This series includes organizational records, correspondence, press kits, drafts, clippings, and photographs from Fairbanks' career as a staff writer for publications such as Newswest and Update. The bulk of this series is photographs published in Newswest or Update. This series also includes several files of drafts and research material for obituaries published in Update.

This series comprises papers and photographs from the Spence and Hagen (maternal grandparents) families. The photographs span the first half of the 20th century and document the family in Duluth, Minnesota. The series also includes a high school yearbook, illustrations, certificates, diaries, and correspondence.