Stephen F. Austin State University

The Center for East Texas Studies and the African American Heritage Project of Nacogdoches will receive the Mary Faye Barnes award for community service from the Texas Oral History Association at a reception at 3 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 21.

Dr. Jere Jackson, Center director, and Maye Ham, president of the Heritage Project, will acknowledge the award, which honors the collection of historical materials and oral histories, during a 3 p.m. reception of the Steen Library's East Texas Research Center. The award will be presented by Joann Pospisil of the Baylor Medical School oral history program and current president of the Texas Oral History Association.

Founded in 1998 under the instigation of the late Mrs. Birdie (Davis) Wade of Nacogdoches, and Dr. Raymond Hall, then chair of the sociology department at Dartmouth College, the African American Project has continuously gathered historical materials for the past eight years. Jackson coordinated the projects through the Center for East Texas Studies, a joint venture of the School of Liberal Arts and the SFA history department.

Following Wade's death in 2005, Ham succeeded her as president. The group works in coordination with other community historical programs and volunteer workers from the entire community have been involved in all aspects of the project.

Special attention has been focused on the preservation of historical materials pertinent to the black heritage of Nacogdoches County and East Texas. A leading goal is the establishment of a Black Heritage Museum in Zion Hill church, a landmark of the Black community, Jackson said.