William J. McClanahan Collection
Scope and Content
This collection contains original cartoons, photographs, and ephemera that were created and/or collected by William J. McClanahan as journalist and cartoonist during his military and civilian career. The William J. McClanahan Collection is housed in two non-standard boxes totaling 3.4 linear ft.
The collection arrived in fair condition and was initially processed with only a container list as description. Due to a change of the content management system, further description proved to be necessary. More materials were discovered, and the entire collection was reprocessed with a new arrangement and description. The archivist identified two series with the first series being the Posters Series, which is further organized into seven subseries: 1. “Cap Lar,” 2. Dress Code, 3. “Here’s the Story,” 4. “Remember it’s a…,” 5. Various Topics, 6. Housekeeping, and 7. Costs.
Subseries 1. contains a black and white pen and ink drawing of McClanahan’s safety cartoon character “Cap Lar,” which stands for Captain Low Accident Rate.
Subseries 2. contains black and white ink drawings pointing out the dress code for Women Airforce Service Pilots (WASP) and Civilian Pilots’ service members.
Subseries 3. contains black and white and color pen and ink drawings focusing on various aspects of flight safety such as landing, taxiing, icy conditions, instrument functions using squawk cards, fuel consumption and supply, rules and regulations, using parachutes, type of air fuel used, prohibited use of military aircraft for leisure flying, prohibited use of streamers on aircraft, recognition of CECO carburetors, danger of carbon monoxide poisoning in cockpits, airplane batteries, unauthorized passengers, landing gear safety-latch control on Douglas C-47 Skytrain type aircraft, Bell P-63 Kingcobra aircraft abrupt maneuvers, etc.
Subseries 4. contains color pen and ink drawings regarding fuel consumption, takeoff, landing, and taxiing accidents of Bell P-39 Airacobra and Consolidated B-24 Liberator aircraft.
Subseries 5. contains color pen and ink drawings depicting maintenance, repair, reporting incidents with squawk cards, and distance to other aircraft during taxiing.
Subseries 6. contains black and white and color pen and ink drawings concentrating on proper behavior while smoking cigarettes, neatness in the barracks, and on the airfield.
Subseries 7. contains color pen and ink drawings centering around the taxpayers’ costs to damaged military aircraft equipment.
The second series is the Ephemera/Photographs Series, which contains images of General Dwight D. Eisenhower with his cousin at Long Beach, California and General Eisenhower with General Surleo, Colonel McGregor at Long Beach; a postcard “Buy War Bonds,” an embossed stationery from Adolf Hitler from Berchtesgaden Headquarters, and a note from George Haddaway giving provenance to the stationery.
The accession inventory mentions a framed 8x10 signed color photograph of astronaut Charles Conrad, an 8x10 flocked banner “Serving our Country,” framed prints of Charles Hubbell of World War I aircraft, color etchings of World War I aircraft, recruiting poster Montgomery Flagg, Pledge of Allegiance embossed and illuminated, and “One giant Leap – Moon Landing.” These items are currently missing.
Dates
- 1940 - 1945
- Majority of material found within 1943 - 1944
Creator
- McClanahan, William J., Mr., 1907-1981 (Artist, Person)
Language of Materials
Collection is in English.
Access Restrictions
Materials in this collection are open for research.
Literary Rights Statement
Permission to publish material from this collection in any form, current or future, must be obtained from the Special Collections and Archives Division, Eugene McDermott Library, The University of Texas at Dallas.
Biographical Sketch
William J. McClanahan was born December 2, 1907, in Greenville, Texas to Samuel Mortimer McClanahan and his wife Molly. Growing up in San Angelo and Dallas, Texas, he graduated from Highland Park High School in 1927. He first enrolled in engineering classes at the Southern Methodist University (SMU), however, did not pursue his studies in this field. McClanahan decided to study art at the Dallas Art Institute. During his time at SMU, he married Ms. Eloise Dunagan.
