General Correspondence and other materials, 1965-1969

File — Box: 1, Folder: 8

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: 1965-1969

Extent

From the Collection: 2 Cubic Feet

Language of Materials

From the Collection: English

Additional Description

General

Letter to Betts from Congressman Howard "Bo" Callaway urging Betts to run for the State legislature, March 31, 1965 Postcard from Panama City, Florida to the Betts from "Ernestine & Geo", August 17, 1965 Letter from Betts to Henry J. Miller on the death of Miller's son, September 14, 1965 Holiday letter to Betts from Theo J. McGee, Attorney at Law, December 20, 1965 Letter to Mrs. Simon Schwob and Betts from Philip Alston regarding a $5,000 donation from the Charles Loridans Foundation (former owners of the Ralston Hotel) to the Columbus College Foundation toward the construction of a Fine Arts Building, January 18, 1966 Letter to Betts from Philip Alston Jr. about a bequest to Betts from the estate of Thornton Arnold, March 9, 1966 Betts letter to Philip Alston Jr. concerning the bequest mentioned in Alston's letter above, March 14, 1966 Letter to Betts from Senator Richard B. Russell about the Jordan Company and his upcoming re-election campaign for the Senate, March 25, 1966 Letter to Betts from Guy E. Swavely Jr., of the Pickett & Hatcher Educational Fund, thanking Betts for his hospitality at the Big Eddy Club the week before, May 20, 1966 Letter to Betts, Jr. from Carolyn Floyd congratulating him on his engagement to Sue Taliaferro, July 12, 1967 Newspaper clipping from the Atlanta Journal with the engagement announcement of Buster Betts and Sue Taliaferro, July 27, 1967 Recommendation form on behalf of Henry Wilson Hawthorne, July 31, 1967 Postcard from Betts III to his parents from his honeymoon, August 6 (?), 1967 Postcard from Betts III to his parents from his honeymoon in Montego Bay, Jamaica, August 8, 1967 Letter to Betts from James H. Taylor, Jr. congratulating him on the marriage of his son Buster (Oscar Leon Betts, III), August 18, 1967 Letter to Betts from Clason Kyle thanking him for inviting him to the rehearsal dinner for Buster and Sue Taliaferro's wedding, August 24, 1967 Letter to James H. and Lorette Taylor thanking them for their wedding gift to Buster and hoping to see them soon. Attached is the obituary of James H. Taylor, Jr. from the November 25, 1967 Atlanta Constitution, September 1, 1967 Photo of Betts at the annual meeting of Trust Co. of Georgia Associates at Sea Island, Georgia, October 27, 1967 Letter from Richard B. Russell to Betts/handwritten note attached telling Betts that Southern Airways is to have a new Columbus-Washington-New York route. He also tells Betts that they were very appreciative of the Columbus Airport Authority and "that of course means you", December 30, 1967 Newspaper clipping, Columbus Enquirer, "Leaders studying new road links", (Betts pictured), February 5, 1968 Speech by Betts, typed and handwritten, as president of the Columbus Chamber of Commerce, March 19, 1968 Letter to Betts from Theo J. McGee urging him to accept an appointment as a Commissioner of the Columbus Housing Authority. There is a handwritten note saying "4/29 – Regretted in person", April 26, 1968 Note cards typed, and handwritten paper from a speech by Betts to the Ga. State Chamber of Commerce's Star Student Program, nd but probably in 1968 Letter to Mrs. Robert B. Betts from W. Roane Beard of the Georgia Tech National Alumni Association, offering condolences on the death of Robert B. Betts, class of 1921, brother of Oscar L. Betts, Jr., March 11, 1969 Letter to Betts from Maj. Gen. George I. Forsythe thanking him for making his stay at Fort Benning so welcoming, August 21, 1969 Photograph of Oscar Betts III (Buster) with his daughter, 1969