A Guide to the Records of the Central Coca-Cola Bottling Company, Inc., 1906–2003
Call Number Mss3 C3332 a FA2

• Administrative
• Descriptive Summary
• Scope
• Biographical
• Arrangement
• Index Terms
• Guide

ADMINISTRATIVE INFORMATION

Access
Collection is open for research.

Use Restrictions
There are no restrictions.

Preferred Citation
Central Coca-Cola Bottling Company, Inc., records, 1906–2003 (Mss3 C3335a FA2), Virginia Historical Society, Richmond Virginia Historical Society

Acquisition Information
Gift of the estate of Betty Sams Christian in 2006. Accessioned July 2008.

Descriptive Summary

Repository: Virginia Historical Society.

Collection number: Mss3 C3332 a FA2

Title: Central Coca-Cola Bottling Company, Inc. Records, 1906–2003.

Size: 125 (ca.) linear feet.

Language: English

Abstract: Include records of the Central Coca-Cola Bottling Co., Inc., of Richmond, Virginia and its predecessor companies. The company bottled Coca-Cola licensed beverages, along with other beverage purveyors' products in Virginia, West Virginia, Pennsylvania, Maryland, and Ohio from the early 20th century until 2003 and was owned and managed by the Crass, Sams, and Christian families.

Scope and Content Information

The collection covers three generations of the Crass, Sams, and Christian families, ownership of the Central Coca-Cola Bottling Company, Inc., and its predecessor companies all based in Richmond, Virginia from the early 1900s to 2003. The records document the evolution of the dynamic Coca-Cola bottling industry. Bottlers receive concentrated flavoured syrups and add water, sugar, and carbonation to create packaged bottles and cans ready to be sold in retail outlets or vending machines within a predetermined geographic area. Central Coca-Cola bottled beverages in Virginia, West Virginia, Pennsylvania, Maryland and Ohio. The industry which experienced great growth from the 1900s into the 1960s began in the 1970s evolving from a large decentralized group of privately owned franchises into a few large conglomerates. The Coca-Cola Company held at least a minority interest in most of those conglomerates. In 1985 there were 278 domestic bottlers in the Coca-Cola bottling system; by 2002 that number had dwindled to just 79. At the time of last family CEO, Betty Sams Christian's retirement in 2003, her company was the ninth largest independent bottler of Coca-Cola in the United States. However, the largest domestic bottler, Coca-Cola Enterprises, controlled 77 percent of the Coca-Cola market. In February of 2006 the operations of Central Coca-Cola were sold to Coca-Cola Enterprises for 102 million dollars.

The collection is broken into three parts. The first two parts overall regard the operations of the company. The first section illustrates the leadership of James E. Crass, Walter L. Sams and Langdon T. Christian, and the decentralized franchise operations of the company that would eventually form Central Coca-Cola Bottling Company. The franchises consolidated into one company in 1980. Part II documents are from the Langdon/ Betty Sams Christian era post 1981 after the restructuring of the company. Langdon T. Christian retired from the company in 1982 and his wife took over the company shortly after. The third part contains the personal papers of four influential leaders of Central Coca-Cola and its predecessor companies, Walter L. Sams, Lottie Crass Sams, Betty Sams Christian and Langdon T. Christian.

Biographical/Historical Information

James E. Crass (1867–1930), was born in Mayfield, Kentucky, and founded the predecessor franchise group to the Central Coca-Cola Company, Inc. Orphaned at an early age Crass was sent to live with an older half-brother, John T. Crass, a contractor in Chattanooga, Tennessee. His brother built the Lookout Incline and Lula Lake Railway in the late 1890s in Chattanooga. When of age, James E. Crass worked for his brother as an agent for a new cable line in the area. Crass saved money from his jobs and at the urging of Asa G. Candler, owner of The Coca-Cola Company, he purchased a small Coca-Cola bottling plant in Charleston, South Carolina in 1899. Within the next year Crass quickly outgrew the small plant and moved to Richmond, Virginia to build a larger plant in a more expansive bottling territory. Syrup in his territory was acquired from the Coca-Cola Company (Thomas) of Chattanooga, Tennessee who held the exclusive rights to sell the syrup to other bottlers in Crass's area. Crass grew his Coca-Cola conglomeration into 42 franchises in Virginia, Ohio, and Pennsylvania among other states. James E. Crass was married to the former Emma Leimenstoll of Ohio. They had four children: James Edward, Lottie, Ada, and Nellie. At the time of his death in 1930, Crass was one of the most successful owners in the Coca-Cola franchise network and even produced his own brand of soda. In preparation for the future of the company Crass had taken on his son-in-law, and former Coca-Cola Company sales manager, as an employee. Walter L. Sams took over the management of the Crass plants upon Mr. Crass's death.

Walter L. Sams (1886–1965), was born in Sandy Ridge, Georgia. He attended pharmacy school at Mercer University and eventually became a travelling sales manager for The Coca-Cola Company in 1912 based in Richmond. He worked for the company for five years, before enlisting in the Navy during World War I. Prior to enlisting Sams became associated with the Crass family and married their daughter Lottie Crass in October 1917. Sams was discharged from service at the end of 1918 and began working for James E. Crass as a plant manager in Staunton, Virginia in 1919. After the war Sams had his choice of buying a drug store on his own or a Coca-Cola franchise with his wife's family. The family choose to purchase the Blue Ridge Coca-Cola Bottling Works together in March of 1919. The franchise which was renamed Staunton Coca-Cola Bottling Works, included facilities in Charlottesville, Staunton, Harrisonburg, and Winchester, Virginia and Romney, West Virginia. In 1922 the Sams welcomed the birth of their first and only child Betty Lee Sams (1922–2006). The family expanded the business quickly in their new bottling territory. In 1927 W. L. Sams moved from Staunton to Richmond to become the General Manager of the Crass Coca-Cola operations, which at one point consisted of 42 Coca-Cola franchises. The headquarters in Richmond was known as the Coca-Cola Bottling Company General Office. In 1951 the Crass family franchises were split up. Family members swapped stocks in bottling franchises, to give control to the party who held the majority interest in the franchises, which were kept as individual companies. The Sams faction gained control of 13 bottling plants and sales centers. The paper work concerning the transaction is located in the collection (folder 348). Walter L. Sams continued his father-in-law's tradition by hiring his son-in-law Langdon T. Christian to work for the company. When Walter L. Sams died in 1965 Christian became the president of the company.

Langdon T. Christian, III (1921–2005) was born in Richmond, Virginia to a family who owned the Christian Funeral Home. Langdon was educated at the University of Virginia and served in the Navy during World War II. He married Betty Sams around 1946, and the couple had three sons. He worked as a Sales Manger in the National Sales Division for The Coca-Cola Company from approximately 1946 to 1948, and eventually joined his wife's family business. Upon his father-in-law's death Christian took over control of the Company.

