{"id":74477,"date":"2026-02-23T08:25:06","date_gmt":"2026-02-23T13:25:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blog.utc.edu\/news\/?p=74477"},"modified":"2026-03-04T08:58:12","modified_gmt":"2026-03-04T13:58:12","slug":"utc-special-collections-completes-grant-funded-project-to-preserve-dr-tommie-browns-papers","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blog.utc.edu\/news\/2026\/02\/utc-special-collections-completes-grant-funded-project-to-preserve-dr-tommie-browns-papers\/","title":{"rendered":"UTC Special Collections completes grant-funded project to preserve Dr. Tommie Brown\u2019s papers"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"\u201cBlack-and-white

Black-and-white photograph of (from left to right) an unidentified individual, Margaret Sloan-Hunter, Gloria Steinem, and Tommie F. Brown. Photo courtesy of University of Tennessee at Chattanooga Special Collections.<\/p><\/div>\n

Just days before Dr. Tommie F. Brown passed away at the age of 91 on Jan. 20, 2026, archivists at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga crossed a significant finish line: the completion of a federally funded project to process and open Brown\u2019s personal and professional papers for public research.<\/p>\n

The 18-month project, supported by a $144,049 grant from the National Historical Publications and Records Commission<\/strong><\/a>, resulted in the full processing of the Tommie F. Brown papers<\/strong><\/a>\u2014a 172-box collection documenting the life and work of a woman whose influence shaped UTC, Chattanooga and the state of Tennessee.<\/p>\n

Brown\u2019s papers were donated to UTC Special Collections in 2023<\/strong><\/a>, filling more than 125 linear feet of space with original research, legislative records, correspondence, legal documents, photographs and personal papers spanning decades of academic, political and civic work. The grant-funded project made those materials fully accessible to researchers for the first time.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat finishing this project means is access,\u201d said Carolyn Runyon, director of Special Collections at UTC. \u201cThese papers are now open and available for anyone to come in and use\u2014students, scholars, journalists and members of the community. That access is the reason this work matters.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\u201cBlue

Campaign ticket for Tommie F. Brown\u2019s 1992 election bid. Courtesy of University of Tennessee at Chattanooga Special Collections.<\/p><\/div>\n

Brown joined the UTC faculty in 1971 and later became the founding head of the University\u2019s social work program, serving as a faculty member until 1998. In 1980, she became the first person of color to lead an academic department at UTC.<\/p>\n

Beyond campus, she built a parallel legacy in public service, representing Tennessee\u2019s 28th District in the state House of Representatives from 1992 to 2012 and playing a central role in landmark civil rights efforts in Chattanooga.<\/p>\n

The papers document Brown\u2019s work as the lead plaintiff in Brown v. Board of Commissioners of Chattanooga<\/em>, the federal lawsuit that ended the city\u2019s at-large voting system and led to the creation of a mayor-council form of government with single-member districts. They also chronicle her two decades in the Tennessee General Assembly, including meticulously researched legislation focused on education, children\u2019s welfare, voting rights and public accountability.<\/p>\n

The project employed a full-time professional archivist, Sara Kaparos, for 18 months and a student assistant, Boden Wilson. Together, they organized, described and rehoused every part of the collection, ensuring sensitive information was protected while preserving the integrity of the historical record.<\/p>\n

Runyon said the timing of the project\u2019s completion remains striking. Kaparos\u2019 final day on the project coincided with Brown\u2019s funeral, during which the archivist spent the morning honoring the woman whose papers she had processed for more than a year.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve never experienced anything like it professionally,\u201d Runyon said. \u201cThe grant project ended as my colleagues and I attended Dr. Brown\u2019s celebration of life. The experience imparted me with a profound sense of responsibility steward her legacy as preserved in her papers.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Black-and-white <\/a> <\/div> <\/div>
\"\u201cRed <\/a> <\/div> <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>\n

Runyon said that Brown was intentional about preserving her story. During interviews conducted as part of the grant process, she often spoke about growing up in Chattanooga\u2019s Bushtown neighborhood and her belief that access to education, civic engagement and political power should never feel out of reach.<\/p>\n

The collection is also notable for what it represents in the archival record. Based on Runyon\u2019s research, Brown\u2019s papers are the only known fully processed and publicly accessible archival collection documenting the career of a Black woman who served in the Tennessee legislature.<\/p>\n

