Aileen Clyde, founder of the Aileen H. Clyde 20^th Century Women’s Archive, passed away on December 24, 2019. Aileen worked tirelessly to bring the stories of remarkable women to Special Collections so that they would be remembered for their contributions. The archive now contains collections and oral histories from hundreds of women including Reva Beck Bosone, the first woman from Utah to serve in the U.S. House of Representatives, and Sonia Johnson, an outspoken advocate for the Equal Rights Amendment and author of From Housewife to Heretic. Read more about the life of Aileen Clyde in this Salt Lake Tribune story.

Waturu (Wat) Misaka, known worldwide for being the first person of color to play in the NBA, passed away on Nov. 21, 2019. In Utah he and the Utes basketball team (The Blitz Kids) were celebrated for leading the Utes to victory in the U’s first tournament NCAA game in Madison Square Garden in 1944 – the very first “Cinderella Story.” A few days later the team went on to play the NIT winning team, St. John’s, and beat them as well. Wat was drafted in 1944 into the Army Military Intelligence Service and was sent to Hiroshima, Japan to interview survivors of the atomic bombing. He eventually earned his bachelor of science from the U and worked as an electrical engineer his entire career. Wat’s collection of papers and photographs are housed in Special Collections.