Sister M. Claude Lane, O.P., Memorial Award: Eric Fair

Eric Fair, director of the archives and records program for the Archdiocese of St. Louis, has been awarded the 2025 Sister M. Claude Lane, O.P., Memorial Award given by the Society of American Archivists (SAA) in conjunction with the Society of Southwest Archivists. The award honors an archivist who has made a significant contribution to the field of religious archives.

Fair has been the director of archives and records for the Archdiocese of St. Louis for over ten years. He has served as both President and Treasurer of the Association of Catholic Diocesan Archivists, and is also a long-time member of ARMA, SAA, and the SAA Archivists of Religious Collections Section (ARCS). Over the course of six years, Fair spearheaded a campaign to shed light on the history of the Archdiocese's involvement with enslavement. In 2021, Fair joined with other diocesan and religious order archivists to found CROSS (Catholic Religious Organizations Studying Slavery), an organization whose mission is to “promote open and honest access to the historical record in order to achieve a more comprehensive and truthful telling of enslavement within the Catholic Church in the United States.” His work with CROSS has included the creation of a best practices guide, organization of a CROSS conference in 2023, and numerous outreach opportunities and educational presentations. Fair also co-chairs the annual Forgive Us Our Trespasses (FUOT) Prayer Service and Maafa, a prayer service that serves as an opportunity for reflection, healing, and reconciliation within the community.

His supporter noted, “Eric’s leadership has significantly increased public awareness of St. Louis’s complex history—both its triumphs and its painful past—by creating spaces for education, remembrance, and dialogue. Through his work, he has successfully brought people together to engage in meaningful conversations about history, faith, and justice. His dedication to religious archives and his commitment to preserving and interpreting history for the benefit of the broader community make him a truly deserving candidate.”

Created in 1974, this award honors Sister M. Claude Lane, O.P., a Dominican nun who was the first professionally trained archivist at the Catholic Archives of Texas in Austin. Past recipients include Thomas J. McCullough, assistant archivist for the Moravian Archives, and Russell Gasero, retired archivist for the Reformed Church in America.