\u201cWithout collections like this, entire chapters of history remain incomplete,\u201d Runyon said. \u201cDr. Brown understood that, and she made a deliberate decision to ensure her work could be studied and understood in full.\u201d<\/p>\n

Now that the project is complete, Runyon said UTC Special Collections staff encourage use of the collection in coursework, research and creative projects, with plans to explore future digitization and public programming.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s emotional to think about the finality of finishing something this large,\u201d she said. \u201cBut the most important thing is that Dr. Brown\u2019s papers are now part of the public dialogue.<\/p>\n

\u201cPeople can come here, open these boxes and learn directly from her life\u2019s work. That\u2019s the legacy she wanted.\u201d<\/p>\n

Learn more<\/h4>\n

Visit UTC<\/a><\/p>\n

UTC Special Collections<\/a><\/p>\n

UTC Digital Collections<\/a><\/p>\n

Dr. Tommie Brown, former UTC professor, department head and state legislator, donates her personal papers to the University<\/a><\/p>\n

UTC Special Collections wins federal grant to process Dr. Tommie Brown\u2019s personal papers<\/a><\/p>\n

How to apply<\/a><\/p>\n

\"\u201cBlack-and-white<\/p>\n\n\n

<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Just days before Dr. Tommie F. Brown passed away at the age of 91 on Jan. 20, 2026, archivists at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga crossed a significant finish line: the completion of a federally funded project to process and open Brown\u2019s personal and professional papers for public research.<\/p>\n

