Guide to the Glenn Thompson Papers

Biography of Glenn Thompson

Glenn Thompson was born November 7, 1904, in Ripley, Tennessee. He was the son of William Chapman Thompson and Ryla Glenn Thompson. William Chapman Thompson was the owner of the Chattanooga Times.

In 1927, Glenn graduated from Princeton with honors in English, and worked at his fathers' business. Afterwards, between the years of 1927 and 1929, he worked for his fathers' business, the Memphis Commercial Appeal, and the Memphis Press Scimitar.

Glenn was hired as a copyreader for the Cincinnati Enquirer in 1929 and after 6 years became a general assignment reporter until he enlisted in the armed forces in 1942. He achieved the rank of captain in the infantry and was discharged in 1946.

Upon discharge he became Head of the Washington Bureau of the Cincinnati Enquirer and in 1956 he was promoted to Associate Editor. He remained Associate Editor until 1959 when personal conflicts with Charles Staab forced him to leave.

Glenn was then hired by the Dayton (Ohio) Journal Herald as editor where he remained until he retired at the age of 64 in 1968. He continued to be active in the community after his retirement.

Glenn had a strong interest in conservation and environmental issues. In 1992, Glenn and his wife Margaret created and funded the Upper River Fund, an endowment with the Dayton Foundation to protect and preserve the upper Little Miami and the Mad Rivers.

Glenn Thompson died November 17, 1996. He is buried in Woodland Cemetery in Dayton, with his wife Margaret.

Scope and Content

The collection is arranged into two series. Series I, the largest of the two series spanning 11 Hollinger boxes, is arranged in alphabetical order. The series contains correspondence, speeches and speaking engagements, and news clippings, with the bulk of the series consisting of correspondence with news clippings and other documents interfiled. The correspondence files cover a wide spectrum of issues such as Montgomery County Historical Society events, activities of the Miami Conservancy District, lobbying activities, environmental issues, prevention of strip mining, the Burns-Jackson District, and others. The collection also contains personal correspondence between Glenn Thompson and former presidents Richard M. Nixon and Dwight D. Eisenhower. Materials in Series I date from 1948 to 1979.

Series II, the Zehrung Oral History, primarily consists of reel-to-reel tapes and copies in the form of audiocassette tapes. These, documenting the life story of Sam Zehrung and great gardens of Dayton, Ohio. The oral history was digitized and is available for listening (mp3 format) by requesting the E-Archives files in ms4_e0001. Mr. Thompson began interviewing Mr. Zehrung in 1979 and completed the project in 1982. While there are a number of cassette tape copies of the reel-to-reel tapes, there is no transcript of the oral history tapes. Along with the tapes, Mr. Zehrung provided Mr. Thompson a copy of a booklet he wrote for his descendants, "The Way I Remember, 1892 - On," which recounts his life. The booklet, along with Mr. Thompson's notes about the interviews, is included in the series. In addition, Glenn Thompson recorded his own memoir of his 9 ½ years working for the Journal Herald in Dayton, Ohio. The content from the two tape cassettes of the memoir dated Jan. 9, 1981, is available in mp3 format in the E-Archives (ms4_e0002). Materials in Series II date from 1978 to 1982.

Statement of Arrangement

Restrictions on Use

Copyright restrictions may apply. Unpublished manuscripts are protected by copyright. Permission to publish, quote or reproduce must be secured from the repository and the copyright holder.

Restrictions on Access

There are no restrictions on accessing materials in this collection. Due to preservation concerns, original audio and video materials, such as the audiocassettes and reels in this collection, cannot be played in the reading room. Patrons may have access to digitized reference copies (electronic records), which are available for all the relevant items (from Box 12) in this collection. All electronic records (indicated by e-numbers ms4_e0001 and ms4_e0002) listed in this finding aid are processed and available; however, researchers are requested to contact us at least two (2) days in advance to request electronic records. Archives staff reserve the right to restrict access to files with privacy or confidentiality concerns. Access to original electronic media is restricted.

MS-458 Dayton Daily News Archive

MS-652: Upper River Fund Records

Subject Terms

The following terms have been used to index the description of this collection in the library's online public access catalog.

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Technical Requirements

This collection includes digitized reference copies of original audiovisual materials, and these electronic files require the use of appropriate computer hardware and software. The digitized audio files are in MP3 format.

Preferred Citation

[Description of Item, Date, Box #, Folder #], MS-4, Glenn Thompson Papers, Special Collections and Archives, University Libraries, Wright State University, Dayton, Ohio.

Acquisition Information

The collection was donated to Special Collections and Archives, Wright State University Libraries, by Glenn Thompson, in September 1974.

Processing Information

Processed by Ella M. Mauk, April, 1989

Accruals

Glenn Thompson added the Sam Zehrung Oral History tapes to the collection in June 1982.

Other Finding Aid

This finding aid is available on the Special Collections and Archives, Wright State University Libraries website at
https://wright.libraryhost.com/repositories/2/resources/304.