Document Actions
University of North Texas Archives
The University of North Texas Archives originated in 1974 in discussions between UNT Library Director, David Webb, and Drs. Robert LaForte and Jack Scroggs in the History Department. It's creation was officially announced in 1975 by President C. C. Nolen and its purpose is to house university records of enduring value and to document the development of north central Texas. There have been three archivists in charge of the UNT Archives: Dr. Robert LaForte 1975-1985, Richard Himmel 1985-2006, and Michelle M. Mears 2006-present.
All of the materials in the Archives fall into four categories: University Records, Historical Manuscripts, Oral Histories, and County Records. The Archives houses approximately 9500 linear feet of processed and unprocessed university material and manuscript collections, including an estimated 700,000 photographs. There are about 1600 oral history transcripts in the Archives, which were generated mostly by the Oral History Program in the UNT History Department, and document various historical topics. Approximately four hundred ledgers from Cooke and Montague counties and microfilmed records from Denton, Wise, Cooke, and Montague counties are included in the Archives collections.
Access to information in the Archives is governed by federal law, the Texas Public Information Act, and contractual agreement with donors. Material in the Archives does not circulate and must be used in the reading room. No food or beverages are allowed in the Archives and visitors will be requested to put their belongings in a locker while they are using materials from the collections. Researchers who will be conducting in-depth research in the Archives will need to call ahead and schedule an appointment. The phone number in the Archives is (940) 565-2766.
Judge Sarah T. Hughes Reading Room
Planned for ten years, the Judge Sarah T. Hughes Reading Room, in the University Archives, was dedicated on September 6, 1996. The reading room was realized through a generous challenge grant from Hoblitzelle Foundation and through matching funds secured by a committee chaired by Walter L. Abbey, Dallas attorney and UNT alumnus, and Louise B. Raggio, attorney and leader in women's legal rights. Abbey and Raggio both worked with Judge Hughes. Former law clerks, friends, and family of Judge Hughes, UNT alumni, foundations, law firms, legal organizations, and women's organizations have provided gifts and pledges of more than $78,000 to create a room that honors a woman of achievement and provides an environment conducive to intensive research.
The focal point of the reading room is the south wall, which features an oil portrait of Judge Hughes based on a photograph by Squire Haskins from the 1960s. The portrait artist is Ms. Dorothy Barta, who studied at the Dallas Museum of Fine Art School and the Art Students League of New York and is a past president of the Pastel Society of the Southwest. Ms. Barta received the first American Artist Achievement Award for a pastel artist in 1992. She has commented that "posthumous portraits are the greatest of all challenges."