Winthrop University Digital Commons @ Winthrop University Manuscript Collection Louise Pettus Archives and Special Collections 2016 Ross Webb Papers - Accession 1135 Ross Allan Webb Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.winthrop.edu/ manuscriptcollection_findingaids Finding Aid Citation Louise Pettus Archives and Special Collections, Winthrop University, "Ross Webb Papers - Accession 1135". Finding Aid 764. https://digitalcommons.winthrop.edu/manuscriptcollection_findingaids/764 This Finding Aid is brought to you for free and open access by the Louise Pettus Archives and Special Collections at Digital Commons @ Winthrop University. It has been accepted for inclusion in Manuscript Collection by an authorized administrator of Digital Commons @ Winthrop University. For more information, please contact [email protected]. WINTHROP UNIVERSITY LOUISE PETTUS ARCHIVES & SPECIAL COLLECTIONS MANUSCRIPT COLLECTION ACCESSION 1135 ROSS WEBB PAPERS 1886-2002 82 Boxes, 247 Folders Ross Webb Papers, Acc 1135 Manuscript Collections, Winthrop University Archives WINTHROP UNIVERSITY LOUISE PETTUS ARCHIVES & SPECIAL COLLECTIONS MANUSCRIPT COLLECTION ACC. NO.: _1135_ PROCESSED BY: _Steve Blankenship_ ADDITIONS: ___, ___, ___ DATE: August 29, 2016 NO. OF SECTIONS: _3_ ROSS WEBB PAPERS I The Ross Webb collection was deposited to the Winthrop University Archives and Special Collections on three separate dates. The first deposit occurred on September 28, 1999, followed by the second deposit on October 14, 2009, and finally by the third deposit on July 2, 2012. Linear feet of shelf space occupied: 23 Approximate number of pieces: 42,000 and 73 bound volumes Restrictions: Open to researchers under the rules and regulations of the Louise Pettus Archives & Special Collections at Winthrop University. Literary Rights: For information concerning literary rights please contact the Louise Pettus Archives & Special Collections at Winthrop University. Scope and Content Note: This collection consists of papers from Dr. Ross A. Webb, Historian Emeritus from Winthrop University. Significant research includes the history of Winthrop College, genealogy of Benjamin Helm Bristow, Webb’s history class notes, and preliminary drafts of his book The Torch is Passed. The files contain documents, commentary, correspondence, and articles describing the founding of Winthrop, its move from Columbia to Rock Hill, Founders Day, its coat of arms, an annual chronology of growth, the presidents, traditions, student life, campus activities, course curriculum, Board of Trustees records, administration & faculty, distinguished alumni, library services, athletics, organizations, publications, introduction of coeducation, legislative issues, statistical analysis, history lectures, family genealogy, civic engagement, newspaper articles, and drafts of Ross Webb’s books. Related Collection: Accession 697 – Ross Webb Newspaper ColectionAcc. 740 – The Ross Webb Papers Transfer of Items: Thesis, The Role of Communications In The American Revolution by Anne Putnam was transferred to Winthrop Theses, W416. One storage box of 5¼-inch (133 mm) and 3½-inch (90 mm) sized floppy disks were placed in storage. 2 Ross Webb Papers, Acc 1135 Manuscript Collections, Winthrop University Archives II BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH ROSS ALLEN WEBB Dr. Ross A. Webb, the sixth child of William O. and Purdy Webb, was born in Westchester, Nova Scotia on July 11, 1923. Following graduation from Cumberland Academy in Amherst, Nova Scotia in 1941, he served in World War II as a coordinator between industry and the Royal Canadian Air Force. His education endeavors continued at Charles Community College in Amherst and Mount Allison University at Sackville, New Brunswick. In 1949, Webb received a Bachelor of Arts degree with honors at Acadia University at Wolfville, Nova Scotia. At the University of Pittsburg he received a Masters of Liberal Arts in 1951 and a doctorate degree in 1956. Dr. Webb married Ruth Keil in Glenshaw, Pennsylvania on June 19, 1954, and had two sons: Alan and Eric. In the fall of 1956, he accepted a teaching position at the University of Kentucky as an associate professor of history and Director of Undergraduate Studies. In 1967 Webb joined the staff of Winthrop College, assuming the position of Dean of the Faculty a year later. Between 1971 and 1975, Webb served as Vice President for Academic Affairs, ultimately leaving that position to teach history full-time. Dr. Webb retired in 1989 to become Winthrop’s Official Historian. During his 36 years at Winthrop, Dr. Webb served on the Honors Council as faculty representative to the Winthrop Board of Trustees. His honors include the Algernon Sidney Sullivan Award (1974), the Distinguished Professor at Winthrop Award (1977), Who’s Who in America distinction, and the Excellent in Writing Award at the Sixth Annual Winthrop Writers Conference. He was a member of Phi Kappa Betta, Phi Kappa Phi, Omicron Delta Kappa, and Phi Alpha Theta, and honored as a Kentucky Colonel. One of Dr. Webb’s many contributions to Winthrop was to secure the university’s coat of arms, a unique