By Staff
Clif Knight, Hartselle Enquirer
Morgan County Archives has been renamed Susan Bzdell Morgan County Archives in memory of the woman that took it under her arms and nurtured its growth for 11 years. Bzdell died last December.
The move was made by the Morgan County Commission at its regular meeting Feb.14. To commemorate the renaming, a framed resolution of appreciation bearing the signatures of all five members of the commission was presented to the honoree's husband, Stephen Bzdell.
Following the presentation by Commission Chairman John Glasscock, Bzdell was praised for her dedication and service by Edna Earle James, interim director of the archives and a member of the Morgan County Genealogical Society.
"Susan started the archives with nothing and through her persistence and hard work built it up until it became a model for other counties in the state," James said. "We miss her vast knowledge of history and outgoing personality so much. We applaud the commission for naming the archives in her memory."
In a separate but related action, the commission approved the employment of John Allison, a resident of Maryland, as the new archives director, effective March 6.
He is a native of Decatur and worked as an intern with the Birmingham Public Archives in 1992. He holds a BA degree in history from Birmingham-Southern College and also has a master's degree in history from the University of Maryland. He currently does research for the National Archives in Washington, D.C., College Park, Md. and the Library of Congress.
The commission voted on other matters as follow: