Clyde R. Littlefield (1931–2018) was a native of Austin, Texas and two-time alumnus of The University of Texas. He graduated in the spring of 1953 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in government and was a member of the Air Force R.O.T.C. After commissioning as an Air Force officer, Littlefield received orders to Korea. After returning to Austin, Littlefield pursued a Master of Arts degree in government at The University of Texas, graduating in 1958.
Littlefield then worked briefly for Hughes Tool Company in Kansas, and subsequently as a civilian historian for the Department of the Air Force. He continued to work as an Air Force historian for the next twenty years, retiring in 1980.
Upon retirement, Littlefield returned to his hometown and embarked on a career in real estate investment and property management. He enjoyed spending much of his free time at the Briscoe Center and other archives researching the first decades of The University of Texas, exploring the origins of the pre-WWII version of Roundup, Bevo, and “The Eyes of Texas” as well as the origins and fates of a wide range of individuals who shaped the early history of the school.
Because of his deep interest in Texas and especially UT’s history, Littlefield created the Clyde R. Littlefield Archivist in Texas and University History at the Briscoe Center for American History at The University of Texas with a significant bequest. This important endowment provides for the annual salary and fringe benefits of a dedicated archivist as well as the cost of activities, programs, student interns, and additional staffing associated with the care, development, interpretation, and use of the Texas History Archives, and in particular The University of Texas History and Culture Archives. He also established the Clyde R. Littlefield Director’s Circle Excellence Fund for use at the discretion of the Briscoe Center’s executive director to advance strategic initiatives at the center. Mr. Littlefield’s foresight in providing these gifts to benefit the center provides for a senior archivist to work with the center’s vast Texas collections and ensures the center is able to respond quickly to unique opportunities in perpetuity.
