Unnatural Causes Event Website

The webpage for our upcoming program series, "Is Inequality Making Us Sick? The 2009 Unnatural Causes Film & Discussion Series" is up an running. Click here to check it out!

Outside the Box - February

Object: Whiteboard
Collection: Larry Walker Papers

Larry Walker, a native of Perry Georgia, graduated from the University of Georgia School of Law in 1965. In addition to practicing law, he also served his hometown for six years as a Municipal Court Judge and City Attorney. In 1972 he was elected to the Georgia General Assembly as a state senator, representing the 141st District (Crisp, Dooly, and Houston Counties). He served as House Majority Leader from 1987 until retiring from public service in 2004.

Walker faced opposition for his senate seat only once after his initial bid for office, challenged by small business owner and Houston County resident Gloria Alday in 1998. Below, Larry Walker has provided his own recollections of that election night and the purpose of this whiteboard.

In Larry Walker's Words...
"On the night of the General Election in 1998, we had what turned out to be a victory celebration at the Houston Lake Country Club in Houston County, Georgia. Someone had prepared a board for tallying the votes. I remember that Representative Denmark Groover, Jr., a law partner, Chuck Byrd, and my friend, Foster Rhodes, were tallying the votes as they were called in. I served for 32 years, and this was the second time I had opposition. I had opposition in 1972 (getting 75% to 80% of the vote) and again in 1998 (I believe I got about 63% or 64% of the vote)."


February's "Outside the Box" object will be on display in the lobby gallery of the Russell Library, open 8:30 am - 4:30 pm, Monday through Friday, until March 1st. For further information on the Larry Walker papers, please contact russlib@uga.edu or (706) 542-5788.

Spotlight on Special Collections

Last week the Athens Banner-Herald took a tour of the Russell and other special collections at UGA and talked with archivists about the new special collections building. Check out the footage here!

Is Inequality Making Us Sick?

2009 Unnatural Causes Program Series

This spring the Russell Library and partners from the University of Georgia and the Athens community will host screenings of the film Unnatural Causes, a seven-part documentary that examines how social determinants contribute to health inequities in the United States. The goal of this program series is to begin a community dialogue on the critical public health issues presented in the film.

Over the course of nine weeks (March 22 - May 10, 2009), the event series will be hosted alternately at the Athens Clarke County Public Library and the Paul D. Coverdell Building on UGA's South Campus (home to the College of Public Health) on Sunday afternoons. Each event will pair the screening of one episode from the documentary (29-30 minutes in length) with a panel of speakers whose professional interests complement the topics addressed. After the screening, a moderator will collaborate with panelists to facilitate a dialogue with the audience.

All events are free and open to the public. For more information on this exciting event series, contact jlevinso@uga.edu or (706) 542-5788. Mark your calendars! More info coming soon to the Russell Library homepage.

Sunday, March 22, 2009, Episode 1: In Sickness and in Wealth
Location: Athens-Clarke County Public Library
Time: 3:00 – 5:30 PM

Sunday March 29, 2009, Episode 2: When the Bough Breaks
Location: Athens-Clarke County Public Library
Time: 3:00 – 5:00 PM

Sunday, April 5, 2009, Episode 3: Becoming American
Location: Coverdell Building, UGA
Time: 3:00 – 5:00 PM

Sunday, April 19, 2009, Episode 4: Bad Sugar
Location: Athens-Clarke County Public Library
Time: 3:00 – 5:00 PM

Sunday April 26, 2009, Episode 5: Place Matters
Location: Athens-Clarke County Public Library
Time: 3:00 – 5:00 PM

Sunday, May 3, 2009, Episode 6: Collateral Damage
Location: Coverdell Building, UGA
Time: 3:00 – 5:00 PM

Sunday, May 10, 2009, Episode 7: Not Just a Paycheck
Location: Athens-Clarke County Public Library
Time: 3:00 – 5:00 PM

Introducing "Outside the Box"

This post marks the announcement of a new segment on the Russell Library's blog, "Outside the Box" - our version of a spotlight on collections. This is a chance, each month, for our archivists to illuminate fascinating items from our collections that visitors and researchers don't often have a chance to see. Beginning in February, we'll post images and information about the featured item here, and put the real version on display in our lobby gallery. This is an opportunity for you, the public, to view seldom seen treasures from the Russell archives -- online and on site! We welcome your comments and questions and hope this will inspire new interest and research ideas! Tune in Feb. 1st!

