CAROLYN BASON LONG PAPERS

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SUMMARY

BIOGRAPHICAL/HISTORICAL NOTE

Carolyn Elizabeth Bason was born December 1, 1922, in Caswell County, North Carolina to Samuel Murphy Bason and Martha Eliza (Marnie) Hatchett Bason. Her father was a former North Carolina state senator and the president of the Bank of Yanceyville (N.C.), and her mother was a homemaker. In addition to Carolyn, the Basons had two other children named William Hatchett and Dorothy Helen. In 1943, Carolyn completed a Bachelor of Science degree in Secretarial Administration from the Woman’s College of the University of North Carolina in Greensboro. Her first job after graduation was at Duke University, and in January 1945 she relocated to Washington D.C. to work as an office assistant for the North Carolina Senator Clyde R. Hoey. In 1951 she transferred from the Senate Civil Service to the U.S. Dept. of the Navy’s Eastern Atlantic Military Assistance Program Advisory Group and spent the next two years stationed in London and Frankfurt. She returned stateside in 1953 and resumed work in Senator Hoey’s office until his death in 1954. Hoey was succeeded by Samuel J. Ervin, and Carolyn remained on his staff as his personal secretary through the early 1970s.

On December 23, 1969, Carolyn Bason married Louisiana Senator Russell B. Long. During her tenure in Washington D.C., Mrs. Long devoted much of her time to charitable and cultural causes, particularly in promoting historic preservation and the performing arts. She was a member of the International Neighbors Club and the Red Cross unit of the Senate Wives. She served as an officer of the Ladies of the United State Senate and the Congressional Club, and held board positions on the Wolf Trap Foundation and the District of Columbia Multiple Sclerosis Society. Long was an advocate for improving the quality of living and healthcare for the elderly and received the Better Life Award from the National Multiple Sclerosis Society in 1983. She was also a booster for the state of Louisiana, frequently visiting to lend her support to educational and cultural enterprises. Senator Long retired in 1986 and died in 2003. Mrs. Long resides at their home in Washington D.C. and was in attendance at White House and Senate events as recently as 2006.

SCOPE AND CONTENT NOTE

The collection includes personal correspondence, photographs, invitations, schedules, printed items, memorabilia, and other records documenting Carolyn Long’s charitable activities, social engagements, and duties as a senator's wife. The bulk of the collection covers the years after her marriage to Russell Long in 1969 until his retirement in 1986. However there are several records series documenting her family and professional life prior to her marriage and in the years following her exit from the Washington D.C. political and social scene.

LIST OF SUB-GROUPS, SERIES, AND SUBSERIES

Series I. Personal Correspondence Files, 1952-2003

Subseries A. Background and Family, 1952-1987

Subseries B. Miscellaneous and Subject Correspondence, 1969-2002

Subseries C. Invitations and Schedules, 1969-2003

Series II. Duties, 1972-2004

Subseries A. Special Events, 1972-1985

Subseries B. Louisiana Visits, 1977-1985

Subseries C. Organizations and Memberships, 1972-2004

Sub-subseries 1. Ladies of the Senate, 1975-2004

Sub-subseries 2. Miscellaneous, 1972-1999

Series III. Philanthropy, 1977-1985

Subseries A. Benefits, 1981-1984

Subseries B. Special Interests, 1975-1985

Subseries C. Louisiana, 1977-1985

Series IV. Entertaining, 1978-1985

Series V. Programs, 1965-1984

Series VI. Press Files, ca. 1940-1994

Series VII. Speeches, 1980-1981

Series VIII. Photographs, ca. 1943-2006

Series IX. Scrapbooks, ca. 1969-1986

Series X. Memorabilia, ca. 1969-1986

SERIES DESCRIPTIONS

Series I. Personal Correspondence Files, 1952-2003

The Personal Correspondence Files are divided into three subseries: Background and Family, Miscellaneous and Subject Correspondence, and Invitations. The Background and Family materials include Bason family correspondence, notes and cards from Russell Long, and several biographical narratives and documents about Carolyn Long. Of note in this subseries are the records from the Department of the Navy which detail the administrative aspects of her civilian military service in Europe. The Miscellaneous and Subject Correspondence files include assorted letters and memoranda from personal and professional associates in Washington, D.C. and Louisiana, mostly dating from after her marriage to Senator Long in 1969. The Invitations subseries mostly consists of printed announcements and schedules for various social activities, state dinners, and diplomatic events. Of note are the numerous invitations from the White House, including a dinner honoring the president of the French Republic in 1976.

Series II. Duties, 1972-2004

The Duties series is divided into three subseries: Special Events, Louisiana Visits, and Organizations and Memberships. The Special Events and Louisiana Visits subseries mostly contain correspondence, schedules, and printed items pertaining to specific events that Long attended to support her husband’s political career or to promote her own various charitable causes. Of note in this subseries are the individual parish files documenting her extensive involvement in constituency outreach at the state level. The Organizations and Memberships subseries includes invitations, correspondence, and other materials related to Long’s participation in social and charity events with the Ladies of the Senate, the Congressional Club, the Capital Speakers Club, and the International Neighbors Club.

