Collection context
Summary
- Creator:
- Gill, George Norman.
- Abstract:
- Collection consists of business records, subject files, correspondence, newspaper/magazine clippings, and speeches.
- Extent:
- 24 Boxes
- Language:
- Materials are in English .
- Preferred citation:
[Item], Gill, G. mss., Lilly Library, Indiana University, Bloomington, Indiana.
Background
- Biographical / Historical:
George Norman Gill was the editor of the Pulitzer-Prize winning Louisville Courier-Journal. He rose from copy-editor to managing editor, ultimately successfully steering the newspaper through its tumultuous 1986 sale from the Bingham family to the Gannett Corporation. When the Bingham family sold the paper to Gannett in 1986, Gill was named publisher and president until his retirement in 1993.
The paper won ten Pulitzer Prizes, the first in 1918, for the editorial writing of Henry Watterson and subsequently for public service, local general news, feature photography, international reporting and in 2005 for the editorial cartooning of Nick Anderson. During the editorial tenure of Barry Bingham, Sr. the paper was considered Kentucky's "Newspaper of Record" and consistently ranked among the 10 best in the nation.
Gill and his wife, Kay (Baldwin) Gill, met at Indiana University where both studied journalism as winners of Ernie Pyle Scholarships and both served as editors of the Indiana Daily Student. In 1984, Gill received the Indiana University Distinguished Alumni Service Award, the university's highest alumni honor.
A Navy veteran of the Korean Conflict, his many community contributions included serving as president of the Louisville Chamber of Commerce, chairman of the board for the American Printing House for the Blind, president of the Louisville Rotary Club and campaign chairman for the United Way.
- Scope and Content:
Business records include legal documents, memoranda, notes, and newspaper and magazine clippings related mainly to the Bingham family businesses. Subject files include memoranda and notes from The Courier-Journal and The Louisville Times, as well as George Gill's personal files. Correspondents include Robert S. Allison, Floyd G. Arpan, Barry Bingham, Frederick A. Colwell, John Jay Hooker, Paul Janensch, Alex S. Jones, Lawrence Long, Jan Morgan, Ed Owens, Hunter S. Thompson, and Mansir J. Tydings. Speeches include copies of speeches given by George Gill as well as accompanying correspondence.
- Acquisition information:
- Acquired: 2008
- Processing information:
Processed by Erin Dobias.
Completed in 2012
- Arrangement:
The collection is organized into the following series: I. Business Records; II. Subject Files; III. Correspondence; IV. Speeches.
- Physical location:
- ALF (Auxiliary Library Facility)
Indexed Terms
- Subjects:
- Newspaper editors --Correspondence.
Newspapers --Ownership.
Press law. - Names:
- American Press Institute.
American Society of Newspaper Editors.
Standard Gravure (Printing firm)
WHAS-TV (Television station : Louisville, Ky.)
Courier-journal (Louisville, Ky.)
Louisville times (Louisville, Ky.)
Gill, George Norman --Correspondence.
Bingham, Barry, 1906-1988 --Correspondence.
Bingham, Sallie --Correspondence.
Thompson, Hunter S. --Correspondence.
Access
- RESTRICTIONS:
-
This collection is open for research.
Many collections are housed offsite; retrieval requires advance notice. Please make an appointment a minimum of one week in advance of your visit.
- TERMS OF ACCESS:
-
Photography and digitization may be restricted for some collections. Copyright restrictions may apply. Before publishing, researchers are responsible for securing permission from all applicable rights holders, then filling out the Permission to Publish form.
- PREFERRED CITATION:
-
[Item], Gill, G. mss., Lilly Library, Indiana University, Bloomington, Indiana.
- CAMPUS:
- Indiana University Bloomington
- LOCATION OF THIS COLLECTION:
-
1200 East Seventh StreetBloomington, Indiana 47405-5500, USA
- CAMPUS:
- Indiana University Bloomington
- CONTACT:
-
(812) 855-2452liblilly@indiana.edu