West Tennessee Historical Society
Serving the 21 Counties of West Tennessee
THE PAUL R. COPPOCK ANNUAL AWARD

This award is presented by the WTHS to an individual or organization for outstanding contribution to the area's history. The award is chosen by the WTHS Board and the 2017 recipient is Vincent L. Clark.
 
Vincent L. Clark attended the University of Southern Mississippi where he earned a BS and later MA in History. Vincent worked on the Mississippi Civil Rights Oral History Bibliography project in 1997 and the Adams County Courthouse Papers project in Natchez, Mississippi in 1997-1998. He served as the Curator/Historian of the Tipton County Museum from 1998 to 2000, working specifically on Military History exhibits and oral histories with local veterans. In 2000, he joined the Shelby County Archives staff. He completed the Tennessee Archives Institute in 2003 provided by the Tennessee State Library and Archives. In 2007, Vincent became the Shelby County Archivist. He has taught U.S., Military, World, and Tennessee History part time at the University of Memphis for over 15 years, earning the History Department's Adjunct Faculty of the year award for 2005-2006 and again in 2011-2012. He served as the Editor for the West Tennessee Historical Society Papers from 2010 to 2016.
 
THE MARSHALL WINGFIELD ANNUAL AWARD
Since 1973, an award is presented by The West Tennessee Historical Society to the contributor of the article chosen by the Executive Committee as being the best of those printed in each number of The West Tennessee Historical Society Papers. The winner for the WTHS Papers 2016 is Dr. Brian Clardy for his article Impeaching Richard Nixon: Tennessee Congressman Ed Jones, Watergate, and the Politics of Triangulation, 1973-1974.

Dr. Clardy is Associate Professor of History at Murray State University. He received his Ph.D. at Southern Illinois University at Carbondale, 1999, M.P.A., Murray State University, 1991, and B.A., The University of Tennessee at Martin, 1988. He is the author of many articles and publications including A Testament of Grace: Sermons and Reflections. 2nd Edition. Jackson, TN: Main Street Publishing, 2014, "A Fear and Loathing of Détente: Perspectives on Criticisms of Henry Kissinger in 'The New Republic' and "The National Review." The Flinders Journal of History and Politics. Vol. 29, 2013, 113-136, and "Deconstructing a Theology of Defiance: Black Preaching and the Politics of Racial Identity." The Journal of Church and State. Vol.53 (2), Spring 2011, 203-221.
 
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WTHS October Meeting
Please join us on Monday October 2 at 7 pm

Paula Casey and Jocelyn Wurzburg will speak to their efforts to honor suffragists across the state of Tennessee before 2020, the national centennial of the 19th Amendment's ratification
 
Paula Casey_ Jocelyn Wurzburg
Paula F. Casey is a dynamic speaker on voting rights, particularly the 72-year struggle for women to be included in the U.S. Constitution.  Paula served as president of the statewide board that placed Nashville's monument featuring five suffragists in Centennial Park on Aug. 26, 2016. She was fiscal agent for Jackson's Sue Shelton White statue that was unveiled in Jackson, TN on May 25, 2017. She is now working on the Memphis suffrage monument which will be placed on Civic Center Plaza in August 2018.
 
Native Memphian Jocelyn Wurzburg is a 1965 graduate of Rhodes College; Wurzburg became an advocate for race relations when Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated in Memphis in 1968. She was appointed to the Tennessee Human Rights Commission (THRC) in 1972, where she wrote the Tennessee anti-discrimination law covering employment and public accommodations. In 1976 she was appointed by President Gerald R. Ford to the International Women's Year commission and brought the Panel of American Women of 1968 to Memphis to confront racial and religious prejudice in the aftermath of King's assassination. Ms. Wurzburg was honored by the THRC in October 2013 at its 50th anniversary celebration for her longtime advocacy in civil rights and women's rights. The Commission created a special award, the "Jocelyn Dan Wurzburg Civil Rights Legacy Award," which will be given to deserving recipients henceforth. She has received accolades and awards too numerous to list.

