Sherwood Ross Papers
Descriptive Summary
- Title
- Sherwood Ross Papers
- Identifier
- Midwest.MS.Ross
- Repository
- The Newberry Library - Modern Manuscripts
- Language
- English
- Size
- 3.3 linear feet (6 boxes)
- Dates
- 1956-2014
- Collection Stack Location
- 1 31 5
- Abstract
- Papers of Chicago journalist Sherwood Ross, including articles he wrote for the New York Enquirer (1956-1957) and the Chicago Daily News (1962), a syndicated column for Reuters (1992-2002), material from his public relations and social activism work for the National Urban League and records belonging to Sherwood Ross Associates, a media consulting firm Ross founded in 1970.
- Language
- Materials are in English.
- Creator
- Ross, Sherwood, 1933-
Provenance
Gift of Sherwood Ross, May 2011, with subsequent additions from July 2011 through January 2012.
Conditions Governing Access
The Sherwood Ross Papers are open for research in the Special Collections Reading Room; 1 Box at a time (Priority III).
Ownership and Literary Rights
The Sherwood Ross Papers are the physical property of the Newberry Library. Copyright may belong to the authors or their legal heirs or assigns. For permission to publish or reproduce any materials from this collection, contact the Roger and Julie Baskes Department of Special Collections.
Cite As
Sherwood Ross Papers, The Newberry Library, Chicago.
Processed by
Harunobu Coryne, 2014.
Biography of Sherwood Ross
Chicago-born journalist and social activist.
Sherwood Ross was born May 5, 1933 in Chicago and grew up in the Logan Square neighborhood. He attended Von Steuben Senior High School for two years and completed his education at Miami Beach Senior High School in Florida. He attended the University of Miami (A.B. ’55), where he majored in race relations and competed on the debate team, leaving school for six months in 1953 to serve in the U.S. Air Force. After graduating, he worked for the Chicago City News Bureau (1955); for the New York Enquirer newspaper and Ebony magazine (1956-1958); as a public relations assistant in the Office of the Mayor, City of Chicago (1958-1962); for the Chicago Daily News (1962); as public relations director for the Chicago Urban League (1963-1964) and, later, as news director for the National Urban League (1965-1966); as public affairs director for WOL in Washington, D.C. (1966-1967); as press coordinator for James Meredith’s March Against Fear (1966); as director of Magazine News Service (1968-1988); as public relations director for Inc. magazine (1989-90); as president of Sherwood Ross Associates; as “Workplace” column contributor to Reuters America (1992-2002); and as media consultant to a number of colleges and universities (1980-2011).
Scope and Content of the Collection
Sherwood Ross’s works, including drafts and clippings of newspaper articles, syndicated columns, press releases, speeches, poems and plays from 1956 through 2014. Material related to Sherwood Ross Associates, a magazine publicity firm he founded in 1970, including press releases and clippings of newspapers that “picked up” or quoted from articles Ross promoted. Personal and biographical materials, including clippings of newspaper articles about Ross and Sherwood Ross Associates. Also includes some photographs and sound recordings, consisting of records and reel-to-reel tapes of radio programs Ross produced for the Chicago Urban League and National Urban League, along with a radio documentary about the March on Washington in 1963.
The small amount of correspondence has been arranged throughout the collection according to subject matter, so that e.g. letters from editors are housed with the articles under discussion.
Organization
Papers are organized in the following series:
- Series 1: Works, 1956-2014
- Boxes 1-3
- Series 2: Sherwood Ross Associates, 1970-1990
- Boxes 4-5
- Series 3: Personal & Biographical, 1959-1991
- Box 5
- Series 4: Photographs, 1956-1992
- Box 5
- Series 5: Sound Recordings, 1963-1965
- Box 6
Catalog Record
https://i-share-nby.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/permalink/01CARLI_NBY/i5mcb2/alma9910086638805867
Conditions Governing Audiovisual Access
Some audiovisual recordings in this collection have been digitized. Researchers may access materials in the Special Collections Reading Room.
Indexed Terms
- Chicago (Ill.). Office of the Mayor.
- Chicago Daily News, Inc.
- Chicago Urban League.
