Terry L. Birdwhistell
Ed.D. in ’95
Named to the Alumni Hall of Fame in 2006

Dr. Terry L. Birdwhistell is Associate Dean for Special Collections and Digital Programs at the University of Kentucky Libraries.  From 1974 to 2005 he served as Director of the U.K. Oral History Program and for sixteen years as University Archivist.  Birdwhistell has been a champion of oral history in the state for many years and is credited with building The Louie B. Nunn Center for Oral History at the University of Kentuckyinto one of the nation’s top programs.  The Nunn Center was established in 1973 and Terry Birdwhistell served as its director from 1974-2005.  This collection is nationally recognized for both the quantity and quality of its oral history interviews which provide us with valuable information that document the history and culture of Kentucky and Kentuckians.

Dr. Birdwhistell serves as Co-General Editor of Kentucky Remembered: An Oral History Series published by the University Press of Kentucky.  He is the author of “An Educated Difference: Women at the University of Kentucky through the Second World War (1994).”  Other publications include: "Some Kind of Lawyer: Two Journeys from Classroom to Courtroom and Beyond, Kentucky Law Journal (1996), and "Divided We Fall: State College and the Normal School Movement in Kentucky, 1880-1910," Register of the Kentucky Historical Society (1990). He has also been involved in the production of two documentaries broadcast on Kentucky Educational Television:  "Kentucky's New Dealer: Ed Prichard Remembers" (1983) and "Long Road Back: Vietnam Remembered" (1985).  In 2005, Terry Birdwhistell was a panelist for The History of Higher Education in Kentucky hosted by Eastern Kentucky University.

Dr. Birdwhistell has served as president of several professional associations including the National Oral History Association, the Kentucky-Tennessee Chapter of the American Studies Association, and the Kentucky Council on Archives.  Additionally, he has been an Advisor to the Kentucky Oral History Commission.  Dr. Birdwhistell was recently honored by the Kentucky Oral History Commission as a pioneer in his field as part of their 30th Anniversary celebration. 

Dr. Birdwhistell is a full member of the University Graduate School Faculty and serves as Adjunct Associate Professor in the Department of Educational Policy Studies and Evaluation.  In addition to teaching an oral history seminar for doctoral students and serves on several doctoral committees. 

Dr. Birdwhistell earned his B.A. in American Studies from Georgetown College.  He also earned M.A. degrees in both history and library and information science and a doctorate in Educational Policy Studies all from the University of Kentucky.