Barbara A. Tyson
and the Tyson Foundation have given $1.5 million to the David and Barbara Pryor Center for Arkansas Oral and Visual History at the University of Arkansas to process 50 years of KATV footage given to the center in 2009.

The money will allow the center to catalog, index, digitize and archive the collection — some 26,000 hours of video and film of news, weather and sports in Arkansas.

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The work will create access to footage that has not been seen by the public since it was broadcast. From a UA release:


“These are our shared stories and memories,” said former U.S. Sen. David H. Pryor, namesake of the center. “There’s a wealth of history in this footage, and in serving as a United States senator for many years, I came to deeply appreciate the rich experiences of our Arkansan citizens. Preserving these tapes is preserving our state’s history, and we are grateful for Barbara and Tyson’s commitment to doing so.”

….“Just think about all of the major historical events that have taken place over the past 50 years,” said Archie Schaffer III, retired executive and consultant to Tyson Foods Inc. and member of the advisory boards for both the Pryor Center and Fulbright College. “Imagine what kind of footage is buried in these tapes and what sort of treasures will be found through the digitizing and preservation process. This is a gift to all of Arkansas and beyond.”

The Tysons provided $2 million previously for the Center, established by a Pryor gift in 1999 as an adjunct of the Department of History. Randy Dixon, a former news director at KATV, is director of the Pryor Center.

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