William Fulbright (bottom right) with his lacrosse team while attending Oxford on a Rhodes scholarship in 1926. From the J. William Fulbright Papers, box 14, folder 1, Special Collections, University of Arkansas Libraries.
The J. William Fulbright Collection and the related International Collections bring scholars from around the world to Special Collections every year. An exhibit in Special Collections this fall, “The Fulbright Legacy,” has greeted visitors from around the world, as well as all of the University students following the Senator’s footsteps.
This year Special Collections had the opportunity to share some highlights of those collections outside of the University of Arkansas campus as well by bringing these remarkable resources to a larger audience with two separate exhibits.
In recognition of the 70 anniversary of the Fulbright program, Special Collections developed an exhibit for the Fulbright Association’s 2016 Annual Conference: Fulbright at 70: Meeting New Challenges, held in Washington, D.C., November 10-13. The event was attended by over three hundred individuals including former Fulbright recipients, Ambassadors, and Congressmen. Dr. Angela Fritz and Dean Carolyn Allen represented the University Libraries at the conference, and Dr. Fritz installed the exhibit from Special Collections. The exhibit, J.W. Fulbright, Life and Legacy, was housed in the library of George Washington University, the host institution for the conference. Two individual vitrines provided insight into Fulbright’s experiences and contributions using materials selected from the J.W. Fulbright papers and related collections. The first highlighted Fulbright’s upbringing and connections to Arkansas, while the second illustrated the history and far reaching impact of the Fulbright Program.
On the left is part one of the exhibit at George Washington University highlighting Fulbright’s connection to his home state of Arkansas and illustrating how his childhood and international education after leaving the University of Arkansas influenced his lifelong commitment to international education and cultural exchange. On the right, former Chairman of the Fulbright Scholarship Board and University of Arkansas Professor, Hoyt Purvis, and Dean of the University of Arkansas Libraries, Carolyn Allen, enjoy the exhibit opening during the conference.
The J.W. Fulbright, Life and Legacy exhibit was comprised of two parts installed in separate vitrines in the George Washington University Library, November 2017. Part one examined his life and the work of creating the Fulbright program, while part two used examples from related archives at the University of Arkansas Libraries Special Collections to show the far reaching impact of the program and its affiliated organizations over the decades.
Senator Fulbright’s grandson, Mr. Willy Foote, Founder & CEO of Root Capitol, experiencing the exhibit. Root Capital is an agricultural impact investor that grows rural prosperity in poor, environmentally vulnerable places in Africa and Latin America by lending capital, delivering financial training, and strengthening market connections for small and growing agricultural businesses.
The second exhibit “Fulbright and the Fulbright Program: Garnering the Power of International Cooperation and Understanding” was installed in concert with The Global Solutions Summit in Little Rock, Arkansas, that took place December 13-14, 2016. That event marked the 4th anniversary of the Little Rock Accord, an international agreement developed to address climate change. Returning participants included members of The Club de Madrid and P80 Group Foundation.
Club de Madrid is an organization of former presidents and prime ministers of democratic nations. Founded by Prince Charles, P80 Group Foundation is a collection of International public pension funds committed to combating climate change. Several members of the Club de Madrid, in particular, are also former Fulbright Program participants. Summit organizers also recognized the overlap of Fulbright’s values and the event’s goals. The Fulbright network is intended to reinforce the connections between the representatives of these varied entities who share the same goals of using technology to promote sustainability.
Mr. Marc Grobmyer, Conference Organizer and Managing Director of the P80 Group Foundation, with the Special Collections exhibit in Little Rock, December 13, 2016.
Fulbright’s Rhodes scholarship and subsequent international travel had a profound impact on Fulbright. He is pictured here with an unidentified friend in Denmark, 1929. From the J. William Fulbright Papers, MS144-C, series19, box 115, folder 4, University of Arkansas Libraries Special Collections.
“Fulbright and the Fulbright Program” used books and images from the J. William Fulbright Papers to underscore Fulbright’s lifelong belief in the value of international engagement. The exhibit will remain on display for several months at the award-winning, environmentally sensitive headquarters of Heifer International. Heifer International, along with the Clinton Presidential Library and the Clinton School of Public Service, served as one of the venues for the distinguished group of attendees.
To learn more about accessing the wealth of collections related to Senator Fulbright and the Fulbright Program, please contact the Special Collections department:
Angela Fritz, Interim Head
Special Collections
University of Arkansas Libraries
365 N. McIlroy Avenue
Fayetteville, AR 72701-4002
What an impressive exhibit. Very informative and worthwhile. Thank you.