Former TN state historian Walter Durham dies at 88

Lifelong Gallatin resident Walter Thomas Durham, Tennessee’s state historian for the past decade and author of 24 books on Tennessee history, who left a lasting mark especially in his hometown, died on Friday at the age of 88.Durham, a longtime Gallatin businessman and a walking encyclopedia of Tennessee and Sumner County history, was appointed state historian in 2002 by then-Gov. Don Sundquist. He had already served as president of the Tennessee Historical Society, founding president of the Tennessee Heritage Alliance, later renamed the Tennessee Preservation Trust, and chair of the Tennessee Historical Commission....

New Arkansas state historian chosen

LITTLE ROCK — Dr. Ray Granade, chair of the Arkansas History Commission, and Richard Davies, Director of the Arkansas Department of Parks and Tourism, announced today the hiring of Dr. Lisa K. Speer as the new State Historian and Director of the History Commission. Speer succeeds Dr. Wendy Richter, who resigned in December, 2012. The Arkansas History Commission is the official state archives, with research facilities in Little Rock, Powhatan, and Washington, Arkansas.Born in Fayetteville, Dr. Speer grew up near Malvern, graduated from Glen Rose High School and then from Ouachita Baptist University in 1988 with a degree in History. She earned an MA and PhD in American History from the University of Mississippi, where she worked as Curator of the Mississippi Collection in the University’s Archives and Special Collections. She then earned an MA in Library and Information Studies with archival certification from the University of Alabama, where she worked as an archival technician. For just over a dozen years, Dr. Speer has directed the Special Collections and Archives at Southeast Missouri State University....