Papers, 1943-1994. This collection contains the papers of Wall Street Journal foreign correspondent
Ray Vicker throughout his 30-year career with the Wall Street Journal, four years with the Chicago Journal of Commerce early
on in his career and fiction writing he produced throughout his life. The collection contains mostly papers ranging from stories,
notes, correspondence, personal diaries and publications by the Dow Jones company and some photographs.
Collection Number:
MS 581
Language:
Materials are in English.
Repository:
University of Arizona Libraries, Special Collections
University of Arizona
PO Box 210055
Tucson, AZ 85721-0055
Phone: 520-621-6423
Fax: 520-621-9733
URL: http://speccoll.library.arizona.edu/
E-Mail: LBRY-askspcoll@email.arizona.edu
Biographical Note
Ray Vicker was born in Stevens Point, Wisconsin on August 27, 1915 according to his government-issued birth
certificate, but identified his birth year throughout his life as 1917. He attended Wisconsin State University
for one year from 1934-1935, worked as a news reporter at the Stevens Point Journal from 1936-1938, and then
returned to school at Los Angeles City College from 1940-1941, the U.S. Maritime Service Officers School in 1944
and Northwestern University from 1947-1949.
After serving in the Merchant Marines during WWII as a seaman and ultimately as a Second Officer from 1942-1946,
Vicker continued his career in journalism as the assistant shipping editor at the Chicago Journal of Commerce in 1946
and then as the automobile and trucking editor from 1947-1950. The Wall Street Journal bought out the journal in 1950
and acquired Vicker as a general assignment reporter based in the Wall Street Journal Chicago bureau until 1959.
Beginning in 1951, Vicker and his wife, Margaret, a fellow writer and photographer whom he married in 1944, regularly
took lengthy 3-4 month vacations abroad, using personal time to write foreign stories to give to the Wall Street Journal
to prove his interest in international reporting. In 1958, Vicker was named news editor and then in 1960, European Editor
and was dispatched to the London Wall Street Journal bureau where he also frequently contributed work to the Wall Street
Journal's sister publication, The National Observer. From 1960 onward, Vicker largely covered Europe, Africa and the Middle
East and was named Senior International Editor of the Wall Street Journal in 1975.
During Vicker's time in the field of journalism, he won multiple awards. He received the Outstanding Reporting Abroad award
from the Chicago Newspaper Guild in 1959, the E. W. Fairchild award from the Overseas Press Club in 1963 and 1967 and an
honorable mention in 1965, the Bob Considine award from the Overseas Press Club and the International Capital Market Association
Journalism award.
Vicker also published seven books: "How an Election was Won" (1945), "Those Swiss Money Men" (1973),
"The Kingdom of Oil" (1974), "The Realms of Gold" (1975), "This Hungry World" (1975),
"The Dow Jones-Irwin Guide to Retirement Planning" (1987) and "The Informed Investor" (1991)
in addition to selling over 400 short fiction stories to magazines like Better Homes and Gardens, Readers Digest,
Toronto Star Weekly, Thrilling Western and others.
Towards the end of 1980, Vicker returned to the U.S. as the Senior National Correspondent and worked domestically with a home base
in Walnut Creek, California until his retirement on April 1, 1983 after 33 years with the paper. Even after his retirement, Vicker
would still contribute occasional stories to the Wall Street Journal from his many travels both across the country and the world.
In 1990, the Vickers moved to Tucson, Arizona where they lived until Ray Vicker passed away on April 19, 2000.
Scope and Content Note
This collection has eight series and contains papers and photographs created by Ray Vicker. Materials in this collection
date from 1943-1994 and document Vicker's career as a journalist, the bulk of which was spent working as a foreign correspondent
throughout Europe, Africa and the Middle East for the Wall Street Journal.
The first series contains biographical papers about Vicker that are organized at folder level including two versions of complete,
month-to-month travel schedules from Vicker's life over several decades, autobiographies and articles written on Vicker, paper
ephemera from political organizations Vicker supported, former schools and Vicker's hometown newspaper.
The second series, organized at folder level alphabetically by title, contains both complete and incomplete book manuscripts
written by Vicker, reviews of Vicker's published books, some of his short fiction stories and a small amount of correspondence about
publishing his short stories.
The third series contains both rough and final drafts of stories, clips, correspondence relating to a particular country and notes
for work pertaining to the Wall Street Journal organized at folder level first by country, occasionally continent, name and then
chronologically.
The fourth series contains black and white contact sheets, negatives and prints from various countries around the world photographed
both for personal and professional uses and is organized at folder level by country name and entirely undated.
The fifth series contains Vicker's travel diaries and are organized at folder level chronologically. Vicker sporadically kept a
diary throughout his career documenting his thoughts, personal stories and details about where he was currently working. Some years
are more complete than others.
The sixth series contains correspondence, both personal and professional and written to and by Vicker, and is organized at folder
level chronologically.
The seventh series contains official publications, newsletters, commemorative or souvenir magazines and other mass communications
by either the Dow Jones Co. or the Wall Street Journal and is organized at folder level chronologically.
