Frank Nickell donates personal history archive to Kellerman Foundation

The archives of retired historian Frank Nickell have been turned over to Cape Girardeau's Kellerman Foundation for Historic Preservation.

Nickell taught at Southeast Missouri State University from 1969 until his 2013 retirement.

"I have 22 four-drawer file cabinets full of materials from my 43 years at SEMO," said Nickell, current co- author of the "What's Past is Prologue" series in the Southeast Missourian. "I was a paper person, and documented everything. I put all my talks, speeches and all of my class notes on paper. I saved and organized them and have an index to everything."

Mary Ann Kellerman, co-founder of her family's eponymous foundation, said the not-for-profit organization is "honored" to take possession of Nickell's life's work.

"We have a big job ahead to store it, allow research utilizing it and sharing it with the public," said Kellerman, who is professor emeritus of interior design at SEMO.

Kellerman said one of Nickell's former students, retired Cape Girardeau Central High School history and government teacher Steve Richardet, will guide the process of assimilating Nickell's trove of historical papers.

A public event heralding the donation will be scheduled in the near future, Kellerman added.