Conditions Governing Use

Access to collections in the Special Collections and Archives is not authorization to publish. Separate written application for permission to publish must be made to Special Collections and Archives. Copyright of some items in this collection may be held by respective creators, not by the donor(s) of the collection.

Conditions Governing Access

This collection is open and available for use.

Preferred Citation

[Identification of item], Folder Title, Folder Number, Neil November Papers, WLU-Coll-0784. Special Collections and Archives, James G. Leyburn Library, Washington and Lee University, Lexington, VA.

Immediate Source of Acquisition

Donated by Jake Winston '24, September 2023

Processing Information

Processed by Jake Winston '24, October 2023, in consultation with Mattie Clear, University Archivist.

Biographical / Historical

Neilson Jay "Neil" November '48 (1924-2018) was born in Brooklyn, NY. His father, Israel, ran Friedman-Marks Clothing Co. Neil later worked there following his graduation from college. Mr. November started his freshman year at Washington and Lee in 1941. He left the college to serve in World War Two. During the war, November served in the Navy. He returned to Washington and Lee following the war and graduated in 1948. While at the university he met his future wife Sarah Belle Slusky. She was a student at Randolph-Macon's Women's College. They first met at a Zeta Beta Tau event. Zeta Beta Tau was one of the two Jewish fraternities on Washington and Lee's campus when November was a student. As a student, November worked as Zeta Beta Tau's national cartoonist. He drew cartoons for their quarterly magazines as well as for promotional materials. Following graduation, November to Richmond. There, he worked for his father's clothing company until 1968. November utilized his wealth to work on philanthropic endeavors. The project he felt most passionate about was the Barksdale Theater in Richmond. The building was later renamed in his and his wife's honor. Other philanthropic works included the Virginia Holocaust Museum and the Virginia Aviation Museum. Mr. November passed on March 6, 2018.

Content Description

This collection holds documents related to Mr. November's time at Washington and Lee associated with the fraternity he belonged to: the Alpha Epsilon Chapter of Zeta Beta Tau. He was the cartoonist for the national Zeta Beta Tau organization from 1948 to 1950, while also drawing cartoons for local publications in Rockbridge County and for fraternal events. Included are sketches, finished products, and correspondence about his work as a cartoonist and official Zeta Beta Tau publication.

Subjects and Indexing Terms

• Cartoonists
• College fraternity members
• Jewish college students
• Washington and Lee University. Zeta Beta Tau
• Zeta Beta Tau (Fraternity)