Ruth Polk Patterson Papers
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Scope and Content Note
The collection contains manuscript versions of her articles and book and other related material such as grant applications, research notes, and correspondence; papers pertaining to professional organizations and activities such as the Arkansas Commemorative Commission, the Arkansas Sesquicentennial Commission, and the Association for the Study of Afro-American Life and History; papers pertaining to a lawsuit filed against the Little Rock School District concerning discriminatory employment practices; personal ephemera including a biographical sketch, resumes, certificates, and programs; and a collection of photographs and slides mostly pertaining to The Seed of Sally Good'n and the Spencer Polk Exhibit held at the Old State House in 1981.
Dates
- 1954-1988
Creator
- Patterson, Ruth Polk, 1930- (Person)
Language of Materials
Materials are in English.
Access Information
Please call (479) 575-8444 or email specoll@uark.edu at least two weeks in advance of your arrival to ensure availability of the materials.
Use Information
No Use Restrictions Apply.
No Interlibrary Loan.
Standard Federal Copyright Laws Apply (U.S. Title 17).
Biographical Note
Ruth Polk Patterson (1930-1988) was born to Arthur and Mattie Polk near Nashville (Howard County), Arkansas. After graduating from Childress High School (Nashville, Arkansas) in 1949, she married Thomas Edward Patterson. In 1956 she attended the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff and graduated in 1958 with a bachelor's degree in English. She then began teaching in the Arkansas public schools, teaching first in Crossett (Ashley County), and later in Nashville. In 1962, the family moved to Little Rock, where she taught at Horace Mann High School. She received a master's degree in English from the University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, in 1967, and in 1977 she obtained a doctorate in American studies from Emory University in Atlanta. Her dissertation was a study of an Afro-American Studies program in the Little Rock School District which Patterson implemented and administered between 1973 and 1980.
In addition to her teaching career, Patterson organized the Little Rock branch of the Association for the Study of Afro-American Life and History in 1975 and was active in the Educators to Africa program. She published several articles including "Movin' On Up the Road--Black Migration from Fordyce, Arkansas to Las Vegas, Nevada" (1984). In 1985 it was made into a television documentary for which she wrote the screenplay. Perhaps Ruth Polk Patterson is best known for her book, The Seed of Sally Good'n, which was published in 1985.
Extent
7.354 Linear Feet (14 boxes)
Arrangement of the Papers
Contents of the Collection
- Series 1. Manuscripts and Related Material. Boxes 1-5.
- Series 1. Subseries 1. The Seed of Sally Good'n
- Series 1. Subseries 2. Articles
- Series 2. Organizations and Activities. Boxes 6-8
- Series 2. Subseries 1. Historical and Cultural Organizations
- Series 2. Subseries 2. Educational Organizations and Activities
- Series 2. Subseries 3. Other Research Files
- Series 3. Little Rock Public Schools Litigation. Box 9
- Series 4. Personal Ephemera. Box 10-11
- Series 5. Photographs and Slides. Box 12
Acquisition Information
Tracey Patterson, of Little Rock, Arkansas, donated his mother's papers to Special Collections on December 13, 1988.
Processing Information
Processed by Anthony J. Wappel, Special Collections, University of Arkansas Libraries, Fayetteville, Arkansas, in January 1989.
- Title
- Ruth Polk Patterson Papers
- Status
- Completed
- Author
- Anthony J. Wappel
- Date
- 1989
- Language of description
- English
- Script of description
- Latin
- Language of description note
- Finding aid is written in English.
Repository Details
Part of the Special Collections Department Repository
University of Arkansas Libraries
365 N. McIlroy Avenue
Fayetteville AR 72701 United States
(479) 575-8444
specoll@uark.edu