distinction for the school. Symbolic of the college’s commitment to excellence, the project was researched, produced, and registered by the College of Arms, under the direction of the Queen of England. On December 15, 1980, Dr. Webb planned the elaborate convocation for the presentation of the coat of arms, personally delivered by Ulster’s King of Arms, J. P. Brooke-Little. Dr. Webb was the author of numerous articles and four books including (1) The Alaskan Boundary Dispute, 1779-1903 (published in 1951 by the US Department of State), (2) Benjamin Helm Bristow: Border State Politician in 1969, (3) Kentucky in the Reconstruction Era in 1979, and The Torch is Passed, a history of Winthrop College, in 2002. Dr. Webb served in leadership roles with Kiwanis, AARP, the Catawba Area Agency on Aging, the York County Council on Aging, and the Senior Advisory Board for Piedmont Healthcare. In addition, he served on the Medical Review Board of the Carolinas and supported the Friends of Brattonsville. Gifted in the art of music, Webb sang professionally with the Pittsburgh Symphony and enjoyed playing tennis, traveling with his wife several times to Wimbledon in the British Isles. Ross Webb was a man of religious convictions, being ordained as a Deacon in the Episcopal Church in Lexington, Kentucky and later ordained into the priesthood in 1981. During his time in South Carolina, Webb served many parishes including the Church of Our Savior in Rock Hill (1967-1971), the Church of the Good Shepherd in York (1971-1973), St. Paul’s in Fort Mill (1973-1979), and Christ Church, Lancaster as Assistant Priest since 1981. Dr. Ross Webb passed away November 25, 2003, survived by his wife, two sons, and a grandson. 3 Ross Webb Papers, Acc 1135 Manuscript Collections, Winthrop University Archives III DESCRIPTION OF SERIES Box(es) Folder(s) Series Year(s) BIOGRAHPICAL FILES 1 1 REMINISCENCES OF ROSS A. WEBB 1923-2004 Consists of an autobiography by Ross A. Webb with copies of family photographs. 1 2 ROSS WEBB, AUTHOR OF WINTHROP COLLEGE HISTORY 1987 Contains articles and correspondence introducing Ross Webb as first college historian and author of a book on the history of Winthrop college. Includes list of resources, the work’s certification & registration, Memorandum of Commitment, and Webb’s proposal as author. WINTHROP HISTORY 2 3 ROCK HILL AND SOUTH CAROLINAHISTORY 1886-1986 Contains history of Rock Hill, the state of South Carolina, and elected governors. Includes sketches by Vernon Grant, articles on Anderson Motor Company, a timeline of the Yorkville Enquirer, and article in the Sandlapper“The Way We Were.” 2 4 “A CITY WITHOUT COBWEBS” 1953 Composed of a photocopy of the book, A City Without Cobwebs, A History of Rock Hill, South Carolina including a drama on Catawba Indians: “Kah-Woh, Catawba.” 2 5 PRESENTATIONS ON THE HISTORY OF WINTHROP 1930-1990 Contains Webb’s addresses: Junior Scholars Lecture in 1988, address to the Board of Visitors on September 14, 1990 and to the Shepherd’s Center January 23, 2003. Includes Jean Muldrow’s essay of 1947 “The History of Winthrop College, South Carolina’s College for Women” and a copy of chapter 6 from the 1930’s edition of Milton Lee Orr’s book The State-Supported Colleges for Women.” 3 6 WINTHROP THROUGH THE YEARS 1886-1996 Contains campus publications “The Winthrop Story” and “Through the Years,” which are narratives and chronological listings of events. File consists of the minutes of the first board of trustees meeting in 1886, lists of “firsts” for the college, and the time capsule dedication. Includes articles: “David Bancroft Johnson, Educational Champion of The New South” by Ross Webb in 1993, “Winthrop College and Rock Hill Were Meant for Each Other” by J. Thomas Williams in 1985, and a campus publication “Winthrop College Literary Societies.” 3 7 WINTHROP ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATIONS 1927-1987 File introduces Winthrop’s 25th, 50th, and 75th year anniversary celebrations. Includes addresses by Governor Ben Tillman, W.S. Hall and Dr. James Kinard. Includes a campus article on the class of 1927 at their 25th reunion, information on the founding of Winthrop, and an outline of Winthrop College student life from 1904-1915. 4 8 WINTHROP UNIVERSITY CENTENNIAL CELEBRATION 1895-1995 Contains programs and newsclippings pertaining to the celebration of the school’s first one hundred years and includes: “Winthrop in Rock Hill 1895-1995, A Centennial Celebration” by Dr. Ross A. Webb, and “Rock Hill in 1895” by Louise Pettus. 4 Ross Webb Papers, Acc 1135 Manuscript Collections, Winthrop University Archives III DESCRIPTION OF SERIES (cont.) Box(es) Folder(s) Series Year(s) 4 9 WINTHROP COAT OF ARMS, COLLEGE SEAL, AND ALMA MATER 1969, 1980 Includes correspondence and news clippings of the selection process for the coat of arms, college seal, and alma mater. 4 10 WINTHROP COAT OF ARMS 1980 Consists of application, design, registration, and approval of the college coat of arms. Includes news release, ceremony program, and news clippings. 5 11 HISTORICAL CHRONOLOGY OF WINTHROP 1886-1986 Includes walking tour of Winthrop and a 100 year time-line.