- University News Archive - ��Vlog��ý Little Rock

��Vlog��ý Little Rock Student is Finding her Passion at Historic Arkansas Museum

John Hill — Mon, 02 Aug 2021 13:52:31 +0000

Jordan Hancock, a rising senior from Benton, is gaining some valuable professional experience by working as an intern at the this summer.�� “I had an internship in London in a museum last year that I had to leave a month early because of COVID,” she said. “I want to work in museums in the future, and I loved the chance to get another internship. The Division of Arkansas Heritage has all the museum internships listed on their website. It made me want to get another museum position when I could.” Hancock works in the Curatorial Department under the guidance of Victoria Chandler, curator of collections. “Jordan is a very promising intern and really has a natural feel for museum studies,” Chandler said. “We hope she will continue to intern with us in the future. Jordan clearly has a passion for objects and the study of material culture. We are excited to continue working with her as she begins her foray into the field.” As part of her duties, Hancock assists with the museum’s exhibits, investigates the history of objects in the collections, writes descriptions for objects, and tags them with identifying information. “The curatorial team’s job is to take care of the museum’s collections, restore historic objects, and create displays and exhibits for the museum,” Hancock said. “At our museum, we are actually an historic site first, and our most important objects are the buildings on site. Some are original to the site, and some have been moved a few blocks. They are the oldest buildings in Little Rock.” Hancock is also a Donaghey Scholar and art history tutor. Last year, she spent the spring 2020 semester interning at the Foundling Museum in London. “I worked with the visitor engagement team,” she said. “I was with the front desk for the most part, and I helped conduct tours and engage with guests at the front of the house. I also helped with some classes with the education department. I worked there for two months before I had to end up going back home on my 20th ��ٳ�岹��.”

Jordan Hancock examines items in Historic Arkansas Museum’s collection.

After she graduates with a bachelor’s degree in art history in 2022, Hancock plans to take a gap year so she can get more experience working in museums before pursuing a master’s degree in public history at ��Vlog��ý Little Rock. “This is such a perfect internship,” Hancock said. “I will probably continue to do volunteer work with the collections teams during my gap year. I would love to make this more of a consistent part of my life. The objects focus a lot on crafts, textiles, and ceramics. I think that craft work is especially interesting to me because I’m an art history major.” The photos of Jordan Hancock are courtesy of Andrew Vogler/Historic Arkansas Museum.

Family Members Honor Longtime State Historian Cathie Matthews with ��Vlog��ý Little Rock Endowment

John Hill — Wed, 14 Jul 2021 20:31:24 +0000

The University of Arkansas at Little Rock has received a $25,000 endowment to honor Catherine “Cathie” Remmel Matthews, Arkansas’s longest serving director of the .�� Close family members Haskell Dickinson, Remmel Dickinson, and Nan Ellen East made the gift to create the Remmel Family Endowed Fellowship in honor of Matthews to benefit the ��Vlog��ý Little Rock Center for Arkansas History and Culture. The announcement of the endowed fellowship was made following a recent memorial service for Matthews, who is survived by daughters Meredith Matthews Tucker and Leslie Matthews Thiele and two grandchildren.�� “Cathie’s Remmel and Couch relatives are prominent names in Arkansas history,” Haskell Dickinson said. “She grew up hearing wonderful stories about her family, which led to a love of local history. This fellowship recognizes Cathie’s long standing work and dedication to preserving our important state heritage.” Taking into account Matthews’ love of history, culture, and community, the endowed fellowship will support an archivist at the Center for Arkansas History and Culture who is conducting research with an emphasis on Arkansas’s history and heritage. The center is housed in the same building as the Butler Center for Arkansas Studies, and the gift is structured to be open to partnerships between the two organizations. “This is a fitting gift to honor Cathie,” said Dr. Deborah Baldwin, director of the Center for Arkansas History and Culture. “She spent her professional life making our rich history available to others. Helping continue this legacy is a wonderful memory of her and her work.” The ��Vlog��ý Little Rock Center for History and Culture holds historic collections that are made available as public resources on Arkansas history and the region. The center houses the papers of former Arkansas governors Carl Bailey, Winthrop Rockefeller, Dale Bumpers, Frank White, and Jim Guy Tucker as well as the J.N. Heiskell Civil War Collection. In total, the collections comprise about 10,000 linear feet, more than 70,000 images, and about 8,000 books. Culture and community were very important to Matthews’ life. She spent two years living and working in Tanzania, Africa, as the director of sales and marketing for ACG Telesystems. When she returned to Arkansas, she was appointed the director of the Department of Arkansas Heritage and served as the state preservation officer for Arkansas for 15 years. She traveled around Arkansas and the country to promote the state’s natural and cultural heritage. Matthews also served on the board of the National Conference of State Historic Preservation Officers and was inducted into the Arkansas Game and Fish Outdoor Hall of Fame in 2007. She recognized the importance of conservation and protection of historically significant locations in the state for outdoor enthusiasts. Memorial and tribute gifts in Matthews’ honor can be made to the Remmel Family Endowed Fellowship by mail to ��Vlog��ý Little Rock, Office of Alumni and Development, Bailey Alumni and Friends Center, 2801 S. University Ave., Little Rock, AR 72204, or by calling 501-916-3208.

