4 Anniversary Supplement Thursday, February 23, 1978
The 'Daily Tar Heel' 1893 to 1918
By KIMBERLY PAINTER
DTH Contributor
Just beyond a door in the Carolina
Union posted "Staff Only" is a long,
narrow room lined on one side by floor-to-ceiling
windows and on the other sidy
by bulletin boards and tiny offices. The
"tight-filled rioom k clutter ei with tables,
telephones and manual typewriters that
bear personal labels: "I'm old. My V
sticks ..."
In early morning, the room is still , but as
the day progresses, staffers report in, and
the quiet disappears. Typewriters, now
filled with yellow paper, click incessantly;
phones ring; people talk:
"Hey, can you throw me the rubber
cement?" ... "I missed the bus this
morning because the policeman made me
take our dog, Draino, back home, and the
dog catcher brought me to school." ... "I
want to tell you something that's going to
make you feel better, I failed that test."...
"You don't want to learn from her, you
want to do it right." ... "You guys want to
advise me on how to handle my column
today?"
"Very carefully."
"Right. Keep your heads low as we
enter the crossfire."
On a bulletin board is pinned a note:
"To whom it may concern: Let it be
known that we, the undersigned, have
reached the breaking point; we're mad as
hell, and we're not going to take it
anymore." The note is signed by the
managing editor and his assistants, both
associate editors, and the news, sports and
features editors of the Daily Tar Heel. The
mock resignation has been on the board for
over a month, and this Friday will be the
last day of work for most of those persons.
As this week marks the end of one
editorial staffs work, it also marks the end
of the newspaper's 85th year.
Walter Spearman, professor in the
School of Journalism here, was editor for
the Daily Tar Heel during 1928-29, and it
was under him that the DTH became a
daily. He has been a lecturer off and on for
more than 40 years in the journalism
school and has been friend and adviser to
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many Tar Heel editors along the way. He
will retire from teaching this year.
"I love to start the day reading the
DTH," Spearman said. "Of course, there
have been changes from year to year. The
most exciting periods in the Tar Heel's
history have been when exciting things
happened on campus. The newspaper also
tends to reflect the national trend bland
during the Eisenhower years, reactionary
during the backward Nixon
administration. Weak years were usually
when someone who had no experience
came in as editor. The editor needs
experience working on the newspaper,
working the desk, working his way up
from a reporter.
"Through the years the students who
have worked for the newspaper have been
characterized by a lively curiosity. I think
the best years have been when the editors
were in tune to the students' attitudes. But
the DTHs are sort of like old wines, some
vintages are better than others."
Volume One, Number One of the Tar
Heel was published on Feb. 23, 1893.
Charles Baskerville, who later taught
chemistry at UNC, was the first editor,
and he, along with the other editors of the
first issue, admitted that they embarked
"with no little trepidation." They went on
to conclude, "... we invite honest criticism
and any aid in the advancement of this new
project will be appreciated." The Tar Heel
was then a weekly paper published under
the auspices of the University Athletic
Association which supported the
newspaper financially for the next 30
years.
Firsts in Tar Heel history were the first
photographs in 1901 under editor
Ehringhaus, the first regular sports page in
1928, the first "extra" edition in 1945 at
Roosevelt's death and the first comic strip
in 1950.
Those first Tar Heels contained
descriptions like this, " ... the noon train
brought several angels from the West, and
the night train another heavenly choir ...
Miss Isabella Davidson of Hillsboro wore
pink faille point lace, garnets." Each lady
who attended the German Club dance that
evening with a Carolina student had the
details about her gown and her jewels
printed on the front page the following
Thursday. That was life in the village.
But by 1901, one of the angels had come
down to earth to join the Tar Heel staff, and
Continued on page 5.
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Past 'DTH' editors, writers
have impressive records
"Obscurity is not to be found in the ranks of
those who wielded the editor's pen," wrote a
Tar Heel staff member in a 1944 issue.
"Although DTH editors since 1893 have felt
that that martyred seat led but to the grave, the
record reveals that the route almost invariably
detoured to the door of eminence before hitting
its destination."
Though they still make less than minimum
wage (but a little better than the two-dollar-a-week
salary of the 1944 editors), recent editors
view the position with a lot less self-pity than
the "martyred" editors of old.
Some past Tar Heel editors and writers have
included:
Jtrmy Wallace The Chapel Hill mayor
wrote a column called "Students Listen" in
1943-44, and ran for editor (and lost)twice.
Clifton Daniel rose from editorial writer for
the Tar Heel in 1932-33 to associate editor of the
New York Times.
lours Harris the public opinion analyst was
on the DTH staff during World War II.
Charles Kwatt the CBS newscaster was
editor during 1945, and wrote a famous
editorial favoring desegregation.
Curry Kirkpcrtrklc staff writer and sports
editor for the DTH in the early '60s, now a
sports writer for Sports Illustrated.
Vermont Royster DTH editorial board
member in 1935 and former editor of the Wall
Street Journal. He also taught at the School of
Journalism here.
Jonathan Daniels Raleigh Mews ana" Observer
editor and publisher, Tar Heel editor iH921.
Orville Campbell DTH editor 1940-42 and
editor and publisher of the Clmpel Hill
Newspaper.
Thomas Wolfe novelist
Tom Wicker New York Times columnist
McNeill Smith candidate for U.S. Senate
lorry Keith sportswriter for .Sports Illustrated
Jonathan Yardley novelist, and regular
contributor to Sports Illustrated.
TheH's Bakery
121 . Frankiin St.
942 1954
Weekdays
8:30 6:00
Sundays
1:00 6:00
Tin's week ony
Clifton Daniel
Charles Kuralt