Guide to the Thomas A. Butler Collection
Special Collections & Archives
University Library
California State University, Northridge
18111 Nordhoff Street
Northridge, CA 91330-8326
Contributing Institution:
Special Collections & Archives
Title: Thomas A. Butler Collection
Creator:
Butler, Thomas A., 1910-2001
Identifier/Call Number: OCH.TBC
Extent:
1.21 linear feet
Date (inclusive): circa 1930-2001
Date (bulk): circa 1930-1948
Abstract: Thomas (Tom) A. Butler was an editor
for the English-language
North China Daily News in Shanghai
from the early 1930s until 1948, when he and his family fled from Communist forces to Hong
Kong. The collection consists of a selection of editorials written by Butler while at the
North China Daily News on a variety of current issues, two
news articles written about Butler upon his retirement and passing, and eleven silver
trophies won by Butler as a member of the Shanghai Bowling Club.
Language of Material: English
Biographical Information:
Thomas A. (Tom) Butler was born in Clonmell, Ireland in 1910. He immigrated to the United
States in 1923, where he attended high school in Pittsburgh and then joined the United
States Marines. Butler was stationed in China, and he stayed there after his time in the
Marine Corps, becoming a radio announcer, a foreign war correspondent for the
London Daily Telegraph, and an editor for the English-language
newspaper
North China Daily News. While living in Shanghai,
Butler married Ceciia dos Remedios, and they had two daughters, Cathy and Patricia. In 1948,
upon hearing that Chinese Communist forces were incarcerating journalists, Butler fled with
his family to Hong Kong, where he became the night editor of the
South
China Morning Post
until 1955, when the family moved to Vancouver, Canada. Butler
then worked as the news editor of
The Vancouver Sun for 20
years until his retirement in 1975. He passed away at the age of 91 in 2001.
Scope and Contents
The
Thomas A. Butler Collection mostly consists of news
articles and memorabilia related to Butler's life and career in Shanghai during the 1930s
and 1940s. The collection is arranged into two series:
Editorials and
News Articles
(circa 1930-2001), and
Shanghai Bowling Club
Trophies
(1934-1947).
Series I,
Editorials and News Articles, consists mostly of
editorials written by Butler during his tenure as editor of the
North
China Daily News
on international current events, including commentaries on World
War II diplomacy efforts, major events in Southeast Asia, local Shanghai concerns, and
elections in the United States. Also included in the series are two newspaper articles
written about Butler upon his retirement and passing.
Series II,
Shanghai Bowling Club Trophies, consists of eleven
silver trophies won by Butler as a member of the Shanghai Bowling Club.
Arrangement of Materials:
Series I: Editorials and News Articles, ca. 1930-2001
Series II: Shanghai Bowling Club Trophies, 1934-1947
Conditions Governing Access:
The collection is open for research use.
Conditions Governing Use:
Copyright for unpublished materials authored or otherwise produced by the creator(s) of
this collection has not been transferred to California State University, Northridge.
Copyright status for other materials is unknown. Transmission or reproduction of materials
protected by U.S. Copyright Law (Title 17, U.S.C.) beyond that allowed by fair use requires
the written permission of the copyright owners. Works not in the public domain cannot be
commercially exploited without permission of the copyright owners. Responsibility for any
use rests exclusively with the user.
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Patricia Adams. 04/2004.
Preferred Citation:
For information about citing items in this collection consult the appropriate style manual,
or see the
Citing Archival
Materials
guide.
Processing Information:
Jessica Geiser, 2013
Subjects and Indexing Terms
Documents
Series I: Editorials and News Articles, ca. 1930-2001
Box 1, Folder 1
North China Daily News Editorials,
ca. 1930-ca. 1949
Box 1, Folder 2
Vancouver Sun Articles on Tom
Butler,
1975, 2001
Series II: Shanghai Bowling Club Trophies, 1934-1947
Box 2, Item 1
Mens Singles - Duck Pin Championship,
1934
Box 2, Item 2
Ten Pin - Runner Up,
1935
Box 2, Item 3
Ten Pin - High Triple,
1935
Box 2, Item 4
Ten Pin - High Single,
1935
Box 2, Item 5
Ten Pin - Mixed Doubles Championship,
1938
Box 2, Item 10
Singles Championship,
1941
Box 2, Item 11
Duck Pin - Mens Doubles,
1947
