Andersons lend support to African American studies at KU Libraries

A gift to KU Libraries will significantly enhance the collection of regional African American research materials at the University of Kansas.

The $20,000 gift, made by longtime KU donors Dana and Sue Anderson, will support studies of the Kansas region's historical ethnic and racial diversity through the African American documentation program, part of the Kansas Collection at Spencer Research Library.

The Andersons made the gift in honor of their friends, Dr. George T. Grigsby, a physician in Las Vegas, and Deborah Dandridge, KU Libraries' field archivist for African American Collections.

"The Andersons have made many generous contributions that have enabled KU Libraries to improve research through the regional African American experience collection," said Lorraine J. Haricombe, dean of KU Libraries. "Thanks to their vision, the libraries have been able to process and produce online finding aids for the collections acquired by our African American documentation program."

The Andersons' support, which dates back to 1996, has enabled KU Libraries to build and process a greatly expanded collecting program designed to increase opportunities for researchers interested in state and regional history.

The Andersons live in Los Angeles, Calif. Dana Anderson earned a bachelor's degree in business from KU in 1959. He is vice chairman of the board for the Santa Monica-based Macerich Company.

"Our collection efforts have amassed significant resources for studies in the Kansas region," Dandridge said. "We are able to document the contributions and achievements of African Americans to this region through the records of schools, businesses, churches and clubs, and the papers of families and individuals. The Andersons' support enables us to make these items available for all researchers to use."

The collection houses the personal, political and professional papers of prominent regional African American leaders that include members of the Kansas legislature, as well as major attorneys and religious leaders from Kansas.

"This collection has been of great value to KU students, and has contributed to research and teaching not only in Kansas and this region, but throughout the United States," said William M. Tuttle, Jr., professor of American Studies at KU. "Through their contributions, the Andersons have played a crucial role in fostering the pioneering effort of KU Libraries to document the region's African American experience."

In addition to the Kansas Collection, which provides researchers with primary source materials that document the history and people of Kansas, Spencer Research Library houses University Archives and Special Collections. It is home to more than 350,000 rare books, 500,000 manuscripts and approximately 2.5 million photographs.

The gift will be managed by KU Endowment Association, an independent, nonprofit organization serving as the official fund raising and fund-management organization for KU. Founded in 1891, KU Endowment is the first foundation of its kind at a U.S. public university.