Porter B. Byrum Papers
Porter Brown Byrum (1920-2017) was a lawyer, businessman, and philanthropist from Charlotte, North Carolina. He graduated from Wake Forest with a JD in 1942, and his donations to Wake Forest University from 1993-2007 have funded hundreds of scholarships for undergraduate students, law students, and student athletes. This collection consists of materials documenting the personal life and philanthropy of Porter B. Byrum.
Biographical and Historical Note
Porter Brown Byrum (1920-2017) was a lawyer, businessman, and philanthropist from Charlotte, North Carolina. He graduated from Wake Forest with a JD in 1942, attending with an academic scholarship. He served in the U.S. Army during World War II, serving both in Germany and Korea. After returning home from his army service, he primarily worked as a lawyer while also pursuing business interests. He owned and managed the Park Road shopping center in Charlotte and invested in the Charlotte Aircraft Corporation. He served on the Law School Board of Visitors and received the Carroll Weathers Award. His donations to Wake Forest University from 1993-2007 have funded hundreds of scholarships for undergraduate students, law students, and student athletes.
Sources: https://porterbyrum.wfu.edu/rememberance/
Collection Overview
This collection consists of materials documenting the personal life and philanthropy of Porter B. Byrum. Many of the papers and artifacts in this collection relate to various donations to Wake Forest University scholarship funds, including the Porter B. Byrum Athletic Scholarship and the John Thomas Byrum Scholarship. Byrum's time at Wake Forest is documented through junior and senior theses, law portrait, his diploma, and commencement program. His World War II service is also documented through photographs and service records. Most of the correspondence in this collection consists of thank you letters written by scholarship recipients.
Collection Arrangement
This collection is arranged in three series: Series 1. Biographical materials; Series 2. Correspondence; and Series 3. Photographs
Administrative Information
- Publication Information
- Processed by Kate Trathen and Berley Camelien, 2026 August
- Access Restrictions
- This collection is open for use.
- Copyright Notice
- The nature of the WFU Z. Smith Reynolds Library Special Collections and Archives means that copyright or other information about restrictions may be difficult or even impossible to determine despite reasonable efforts. The Archives and Special Collections of ZSR Library claims only physical ownership of most materials. The materials from our collections are made available for use in research, teaching, and private study, pursuant to the U.S. Copyright Law. The user must assume full responsibility for any use of the materials, including but not limited to, infringement of copyright and publication rights of reproduced materials. Any materials used for academic research or otherwise should be fully credited with the source.
- Preferred Citation
- Porter B. Byrum Papers (MS935), Z. Smith Reynolds Library Special Collections and Archives, Wake Forest University, Winston-Salem, NC, USA.