Semester Wrap-up

Of all the semesters I've attended university, this has been the most recent - by that I mean I am sure glad to see the end of it.

Bureaucratic frustrations and tedious coursework aside, the semester has been great for my career advancement.

Although the Williamson collection has not gone live yet, it is completed and documented in Archivists Toolkit. I had a fantastic opportunity to give a brief presentation on Mr. Williamson's legislative legacy to the Smith County Historical Society, which was well recieved.

I had a chance to learn a smidge about museum work through the Tim Anthony Jackson collection of political memorabilia (namely, through sorting and storing campaign pins dating back to President McKinley).

My current project is the Sarah McClendon collection, a moderately hectic bundle of papers reflecting the personal life and professional career of a traiblazing female journalist (born in Tyler, Texas) whose Beltway career spanned eight presidents. The collection contains research, personal correspondence, interview notes (although her handwriting is virtually indecipherable), transcriptions of interviews and testimonies, reports from government and private sector agencies, and myriad articles (at all stages of the editing process). Her papers are a treasure trove of information.

The first candidate for the archivist's position arrives on campus next week; I am eager to settle back into a regular directed routine, but the prospect of change in the workplace is always an uncomfortable one for me. I don't know what kind of skills, methodology, or personality Ms. Joyce's replacement will bring to UT Tyler.

Beyond the archives, I have pursued deepening involvement in the Smith County Historical Society and the campus branch of the Webb Historical Society. Two weeks ago I recieved my official invitation to the historical honor society, Phi Alpha Theta. Last month I was inducted into the Alpha Chi honor society (a cross-disciplinary academic honor society).