The company began a historic battle in 1978 when The Coca-Cola Company proposed an amendment that would eliminate the basically fixed price of syrup in the bottler's contract. The bottlers earlier had reached a contract compromise with The Coca-Cola Company in 1921 to allow increases in the price of syrup based on the price of sugar. In 1978 the company proposed to base the price partially on the Consumer Price Index as well as the price of sugar. The amendment also included a provision for the alteration of the secret recipe with alternative sweeteners, and the company promised to pass on the savings from using alternate sweeteners to the bottler if they signed the agreement. The majority of bottlers signed the agreement, but in 1981 the group of 73 bottlers who did not sign the agreement joined together to sue The Coca-Cola Company to protest the amendment. The bottlers argued that they should not be charged a higher price for syrup than the amended bottlers and refused to produce soda with syrup that contained alternative sweeteners. This group of bottlers was known by many names, as first line unamended bottlers, Bottlers of Coca-Cola USA, and the Elizabethtown Plaintiffs. The suit was further complicated by the introduction of Diet Coke in 1982, which Coca-Cola contended was not covered under the original bottler's contracts so the syrup could be sold at a different rate. The unamended bottlers filed suit again to contend that the syrups only differed in their sweetener and therefore Diet Coke should be included under the 1921 contract. The litigation in these suits dragged on for several years with neither side willing to compromise. The bottlers contended they were being pushed into a "master-slave" system and The Coca-Cola Company felt the bottlers were unrealistic in their goals. Langdon T. Christian joined forces with the Elizabethtown plaintiffs and added his franchises to the suit. Joining the suit along with consolidating the Sams franchises into The Central Coca-Cola Bottling Company in 1980 were two of his largest contributions to the history of the company. Langdon T. Christian retired from Central Coca-Cola in 1981 leaving his wife to run the company. While Langdon was retiring he and Betty were going through a divorce which was finalized in 1987. However, the lawsuit in Elizabethtown may have contributed to Langdon's loss of faith in the Coca-Cola bottling system, and as a trustee of the Walter L. Sams estate he advocated, sometimes quite forcefully, that the company be sold.

Betty Sams Christian (1922–2006) was born in Staunton, Virginia to a Coca-Cola bottling family. Her grandfather and father managed a large group of franchises. Betty graduated with a degree in physics from Hollins College in 1943. She went on to graduate with a master's degree in social work from Columbia University in 1946. Betty replaced her husband as president and CEO of Central Coca-Cola Company when her husband retired. The couple's sons already had some involvement in the company when she took over the operations, but they never stepped into her leadership role as far as the records indicate. She served as president and CEO of the company from 1982 to 1983 when she hired Robert B. Lorch as a replacement, but he left the company in 1984 and she retained the title until her retirement in 2003. Betty continued Central's involvement in the Elizabethtown suits and entered into the Diet Coke litigation in 1983. Betty faced many adversities as president and CEO of Central Coca-Cola. She struggled to automate the company's accounting systems, create more efficient sales teams, and overall tried to restructure the Central Coca-Cola franchises to create the most profitable and streamlined system to distribute beverages in the company's franchise territories. One of her greatest challenges was the criticism she faced from her own family on whether the company should be maintained or sold. Her ex-husband and children all felt the Coca-Cola bottling industry was becoming less profitable and sustainable and as a result desired to sell the company while it held the most value. Despite the adversity, Betty Sams Christian ran the company with great dedication until her retirement in 2003. It appears from the documentation that Betty Sams Christian left behind, she derived great joy from the Coca-Cola bottling industry, and it was her legacy to preserve her family's place in the history of The Coca-Cola Company and its bottling franchises. All of Mrs. Christian's Coca-Cola "non-documentary memorabilia" and collectibles were given to the Schmidt Museum of Coca-Cola Memorabilia in Elizabethtown, Kentucky.

Arrangement

The records of Central Coca-Cola arrived at our archives without conventional order. The files were rearranged into an artificial order to allow easier access for the user. The collection is split into three parts to reflect the different segments of Central Coca-Cola's history and gaps in documentation. Part I, Series 1–5, dates from 1919–1980. The section includes materials from the Crass bottling plants that were not consolidated into the Central Coca-Cola Bottling Company formed in 1980. Part II, Series 5–16, 1981–2003, mainly concerns the development of the company under the leadership of Betty Sams Christian, the first female president and CEO of Central Coca-Cola. Part III, Series 16–19, dates from 1906–2003 and contains the personal papers of four of the most influential people in Central Coca-Cola's history.

Within Part I and II date ranges of some series were adjusted for practical reasons. Publications, for example, are organized as either Coca-Cola publications or a non-Coca-Cola publications followed by subject and then by publication within that category. Categories include items from the whole date range of the collection in order to avoid separation in runs of publications. Also, when the cohesiveness of a group of documents would have been compromised by a separation into two different date ranges, the items were placed in the range with the bulk of the materials from which it is dated.

Index Terms

Beverages -- Packaging.
Central Coca-Cola Bottling Company, Inc.
Christian, Betty Lee Sams, 1922–2006.
Christian family.
Christian, Langdon Taylor, 1921–2005.
Coca-Cola Company.
Coca-Cola Enterprises.
Crass family.
Crass, James Edward, 1867–1930.
Franchises (Retail trade).
Retail trade -- United States -- History -- 20th century.
Retail trade -- United States -- History B 21st century.
Richmond (Va.) -- Commerce -- History -- 20th century.
Richmond (Va.) -- Commerce -- History B 21st century.
Sams family.
Sams, Lottie Crass, 1894–1984.
Sams, Walter Lee, 1886–1965.
Soft drink industry.
Vending machines.

Guide

Part I. James E. Crass, Coca-Cola Bottling Plants, Inc.

Series 1. Administrative Materials, 1933–1974.

The companies that preceded what would be consolidated into the Central Coca-Cola Bottling Co. are a loose conglomeration of family businesses that were not publicly held. The only commonality is that at one time or another they were controlled by James E. Crass. Over time different parts of the Crass family formed a collective tangle of stockholders who held varying amounts of interest in all of the franchises. Upon Crass's death in 1930, Walter L. Sams took over managing the Crass bottling plants from the headquarters in Richmond, Virginia. The Crass franchises were split up in 1951 when the involved owners decided to split from Sams as manager and impose a stock swap in which whoever held majority interest in a specific franchise became the owner (refer to the Operations files series to find the correspondence involved in removing Sams as manager of certain Coca-Cola Franchises [folder 348]). That reduced the number of franchises under Sams' control to thirteen. The organization of the family business was relaxed in nature. There were few required reporting procedures. From what survives in this collection there is little documentation of a Board of Directors structure. The stockholders meeting minutes usually included a financial statement and a statement of operations. Sometimes the reports were presented as a whole for all the franchise territories; at other times they related to individual locations. Sales, earnings and capital investments were often discussed at the stockholder's meetings.

Box 1

Series 2. Financial Materials, 1919–1980.

Includes account books and ledgers, 1919–1969; financial reports and statements, 1919–1980; tax statements, 1919–1980; and miscellaneous financial information.

Series 2.1. Account books and Ledgers, 1919–1969.

This series includes several types of account books, including plant ledgers, check registers, and a daybook. Plant ledgers were kept by individual bottling plant and they document sales information, general office and administration expenses, interest, payroll, profit and loss, retirement collection, school taxes, unemployment insurance, tax collection, and loans to other plant locations. Ledgers with the a/b designation denote volumes where a category of account starts in one ledger and continues into the next ledger for that location. The ledgers are all oversized and are stored on the shelves immediately following box 1. Check register/plant ledgers record every check written while the ledger was kept. The plant ledgers included are abbreviated versions of the accounting plant ledgers. The day book records by week the sale of coca-cola by salesmen driving trucks in 1919. This day book may have been kept while Walter L. Sams was manager of the Staunton Coca-Cola Bottling works owned by Sams's father-in-law, James E. Crass.

