Louise Pettus helped preserve and illuminate the history of this region as a distinguished historian and author for more than 50 years. She was an American history educator, a writer, a recipient of the Outstanding Publication Editor award for South Carolina, a member of the Confederation of State and Local History Societies, and a member of the York County Genealogical and History Society (serving on the board of directors and editor of “The Quarterly”). Her constant research led to her office becoming a repository of family histories, articles, books, and artifacts. In much of her research, she worked alongside her brother Lindsay. In 2006, Winthrop University named its newly built Archives and Special Collections Facility in honor of Louise particularly because she performed a masterful job in chronicling the institution’s past and this region’s rich history.