Archives West Finding Aid
Table of Contents
Delos Smith papers, 1922-1973
Overview of the Collection
- Creator
- Smith, Delos
- Title
- Delos Smith papers
- Dates
- 1922-1973 (inclusive)Date of CollectionDate of Collection
- Quantity
- 4.0 cubic ft. (4 boxes)
- Collection Number
- 05593
- Summary
- Papers of a a journalist, science editor, and music critic with United Press International (UPI) who also authored publications about the lives of music composers.
- Repository
-
American Heritage Center, University of Wyoming
American Heritage Center
University of Wyoming
1000 E. University Ave.
Dept. 3924
Laramie, WY
82071
Telephone: 3077663756
ahcref@uwyo.edu - Access Restrictions
-
Access Restrictions
There are no access restrictions on the materials for research purposes, and the collection is open to the public.
- Languages
- English
Historical NoteReturn to Top
Delos Smith (1905-1973) was a science editor with United Press International (UPI). He wrote two columns for UPI, “Science Today,” and “The Music World.” Smith was born in St. Joseph, Missouri, and was educated privately in keeping with his family's desire to direct him into the Methodist ministry. But despite family opposition, he chose to be a newspaperman and secretly got his first job in 1922 as a cub reporter on the Oklahoma City News. Smith's 42-year career with UPI began in 1931, and soon after he was singled out for the general news desk at UPI world headquarters in New York and was named overnight editor. He was responsible for planning news coverage on a global basis and sometimes took personal on-the-spot charge of domestic stories as well. He was appointed science editor in 1952 and it was in this capacity that he became best known. His writing in the field of science ranged from aerospace to zoology and earned him a variety of awards. In addition to his daily science column, Smith also served as UPI's music critic and authored a set of serialized articles (1953-1956) for Woman’s Day magazine titled “The Music in Your Life” about the lives of composers. He also authored a reference work, Music Is Your Life: The Lives of the Great Composers, which was published by Harper and Brothers in 1957.
Content DescriptionReturn to Top
The collection contains loose newspaper articles and scrapbooks of newspaper articles by Smith (1922-1971); background materials and telexes of “Science Today” columns (1972-1973); columns and background materials for Music Is Your Life (1953-1956); photographs of Delos Smith working as a journalist and of the UPI press room (1932-1955); memos and correspondence regarding UPI and stories written by Smith (1936-1973, undated); directories, published materials, and correspondence about the history of UPI (1933-1950); UPI newsletters (1947-1951); and press identification cards, membership cards, political buttons, badges, and medals (1930-1971).
Use of the CollectionReturn to Top
Restrictions on Use
Copyright InformationThe researcher assumes full responsibility for observing all copyright, property, and libel laws as they apply.
Preferred Citation
Preferred CitationItem Description, Box Number, Folder Number, Collection Name, Collection Number, American Heritage Center, University of Wyoming.
Administrative InformationReturn to Top
Names and SubjectsReturn to Top
Subject Terms
- Composers -- Biography.
- Journalism, Scientific.
- Journalists -- United States.
- Music critics -- United States.
