Univ. of Arkansas Libraries, Fayetteville: Ruth Polk Patterson Papers

About Ruth Polk Patterson

Ruth Polk Patterson (1930-1988) was born to Arthur and Mattie Polk near Nashville (Howard County), Arkansas. After graduating from Childress High School (Nashville, Arkansas) in 1949, she married Thomas Edward Patterson. In 1956 she attended the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff and graduated in 1958 with a bachelor's degree in English. She then began teaching in the Arkansas public schools, teaching first in Crossett (Ashley County), and later in Nashville. In 1962, the family moved to Little Rock, where she taught at Horace Mann High School. She received a master's degree in English from the University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, in 1967, and in 1977 she obtained a doctorate in American studies from Emory University in Atlanta. Her dissertation was a study of an Afro-American Studies program in the Little Rock School District which Patterson implemented and administered between 1973 and 1980.

In addition to her teaching career, Patterson organized the Little Rock branch of the Association for the Study of Afro-American Life and History in 1975 and was active in the Educators to Africa program. She published several articles including "Movin' On Up the Road--Black Migration from Fordyce, Arkansas to Las Vegas, Nevada" (1984). In 1985 it was made into a television documentary for which she wrote the screenplay. Perhaps Ruth Polk Patterson is best known for her book, The Seed of Sally Good'n, which was published in 1985.

About the Collection

The collection contains manuscript versions of her articles and book and other related material such as grant applications, research notes, and correspondence; papers pertaining to professional organizations and activities such as the Arkansas Commemorative Commission, the Arkansas Sesquicentennial Commission, and the Association for the Study of Afro-American Life and History; papers pertaining to a lawsuit filed against the Little Rock School District concerning discriminatory employment practices; personal ephemera including a biographical sketch, resumes, certificates, and programs; and a collection of photographs and slides mostly pertaining to The Seed of Sally Good'n and the Spencer Polk Exhibit held at the Old State House in 1981.

Tracey Patterson, of Little Rock, Arkansas, donated his mother's papers to Special Collections on December 13, 1988.

Processed by Anthony J. Wappel, Special Collections, University of Arkansas Libraries, Fayetteville, Arkansas, in January 1989.

Contents of the Collection - (4.5 linear feet + 12 boxes)

Series 1. Manuscripts and Related Material. Boxes 1-5.

Subseries 1. The Seed of Sally Good'n.
Subseries 2. Articles.

Series 2. Organizations and Activities. Boxes 6-8.

Subseries 1. Historical and Cultural Organizations.
Subseries 2. Educational Organizations and Activities.
Subseries 3. Other Research Files.

Series 3. Little Rock Public Schools Litigation. Box 9.

Series 4. Personal Ephemera. Box 10-11.

Series 5. Photographs and Slides. Box 12.

Series 1. Manuscripts and Related Material. Boxes 1-5.

This series contains Ruth Polk Patterson's handwritten and typed versions of her articles and her book, The Seed of Sally Good'n, which had as its original title "Spencer Polk: The Man, His Home, His Family, The Story of a Black Homesteader in Arkansas." Most correspondence consists of research and writing queries and reviews of published works. This series also contains papers documenting Patterson's efforts to obtain grant money from the Arkansas Endowment for the Humanities for her research for The Seed of Sally Good'n, and her article "Movin' On Up the Road, Black Migration From Fordyce, Arkansas to Las Vegas, Nevada." This series also contains manuscripts and other material pertaining to Ruth Polk Patterson's involvement with the Arkansas Endowment for the Humanities publication, Persistence of the Spirit, a pictorial history of blacks in Arkansas.

Subseries 1. The Seed of Sally Good'n

Box 1

1-2. Manuscript fragments, ca. 1978-1985.
3-7. Typed manuscripts, ca. 1978-1985.

Box 2. Typed manuscript printouts from computer disks, ca.
1978-1985.

Box 3

1. Correspondence, 1978-1984.
2. Correspondence, 1985-1988.
3. Grant aplication materials, 1978-1981.
4. Notes, ca. 1978-1985.
5. Reviews, 1985-1986.
6. Sales and promotions, 1985-1986.
7. Scrapbook (photocopy), 1985-1988.

Subseries 2. Articles.

Box 4

1-2. "Movin' On Up the Road" manuscripts, 1984.
3. "Movin' On Up the Road" correspondence, 1983-1985.
4. "Movin' On Up the Road" grant applications, 1983.
5. "Movin' On Up the Road" notes, ca. 1983.
6. "Persistence of the Spirit" manuscripts, 1986.
7. "Persistence of the Spirit" correspondence, 1984-1987.
8. "Persistence of the Spirit" Arkansas Endowment for the Humanities material, 1984-1986.

