FUND BENEFITS UA LIBRARIES

University of Arkansas alumna Ellen Compton is being remembered through a newly established fund named in her memory. Compton, who worked for the university for 30 years, was an integral part of establishing the nationally recognized collecting focus for architectural records within the Special Collections division of University Libraries.

The Ellen Compton Fund for Special Collections was created with a gift of more than $92,000 from Compton’s estate and will enhance the holdings of Special Collections, particularly for architectural records.

Special Collections supports the research, teaching and learning mission of the UA by collecting, preserving and providing access to unique and rare materials.

Compton passed away in March 2020 at the age of 81. During her time with Special Collections, she traveled the state as a field archivist, collecting materials for preservation in Special Collections, and worked on the extensive professional and personal papers of Fay Jones.

David Shipley, one of Compton’s sons, said, “Though Ellen first became part of the University of Arkansas as a freshman in the fall of 1956 and remained active in university activities from that time until her passing last year, it wasn’t until she began her career in Special Collections in 1980 that she truly found her home. This gift is from her to a place she loved, where she formed lasting relationships and where she found her purpose: collecting and preserving Arkansas stories for all of us.”

The Ellen Compton Fund for Special Collections will enhance the holdings of Special Collections through the acquisition of materials or collections; digitization and maintenance of collections; or by supporting the access to and use of the collections by students, faculty, researchers and the public. These activities often necessitate the hiring of a student assistant, and this position will be known as the “Ellen Compton Student Assistant.”

“With this gift, we are grateful that Ellen will continue to leave her mark on the university, helping to shape the careers of interns like those she so enjoyed mentoring during her 30 years with the Libraries,” Shipley said.

“Architectural records are one of our key collecting strengths,” said Lori Birrell, associate dean for Special Collections. “Generosity like this helps to ensure that we can best grow and steward these collections and make them available to be used by our faculty, students, and researchers worldwide.”

In June 2020, Tom and Jill King of Fayetteville created the Ellen Compton Memorial Fund, which supports the collecting focus of architectural records within Special Collections to document the design environment in Arkansas and house the collections of nationally and internationally recognized architects, landscape architects and architectural photographers with significant connections to the state. Contributions are still being accepted for that fund.

Information: (479) 5757346 or email jholland@uark.edu.

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