McClanahan began his newspaper career as a sportswriter at the Dallas Morning News, and in the 1930s was a sports-reporter for other local news outlets.
McClanahan enlisted in the Army Air Corps during World War II, attaining the rank of captain. He was an artist for the United States Army Air Forces Safety Office. He was also deployed with the Third Ferrying Group at Romulus Army Air Field, Michigan, writing for their Flying Safety Bulletins. McClanahan’s safety cartoon character was “Cap Lar.” He remained in the Air Force Reserve until retirement in 1967 as a lieutenant colonel.
After being discharged in 1946, he returned to the Dallas Morning News to write, edit and draw cartoons.
William J. McClanahan died in Dallas on September 7, 1981, at the age of eighty-six after complications of a heart attack.
Sources
- Source
- Robert F. Darden, "Drawing Power: Knott, Ficklen, and McClanahan, Editorial Cartoonists of the Dallas Morning News" (Waco: Baylor University Press, 1983).
- Source
- Gerald Saxon, "McClanahan, William J. (1907–1981)," "Handbook of Texas," accessed online November 3, 2021, https://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/entries/mcclanahan-william-j.
Extent
3.4 Linear Feet (Two non-standard boxes (20.5x16.5x1.5).)
Abstract
William J. McClanahan was a newspaper journalist at the Dallas Morning News, and in the 1930s was a sports-reporter for other local news outlets. During World War II, he worked for the United States Army Air Corps Flight Safety Office. After being discharged in 1946, he returned to the Dallas Morning News to write, edit and draw cartoons.
Series Description
The William J. McClanahan Collection is arranged in two series:
Series I. Posters
1.7 linear ft. (13 oversize folders), 1941-1945.
Arranged in seven subseries: 1. “Cap Lar,” 2. Dress Code, 3. “Here’s the Story,” 4. “Remember it’s a…,” 5. Various Topics, 6. Housekeeping, and 7. Costs.
Subseries 1. “Cap Lar”
0.1 linear ft. (one oversize folder), undated.
Arranged by topic.
Subseries 2. Dress Code
0.1 linear ft. (one oversize folder), undated.
Arranged by topic.
Subseries 3. “Here’s the Story”
0.1 linear ft. (one oversize folder), undated.
Arranged by topic.
Subseries 4. “Remember it’s a…”
0.1 linear ft. (one oversize folder), undated.
Arranged by topic.
Subseries 5. Various Topics
0.1 linear ft. (one oversize folder), undated.
Arranged by topic.
Subseries 6. Housekeeping
0.1 linear ft. (one oversize folder), undated.
Arranged by topic.
Subseries 7. Costs
0.1 linear ft. (one oversize folder), undated.
Arranged by topic.
Series II. Ephemera/Photographs
0.1 linear ft. (one oversize folder), undated.
Arranged by topic.
Provenance Statement
The William J. McClanahan Collection was donated to the History of Aviation Archives, Special Collections and Archives Division, Eugene McDermott Library, The University of Texas at Dallas, by Eloise McClanahan on 1981-08-01.
Books/Magazines
Books and magazines were pulled and cataloged to be included into the HAC monograph and magazine stacks.
Image ID
It is the researcher's responsibility to secure permission from copyright holders of materials to which this institution does not own copyright.
Images in this collection are identified by a unique number that provides information about the format, record group, collection, series, box, folder, and image numbers. Please use this number when ordering reproductions of images from this collection.