The eighth series contains three oversize materials. Two are biographical articles about Vicker's life and the third a
"souvenir album" published by the Jerusalem Post documenting Egyptian president Anwar Sadat’s visit to Jerusalem.
It is the responsibility of the user to obtain permission to publish
from the owner of the copyright (the institution, the creator of the record,
the author or his/her transferees, heirs, legates, or literary executors). The
user agrees to indemnify and hold harmless the Arizona Board of Regents for the
University of Arizona, its officers, employees, and agents from and against all
claims made by any person asserting that he or she is an owner of
copyright.
This series is described at folder level and contains biographical information about Vicker
such as autobiographies, biographies, articles on Vicker, information on his hometown of Stevens Point, Wisconsin,
awards / certificates, ephemera from previous schools, the Merchant Marines and political organizations he supported
and a complete monthly list of his travels from 1953-1987.
This series is described at folder level and arranged alphabetically. It contains Vicker's
earliest writings which were fiction and a small amount of correspondence about publishing them, manuscripts
for seven books, some of which went unpublished, notes and clippings of book reviews.
box
folder
1
14
Fiction writing - assorted short stories, circa 1940-1950
1
15
"Dateline Anywhere", 1961
1
16
"Dateline Anywhere", 1961
1
17
"Dateline Anywhere" - notes, 1961
1
18
"How an Election was Won" - reviews, 1962
1
19
"I Married a Reporter" by Margaret Vicker, 1962
1
20
"The Kingdom of Oil" - reviews, 1974
1
21
"A Middle East Reporter at Large", undated
1
22
"A Middle East Reporter at Large", undated
1
23
"A Middle East Reporter at Large", undated
box
folder
2
1
"Realms of Gold" - excerpts and notes, 1975
2
2
"Realms of Gold" - excerpts and notes, 1975
2
3
"Realms of Gold" - reviews, 1975
2
4
"Retirement Planning", 1985
2
5
"Those Swiss Money Men" - excerpts and notes, 1973
This series is described at folder level and arranged alphabetically by country, on occasion by
continent, name and then chronologically. This series contains rough drafts of stories, published clips of stories,
notes, correspondence and ephemera relating directly to the country it is filed under that was accrued over Vicker's
30-year career as an international journalist.
box
folder
2
10
Africa, undated
2
11
Africa, 1950-1960
2
12
Africa, 1963
2
13
Africa, 1967
2
14
Africa, 1969-1972
2
15
Africa, 1975
2
16
Algeria, circa 1962
2
17
Angola, 1969
2
18
Asia, 1977
2
19
Australia (1/2), 1956-1957
2
20
Australia (2/2), 1956-1957
2
21
Austria - Viennese Summit, 1961
box
folder
3
1
Bahrain, 1976-1977
3
2
Belgium, 1982
3
3
Britain, undated
3
4
Britain, 1966
3
5
Britain, 1967-1968
3
6
Britain, 1973
3
7
Britain, 1975-1976
3
8
Cambodia, 1967
3
9
Ceylon, 1957
3
10
China, 1978
3
11
Congo, 1962
3
12
East Indies, 1986
3
13
Egypt, undated
3
14
Egypt, 1965
3
15
Egypt, 1967
3
16
Egypt, 1968
3
17
Egypt, 1969
3
18
Egypt, 1970
3
19
Egypt, 1972
3
20
Egypt, 1975
3
21
Egypt, 1976
3
22
Egypt, 1977
3
23
Egypt, 1978
3
24
Egypt, 1979
3
25
Egypt, 1980
3
26
Ethiopia, 1965-1967
3
27
Ethiopia, 1968
3
28
Ethiopia, 1969
3
29
Europe, undated
3
30
Europe, 1968
3
31
Europe, 1974
3
32
Europe, 1977
3
33
Finland, 1966
3
34
France, 1976
3
35
Germany, undated
3
36
Germany (East), 1964-1966
3
37
Germany, 1968
3
38
Germany, 1970
3
39
Global Reports - Wall Street Journal, 1974-1976
3
40
Greece, 1965
3
41
Greece, 1976-1977
3
42
Greenland, 1969-1970
3
43
Guatemala, 1951
3
44
Guinea, 1957
3
45
Guinea, 1962
3
46
India, undated
3
47
India, 1945
3
48
India, 1955
3
49
India, 1958
3
50
India, 1976
3
51
India, 1977
3
52
India, 1978
3
53
Indonesia, 1956-1957
3
54
Iran, undated
3
55
Iran, 1965
3
56
Iran, 1975-1980
3
57
Iran, 1975
3
58
Iran, 1976
3
59
Iran, 1977
box
folder
4
1
Iran, 1978
4
2
Iran, 1979
4
3
Iran, 1980
4
4
Iraq, undated
4
5
Iraq, 1961
4
6
Iraq, 1972
4
7
Iraq, 1973
4
8
Iraq, 1976
4
9
Iraq, 1977
4
10
Iraq, 1979
4
11
