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Contact: University Communications & Marketing
Phone (678) 839-6464, FAX (678) 839-6645
ucm@westga.edu
Special Collections in Ingram Library
October 15, 2004
CARROLLTON, GA - For Myron House, it’s a labor of love. A love of research. A love of history. And a love of collecting. Throughout the past 24 years, House has labored in his love for research and study at the University of West Georgia, which is rapidly earning a great reputation among academic circles as a place to come for research with its Annie Belle Weaver Special Collections.
When the late Charles Beard, former director of the Irvine Ingram Library secured funds to start a special collections program in 1980, he hired House to manage and organize what now consumes about 3,400 square feet on the library’s third floor.
“He
was a big fan of collections. He felt like any University should have
one,” said House, associate professor and librarian at UWG and caretaker
of the collection. “We decided on certain things that we would collect.
University records and history is one of the areas. We have a little bit
of local history and a rare book collection. Miss Weaver, who had been
the first librarian at West Georgia, collected rare books. But when I
came we didn’t have any budget, so most of our rare books now are
signed copies by faculty authors and local people, such as (professor)
John Ferling and (former professor) Newt Gingrich and (alumnus) Terry
Kaye. But we do accept donations of rare books.” One of the rare
books in the University’s collection was published in 1616. “It
was printed on a cloth type of paper,” House said. “It’s
held up better than paper would.”
The Annie Belle Weaver Special Collections is organized into several different components. The University Archives contains correspondence of former UWG presidents, old yearbooks, copies of The West Georgian newspapers, and other resources that tell the University’s history. There are also local collections about Sacred Harp music, which is a popular activity in the west Georgia area. “The best history of Sacred harp music was written by a former professor here, Buell Cobb,” House said.
There are also collections of other of West Georgia professors, like Lewis Larson, the state’s first archaeologist and the letters and papers of Dr. Sidney Jourard, a founder of the Association for Humanistic Psychology
But the collection’s most extensive holdings are in the political realm.
For a political junkie in the state of Georgia, one might think that you would go to the University of Georgia in Athens to get the inside scoop on the minds of the state’s political animals. Think again. The Georgia Political Heritage Project, founded by retired history professor Dr. Mel Steely and honors college dean Dr. Donald Wagner, include materials from former U.S. Speaker of the House, who was a professor of history at West Georgia before entering politics, Seventh District Representative Bob Barr and the actual office of former Georgia Speaker of the House Tom Murphy. The papers in the collection fill about 3,370 boxes. This project includes videotapes of some of the states most powerful politicians.
“Half of the storage we have is dedicated to Gingrich. In the basement, we have congressman Barr, plus Tom Murphy,” said House, who owns degrees in history from Georgia State University and a master’s in History from Emory University and Library Sciences from Atlanta University. “(Gingrich) sent signs. We have a skate signed by Kristi Yamachughi and a football signed by (former Miami Dolphins head coach) Don Shula. We also have the Speaker’s gavel. When he resigned, we got about 700 boxes of stuff.”
The collection also includes papers and items from local politicians, such as Dr. Tracy Stallings, a former dean at UWG, Carrollton Mayor and state representative, current Carrollton Mayor and former state Sen. Wayne Garner, Sen. Nathan Dean and state rep. Charles Thomas, Carolyn Lee and John Simpson. Even former Georgia Gov and Lt. Gov. Lester Maddox have items in the collections because House was wise enough to attend the family estate sale after Maddox died last summer.
“We got into the Maddox family yard sale. We got there the day before and went through stuff,” House said. “They gave us a few things like the pick handle and that hat. I bought his Lt. Governor’s Commission. This is the official one signed by (then Gov.) Jimmy Carter with the wax seal and the whole bit. I heard later, at the sale, his governor’s commission went. I went all through his house and if I’d had seen that I would have bought it off the wall, too, I guarantee you.”
Indeed. House is quite proud of the collection and is taking steps to keep the video collection and the other items organized because he realizes that the history stored here reflect well on UWG.
“The political collection is well known. The New Georgian (online) Encyclopedia used our footage extensively and used little sound bites from this,” House said. “People know what we have. If someone wants to know something about politics from the politicians themselves, they have to come here. This is the place to come for that.”
For more information on the Annie Bell Weaver Special Collections at UWG’s Ingram Library contact House at 770-836-6495 and after Oct. 23 at 687-839-6495.
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