Continue Reading <\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1493,"featured_media":74486,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_ef_editorial_meta_date_first-draft-date":"","_ef_editorial_meta_paragraph_assignment":"","_ef_editorial_meta_checkbox_needs-photo":"","_ef_editorial_meta_number_word-count":"","_ef_editorial_meta_checkbox_slider":"","_ef_editorial_meta_checkbox_featurette":"","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[64,70,123864,15,56,3,7712,52,8244,58,48007,781,8325,12790,661],"tags":[70356,123826,123828,122826,123829,123946,4922,83263],"class_list":{"0":"post-74477","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-academics","8":"category-advancement-and-alumni","9":"category-campus","10":"category-college-of-health-education-and-professional-studies","11":"category-community","12":"category-faculty-and-staff","13":"category-graduate-school","14":"category-honors-and-awards","15":"category-library","16":"category-news","17":"category-research-academics","18":"category-scholarship","19":"category-service","20":"category-social-work","21":"category-students","22":"tag-carolyn-runyon","23":"tag-cultivating-a-culture-of-innovation","24":"tag-leveraging-our-special-place-as-chattanoogas-university","25":"tag-national-historical-publications-and-records-commission","26":"tag-operating-with-excellence","27":"tag-rev-ann-pierre","28":"tag-special-collections","29":"tag-tommie-brown","30":"entry"},"yoast_head":"\nUTC Special Collections completes grant-funded project to preserve Dr. Tommie Brown\u2019s papers | UTC News<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Just days before Dr. Tommie F. Brown passed away at the age of 91 on Jan. 20, 2026, archivists at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga crossed a significant finish line: the completion of a federally funded project to process and open Brown\u2019s personal and professional papers for public research.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/blog.utc.edu\/news\/2026\/02\/utc-special-collections-completes-grant-funded-project-to-preserve-dr-tommie-browns-papers\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"UTC Special Collections completes grant-funded project to preserve Dr. Tommie Brown\u2019s papers | UTC News\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Just days before Dr. Tommie F. Brown passed away at the age of 91 on Jan. 20, 2026, archivists at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga crossed a significant finish line: the completion of a federally funded project to process and open Brown\u2019s personal and professional papers for public research.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/blog.utc.edu\/news\/2026\/02\/utc-special-collections-completes-grant-funded-project-to-preserve-dr-tommie-browns-papers\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"UTC News\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/UTChattanooga\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-02-23T13:25:06+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-03-04T13:58:12+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/blog.utc.edu\/app\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2026\/02\/MS-147-05-003_flier-600.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"600\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"779\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Chuck Wasserstrom\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@UTChattanooga\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@UTChattanooga\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Chuck Wasserstrom\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"5 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blog.utc.edu\\\/news\\\/2026\\\/02\\\/utc-special-collections-completes-grant-funded-project-to-preserve-dr-tommie-browns-papers\\\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blog.utc.edu\\\/news\\\/2026\\\/02\\\/utc-special-collections-completes-grant-funded-project-to-preserve-dr-tommie-browns-papers\\\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Chuck Wasserstrom\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blog.utc.edu\\\/news\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/028a71bd6215de86078a717b45430622\"},\"headline\":\"UTC Special Collections completes grant-funded project to preserve Dr. Tommie Brown\u2019s papers\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-02-23T13:25:06+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-03-04T13:58:12+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blog.utc.edu\\\/news\\\/2026\\\/02\\\/utc-special-collections-completes-grant-funded-project-to-preserve-dr-tommie-browns-papers\\\/\"},\"wordCount\":797,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blog.utc.edu\\\/news\\\/2026\\\/02\\\/utc-special-collections-completes-grant-funded-project-to-preserve-dr-tommie-browns-papers\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/i0.wp.com\\\/blog.utc.edu\\\/app\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/9\\\/2026\\\/02\\\/MS-147-05-003_flier-600.jpg?fit=600%2C779&ssl=1\",\"keywords\":[\"Carolyn Runyon\",\"Cultivating a Culture of Innovation\",\"Leveraging Our Special Place as Chattanooga\u2019s University\",\"National Historical Publications and Records Commission\",\"Operating with Excellence\",\"Rev. Ann Pierre\",\"Special Collections\",\"Tommie Brown\"],\"articleSection\":[\"Academics\",\"Advancement and Alumni\",\"Campus\",\"College of Health, Education and Professional Studies\",\"Community\",\"Faculty and Staff\",\"Graduate School\",\"Honors and Awards\",\"Library\",\"News\",\"Research\",\"Scholarship\",\"Service\",\"Social Work\",\"Students\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blog.utc.edu\\\/news\\\/2026\\\/02\\\/utc-special-collections-completes-grant-funded-project-to-preserve-dr-tommie-browns-papers\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blog.utc.edu\\\/news\\\/2026\\\/02\\\/utc-special-collections-completes-grant-funded-project-to-preserve-dr-tommie-browns-papers\\\/\",\"name\":\"UTC Special Collections completes grant-funded project to preserve Dr. Tommie Brown\u2019s papers | UTC News\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blog.utc.edu\\\/news\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blog.utc.edu\\\/news\\\/2026\\\/02\\\/utc-special-collections-completes-grant-funded-project-to-preserve-dr-tommie-browns-papers\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blog.utc.edu\\\/news\\\/2026\\\/02\\\/utc-special-collections-completes-grant-funded-project-to-preserve-dr-tommie-browns-papers\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/i0.wp.com\\\/blog.utc.edu\\\/app\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/9\\\/2026\\\/02\\\/MS-147-05-003_flier-600.jpg?fit=600%2C779&ssl=1\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-02-23T13:25:06+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-03-04T13:58:12+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blog.utc.edu\\\/news\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/028a71bd6215de86078a717b45430622\"},\"description\":\"Just days before Dr. Tommie F. Brown passed away at the age of 91 on Jan. 20, 2026, archivists at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga crossed a significant finish line: the completion of a federally funded project to process and open Brown\u2019s personal and professional papers for public research.