As a boy, James Holland McCombs spent many days at his grandparents’ farm. Known as Woodley Farm, it would later become the campus of the University of Tennessee at Martin. After leaving Martin, Holland went on to have an illustrious journalism career as a correspondent for TIME magazine and later served as bureau chief in Rio de Janeiro, Buenos Aires, Mexico City and Dallas. Although he never attended UT Martin, Holland always held a certain fondness for the university. “UTM lies beautifully and pleasantly in the place of my birth and early youth. God bless the institution and you all and thanks for the memory,” said Holland during the opening of the Holland McCombs Center and Archives on March 28, 1987. Donated by Holland to UT Martin, the Holland McCombs papers include highlights from his career, most notably TIME’s coverage of the assassination of President John F. Kennedy in Dallas on Nov. 22, 1963. “From the Archives” is a feature highlighting unique and interesting items from the Alliene and Jimmie S. Corbitt Special Collections. For more information or to make a donation, contact UT Martin Special Collections and Archives at 731-881-7094 or speccoll@utm.edu.
1. Two reporter’s notebooks with story notes
2. McCombs’ Texas license plate from March 1986
3. Photo of McCombs at the McCombs Ranch in Wheelock, Texas
4. Rubber stamp with the words “news rush”
5. McCombs’ pacemaker
6. Oak billy club, which belonged to McCombs’ father, Thomas McCombs- A note with the object stated it was “used to keep the peace in wild oil boom towns of Texas and Oklahoma.”
7. A color photo of McCombs and President Lyndon B. Johnson at the McCombs Ranch in Wheelock, Texas
8. McCombs’ business cards from Fortune and Time magazines
