Navarro College and the Pearce Museums at Navarro College are saddened to announce the death of one of our dearest friends, Peggy Hallstead Pearce. Mrs. Pearce died February 2, 2005 at her home in Corsicana, Texas surrounded by her family. Peggy Hallstead Pearce was born October 8, 1918 in Canandaigua, New York, the daughter of Dr. and Mrs. Walter G. Hallstead. She was educated at Middlebury College in Vermont and Cornell University, Ithaca, New York,
graduating summa cum laude in 1941 with a Bachelor's degree in languages.
She was married to Charles S. Pearce Jr. on March 13, 1942 in Towanda, Pennsylvania. After World War II they lived in Chicago before moving to Texas in 1947 to reside in Kerens on a ranch that had been in his mother's family for three generations. She is survived by her husband, Charles S. Pearce Jr., son Charles S. Pearce III and daughter Vivian Allan Pearce. They have five grandchildren and two great grandchildren.
The Pearce Civil War Collection at Navarro College began in 1991 when Charles S. Pearce, Jr. purchased the first document as a gift for Mrs. Pearce. That gift, a letter from the battlefield at Antietam written by Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain to his wife Fanny, sparked an ongoing interest that has resulted in one of the finest collections in the country. In 1996, when Mr. and Mrs. Pearce decided that their collection needed a home where it could be viewed and researched, they placed it in the care of Navarro College. Through the Pearces’ generosity, the collection has continued to grow.
The Pearce Western Art Collection at Navarro College began when Charles and Peggy Pearce decided that their unique collection of Western art needed a home where it could be enjoyed by students and art lovers. The couple originally started collecting art when they had a home in Santa Fe, New Mexico where many contemporary Western artists lived. Their philosophy for the collection has always been based upon gathering a representative collection from recognized
contemporary artists while identifying up and coming artists.
Charles and Peggy Pearce were honored in 1997 by the Texas Library Association with its Benefactor's Award for outstanding service to Texas Libraries. In 1999, the Dallas Civil War Roundtable honored Charles and Peggy Pearce with the Grady McWhiney Award for their contributions to scholarship and preservation of Civil War history. On March 13, 2001 the couple were honored by the Texas State Legislature for their gift and ongoing support of the
Civil War Collection at Navarro College.
“The Navarro College Board of Trustees grieves the passing of Mrs. Peggy Pearce,” said Dr. Richard Sanchez, President of Navarro College. “She was a true friend of Navarro College, and she will always be remembered as a significant participant in the life of the college.”
“We are all just so very saddened at the loss of such a fine lady,” said Dr. Darrell Beauchamp, Dean of Libraries and Special Collections at Navarro College. “Mrs. Pearce was a great friend to so many of us. Her talents, love, and generosity will not be forgotten.” A memorial service will be held Tuesday, February 8, 2005 at 2:00 pm in the Cook Center on the Navarro College campus in Corsicana.
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Julie Holcomb, MLIS, CA
Director of the Pearce Collections Museum/Navarro College Archivist
Pearce Collections at Navarro College
Navarro College Archives
3100 W. Collin St.
Corsicana, Texas 75110
Phone: 903-875-7438 ~ Fax: 903-875-7593
E-mail: [log in to unmask]
Internet: http://www.pearcecollections.us/ or http://www.navarrocollege.edu/library/archives/
"Men make their own history, but they do not make it just as they please; they do not make it under
circumstances chosen by themselves, but under circumstances directly found, given, and transmitted
from the past. The tradition of all the dead generations weighs like a nightmare on the brain of
the living." Karl Marx, The Eighteenth Brumaire
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