Poage Legislative Library Celebrates 35th Anniversary with Exhibit of Unusual ‘Treasures from the Vault’

September 30, 2014

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Contact: Lori Fogleman, 254-710-6275

WACO, Texas (Sept. 30, 2014) – In honor of National Archives Month and the 35th anniversary of the W. R. Poage Legislative Library, the thriving archive and research center at Baylor University will showcase its newest exhibit – “Treasures from the Vault” – during an open house from 2 to 4 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 1, in the W. R. Poage Exhibit Gallery.

The 35th Anniversary open house is free and open to the public. The exhibit will be on display through December 2014 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday.

The exhibit features many unusual items from various collections in the library including:
• Jack Ruby’s jail-house slipper
• Jack Hightower’s WWII Navy uniform
• Original WPA paintings by James Douthitt Wilson
• Campaign dresses from FDR and LBJ
• Signed photo of Charles Duke on the moon
• Page from a Ben Franklin book, 1742
• 1940 voting machine, FDR for President
• Bob Bullock Seal of Texas boots
• Lola Hoppers’ delegate jacket from the Democratic National Convention, 2008
• Jack Hightower’s stereoscope and slides, 1901
• 3” glass slides of the Kennedy assassination investigation
• Gifts from foreign dignitaries
• Clinton-Gore nesting dolls from Russia, 1992
• Bob Bullock neon sign
• LBJ flight jacket
• White House cookbook, 1907

“No longer a ‘hidden jewel’ at Baylor, the Poage Legislative Library has emerged as a national institution, offering research collections, sponsoring academic events and presenting public exhibits on vital aspects of American politics and history,” said Michael Parrish, Ph.D., The Linden G. Bowen Professor of American History in Baylor’s College of Arts & Sciences.

The W.R. Poage Legislative Library is part of Baylor University Libraries, functioning as a special collections library and research facility, which collects congressional records and personal papers related to the political history of Central Texas. It was established in 1979 in honor of Congressman W.R. Poage, Baylor alumnus and retired public official whose career spanned more than 50 years.

The Poage Legislative Library currently houses the papers of 12 former members of Congress, six Texas legislators, one Lieutenant Governor and five judges, as well as an editorial cartoon collection, extremist organizations’ materials and records of the McLennan County Democratic Party. In addition, the library is home to a map collection, an extensive collection of campaign materials and a 20,000-volume book collection focusing on Congress, political history and areas of public policy.

For more information about the library, contact Ben Rogers, director of the Poage Legislative Library, at 254-710-3540 or Ben_Rogers@baylor.edu or Mary Goolsby, library services and project manager, 254-710-6735 or Mary_Goolsby@baylor.edu.

For more information about the exhibit, please visit www.baylor.edu/library/poage/35.

ABOUT BAYLOR UNIVERSITY

Baylor University is a private Christian University and a nationally ranked research institution, characterized as having “high research activity” by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching. The University provides a vibrant campus community for approximately 16,000 students by blending interdisciplinary research with an international reputation for educational excellence and a faculty commitment to teaching and scholarship. Chartered in 1845 by the Republic of Texas through the efforts of Baptist pioneers, Baylor is the oldest continually operating University in Texas. Located in Waco, Baylor welcomes students from all 50 states and more than 80 countries to study a broad range of degrees among its 12 nationally recognized academic divisions. Baylor sponsors 19 varsity athletic teams and is a founding member of the Big 12 Conference.