Plant accounting ledgers, 1922–1969

Chambersburg, Pennsylvania, 1932–1968a
Chambersburg, Pennsylvania, 1932–1969b
Charlottesville, Virginia, 1922–1968a
Charlottesville, Virginia, 1927–1960b
Crowns Coca-Cola, 1960–1970
Cumberland, Maryland, 1932–1968a
Cumberland, Maryland, 1932–1969b
Fairmont, West Virginia, 1933–1968a
Fairmont, West Virginia, 1933–1969b
Hagerstown, Maryland, 1924–1966a
Hagerstown, Maryland, 1931–1969b
Harrisonburg, Virginia, 1922–1966a
Harrisonburg, Virginia, 1927–1969b
Lewistown, Pennsylvania, 1938–1968a
Lewistown, Pennsylvania, 1938–1969b
Lima, Ohio, 1932–1967a
Lima, Ohio, 1932–1969b
Oakland, Maryland, 1935–1967a
Oakland, Maryland, 1935–1969b
Romney, West Virginia, 1931–1967a
Romney, West Virginia, 1951–1969b
Scranton, Pennsylvania, 1966–1969
Staunton, Virginia, 1922–1967a
Staunton, Virginia, 1951–1969b
Williamsport, Pennsylvania, 1936–1967a
Williamsport, Pennsylvania, 1936–1969b
Winchester, Virginia, 1924–1967a
Winchester, Virginia, 1931–1969b
York, Pennsylvania, 1930–1966a
York, Pennsylvania, 1930–1967b

Plants, all ledgers, 1959–1969

Ledger, Chambersburg, Pa.; Charlottesville, Virginia; Cumberland, Maryland; Fairmont, West Virginia; Hagerstown, Maryland, 1959–1969
Ledger, Harrisonburg, Virginia; Lewistown, Pennsylvania; Lima, Ohio; Oakland, Maryland, 1959–1969
Ledger, Staunton, Virginia; Williamsport, Pennsylvania; Winchester,Virginia; York, Pennsylvania, 1959–1969

Check register/plant ledgers, 1961–1969

Coca Cola Bottling Co., General Office, Richmond, Virginia, 1961–1968
Chambersburg, Pennsylvania, 1963–1968
Charlottesville, Virginia, 1963–1968
Cumberland, Maryland, 1963–1968
Fairmont, West Virginia, 1963–1968
Hagerstown, Maryland, 1963–1968
Harrisonburg, Virginia, 1963–1968
Lewistown, Pennsylvania, 1963–1968
Lima, Ohio, 1963–1968
Oakland, Maryland, 1963–1968
Romney, West Virginia, 1963–1968
Staunton, Virginia, 1963–1968
Williamsport, Pennsylvania, 1963–1968
Winchester, Virginia, 1963–1968
York, Pennsylvania, 1963–1968
All plants, 1969

Daybooks

Day Book, 1919 June–December

Series 2.2. Financial R and Statements, 1919–1980.

This series contains various types of financial reports, including comparative analyses and operating statements, and financial statements. Comparative Analysis statements compare the figures from two years of operating in categories such as: bottling expenses, general and administrative expenses, selling expenses, materials, and payroll. Comparative Operating Statements are similar to Comparative Analysis statements in that both compare operating factors to determine if there has been a profit or a loss. But the comparative operating statement is calculated by evaluating the financial outcome by month rather than by year. Financials Statements (year end reports), 1931–1939 and 1961–1968, and Financials (monthly reports), 1969–1980, document the fiscal status of the company from year to year.

Box 2

Box 3

Box 4

Box 5

Box 6

Box 7

Series 2.3. Tax Statements and Miscellaneous Financial Reports, 1919–1980.

Box 8

Box 9

Box 10

Box 11

Box 12

Miscellaneous financial materials

Box 13

Series 3. Human Resources and Labor Materials, 1950–1971.

This series includes several types of information. The Employee Questions file contains handwritten questions addressed to company President Walter. L. Sams and are undated (folder 311). The Employee Survey file contains handwritten answers by employees to three questions posed by company leadership (folder 312). Employee Surveys, 1970s is a survey of more than one bottling location (Chambersburg and Williamsport) and includes seven questions (folder 313). Some of the questionnaires are signed by the participating employee. The Report of Review of Office Operations file refers to a project undertaken by consultants Ernst and Ernst (folder 316). Strikes and labor relations files represent the unionization of the employees at the Cumberland Coca-Cola Bottling Works Inc. and York Coca-Cola Co. (folders 317–230). The initial grievance for York was filed in 1950, and Cumberland filed with the National Labor Relations Board in August 1951. Both locations' employees organized into the International Brotherhood of Teamsters, Chauffeurs, Warehousemen and Helpers. Cumberland workers declared a strike and picketed the company from May to December 1952. The York file includes the Petition for Consent Election, Notice of Election, Certification of Record, and correspondence between the union and Central Coca-Cola management and legal counsel. The Cumberland files include transcripts of speeches made to employees before the union organization and strike (to protect liability), pay roll lists for the members of the union, and accounts of conversations between management and union employees, along with legal correspondence.

Box 14

Series 4. Legal Materials, 1927–1980.

For most of Central Coca-Cola's lifetime it was maintained as a group of independent franchises. Accordingly, the contracts and legal documents files may contain bottler's contracts, canning agency agreements, stockholder's resolutions, and other legal and financial agreements for each individual franchise (folders 322–336). The syrup contract files contain agreements between Coca Cola USA and each franchise or bottling plant location for each type of syrup they sold, with the exception of the Coca-Cola syrup )folders 337–344). Coca-Cola Bottling Co. (Thomas), Inc., the Chattanooga based company that owned a large amount of the bottling rights to Coca-Cola, provided Coca-Cola syrup to Central Coca-Cola until 1974. At that time The Coca-Cola Company bought the Coca-Cola Bottling Co. (Thomas) Inc.'s extensive bottling rights back. The miscellaneous legal files include The Schedule A Processing Agreements file relates to Central Coca-Cola's habit of contracting out beverage production that they could not produce in their plants (folder 347). Under the Coca-Cola contract they were required "to meet satisfactorily the demand for the Beverage" and were allowed with these agreements to contract out if that demand could not be met. A majority of the company's aluminum and plastic beverage products were produced by the Mid Atlantic Canners Association, Inc.

Box 15

Series 5. Operations Materials, 1926–1975.

The Crass Plant Consolidation file concerns the separation and distribution, in 1951, of the James E. Crass plants to the stockholders who held the majority of stock in the individual franchises through a stock swap (folder 348). Walter L. Sams had managed all of the Crass plants until James E. Crass's wife, Emma, and daughters, Ada and Nellie, decided to remove their interests in the plants from his control and forced his resignation. This process formed the group of plants that eventually became the Central Coca-Cola Company.

