As the dust settles on the construction in University of Arizona’s Special Collections, a new exhibit opened up to the public on Oct. 3: “Trailblazer: Stewart L. Udall’s Environmental Leadership.”
Plenty of work has been done to store the life of the former house representative and U.S. secretary of interior displayed in his Special Collections bio. The exhibit dates back to his time working in the Amphitheatre School District in Tucson during the 1950s.
Stewart Udall later became a U.S. representative in Arizona’s second congressional district. An artifact of that time includes his response to a woman in Flagstaff pleading to support the Equal Rights Amendment to the constitution.
A display of photographs can be seen from his work as secretary of interior during both the Kennedy and Johnson administrations.
The main aspect of it all is his aforementioned environmental leadership coming from his work as a conservationist.
An image most prevalent throughout the exhibit is Stewart Udall with former first lady, Claudia “Lady Bird” Johnson, rafting through the Snake River in Grand Teton National Park.
Numerous national parks came to exist because of Udall’s work including North Cascades and Redwoods in California. His most highlighted work in the exhibit is the Central Arizona Project.
The project stands strong today with the main goal being the prioritization of Colorado River water coming into Arizona.
Images include Stewart Udall throwing a football around in his trip to the Soviet Union at the heights of the Cold War, his attendance at the reopening of the Ford Theatre and documents of him urging the desegregation of the Washington Commanders, formerly the Washington Redskins, football team.
There are a variety of photos with Navajo uranium miners along with Stewart Udall’s book, “The Myths of August,” which stood as testaments to his work in getting downwinders the compensation they were seeking after being exposed to such toxic radiation.
Special Collections even hosted a panel discussing his work with guests such as former Navajo Nation President Jonathan Nez along with former New Mexico Senator and Stewart Udall’s son, Tom Udall.
The exhibit also shared artifacts from Stewart Udall’s time of being a player for the University of Arizona men’s basketball team. Letters from former head coach Fred Enke talked about how rough the season was because senior players were drafted into the Army.
A 1946 article from the Arizona Daily Star pictures Stewart Udall along with other teammates who returned from the war and continued to play for the team.
The exhibit is open from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. and will last until July 31, 2026.