Russell Library Celebrates MLK

The Russell Library is proud to participate as a partner in the 2009 University of Georgia celebration of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Throughout January, Russell Library staff will serve on panels, moderate forums, and host screenings in honor of Dr. King and his legacy. If you are in the Athens area this January, please join us in commemorating this remarkable man's life by attending any or all of the events listed here. For more information about all of the events, please contact Jill Severn at 706-542-5766 or jsevern@uga.edu

In memoriam, Griffin B. Bell, 1918-2009

The Russell Library mourns the loss of Griffin Bell, one of Georgia's most respected, influential, and beloved legal and political figures.

Griffin Boyette Bell was born October 31, 1918, in Sumter County, Georgia. After attending Georgia Southwestern College for a time, Bell left to work in his father's tire store in Americus. He was drafted in 1942, serving in the Army Quartermaster Corps and the Transportation Corps at Fort Lee, Virginia. Upon his discharge in 1946, he enrolled in Mercer University Law School, and became city attorney of Warner Robins before graduating or passing the Georgia bar exam. Following his graduation he worked in Savannah and Rome before joining in 1953 what would become King and Spalding in Atlanta. His interest in politics led to his appointment to chief of staff for Governor Ernest Vandiver and his subsequent involvement with the Sibley Commission, organized to oversee desegregation of Georgia's public schools. In 1961 President John F. Kennedy appointed Bell to the Fifth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, and he spent 14 years on the bench, returning to King and Spalding only to be nominated U.S. Attorney General by Jimmy Carter in 1976. He served in that position from 1977 to 1979, returning to Atlanta to practice law. He led investigations of E.F. Hutton in 1985 and the Exxon Valdez oil spill in 1989, and also served on the Commission of Federal Ethics Law Reform at the request of President George H.W. Bush. Griffin Bell died January 5, 2009. He was ninety years old.

In 2004 the Russell Library asked political writer Bill Shipp to
interview Griffin Bell. Click here to view this interview.
Article by Craig Breaden

Give Us Your Ideas

Still in the glow of the Thanksgiving holiday, the Russell is embarking on a new way to get to know visitors and friends of the Library, using a widget called CrowdSound.

This tool allows anyone and everyone to post and respond to suggestions -- we hope to use it to better understand our the needs of our audience and to get feedback on the kinds of programs & exhibits you would most like to see. Please take a minute to post a suggestion, or make a comment about someone else's thoughts at http://russell.crowdsound.com/talk.

Highlander Exhibit Run Extended!

If you thought you’d missed your chance to see the Russell Library’s latest exhibit, Weaving the Threads of Justice: Highlander Center, 1932-2007, don’t worry -- you now have two more months to take in this wonderful overview of one of the most important centers for activism, community development, and social justice in the South. Due to continued public interest, the Russell Library has extended the stay of the exhibit until January 30, 2009. The gallery is open Monday through Friday, from 8:30am to 4:30 pm. Individuals, groups, and classes are all welcome. Exhibit curators Jan Levinson and Jill Severn are available for tours upon request at russlib@uga.edu or 706-542-5788.

Songs, Actions, and Social Justice

Closing Event Goes Off Without a Hitch

All good things must come to an end. And so it was this past Sunday, November 16^th, that the Russell Library hosted the sixth and final event in the Weaving the Threads of Justice program series. Featured guests included lifelong social activists & folk music icons Guy and Candie Carawan, documentary filmmaker Heather Carawan, and retired UGA professor Dr. Art Rosenbaum.

Guy and Candie Carawan were a vital part of the Highlander staff during the Civil Rights Movement. Guy, a folk musician and the center’s music director in the late 1950s and early 1960s, introduced, “We Shall Overcome” during a training camp for SNCC workers in 1960, after which it quickly emerged as the anthem of the Movement. They have traveled the world singing folk tunes, and have continued to live and work for justice throughout the South. Now retired and living in New Market, Tennessee, they remain active in the current activities at Highlander.

The program kicked off with brief introductions and a screening of the documentary film, The Telling Takes Me Home, a film which explores the lives of Guy & Candie, through the lens of the director, their daughter Heather Carawan. A question and answer session with all three Carawans followed, with ample time for the crowd to partake in a delicious reception in the lobby. Our afternoon concluded with an informal jam session featuring the musical styling of the elder Carawans and Dr. Rosenbaum. By the end, the whole audience was standing – arm in arm – to the tune of “We Shall Overcome”.

Our final event was jam packed – with more than 60 people in attendance! Both the quality film and performance, as well as the crowd gathered, ended this program series on a high note. We thank all of the individuals and sponsors who made these events possible, and look forward to upcoming events series in the spring of 2009 – stay tuned!