FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — Don Tyson and his family have made a $2 million gift designated to endow the Arkansas Center for Oral and Visual History which, upon approval from the University of Arkansas Board of Trustees, will be renamed the David and Barbara Pryor Center for Arkansas Oral and Visual History.

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The gift was a portion of a $7.6 million gift commitment to the University of Arkansas from the Tyson family.

UA Chancellor John A. White said, “We are delighted to announce our intent to name the oral and visual history center in honor of David and Barbara Pryor. Their service to the state of Arkansas has been exemplary. We are so proud today to be able to name this center for a couple that is very much a part of Arkansas history, and we are so thankful to the Tyson family for providing the resources to make this center one of the best in the nation.”

The Arkansas Center for Oral and Visual History was founded in 1999 and is a collaborative effort of University Libraries and the J. William Fulbright College of Arts and Sciences. 

Former U.S. Sen. David H. Pryor and Barbara Pryor provided initial financial support for the center with a significant donation from unexpended campaign funds. The mission of the center is to document Arkansas’ cultural history by collecting the reminiscences of those who have witnessed various aspects of the state’s past and to make them available to scholars and other researchers. The audio tapes and accompanying transcripts form the primary archives of the center. It is a dynamic collection as it will continue to grow as the activities of the center expand. Pryor has served as an advisory board member for the center.

University Libraries Dean Carolyn Allen said: “We are delighted that the Pryors have agreed to let us name the center in their honor. When you think about it, it is fitting that this gift comes from a family with such strong roots in state history. The Tysons’ gift is providing funding for a center devoted to preserving oral and visual history, and, by doing so, pays tribute to another family that has played a big role in Arkansas history.”

Fulbright College Dean Don Bobbitt said: “This center provides a real opportunity for all citizens of Arkansas to preserve our history for future generations. The Tyson family’s generosity will go a long way toward ensuring that the University of Arkansas will be a leader in the preservation of our collective heritage.”

With an endowment, the center will be able to hire additional staff and support their travel across the state to acquire the many perspectives that are of historical significance to Arkansas. The endowment will also help provide the equipment necessary to make high-quality video recordings and support efforts to locate historic photographs and images such as family home movies, which will be copied and added to the collection. The acquired memories and images on tape will build a public archive for use by historians, documentarians, researchers and others with an interest in learning about Arkansas. Center staff will be seeking innovative ways to share information and create an educational component for use in the public schools. Space on the fourth floor of Mullins Library is being renovated to house the David and Barbara Pryor Center for Arkansas Oral and Visual History.

Tom Dillard, head of Special Collections, said: “We are grateful for the Tysons and their gift to endow the David and Barbara Pryor Center for Arkansas Oral and Visual History. This endowment will enable us to develop a much stronger program in oral and visual history for the benefit of all Arkansans. Arkansas is a state rich in historical contributions and memories, and it is exciting to think about all the information we may be able to acquire thanks to the support provided by the endowment.” 

Jeannie Whayne, professor of history and chair of the history department, and founding director of the oral history project, said, “This is a marvelous development. The oral history project will continue the efforts we started and launch exciting new endeavors.”

The Arkansas Center for Oral and Visual History has conducted close to 300 interviews, most of which have been deposited in Special Collections, David W. Mullins Library. Nearly 100 are available online through the library’s Web site. Among them is an interview with Diane Blair, a UA professor emerita of political science who died in 2000, that was conducted by Roy Reed, UA professor emeritus of journalism. In the interview, Blair described Arkansas’ changing political scene over the years and her own involvement in state politics, as both a participant and a scholar. In the words of Roy Reed, “This particular interview is just about a perfect illustration of why we need a formal program in oral and visual history. The things that she talks about in this interview on tape are the stuff of history. It’s an exquisite example of the value of oral history.”

With a focus on collecting audio and videotaped interviews, the center is dedicated to providing an important resource to scholars, students, educators and citizens who are interested in learning more about Arkansas’s past. For example, the center has collected an oral history of the Arkansas Gazette under Reed’s direction, and has just embarked on a project about the Arkansas Democrat under Jerry McConnell’s direction. McConnell was the former managing editor of the Democrat and is now retired and living in Fort Smith.

Printed transcripts of interviews are available in the Mullins Library and are accessible online through the Special Collections department.

David Pryor was born in Camden, Ark. He attended public schools in Camden and attended Henderson State Teacher’s College. He received a B.A. in political science from the U of A in 1957. Pryor graduated from the University of Arkansas School of Law in 1964 and was admitted to the bar that same year. Pryor was founder and publisher of the Ouachita Citizen from 1957 to 1960. He was 32 years old in 1966 when he won the 4th Congressional seat, and was re-elected in 1968 and 1970. In 1975, he became governor of Arkansas, defeating six-time Gov. Orval Faubus.

In 1978, Pryor was elected to the United States Senate and served three terms in that body. Pryor was not a candidate for re-election in 1996 and retired from elected office in 1997. Pryor served as chairman of the Committee on Aging. Pryor was known for his advocacy for the aged and for promoting tax-payer rights. During his tenure, he was secretary of the Democratic Conference, third in the Senate democratic leadership. In 2000, Pryor became director of the Institute of Politics at the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University. He has been the Blair Center’s Distinguished Lecturer in Fulbright College and will teach a class on topics in American politics and current national issues with Todd Shields, chair of the political science department and director of the Blair Center of Southern Politics and Society. Pryor is the dean of the University of Arkansas Clinton School and a member of the Campaign for the Twenty-First Century Steering Committee.

Barbara Jean Lunsford, originally from Fayetteville, met David Pryor her freshman year at the University of Arkansas. They married a year later, and moved to Camden. Barbara Pryor often campaigned on behalf of her husband. While Arkansas’ first lady, she belonged to the Committee of One Hundred and was a member of the board of directors of Goodwill Industries. Organizations benefiting from her work include the Arkansas Repertory Theater, the Arkansas Children’s Hospital, Little Rock public schools and the Arkansas Arts Center. She found time to attend classes at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock and become involved in the production of motion pictures filmed in Arkansas. She produced her own film, “Wishbone Cutter,” starring Joe Don Baker and Sondra Locke. The Pryors have three sons: David Pryor Jr., U.S. Sen. Mark Pryor and Scott Pryor.