A Tribute to Forrest Galey

Abstract

A Tribute to Forrest Galey Suzanne Marrs The cry of "Oh, no!" has been ringing throughout the world of Welty scholarship. Forrest Galey, for twenty-five years the curator of the Eudora Welty Collection at the Mississippi Department of Archives and History, has retired. A knowledgeable and incisive reader of Welty's fiction, Forrest proved to be the ideal person for a demanding job. She oversaw the accession and opening of the large collection of Welty manuscripts and correspondence that came to the Archives after Welty's death in 2001 as well as the accession and opening of the Welty family papers just last year. Her meticulous attention to the details of organizing, dating, describing, and conserving the newly acquired materials was masterful as was her choice of staff to assist her. In addition, she took the lead in preparing a successful National Endowment for the Humanities grant proposal called "Sharing the Literary and Photographic Legacy of Eudora Welty" and by doing so provided for the digital future of the Welty Collection. She supervised the selection of the Welty Research Fellowship awarded annually to a graduate student: the recipients of these fellowships have benefitted immensely from Forrest's knowledge of the collection and from her support of their projects. So too have individuals preparing films about Welty, books of her photographs, or books drawing upon archival holdings. And members of the Eudora Welty Society in many meetings over the years have enjoyed hearing Forrest speak eloquently about the collection. Forrest's Public Humanities Award (presented in 2012 by the Mississippi Humanities Committee) testifies to her expertise and generosity as does a 2013 award of appreciation from the Eudora Welty Society, the only one it has ever bestowed.uHu Hu For Eudora Welty herself and for her family, Forrest was a most trusted advisor. As Welty's niece Mary Alice White notes, "Forrest has been a constant for the Welty family for many years, first working with Eudora and then with my sister, Elizabeth Thompson, and me. Her spreadsheets [End Page 5] were formidable, in particular those providing information on photographic images. As requests were received for use of an image, Forrest would discuss the pros and cons of granting permission. She provided me with the information I needed without attempting to impose a decision. I am ever grateful for her knowledge, her judgment, and her kindness and for her efforts to maintain the Welty Collection in an appropriate and safe environment." Let me add my own personal note of thanks to Forrest. She has been an invaluable colleague. Whether suggesting materials that might be cited, or assisting with permissions, or helping to revise my prose, Forrest has always been there for me as she has for many other scholars. As Harriet Pollack recently wrote to me, "For twenty years, Forrest has made my research in the Welty special collection possible and a pleasure. I arrive at the Archives and look for Forrest first and then at what she has readied for me. She has been and is a perfect repository of information about all aspects of the special collection, an eminent teacher of research skills, and in the bargain, a fine friend and great lunch date. Fortunately, retirement does not affect friendship and lunch." Fortunately, indeed. We all wish Forrest a joyous retirement and many delicious lunches with Welty aficionados from around the country and around the globe. But make no mistake about it—we will miss seeing her at MDAH. [End Page 6] Suzanne Marrs Professor of English Emerita Millsaps College Copyright © 2023 Trustees of the University of Pennsylvania