Professor’s research leads to historic marker for Elaine 12 member Frank Moore

John Hill — Thu, 12 Mar 2020 17:41:31 +0000

An historic marker was unveiled March 6 at Little Rock National Cemetery to signify the location where Frank Moore, a member of the Elaine 12, is buried.�� Moore, a World War I veteran, was one of a dozen men who were convicted of murder and sentenced to death for their alleged roles in the deaths of five white men during the 1919 Elaine Massacre, the deadliest racial conflict in Arkansas history. A precedent-setting Supreme Court decision named for Moore (Moore vs. Dempsey) would later overturn their convictions. “This was one of the first victories that the NAACP will have,” said Dr. Brian Mitchell, assistant professor of history at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock. “It is one of the first national blows that will be struck against lynching in America.” During the fall 2018 semester, Mitchell, along with students from his Intro to Public History class, conducted research to locate the graves of the Elaine 12. After combing through public records, databases, and even cemeteries, they found six grave sites. Mitchell then created the Elaine 12 Foundation at ��Vlog��ý Little Rock to raise money to place historic markers at the sites. Moore is the first of the Elaine 12 to receive a marker. Moore served as a private in the 162nd Depot Brigade during World War I. After being honorably discharged, he moved to Phillips County, where he sharecropped on the farm of Billy Archdale. As harvest got closer, the planter drove away most of the sharecropping families by exaggerating their debts at the plantation store. Many families were left starving and abandoned their homes and crops. In May 1919, Moore became ill and asked Archdale to borrow $10 to go to the hospital. Archdale refused. Moore borrowed money from a friend, and his wife laid rows of cotton and tended the crops while Moore recovered in the hospital. He was among the first of the sharecroppers in the area to join the Progressive Farmers and Household Union of America, and was present at the fateful union meeting on Sept. 30, 1919. When local police officers interrupted the meeting, a shootout occurred, sparking the Elaine Massacre. An unknown number of black people were killed, though experts have estimated the number is between 100 and 237.

Brian Mitchell, middle, talks about the significance of a historic marker for Frank Moore, a member of the Elaine 12, placed March 6 in Little Rock National Cemetery. Photo by Ben Krain.

“Members of the Progressive Farmers and Household Union of America hired an attorney because they wanted to do things the right thing,” Mitchell said. “They didn’t plan an insurrection like the newspapers reported. These events cost many people their lives. To this day, we don’t even know how many people lost their lives in the Elaine Massacre.” Moore’s marker was the 10th marker placed in the Division of Arkansas Heritage’s program to assist communities in the placement of historical markers across the state. It is also a part of the Arkansas Peace & Justice Memorial Movement’s “Seeing AR History in 20/20” Campaign. ��“This marker is an important one to the Arkansas Historical Marker Program,” said Stacy Hurst, secretary of the Arkansas Department of Parks, Heritage, and Tourism. “Last year was the 100th anniversary of the Elaine Race Massacre. We are reminded why we must remember our past and learn from it, even those parts that address the most terrible parts of our history.” With Moore’s marker now installed, the effort to place markers for the additional members of the Elaine 12 turns to Rev. Joseph Knox, who is buried at Little Rock’s Haven of Rest Cemetery. After his release from prison, Knox moved with his family to his hometown of Cotton Plant, Arkansas. Knox’s granddaughter, Dorothy Neal, was the only descendant of the Elaine 12 to attend the ceremony. She’s been in touch with Mitchell after hearing about his research, and is pleased to know that her grandfather will be honored, especially since he and his fellow sharecroppers were just trying to do the right thing and get equal pay for their cotton. “It just warms your heart to know that he’s not forgotten, even though a lot of people don’t know him, didn’t know anything about him just until lately,” Neal said. Donations to the Elaine 12 Foundation can be made online by selecting College of Arts, Letters, and Sciences in the drop down box and then typing in “Elaine 12” in the Fund Other box. Checks can be made out to the University of Arkansas at Little Rock with “Elaine 12” written in the descriptive information line. Checks can be mailed to University of Arkansas at Little Rock, Office of Alumni and Development, 2801 S. University, Little Rock, AR 72204.

