MURFREESBORO, Tenn. (WTVF) — Four years ago, we lost one of the most prominent voices in conservation in the state's history. Now, that person's story is is being explored through a major undertaking.
It's always something to hear how quiet it is on MTSU's campus before the semester starts. However, a duo was hard at work at James E. Walker Library on Thursday.
Susan Hanson and Susan Martin work the library's special collections. A colleague once tried to call them Susan One and Susan Two.
"It just didn't fly," Susan Hanson laughed.
"Nobody wants to be number two!" Susan Martin added.
No, they much prefer the teamwork title: The Susans.
"Capital T, capital S!" Susan Martin said.
The Susans — captial T, capital S — are now working a big project.
"We got the Mack Prichard collection," Susan Hanson said.
Prichard was Tennessee's first state archaeologist and later state naturalist.
You can watch The Susans at work in the player above.
"Deeply involved in state conservation at state parks, he worked for the state of Tennessee for over 50 years," Susan Martin said.
The collection, donated by the Mack S. Prichard Foundation, is mostly materials from the early '70s up until Prichard died in 2020.
"A lot of these are his handwritten and sometimes typewritten speeches," said Susan Martin, flipping through papers and pointing out one in particular. "It dates to 1961. It's a draft of a letter to then-president John F. Kennedy. It's talking about natural resources and his passion. I'd like to think he did send it eventually."
"The postcard collection helps flesh out more about what he was and his passion," she continued.
Books and government documents are also in the collection.
Right now, the effort is to get everything fully processed and stored in the vault. It'll eventually be available for anyone through finding aids on the library's site.
For The Susans — capital T, capital S — it's like getting to know someone they never got to meet.
"I wish I could have known him, but we get to see and carry on his legacy," said Susan Martin. "We get to carry on his work and his passion to others."
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