WITN-TV letters to Santa Claus
Scope and Contents
775 letters written to Santa Claus by children living in eastern North Carolina in 1964. The letters were sent to NBC affiliate WITN-TV (Channel 7) in Wilmington, NC, which had promised to forward the letters on to Santa. Many were addressed specifically to Witney the Hobo, a clown who appeared on WITN's afternoon children's program, "The Funny Page". Most of the letters are unopened.
Dates
- Creation: 1964
Conditions Governing Access
Advance notice required for access.
Conditions Governing Use
All requests for permission to publish or quote from manuscripts must be submitted in writing to the Manuscripts Librarian. Permission for publication is given on behalf of Special Collections as the owner of the physical items and is not intended to include or imply permission of the copyright holder, which must also be obtained.
Historical note
The letters were written during the United States' early involvement in the Vietnam conflict; in November of 1964 President Lyndon Johnson approved the escalation of bombing in North Vietnam. North Carolina was home to numerous military bases, and this was a time of great uncertainty for many military families living the area.
According to the United States Postal Service, the tradition of letters to Santa began more than 100 years ago, and even today more than 1 million letters annually are sent to Santa Claus at the North Pole. In 1912, Postmaster General Frank Hitchcock authorized local postmasters to let employees and local citizens respond to the letters. (See https://about.usps.com/corporate-social-responsibility/letters-to-santa.htm#p=1)
Extent
2.81 Linear Feet (2 boxes)
Language of Materials
English
Abstract
775 letters written to Santa Claus by children living in eastern North Carolina in 1964. The letters were sent to NBC affiliate WITN-TV (Channel 7) in Wilmington, NC, which had promised to forward the letters on to Santa. Many were addressed specifically to Witney the Hobo, a clown who appeared on WITN's afternoon children's program, "The Funny Page". Most of the letters are unopened.
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Purchased from The Bookshop, June 2, 2014.
- Title
- Finding aid for the WITN-TV letters to Santa Claus
- Status
- Completed
- Author
- Sue Luftschein
- Date
- 2014 October
- Description rules
- Describing Archives: A Content Standard
- Language of description
- English
- Script of description
- Latin
Repository Details
Part of the USC Libraries Special Collections Repository
Doheny Memorial Library 206
3550 Trousdale Parkway
Los Angeles California 90089-0189 United States
specol@usc.edu