- Daley, Richard J., 1902-1976
- National Urban League.
- Ross family
- Ross, Sherwood, 1933-
- Sherwood Ross Associates, Inc.
- Young, Whitney M.
- African Americans -- Civil rights -- History -- 20th century -- Sources
- African Americans in radio broadcasting
- American periodicals -- History -- 20th century -- Sources
- Boxing -- United States -- History -- 20th century -- Sources
- Chicago
- Chicago (Ill.) -- Newspapers
- City planning -- Illinois -- Chicago -- History -- Sources
- Civil rights -- United States
- Clippings -- Illinois -- Chicago -- 1951-2000
- Corporate culture -- United States -- History -- Sources
- Journalism
- Journalists -- Illinois -- Chicago
- Manuscripts, American -- Illinois -- Chicago
- Online journalism
- Performing arts -- United States -- History -- 20th century -- Sources
- Psychology -- United States -- History -- 20th century -- Sources
- Public relations -- United States -- History -- Sources
- Reporters and reporting
- Slums -- Washington (D.C.) -- History -- Sources
- Social Action
- Sound recordings -- 1951-2000
- United States -- Race relations -- History -- 20th century -- Sources
- Urban renewal -- Illinois -- Chicago -- History -- Sources
- Water-supply -- Illinois -- Chicago
- White collar workers -- United States -- History -- 20th century -- Sources
Inventory
Ross wrote most of his published and unpublished work during his career as a journalist. The earliest articles are those he produced between 1956 and 1957 for the New York Enquirer, where he was a features writer. His coverage for the Enquirer was eclectic but focused on the theater and sports, especially boxing, and many of his articles are profiles (with interviews) of individual actors, athletes and entertainers, along with some reportage on the milk industry and a stunt piece about flying in a jet plane. Following is his work for the Chicago Daily News, where he reported on urban renewal and city planning in the early 1960s, including the construction of Marina City and the Carl Sandburg Village, the redevelopment of Lincoln Park and the Chicago Housing Authority. In 1965-1966 he wrote a series of articles on global poverty, international trade and the United Nations for the Long Island Press and the Progressive. Both the Enquirer and the Chicago Daily News clippings are organized in the order of the scrapbooks in which he kept them.
Included in the collection are numerous opinion articles Ross contributed to newspapers, magazines and websites, such as commentary on the Obama administration, historical pieces for the Navy News (Virginia) and Humanist magazine and an article for the online Middle East Times about Iran.
Also represented are Ross’s two widely syndicated columns: “Law & Order,” which ran in 1979 and covered matters of crime, the prison system and personal safety; and “Workplace,” which ran from 1992 through 2002 on Reuters and focused on issues related to white-collar labor and the job market, including advice for companies and employees on office decorum, good management, discrimination, fair employment, sexual harassment and technology use. Also included are a short-lived column on colleges and universities, entitled “It’s All Academic,” and a column for King Features Syndicate similar in content to his earlier “Law & Order.”
Ross’s public relations work includes his articles for the Chicago Department of Water and Sewers (under the name of Commissioner James W. Jardine), the Chicago Urban League and the National Urban League (under the name of Executive Director Whitney M. Young), as well as speeches he wrote for Young and Mayor Richard J. Daley. Press releases Ross wrote for Senator George McGovern are also included.
Ross’s other non-journalistic work includes three historical plays, a short memoir about his childhood in Logan Square during World War II, a pamphlet he co-authored for the United Planning Organization (Washington, D.C.) and a collection of songs and poetry.
Arranged alphabetically.
- Title
- Clippings, Chicago Department of Water and Sewers,
- Dates
- 1959-1961
- Title
- Clippings, magazine articles,
- Dates
- 2004-2010
- Title
- Clippings, opinion articles,
- Dates
- 1993-2010
- Title
- Clippings, world hunger,
- Dates
- c. 1966
- Title
- Column, "It's All Academic,"
- Dates
- 1989
- Title
- Column, "Law & Order,"
- Dates
- 1979
- Title
- Column, "Special to King Features Syndicate,"
- Dates
- 1987
- Title
- Drafts, opinion articles,
- Dates
- 2009-2014
- Title
- Memoir, "A Red Diaper Baby in World War II,"
- Dates
- n.d.