Brian Mitchell, left, and Dorothy Neal, right, visit the grave of Frank Moore at Little Rock National Cemetery. Photo by Ben Krain.

Historic marker to be placed at Little Rock National Cemetery to honor Elaine 12 member Frank Moore

John Hill — Thu, 05 Mar 2020 15:00:23 +0000

Brian Mitchell, assistant professor of history at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock who has conducted extensive research on the Elaine Massacre, has long waited for the day when Frank Moore, a member of the Elaine 12, would be honored with a historic marker at his final resting place.�� The Division of Arkansas Heritage and the Elaine 12 Foundation will place Moore’s marker during a ceremony at noon on Friday, March 6, at Little Rock National Cemetery, 2523 Springer Blvd. During his fall 2018 Intro to Public History Class, Mitchell and his students searched through public records, databases, and cemeteries to locate the missing graves of the Elaine 12. Through their hard work, they located the graves of six members of the Elaine 12. Mitchell created the Elaine 12 Foundation at ��Vlog��ý Little Rock in 2018 to raise funds to place markers on the graves of the Elaine 12 and headstone on the graves of those without. “Frank Moore will be the first of the Elaine 12 to receive a marker,” Mitchell said. “Moore is the namesake of Moore vs. Dempsey, the landmark Supreme Court case that ultimately granted these men clemency.”�� Moore, a World War I veteran buried at Little Rock National Cemetery in 1932, moved to Phillips County after being honorably discharged from the U.S. Army. He worked on a farm and was a member of the Progressive Farmers and Household Union of America. On Sept. 30, 1919, local police officers interrupted a union meeting, and a shootout occurred, sparking the Elaine Massacre.�� Moore and 11 other union members were charged with first-degree murder for their alleged roles in the deaths of white men involved in the killings. The men’s death sentences were eventually overturned by the U.S. Supreme Court, and all men were released from prison by 1925. Moore’s marker will be the 10th marker placed in the Division of Arkansas Heritage’s program to assist communities in the placement of historical markers across the state since it was introduced last year. Markers are sponsored by civic groups and organizations, who split the cost of the markers with the Division of Arkansas Heritage.�� “This marker is an important one to the Arkansas Historical Marker Program,” said Stacy Hurst, secretary of the Arkansas Department of Parks, Heritage and Tourism. “Last year was the 100th anniversary of the Elaine Race Massacre. We are reminded why we must remember our past and learn from it, even those parts that address the most terrible parts of our history.” Following Moore’s ceremony, Mitchell hopes to next honor Joseph Knox, a member of the Elaine 12 who is buried at Little Rock’s Haven of Rest Cemetery. Additional members of the Elaine 12 are buried in Kansas, Illinois, Missouri, and Ohio.�� Locating the graves of the Elaine 12 has been a difficult task. Following their release from prison, most members of the Elaine 12 fled the state and changed their names. Many of them lived the rest of their lives in exile, fearing for their safety, with their family members never knowing what happened to them.�� Mitchell plans to take up the search again this summer to locate the remaining grave sites. The Elaine 12 Foundation has raised enough money for three markers, but hopes to eventually place markers at all 12 burial sites. “It is a significant project because up until this point, we have only known their names and haven’t known what happens after their release from jail after they are on death row,” Mitchell said. “Some of the graves we’ve found don’t have a headstone, so to be able to put a headstone as well as a marker would be meaningful.” Donations to the Elaine 12 Foundation can be made online by selecting College of Arts, Letters, and Sciences in the drop down box and then typing in “Elaine 12” in the Fund Other box. Checks can be made out to the University of Arkansas at Little Rock with “Elaine 12” written in the descriptive information line. Checks can be mailed to University of Arkansas at Little Rock, Office of Alumni and Development, 2801 S. University, Little Rock, AR 72204.

- University News Archive - ����Vlog��ý Little Rock

����Vlog��ý Little Rock Student is Finding her Passion at Historic Arkansas Museum

Family Members Honor Longtime State Historian Cathie Matthews with ����Vlog��ý Little Rock Endowment

Professor’s research leads to historic marker for Elaine 12 member Frank Moore

Historic marker to be placed at Little Rock National Cemetery to honor Elaine 12 member Frank Moore

- University News Archive - ��Vlog��ý Little Rock

��Vlog��ý Little Rock Student is Finding her Passion at Historic Arkansas Museum

Family Members Honor Longtime State Historian Cathie Matthews with ��Vlog��ý Little Rock Endowment