Office of the Provost. Edwin Graves Wilson Records
Edwin Graves Wilson was Professor Emeritus of English and Provost Emeritus of Wake Forest University, as well as a former dean of the College. This collection documents Wilson's work from the point of his selection as first Provost of the College in 1968 through later periods as Vice President of Special Projects and Provost Emeritus. Materials represented in the collection include audiovisual recordings of speeches and public appearances, clippings, correspondence, memorandums, meeting agendas and minutes, pamphlets, programs, and reports. Realia items include NCAA and ACC championship rings and watches, a puzzle related to a party for Dr. Maya Angelou, buttons, plaques awarded to Wilson, a custom painted football, and other Wake Forest memorabilia. Selected digitized materials from both Edwin G. Wilson record collections are available through Special Collections and Archives' Digital Collections.
Biographical and Historical Note
Edwin Graves Wilson, known affectionately as "Mr. Wake Forest," was Professor Emeritus of English and Provost Emeritus for Wake Forest University. Wilson was born February 1, 1923, in Leaksville, N.C., in Rockingham County, and began classes at Wake Forest at age 16. He graduated summa cum laude with a B.A. (1943) in English and was a member of the Phi Beta Kappa and Omicron Delta Kappa honor societies. After graduation, he served as a U.S. Navy officer on three destroyer escorts during World War II (1943-1946): U.S.S. Coffman, U.S.S. Lewis, and U.S.S. Raymond in the Pacific. Post-war, he received his A.M. (1948) and Ph.D (1952) in English from Harvard University. Wilson returned to his alma mater as an Instructor in English and was named Professor of English in 1959. Regarded as a skilled teacher, Wilson focused on the British Romantic poets, such as William Wordsworth, Lord Bryon, and William Blake, as well as William Butler Yeats and Dylan Thomas.
Wilson had a long and distinguished administrative career at WFU. His positions included: Assistant Dean, Undergraduate College; Acting Dean and Dean of the College (1958-1967); the inaugural Provost (1967-1990); Vice President for Special Projects; and Senior Vice President. Under his leadership, the Faculty Committee voted to end segregation, residential study abroad programs were established in London and Venice, and the Wake Forest University Press opened its doors. He also represented Wake Forest on numerous national organizations, including the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) and the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC), where he also served as president. Prior to his retirement from the Provost role in 1993, the new wing of the Z. Smith Reynolds Library was named in his honor (1992). Wilson is the recipient of several University awards: the Reinhardt Award for Distinguished Teaching, the Distinguished Alumni Citation, and in 2004, he received the highest award for service to the University, the Medallion of Merit. In 2020, he published Songs of Wake Forest: Tributes by Edwin G. Wilson, a collection of remembrances for more than 50 Wake Forest community members whom he has paid tribute to at funerals or memorial services during his tenure at the University.
Wilson has served numerous arts-related organizations in addition to his scholarly work. He was a Trustee for the North Carolina Humanities Council (1977-1980), and Winston-Salem State University, and was involved in various capacities with the Piedmont Opera Theater, the Winston-Salem Arts Council, the North Carolina Arts Council, the Reynolda House Museum of American Art, and on the Winston-Salem State University Board of Trustees.
Wilson was awarded the North Carolina Award for Public Service (2002) and the John Tyler Caldwell Award for the Humanities (2014) from the North Carolina Humanities Council. He was married to the author and poet Emily Herring Wilson (M.A. 1962) and together raised three children: Eddie, Sally, and Julie.
Dr. Edwin Wilson died on March 13, 2024 at his home in Winston-Salem, North Carolina.
Collection Overview
This collection documents Wilson's work from the point of his selection as first Provost in 1968 to his roles as Vice President of Special Projects, Senior Vice President, and Provost Emeritus. There may also some overlap with records in Office of the Dean. Edwin Graves Wilson Records (RG4.1.8), which covers his early years and time as Dean of the College.
Material types present in the collection include audiovisual recordings of speeches and public appearances, clippings, correspondence, memorandums, meeting agendas and minutes, pamphlets, programs, and reports. Few of the audiovisual recordings are currently digitized. When other college and university materials are present, that is noted; otherwise, items relate to WFU.
These materials extend beyond Wilson's work at Wake Forest and represent his interest in and work regarding organizations such as the Arts Councils of Winston-Salem and North Carolina, the National Endowment for the Arts, and others.
Realia items include NCAA and ACC championship rings and watches, a puzzle related to a party for Dr. Maya Angelou, buttons, souvenirs from both Clinton inaugurations, plaques and medals awarded to Wilson, a custom painted football, and other University memorabilia.
Selected digitized materials from both Edwin G. Wilson record collections are available through Special Collections and Archives' Digital Collections.
Collection Arrangement
This collection is arranged into six series: Series 1. Administrative and department files; Series 2. Artifacts and posters; Series 3. Biographical materials; Series 4. Correspondence; Series 5. Publications, reports, and speaking events; and Series 6. Subject files.
Series 1. Administrative and department files is divided into four sub-series: Sub-series A. Administrative and committee files; Sub-series B. Department files; Sub-series C. Faculty files; and Sub-series D. Graduate school files. All sub-series are arranged alphabetically.
Series 2. Artifacts and posters contains realia items related to University and national collegiate athletics, especially men's basketball and football; other memorabilia related to non-athletics or personal events; and oversize posters and artwork, much related to arts communities or civic groups in Winston-Salem and across North Carolina. Also present are several items related to a 2003 party, "Mosaic of Maya," that media icon Oprah Winfrey held in honor of Dr. Maya Angelou.
Series 3. Biographical materials contains material types such as photograph books, awards and award presentation recordings, events honoring Wilson or others, photographs and slides, and interviews.
Series 4. Correspondence is arranged into three sub-series: Sub-series A. Personal is mostly incoming correspondence and is arranged alphabetically, and Sub-series B. Professional is both incoming and outgoing letters arranged chronologically. There may be overlap between Sub-series A. and Sub-series B. Sub-series C. Greeting cards are incoming and consist of various holiday greetings, birthday wishes for Dr. Wilson's 100th birthday, and condolences to Emily Wilson upon the passing of Dr. Wilson.
Series 5. Publications, reports, and speaking events materials is divided into three sub-series: Sub-series A. Publications; Sub-series B. Reports; and Sub-series C. Speech and lecture materials. All sub-series are arranged alphabetically. Materials are related to the University as well as other institutions and organizations. In Sub-series C. Speech and lecture materials, scripts as well as audiovisual materials from events are included.
Series 6. Subject files is arranged alphabetically.
Controlled Access Headings
Corporate Names
Personal Names
Subjects
Administrative Information
- Publication Information
- Processed by Taylor Hodges and Stephanie Bennett, 2016
- Revision Description
- Materials added from accessions from the Wilsons. Processed by Finley Turner, Meg Campbell, and Stephanie Bennett, 2022-2023
- Revision Description
- Materials added from accessions from the Wilsons. Processed by Livi Webster and Sam Sfirri, 2026 March
- Access Restrictions
- This collection is open for use. Materials from Julie Dunlop are open for research, but they are not to be reproduced due to publication status.
- 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
- Office of the Provost. Edwin Graves Wilson Records (RG22.1.1), Z. Smith Reynolds Library Special Collections and Archives, Wake Forest University, Winston-Salem, NC, USA.