Box 5

1. "Always One More Door, an Autobiography" notes, n.d.
2. "Arrow of God," correspondence and notes, 1977.
3. "The African-American Family" and "Some Facts About Arkansas Women" manuscript fragments, ca. 1986.
4. "The Afro-American Literary Tradition" manuscript fragments, n.d.
5. "Implementing an Afro-American Studies Program into the Curriculum of the Little Rock Public Schools," correspondence, 1972-1977.
6. "Implementing an Afro-American Studies Program into the Curriculum of the Little Rock Public Schools," notes, 1972-1977.
7. "The New South Colorline" manuscript, n.d.
8. Other historical essays, n.d.
9. Speeches and essay fragments., n.d.

Series 2. Organizations and Activities. Boxes 6-8.

This series contains papers pertaining to Patterson's involvement with professional organizations including the Association for the Study of Afro-American Life and History, the Arkansas Commemorative Commission, and the Arkansas Sesquicentennial Commission. This series also contains miscellaneous research notes, mostly about African-American culture.

Subseries 1. Historical and Cultural Organizations.

Box 6

1. ASALH, 1973-1976.
2. ASALH, 1977-1980.
3. ASALH, 1981-1986.
4. ASALH scrapbook, 1975.
5. Commemorative Commission, correspondence, 1976-1986.
6. Commemorative Commission, minutes, 1979-1987.
7. Commemorative Commission, reports, 1978-1987.
8. Commemorative Commission, Spencer Polk artifacts at Old State House, 1981.
9. Commemorative Commission, topic Papers, 1981.
10. Sesquicentennial Commission, correspondence, and other papers, 1985-1986.
11. Sesquicentennial Commission, Ethnic Task Force, 1985-1986.

Subseries 2. Educational Organizations and Activities.

Box 7

1. Arkansas Education Association, 1981.
2. Arkansas Education Association--Leadership Round-table, 1980-1986.
3. Committee of 1000 [Little Rock] ca. 1981.
4. Educators to Africa, 1975.
5. English Language Escort Program, 1986.
6. Honors Society, [State Association Treasurers' reports] 1954-1963.
7. Mailing lists, n.d.
8. Other educational papers, n.d.

Subseries 3. Other Research Files.

Box 8

1. African folktales, n.d.
2. African recipes, n.d.
3. Black Identity, 1976-1984.
4. Black Intelligence Test, n.d.
5. Black Poets, n.d.
6. Black Writers--articles and essays, 1969-1985.
7. Black Writers--notes, n.d.
8. Black writers--critiques of manuscripts submitted to Ruth Patterson, n.d.
9. Other professional organizations, 1977-1986.

Series 3. Little Rock Public Schools Litigation. Box 9.

This series contains papers pertaining to Ruth Polk Patterson's 1980 lawsuit against the Little Rock School District. Patterson claimed she was not hired for the supervisor of English and social studies position because of her race and sex and because of her sometimes controversial activities as director of the Afro-American Studies Program. While some of these papers do not directly pertain to the Little Rock suit, all papers were originally preserved in file folders labeled "court case."

Box 9

1. Court Orders, 1966-1985.
2. Correspondence, 1979-1980.
3. Correspondence, 1981-1983.
4. Correspondence, 1984-1985.
5. Contracts used in court, 1967-1985.
6. Job Description, 1980-1983.
7. Typed notes and reports, n.d.
8. Handwritten notes, n.d.
9. Clippings, 1980-1984.

Series 4. Personal Ephemera. Boxes 10-11.

This series contains Ruth Polk Patterson's personal papers including resumes, certificates, and awards as well as a collection of programs of events in which Ruth Polk Patterson participated. This series also contains three yearbooks, two from Childress High School in Nashville, and one from Horace Mann High School in Little Rock.

Box 10

1. Biographical sketch, resumes, and reference letters for Ruth Polk Patterson, 1986.
2. Certificates and awards, 1976-1986.
3. Childress School Reunion, 1984.
4. Emory University, 1977.
5. Murphy-Polk Family reunion, 1986.
6. Programs, 1976-1980.
7. Programs, 1981-1982.
8. Programs, 1984-1985.
9. Programs, 1986-1987.

Box 11

1. Yearbook--The Tiger (Nashville) 1949.
2. Yearbook--The Tigerette (Nashville) 1954.
3. Yearbook--The Bearcat (Little Rock) 1968.

Series 5. Photographs and Slides. Box 12.

This series contains an incomplete collection of family photographs used in Patterson's novel, The Seed of Sally Goodin'. This series also contains Fordyce area views, photographs of a National Honor Society ceremony held at Warren, Arkansas, and a collection of slides used for the John Spencer Polk exhibit held at the Old State House in 1981.

Box 12

1-22. Polk and Patterson Family, ca. 1900-1970.
21-23. Political Rally and Governor Bill Clinton, n.d.
24-28. Fordyce Views,
29-33. Honors Society, 1962.
34-36. John Spencer Polk Exhibit, 1981.
37-106. John Spencer Polk Exhibit, Slides, 1981.

Last modified: Friday, January 23, 2009