Member of Board of Trustees at Duke University; senior vice-president of Shell Companies Foundation, Inc. Collection spans the years 1841-1977, with the bulk dating from 1930-1977, and contains personal correspondence among members of the Upchurch family, including correspondence between Upchurch and his brother during World War II, when they were both serving in the U.S. Navy; professional correspondence concerning Duke University administrative affairs; genealogical materials for the Upchurch, Daniel, and Meadows families of North Carolina; commemorative material on Upchurch's mother, Minnie Gertrude (Daniel) Upchurch; and photographs, clippings, programs, and school materials. Much of the personal materials reveals the life of a middle-class North Carolina family during the first half of the 20th century. One personal letter is from John Steinbeck's sister, Beth Ainsworthy, and contains comments on Steinbeck and relationships in the Steinbeck family. Another group of materials relates to the world premiere of Samuel Barber's opera, ANTONY AND CLEOPATRA, at the Lincoln Center in N.Y. on Sept. 16, 1966. Included are invitations, commemorative programs and booklets, and the opera libretto. Other materials include Shell Development Company records on personnel issues such as labor relations and salary administration; and Shell Companies Foundation records (1963-1974), chiefly relating to the foundation's endowments, scholarships, and grants, as well as the company's donation budgets from 1969-1974.
The Walter McGowan Upchurch Papers span the years 1841-1977, with the bulk dating from 1930-1977. The collection contains personal correspondence among members of the Upchurch family, including correspondence between Upchurch and his brother during WWII, when they were both serving in the U.S. Navy; professional correspondence concerning Duke University administrative affairs; genealogical materials for the Upchurch, Daniel, and Meadows families of North Carolina; commemorative material on Upchurch's mother, Minnie Gertrude (Daniel) Upchurch; and photographs, clippings, programs, and school materials. Much of the personal materials reveals the life of a middle-class North Carolina family during the first half of the 20th century. One personal letter is from John Steinbeck's sister, Beth Ainsworthy, and contains comments on Steinbeck and relationships in the Steinbeck family. Another group of materials relates to the world premiere of Samuel Barber's opera, ANTONY AND CLEOPATRA, at the Lincoln Center in N.Y. on Sept. 16, 1966. Included are invitations, commemorative programs and booklets, and the opera libretto. Other materials include Shell Development Company records on personnel issues such as labor relations and salary administration, coming from the Emeryville Laboratories, seen as one of the most progressive work environments in the United States; and Shell Companies Foundation records (1963-1974), chiefly relating to the foundation's endowments, scholarships, and grants, as well as the company's donation budgets from 1969-1974.