Thought I'd share this blogpost that went up on the UT Tyler UASC blog today, titled "Sarah McClendon, in her own words: Reflections on Nixon, Watergate, and the Press"
http://uttyleruasc.wordpress.com/2012/06/22/sarah-mcclendon-in-her-own-words-reflections-on-nixon-watergate-and-the-press/
Showing posts with label UT Tyler. Show all posts
Showing posts with label UT Tyler. Show all posts
Friday, June 22, 2012
Wednesday, December 15, 2010
A look ahead
Next semester looks promising so far.
The Archives will be participating in the UT Tyler 40th Anniversary celebration (a semester long event), which should bring considerable publicity and attention to our work and the people who made the university possible.
The Webb society has a terrific group of members who are eager to dive into some nitty gritty work, which brings the possibility of exciting projects (some of the ideas tossed around: helping the Smith County Historical Society index original texts and newspapers; collecting oral histories of prominent community members; documenting forgotten and neglected cemetaries, in conjunction with the genealogical society).
Dr. Newsom, faculty sponsor of the Frank R. Smyrl chapter of the Webb Society (and a truly inspiring professor, mentor, and historian), has arranged an internship for the Spring 2011 semester with the Old Mill Pond Museum (through the City of Lindale). About six students (including myself) are enrolled.
I have also been asked to speak at a statewide conference in Austin next January (the STEM 2011 Bridging Research & Practice conference) on ways to integrate specific technologies in history classrooms. At this point, I expect to present demos on Livescribe technology and the Prezi tool. I have attempted to raise interest in this topic on my own campus all semester (we seem to lack the infrastructure, motivation, or personnel to host a conference at this point in time). Fortunately for me, Texas STEM Centers have been looking for a way to collaborate with educators and professionals in English/Language Arts, History, and the Social Sciences.
My ultimate hope is that, as an ambassador for UT Tyler, I can generate interest on my own campus - and beyond. I would really love to see a cross-departmental effort (including our own STEM center, the history/political science department, the education department, and our resident geographers, anthropologists, and archaeologists). With the success of recent Project Based Learning initiatives among the history departments of local public schools (and with the growing interest in "History 2.0", if you'll pardon my meme), I think we could expect broad participation from the community.
A really ambitious project might incorporate local non-profit groups including the Genealogical Society (which has already embraced collaborative digitization efforts), local museums, and historical conservation groups.
In the meantime, however... I've got to finish what's on my plate right now.
The Archives will be participating in the UT Tyler 40th Anniversary celebration (a semester long event), which should bring considerable publicity and attention to our work and the people who made the university possible.
The Webb society has a terrific group of members who are eager to dive into some nitty gritty work, which brings the possibility of exciting projects (some of the ideas tossed around: helping the Smith County Historical Society index original texts and newspapers; collecting oral histories of prominent community members; documenting forgotten and neglected cemetaries, in conjunction with the genealogical society).
Dr. Newsom, faculty sponsor of the Frank R. Smyrl chapter of the Webb Society (and a truly inspiring professor, mentor, and historian), has arranged an internship for the Spring 2011 semester with the Old Mill Pond Museum (through the City of Lindale). About six students (including myself) are enrolled.
I have also been asked to speak at a statewide conference in Austin next January (the STEM 2011 Bridging Research & Practice conference) on ways to integrate specific technologies in history classrooms. At this point, I expect to present demos on Livescribe technology and the Prezi tool. I have attempted to raise interest in this topic on my own campus all semester (we seem to lack the infrastructure, motivation, or personnel to host a conference at this point in time). Fortunately for me, Texas STEM Centers have been looking for a way to collaborate with educators and professionals in English/Language Arts, History, and the Social Sciences.
My ultimate hope is that, as an ambassador for UT Tyler, I can generate interest on my own campus - and beyond. I would really love to see a cross-departmental effort (including our own STEM center, the history/political science department, the education department, and our resident geographers, anthropologists, and archaeologists). With the success of recent Project Based Learning initiatives among the history departments of local public schools (and with the growing interest in "History 2.0", if you'll pardon my meme), I think we could expect broad participation from the community.
A really ambitious project might incorporate local non-profit groups including the Genealogical Society (which has already embraced collaborative digitization efforts), local museums, and historical conservation groups.
In the meantime, however... I've got to finish what's on my plate right now.
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).
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).
Monday, April 26, 2010
More about Williamson. and exciting news in the world of research
First of all, I want to share some incredible information, care of the Library of Congress Blog (see the post here: http://blogs.loc.gov/loc/2010/04/pictures-2-0/). The Library of Congress has just launched a brand new version of their Prints and Photographs Online Catalog (PPOC) which enables users to brows over 1.2 million online prints and photos. PPOC has a lot of great interactive features, so go check it out. This is a fantastic resource for researchers, especially if you dabble in local or public history like moi.
Now that that's covered, I want to give you a brief look at the Williamson Collection (see previous post) so you will understand why I think Mr. Williamson was such a unique legislature.
I would say the collection itself consists of three (sometimes overlapping) categories:
1. Correspondence (between Mr. Williamson and his constituents, state agencies, interest groups, and corporations)
By far the most fascinating portion of this category is the correspondence with constituents. Mr. Williamson, who came to the Texas Congress as a seasoned lawyer, was a ceaseless advocate for his constituents (and occasionally, for people out of his district who wrote him as well). He was happy to send whatever information he had at his disposal regarding various bills and issues to anyone who inquired, answering questions and clearing up discrepancies.
