Sherwood Ross Papers, 1956-2014

Gift of Sherwood Ross, May 2011, with subsequent additions from July 2011 through January 2012.

The Sherwood Ross Papers are open for research in the Special Collections Reading Room; 1 Box at a time (Priority III).

The Sherwood Ross Papers are the physical property of the Newberry Library. Copyright may belong to the authors or their legal heirs or assigns. For permission to publish or reproduce any materials from this collection, contact the Roger and Julie Baskes Department of Special Collections.

Sherwood Ross Papers, The Newberry Library, Chicago.

Harunobu Coryne, 2014.

Chicago-born journalist and social activist.

Sherwood Ross was born May 5, 1933 in Chicago and grew up in the Logan Square neighborhood. He attended Von Steuben Senior High School for two years and completed his education at Miami Beach Senior High School in Florida. He attended the University of Miami (A.B. ’55), where he majored in race relations and competed on the debate team, leaving school for six months in 1953 to serve in the U.S. Air Force. After graduating, he worked for the Chicago City News Bureau (1955); for the New York Enquirer newspaper and Ebony magazine (1956-1958); as a public relations assistant in the Office of the Mayor, City of Chicago (1958-1962); for the Chicago Daily News (1962); as public relations director for the Chicago Urban League (1963-1964) and, later, as news director for the National Urban League (1965-1966); as public affairs director for WOL in Washington, D.C. (1966-1967); as press coordinator for James Meredith’s March Against Fear (1966); as director of Magazine News Service (1968-1988); as public relations director for Inc. magazine (1989-90); as president of Sherwood Ross Associates; as “Workplace” column contributor to Reuters America (1992-2002); and as media consultant to a number of colleges and universities (1980-2011).

Sherwood Ross’s works, including drafts and clippings of newspaper articles, syndicated columns, press releases, speeches, poems and plays from 1956 through 2014. Material related to Sherwood Ross Associates, a magazine publicity firm he founded in 1970, including press releases and clippings of newspapers that “picked up” or quoted from articles Ross promoted. Personal and biographical materials, including clippings of newspaper articles about Ross and Sherwood Ross Associates. Also includes some photographs and sound recordings, consisting of records and reel-to-reel tapes of radio programs Ross produced for the Chicago Urban League and National Urban League, along with a radio documentary about the March on Washington in 1963.

The small amount of correspondence has been arranged throughout the collection according to subject matter, so that e.g. letters from editors are housed with the articles under discussion.

Papers are organized in the following series:

Title Box Series 1: Works, 1956-2014 Boxes 1-3 Series 2: Sherwood Ross Associates, 1970-1990 Boxes 4-5 Series 3: Personal & Biographical, 1959-1991 Box 5 Series 4: Photographs, 1956-1992 Box 5 Series 5: Sound Recordings, 1963-1965 Box 6

• Names
  • Chicago (Ill.). Office of the Mayor.
  • Chicago Daily News, Inc.
  • Chicago Urban League.
  • Daley, Richard J., 1902-1976
  • National Urban League.
  • Ross, Sherwood, 1933-
  • Sherwood Ross Associates, Inc..
  • Young, Whitney M.
• Subject
  • African Americans -- Civil rights -- History -- 20th century -- Sources
  • African Americans in radio broadcasting
  • American periodicals -- History -- 20th century -- Sources
  • Boxing -- United States -- History -- 20th century -- Sources
  • Chicago
  • City planning -- Illinois -- Chicago -- History -- Sources
  • Civil rights -- United States
  • Corporate culture -- United States -- History -- Sources
  • Journalism
  • Manuscripts, American -- Illinois -- Chicago
  • Online journalism
  • Performing arts -- United States -- History -- 20th century -- Sources
  • Psychology -- United States -- History -- 20th century -- Sources
  • Public relations -- United States -- History -- Sources
  • Reporters and reporting
  • Slums -- Washington (D.C.) -- History -- Sources
  • Social Action
  • Urban renewal -- Illinois -- Chicago -- History -- Sources
  • Water-supply -- Illinois -- Chicago
• Geographic Coverage
  • Chicago (Ill.) -- Newspapers
  • United States -- Race relations -- History -- 20th century -- Sources