Series 1. Richard Rusk Files

Scope and content:

Richard Rusk was a cofounder and long-time treasurer of the biracial Moore's Ford Memorial Committee. The mission of this organization was to commemorate and reconcile the 1946 Moore's Ford lynching, which resulted in the murder of George W.Dorsey, George's wife Mae Murray Dorsey, Roger Malcolm, and Roger's wife Dorothy at the hands of a white mob. It sought to do this by fostering healing and reconciliation between white and Black residents of Walton, Oconee, and Clarke Counties; assisting with efforts to bring the perpetrators to justice; and sponsoring a scholarship fund for local students.

Rusk's files detail the administrative and financial activities of the MFMC, including meeting minutes, scholarship applications, and its annual talent show. A large collection of clippings document the organization's activities and any news coverage of the lynching, including the controversial reenactment. It also includes records pertaining to STAR, the Southern Truth and Reconciliation organization dedicated to promoting racial healing and restorative justice, and a copy of the FBI investigation into the lynching.

Biographical / historical:

Richard Geary Rusk, son of former Secretary of State Dean Rusk, was a cofounder and longterm secretary of the Moore's Ford Memorial Committee as well as an environmental activist.

Contents

Access and use restrictions

Parent restrictions:

This collection is open for research.

This collection contains digital files. To access these files, please request the folders you would like through the finding aid using your research account. An archivist will be in contact with you to explain how to access the files. Please note that not all file formats are currently supported by the library for research use.

This collection contains audiovisual materials. Reference copies of the audiovisual recordings are available upon request. Research requests will be filled as soon as possible and will be dependent upon the condition of the recordings.

Restricted materials: Series 1. Richard Rusk Files contains student records protected by the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA). Such files are closed for 75 years from the date of creation.

Parent terms of access:
Before material from collections at the Richard B. Russell Library may be quoted in print, or otherwise reproduced, in whole or in part, in any publication, permission must be obtained from (1) the owner of the physical property, and (2) the holder of the copyright. It is the particular responsibility of the researcher to obtain both sets of permissions. Persons wishing to quote from materials in the Russell Library collection should consult the Director. Reproduction of any item must contain a complete citation to the original.