Also included in this series are miscellaneous files, including those relating to the three Christian sons, Langdon IV, W. Lee, and Mark, who worked for the company sporadically; the correspondence represents a time when Langdon and Lee worked in the Richmond headquarters in the 1970s with the bottling locations sales managers (folders 359–360). The Crown Count file shows how bottlers kept track of over-the-counter sales of beverages before home refrigeration changed the way soda was sold (folder 361). The Servomation Vendors file deals with Langdon T. Christian's investigation into the sale by a competitor of canned soda for vending machines (folder 364).

Box 16

Part II. Central Coca-Cola Bottling Company, Inc.

Series 6. Administrative Materials, 1981–2003.

The company reached a milestone when Langdon T. Christian retired from the presidency of the company in January of 1982. He did not retain any relationship with the company, other than his position as a trustee of the Walter L. Sams trust, after he retired. The transition from Langdon T. Christian as president to Betty Sams Christian was at times tumultuous. Mrs. Christian did try to find a person to replace her as president of the company. She hired Robert B. Lorch, who had previously served as a consultant to the company, prior to being named president of Central Coca-Cola from May 1983 through 1984. After Mr. Lorch's tenure Betty Sams Christian reclaimed the position as president and chairman of the board of the company until her retirement in 2003.

The board consisted of members elected by the stockholders of the company. All three of the Christian children served on the board of directors. The children, who sided with their father's opinion that the company should be sold or at least taken out of the hands of Betty Sams Christian, often voted against their mother when she was elected chairman of the board. The sons would also abstain from voting on motions proposed by Mrs. Christians's appointees. Despite the children's objections to their mother and how she ran the company two of the Christian's sons, Langdon IV, and W. Lee were elected vice presidents of the company in March 1982 after their father retired. The children all were granted leaves of absence from the company to pursue educational goals (refer to Employment Contracts, Christian Children, 1982–1984, folder 508). Ultimately, though, none of the sons was allowed to replace Betty Sams Christian as president of the company.

Series 6.1. Board of Director's Meeting Materials and Minutes, 1981–2003.

Some Board of Director's meetings include a transcription of a recording of the meeting as well as minutes.

Box 17

Box 18

Box 19

Box 20

Series 6.2. Stockholders' Meetings Materials and Minutes, 1982–2000.

The stockholders' meeting was held annually and consisted of the Christians's, (who were divorcing from 1982–1987) as trustees of the Walter L. Sams Trust; Mrs.Christian representing her own shares, and those of Lottie C. Sams (Betty controlled her mother's shares of the company by a ten-year proxy signed in 1979). Langdon and Betty often argued over the direction of the company. Langdon and the couple's three children, who intermittently served on the Board of Directors, felt the privately held franchises were no longer profitable and that the company should be sold while it still held value. The sons expressed their desires as the ultimate beneficiaries of the Walter L. Sams Trust even though it had to pass through their mother before they would inherit the money (for more discussion of the family issues see the Family Committee files 495–496). Betty Sams Christian and her mother maintained that the company was the last thing that Walter L. Sams would have wanted to be liquidated, as dictated by his will (folder 1768), and wished to maintain the company and attempt to make it more profitable. The stockholders voted for the directors for the Board, and because Betty Sams Christian held control of the majority of stock (including her mother's proxy) she was able to appoint members who supported her point of view. Once Mrs. Sams died in 1984, Mrs. Christian lost her proxy, and the shares were represented jointly by Betty Sams Christian and a trust officer from the United Virginia Bank, which resulted in more accountability of the company for its performance and earnings. All of these issues and players led to tense stockholder's meetings. Mrs. Christian often requested her personal legal advisor and company board member, Marshall L. Lowenstein, attend the meetings. Some examples include: in the 1983 May 2 stockholder's meeting (folder 444) Langdon T. Christian questioned the competency of Lottie C. Sams to declare Betty Sams Christian as her proxy; at the 1986 April 16 stockholder's meeting (folder 447) and the 1987 April 20 meeting (folder 448) Langdon T. Christian sent a registered letter stating he would not attend the meetings despite notice to prevent a quorum from being established. This barred the meeting from occurring, and allowed Mr. Christian to protest the leadership of Betty Sams Christian and the decline of company earnings.

Box 21

Series 6.3. Committee Meeting Materials and Minutes, 1991–1995.

Includes records of the Benefits Committee, 1991–1995, Executive Committee, 1982–1986 (includes "consent minutes" of agreements to resolutions when the committee did not actually meet in person), and materials relating to the Family Committee. The Family Committee was comprised of Betty Sams Christian and her three sons, Langdon, W. Lee and Mark. The family used the meetings to deal with the question of succession of leadership in the company beyond Betty Sams Christian, and to make her sons feel more involved in the company. There is a very frank transcription of a discussion between Betty Sams Christian and one of her sons regarding the history of leadership in the company and her family's internal relationships. Included also in this section is a small amount of correspondence between family members and also includes information on family business seminars.

Box 22

Series 6.4. Reports and Miscellaneous, 1982–1999.

These include the Annual/President's report (similar reports with different names) and Board of Directors' administrative reports

Box 23

Series 7. Financial Materials, 1981–2003.

This series includes reports, audits, company valuations (compiled in 2001–203 as the Board of Directors considered selling out to a larger bottler), and miscellaneous materials (including information about budgets, capital appropriations, dividends, etc.)

Series 7.1. Financial Reports, 1981–1999.

"Financials" are reports that are compiled to give a picture of the fiscal health of the company by month. Files might include case sales by package, Direct Costs, Discounts, Statement of Earnings Actual vs. Budget, Profit and Loss Statements, and Comparative Financial Statements.

Box 24

Box 25

Box 26

Box 27

Series 7.2. Audits, 1986–2001.

Series 7.3. Company Valuations, 2001–2003.

Company value evaluation materials were mainly produced by Glover Capital Inc. to help the Central owners whether to sell out to a larger bottling group. Materials offer a good assessment of the Coca-Cola bottling industry during the early 2000s.

Box 28

Series 7.4. Miscellaneous Financial Materials, 1986–2003.

Series 8. Human Resources and Labor Management, 1981–2000.

A number of the files below document the Company's efforts to use incentives to motivate their employees and increase the company's sales. The union file for Cumberland, Md. (folder 761) regards the renegotiation of employee benefits at that plant.

Box 29

Series 9. Legal Materials, 1978–2000.

These files chiefly concern Central Coca-Cola's participation in a lawsuit against the Coca-Cola Company over the pricing and ingredients for Coke. Also included is information on the federal government's investigation of Central Coca-Cola and other soft drink bottlers for price fixing. Among the miscellaneous files is an agreement between Central Coca-Cola and Langford T. Christian, III, concerning company-held antique furniture; this agreement was related in part to the divorce of L. T. Christian and Betty Sams Christian.

Series 9.1. The Coca-Cola Company v. Unamended Bottlers, et al, 1978–1991.

Central Coca-Cola and other bottlers formed a group called the Bottlers of Coca-Cola USA and waged a long running legal battle with the Coca-Cola Company over changes to the original Coca-Cola formula without the consent of the bottlers. They felt the changes to the original formula (i.e. Diet Coke, Caffeine Free versions, and the replacement of sugar by high fructose corn syrup or HFCS-55) violated their contracts with the parent company. The bottlers mainly opposed the increase in the price of syrup with the changes to the formula, further lowering their already increasingly small profit margins. These bottlers were also referred to as "unamended first line Coca-Cola bottlers" or as the "Elizabethtown plaintiffs." Many of the same bottlers involved in the Elizabethtown suit also joined the 1983 litigation concerning the price of Diet Coke Syrup.

