Conditions Governing Use

Before publishing quotations or excerpts from any materials, permission must be obtained from Special Collections and University Archives, and the holder of the copyright, if not Old Dominion University Libraries.

Conditions Governing Access

Open to researchers without restriction.

Preferred Citation

[Identification of item], Box [insert number], Folder [insert number and title], Caroline Heath Tunstall Papers, Special Collections and University Archives, Old Dominion University Libraries.

Source of Acquisition

Hugh N. Tunstall

Method of Acquisition

Gift. Accession#A79-30

Biographical or Historical Information

Caroline Preston Heath was born in 1911 in Norfolk. For high school, she attended the Tutoring School, and graduated in 1927. From there, she studied at Sweet Briar College and graduated with a B.A. in 1931. Sometime in the years following her graduation, she married a certified public accountant named Hugh N. Tunstall.

In 1942, she received three certificates from the Virginia Polytechnic Institute's Engineering, Science, and Management Defense Training Program. The courses Ms. Tunstall completed were Engineering Drafting Primary, Engineering Drafting Secondary, and Applications of Engineering Drafting. Between 1947 and 1949, Ms. Tunstall attended both the University of Tennessee and the University of Virginia. On March 30, 1948, Ms. Tunstall received her Virginia State Teachers Certificate. She was qualified to teach all subjects in the sixth and seventh grades, as well as teach English, French, Latin, and History and Social Science in high school.

During the 1950's, Ms. Tunstall wrote hundreds of book reviews for the Virginian Pilot and the New York Herald Tribune. She received many thank yous and letters from various authors during her years as a reviewer.

In 1964, Ms. Tunstall was one of eleven women in Virginia to receive the American Association of University Women's College Faculty Program award. She pursued a Master's degree in English at Old Dominion College and in 1966 was one of the first four people to receive a Master's degree from ODC. She began her teaching career as an English professor at ODC in September of 1965 teaching evening classes. In 1966, she became a full-time professor. Ms. Tunstall taught English 101, 102, 201, and 314 during her years as a professor. She retired in the mid-1970s and passed away on April 29, 1979.

Note written by Kara Askey

Scope and Contents

This collection contains materials pertinent to the life and career of Ms. Caroline Heath Tunstall, an English professor at Old Dominion College. Included in this collection are high school yearbooks, negatives of photographs, various certificates,  newspaper clippings of  book reviews as well as a scrapbook, correspondence, awards, graduate work, syllabi and other papers used by Ms. Tunstall as a professor. The collection dates from 1925 to the mid-1970s.

Arrangement Note

Series I: High School. This series contains materials from Ms. Tunstall's high school years, including picture negatives, yearbooks, and a newspaper clipping. Materials date from 1925 to 1926 and are arranged chronologically.

Series II: Higher Education. This series contains college materials including Ms. Tunstall's certificates from Virginia Tech and the Virginia Board of Education, as well as her application and correspondences related to the AAUW's College Faculty Program award. Also included are some of her graduate work and material from Ms. Tunstall's years as an English professor at ODC. Materials date from 1942 to 1974.

Series III: Book Reviews. This series contains materials from her time as a book reviewer including clippings of her reviews and authors' correspondences to Ms. Tunstall. Materials date from 1950 to 1962. The reviews are arranged in original order, and the correspondences are arranged chronologically.

Subjects and Indexing Terms

• Book reviewers
• Old Dominion University--Faculty
• Old Dominion University. Department of English
• Tunstall, Caroline Heath (1911-1979)