Mahoney, Tom (1905-1981), Papers, 1922-1969 (C3063)
34 folders
MICROFILM
INTRODUCTION
Papers of Tom Mahoney, a 1927 University of Missouri School of Journalism graduate and track athlete who was a reporter, editor, author and publicist in Texas, Kansas City and New York. The papers consist of newspaper clippings, correspondence, memos, photographs and miscellaneous material relating to his school days and his career as a newspaper person.
DONOR INFORMATION
The Tom Mahoney Papers were donated to the University of Missouri by his wife, Caroline Bird, on 19 November 1984 (Accession No. 4602).
BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH
Tom (John Thomas) Mahoney was born in Dallas, Texas, on 3 December 1905. He attended Southern Methodist University from 1922 until he was expelled in April 1924 for his part in the production of The Dinkey, an April Fools Day campus newspaper considered "scurrilous" by the university administration. Mahoney then enrolled in the School of Journalism at the University of Missouri, where he co-authored the 1926 journalism show, was sports editor of the Savitar, and earned a letter in track.
After graduation in 1927, Mahoney returned to Texas, joining the staff of the El Paso Post. Within six months, he was the youngest (at the time) city editor of the Scripps-Howard newspaper chain. During the Escobar Rebellion in 1929, an aftermath of the Mexican Revolution of the previous decade, Mahoney was in the right place to cover the 7 March 1929 takeover of the city of Juarez (just across the border from El Paso) by the rebel forces, as well as the recapture of the city by the federals the following month.
From 1930 to 1934 Mahoney worked for United Press as Texas manager and as night division news editor in Kansas City. He later worked for the Buffalo Times (1934-1936) and was an associate editor for Look (1937-1939) and Fortune (1943-1945) magazines. During World War II he worked for the Overseas Branch of the Office of War Information and held a public relations position with General Electric Company (1939-1943), as he did later with Young and Rubicam (1948-1956) and Dudley-Anderson-Yutzy (1956-1958).
Tom Mahoney authored or co-authored several books including: (with R. Hesion) Public Relations for Retailers, 1949; (with M. Baerwald) Story of Jewelry, 1950; The Great Merchants, 1955; The Merchants of Life, 1959; The Story of George Romney, 1960; (with George Schuster) The Longest Auto Race, 1966; (with Barry Sadler) I'm a Lucky One, 1967; and The Store Doctor, 1969. Tom Mahoney died in July, 1981.
SCOPE AND CONTENT NOTE
The Tom Mahoney Papers consist of newspaper clippings, correspondence,
memos, photographs and miscellaneous material primarily documenting his college career and his work as a reporter and editor in Texas and New York. The papers are arranged into three series: Correspondence, Clippings, and Pamphlets/Programs.
The Correspondence series is arranged chronologically and includes both personal and professional letters and memos, as well as school papers and notes for possible articles. Of particular interest is a group of 1929 memos and telegrams, between Mahoney and certain news services, when Mahoney reported the story of Mexican rebels, under General Jose Gonzalo Escobar, who captured the city of Juarez, Mexico, in March 1929. They illustrate the need for rapid communication when a story breaks. Another item of note is the copy of the London Gazette of 1666, which Mahoney donated to the University of Missouri in 1961. Also included in this series are several letters from former classmates and teachers from the University of Missouri School of Journalism and Alumni Association, as well as correspondence relating to the founding of the Missouri Society of New York in 1961.
The Clippings series consists of newspaper articles and photographs and is arranged alphabetically by subject. The subjects are: El Paso Post, journalism and journalists, S.M.U./Dinkey scandal, sports, University of Missouri, and miscellaneous clippings. The majority of clippings in these papers concern various sports figures and events, including: the University of Missouri track teams of which Mahoney was a member (1924-1927); the Olympics of 1928 and 1932; and famous athletes such as Babe Didrikson, Paavo Nurmi and Charley Paddock. Other items of interest are several clippings of the investigation into the 1924 Southern Methodist University scandal resulting in the expulsion of several students, including Mahoney. From Mahoney's El Paso days, there is also a snapshot of Mexican artist, Diego Rivera, standing in front of one of his murals.
The Pamphlets/Programs series is separated into pamphlets and programs and arranged chronologically within each of the two types of printed material. These items concern various sporting events at which Mahoney was either a participant or a reporter.
FOLDER LIST
| f. 1-2 | 1924-1927 |
| f. 3-4 | 1929 |
| f. 5 | 1930-1932 |
| f. 6 | 1933-1938 |
| f. 7 | 1941-1949 |
| f. 8 | 1950-1957 |
| f. 9 | 1958-1959 |
| f. 10 | 1960-1962 |
| f. 11 | 1963-1966 |
| f. 12 | 1967-1969 |
| f. 13 | n.d. |
| f. 14 | El Paso Post, 1927-1962 |
| f. 15 | Journalism, 1937-1949 |
| f. 16 | Journalism, 1951-1959 |
| f. 17 | Journalism, 1960-1968 |
| f. 18 | Journalism, n.d. |
| f. 19 | S.M.U./Dinkey, 1924 |
| f. 20 | S.M.U./Baker U., c. 1927 |
| f. 21 | Sports, College, 1924-1928, n.d. |
| f. 22 | Sports, Olympics, 1927-1932 |
| f. 23 | Sports, UM, 1926-1929, n.d. |
| f. 24 | Sports, UM Track, 1925-1926 |
| f. 25 | Sports, UM Track, 1926 |
| f. 26 | Sports, UM Track, 1927 |
| f. 27 | Sports, UM Track, 1927 |
| f. 28 | Sports, UM Track, 1928, n.d. |
| f. 29 | Sports, Misc., 1925-1933 |
| f. 30 | Sports, Misc., 1934, 1956, 1961, n.d. |
| f. 31 | University of Missouri, 1922-1963 |
| f. 32 | Miscellaneous, 1928-1965, n.d. |
| f. 33 | Sports Pamphlets, 1923, 1924, 1932, n.d. |
| f. 34 | Sports Programs, 1926-1927 |
INDEX TERMS
These index terms are the subjects, people, places, etc. under which this collection is listed in all available indexes at the Western Historical Manuscript Collection-Columbia. If you are interested in a specific index term, please contact the reference staff.
- College and school journalism, 1920s
- College sports, 1920s
- Costume--c. 1930
- Cowhands--Mexico, c. 1930
- Dealey, George Bannerman
- Escobar Rebellion, Mexico, 1929
- Escobar, Jose G.
- Journalism
- Journalists
- Lickens, Enrique, 1930
- Long, Huey P. (1893-1935)
- Luxon, Norval Neil
- Mahoney, Tom (John Thomas) (1905-1981)
- Missouri Society of New York
- Nurmi, Paavo
- Olympic Games, 1928
- Olympic Games, 1932
- Paddock, Charles
- Political prisoners, Mexican Revolution, Americans, 1929-1930
- Rivera, Diego (1886-1957)
- San Marcial Flood
- Southern Methodist University, Social conditions, 1924
- The Dinkey, 1924, 1927
- Track athletics, 1925-1932
- White, William Allen
- Zaharias, Babe Didrikson (1914-1956)