Carol Roark
UNT Library Advocacy Board Member
Carol Roark retired as the manager of the Dallas Public Library’s Special Collections Division in 2011. There, she honed a passion for historical research and helping people find needles in haystacks. She is an archivist and historian with a special interest in architectural and photographic history. Carol holds a master’s degree in American studies from TCU and a library science degree from the University of North Texas.
She worked for several years in the Amon Carter Museum’s photography collection. Her writing career began when she researched and wrote nominations for the National Register of Historic Places and Texas historical markers.
Between 1988 and 1991, Carol coordinated research for and publication of the Tarrant County Historic Resources Survey, which cataloged 2,200 architecturally and historically significant buildings in Tarrant County. She is the author of Fort Worth’s Legendary Landmarks, Fort Worth Then & Now, and Fort Worth & Tarrant County: A Historical Guide, all published by TCU Press. In addition, Carol has both written a number of journal articles and contributed chapters to books about North Texas history. Her favorite of these is Grace & Gumption: Stories of Fort Worth Women, for which she wrote a chapter on professional women.
Carol currently writes a Fort Worth history column for the Fort Worth Star-Telegram.