Series 9.2. Antitrust Investigations, 1983–1990.

In 1984 Central Coca-Cola Bottling Co. faced litigation when the government cracked down on the bottlers of Coke and Pepsi in Virginia for price fixing. The alleged goal of the indicted companies was to inflate prices for products and prevent other bottlers from growing. Central Coca-Cola was cleared of any illegal practices.

Series 9.3. Miscellaneous Legal Materials, 1982–2000.

Among the miscellaneous files is the antique settlement for Langdon T. Christian. Langdon and Betty Christian ended their marriage and business partnership in 1982 with their divorce and Langdon's retirement from Central Coca-Cola. The antique settlement concerns the appraisal of furniture held by the company for sale to Mr. Christian. The Memorandum of Understanding regards a development deal offered to Central Coca-Cola by the Winchester-Frederick County Economic Development Commission. The development group offered significant funding for signing an agreement to build a sales center in the area. The Williams Mullen Clark and Dobbins file includes miscellaneous correspondence from the firm that served as corporate counsel to Central Coca-Cola.

Series 10. Operations Materials, 1963–2002.

These materials are subdivided into Series 10.1. General Central Coca-Cola Operating Files, Series 10.2. Bottling Location Files, Series 10.3. Cocal-Cola Company Files, Series 10.4. Coca-Cola USA (CCUSA), later Coca-Cola North America (CCNA) Files, Series 10.5. Consultants Files, Series 10.6. Facilities Management Files, Series 10.7. Production Files, Series 10.8. Training materials, Series 10.9. Transshipping information, 1972–1994, and Series 10.10. Miscellaneous Operations materials.

Series 10.1. General Operating Files, 1963–2002.

Regarding the files for Dave Compton (folders 743–745), he was appointed Director of Operations in 1984, and put in charge of engineering, quality assurance, purchasing, facilities planning, and plant operations. Ralph Ransone's files concern his tenure as Central Coca-Cola's secretary and treasurer. The Subject Notebook most likely is Ralph Ransone's and contains topics concerning: corporate tax laws; lists of the banks the company uses, the street addresses of the plants, stockholders, officers and directors of the individual plants, plant federal numbers, Mid-Atlantic Canners Association, Inc. pricing from 1969–1973, and By-Laws of all the corporations operated under the Central Coca-Cola umbrella. Apartheid and Coca-Cola (folder 740) refers to a protest in Central's franchise area. Bottler Systems Inc. provided software to bottlers (folder 741).

Box 30

Series 10.2. Bottling Locations and Sales Centers, 1982–2001.

These operations files deal with the day-to-day correspondence between Central Coca-Cola's headquarters in Richmond, Va. and the franchises. Included are photographs of facilities and equipment. The Fairmont, West Virginia, Union Issues file (folder 763) refers to pamphlets found in the area around the plant promoting a boycott of "non-union Coca-Cola."

Box 31

Series 10.3. Coca-Cola Company Materials, 1984–2000.

The "Goizueta, Roberto C., visit to Monticello, 1995 July 4" file (folder 785) deals with Coca-Cola Company president Goizueta's visit to Monticello to speak at the July 4 Naturalization Ceremony held annually at the historic site. Goizueta was a Cuban immigrant to the United States and was naturalized in 1969. For more information on the "Ivester, M. Douglas, visit to Charlottesville, 1994" file (folder 786) see also the school sponsorship files, University of Virginia. Mr. Ivester visited the University of Virginia to help Betty Sams Christian sell Coca-Cola products to the school.

Box 32

Series 10.4. Coca-Cola USA Materials, 1977–2000.

Coca-Cola USA (CCUSA) and the subsequent Coca-Cola North America (CCNA) are the domestic business unit of the Coca-Cola Company that provides marketing and technical expertise to bottlers in the US and Canada.

Series 10.5. Consultants Materials, 1982–1996.

Ipplito and Christon, Consultants, produced a strategy for a long-term business plan for the company in 1987. Central Coca-Cola hired consultant William E. Welsh in 1987 to help the company develop management trainees and in particular help the troubled Lima, Ohio plant. Welsh's Coca-Cola franchise experience began with the Akron Coca-Cola Bottling Co. in 1970, where he served as president for the last two years of his tenure. During Welsh's consultation with the company he joined the Board of Directors of Central Coca-Cola and remained on the board until at least 2002.

Box 33

Series 10.6. Facilities Management Materials, 1982–1999.

Series 10.7. Production Materials, 1978–2000.

Production standards were important to The Coca-Cola Company. It pushed the bottlers to produce a consistent product that met its standards, and offered the bottlers many ways to audit and evaluate themselves.

Series 10.8. Training materials, 1982–1999.

The "Year 2000 Readiness disclosure, 1999" was a training program designed to help bottlers be prepared for "Y2K" issues when computer programs were supposed to fail at the turn of the 21st century.

Box 34

Series 10.9. Transshipping Information, 1972–1994.

Transshipping or "footballing" is the practice of selling products in another bottler's franchise territory. The Transshipping Claims files represent the company's complaints against other bottlers selling products in Central Coca-Cola's territory. Coca-Cola USA resolved transshipping issues among the bottlers, and exercised the right to fine bottlers who transshipped products into another producer's territory.

Series 10.10. Miscellaneous Operations-related Information.

Promotional posters, 1947

Series 11. Marketing and Sales Promotions, 1972–2002.

This series includes product-wide marketing information, beverage-specific marketing information, marketing reports from coca-Cola USA, marketing workshops and meetings, Olympic Games promotional materials, merchandise calendars, marketing information provided by Data Bank, and miscellaneous marketing-related files, some of which include photographs.

Series 11.1. Beverage Promotional and Marketing Tools, Product Wide, 1985–1989.

Most of these materials were provided by Coca-Cola USA for use either regionally or nationally. The Executive Summary and Marketing Plans, 1985–1987, and the Marketing Programs were specifically prepared for Central Coca-Cola Bottling Company.

Box 35

Series 11.2. Individual Beverage Information and Marketing, 1973–2000.

Files include promotional and marketing plans along with correspondence between Central Coca-Cola and Coca-Cola USA or the producer of the beverage. Not all of Coca-Cola's beverage products were available to all regions. If there was a gap or demand for products not available to Central Coca-Cola from The Coca-Cola Company they were permitted to produce beverages from other companies.

Diet Coke's introduction was gradual on a test market basis. The bottlers who got to test Diet Coke were generally companies that the Coca-Cola Co. owned or with whom they held some financial interest. Central Coca-Cola and the Coca-Cola Bottlers Association had objections "to the change in the formula for Coca-Cola without its consent, and that it objects to the use of the 'Coca-Cola' and 'Coke' trademarks in which this company has an interest in connection with the manufacture, advertisement, promotion, and sale of 'diet Coca-Cola' in the United States." The bottlers maintained that Coca-Cola should continue the same purchase price for the Diet Coke syrup as they paid for the regular syrup in their original contract. This delayed Central Coca-Cola from introducing Diet Coke in its territory. As part of the disagreement Central had with the Coca-Cola Company the owners documented every request they got in their bottling territories for Diet Coke in the first half of 1983 (Folders 909–914). The bottlers eventually reached a compromise with the Coca-Cola Company on the prices of the Diet Coke syrup. Also of interest is the marketing plan for the monumental disaster New Coke (folder 915–916), and the files for the re-introduction of Classic Coca-Cola (folder 902) after New Coke had failed.

