Will Reaves Named as New Director of Two A-State Heritage Sites
JONESBORO – Will Reaves has been added as the new director of two Arkansas State University Heritage Sites. He will take the helm of The Historic Dyess Colony: Johnny Cash Boyhood Home and Southern Tenant Farmers Museum.
Reaves, a two-time A-State graduate, has a bachelor’s degree in history and recently completed his master’s degree in heritage studies. He took a special interest in the boyhood home while in school.
“As an undergraduate student, I had the opportunity to assist at the Historic Dyess Colony: Johnny Cash Boyhood Home through the museum studies certificate program,” said Reaves.
Following his recent graduation, Reaves is returning to the heritage sites to continue the work to restore and promote the history of the region.
“We are excited to have him as part of the team. We were fortunate enough to work with him while he was a student, and his knowledge and passion impressed us then,” said Dr. Adam Long, executive director of the A-State Heritage Sites.
Reaves said he is looking forward to ways he can help bolster the two locations.
“In this role, I will look at ways to enrich the visitor experience at these sites while continuing to perform the established best practices in historic collection management. In my opinion, these sites are important because they connect us with a shared past while having a positive effect in the region by bringing in tourist revenue,” added Reaves.
Reaves said his experience working at the boyhood home, tied with what he learned in graduate school, has prepared him for this role and will help him preserve the past and support the future of the heritage sites.
“Under his leadership, we look forward to new ideas and growth at both the Southern Tenant Farmers Museum and the Historic Dyess Colony: Johnny Cash Boyhood Home,” concluded Long.
The A-State Heritage Sites office develops and operates historic properties of regional and national significance in the Arkansas Delta. These sites provide educational resources for formal and informal learning, including serving as living laboratories for students in the university’s Heritage Studies doctoral program. In addition, they serve as economic catalysts in communities where they are located by attracting heritage tourists from around the country.
The Southern Tenant Farmers Museum enhances knowledge and understanding of tenant farming and agricultural labor movements in the Mississippi River Delta. This heritage site works to preserve the history and promote the legacy of sharecropping, tenant farming and the farm labor movement.
To learn more about the A-State Heritage Sites, information can be found online at arkansasheritagesites.AState.edu.
