I N S I D E : Historical Records Board established Flag added to collection Friends board holds spring meeting AY AT FRIENDS OF THE ALABAMA ARCHIVES Newsletter A D Published quarterly in support of the Alabama Department of Archives and History 2006, Issue 2 THE ARCHIVES MONDAY, APRIL 10, was a busy day at the Archives. At noon, friends of Gwyn Turner gathered in the Hale Room for a surprise ceremony (see story below). Later in the afternoon, the Alabama Archives and History Foundation held its fifth annual meeting. Seth Hammett, Speaker of the Alabama House, delivered the keynote address. He complimented the Foundation on its success at raising substantial funds to supplement the Archives’ state budget. He was pleased to note that the Legislature was able to follow Governor Riley’s recommendation for a significant budget increase for the Archives for the next fiscal year. “When we preserve history, we preserve our culture, and that unites us as a family,” Hammett said. The Foundation meeting ended with Ocllo Malone passing the presidential gavel to Charles Stakely. Mrs. Malone provided positive leadership during a year at the helm and helped move the Foundation significantly closer to its fundraising goals. She will continue to serve on the Executive Committee. Mr. Stakely, who takes over as President after a year as Vice President, is a Montgomery native and respected attorney and community leader. The board elected Temple Tutwiler as Vice President and Henry Lynn as Treasurer. In addition, the Foundation added one new member, Scott Vowell of Birmingham. The day culminated with a reception sponsored by Alabama Power Company, the opening of a temporary exhibit on its 100-year history, and the dedication of the Alabama Power Auditorium in honor of the company’s seventh president, Joe Farley. The festivities drew nearly 150 guests, including many dignitaries. Endowed by the Alabama Power Foundation, the high-tech auditorium, located off the Malone Lobby in the new wing, is already being put to good use by the Archives. Alabama Power President and CEO Charles McCrary presided at the dedication ceremony. After Mr. Farley cut the ribbon, the crowd filed by four plaques containing the likenesses of Top: (Left to right) Alabama Power Southern Division Vice President Gordon Martin, Farley and company founders Thomas President and CEO Charles McCrary, and Archives Director Ed Bridges pose with honoree Martin, James Mitchell, and William Patrick Lay. Once in the auditorium, Joe Farley. Bottom left: Farley and his grandchildren await ribbon cutting. guests listened to a presentation on the company’s history by Leah Atkins. Bottom right: House Speaker and Foundation keynote speaker Seth Hammett with The temporary exhibit recognizing Alabama Power’s centennial will travel Lt. Governor Lucy Baxley at the reception. to several destinations around the state during 2006. GWYN TURNER HONORED On April 10, friends and family surprised Gwyn Turner, a life-long supporter of Demopolis and Alabama history, with a special honor. In recognition of her long record of service, they funded the printing and installation of a reproduction of the Archives’ Vine and Olive Colony panoramic wallpaper. Painted in about 1820, this rendering of the founding of Aigleville, a settlement of French exiles forced to flee France after Napoleon’s defeat at Waterloo in 1815, is one of the best-known representations of this remarkable story. Known as the Vine and Olive Colony, Aigleville was located near present-day Demopolis. The original wallpaper remained in France until just before World War II, when Thomas Martin, president of Alabama Power Company, purchased and donated it to the state of Alabama. The original is permanently installed in the Regions Board Room on the third floor. The reproduction is mounted in the Hale Room hallway on the main floor, where visitors can view the scenes up close and in a more unified flow. HISTORICAL RECORDS BOARD ESTABLISHED Message from In 2002, Archives staff members began to work with the Alabama the Director Legislature to secure passage of a bill that would create a state historical records advisory board. During the 2006 legislative session, thanks especially to the efforts of Sen. Quinton Ross and Rep. Charles Newton, the Legislature created a Historical Records Board (HRB). The board will make it easier for Alabama’s historical records repositories to receive grants from a federal Sen. Quinton Ross Rep. Charles Newton program administered by the National Archives. support of the HRB. As a freshman senator from Montgomery, Now that the Legislature has established the during his first session, Sen. Ross agreed to HRB, Archives staff members are working with sponsor the Senate version of the bill. Rep. the fifteen organizations from across the state Ed Bridges Newton, a long-time supporter of archives and that appoint members to the board. The first records