UTC Special Collections wins federal grant to process Dr. Tommie Brown’s personal papers

Chattanooga, Tenn. (TN Tribune)-A $144,049 grant has been awarded to University of Tennessee at Chattanooga Special Collections by the National Historical Publications and Records Commission (NHPRC) to process the papers of Dr. Tommie Brown, a former UTC professor, department head and state legislator. Brown, who donated her papers to Special Collections in March 2023, was a professor of social work at UTC from 1971-1998 and a Democratic legislator in the Tennessee House of Representatives from 1992-2012. She created the social work program at UTC and, in 1980, became the first Black woman to head an academic department at the University. According to Carolyn Runyon, assistant head of collection services for the UTC Library and director of Special Collections, this is the first large-scale federal grant the library has received since she came to UTC in 2013. “I’m excited the federal granting agency saw how important this collection is,” Runyon said. “It’s nice to have that external recognition.” She said to win the award, the papers needed to be approved by an anonymous peer review, the NHPRC and the Archivist of the United States. Brown’s papers, which are kept in individual boxes, stretch up to about 125 feet—all of which need...