The University of Arkansas at Little Rock's Center for Arkansas History and Culture said Wednesday that it received a $137,000 grant to process the papers of former Arkansas Gov. James Guy Tucker Jr.
UALR said grant is the largest National Historical Publications and Records Commission award in the state to date. The NHPRC is part of the National Archives and Records Administration.
UALS said Tucker's collection spans 746 cubic feet of materials, including letters, legislative documents, legal papers, campaign materials and photographs that cover a range of political, social and economic issues of national and international importance.
The papers document Tucker's life and career.
"As a donor of the materials, I have had the great pleasure of working with the staff at the UALR Center for Arkansas History and Culture," Tucker said. "Their collective experience and expertise have been invaluable as I have thought about the donation and its organization. This grant award is a testament to the professionalism and energy that the UALR Center and staff have brought to the task. The resulting collections are a valuable gift to the people of Arkansas and to scholars worldwide."
Materials in the collection reflect Tucker's service as a war correspondent in Vietnam and his work as attorney general, U.S. Congressman, lieutenant governor under Bill Clinton and as Arkansas' 43rd governor.
The two-year project includes developing detailed descriptions of the contents of the collection, preserving the materials and creating an online search aid allowing access to researchers around the world.
Colin Woodward, an archivist at the UALR Center, said processing the Tucker papers will bring the details of his life and political career to a much larger local and national audience, as well as make an important and valuable contribution to Arkansas and U.S. history.