\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blog.utc.edu\\\/news\\\/2026\\\/02\\\/utc-special-collections-completes-grant-funded-project-to-preserve-dr-tommie-browns-papers\\\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/blog.utc.edu\\\/news\\\/2026\\\/02\\\/utc-special-collections-completes-grant-funded-project-to-preserve-dr-tommie-browns-papers\\\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blog.utc.edu\\\/news\\\/2026\\\/02\\\/utc-special-collections-completes-grant-funded-project-to-preserve-dr-tommie-browns-papers\\\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/i0.wp.com\\\/blog.utc.edu\\\/app\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/9\\\/2026\\\/02\\\/MS-147-05-003_flier-600.jpg?fit=600%2C779&ssl=1\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/i0.wp.com\\\/blog.utc.edu\\\/app\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/9\\\/2026\\\/02\\\/MS-147-05-003_flier-600.jpg?fit=600%2C779&ssl=1\",\"width\":600,\"height\":779,\"caption\":\"Black-and-white campaign flyer featuring Dr. Tommie E. Brown, shown in a formal portrait. The poster urges viewers to vote no on a proposed amendment, emphasizing education as the central issue.\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blog.utc.edu\\\/news\\\/2026\\\/02\\\/utc-special-collections-completes-grant-funded-project-to-preserve-dr-tommie-browns-papers\\\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blog.utc.edu\\\/news\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"UTC Special Collections completes grant-funded project to preserve Dr. Tommie Brown\u2019s papers\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blog.utc.edu\\\/news\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blog.utc.edu\\\/news\\\/\",\"name\":\"UTC News\",\"description\":\"Official news releases of the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blog.utc.edu\\\/news\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blog.utc.edu\\\/news\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/028a71bd6215de86078a717b45430622\",\"name\":\"Chuck Wasserstrom\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/adff2964e628ba03f65fe21e0b0b94ca0667bdce5def0433d41884758501f284?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/adff2964e628ba03f65fe21e0b0b94ca0667bdce5def0433d41884758501f284?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/adff2964e628ba03f65fe21e0b0b94ca0667bdce5def0433d41884758501f284?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Chuck Wasserstrom\"},\"description\":\"Chuck Wasserstrom is the director of communications in the UTC Division of Communications and Marketing.\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blog.utc.edu\\\/news\\\/author\\\/wyf557\\\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"UTC Special Collections completes grant-funded project to preserve Dr. Tommie Brown\u2019s papers | UTC News","description":"Just days before Dr. Tommie F. Brown passed away at the age of 91 on Jan. 20, 2026, archivists at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga crossed a significant finish line: the completion of a federally funded project to process and open Brown\u2019s personal and professional papers for public research.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/blog.utc.edu\/news\/2026\/02\/utc-special-collections-completes-grant-funded-project-to-preserve-dr-tommie-browns-papers\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"UTC Special Collections completes grant-funded project to preserve Dr. Tommie Brown\u2019s papers | UTC News","og_description":"Just days before Dr. Tommie F. Brown passed away at the age of 91 on Jan. 20, 2026, archivists at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga crossed a significant finish line: the completion of a federally funded project to process and open Brown\u2019s personal and professional papers for public research.","og_url":"https:\/\/blog.utc.edu\/news\/2026\/02\/utc-special-collections-completes-grant-funded-project-to-preserve-dr-tommie-browns-papers\/","og_site_name":"UTC News","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/UTChattanooga","article_published_time":"2026-02-23T13:25:06+00:00","article_modified_time":"2026-03-04T13:58:12+00:00","og_image":[{"width":600,"height":779,"url":"https:\/\/blog.utc.edu\/app\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2026\/02\/MS-147-05-003_flier-600.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Chuck Wasserstrom","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_creator":"@UTChattanooga","twitter_site":"@UTChattanooga","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Chuck Wasserstrom","Est. reading time":"5 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/blog.utc.edu\/news\/2026\/02\/utc-special-collections-completes-grant-funded-project-to-preserve-dr-tommie-browns-papers\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/blog.utc.edu\/news\/2026\/02\/utc-special-collections-completes-grant-funded-project-to-preserve-dr-tommie-browns-papers\/"},"author":{"name":"Chuck Wasserstrom","@id":"https:\/\/blog.utc.edu\/news\/#\/schema\/person\/028a71bd6215de86078a717b45430622"},"headline":"UTC Special Collections completes grant-funded project to preserve Dr. Tommie Brown\u2019s papers","datePublished":"2026-02-23T13:25:06+00:00","dateModified":"2026-03-04T13:58:12+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/blog.utc.edu\/news\/2026\/02\/utc-special-collections-completes-grant-funded-project-to-preserve-dr-tommie-browns-papers\/"},"wordCount":797,"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/blog.utc.edu\/news\/2026\/02\/utc-special-collections-completes-grant-funded-project-to-preserve-dr-tommie-browns-papers\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blog.utc.edu\/app\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2026\/02\/MS-147-05-003_flier-600.jpg?fit=600%2C779&ssl=1","keywords":["Carolyn