Memphis University School, 6191 Park Ave., Memphis
Wunderlich Auditorium
Entrance on Ridgeway Rd. at Guard House - Follow the signs
 Happening at 
Happening at Elmwood Cemetery 

September 9 - Yellow Fever: A Tour of the Plague
A Walking Tour of Elmwood
The history of the Yellow Fever epidemics of 1873, 1878, and 1879 can be found at Elmwood Cemetery. The Howard Association, the Citizens' Relief Committee, the Sisters of St. Mary's, and individuals who fought valiantly against the spread of the scourge rest at Elmwood. Join Assistant Director Bob Barnett for an all-walking tour through the cemetery grounds and learn their stories. 
This tour lasts 90 minutes, starts at 10:30 AM, and registration is required. The cost is $20 per person. To register by phone, call 774-3212. 

September 13 - The Voices of Yellow Fever
A Very Special Performance
Yellow fever (also known as Yellow Jack, the American Plague and the Saffron Knight) decimated the city of Memphis for much of the 1870's. So many died of the fever or fled that the city lost its charter, becoming a taxing district under Nashville. This plague would claim thousands of lives. Many of the individuals who tried to help stop the scourge of yellow fever rest at Elmwood. 
Join the Elmwood Players as they present a first-person narrative account of what life was like during the yellow fever. You'll meet costumed characters with stories of triumph and tragedy that will leave you breathless. Lunch is served with this event, which begins
at noon in the Chapel.  The cost is $20 per person. Advance registration is required.

To register go to http://www.elmwoodcemetery.org/events/ or Call 901-774-3212,824 S. Dudley Street Memphis, Tennessee
Board Members 

Edwin G. Frank, President

Linda J. Higgins,

Vice-President for West Tennessee

Dr. Larry Gunderson,

Vice-President at Large

Jimmy Ogle,

Vice President Shelby County

Dr. John E. Harkins,  

Immediate Past President

Michael Freeman, Treasurer

Dr. E. C. Fields,

Assistant Treasurer

Bryan Massey,

Recording Secretary

Troy A. Hallsell, Papers Editor

John Shepherd, Board Member

David Gwinn, Board Member

Paul Matthews, Board Member

Vincent L. Clark, Board Member

Carol Perel, Executive Director
Please consider a donation to the WTHS 
memphis joe

The Society is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) and any gift you make is tax deductible. As we continue to expand our goals to continue our mission, your support is important to us.

Make checks payable to WTHS and mail to PO Box 111046, Memphis, TN 38111. Please contact Carol at 901.276.7154  for any questions you may have regarding your gift.    

We thank you for your support.  
Become a member 
of the WTHS 
Annual Membership Levels: 

Individual - $25    

Institution - $25    

Family/Couple - $35  

Sustaining - $50  

Patron - $100    

Benefactor - $250    

Life - $500  

Crockett/Forrest - $1000

To find out more regarding  benefits, and download a form http://wths-tn.org/membership/
Cordova Museum

The Museum will be open on Saturdays, August 26th and September 9th & 23rd from 10 am to 2 pm, 1017 N. Sanga, Cordova, TN, admission is free.
The Cordova Museum is located in the first permanent school building of the area, built in 1913 by the architectural firm of Jones and Furbringer. The school closed in 1973 and was used for storage by Shelby County for twelve years. In 1985 the citizens of Cordova purchased the building and formed the Cordova Community Center, a non-profit organization. The museum founded in 1986 is located in one of the old classrooms.
Morton Museum of Collierville History
August 24 at 11:00am, WTHS member Don Harrison will speak about the construction of railroads to Memphis and the impact that it had on the area. Guests are invited to bring a brown bag lunch; Drink and dessert provided. RSVPs are not required. Address: 196 N Main St, Collierville, TN 38017. For more information call (901) 457-2650
About Us:
   

The WTHS is the umbrella heritage organization for the
Western Grand Division of Tennessee. Within its twenty-one counties, it supports historical programs, archives, publications, preservation, markers, museums, and other historical collections.
   
West Tennessee Historical Society is a non-profit 501(c)(3) entity chartered under the laws of the state of Tennessee. WTHS activities are free and open to the public. The WTHS does not discriminate in any aspect of membership or participation on the basis of race, gender, religion, ethnicity, or national origin.