Oettinger, Elmer R.

Elmer R. Oettinger Jr. was born in 1913 and raised in Wilson, N.C. After graduation from Charles L. Coon High School in 1930, Oettinger attended the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill and earned a Bachelor's degree in 1934, a law degree in 1939, a Master's degree in dramatic arts in 1952, and a Ph.D. in English in 1966. Oettinger served as an officer, 1943-1945, in the United States Navy and actively pursued careers in the theater, the practice of law, and broadcast radio.

In 1960, Oettinger joined the full-time faculty of the Institute of Government at the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill and served there until 1979, when he retired from his positions as professor of public law and government and assistant director of the Institute. While at the Institute, Oettinger's activities were not confined to academia and much of this collection's materials reflect Oettinger's intellectual engagement with a number of state, national, and international organizations interested in various aspects of communications and the law. He was especially involved with the National Conference of Commissioners on Uniform State Laws, the American Bar Association, and a number of local organizations such as North Carolina's News Media-Administration of Justice Council.

Oettinger died in 2010.