Discovering Adell,“The Mouse Who Roared"

UTA Anthropology student Stephanie Hastings wrote this column about how UTA Libraries played a role in her research project.

I first came across the name Adell Campbell as part of my research project in Dr. Khanduri's Anthropology course Debates in Cultural Anthropology. The project had us visit research at UTA Libraries Special Collections, a magnificent space few in the class had ever visited before. The Special Collections curator, Evan Spencer, and our professor had selected an assortment of 3 tables of artifacts to review for our project inspiration. The goal was for us to pick an artifact and research further to tell a unique story about Texas. 

Anthropologists tell stories. Here we were, amid decades and centuries-old artifacts, to bring our anthropology skills to tell a story. That was the challenge our professor presented to us. 

A baby's shoe and a braille watch are among the various items on display. It was a manilla folder with certificates of appreciation that tugged at my heartstrings. Spanning decades in time, every certificate had the same name on it: Adell Campbell. 

Little did I know that in the next eight weeks, my curiosity and research would result in the discovery, digitization, and preservation of a treasure trove of 215 rare interviews by Adell! 

Aligned with Reading and Radio Resource of Dallas, Adell became a host of a radio show that would read the news and information of the day to the blind. Using a special device - in pre-YouTube life - those who subscribed could tune in and hear publications and other news being read aloud to them so that they would be informed.

Adell's own show took on more than simply reading. She chose to host interviews and talk about important issues in current events. The Dallas Morning News called her program the "best radio program you've never heard of, "giving the nod to the specialized ways her audience would access it. 

Adell hosted over 400 radio programs, including interviews from Texas notables such as congressman Pete Sessions, Mayor Laura Miller and award-winning writer Kinky Friedman. On the anniversary of the assassination of John F. Kennedy, Adell interviewed a Secret Service agent who had been with Kennedy during that fateful day in history. Adell was a powerhouse and was doing this in the years when most seniors were enjoying retirement. 

More about Adell and my discoveries in a bit, but first... 

The archival materials I discovered and facilitated for preservation are now in UTA's Special Collections, which will be shared with my fellow UTA students and the curious public to access in the future. As a graduating senior, passionate about research and nerdy about documents, I couldn't have asked for a more memorable conclusion to my studies at UTA's Anthropology Program.

I am delighted that I can always return to UTA, browse the Adell papers, and be reminded how a class project in my Anthropology class has forever connected me to a prestigious archive in Texas. 

So how did this all happen? Here is my Maverick story and the story of Adell, who was every bit a Maverick, too. 

Curious about who this person was, I sat at the table and began researching with my phone. Since the folder presented was just a snippet of what the Special Collections had in their archives, I wasn't sure what was in store. 

Adell called herself "The Mouse Who Roared," which was more than appropriate for who she was and all that she was able to accomplish in her life. Her aging didn't slow her down, either. It would be during her later years that she would embark on a project that would result in returns for the Special Collections. 

Adell's certificates of appreciation were related to her volunteer work. She had participated in many events that benefited those who were disabled or elderly. She seemed to have a special calling to those who were often ignored by society. Once I could dive more into the whole collection of available items, it was apparent that this was a lifelong endeavor for her that spanned multiple decades and several states. 

While learning about this radio program, I reached out to the Fielder House in Arlington to hear from the volunteers there and learn more about her, as Adell was a volunteer there, too. That was when I learned her desk that she did so much work on was there at Fielder House. Wanting to grab photos of it for the project, I set up a time to get over there, talk to the curator (a friend of Adell's) and take photos of the desk for the presentation. 

Geraldine, the curator at Fielder House, confirmed my thoughts about Adell - that she was a spitfire of a personality who seemed to have little fear when she had her mind-set on something. Geraldine showed me the desk, and we chatted about the big personality that she had in her life. During this time, Geraldine also gave me information about Adell's only child, Leslie, and how to contact her via email. 

Nervously, I did just that. It would take just a few days to hear back from Leslie, who was excited to tell me more about her astounding mother. We agreed to meet up at The Fielder House a little more than one week later and Leslie would bring artifacts and photographs that had been in storage for years so that I could see more about who she was and get photographs to add to my presentation. 

Leslie told stories of her mother as she unpacked a box of items to share. Photographs from her life, magazines, and newspaper clippings all about Adell. I gleefully took snapshots while hearing Leslie share her admiration for her mother.

I asked Leslie if Adell had always wanted to be an advocate for the disabled and elderly and why she had fought for them, especially at times in history when so many were hidden away from "polite society." 

Leslie explained to me that it was "just who her mother was" and that Adell didn't believe in setting aside people who were different - that all people deserve a chance to have a happy life. Even if I had not met Leslie and heard it from her testimony the truth is very apparent in the evidence I looked at during this project. 

As the Fielder House was reaching closing time, Leslie and I moved our conversation to the parking lot, where we would spend another nearly hour getting to know each other. I began to feel as though Adell orchestrated this whole project and subsequent meeting - it was quite "meant to be," as many would say. This was when Leslie revealed that she had more in her car - including hundreds of CDs containing interviews - they were Adell's radio programs.

I remember being so excited about them because I had been previously saddened by them not being digitized for future listeners to enjoy. There was Texas history in these, and I explained to Leslie that they should be preserved. I asked her if she would be willing to donate them to the Special Collections so that they could be digitized and saved in the library's digital archives, and she agreed to that project. We weren't sure of their condition since they had been in a storage unit for nearly a decade, but it was worth trying. 

Diminutive in stature, Adell used her voice to make a big impression on those around her. Typing away on her typewriter at her favorite desk (displayed at Arlington's Fielder House), she would write letters, solicit assistance, and push back against those in power to pay attention to the people she cared so much about. In the box of Adell Campbell items at the Special Collections, there are letters in reply to her from celebrities like John Wayne and Charles Schultz, as well as political figures like the Mayor of Los Angeles, dignitaries, and former presidents Ronald Reagan and George Bush.

The replies from those in power showed that she was unafraid to give advice on how to better care for the elderly and disabled. Her convincing ways had them reply with sincere consideration and even add her suggestions to policy, such as her suggestions to George Bush in his now-famous Thousand Points of Light endeavor. 

The only disappointing thing about this part of my research was learning that the Reading and Radio Resource program had long been disbanded and no one had digitized these interviews to be heard on the internet. Hundreds of programs with interviews were unavailable to experience. 

As an anthropologist, lover of research, and believer in the importance of libraries, I was excited to hear that so many radio programs could be saved and cataloged. To have them in UTA's collection - as a student and soon–to–be a graduate - made me very proud. This whole process, from the day of finding the manilla folder to reaching this conclusion, solidified much of my nature. It helped me grow in confidence in my work, process, and voice. 

So much of Adell's spirit rubbed off on me while learning about her. She left a lifelong impression - reminding me not to fear roaring a little bit - when the greater purpose of what is true to your soul is at stake.