BlackPast.org is more than an encyclopedia and
repository documenting, describing, and archiving information, stories, data,
and analysis of African American History and History of the Global African Diaspora. It is a community of committed, caring individuals coming
together because they all share a
dedication to uncovering, preserving, and describing the history of the African
American people as part of the larger story of the United States.
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| Thomas J. Pressly |
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| Newspaper Clipping |
Thomas J. Pressly, a longtime University of Washington
historian was one such academic who was an early supporter of
BlackPast.org. The article he wrote for
BlackPast.org, titled “Eyewitness to Terror: The Lynching of a Black Man in Obion County, Tennessee in 1931", was a reminder of the racial violence
that far too often marred this nation's past. Dr. Pressly's essay describes one example of this
violence and his reaction to it when he was just 12 years old. Thomas J. Pressly shared that story with many friends
and colleagues over the years; in 2008 he wrote about it for the first time
in BlackPast.org. Nearly 10,000 people
have read his account since it was posted.
Although
Thomas J. Pressly was a significant historian of the Civil War and gave
hundreds of presentations, the last time he was on television was in 2010 when
a team from the BBC interviewed him about his article in BlackPast.org. He was tickled by the fact that the most important television interview in his
life was not about his academic writings but instead on his article for the
website.
Dr. Pressly's bio on the BlackPast.org website reads: “Thomas J. Pressly (PhD., Harvard, 1950) is
Professor Emeritus of History at the University of Washington. A member
of the faculty from 1949 until his retirement in 1986, and a specialist in
Southern and Civil War history, Professor Pressly’s career spanned nearly four
decades. During that period he taught nearly 20,000 students. His
many publications include Americans Interpret Their
Civil War (1954) and Voices from the House
Divided: The United States Civil War as Personal Experience
(1995). Professor Pressly lives in Seattle, Washington.” He passed away here on April 3, 2012. Readers
may wish to learn more about him by reading his obituary in the
Seattle Times and in the tribute written by his UW colleague, Richard
Kirkendall.
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| Tom Pressly & Richard Kirkendall |
To give a gift to the University of Washington in Tom Pressly's honor,
please visit this link or contact the History Department at 206-543-5790. To give a gift in memory of Tom Pressly to BlackPast.org, please visit this link.
We at BlackPast.org will always remember Thomas J. Pressly as
part of our family.
