UALR’s Sequoyah National Research Center (SNRC) was recently awarded a $56,000 grant by the Arkansas Natural and Cultural Resources Council.

The grant is to hire an archivist and to process the Garrard Ardeneum Collection.

The Garrard Ardeneum Collection was donated by Francine Locke Bray of Antlers, Okla., on behalf of the Garrard Ardeneum in McAlester, Okla.

The collection is 100-cubic feet of material amassed by Allece Locke (Mrs. Tom) Garrard, a descendant of two well-known Native families. She lived from 1909 to 1999.

Her father was Benjamin Davis Locke, Choctaw soldier and writer, whose brother Victor was not only chief of the Choctaws in Oklahoma from 1911 to 1918, but also superintendent of the Five Civilized Tribes. Garrard’s mother was Eleanor Davis, the daughter of Alice Brown Davis, the first female chief of the Seminoles.

Garrard was involved in all areas of Oklahoma society, including politics, philanthropy, and the arts. The collection reflects her endeavors, including records on company and personal finances, social and political organizations, photographs, personal correspondence, genealogy and history.

UALR’s Sequoyah National Research Center is dedicated to the collection and preservation of all forms of Native American expression. Located on the southern end of the UALR campus in University Plaza, SNRC has served as an archive for Native Americans since 1983.

For more information, contact Erin Fehr at 501-569-8336 or ehfehr@ualr.edu.