- Title
- Pamphlet, "The Stand Up and Fight Book," co-authored by Ross,
- Dates
- c. 1967
- Title
- Poetry and songs,
- Dates
- 2011-2013
- Title
- Play, "Baron Jiro"(two drafts),
- Dates
- 2002
- Title
- Play, "Kremlin Wife" (two drafts),
- Dates
- 2002
- Title
- Play, "Yamamoto's Decision," with press reviews,
- Dates
- 2002
- Title
- Speeches and PR: Richard J. Daley, George McGovern, Michael Dukakis,
- Dates
- 1960-1988
- Title
- Column, "Workplace,"
- Dates
- 1992
- Title
- Column, "Workplace,"
- Dates
- 1993
- Title
- Column, "Workplace,"
- Dates
- 1994
- Title
- Column, "Workplace,"
- Dates
- 1995
- Title
- Column, "Workplace,"
- Dates
- 1996
- Title
- Column, "Workplace,"
- Dates
- 1997
- Title
- Column, "Workplace,"
- Dates
- 1998
- Title
- Column, "Workplace,"
- Dates
- 1999
- Title
- Column, "Workplace,"
- Dates
- 2000
- Title
- Column, "Workplace,"
- Dates
- 2001
- Title
- Column, "Workplace,"
- Dates
- 2002
- Title
- Column, "Workplace,"
- Dates
- n.d.
- Title
- Column, "Workplace," correspondence,
- Dates
- 1999-2001
- Title
- Column, "Workplace," incomplete article list
- Title
- Column, "Workplace," Reuters profile
- Title
- Clippings, Chicago Daily News,
- Dates
- 1962
- Title
- Clippings, National Urban League,
- Dates
- 1962-1965
- Title
- Clippings, Navy News,
- Dates
- 1995
- Title
- Clippings, New York Enquirer,
- Dates
- 1956-1957
The bulk of material related to Ross’s media consulting and publicity firm takes the form of press releases, which Ross used to publicize upcoming articles in his clients’ magazines, and clippings from newspapers that “picked up” or quoted from the articles Ross promoted. While president of Sherwood Ross Associates, Ross also wrote a “Magazine Week” column for United Press International, drafts of which are included here. Correspondence with the circulation managers, editors and publishers of client magazines are also included, along with promotional materials for the firm itself, mailing labels for Ross’s contacts in the national media, a speech Ross delivered before the Magazine Promotion Group, a report on collegiate study-abroad programs in the U.S. commissioned by Kalamazoo College (then a client of Sherwood Ross Associates) and an issue of CooP music magazine containing an article by Ross on publicity.
Arranged alphabetically.
- Title
- Sherwood Ross Associates, Atlantic Monthly,
- Dates
- March 1979
- Title
- Sherwood Ross Associates, Atlantic Monthly,
- Dates
- May 1979
- Title
- Sherwood Ross Associates, Atlantic Monthly,
- Dates
- June 1979
- Title
- Sherwood Ross Associates, Atlantic Monthly,
- Dates
- August 1979
- Title
- Sherwood Ross Associates, Atlantic Monthly,
- Dates
- September 1979
- Title
- Sherwood Ross Associates, Atlantic Monthly,
- Dates
- October 1979
- Title
- Sherwood Ross Associates, Atlantic Monthly,
- Dates
- December 1979
- Title
- Sherwood Ross Associates, Atlantic Monthly,
- Dates
- April 1980
- Title
- Sherwood Ross Associates, Atlantic Monthly,
- Dates
- May 1980
- Title
- Sherwood Ross Associates, Atlantic Monthly,
- Dates
- October 1980
- Title
- Sherwood Ross Associates, Atlantic Monthly,
- Dates
- November 1980
- Title
- Sherwood Ross Associates, Atlantic Monthly,
- Dates
- January 1980
- Title
- Sherwood Ross Associates, Atlantic Monthly,
- Dates
- August 1980
- Title
- Sherwood Ross Associates, Atlantic Monthly,
- Dates
- September 1981
- Title