Box 36

Box 37

Box 38

Series 11.3. Coca-Cola USA Marketing Information Mailings, 1982–2002.

Marketing information mailings were sent to the Central Coca-Cola Bottling Company by Coca-Cola USA, the domestic division of the Coca-Cola Company, on a weekly basis. The mailings were meant to inform the company about marketing events and advertising promotions to aid in the sale of coca-cola products to retailers and the public.

Box 39

Box 40

Box 41

Box 42

Box 43

Box 44

Series 11.4. Marketing Workshops and Meetings, 1984–1994.

Box 45

Series 11.5. Olympic Games Promotional Materials, 1984–1996.

Series 11.6. Promotional Merchandise Catalogs, 1982–1999.

The Coca-Cola Company is known for its merchandising just as much as its soda products. These catalog companies produced Coca-Cola licensed items for bottlers to use to promote the product with customers and the general public.

Box 46

Series 11.7. Data Bank, 1986–1999.

Data Bank was a contract service that provided marketing information concerning the sales of beverages in the territories where Central Coca-Cola bottled products. With this information the company could make decisions about production and understand Coca-Cola's market share in the communities where they sold their products.

Box 47

Series 11.8. Miscellaneous Marketing Materials, 1972–2002.

Box 48

Series 12. Publications, 1927–2002.

This series includes publications by the Coca-Cola Company in the areas of management, production, and sales, as well as non-Coca-Cola Company publications from a variety of sources. Among these is other soft drink companies for whom Central Coca-Cola provided bottling services, beverage industry organizations, financial industry organizations, management industry organizations, as well as the popular press. Compiled by Mrs. Christian, the topics represented extend beyond the beverage industry.

Series 12.1. Coca-Cola Company Publications, 1927–2002.

These publications were produced by the Coca-Cola Company and its subsidiaries to educate bottlers and their employees about various topics including procedures, customer service, training (i.e. bottler, route salesman), World War II wartime restrictions and postwar hiring. The publications are organized by their purpose: Management, Production and Sales.

Management publications include annual reports and company histories. They also include publications are geared toward managers of bottling companies. Three publishers produced The Coca-Cola Bottler: the Coca-Cola Bottler's Association, Hickory Publishing Company, and Coca-Cola USA. Bulletins were sent out to insure that bottlers were maintaining standardized uniforms, paint colors, and other details for all of the Coca-Cola products. Note the two post-World War II publications, The Post War Hiring Problem (folder 1130) and Post War Plan (folder 1131), both 1945?; which deal with hiring issues and sales plans for after the war.

Most of the publications were created by Coca-Cola USA, but some were produced by other bottlers.

The Production-related publications reflect Coca-Cola Company's focus on the standardization of production to insure a quality product from all bottlers.

Many of the sales publications were written for route salesmen and their managers. Note the Bottles and Carton publications (folders 1151–52) which helped salesmen educate vendors to properly ration Coca-Cola during World War II.

At the end of this series there are several advertising posters and some miscellaneous Coca-Cola Company publications.

Box 49

Management-oriented publications

Box 50

Box 51

Production-related publications, 1950s–1992

Box 52

Sales pamphlets and books, 1927–1978

Box 53

Box 54

Miscellaneous Coca-Cola Company posters, 1945? and 1990

Miscellaneous Coca-Cola Company Publications, n.d. and 1959–1980.

The Environmental Renewal publication (folder 1231) is a transcription of a speech given by Coca-Cola President J. Paul Austin in 1970. The collection contains a single special issue of Momentum (folder 1233), which describes itself as "the magazine for employees of The Coca-Cola Company, worldwide, . . . dedicated to the search for a better environment." Share a Look at the Future (folder 1234), concerns the Management Information Systems Division at The Coca-Cola Company. The Sports Programs and Flyer Catalog (folder 1235) is only the folio that contained the information.

Series 12.2. Non-Coca-Cola Company Publications, 1927–2002.

This series includes annual reports, 1980–1989, of companies for whom Central Coca-Cola would provide bottling services, including A&W Brands and Cadbury Schweppes brands. Also included are annual reports for Columbia Pictures Entertainment, which owned the Coca-Cola Company in the late 1980s.

In addition, there are articles and serials, 1929–1997, from non-bottling industry related publications, collected by Betty Sams Christian, containing articles of interest to the beverage or bottling industry. These materials were collected by Betty Sams Christian, along with financial newsletters, bottling industry publications (mostly incomplete but still extensive runs), management, production and sales-oriented publications, and newspaper clippings on a variety of subjects.

Box 55

Articles and serials, 1929–1997

Box 56

Financial newsletters, 1973–1994

Industry publications, 1927–2001

Box 57

Box 58

Box 59

Box 60

Box 61

Box 62

Box 63

Box 64

Box 65

Box 66

Management publications, 1967–2002

Newspaper clippings

These articles illustrate Mrs. Christian's fondness for newspaper clipping and industry news, particularly the Wall Street Journal. The clippings are broadly organized into subject files. These files, subject titles should not be construed as exclusive of one another. For example, Pepsi files have information about Coca-Cola and vice versa.

Box 67

Production publications, 1945–1946

Box 68

Sales publications, 1932–1973

Miscellaneous Posters

Miscellaneous Publications, n.d. and 1930–1996

Series 13. Associations and Conferences, 1968–2002.

This series reflects Central Coca-Cola's association with a number of regional, state, and industry-related organizations.

Series 13.1. The Coca-Cola Bottlers Association, 1979–2000.

This organization was founded to help the bottlers retain better insurance rates, but ultimately became an advocacy group for the bottlers. The Bottling Line was one of the publications produced by the group. The Coca-Cola Bottler was also produced by the Coca-Cola Bottler's association but eventually the publication was taken over by Coca-Cola USA in the 1970s. Please refer to Coca-Cola Company publications for issues of that magazine (folders 1102-1117).

Box 69

Series 13.2. Mid-Atlantic Canners Association, 1980–2002.

Mid-Atlantic Canners Association, Inc. is a cooperative soft drink canning facility for the Coca-Cola system. Papers include correspondence, annual meeting notices, agendas, and meeting minutes of the organization.

Series 13.3. National Soft Drink Association, 1968–2002.

The association started in1916 as the American Bottlers of Carbonated Beverages, and it renamed itself the National Soft Drink Association in 1966. It is now known as the American Beverage Association. The group provides an avenue for producers of non-alcoholic beverages to discuss common problems within the industry, as well as serving as a liaison between the beverage industry and legislators.

Box 70

Series 13.4. National Soft Drink Association, International Beverage Exposition and Conference (also known as Interbev), 1983–1998.

Box 71

Series 13.5. National Soft Drink Association Publications, 1982–1994.

