Special Collections in 2021: 3rd Quarterly Review

The purpose of The Compass Rose is to raise awareness of Special Collections' resources and to foster the use of these resources. The blog series also reports significant new programs, initiatives, and acquisitions of Special Collections. 

This post was co-authored by Special Collections Metadata Librarian Stephanie Luke and Photograph Collections Specialist Sara Pezzoni.

This is the newest in an ongoing series spotlighting new acquisitions and reproductions of our content. For more on our previous featured material, read our post on the first quarter of 2021, the second quarter of 2021, or our highlights for 2020.

At Special Collections, we are continually acquiring new materials. Additionally, image reproductions of items from our collections are regularly used in new publications and by media outlets. In this post we will review where and how materials from our collections were used around the world in July, August, and September of 2021.

This map of North America, circa 1945, shows the air routes of American Airlines and other connecting airlines. It includes small pictorial representations of points of interest, agriculture, manufacturing and industry, etc. For the Dallas-Fort Worth area, illustrations of grain elevators, cattle, and the state fair appear. On the verso of the map are 12 strip maps of routes between American cities, an infographic of types of clouds, and an explanation of radio beam navigation, which was used at this time for airway travel.

This card game from 1907 tests players’ knowledge of the history of the Lone Star State. Each card features questions about an important person or place. Some of the questions are easier, such as “Who was twice President of the Republic, twice Unites [sic] States Senator, and once Governor of Texas?” (Answer: Sam Houston). Others are more difficult, such as “To what place was the ‘Telegraph’ removed in 1837?” (Answer: Houston). Take a look at some of the cards featured below and see how you would have fared playing the game!

The Hispanic Communicators of DFW was established in 1981 and works to connect and support Latinos in the fields of journalism, public relations, advertising, education, and other communications-related fields. Their collection of papers includes publications, photos, and documents regarding their work to support communications professionals and students. Documents in this collection showcase how the work of this organization has helped generations of professionals, and opened doors for students by providing support and scholarships.

The Richard and Sylvia Greene papers document the extraordinary careers of Richard Greene, mayor of Arlington from 1987 to 1997, and his wife, Sylvia Greene. Included in this collection are papers documenting Greene’s mayoral campaign and work while in office. Sylvia’s work with Arlington’s PTA and her work in creating the River Legacy Parks and River Legacy Trail system are well documented within this collection.

Materials found within Special Collections’ holdings have been used across a wide variety of outlets, including (but not limited to) features in local news stories, on television shows, in publications, and in public exhibitions. Below are some examples of where and how our materials have been used this quarter.

The Fort Worth Star-Telegram collection, which came in increments to UTA Libraries from 1984 to 1999, is often used in a variety of news articles and columns published by the original donor, the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. This quarter, the Star-Telegram used photographs from the collection for eight stories:  

• “Closed since 1982, this southside Fort Worth landmark may reopen as a farmers’ market,” July 10, 2021 by Bud Kennedy
• “45 years after the Davis mansion murders, grisly Fort Worth landmark to be leveled,” July 17, 2021 by Bud Kennedy
• “This Black Fort Worth doctor cared for a community and was a voice for civil rights,” August 10, 2021 by Carol Roark 
• “The history of the Tarrant County courthouse has many twists and turns (and rebuilds),” August 14, 2021 by Carol Roark
• “Fort Worth’s bomber railroad spur was the little track that helped US win World War II,” August 21, 2021 by Mike Nichols
• “A painting made small waves in Fort Worth before a native son’s big splash in New York,” August 28, 2021 by Bud Kennedy
• “Last chance for a swim? Fort Worth’s Forest Park Pool to be demolished, replaced,” September 4, 2021 by Hollace Ava Weiner
• “Today it’s COVID-19. 70 years ago, it was a different virus that led to a new vaccine,” September 17, 2021 by Carol Roark

Other local news outlets published the following stories using our collection materials: 

• WFAA-TV: “Famed Fort Worth mansion, site of 1976 murders, reportedly set for demolition,” July 17 & 22, 2021 by Ryan Osborne/William Joy; images used from the Fort Worth Star-Telegram Collection
• NewsWest9: “Doug Russell: A Midland Olympian's journey to gold,” July 22, 2021 by Crystal Crews; images used from the Fort Worth Star-Telegram Collection, the UTA Photograph Collection/Reveille Yearbooks, and Arlington Citizen Journal Collection 
• University of Texas at Arlington: “In Memoriam: Dr. Maxwell Scarlett, Distinguished Alum of UTA,” August 6, 2021 by Greg Pederson; image used from the UTA Photograph Collection

• With the Bark Off: A Journalist’s Memories of LBJ and a Life in the News Media by Neal Spelce and Thomas Zigal, Tower Books/University of Texas Press, published September 2021; image used from the Fort Worth Star-Telegram Collection 

• Permanent display of a photo at Valliance Bank inside the Historic Electric Building in downtown Fort Worth; image used from the W.D. Smith Commercial Photography, Inc. Collection
• Permanent display of photos at the Blackstone Hotel / Courtyard by Marriott in downtown Fort Worth; images used from the W.D. Smith Commercial Photography, Inc. Collection, the Fort Worth Star-Telegram Collection, and the Jack White Photograph Collection 
• Exhibit titled 1972 - Season of Hope regarding the Lewisville High School football team, displayed at the Lewisville Visitor Information Center (247 W. Main Street, Lewisville, TX), runs August 2021-Spring 2023; image used from the Fort Worth Star-Telegram Collection

• America’s Book of Secrets (S4:E9), “Alien Disclosure,” The History Channel television documentary series, aired July 13, 2021; image used from the Fort Worth Star-Telegram Collection 
• Ancient Aliens (S17:E3), “Top Ten Alien Cover-Ups,” The History Channel television documentary series, aired August 20, 2021; image used from the Fort Worth Star-Telegram Collection 
• Encounter: UFO (S1:E5), “Mass Sightings,” T&E Network, aired September 7, 2021; images used from the Fort Worth Star-Telegram Collection
• Documentary titled The Road to Santa Fe, Flint Hills Discovery Center Foundation/Prairie Hollow Productions, aired locally on the PBS affiliate station KCPT-TV (Kansas City, MO), released September 9, 2021; images used from A Continent Divided: The U.S.-Mexico War collection

Visit the Compass Rose in December for our next quarterly blog review!