West Tennesseans Work Goes to Smithsonian
This video is no longer available.
A native of Henry and Hardeman Counties said she is honored to have her scrapbook of African American soldiers on display at the Smithsonian. Hattye Yarbrough, 90, said she discovered materials from World War II in her attic which she thought were lost. Yarbrough said she took pictures as a child and later went to work at Camp Tyson in Henry County. While there she rubbed shoulders with soldiers who served on the front lines. “I would talk to them, and I would ask them ‘I want one of your patches or give me this or that or some insignia and whatnot.’ I would ask their names, and they would give me pictures and I would write them down in my scrapbook,” said Yarbrough. She then went on to graduate from Lane College and later earned her Master’s degree from Vanderbilt. Although proud, she remains humble when reflecting on her accomplishments. “It seems like a dream that I’m going to wake up and feel that this is what I imagined happened to my scrapbook. That’s really how it feels.” Yarbrough went on to work as a librarian in Covington, Tennessee where she would retire.