- Sherwood Ross Associates, Atlantic Monthly,
- Dates
- October 1981
- Title
- Sherwood Ross Associates, Atlantic Monthly,
- Dates
- November 1981
- Title
- Sherwood Ross Associates, Atlantic Monthly,
- Dates
- December 1981
- Title
- Sherwood Ross Associates, Atlantic Monthly,
- Dates
- February 1982
- Title
- Sherwood Ross Associates, Atlantic Monthly,
- Dates
- March 1982
- Title
- Sherwood Ross Associates, Atlantic Monthly,
- Dates
- April 1982
- Title
- Sherwood Ross Associates, Atlantic Monthly,
- Dates
- May 1982
- Title
- Sherwood Ross Associates, Atlantic Monthly, miscellaneous clippings,
- Dates
- 1970-1979
- Title
- Sherwood Ross Associates, Atlantic Monthly, promotional pamphlet,
- Dates
- 1979
- Title
- Sherwood Ross Associates, Business Week magazine
- Title
- Sherwood Ross Associates, Essence magazine
- Title
- Sherwood Ross Associates, Foreign Policy magazine
- Title
- Sherwood Ross Associates, Harper's magazine
- Title
- Sherwood Ross Associates, Inc. magazine
- Title
- Sherwood Ross Associates, Mother Jones magazine
- Title
- Sherwood Ross Associates, The New Republic magazine
- Title
- Sherwood Ross Associates, The New Yorker magazine
- Title
- Sherwood Ross Associates, Penthouse magazine
- Title
- Sherwood Ross Associates, Politics Today magazine
- Title
- Sherwood Ross Associates, Psychology Today, "pickup" clippings, electroshock therapy
- Title
- Sherwood Ross Associates, Psychology Today, "pickup" clippings, overeating
- Title
- Sherwood Ross Associates, Psychology Today, "pickup" clippings, pornography
- Title
- Sherwood Ross Associates, Psychology Today, "pickup" clippings, smoking
- Title
- Sherwood Ross Associates, Psychology Today, "pickup" clippings, sociological board games
- Title
- Sherwood Ross Associates, Psychology Today, "pickup" clippings, stereotypes
- Title
- Sherwood Ross Associates, Psychology Today, "pickup" clippings, unemployment
- Title
- Sherwood Ross Associates, Psychology Today, "pickup" clippings, miscellaneous
- Title
- Sherwood Ross Associates, Psychology Today, radio "pickup"
- Title
- Sherwood Ross Associates, Psychology Today, correspondence
- Title
- Sherwood Ross Associates, Success magazine
- Title
- Sherwood Ross Associates, Purchasing World magazine
- Title
- Sherwood Ross Associates, Success magazine
- Title
- Sherwood Ross Associates, True magazine
- Title
- Sherwood Ross Associates, Washington Monthly magazine
- Title
- Sherwood Ross Associates, miscellaneous magazine PR
- Title
- Sherwood Ross Associates, clipping, Advertising Age, 15-Oct-84
- Title
- Sherwood Ross Associates, correspondence
- Title
- Sherwood Ross Associates, drafts, "Magazine Week" column
- Title
- Sherwood Ross Associates, magazine, "CooP: The Fast Folk Magazine," vol. 2, no. 3,
- Dates
- April 1983
- Title
- Sherwood Ross Associates, mailing labels
- Title
- Sherwood Ross Associates, promotional materials
- Title
- Sherwood Ross Associates, speech, Magazine Promotion Group,
- Dates
- June 23, 1971
- Title
- Sherwood Ross Associates, survey report, "Foreign Study Programs of American Colleges and Universities," 1991
Ross’s personal materials include his City News Bureau press credentials and a pamphlet about the Bureau’s history written by Ross’s former editor, A.A. Dornfeld. Several profiles of Ross and Sherwood Ross Associates are also included, along with one letter, written to Ross from Chicago journalist Dale Morrison.
Arranged alphabetically.
