954 Brown v. Board of Education Supreme Court decision. |