Box 72

Series 13.6. State Organizations, 1981–2000.

Central Coca-Cola held memberships in state organizations where they held franchises. These groups were very concerned with recycling and preventing litter.

Box 73

Series 13.7. Miscellaneous Organizations, 1989–1993.

Series 14. Sponsorships and Philanthropy, 1980–2002.

The line between philanthropy and sponsorship was often blurred when the bottling company donated money to schools to help secure exclusive rights to provide beverages on campuses. Mrs. Christian was a strong supporter of University of Virginia soccer for this reason.

Box 74

Series 14.1. Sponsorship, Schools and Universities, 1985–2000.

Box 75

Series 14.2. Philanthropy, 1980–2002.

Mrs. Christian enjoyed contributing to the communities where her company held Coca-Cola franchises and Richmond, Virginia where her company was headquartered and she resided. The Lima, Staunton, and York Bottling Companies took part in so many philanthropic events within its own community they warranted a separate file. Other local philanthropic events that took place in the franchise territories can also be found in the bottling location historical series below.

Box 76

Series 15. Historical Materials, 1908–2001.

These materials relate primarily to the different bottling plant locations scattered throughout a five-state area, including Maryland (Cumberland, Hagerstown, and Oakland), Ohio (Lima), Pennsylvania (Chambersburg, Harrisburg, Williamsport, and York), Virginia (Charlottesville, Harrisonburg, Richmond, Staunton, and Winchester), and West Virginia (Fairmont and Romney). Included are photographs, memorabilia, audio-visual, and published materials.

Series 15.1. Bottling Locations, 1919–2001.

These files contain information about the communities that surrounded the bottling plants and historical photographs (many undated). The files may have been assembled to help create a perspective on the company's history. Betty Sams Christian believed that her company's franchises should contribute to their communities and often donated her own money to local causes. The file on Fairmont, West Virginia (folder 1694) contains an interesting group of papers concerning preparations for Mary Lou Retton Day, a celebration for the gymnast on her return to her hometown from the 1984 Olympics in Los Angeles. The Williamsport, Pa. files (folder 1703–1704) contain programs for the Little League Baseball World Series which was held in the area. The Harrisburg, Pa. file (folder 1696) contains an oversized panoramic photograph of the plant. Harrisburg was apart of the larger Crass plant system that went with the Crass family, and did not become a part of the franchise group under Walter L. Sams's control in 1951. Retirement parties for employees are documented in some of the location files, employees whose bottling franchises could not be identified were placed in the miscellaneous file.

Box 77

Series 15.2. Bottling Location Anniversaries, 1977–1989.

These files offer a wealth of information about the confusing individual histories of the Coca-Cola franchises held by the Crass/Sams/Christian families. The Harrisburg, Pennsylvania plant anniversary file shows how the franchise run by James E. Crass's grandson celebrated its anniversary.

Box 78

Series 15.4. Conferences and Commemoration Dinner Programs, 1939–1953 (includes photographs, where available)

Box 79

Series 15.5. Photographs and Prints, 1910–1965.

This collection of photographs and prints features images of many men significant in the leadership of the Coca-Cola Company. Harrison Jones (folder 1739) was the Coca-Cola Company's fourth chairman. George T. Hunter (1738) was head of the Coca-Cola Bottling Company (Thomas), one of the largest suppliers of Coca-Cola syrups to bottlers in history. Ernest Woodruff (folder 1743) bought the Coca-Cola Company in 1919 with an investor from the Candler family.

Series 15.6. Miscellaneous Historical Materials, 1908–1981.

The Blue Ridge Bottling Works, Inc., Stock Certificates (folder 1746), document the holders of the company prior to the purchase by Walter L. Sams and his father-in-law James E. Crass in 1919.

Series 15.7. Audiovisual Materials, 1940s–2001.

The materials below are samples of audiovisual materials of a historical nature which duplicate the collections at The Coca-Cola Company archives in Atlanta, Georgia. The collection was culled because access could not be provided to all formats. The inventory of all audiovisual items can be found in the control file for the collection and accessed through the reference librarians. The audiovisuals are sorted by container, and alphabetically by format. Items are shelved immediately following box 79.

Box 80

LP Records (listed alphabetically by title)

Coca-Cola Themes, 12", D' Arcy Advertising Co.
Coca-Cola in Wartime, 1940s, 12", The Coca-Cola Co., Columbia Recording Corporation, all records have 2 sides except record 4 (7 parts), title same for all records.
The Grip of Leadership, 1961, 12", The JAM HANDY Organization, Manufactured by RCA Victor Custom Records
The Product Speaks: 1951 Parent Bottler Con., 1951, 16", The JAM HANDY Organization
Refreshment Time Melodies Presented by Singing Sam: A Souvenir Album for Bottlers of Coca-Cola (in special jacket), 10", 4 discs, 8 parts, Sound Studios of New York Inc., Artists: The Moon Fell in The River, Parish and De Rose from It Happens on Ice; We Could Make Such Beautiful Music, Sour and Manners; Waiting at the End of the Road, Irving Berlin; Little Old Lady, Hoagy Carmichael, From The Show Is On; Smiling Through, Arthur Penn; Moonlight and Roses, Moret, Lemare, and Black; Somebody Else, Not Me, McDonald and Hanley from Broadway Brevities of 1920; Casey Jones, Seibert and Newton;
[The spots on this record are from a transcription], 6 1/2", The Coca-Cola Co., 3 copies
Tab, 1964, 12", McCann-Marschalk Co., Inc., 1964 March
Tab, Fanta Beverage Company*, 1964, 12", McCann-Marschalk Co., Inc., 1964 June, transcription of record included (2 copies)
Talk Profits, 3 Discs, 6 parts, 12", Sound Studios of New York, Inc., Recorded by Harrison Jones Exec. Vice President, Coca-Cola Company. Parts: Talk Profits, The Recipe of Success, Service with a Smile, Give My Friend a Job, "A" Stands for Advertising (Part chipped off of the record), Home Sweet Home
Things go better with Coke, 7", Special Orchestrated Version and 60 second jingle
This Week Magazine, Edwin Diehl, Promotion Manager, Indoor Picnic by Coca-Cola, 7"

Box 81

Audio Reels

Joie Chitwood Thrill Show, Williamsport Coca Cola, 1979

Tape Cassettes

(listed alphabetically by title and date; asterisks represent tapes with additional documentation in the collection control file)

Bottler Strategies for Buying, Selling, and Staying*, n.d.
Coca-Cola Bottlers' Meeting, 1985
Major Trends Affecting Coca-Cola Bottler Values, 1995
Staunton, Virginia, 75th Anniversary...Comments of Betty Sams Christian, 1983
The Talking Vender for Coca-Cola*, 1983

VHS Tapes

(listed by title, number of copies, and date; asterisks represent tapes with further documentation in the collection control file)

The Coca-Cola Company Civic Action Network, "Always involved, Always Coca-Cola," 1994
Phil Mooney/Coke Norman Rockwell Painting, Today Show, 2001
Sunkist 1987 Bottler Meeting, 1987
Demolition of Oakland, Maryland Bottling Plant, 1997* (Filmed by Lois B. Wessler, ca. 1995–1996; tracking damaged by video still viewable)

Box 82

Beta Max/Cam and Unusual Tape Recording Mediums

(asterisks represent tapes with additional documentation in the control file)

Ed Mellett, Bottler Message, 1987
Edwin R. Mellett, Bottler Message-Maintaining Momentum, 1986
Fairmont Coca-Cola Opening, 1986
Jim Craig "American Heroes" Bottler Presentation*, 1980?
A Message to Coca-Cola Bottlers From Ike Herbert, 1988
NSDA Souvenir Atlanta, 1978
York Plant, W-4 Forms, Training Film, 1985

Films

Coca-Cola Conservation, 1957?, 16mm
Lucky You, 1959, 16 mm

Part III. Personal Papers.