Ireland, 1960's
4
12
Israel, undated
4
13
Israel, 1965-1969
4
14
Israel, 1970-1972
4
15
Israel (1/2), 1973
4
16
Israel (2/2), 1973
4
17
Israel, 1975-1980
4
18
Italy, undated
4
19
Italy, 1968
4
20
Italy, 1969-1970
4
21
Italy, 1972-1975
4
22
Italy / Food and Agriculture Organization, 1967-1975
4
23
Jordan, undated
4
24
Jordan, 1966-1968
4
25
Jordan, 1978
4
26
Kenya, 1970-1972
4
27
Kirghizia, 1973
4
28
Kuwait, 1961
4
29
Kuwait, 1967
4
30
Kuwait, 1972
4
31
Kuwait, 1975
4
32
Kuwait, 1977
4
33
Kuwait, 1978-1979
box
folder
5
1
Lebanon, undated
5
2
Lebanon, 1958
5
3
Lebanon, 1968-1969
5
4
Lebanon, 1972
5
5
Lebanon (1/2), 1974-1976
5
6
Lebanon (2/2), 1974-1976
5
7
Lebanon, 1977-1979
5
8
Lebanon, 1980
5
9
Libya, 1977
5
10
Madeira, 1971
5
11
Malawi, 1972
5
12
Malaya, 1957
5
13
Malta, 1967-1977
5
14
Middle East, undated
5
15
Mongolia, 1915
5
16
Morocco, 1976-1979
5
17
Namibia / Southwest Africa, 1963
5
18
Namibia, 1976
5
19
New Guinea, 1987
5
20
New Zealand, 1957
5
21
North America, 1951
5
22
Oman, undated
5
23
Oman, 1970
5
24
Oman, 1974
5
25
Oman, 1979
5
26
Pakistan, 1978
5
27
Palestine, 1975
5
28
Palestine, 1979
5
29
Papua New Guinea, 1982-1986
5
30
Portugal, 1974-1975
5
31
Portuguese Africa, 1969-1972
5
32
Qatar, undated
5
33
Rhodesia, undated
5
34
Rhodesia, 1965
5
35
Rhodesia, 1966
5
36
Rhodesia, 1969
5
37
Rhodesia, 1970-1971
5
38
Rhodesia, 1975-1976
5
39
Romania, 1968
5
40
Romania, 1974
5
41
Saudi Arabia, undated
5
42
Saudi Arabia, 1966
5
43
Saudi Arabia, 1967
5
44
Saudi Arabia, 1972
5
45
Saudi Arabia, 1976
5
46
Saudi Arabia, 1977
5
47
Saudi Arabia, 1978
5
48
Saudi Arabia, 1979
5
49
Saudi Arabia, 1980
5
50
Seychelles, 1978
5
51
Solomon Islands, undated
5
52
Somalia, 1978
5
53
South Africa, undated
5
54
South Africa, 1959
box
folder
6
1
South Africa - Anglo American Corporation of SA, circa 1959
6
2
South Africa, 1956; 1969; 1971
6
3
South Africa, 1969-1971
6
4
South Africa, 1975-1976
6
5
Spain, 1966-1967
6
6
Sudan, 1975
6
7
Sudan, 1980
6
8
Swaziland, 1967
6
9
Sweden, 1967
6
10
Switzerland, 1978
6
11
Syria, undated
6
12
Syria, 1976
6
13
Syria, 1978-1980
6
14
Tahiti, circa 1967
6
15
Tasmania, 1957
6
16
Tunisia, 1974
6
17
Turkey, 1969
6
18
United Arab Emirates, undated
6
19
United Arab Emirates, 1968
6
20
United Arab Emirates, 1974
6
21
United Arab Emirates, 1977
6
22
United Arab Emirates, 1978
6
23
United Arab Emirates, 1979
6
24
United Kingdom, circa 1973
6
25
United States - Los Angeles City College, 1942
6
26
United States - Isle Royale National Park, 1953
6
27
United States - American Entrepreneurs Abroad, 1965
6
28
United States, 1974
6
29
United States, 1980-1981
6
30
United States, 1982
6
31
United States, 1983
6
32
United States - Investing for Money - Fact Magazine, 1983-1984
This series is described at folder level and arranged alphabetically by country and is
entirely undated. It contains black and white photographic prints, negatives and contact sheets from Vicker's
travels throughout his career.
This series is described at folder level and arranged chronologically. It contains personal
diary entries written by Vicker, largely describing sights and experiences had abroad while reporting for the
Wall Street Journal. Some years have entries for each day of each month while some years' entries are more sporadic.
This series is described at folder level and organized chronologically. It contains letters,
telegrams, card and postcards from both personal relationships in Vicker's life and general correspondence
between himself and his editors at the Wall Street Journal.
This series is organized at folder level and organized chronologically. This series
contains publications sent out to staff made by either the Wall Street Journal itself or the Dow Jones Co.
like monthly newsletters, commemorative issues, reports and other mass communications.
This series is organized at box level and contains three oversize publications.
Two are biographical articles about Vicker's life and the third a "souvenir album" published by the
Jerusalem Post documenting Egyptian president Anwar Sadat's visit to Jerusalem.