Fall 2012 Volume 6 • Issue 2

contents Featured Collection The Whitworth Papers • Featured Collection Whitworth Papers...... 1 By Diane Worrell • Leadership Report...... 2 The papers of Donna Axum • Laurence Luckinbill Whitworth (MC 1806) tell the story Papers ...... 3 of a small town girl who rose through the pageant ranks to • Thanks to Our Donors...... 3 the title of , earned undergraduate and master’s degrees • Rick Mayes and from the , Dickson Street...... 4 Fayetteville, and enjoyed a success- • Tim Nutt Appointed Special ful career in teaching, broadcast- Collections Head...... 5 ing, consulting, public service, and motivational writing and speaking. • Images of Arkansas: Donna Axum Whitworth University of Arkansas...... 6-7 was born in 1942 and grew up in El Dorado. During her senior year • Featured Researcher in high school, she began enter- Jerry Hogan...... 8 ing regional pageants and won the Miss Union County, Miss Hospitality, • Morrill Act/Land Grant Miss University of Arkansas, Miss Colleges...... 9 Dixie, and Forestry Queen pageants. • Arkansas’s Environmental Following her high school gradu- History...... 10 ation, Whitworth enrolled in the University of Arkansas, where she Whitworth at Cypress Gardens, Florida, during her reign as • Staff Profile pledged the Delta Delta Delta soror- Miss America in 1964 (MC 1806) Box 2, Folder 25. Martha Parker...... 11 ity and helped found the Uarkettes “singing ambassadors” group. from the University of Arkansas. • Humanities Grant...... 11 While working toward her Whitworth received dozens of bachelor’s degree at the University, awards and honors for her public ser- • Are You Arkansas- vice. As an energetic supporter of the Literate?...... 12 Whitworth won the Miss Arkansas pageant, which enabled her to compete University of Arkansas, Whitworth in the Miss America pageant in Atlantic worked with the Campaign to Restore City, New Jersey. She was crowned Old Main and served on the steer- Miss America in 1964. After her reign ing committee for the Campaign for ended, she used her Miss America the 21st Century. Whitworth estab- scholarship money to continue her edu- lished an endowed scholarship fund cation, earning both her bachelor’s and for Arkansas high school students master’s degrees in speech and drama with financial need, and she gave a continued on page 5 Leadership Report From the Desk of Tim Nutt

If you are reading this, you as Tom’s successor and hope to con- survived the end of the world, tinue his (and previous directors’) as many thought might happen work in preserving Arkansas history. on December 21, 2012. As we In April the Arkansas Historical begin a new year, I’d like to reflect Association held its annual conference on some of Special Collections’ in Fayetteville, and Special Collections accomplishments and milestones co-sponsored the opening reception from 2012. Of course, as every- with the Washington County Historical one knows, Tom Dillard retired as Society. Since the reception was held head of Special Collections after at the historic Tebbetts House, many nearly eight years at the helm. We departmental employees got into the Tim Nutt, Head of Special Collections miss seeing him every day, but he spirit by dressing in period costume stays in touch and shows up every and welcoming conference attendees. now and then at our events. I was Larry Luckinbill was not in his Dearest Letty, a collection of selected honored to have been selected Sybok costume from Star Trek when World War II letters between journal- he donated his professional and per- ist Leland Duvall and his wife Letty. At sonal papers to Special Collections the event we welcomed members of the in June, but he did perform two of Trulock family who presented Special his one-man shows while he