Writer Eli N. Evans was born and raised in Durham, N.C., the son of E.J. Evans, mayor of Durham, 1950-1962, and Sarah Nachamson Evans. Eli Evans served as senior program director of the Carnegie Corporation of New York, a national educational foundation, 1967-1977. In 1977, Evans joined the Charles H. Revson Foundation as president and retired in 2003. The Revson Foundation awarded grants to a wide range of organizations, including those involved in urban affairs, education, and Jewish philanthropy. The collection includes correspondence; writings; subject files; research materials; Carnegie Corporation of New York, Charles H. Revson Foundation, and other organizational materials; pictures; and other items. There is personal and business correspondence, 1968-2003, including requests for grants and donations, thank you letters, greeting cards, and letters about project ideas. Some of the personal materials relate to Evans family members. Correspondents include politicians such as Hubert Humphrey and Terry Sanford; writers Roy Hoffman and Elie Wiesel; diplomat and writer Abba Eban; professor of law and public policy Joel Fleishman; and Thomas W. Lambeth of the Z. Smith Reynolds Foundation. Correspondence concerns various projects including the children's television program, ; Evans's books, including , , and ; and the Revson-supported television series, . Other subjects include the Public Broadcasting Task Force; Hadassah, the Women's Zionist Organization of America, Inc.; and the 11 September 2001 terrorist attacks. There are drafts of the Judah P. Benjamin book; subject files concerning Jews in the South and other topics; research materials for a proposed book on American Jews in the United States Civil War; and materials pertaining to Evans's speaking engagements. Carnegie Corporation of New York materials include correspondence, memoranda, and subject files. Charles H. Revson Foundation materials include correspondence, project files, and clippings. There are also correspondence, reports, and clippings documenting Evans's service on the boards of organizations including the Arts, Education, and Americans, Inc., the Goldring/Woldenberg Institute for Southern Jewish Life, the North Carolina School of Science and Mathematics, the North Carolina Task Force on Public Telecommunications, and the University of North Carolina Center for Public Television. Materials also reflect Evans's involvement with the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and his fundraising efforts on behalf of its General Alumni Association. Pictures include photographs of individuals, Evans's family, groups, events, and other images. The Addition of 2008 includes reviews, contracts, press releases, correspondence, promotion events, and other materials related to Eli Evans's books , , and ; correspondence of Evans during his tenure as chair of the Jewish Media Fund; articles, op-ed pieces, drafts of speeches, and book reviews authored by Evans that reflect his interests in Jewish history and Jewish-American community, the American South, and philanthropy; correspondence with cultural, educational, and Jewish leaders; correspondence, subject files, financial records, and other materials related to foundations, businesses, and other organizations with which Evans was involved, particularly the Charles H. Revson Foundation; and correspondence and other materials related to personal and professional acquaintances. There are also videotapes, chiefly containing interviews with Evans. Rechov Sumsum The Provincials Judah P. Benjamin: the Jewish Confederate The Lonely Days Were Sundays Heritage: Civilization and the Jews Judah P. Benjamin: The Jewish Confederate The Lonely Days Were Sundays: Reflections of a Jewish Southerner The Provincials: A Personal History of Jews in the South
