Brooks Fund History Project, 2009-2014.
(Document/manuscript/pamphlet/archival material)

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Materials housed in Special Collections Division of the Main Library, Nashville Public Library.

Collection is a new acquisition and requires further processing by Special Collections Division staff before it can be made available to the public. Inquire with Special Collections Division for further details. Information contained in this catalog record will be of a limited nature until collection is fully processed, at which time additional description will be provided.

In library use only.

Scope and content: Oral history interviews with approximately 25 individuals from Middle Tennessee who identify as gay, lesbian, bisexual, or trangender, conducted between 2009 and 2014 by members of the Brooks Fund History Project steering committee. Specifically concentrating on older members of the LGBT community, whose average age was in their early 70s, the project focuses on life in Middle Tennessee prior to the nationally-significant events of Stonewall in New York City in 1969.

Cite as: Brooks Fund History Project, Special Collections Division, Nashville Public Library

This material may be protected by copyright law (Title 17 U.S. Code)

H. Franklin Brooks Philanthropic Fund;,Gift;,2015.,Accession pending.

The H. Franklin Brooks Philanthropic Fund of The Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee was established in 1995 for the purpose of encouraging "the inclusion, acceptance and recognition of Middle Tennessee's lesbian and gay citizens" by "enhancing the quality of life for the LGBT community and building bridges between all segments of the community. The Brooks Fund is focused on preventing disconnection, promoting understanding and providing education" "for the purpose of building bridges between the LGBT community and the community-at-large." The fund is named in honor of H. Franklin Brooks, an associate professor in the Department of French and Italian at Vanderbilt University. He led the effort to include gays and lesbians in Vanderbilt's anti-harassment policy in the late 1980s, and was the faculty sponsor for the first lesbian and gay student organization on campus. In the wake of his death in 1994, his friends were motivated to establish a fund at The Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee to continue his efforts to promote equality for gay and lesbians and diversity among the community.

The Brooks Fund History Project was initiated in 2008, concentrating on interviewing members of the LGBT community who were 30 years old or older before 1969, and who had lived in Middle Tennessee for at least ten years prior to that. The project began as the vision of Iris Buhl, project chair. Other members of the steering committee include: Phil Bell; John Bridges; Deidre Duker; Dr. Roger Moore; Robyn Smith; and Dr. Dan Cornfield.

In English

Created and collected by the H. Franklin Brooks Philanthropic Fund and in their custody until donation to the Nashville Public Library in 2015.

Additional accruals are expected.