Terry L. Birdwhistell, former dean of libraries and William T. Young Endowed Chair at the University of Kentucky (UK), died on January 29, 2023, at the age of 72.
In 1973, while studying for his master’s degrees in history and library and information science, Birdwhistell took a job in UK Libraries and never left the university. He also earned a doctorate in higher education from UK’s College of Education, where he taught oral history for many years.
Birdwhistell assumed increasing leadership roles in UK Libraries and became nationally prominent for his work as an oral historian. He was the founding director of the Wendell H. Ford Public Policy Research Center, which houses important political collections and has brought to campus such luminaries as Joe Biden and Walter Mondale. In addition to Birdwhistell’s tenure as dean of UK Libraries from July 2010 through May 2017, he served as associate dean for Special Collections and Digital Programs, university archivist, and founding director of the Louie B. Nunn Center for Oral History.
In nearly 1,000 oral history interviews, Birdwhistell interviewed and documented the lives of such notable people as Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis and Lady Bird Johnson; Kentucky governors, senators, and other politicians; and University of Kentucky presidents. Birdwhistell also documented the lives of everyday Kentuckians, including many who were otherwise powerless or voiceless, preserving their histories and stories. Along with historian and friend George Wright, he chronicled the history of race relations in the state, from those who made and lived it.
Birdwhistell served on the Association of Research Libraries (ARL) Transforming Special Collections in the Digital Age Working Group 2013–2015 and the ARL Diversity and Leadership Committee 2011–2013. He also served as president of the Oral History Association 1991–1992.
In lieu of flowers, donations are requested to the endowment fund that is being established in memory and honor of Birdwhistell’s work at the University of Kentucky. Gifts may be sent for the Terry L. Birdwhistell Endowment Fund to the Office of Philanthropy, University of Kentucky, PO Box 23552, Lexington, KY 40523.
A celebration of life will be held at a later date at the University of Kentucky.
To learn more about Birdwhistell’s life and career, see the University of Kentucky tribute, “UK’s Historian; Kentucky’s Keeper of Stories: Terry L. Birdwhistell Passes Away at 72.”