Series III. Philanthropy, 1977-1985

The Philanthropy series is divided into three subseries: Benefits, Special Interests, and Louisiana. The Benefits subseries contains files with materials from specific fundraising events including the Art Center for Southwestern Louisiana Designer Fair in 1982 and the Washington D.C. Children’s Hospital in 1984. The Special Interests subseries contains subject files related to Long’s involvement in raising public awareness on health and quality of life issues for the elderly, including her work as an advisor to the Duke University Center for the Study of Aging and Human Development. It also contains materials documenting her work promoting her alma mater, the University of North Carolina-Greensboro. The Louisiana subseries contains an alphabetical grouping of files by parish pertaining to her philanthropic and cultural interests in Louisiana, including booklets, pamphlets, maps, and other printed items relating to tourism, outdoor recreation, museums, plantations, and elder care, among others.

Series IV. Entertaining, 1978-1985

The Entertaining series contains correspondence, invitations, schedules, guest lists, and other materials for dinners, luncheons, and parties which Long had a hand in helping to

organize. Several of these events honored statesmen or their spouses, as well celebrities such as Claudette Colbert and Angela Lansbury.

Series V. Programs, 1965-1985

The Programs series consists of programs, schedules, and announcements for a number of events, dinners, and other gatherings in Louisiana and Washington D.C. Of note are the materials related to the Louisiana State Museum Sun King Exhibition in 1984, where Long was an honored guest.

Series VI. Press Files, ca. 1940-1994

The Press Files consist of newspaper clippings from various publications in Washington D.C. and Louisiana, and feature articles on Long from The County Magazine (Caswell County, N.C.) and Louisiana Healthcare.

Series VII. Speeches, 1980-1981

This series contains speech drafts and notes from the early 1980s, including two stump speeches given in Louisiana discussing her husband’s work and life in Washington D.C., and another for the Wolf Trap Foundation that mentions some of that organizations accomplishments and upcoming activities.

Series VIII. Photographs, ca. 1943-2006

This series consists primarily of groupings of photographs featuring Long in her various capacities as a senatorial consort, philanthropist, and volunteer within the Washington D.C. political and social community. It includes wallet-sized images, snapshots, portraits, and official professional prints of Long at White House dinners, state events, and other social gatherings related to her husband’s senior senator position or as part of her duties with organizations like the Ladies of the Senate and the Red Cross. The photographs also document Long’s family relationships, constituent service, and worldwide travel. Of note in this series are the photographs of Long with important statesmen and women from after 1970, including Presidents Nixon, Carter, and Reagan, and First Ladies Rosalind Carter, Nancy Reagan, Barbara Bush, Hillary Clinton, and Laura Bush, among others. Many of these photographs were forwarded via official channels (White House Photo Office, for example) and include autographs. Also of note are the early prints from Long’s work in the offices of North Carolina Senators Hoey and Ervin, and the photographs from her time working and traveling in Europe with the Military Assistance Program Advisory Group in the early 1950s.

Series IX. Scrapbooks, ca. 1969-1986

The Scrapbooks series consists of two reels of a microfilmed scrapbook created by Carolyn Long. The scrapbook is mostly comprised of newspaper from the late 1960s to the early 1980s and documents her charitable activities and social engagements in Washington, D.C., Louisiana, and North Carolina.

Series X. Memorabilia, ca. 1969-1986

The Memorabilia consists of the following items: twelve purple ribbons with donkey and text, “The Winner… Russell Long”; Four thread donkey appliques; two red, white, and

blue emery boards with text, “A Small Additional Service From Your United States Senator Russell B. Long”; two pins with French and American flags accompanied by note of appreciation from the French Embassy for the Mari Gras ball; one recording disc for the Louisiana state song, “Give Me Louisiana,” by Doralice Fontane; sheet music for “Give Me Louisiana” by Doralice Fontane and issued by James H. Brown, Secretary of State (John W. Schaum Publications, Inc., 1971); one wood doubloon on a key chain with outline of the state of Louisiana and text “Long 1980.”; one strand of green Mardi Gras beads with medallion and text reading “Kolp 79”; one bronze medallion in leather case engraved in French honoring the American bicentennial and marking the official visit of the French president Vallery Giscard D’Estaing in May 1976; one framed print with letter from Elizabeth B. Moynihan; four Military Payment Certificate notes worth five and ten cents; one note card to CBL from Frank Yablans of Paramount Pictures; and one two dollar note from the State of North Carolina issued in 1861.

INDEX TERMS

Materials relating to these people, places, and things can be found in the series indicated, as represented by their numbers.

CONTAINER LIST