Allie Carroll Hart

Madison - Allie Carroll Hart, 90, died Wednesday, July 23, 2003, in Madison.
A native of Morgan County, Miss Hart was a daughter of the late Joseph Martin Hart and Maud Atkinson Hart. She was preceded in death by a sister, Dr. Josephine Hart Brandon.
Survivors include a brother-in-law, Howard R. Brandon of Madison, GA; a niece, Carroll Brandon Simpson (Richard) of Madison, Ga; a nephew, Howard R. Brandon, Jr. (Dee) of Lawrenceville, GA; a great-niece, Jennis Carroll Brandon of Athens, GA; and a great-nephew, Howard R. Brandon III of Athens, GA.
She graduated from Madison High School, class of 1931, receiving a scholarship to Brenau University, graduated from Brenau University, class of 1935, with a BA in History, graduated Phi Beta Kappa, University of Georgia, class of 1939, with an MA in History, and did graduate study in Library Science at Columbia University. She received a diploma in Preservation and Archives from The American University, Washington, D.C., in 1958.
After teaching first grade at Madison Grade School and journalism at Madison High School, she worked as a librarian at the University of Georgia Libraries. In 1957, she began work as assistant director at the Department of Archives and History in Atlanta under director Mary Givens Bryan. She co-edited the Georgia Date Book in 1959. She was named director after Bryan's death in 1964 and served in that capacity until 1982. As Archives Director, she established: the state's records management program; the statewide county records microfilming program; the Georgia Archives Institute (in conjunction with Emory University Library School); the 'Vanishing Georgia' program to preserve historical photographs, which resulted in the publication of the 'Vanishing Georgia' book; a 'Forts Committee' comprised of Archives employees who surveyed the sites, performed related research, and prepared articles for publication in the 'Georgia Magazine;' a publications program for the 'Compilation of Governor's Addresses and Public Papers' of several Georgia governors; and a league of Georgia Historical Societies and Agencies. She also assisted in establishing the Jimmy Carter Presidential Library and was instrumental in founding the Southeast Archives and Records Conference, a training program for archivists and records managers in the southeastern states.
In 1989 she was named Director Emeritus by Secretary of State David Poythress. Her portrait, commissioned and funded by organizational and public contributions, was hung in the Archives building. A Proclamation by Governor Joe Frank Harris states: 'Under Carroll Hart's direction, with support of the late Secretary of State Ben W. Fortson, Jr., the Department of Archives and History saw unprecedented growth and development in program effectiveness and outreach, becoming one of the nation's premier state archives.'
She received the Faithful Service Award, awarded by Governor Jimmy Carter, in 1971, an Outstanding Achievement Award, awarded by the Georgia Trust for Historic Preservation, in 1997 and 2000, and was made an honorary member of the Juliette Low Society of Girl Scouts of Northeast Georgia in 2002. She was also inducted into the Brenau Alumni Hall of Fame in 2002.
She was a member of the Alpha Delta Journalism and Phi Beta Sigma Scholastic Fraternities at the University of Georgia, the Georgia Commission on the Bicentennial of the United States Constitution, the Athens and Atlanta Bird Clubs, the Southern Historical Association, the 11th Judicial Circuit Historical Society, the Fine Arts Commission for the new State Executive Center (1966-69), the State Library Council, the Georgia Council for Environmental Quality, the Georgia Wildlife Federation, the Georgia Conservancy, the Morgan County Conservancy, the Madison-Morgan Cultural Center, the Henry Walton Chapter of Daughters of the American Revolution, the Morgan County Chapter of United Daughters of the Confederacy, the Morgan County Confederate Heritage Club, and the 'Upper Room' Archives. She was the church historian for Madison First United Methodist Church, a board member of the Georgia Trust for Historic Preservation, and an advisory board member of the R.J. Taylor Jr. Foundation. She was a founding member of the Georgia Genealogical Society and the Morgan County Landmarks Society and an honorary fellow of the Society of American Archivists. She also assisted her sister, Dr. Josephine Hart Brandon, in establishing the Heritage Education Program and founded the Society of Georgia Archivists. She was a trustee on the National Board for Certification of Genealogists and was named Public Records Administrator Emeritus for the National Association of Records Managers & Administrators. One of Miss Hart's happiest achievements was the founding of the G.O.S.H. (Girls Over Seventy, Honey!) Club in Madison Georgia in 1999.
Services will be at 11 a.m. Saturday at First Methodist Church, Madison, with the Rev. Tom Kerr officiating. Burial will be in Madison City Cemetery. The family will receive friends from 6-9 p.m. Friday at Simmons Funeral Home, Madison.
In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to Morgan County Landmarks Society Heritage Education Program, P.O. Box 248, Madison, GA 30650.
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Athens Banner-Herald, Friday, July 25, 2003