E. Culpepper Clark papers

Collection

Identifier: MSS-3367

Scope and Contents

The E. Culpepper Clark Papers contain materials created and gathered by this scholar. The bulk of materials relate to his research and writing about race relations in Tuscaloosa and at The University of Alabama and were used in his work The Schoolhouse Door: Segregation’s Last Stand at the University of Alabama. The book focuses on George Wallace’s famous attempts to prevent Vivian Malone and James Hood from registering for classes in 1963, but it also discusses events leading up to this event, including Autherine Lucy's enrollment in 1956. In addition to his own work the collection contains projects that his students completed in his oral history classes. Audio materials contain recordings of oral history interviews relating to race relations (some conducted by Clark and others conducted by his students), but there are also recordings relating to other subjects, including religion and the McMillian family. Personal materials include copies of Clark’s transcriptions of family letters.

Dates

1933-2002

Creator

Clark, E. Culpepper (Person)

Conditions Governing Access

Collection is open for research. Researchers must register and agree to copyright and privacy laws before using this collection. Manuscript collections and archival records may contain materials with sensitive or confidential information that is protected under federal or state right to privacy laws and regulations. Due to the nature of certain archival formats, including digital and audio-visual materials, access to certain materials may require additional advance notice.

Interviews without signed releases will be subject to restrictions. Please contact Special Collections staff for more information.

Conditions Governing Use

Researchers are responsible for using the materials in conformance with United States copyright law as well as any donor restrictions accompanying the materials. The user assumes all responsibility for identifying and satisfying any copyright claimants in collection materials. Copyright for official University records is held by The University of Alabama. The library claims only physical ownership of many manuscript collections. Anyone wishing to broadcast or publish this material must assume all responsibility for identifying and satisfying any claimants of literary property rights or copyrights. Please contact Special Collections (archives@ua.edu) with questions regarding specific manuscript collections. For more information about copyright policy, please visit: https://www.ua.edu/copyright/. Any materials used for academic research or otherwise should be fully credited with the source. Researchers are advised that the disclosure of certain information pertaining to identifiable living individuals without the consent of those individuals may have legal implications, for which the University of Alabama assumes no responsibility.

Interviews without signed releases will be subject to restrictions. Please contact Special Collections staff for more information.

Biographical / Historical

E. Culpepper Clark received his PhD in history from the University of North Carolina. He joined The University of Alabama in 1971 as an assistant professor of speech communication and associate director of forensics. Later he served as director of forensics and was chair of the department of speech communication before becoming executive assistant to the president in 1990. Clark served as dean of the College of Communication and Information Sciences from 1996 until 2006, when he retired from The University of Alabama and became the dean of the University of Georgia’s Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communication. Clark retired from this position in 2012.

Clark specializes in the areas of southern history and culture, civil rights and race relations. He has authored three books, including The Schoolhouse Door: Segregation’s Last Stand at the University of Alabama. He has supervised and conducted interviews for seven oral history projects dealing with aspects of Alabama history and culture including the desegregation of The University of Alabama, worship among fundamentalist and Pentecostal denominations, and activities of the White Citizens’ Council of Alabama.