MUSEUM

"I THINK THE MOST FULFILLING THING IS JUST SEEING HOW THE KIDS ARE GETTING THAT ENCOURAGEMENT AND EXPOSURE TO THE ARTS, WHETHER THEY DECIDE TO BE AN ARTIST OR ANYTHING ELSE."

DANIEL COCKRELL ’97, ’04

Daniel Cockrell ’97, ’04 is director of the Old State House Museum in Little Rock. He exhibits his passion for Arkansas history and the connections it makes on a worldwide stage by telling Arkansas’ story.

Cockrell, whose undergraduate degree was in kinesiology and exercise science, realized he had a passion for Arkansas history when he taught the subject to junior high students at the Palestine Wheatley School District in St. Francis County. In addition to teaching Arkansas history, Cockrell taught social studies and civics while also coaching baseball and football.

He had thought of transitioning into an administrative role, but teaching Arkansas history proved to be the highlight of his day.

“My favorite class was Arkansas history because this was my story – our story. These were things that I knew as a young man growing up here,” Cockrell said. “I love the stories. I knew I would go back to UCA to get a master’s in history because that’s what I loved most about my days.”

While completing his master’s degree, Cockrell had an opportunity to work as a part-time tour guide at the Old State House Museum. The rest is history.

“I fell in love with it because it’s everything I’ve enjoyed about teaching,” Cockrell said. “Then there was a full-time educator position that came up, and I was encouraged to apply for that because I loved being a tour guide. So, I get to tell our stories and tell them to people who are amazed by them.”

These stories build connections for the director and strengthen his passion for teaching and learning this state’s history. Arkansans, Cockrell said, have influenced people all over the world.

The “Play It Loud: Concerts at Barton Coliseum” exhibit at the museum features memorabilia from concerts of various genres. Cockrell says music serves well as a conduit for the connections he makes with visitors.

“It allows me a quicker connection to people from all over the world. I can work with a piece of knowledge that they already own— music,” he said. “Then I am no longer a foreign person trying to teach something they do not know about. I’m someone just helping them gain a better understanding of something they already have an appreciation for.”

Cockrell credits a great team and the museum’s mission for his success as director. They are “the best in the field because they created the field” of Arkansas history.

“Our goal is to better understand who we are and where we came from. I want everyone that walks through our doors to feel like there’s something about Arkansas that is a part of them – that they feel represented within these walls,” Cockrell said.

The team works together in research, archives and building exhibits that tell Arkansas’ rich story while making connections. This community outreach of the museum is termed by Cockrell as “invaluable.” They are already making plans to commemorate the building’s 200th anniversary in 2033.

Cockrell said his time at UCA prepared him for his various classrooms by showing him how he can make connections through critical thinking and creating empathy through the humanities. He believes the family dynamic at UCA provided him a unique pathway to share history in an engaging way for visitors.

“I get the chance to talk to people from all over the world about my hometown, about where I grew up and my home state. The amazing characters that have come through here in the past, they do all the heavy lifting for me. All I do is tell their stories.”•

JENNIFER

M CCUNE ’02, ’03