Alabama State University News August 22, 2014 National Center Receives Donation of Historic Documents ASU's National Center for the Study of Civil Rights and African-American Culture recently received a major donation from the family of the woman who served as an aide to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Maude Ballou worked beside King as he began the fight against racial discrimination in Montgomery that became a nationwide campaign for equal rights. Ballou, who once worked for an ASU campus radio station, and her husband, Leonard, an ASU music professor, both were friends of King and helped him to start the Montgomery Improvement Association. Maude Ballou was his "right hand," making his itineraries, booking his flights and assisting him with correspondence with people such as Malcolm X and Thurgood Marshall. A portion of the documents that Maude Ballou accumulated during the early period of the Civil Rights Movement were donated to ASU's National Center. Howard Ballou, one of the couple's sons, said his family chose ASU to house and display the historic collection of correspondence because of their parent's connection to the University. "We felt that ASU was a natural choice to put these documents and historic pieces on display," said Ballou. "For us, ASU is where it all started." Ballou said he hopes the collection will be used to help educate young people about the fight for equality. "I would hope that (the documents) would be tools to shine the light on a very important period of American history. I also hope that younger people will take the time to learn how they came to have the rights and luxuries that they take for granted now. They need to understand that their freedoms came at a price of the hard work, the bloodshed and the sacrifices of others," Ballou added. Ballou is proud that his mother was one of those who made great sacrifices for the cause of civil rights. "She faced a lot of dangers. She was on a hit list that we found of people and institutions. My mother was never afraid, but she did become alarmed when a guy from Birmingham followed her home from work ... identified himself as a member of the White Citizens Council and told her 'what you're doing could cost you your children.'" Ballou said while his mother, who now lives with him in Mississippi, has never sought any publicity for her work with King, he would like for people to know the important role that she played. "She was more than a secretary. I think she contributed a lot to the freedoms that we enjoy. She may not have been as prominent as others, but she was a soldier in the background who fought a good fight," he said. The Ballou family was honored during the National Center's 11th annual Patrons and Donors Reception on Sunday, August 17, along with others who have made recent donations to the Center's archives. Patron William Ford was recognized as Citizen of the Year for his support of the National Center and for his contributions to the community. The Reverend Robert Graetz and Mrs. Jean Graetz were honored as Patron(s) of the Year for having raised the most funds for the Center over the past year. National Center Donors' Collections: * Mrs. Mary G. Boone - Reverend Richard Boone Collection * Dr. Doug Bristol (ASU Music Department) - ASU Music Collection * Dr. Ralph Bryson - Dr. Ralph Bryson Collection * Mr. Roger Dash - Mr. Julian Dash Collection * Ms. Kim L. Davis - African-American Women's Golf/Driving Force Women's Golf Club Collection * Dr. Annie Marie Garraway - Dr. Levi Watkins Collection * Ms. Wilhelmina Howard Harris - The Prince Albert Howard Jr. & Living Trust Family Collection * Attorney Larry Menefee - Attorney Larry Menefee Collection * Dr. Valda Harris Montgomery - John Williams Jones Collection * Ms. Dorothy Frazier Tiedrahita - Ms. Dorothy Frazier Collection * Ms. Gwyneth Winston - Dr. John Winston Jr. Collection Accretion: * Ms. Claudyne C. Davis - Ms. Verlie Collins Collection * Rep. John F. Knight - John F. Knight Collection * Ms. Gladys Seymour - Mr. Alonzo Reid Seymour Sr. Collection Donors of Original Art: * Dr. Charmagne Andrews - Ms. Gladys Seymour Financial Donors: * Platinum Donors - Maud Balou and her son Howard Balou * Gold Donors - The Southern Poverty Law Center, Montgomery Improvement Association * Silver Donors - Mary Boone in memory of Rev. Richard Boone * Bronze Donors - Alma Freeman, Tracy Larkin, Julian McPhillips, Lovell Perry, Immaculate Janitorial Services SANDRA M. PHOENIX Executive Director HBCU Library Alliance sphoenix@hbculibraries.org<mailto:sphoenix@hbculibraries.org> www.hbculibraries.org<http://www.hbculibraries.org/> 800-999-8558, ext. 4820 404-702-5854 Skype: sandra.phoenix1 1438 West Peachtree NW Suite 200 Atlanta,GA 30309 Toll Free: 1.800.999.8558 (LYRASIS) Fax: 404.892.7879 www.lyrasis.org<http://www.lyrasis.org/> Honor the ancestors, honor the children. Register now http://www.hbculibraries.org/html/2014meeting-form.html for the October 26-28, 2014 HBCU Library Alliance 6th Membership Meeting in Atlanta GA!