Skegee Spotlight: Dana Chandler
May 25, 2018
Dana Chandler, known as Tuskegee鈥檚 human history book, ensures Tuskegee鈥檚 legacy is properly documented, remains consistent and is vital for use today. Chandler serves as the university鈥檚 archivist and says the best part of working at Tuskegee is having access to so much material and documents that makes up Tuskegee鈥檚 historical legacy.
Passion Since Childhood
Chandler says his love for history came about at an early age.
鈥淲hen I was younger, my father worked for a company that allowed my family the opportunity to travel, so I never had time for friends nor did I develop a place I could call on my own,鈥� he recalled. 鈥淪o, I read a lot and one of the first books I read was the World Book Encyclopedia颅颅鈥� I read it from A to Z and that鈥檚 what got me interested in history.鈥�
Chandler says what brought him to Tuskegee was his passion for history. He recalled his first visit to Tuskegee, which was to the George Washington Carver Museum.
鈥淚t was at that point that I feel deeply in love with all that Tuskegee offered; its rich historical legacy had some amazing components from civil rights, to medicine, and education, it had everything.鈥�
鈥淚 believe because of the passion I鈥檝e developed for Tuskegee, it has filtered over into every aspect of my life as a teacher and a lecturer; its provided me opportunities I wouldn鈥檛 have had anywhere else.鈥�
Beginning the Tradition
Chandler has been with the university for 13 years, and he says when he first started the archives department need to be organized and cleaned-up, and all documents needed to be put in a particular order so that it could be used.
鈥淏ecause of former president Dr. Payton鈥檚 understanding, and the administration鈥檚 help, we were able to do this in just two years,鈥� he noted. 鈥淭his support was unwavering and from that point I accepted the position as, university archivist.鈥�
Since then, Chandler has worked on numerous projects, including discovering Tuskegee鈥檚 鈥淗idden Figures鈥� and reclaiming the Booker T. Washington microfilm from the Library of Congress.
鈥淥btaining the microfilm back from Congress was one of the most rewarding projects I鈥檝e worked on,鈥� he said. 鈥淏ecause of our pushing and levering, we received them just a few short years ago.鈥�
Having the records back in Tuskegee鈥檚 possession allows people to come Tuskegee to do their research without going through the Library of Congress.
鈥淲e have 155 boxes of Washington鈥檚 material that no one else has; plus, we have other collections that are tied to him that people don鈥檛 think about, so if you want to do research on him and what he was doing while at Tuskegee, you come to us.鈥�
He says working at Tuskegee颅颅 鈥� and with the significant material that documents its impact on the nation and the world 鈥� has truly been amazing.
鈥淔orty-five percent of our hits online come from abroad, and they are looking at the George Washington Carver bulletin that focuses on farming,鈥� he noted. 鈥淚t鈥檚 amazing to see that people in Pakistan, Peru, India, and other nations are looking for ways to make their lives more efficient.鈥�
Moving Forward
Chandler takes his position very seriously and guards it with ownership.
鈥淚鈥檓 going to be truthful and honest, as well as take ownership to make sure what I receive is guarded in safe keeping. I want people to realize that if they donate to the archives, that it鈥檚 truly going to be taken care of, and if they want to see their items 100 years from now, they could,鈥� he said.
The 快活视频 Archives holds more than 600 historically significant collections, as well as more than a quarter of a million black and white photographs, manuscripts, periodicals and other archival items.
For more information on the university鈥檚 archives, visit .
漏 2018, 快活视频