James L. "Skip" Rutherford III has donated a collection of Black history books to the Lyon College Mabee-Simpson Library for its Black History Collection.
The titles in his collection relate primarily to Black culture and history, as well as to the lives of influential Black American leaders, according to the college.
Rutherford -- a Batesville native who is a member of the Lyon College Board of Trustees and has served as a visiting professor at the college -- made the donation in recognition of the 50th anniversary of the Lyon College Black Student Association and Black History Month.
"It wasn't until my own children started school that I realized just how little I knew about Black history," Rutherford said in a statement with an announcement by Lyon College on Monday evening. "In addition to expanding the Lyon College Black History Collection, it is my hope these books will provide primary source learning opportunities and academic research for Lyon students."
Rutherford and his wife, Billie, have three children who were educated in the Little Rock School District. He served on the Little Rock School Board from 1987-1991, and he coordinated the creation of the William J. Clinton Presidential Center, working with various officials to include what is now a museum, presidential library and the University of Arkansas Clinton School of Public Service in the River Market District area of downtown Little Rock.
He is Dean Emeritus of the University of Arkansas Clinton School of Public Service in Little Rock.
Rutherford, 73, worked with Lyon College Digital Media Librarian Aidan Sonia-Bolduc to curate the collection.
Among the 20 new titles included in the collection are "A Promised Land" by Barack Obama, "Black Fortunes" by Shomari Wills, "Caste" by Isabel Wilkerson, "The 1619 Project" by Nikole Hannah-Jones, "The Hate U Give" by Angie Thomas, "The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness" by Michelle Alexander, "The Three Mothers: How the Mothers of Martin Luther King, Jr., Malcolm X, and James Baldwin Shaped a Nation" by Anna Malaika Tubbs, and "The Vanishing Half" by Brit Bennett.
"In today's climate, the history of African Americans in the United States is a story many do not want to be reminded of, but without our true history, how can we move forward?" said Branndii Peterson, Lyon College executive director of TRIO programs designed to help students from disadvantaged backgrounds and Black Student Association adviser, in the college's news release about the donation. "Trustee Skip Rutherford understands the parallel and the need to make sure our students know this part of history."