issues from Greenville, sponsored the HRB meeting is tentatively scheduled for August House version. Both men supported the HRB 24 at the Archives. During this organizational he past year has been one of the most legislation through several sessions, even to the meeting, board members will learn about the remarkable and successful in the history of brink of passage on two occasions, only to have responsibilities of state boards and begin the Archives, thanks in substantial part to the T time run out. In this year’s session, however, the discussions about a statewide historical records Friends. Let me review just some of what has happened: Legislature passed the Senate version of the bill, preservation plan. SB 35, and it became Act 2006-106 with Gov. For questions or comments, please contact 1. We finished and moved into the new wing. The Riley’s signature. We are deeply grateful to Sen. Tracey Berezansky at (334) 242-4452 or Friends were a major reason for our success in securing Ross, Rep. Newton, and Gov. Riley for their [email protected]. the state funds to build this wonderful addition. Also, the Foundation that you helped us establish provided approximately $1.5 million for furnishings and finishes in the new wing that make it a truly beautiful space. Friends support even paid the very modest fees for the inmate labor, without which we would still not be HAVE YOU HEARD . finished with the moving process. WALLACE COLLECTION ACQUIRED Following a reception starting at 5:00 PM, the 2. We had two great celebrations that the Friends In May, the Archives received custody of a large lecture will begin at 5:45, with a book signing helped make possible–a legislative open house last collection of George and Lurleen Wallace afterward. Seating is limited and reservations are spring and a public grand opening after we moved in material, which for years has been stored at an requested. Call the Archives at (334) 242-4363. last October. Atlanta warehouse and the Lurleen B. Wallace Building in Montgomery. Donated by the Virginia Tunstall 3. We secured an $850,000 directed appropriation Wallace Museum Foundation, the collection of Clay-Clopton, ca. 1842 through the efforts of Sen. Richard Shelby for work on the former governors includes private records the new museum exhibits, thanks in part to calls and and artifacts as well as state government letters by Friends from across the state. records. Because of its size—more than two tractor- 4. The Foundation’s total fund-raising to date in trailer loads—the collection is being stored for pledges and contributions has now topped $4.7 now at the Archives’ off-site State Records million–and that for an institution with no history of Center. Due to a limited number of staff fund-raising. archivists and curators available to process the huge collection, the Archives is keeping it 5. For the first time in sixteen years, the Archives has closed to research use at this time. (More on received a major funding increase for operations. Since this landmark acquisition will be published in 1990, as state budgets have reeled from one crisis to the next issue of Friends Facts.) another, the Archives suffered repeated funding reductions and the steady erosion of staff–a loss eventually totaling more than 40%. During this time, we SPECIAL SANDERS LECTURE have been able to achieve important efficiencies using IN SEPTEMBER technology, and we have benefited greatly from the aid Glenn W. LaFantasie will deliver a special J.C.C. of more than a hundred volunteers. Still, many of our Sanders Lecture at the Archives on September core services are dependent on the work of Archives 12. This event is sponsored jointly by the staff members. This year Gov. Riley recommended a Archives and the Sanders Endowment Fund major increase in our operating budget, and the established by the University of Alabama in 1996 Legislature supported his recommendations. We are to memorialize its 19th century Corps of Cadets. greatly encouraged about the program improvements John Caldwell Calhoun Sanders, Class of 1861, this new funding will make possible. became one of the “Boy Generals” of the Confederacy. 6. In addition to all these huge achievements, we are Dr. LaFantasie is the recently appointed Frockt deeply grateful to the Friends for the many less Family Professor of Civil War History and conspicuous ways you help support the work of the Director of the Center for the Civil War in the Maude and Ida Walker, 1850 Archives every year–from purchasing supplies for the West at Western Kentucky University. He is the Children’s Gallery to coffee for volunteers; from author of a forthcoming biography of William C. PAINTINGS CONSERVED helping buy exhibit material to funding the newsletter; Oates, who commanded the 15th Alabama and The Archives, thanks to a special fund established from the purchase of books on Alabama history to 48th Alabama regiments during the Civil War.