- Title
- Personal, City News Bureau,
- Dates
- 1959-1976
- Title
- Personal, biographical articles,
- Dates
- 1967-2000
- Title
- Personal, letter, Morrison, Dale to Sherwood Ross,
- Dates
- 1991
The photograph of Richard J. Daley with Chicago Department of Water and Sewers Commissioner James W. Jardine, with Ross in the background, is from Ross’s time working as public affairs assistant for the Office of the Mayor (see: Box 1 Folder 1). The photograph of Ross with Boxer Kid Gavilan was taken for a New York Enquirer story (see: Box 3 Folder 34). The headshots accompanied Ross’s Reuters column, “Workplace” (see: Box 2 Folders 16-30).
Arranged alphabetically.
- Title
- Photographs, Daley, Richard J. with James W. Jardine and Sherwood Ross,
- Dates
- 1961
- Title
- Photographs, Ross, Sherwood with Boxer Kid Gavilan for New York Enquirer, c. 1956
- Title
- Photographs, Ross, Sherwood, press headshots, c. 1992
Ross produced a weekly 15-minute radio program for the Chicago Urban League, entitled “Currently,” kept on open-reel tape. His broadcast work continued with the National Urban League, for whom he produced two 15-minute weekly programs in 1965: “The Leaders Speak,” containing an interview by Ross with a civil rights leader, and “Civil Rights Roundup,” containing a summary of related news; the two programs are organized together on a series of 33 1/3 rpm records. Interviewees include Mahlon T. Puryear, Mathew H. Ahmann and Cleve Robinson. Accompanying the records are press releases for two editions of “The Leaders Speak,” one with guest Bayard Rustin and the other with guests Herb Hill and Whitney M. Young (see: Box 6 Folder 103).
“The Great March” is Ross’s one-hour radio documentary about the 1963 March on Washington, which played Sunday, September 1, 1963 on WAAF-Chicago.
Arranged alphabetically.
- Title
- The Great March, radio documentary,
- Dates
- 1963
- General Physical Description note
- 1 sound tape reel ; 7 in.
- Title
- Chicago Urban League, "Currently" radio program,
- Dates
- n.d.
- General Physical Description note
- 1 sound tape reel ; 5 in.
- Title
- National Urban League, The Leaders Speak/Civil Rights Roundup no. 1: Mahlon T. Puryear,
- Dates
- May 11, 1965
- General Physical Description note
- 1 sound disc : analog, 33 1/3 rpm ; 10 in., digitzed
- Title
- National Urban League, The Leaders Speak/Civil Rights Roundup no. 3: Mathew Ahmann,
- Dates
- May 1965
- General Physical Description note
- 1 sound disc : analog, 33 1/3 rpm ; 10 in., digitized
- Title
- National Urban League, The Leaders Speak/Civil Rights Roundup no. 4: Cleveland "Cleve" Robinson,
- Dates
- ca. 1965
- General Physical Description note
- 1 sound disc : analog, 33 1/3 rpm ; 10 in., digitized
- Title
- National Urban League, The Leaders Speak/Civil Rights Roundup no. 5,
- Dates
- ca. 1965
- General Physical Description note
- 1 sound disc : analog, 33 1/3 rpm ; 10 in., digitized
- Title
- National Urban League, The Leaders Speak/Civil Rights Roundup no. 6: Whitney M. Young,
- Dates
- Jun. 15, 1965
- General Physical Description note
- 1 sound disc : analog, 33 1/3 rpm ; 10 in., digitized
- Title
- National Urban League, The Leaders Speak/Civil Rights Roundup no. 8,
- Dates
- ca. 1965
- General Physical Description note
- 1 sound disc : analog, 33 1/3 rpm ; 10 in., digitized
- Title
- National Urban League, The Leaders Speak/Civil Rights Roundup no. 9,
- Dates
- ca. 1965
- General Physical Description note
- 1 sound disc : analog, 33 1/3 rpm ; 10 in., digitized
- Title
- National Urban League, The Leaders Speak/Civil Rights Roundup no. 10,
- Dates
- ca. 1965
- General Physical Description note
- 1 sound disc : analog, 33 1/3 rpm ; 10 in.
- Title
- National Urban League, The Leaders Speak/Civil Rights Roundup no. 11,
- General Physical Description note
- 1 sound disc : analog, 33 1/3 rpm ; 10 in.
- Title
- Press releases for The Leaders Speak/Civil Rights Roundup,
- Dates
- June 1965