Marquis Who's Who Millennium Magazine

131 A Marquis Who's Who Magazine T he year 1969 marks a time of great significance in American history, a period characterized by change, innovation and political upheaval. Neil Armstrong took his first historic steps on the moon, and just one year after President Lyndon B. Johnson signed the Civil Rights Act of 1968 into law, Felicia Harris Felder-Hoehne became the first professional research librarian of African descent at The University of Tennessee, Knoxville. This institution had been slowly making strides to integrate the campus by hiring its first full-time African-American professors. Ms. Felder- Hoehne was honored to be the third member of this pioneering group. She started her career at Highlander Folk School in Monteagle, Tenn., where she served as a personal secretary to Septima Poinsette Clark. The recipient of a BS in English from Knoxville College, she later accepted a position teaching English and keyboarding in the public schools of McMinn County, Tenn. In 1966, Ms. Felder- Hoehne earned an MS in library and information sciences from Atlanta University, where she was the recipient of the M.E. Wilson Award for Study in the School of Librarianship and Information Sciences. In her first professional position as a research librarian, she worked as head of circulation and reserve books services for Knoxville College’s Alumni Library. In 1969, she accepted a position at the John C. Hodges Library on the campus of The University of Tennessee, Knoxville, serving as a professor and research librarian for almost 45 years. Since 1967, she has received 56 awards and citations, including the UTK Chancellor’s Citation for Extraordinary Community Service, the UTK Volunteer Spirit Award, and the Citizen of the Year Award from the Order of the Eastern Star. Some of the biographical directories Ms. Felder-Hoehne has been listed in include Who’s Who in America, Who’s Who of American Women and Who’s Who Among African Americans. Currently, Ms. Felder-Hoehne serves as chair of the Spring Place Neighborhood Association and as a park volunteer for the Knox County Parks and Recreation Department. She is active in numerous community endeavors and outreach initiatives, including the Knox County Library Foundation Board, Keep Knoxville Beautiful and the Knoxville Museum of Art. Felicia Harris Felder-Hoehne Librarian (Retired) Knoxville, TN