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Raymond O. Arsenault collection, bulk 1880-2001

 

Summary

Creator:
Arsenault, Raymond
Abstract:
Collection consists of USF St. Petersburg professor Raymond O. Asenault's research materials on the history of St. Petersbrug and Florida.
Extent:
9 boxes
Language:
English
Preferred citation:

Raymond O. Arsenault collection, Nelson Poynter Memorial Library Special Collections and University Archives, University of South Florida, St. Petersburg, FL.

Background

Scope and content:

Items fall within three distinct series: Pre-2001 acquisitions, 2001 Acquisitions,and 2004 Acquisitions. Research files, clippings, memoranda, audiotape recordings, public records, photographs, and ephemera consist the bulk of collection from the 1880s (photocopied newspaper articles) through 2001. Content consists of materials related to the history of St. Petersburg including African American history and civil rights.

Biographical / historical:

Raymond O. Arsenault serves as the John Hope Franklin Professor of Southern History and Director of the University Honors Program at the University of South Florida (USF), St. Petersburg. A member of the USF faculty since 1980, he specializes in the social, political, and environmental history and historiography of the American South, though his teaching and research interests cover nearly all areas of American history, culture, and civilization.

A native of Hyannis, Massachusetts, he also lived in Virginia, Maryland, and Florida (the Pensacola, Jacksonville, and Amelia Island areas) before attending college. He completed his undergraduate education at Princeton (B.A., 1969) and finished his doctorate at Brandeis (Ph.D., 1981). In addition to his teaching and research at USF, he has also taught at the University of Minnesota, Brandeis University, and in France at the Universite d'Angers, where he served as a Fullbright Lecturer in 1984-1985. Author of two prize-winning books, The Wild Ass of the Ozarks: Jeff Davis and the Social Bases of Southern Politics and St. Petersburg and the Florida Dream. 1888-1950, Arsenault has also written numerous articles in scholarly journals. He and Gary Mormino, USF Professor of History, have collaborated as co-editors for the "Florida History and Culture" series of monographs published by the University Press of Florida. He regularly lectures at conferences and professional meetings, and has appeared on ABC's Nightline, National Public Radio, and ABC Nightly News.

A lifelong supporter of civil rights and social justice, Arsenault has also taken leadership roles with organizations such as the American Civil Liberties Union, where he has served as a member of the Board of Directors for the Pinellas County Chapter since 1981, as Chapter President (1985-1997), and later as President of the state ACLU in 1998.

Acquisition information:
In the summer of 1998, Arsenault donated some of his research files and miscellaneous materials to the Nelson Poynter Memorial Library. In 2001 and again in 2004, he sent additional materials for preservation as part of this collection. Revisions of this finding aid will occur as the Special Collections department receives future accessions.

Access and use

Terms of access:

None. The contents of the collection may be subject to copyright. Visit the United States Copyright Office's website at http://www.copyright.gov/ for more information.

Preferred citation:

Raymond O. Arsenault collection, Nelson Poynter Memorial Library Special Collections and University Archives, University of South Florida, St. Petersburg, FL.

Location of this collection:
140 7th Avenue South
St. Petersburg
FL
33701
USA