G. Jackson Burney, 1997 September 4

File

Identifier: GF-BU0079

Staff Only

G. Jackson Burney oral history interview, 1997 September 4

Scope and Contents

Charlottean G. Jackson Burney discusses his career in the communications industry, his family, and his volunteer work. He contracted polio at a young age and discusses throughout the interview how the disease impacted his life. Mr. Burney describes how he studied communications at UNC Chapel Hill, then began working at WBT Radio as a promotions manager in the late 1940s. He also recounts his volunteer activities, and highlights going to Washington, D.C., as part of an effort launched by President Jimmy Carter to address economic issues. Mr. Burney steadily progressed in his career and began working for the Charlotte Chamber of Commerce in the 1970s as the head of a new research department. He describes how around the late 1980s, he was dismissed from his position from the Chamber. He filed a lawsuit for discrimination based on age and settled out of court. Other topics discussed in the interview include Mr. Burney's lifelong interest in music, racist opinions held by his parents, and how uptown Charlotte has changed from the 1950s to the time of interview.

Dates

1997 September 4

Conditions Governing Access

34 of the 392 interviews are available in the digital repository. Original audiovisual materials are closed to patron use.

Biographical Note

G. Jackson Burney was a 70-year-old man at the time of interview, which took place in his home in Davidson, North Carolina. He was born in Fayetteville, North Carolina on April 28, 1927. He was educated at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and was employed as an executive at Jefferson-Pilot Communications and the Charlotte Chamber of Commerce.