General Correspondence and other materials, 1950-1959

File — Box: 1, Folder: 6

Staff Only

Scope and Contents

From the Collection:

This material details the personal and professional activities of Oscar L. Betts, Jr. and, to a lesser extent, Oscar L. Betts, III (known as Buster), as well as R. H. Taliaferro, the father of Buster's wife, Sue Malone Taliaferro. These papers are arranged in three two series: Series 1 – The Betts Family; Series 2 – The Taliaferro Family and Series 3 – The Crawford Family. Within each series items are generally arranged chronologically, with Betts, Jr. and Betts III materials filed together. Within the Betts series there are three sub-divisions: Association of the United States Army (AUSA); Rotary Club; Spirit of Fort Benning Award.

Among the Betts' areas of interest are such subjects as the Ralston Hotel, the Columbus Airport (also known as the Muscogee County Airport and the Municipal Airport), the Highway 27 Association, Fort Benning, World War II, the Rotary Club, the AUSA (Association of the U.S. Army), the Columbus Chamber of Commerce, The Jordan Company, Tom's Foods, etc.

Among the Taliaferros' areas of interest are Jordan Vocational High School, Taliaferro's retirement in 1967, his fundraising for Brookstone (Trinity) School, other Columbus civic organizations and the genealogies of the Crawford family of R. H Taliaferro's wife, Harriet Crawford.

The scrapbooks kept by both Oscar Betts, Jr. and R. H. Taliaferro are in very poor physical condition.

Dates

Other: 1950-1959

Extent

From the Collection: 2 Cubic Feet

Language of Materials

From the Collection: English

Additional Description

General

Newspaper clipping about Betts being elected to the board of the Fourth National Bank, 1953 (?) Photograph on a fishing boat, October, 23, 1954 Newspaper clipping, "Hopes are Brightening for Spider Web" [on Buena Vista Road in Columbus], April 6, 1955 Newspaper clipping, "State promises quick action on spider web" [on Buena Vista Road in Columbus], article, April 6 (?), 1955 Letter to Betts from Jack J. McDonough, President of the Georgia State Chamber of Commerce, thanking him for his active membership in the Columbus Chamber of Commerce, April 18, 1955 Action Columbus Chamber of Commerce pamphlet, Vol. II, no. 10, April, 1955 Waldorf-Astoria sued in Failure to Awaken Guest, newspaper clipping, July 12, 1955 This clipping is taped to a sheet of paper with the initials of 12 people. Presumably this was circulated to his staff at the Ralston Hotel as a reminder about wake-up calls. Photographs (4) of a fishing trip to Acapulco, November 3, 1955 Newspaper clipping form the Columbus Ledger, "County Asks Immediate Surveys for Road Work", May 8, 1956 Newspaper clipping from the Columbus Enquirer, "County Asks Survey by State to Aid Local Traffic Needs", May 9, 1956 Newspaper clipping, "3rd Bridge Awaits Action by Georgia", May 9 (?), 1956 Newspaper clippings from the Columbus Ledger, "Atlanta Meeting to View Columbus Road Needs" and "Expressway Route Note to be Changed Unless Too Costly", May 9, 1956 Invitation to the dedication of the Jim Woodruff Lock and Dam and business card from Jim Woodruff Sr. (chairman Georgia waterways commission), March 22, 1957 Typewriter Portrait of Oscar Betts Jr. and his career at the Ralston Hotel, 1958 Letter from Zack D. Cravey, Georgia Safety Fire Commissioner to Betts, informing him of the non-existence of the Advisory Board on which Betts served, March 19, 1959 Letter from Betts to Zack D. Cravey, Georgia Safety Fire Commissioner to Betts, telling Cravey of his regret over the abolition of the Advisory Board, which Betts felt had saved Georgia lives and property and had more it could have done, March 21, 1959 Clipping from World-Review of Hotels and Travel about Betts, February 6, 1959 Southern Hotel Journal feature on Betts and Ralston renovations, March, 1959 Institutions Magazine mentioning Betts and Ralston renovations, March, 1959 Letter from Charles K. Oxford to Betts, thanking him and the Ralston Hotel staff for their usual fine job on the dinner for Ed Clapp of the Gas Light Company of Columbus, September 9, 1959 Columbus Ledger Enquirer photo of the front of 2901 Fleetwood Drive, Columbus, GA, home of the Oscar L. Betts, Jr. Newspaper clipping from the Columbus Ledger, announcing seven new directors of the Columbus Chamber of Commerce, December 3, 1959