Series 16. Walter Lee Sams Papers, 1908–1965

A large amount of the contents of this group of papers regard Walter L. Sams's (1886–1965) employment with the Coca-Cola Company as a Sales Representative. Sams primarily sold Coca-Cola syrup to soda fountains in Virginia, West Virginia, and Tennessee from 1914 until 1917 when he left the company for military service. After being discharged from the military he joined James Crass's soda bottling plants headquartered in Richmond and married Mr. Crass's daughter Lottie. The Coca-Cola Company sales representative job involved distributing advertising materials (posters, calendars, etc.) to Coca-Cola soda vendors, organizing the painting of advertising on buildings and windows in his territory (Employment records from Coca-Cola sign painter R. H. Kemper [folder 1749]), to police unauthorized "jobbing," and misrepresentation of the Coca-Cola brand (substituting), along with selling the Coca-Cola syrup. Some proprietors of soda fountains, pharmacists and confectioners from Virginia are represented in the correspondence. Also, legal correspondence is included from the Coca Cola Company's lawyers at Candler, Thomson, and Hirsch. Notable correspondents include Asa Candler (founder President), Samuel Candler Dobbs (Vice President), Charles H. Candler (President), William Candler (Secretary/Treasurer), with the majority of correspondence between Sams and Barton S. McCash (Vice President of Advertising). Of particular interest is the corporate resignation letter of Coca-Cola Company founder and President Asa G. Candler in 1916 February 1. There is correspondence stemming from the sugar shortage starting in 1917 because of World War I rationing. Coca-Cola was highly rationed and Sams attempted to place orders with the company that could not be fulfilled (letters starting 1917 November 28 thru 1918). Also included are some discussions of the federal war tax and how it was to be assessed in a letter dated 1917 October 16. Copies of some of Sams's correspondence are also included along with annotations on letters.

Series 16.1. The Coca-Cola Company, 1917–1930.

Box 83

Series 16.2. Financial Materials, 1919–1947.

Series 16.3. Legal materials, 1931–1962.

Series 16.4. Miscellaneous, 1906–1965.

Series 17. Lottie Crass Sams Papers, 1924–1987.

Lottie C. Sams (1894–1984) was the daughter of prominent Richmond soda bottler James E. Crass. She married Walter L. Sams after her father hired him to work for his company around 1919. She held an important role in the company's history. She controlled the majority of stock in the company after her husband died in 1965, and could vote as she or her proxy saw fit at stockholder's meetings. Betty Sams Christian held Lottie's proxy from 1979 until the older woman's death in 1984.

Series 17.1. Financial materials, 1924–1987.

Box 84

Series 17.2. Check Register, Ledgers, 1945–1976.

Check register and ledgers kept by Lottie C. Sams, track household purchases, loans (some made to different bottling franchises), dividend payments, charitable contributions, and estates. Ledger, 1971–1972, was kept while Lottie C. Sams may have been a member of Ginter Park Garden Club, and documents club dues, costs for luncheons, disbursements, and savings.

Series 17.3. Will, 1976.

Series 18. Betty Sams Christian Papers, 1942–2003.

Betty Lee (Sams) Christian (1922–2006) was the daughter of Walter L. Sams and Lottie C. Sams. She was born in Staunton, Virginia and raised in Richmond in one of the most prominent Coca-Cola Bottling families on the East Coast. Her grandfather James E. Crass at one time held 42 Coca-Cola bottling franchises. She graduated from Hollins College in 1943 and graduated with a master's in social work from Columbia University in 1946. She married Langdon T. Christian, member of a prominent Richmond family that ran a mortuary service, around 1946. Langdon worked for Betty's family business, and eventually took over the company when her father died in 1965. The couple raised three sons, Langdon IV, W. Lee, and Mark. When the couple divorced and Langdon retired from Central Coca-Cola Betty took over the company and ran it until her retirement in 2003. Betty Sams Christian was a shareholder and invested a large amount of money in the Le Bleu Corporation.

Series 18.1. Financial Materials, 1962–1963 and 2002.

Series 18.2. Tax returns, 1943–1945, 2001.

Series 18.3. Miscellaneous, n.d., 1989–2003.

Series 19. Langdon Taylor Christian III Papers, 1944–1982.

Langdon T. Christian III (1921–2005) was a member of a prominent Richmond family who owned the Christian Funeral Home. He attended the University of Virginia and served in the U. S. Navy during the World War II. The personal papers from Langdon T. Christian concern his work as a Sales Manger in the National Sales Division for The Coca-Cola Company from approximately 1946–1948. Mr. Christian may have had help from his father-in-law, Walter L. Sams, in obtaining his job, as he held a similar position with the Coca-Cola Company in the late 1910s. The Sales Manager Correspondence and Materials files include correspondence, publications, and photographs from his work with the Coca-Cola Company (folders 1796–1799). A great portion of his sales correspondence involves selling coca-cola to movie theaters and grocery stores. The Territory Listings files are an accounting of all businesses by city and county in the areas where Langdon T. Christian III managed sales along with an estimate of how many people the company employed (folders 1800–1805).

Series 19.1. The Coca-Cola Company, 1944–1948.

Box 85

Series 19.2. Pension Records, 1966–1982.

Series 19.3. Miscellaneous, 1944–1978.

Oversized Materials (Filed separately)

The following materials are too large to be located in the standard folders, and thus removed to two oversized storage locations. The first is box 86 of the collection. The second category of oversized is located in a flat file storage drawer in the Reynolds Business History Center manuscripts storage. In each case, the folder from which the item was removed, or in which it would normally appear in the arrangement of the collection is noted.

Oversized in Grey Box

Series 10: Operations materials

Bottling locations and sales centers

Series 11: Marketing and sales promotions

Olympics

Series 12.1: Coca-Cola Publications

Miscellaneous Coca-Cola Company posters and publications

Series 12.2: Non-Coca-Cola Publications

Miscellaneous Non-Coca-Cola posters and publications

Series 14.2: Sponsorship and philanthropy

Philanthropy

Series 15: Historical materials

Bottling locations

Dinner Programs and Photographs

Historical Photographs and prints

Miscellaneous Photographs and Prints

Series 16: Walter Lee Sams Personal Papers

Flat File Storage

Oversize Folder 1

Series 10: Operations materials : Bottling locations and sales centers

Series 12: Publications : Miscellaneous Coca-Cola Company posters and publications

Series 14.1: Sponsorship, schools and universities

Oversize Folder 2

Series 15: Historical materials : Historical photographs

Processed by Laura E. G. Stoner
© 2008 By The Virginia Historical Society. All rights reserved.