Baylor Collections of Political Materials

05/31/2023

ANNOUNCEMENT: As some of our posts have hinted, there are exciting new changes in store for Poage Library. To work more closely with the Baylor Libraries, we will be sunsetting Poage Library’s Facebook account and transitioning content to the Baylor University Libraries account, effective May 31, 2023. For our loyal followers, we thank you for keeping up with our posts over the years. We will continue to create content, so be sure to like the Baylor University Libraries page to stay tuned to Poage Library!

05/26/2023

Poage Library will be closed Monday in observance of Memorial Day. See you Tuesday!

05/26/2023

For Sunday, Poage Library would like to honor former McLennan County Commissioner Lester Gibson on his birthday! Earlier this spring, we received a significant addition to his collection. These new materials highlight more of his responsibilities as County Commissioner including county budget making, policy management, Waco ISD governance, and the maintenance of buildings and roads.

The collection is currently in processing. However, if you are interested in looking at materials or want to know what types of topics are in Gibson’s collection, please contact us!

[Photo of Waco City Council, 1989-1990]

[Photo featuring Rep. John Lewis (2nd row, 3rd from left), Rep. Chet Edwards (2nd row, 5th from left), and Commissioner Lester Gibson (2nd row, 6th from left); this photo found in Baylor Digital Collections, Chet Edwards Digital Archive]

05/22/2023

In March, library staff drove down I-35 to Temple where we picked up the Talasek-Fowler Family papers. Reuben Talasek was a prominent member of the Temple community who served in the Texas House of Representatives from January 1953 to January 1959 (53rd-55th Legislatures). He was also a member of the Temple Chamber of Commerce.

The collection, in addition to materials on Reuben Talasek, contains broader family documents from the Talasek, Fowler, and Horak families. The Talaseks' Bend of the River Ranch and the Harper-Talasek Funeral Home also feature prominently in the collection.

The processing of this collection will soon be underway. Stay tuned for future updates with a finding aid to come!

[Photo of Bob Poage (L) and Reuben Talasek (R)]

[Photo of Reuben Talasek, Bernice Talasek?, and Gerald Ford]

[Photo of Frank Mayborn (C) and Reuben Talasek (R)]

[Photo of family members and library staff]

05/18/2023

As Mary rides off into the Waco sunset (good luck Mary!), Poage Library is proud to announce that Jeff Pirtle, Director of The Texas Collection and University Archives, will also become the Director of the Poage Legislative Library.

Jeff has worked at Baylor since July 2022. Previously, he served 20 years at NBCUniversal in Los Angeles, 12 years as Director of Archives and Collections. He earned degrees in History and Museum Science from Texas Tech.

Over the past several months, Jeff has met with Poage staff to talk about the leadership transition. He has been actively working behind the scenes as he prepares to step into his new role. Jeff met with leaders of Poage’s Standing Committee, helped pick up a new collection in Temple, and attended Mary’s retirement party last week.

We look forward to the future and the potential for collaboration between Poage and The Texas Collection. Welcome aboard Jeff (as of June 1st that is)!

[Photo of Jeff at Mary’s retirement party speaking with Fowler West]
[Photo of Jeff and other staff with members of the Talasek family]

05/15/2023

Last Thursday, Library staff and the Standing Committee celebrated Mary and congratulated her on her fast-approaching retirement. Mary, we are grateful for your 27.93 years of service to the Baylor University Libraries and Poage Library! You will be greatly missed.

05/11/2023

On May 11, 1953, a disastrous F5 tornado tore through downtown Waco. Roughly 50 blocks and upwards of 50 residences were damaged or destroyed. Approximately 114 citizens lost their lives in the storm and an additional 300-400 were injured. Wacoans joined together in an effort to rebuild their city. Congressman Bob Poage declared, “I have yet to see any community that was able to remove the debre [sic], bury its dead, re-establish its business and face the future with a greater courage than Waco.”

Seventy years later, Baylor remembers the tragedy. The Texas Collection is hosting a lecture to discuss the legacy of the tornado, the first event in the Texas Collection Centennial Speaker Series. This will take place next Thursday, May 18, 2023, at the Mayborn Museum from 6:00-7:00pm. KWTX weatherman Brady Taylor, whose documentary on the tornado airs today, will headline the panel. The event is free and open to the public. For more information, check out the link below:
https://www.baylor.edu/library/index.php?id=987605

[Photos from booklet in Poage Congressional papers, Box 135, Folder 15]

05/09/2023

Have you ever wondered what it is like working in an archive? [Spoiler… it’s really fun!] Ever curious about what you might find at a legislative library? [Spoiler… there is a lot of cool, historical documents!] If so, be sure to check out Poage’s latest blog post as our graduate assistant Bailey reflects on her year at the library.

The NeverEnding Story: One Year Through Poage May 9, 2023thomas_deshongBehind the Scenes / Graduate Student Assistants / John Leedom / O.C. Fisher / Poage Legislative Library / Uncategorized / W.R. PoageLeave a comment This blog post was composed by graduate student Bailey Edling, a master’s stude...

05/06/2023

Happy Birthday, Marvin Leath!

After working as Rep. W.R. Poage’s assistant, and once Poage announced his retirement, Leath ran and won the seat for Texas’ 11th Congressional District. He served as representative from 1979 to 1990. Here, Leath is pictured on the right with Poage directly to his left.

(Photo: Marvin Leath papers, Box 424, Folder 17)

04/28/2023

Hello from Albuquerque, New Mexico! Archivists Amanda and Tommy are currently attending the Society of Southwest Archivists annual meeting accompanied by plenty of their fellow archivists…and roadrunners!

The meeting’s opening address was given by Estevan Rael-Galvez who spoke about his role in compiling Native Bound Unbound, a digital repository focused on telling the stories of indigenous peoples who were enslaved.

Amanda took part in one of Thursday’s panels, giving her perspective on the period of transition at the Poage Library. Good job Amanda!

04/25/2023

Are you Team Coke or Team Pepsi? Or maybe Big Red?

Head over to our blog to read grad student Bailey’s post about the Cola Wars and Representative Sam Hall’s involvement in Congress.

A Sticky Mess: The Fascinating History of Selling Soda Syrup in America April 25, 2023thomas_deshongGraduate Student Assistants / Poage Legislative Library / Sam HallLeave a comment This blog post was composed by graduate assistant Bailey Edling, a master’s student in the History Department. A war...

04/20/2023

Today’s Sam Hall research spotlight features campaign memorabilia from one of his House of Representative campaigns between 1976-1985. During Hall’s election campaign, he had staff or volunteers wear these groovy vests.

[Photo in Sam Hall papers, Box 522, Folder 6]