The papers of Norman H. Strouse span the years 1852 to 1990, with the bulk of material dating from the 1950s to the 1960s. Records consist of correspondence, office files and memoranda, reports, writings and speeches, charts, client presentations, notes and notebooks, publications, clippings, photographs, and scrapbooks. The collection primarily documents Strouse's work in the JWT Detroit Office; other files touch on corporate administration for the entire company; company history; and public relations. Major clients include Ford, Kraft foods, and Scott paper products. The collection also partially documents Strouse's interests as a bibliophile: book collecting; the works of Robert Louis Stevenson; and his involvement with Silverado Press.
Collection is arranged into six series: General JWT Office Files; Professional Associations; Business Writings and Speeches; Book Collecting, Library and Printing Interests; Personal Materials; and Oversize Materials.
Chronology
| Date |
Event |
| 1906 Nov. 4 | Born Norman Hulbert Strouse, Olympia, Washington |
| 1925-1928 | Advertising Department, Post-Intelligencer, Seattle, Washington |
| 1929-1936 | Space buyer, J. Walter Thompson Company (JWT) San Francisco Office |
| 1936-1941 | Account Representative, JWT San Francisco Office |
| 1942 | Account Supervisor and Assistant Pacific Coast Manager, JWT San Francisco Office |
| 1942-1945 | Army Air Force; Executive Officer of Information and Education, Special Staff Section in the Pacific |
| 1946-1947 | Account Supervisor, Ford Motor Company account, JWT Detroit Office |
| 1946 Aug. 2 | Married Charlotte A. Holt |
| 1947 | Elected Vice President, JWT |
| 1948-1955 | Manager, JWT Detroit Office |
| 1952 | Elected Director, JWT |
| 1955 | Elected President, JWT |
| 1960-1967 | Elected Chief Executive Officer, JWT |
| 1964-1968 | Elected Chairman of the Board, JWT |
| 1968 | Retired from the J. Walter Thompson Company |
| 1993 Jan. 19 | Died, St. Helena, Calif. |
Norman H. Strouse was a member of the following advertising and marketing organizations: the American Association of Advertising Agencies, Chairman of the Board (1964-1965); the Marketing Science Institute, Trustee (1962-); and the National Outdoor Advertising Bureau, Director and Board Chairman (1964-1965).
Library or bibliographic-related organizations with which he was involved include: the Bibliographical Society; the Book Club of California, Board Member; the Friends of the Columbia Library, Advisory Council (1963-); the Grolier Club, Council Member (1961-); the Manuscript Society; the National Book Committee, Chairman (1962-1964); the National Library Week Steering Committee (1958-1963); and the New York Public Library, Trustee (1963-).
For further biographical information, see the Biographical Information series of the J. Walter Thompson Company Archives.
Processed by: Donna Longo DiMichele, Jessica Wood
Completed December 2, 1992; revised November 2008
Encoded by Stephen Douglas Miller, Jessica Wood
Processing of this collection was supported in part by gifts from the J. Walter Thompson Company Fund and the John and Kelly Hartman Foundation.
Accessions 1998-0154, 2004-0078, and 2005-0039 were merged into one collection, described in this finding aid.
