Obituary of Carolyn Andrews Wallace

CHAPEL HILL Carolyn A. Wallace, retired director of the Southern Historical Collection at Wilson Library at the University of North Carolina, died on April 30, 2013, at Carol Woods Health Center in Chapel Hill. Born September 30, 1919, in Hillsborough, she was the daughter of the late Charles M. Andrews and Virginia Dare Danner Andrews of Burlington and the granddaughter of the late Samuel Weldon Andrews and Robena Tilley Andrews of Chapel Hill. Dr. Wallace's husband, Prof. Emeritus Wesley H. Wallace died in 2004. A 1940 alumna of Meredith College, Dr. Wallace later earned MA and PhD degrees from the University in Chapel Hill and taught briefly at the University and at the Woman's College (now UNC-G). She then began a nearly 40-year career as an archivist and teacher of archives. Later as Director of the Collection she also became Curator of Manuscripts. Dr. Wallace achieved her success at a time when women were often discouraged from seeking advanced, better paying positions in academia. Although she did not consider herself to be aggressive about advancement, her devotion and her expertise established her as an example for the women who followed her in university faculty service. A long-time member of the American Historical Society, the Southern Historical Association, and the Society of American Archivists, she also served the Historical Society of North Carolina. In addition to her parents and husband, Dr. Wallace was predeceased by her brother Charles D. Andrews and his wife Hazel Jenkins Andrews of Greensboro. She is survived by her daughter Virginia Sue Wallace of Chapel Hill; granddaughter Susan Branch Schoaps and husband Ed of Salem, Oregon; granddaughter Jennifer Branch of Huntingburg, Indiana; grandson Lt. Leslie B. Branch and wife Jennifer of Sigonella NAS, Sicily, Italy; and six great grandchildren. Also surviving are nephew Charles Thomas Andrews and wife Paula of Rochester, NY; niece Sara Andrews Wilkins and husband James of Charlotte; niece Lee Smith Spong and husband Dewey of Raleigh; and nephew Wesley Lawrence Smith and wife JoAnne of Greenville, SC. Arrangements are through Walker's Funeral Home of Chapel Hill. A memorial service will be held at Carol Woods Retirement Community on June 8, 2013, at 2 pm. Memorials in lieu of flowers may be made to the Carol Woods Charitable Fund, the Lillian Parker Wallace Lecture Fund at Meredith College, the Southern Historical Collection Endowment Fund, or the Wesley Wallace Professorship Fund at UNC Chapel Hill. The family wishes to express deepest gratitude the entire staff of Carol Woods who enjoyed and cared for Dr. Wallace during her over 33 years of residency there. She was the last of the founding members of Carol Woods. Online condolences may be made at www.walkersfuneralservice.com