Runyon","Cultivating a Culture of Innovation","Leveraging Our Special Place as Chattanooga\u2019s University","National Historical Publications and Records Commission","Operating with Excellence","Rev. Ann Pierre","Special Collections","Tommie Brown"],"articleSection":["Academics","Advancement and Alumni","Campus","College of Health, Education and Professional Studies","Community","Faculty and Staff","Graduate School","Honors and Awards","Library","News","Research","Scholarship","Service","Social Work","Students"],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/blog.utc.edu\/news\/2026\/02\/utc-special-collections-completes-grant-funded-project-to-preserve-dr-tommie-browns-papers\/","url":"https:\/\/blog.utc.edu\/news\/2026\/02\/utc-special-collections-completes-grant-funded-project-to-preserve-dr-tommie-browns-papers\/","name":"UTC Special Collections completes grant-funded project to preserve Dr. Tommie Brown\u2019s papers | UTC News","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/blog.utc.edu\/news\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/blog.utc.edu\/news\/2026\/02\/utc-special-collections-completes-grant-funded-project-to-preserve-dr-tommie-browns-papers\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/blog.utc.edu\/news\/2026\/02\/utc-special-collections-completes-grant-funded-project-to-preserve-dr-tommie-browns-papers\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blog.utc.edu\/app\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2026\/02\/MS-147-05-003_flier-600.jpg?fit=600%2C779&ssl=1","datePublished":"2026-02-23T13:25:06+00:00","dateModified":"2026-03-04T13:58:12+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/blog.utc.edu\/news\/#\/schema\/person\/028a71bd6215de86078a717b45430622"},"description":"Just days before Dr. Tommie F. Brown passed away at the age of 91 on Jan. 20, 2026, archivists at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga crossed a significant finish line: the completion of a federally funded project to process and open Brown\u2019s personal and professional papers for public research.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/blog.utc.edu\/news\/2026\/02\/utc-special-collections-completes-grant-funded-project-to-preserve-dr-tommie-browns-papers\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/blog.utc.edu\/news\/2026\/02\/utc-special-collections-completes-grant-funded-project-to-preserve-dr-tommie-browns-papers\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/blog.utc.edu\/news\/2026\/02\/utc-special-collections-completes-grant-funded-project-to-preserve-dr-tommie-browns-papers\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blog.utc.edu\/app\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2026\/02\/MS-147-05-003_flier-600.jpg?fit=600%2C779&ssl=1","contentUrl":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blog.utc.edu\/app\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2026\/02\/MS-147-05-003_flier-600.jpg?fit=600%2C779&ssl=1","width":600,"height":779,"caption":"Black-and-white campaign flyer featuring Dr. Tommie E. Brown, shown in a formal portrait. The poster urges viewers to vote no on a proposed amendment, emphasizing education as the central issue."},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/blog.utc.edu\/news\/2026\/02\/utc-special-collections-completes-grant-funded-project-to-preserve-dr-tommie-browns-papers\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/blog.utc.edu\/news\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"UTC Special Collections completes grant-funded project to preserve Dr. Tommie Brown\u2019s papers"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/blog.utc.edu\/news\/#website","url":"https:\/\/blog.utc.edu\/news\/","name":"UTC News","description":"Official news releases of the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/blog.utc.edu\/news\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/blog.utc.edu\/news\/#\/schema\/person\/028a71bd6215de86078a717b45430622","name":"Chuck Wasserstrom","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/adff2964e628ba03f65fe21e0b0b94ca0667bdce5def0433d41884758501f284?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/adff2964e628ba03f65fe21e0b0b94ca0667bdce5def0433d41884758501f284?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/adff2964e628ba03f65fe21e0b0b94ca0667bdce5def0433d41884758501f284?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Chuck Wasserstrom"},"description":"Chuck Wasserstrom is the director of communications in the UTC Division of Communications and Marketing.","url":"https:\/\/blog.utc.edu\/news\/author\/wyf557\/"}]}},"featured_image_src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blog.utc.edu\/app\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2026\/02\/MS-147-05-003_flier-600.jpg?resize=600%2C400&ssl=1","featured_image_src_square":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blog.utc.edu\/app\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2026\/02\/MS-147-05-003_flier-600.jpg?resize=600%2C600&ssl=1","author_info":{"display_name":"Chuck Wasserstrom","author_link":"https:\/\/blog.utc.edu\/news\/author\/wyf557\/"},"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blog.utc.edu\/app\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2026\/02\/MS-147-05-003_flier-600.jpg?fit=600%2C779&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.utc.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/74477","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.utc.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.utc.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.utc.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1493"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.utc.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=74477"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/blog.utc.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/74477\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":74493,"href":"https:\/\/blog.utc.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/74477\/revisions\/74493"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.utc.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/74486"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.utc.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=74477"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.utc.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=74477"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.utc.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=74477"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}