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| Dr. Wendy Richter |
After a long struggle with her health,
Dr. Wendy Richter has retired as the state historian and director of the
Arkansas State Archives.
“This is my dream job,” Dr. Richter
said earlier this year. But, after rounds of chemotherapy and radiation
followed by a serious car wreck, Dr. Richter said she found it necessary to
focus on her own health.
“I'm very grateful that I had the
opportunity to lead the effort in protecting and preserving Arkansas's past. The
Archives staff and I take very seriously the responsibility to ensure that
Arkansas history is not lost,” Dr. Richter wrote in an Aug. 22 column for the
Arkansas Democrat-Gazette.
Dr. Richter had served as director once
before between 2005 and 2012. She returned to the head Archives position about
15 months ago and paved the way for acquiring new collections, equipment and
funding for the division.
“Our Arkansas State Archives has
blossomed under the leadership of Dr. Wendy Richter, and we are sad to see her
leave,” said Stacy Hurst, secretary of the Department of Parks, Heritage and
Tourism. “Wendy’s spirit and love for the history and heritage of Arkansas has
remained strong and apparent. We wish her all the best.”
Under Dr. Richter, the State Archives
began a project to create a new website, the Arkansas Digital Archives, to
expand the Archives’ online digital collections and create unified searches of
various collections and databases. New equipment recently was installed in the
research room and new collections, including the U.S. Western District of
Arkansas Court Records were acquired throughout Dr. Richter’s tenure.
Staff also have increased outreach
efforts, including lectures, webinars and conferences. Staff traveled to
several counties this year to help them better preserve their records or
transfer historical records to the State Archives. Some of those records date back
to 1815.
The State Archives also celebrated the
Arkansas Bicentennial and produced a traveling exhibit on the Arkansas
Territory this year. The exhibit was so popular a second copy was created to
meet demand. Both exhibits are reserved through 2020.
Dr. Richter has always believed in
reaching out to and honoring volunteers. In July, she held a thank you
reception for volunteers and has constantly expressed gratitude. Under Dr.
Richter, volunteer participation increased and archival donations rose 71
percent in fiscal year 2019 over the same time a year ago.
“We are proud of the achievements the
Arkansas State Archives saw under the direction of Dr. Richter,” said Julienne
Crawford, interim director. “We will continue her good work by focusing on
making documents more easily accessible to the public while maintaining and
preserving Arkansas’s unique heritage and history.”