Mr. Williamson spent a tremendous amount of time and resources assisting his constituents in legal matters as well (without discrimination). The best example of this in the collection is a series of letters to lawyers, legislators, and state agents on behalf of a young man coming up for parole review. The young man in question was convicted of armed robbery. His mother, who lived in Mr. Williamson's district, believed her son was not receiving fair consideration from the parole board. Because she could not afford a lawyer, she contacted Mr. Williamson, who proceeded to contact the head of the parole board, refer a pro bono lawyer to represent the young man, and review his trial transcript. In another instance, Mr. Williamson facilitated the transfer of a mentally disabled man from the Austin State Hospital to a Denton facility where he could be closer to his family. Mr. Williamson was especially vigilant in advocating for the fair treatment of his constituents by their insurance companies (often maintaining lengthy correspondences with the state insurance board and the companies in question on behalf of his voters).
Mr. Williamson frequently requested information from interest groups and state agencies that pertained to his committee duties (and his personal curiosities). He also contacted independent experts and individuals who worked in the fields. Mr. Williamson also worked on behalf of his professional constituents (the most significant case I found involved the rights and wages of tuberculosis specialists in state-funded hospitals).
The most amusing collection of correspondence is a series of files he labeled "psy", or "psycho". This includes newspapers, letters, and various publications sent to him by conspiracy theorists, white supremacists, and radical religious groups (among others). One of the most bizarre inclusions was a state ceramics group, which he apparently considered pretty off-base.
2. Bills
Mr. Williamson maintained records of every bill, resolution, and amendment during his term. I personally find it interesting to peruse the texts for his personal notes in the margin. He (or his secretary) cross-referenced the bills with correspondence and newspaper clippings.
(side note: at some point, either in his transition away from Capitol Hill or during transit to the University, the files got pretty jumbled up... so a big part of my job is trying to discern what the original system was).
3. Newspaper clippings
Mr. Williamson maintained a massive number of newspaper clippings on all kinds of topics and individuals. Some of these went into yearly scrapbooks and some are attached to various issue files and bills. He scoured newspapers from all across the state.
(another major facet of my job is making copies of the individual articles, due to the acidic nature of the newspaper material)
In the course of my work, I have really become convinced that Mr. Williamson came from a different breed of legislator... his humor, his dedication, and his tireless self-education are attributes mostly lacking from politics today.
As a historian, the Williamson collection has really opened up a whole new world of resources and research possibilities for me. I would never have known how rich and intriguing personal papers could be.
This is the archive blog, maintained by Archivist Deirdre Joyce: http://uttylarchives.wordpress.com/
Check it out for updates on our activities and collections.
Now that that's covered, I want to give you a brief look at the Williamson Collection (see previous post) so you will understand why I think Mr. Williamson was such a unique legislature.
I would say the collection itself consists of three (sometimes overlapping) categories:
1. Correspondence (between Mr. Williamson and his constituents, state agencies, interest groups, and corporations)
By far the most fascinating portion of this category is the correspondence with constituents. Mr. Williamson, who came to the Texas Congress as a seasoned lawyer, was a ceaseless advocate for his constituents (and occasionally, for people out of his district who wrote him as well). He was happy to send whatever information he had at his disposal regarding various bills and issues to anyone who inquired, answering questions and clearing up discrepancies.
Mr. Williamson spent a tremendous amount of time and resources assisting his constituents in legal matters as well (without discrimination). The best example of this in the collection is a series of letters to lawyers, legislators, and state agents on behalf of a young man coming up for parole review. The young man in question was convicted of armed robbery. His mother, who lived in Mr. Williamson's district, believed her son was not receiving fair consideration from the parole board. Because she could not afford a lawyer, she contacted Mr. Williamson, who proceeded to contact the head of the parole board, refer a pro bono lawyer to represent the young man, and review his trial transcript. In another instance, Mr. Williamson facilitated the transfer of a mentally disabled man from the Austin State Hospital to a Denton facility where he could be closer to his family. Mr. Williamson was especially vigilant in advocating for the fair treatment of his constituents by their insurance companies (often maintaining lengthy correspondences with the state insurance board and the companies in question on behalf of his voters).
Mr. Williamson frequently requested information from interest groups and state agencies that pertained to his committee duties (and his personal curiosities). He also contacted independent experts and individuals who worked in the fields. Mr. Williamson also worked on behalf of his professional constituents (the most significant case I found involved the rights and wages of tuberculosis specialists in state-funded hospitals).
The most amusing collection of correspondence is a series of files he labeled "psy", or "psycho". This includes newspapers, letters, and various publications sent to him by conspiracy theorists, white supremacists, and radical religious groups (among others). One of the most bizarre inclusions was a state ceramics group, which he apparently considered pretty off-base.
2. Bills
Mr. Williamson maintained records of every bill, resolution, and amendment during his term. I personally find it interesting to peruse the texts for his personal notes in the margin. He (or his secretary) cross-referenced the bills with correspondence and newspaper clippings.
(side note: at some point, either in his transition away from Capitol Hill or during transit to the University, the files got pretty jumbled up... so a big part of my job is trying to discern what the original system was).
3. Newspaper clippings
Mr. Williamson maintained a massive number of newspaper clippings on all kinds of topics and individuals. Some of these went into yearly scrapbooks and some are attached to various issue files and bills. He scoured newspapers from all across the state.
(another major facet of my job is making copies of the individual articles, due to the acidic nature of the newspaper material)
In the course of my work, I have really become convinced that Mr. Williamson came from a different breed of legislator... his humor, his dedication, and his tireless self-education are attributes mostly lacking from politics today.
As a historian, the Williamson collection has really opened up a whole new world of resources and research possibilities for me. I would never have known how rich and intriguing personal papers could be.
This is the archive blog, maintained by Archivist Deirdre Joyce: http://uttylarchives.wordpress.com/
Check it out for updates on our activities and collections.
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