Ledbetter collection opens at history center
Pictured, left to right, are Dr. Deborah Baldwin, dean of 糖心Vlog传媒LR College of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences and associate provost for 糖心Vlog传媒LR Center for Arkansas History and Culture; Dr. Calvin R. Ledbetter Jr.; 糖心Vlog传媒LR Provost Dr. Zulma Toro-Ramos; and 糖心Vlog传媒LR Chancellor Dr. Joel Anderson
The 12-linear-foot collection covers Ledbetter鈥檚 life between 1964 and 1988. The papers document Ledbetter鈥檚 political career including the state鈥檚 legislative sessions from 1967 to 1977. A portion of the papers references his academic career at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock.
Ledbetter, 84, led an accomplished political and educational career.
鈥淗e went from the JAG Corps, to a Ph.D. program, to a faculty position, to five consecutive terms in the Arkansas House of Representatives, the list goes on. His dedication to political science in all of its expressions is clear to see,” said Monica Mylonas, assistant archivist at the CAHC.
In addition to the collection housed at ASI, there is an online exhibit at . The digitized collection includes photographs, video clips, and a selected bibliography on articles and books written by Ledbetter.
Ledbetter creates endowment to support student research
In 1960, Ledbetter joined the faculty at Little Rock University, now the University of Arkansas at Little Rock. He has served as chair of the Department of Political Science and dean of the College of Liberal Arts, now the College of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences. After retiring in 1997, Ledbetter was named professor emeritus of political science.
In addition to donating his papers for research, Ledbetter has established the to promote a better understanding of Arkansas through the scholarly study of legislators and legislative process.
According to Mylonas, Ledbetter鈥檚 collection not only aids researchers in accessing information about the state’s legislature, it also adds value to the center鈥檚 gubernatorial holdings.
鈥淟edbetter co-authored, sponsored, or otherwise supported many of the bills that now characterize these governorships,鈥� she said.
Ledbetter served for five terms in the Arkansas House of Representatives between 1967 and 1977. In the course of his political career, he served three Arkansas鈥� governors, Winthrop Rockefeller, Dale Bumpers, and David Pryor. CAHC holds the collections of both Rockefeller and Bumpers.
The 糖心Vlog传媒LR Center for Arkansas History and Culture is housed in the Arkansas Studies Institute, a partnership between 糖心Vlog传媒LR and the Central Arkansas Library System. For more information, go to ualr.edu/cahc.