Missouri Sen. David Pearce, second from right, recently delivered the first of many boxes containing his official papers and memorabilia from his career in the Missouri Legislature to the UCM Arthur F. McClure II Archives and University Museum. He met with, from left, Gersham Nelson, dean of the College of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences; Amber Clifford, curator of museum collections; Vivian Richardson, archivist and assistant director of the archives and museum; and President Chuck Ambrose.

(WARRENSBURG, Mo.) – The papers and memorabilia from a longtime Warrensburg legislator have found a new home at the University of Central Missouri’s Arthur F. McClure II Archives and University Museum.

Missouri Sen. David Pearce recently met with Vivian Richardson, university archivist and assistant director of the archives and museum; Amber Clifford-Napoleone, curator of museum collections; and UCM President Chuck Ambrose in the McClure Archives to review the first delivery of boxed items. Pearce also presented Richardson with a personal financial donation to the archives and museum.

A Warrensburg native, Pearce attended the university’s laboratory school, University High School, until it was closed in 1976 and graduated from Warrensburg High School. He attended UCM and received a bachelor’s degree in agricultural journalism from the University of Missouri.

He was elected to the Missouri House of Representatives in 2002 and served three consecutive two-year terms in the House prior to his election to the Senate, where he served one term representing District 31. After redistricting, he was elected to represent District 21 in the Senate. He currently is serving his second four-year term in the Senate, and will retire from the Legislature this year due to term limits.

Richardson and Clifford-Napoleone will sort through the items, assessing and indexing the contents, according to a news release. Pearce then will review the contents with Richardson and Clifford, prioritizing the items in the collection, which then will be made available to the public to be utilized for study and research.

The Pearce family previously worked with the archives on the donation of documents and memorabilia collected during the career of Pearce’s father, the late Clarence Pearce, a longtime Warrensburg educator who taught agriculture courses at UCM and University High School. Pearce’s decision to place his official documents and memorabilia with the McClure Archives and University Museum came about as a result of conversation with Richardson.

“I asked him what would happen to his papers and memorabilia, and we discussed the possibility of housing the collection here at the UCM Archives,” Richardson said. “We are very pleased that he made the decision to bring this collection to UCM. We don’t currently have a collection of this volume in the archives. We will preserve it create a digital finding aid for researchers.”

Ambrose said the collection holds significance for post-secondary education.

“Senator Pearce’s commitment to education has been exemplified throughout his legislative career and service as chair of the Senate Education Committee,”Ambrose said. “His ability to bring people and ideologies together has significantly benefitted Missouri students.”

For more information about the UCM Arthur F. McClure II Archives and University Museum, including upcoming exhibits and events, contact Richardson or Clifford-Napoleone at 660-543-4649, or visit ucmo.edu/archmusm.