Box 4

Correspondence and other materials document the personal and professional affairs of the J.W. Dobbs family. Personal correspondence (1905-1975) consists of a love letter (1905) from J.W. Dobbs to his future wife Irene Thompson, a letter (1945) from Maynard Jackson Sr. to Jack Valtair at the Regional Office of the President's Committee on Fair Employment Practice, as well as letters (1947) of recommendation for Mattiwilda Dobbs for the Marian Anderson Scholarship Fund. Also included are communications (1955) regarding a proposed recital of Mattiwilda for the Southern Educational Fund, and her debut at the Metropolitan Opera Company in New York. Of particular note is a letter (1953) from J.W. Dobbs to Cloyte Murdock, Associate Editor of Ebony magazine, in protest of a misquotation regarding Mattiwilda; a letter (1957) from Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. addressed to Irene Dobbs Jackson in Toulouse, France, regarding his visit with her father; and an undated letter by June Dobbs Butts mentioning a visit that Dr. King and Coretta paid their family while on their way to Boston. Also included is correspondence (1951-1956) regarding J.W. Dobbs' trips to Egypt, England, France, Italy, and Scotland, as well as Mattiwilda's postcards and letters sent to various family members during her travels and performances in Europe.

Business correspondence (1955-1960) contains communications by J. W. Dobbs as Grand Master of the Prince Hall Masons discussing the affairs of the Lodge. The bulk of these letters are primarily addressed to John Lewis, Jr., the Prince Hall Grand Master for the State of Louisiana. Of particular note is a letter by J.W. Dobbs to Dr. Roy McClain, Pastor of the First Baptist Church in Atlanta, regarding the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) and racial integration; and correspondence with Thurgood Marshall, Director of the NAACP Legal Defense Fund, regarding donations to the fund from Georgia Prince Hall Masons. Articles and news clippings contain information about the death of J.W. Dobbs (1961), voter registration and other civil rights activities in Atlanta (1956-1958), reviews of Mattiwilda's performance in Atlanta, and the death of Irene Dobbs (1972). The news clippings scrapbook (1937-1940) contains articles about Rev. Maynard Jackson, Sr.; J.W. Dobbs' Masonic, political, and civil rights activities; as well as the Dobbs daughters.

This series also includes biographical information about J.W. Dobbs and his daughter Mattiwilda; a travel diary (1952) kept by Irene Dobbs about her first trip to Europe with her husband; and a teacher's contract (1873) for Irene Greenfield (Irene Dobbs' aunt for whom she was named). Invitations (1933-1974) to all of the Dobbs sisters' weddings; the marriage certificate (1906) of J.W. Dobbs and Irene; a full run of the Dobbs family newsletters (1977-1997); and a record book (1875-1972) containing information about the

Dobbs and Thompson familial lines are also included. Of particular note is a program (1957) for the 94^th Anniversary of the Emancipation Proclamation service at Big Bethel A.M.E. Church (Atlanta) at which Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr. gave the address; speeches (1956) given by J.W. Dobbs to the Georgia Voters League detailing ways to register African American voters; and proclamations (1959-1961) sent by J.W. Dobbs to the brethren of the Prince Hall Masons about meeting dates.