Record Group Code
1 = CAT/Air American Archives
2 = Doolittle Archives
3 = Lighter than Air Archives
4 = George H. Williams, Jr., World War I Aviation Library
5 = History of Aviation Archives
6 = University Archives
7 = HAC Stacks
8 = WPRL Stacks
9 = Cecil H. and Ida M. Green Collection
10 = Belsterling Collection
11 = Closed Stacks
12 = Unidentified
13 = Chance Vought Archives
14 = Twirly Birds Archives
Image Format Code
P = Photograph/Postcard
S = Slide
N = Negative
T = Positive Transparency
B = Black and White
C = Color
Example: 5WJM-1-1-PB1
5 = History of Aviation Archives (HAC)
WJM = William J. McClanahan Collection
1 = Box Number
1 = Folder Number
P = Photograph/Postcard
B = Black and White
1 = Image Number
Images archived in plastic image holders may also have a location code in the format: 1/TL. In this example, the number is the sheet number and the letters indicate the top left position on the sheet. Position indicators are T = top, L = left, R = right, M = middle, and B = bottom. Position indicators may be combined to describe the position on the sheet, as shown in this example.
- Aeronautics--Safety measures. Subject Source: Library of Congress Subject Headings
- Air pilots, Military. Subject Source: Library of Congress Subject Headings
- Airacobra (Fighter plane) Subject Source: Library of Congress Subject Headings
- Airplanes Fuel Subject Source: Library of Congress Subject Headings
- Airplanes, Military Accidents. Subject Source: Library of Congress Subject Headings
- Airplanes, Military Maintenance and repair. Subject Source: Library of Congress Subject Headings
- Airplanes--Taxiing Subject Source: Library of Congress Subject Headings
- Art Institute of Dallas Subject Source: Library of Congress Subject Headings
- B-24 (Bomber) Subject Source: Library of Congress Subject Headings
- Cartoonists Subject Source: Library of Congress Subject Headings
- Consolidated Vultee Aircraft Corporation Subject Source: Library of Congress Subject Headings
- Dallas Chamber of Commerce Subject Source: Library of Congress Subject Headings
- Dallas morning news. Subject Source: Library of Congress Subject Headings
- Douglas DC-3 (Transport plane) Subject Source: Library of Congress Subject Headings
- Eisenhower, Dwight D. (Dwight David), 1890-1969 Subject Source: Library of Congress Subject Headings
- Fighter planes Subject Source: Library of Congress Subject Headings
- Haddaway, George Subject Source: Library of Congress Subject Headings
- History of Aviation Archives Subject Source: Local sources
- Hitler, Adolf, 1889-1945 Subject Source: Library of Congress Subject Headings
- Journalism. Subject Source: Library of Congress Subject Headings
- Kingcobra (Fighter plane) Subject Source: Library of Congress Subject Headings
- Romulus (Mich.) Subject Source: Library of Congress Subject Headings
- Southern Methodist University Subject Source: Library of Congress Subject Headings
- Southern Methodist University Subject Source: Library of Congress Subject Headings
- Sportswriters Subject Source: Library of Congress Subject Headings
- United States. Army. Air Corps Subject Source: Library of Congress Subject Headings
- United States. Army. Air Corps. Ferrying Command Subject Source: Library of Congress Subject Headings
- United States. Women’s Auxiliary Ferrying Squadron Subject Source: Library of Congress Subject Headings
- Women Airforce Service Pilots (U.S.) Subject Source: Library of Congress Subject Headings
- World War, 1939-1945 Subject Source: Library of Congress Subject Headings
- Title
- Guide to the William J. McClanahan Collection, 1907-1981
- Status
- Completed
- Author
- Madeline Hoff
- Date
- 2018-07-30.
- Description rules
- Describing Archives: A Content Standard
- Language of description
- English
- Script of description
- Latin
- Language of description note
- English (eng)
- Edition statement
- First revision by Madeline Hoff, 2018-07-30. Second revision by Patrizia Nava, CA, 2021-11-03.
Revision Statements
- 2018-07-30: 1st revision was a migration to ArchivesSpace by Madeline Hoff.
- 2021-11-03: 2nd revision was a reprocessing of the entire collection with new arrangement and description by Patrizia Nava, CA.
Repository Details
Part of the Special Collections and Archives Division, History of Aviation Archives. Repository
3020 Waterview Pkwy
SP2
Suite 11.206
Richardson Texas 75080 US
972-883-2570
LIBSPCO@utdallas.edu.