Barbara Clark has donated her late husband's entire personal and professional archive to The Church Studio in Tulsa, giving the Country Music Hall of Famer's life's work its first permanent institutional home.

The donation, announced Aug. 24 by the Tulsa World, places Roy Clark's collection alongside the Woody Guthrie Archive and Bob Dylan Archive as major American roots music collections housed in Tulsa. The Woody Guthrie Center and Bob Dylan Center sit about two miles from The Church Studio at 304 S. Trenton Ave.

The Roy Clark Archive includes photographs, awards, concert posters, personal papers, stage and television wardrobe, memorabilia and an extensive array of stringed instruments. Among the standout items: a barber chair given to Clark by Johnny Cash, a Tulsa Drillers jersey, baseball and baseball glove, rhinestone-specked berets, a suit worn at the Roy Clark Celebrity Golf Classic in 1976, Hee Haw memorabilia including an "Empty Arms Hotel" visor, a Hollywood Walk of Fame memento and a framed photograph of Clark with Smokey the Bear.

Barbara Clark, who was married to Roy from 1965 until his death in 2018, said several places wanted the collection but other suitors did not "feel right."

"I pray about everything. I started praying that the Lord would show me where He wanted it — where the most people would see it and continue to enjoy Roy," she said in an interview with the Tulsa World. "I prayed over five years for that one and never got an answer until the other day."

Teresa Knox, founder and CEO of The Church Studio, said of the acquisition: "Who wouldn't? It's a beautiful collection."

Roy Clark moved to Tulsa in 1974 and lived there until his death in 2018. Born in Meherrin, Virginia, and raised in the Washington, D.C., area, he put down deep roots in the city. He co-hosted "Hee Haw" for 24 years, had an ownership role with the Tulsa Drillers that helped save minor league baseball in Tulsa, raised approximately $1 million for children's causes and lent his name to Roy Clark Elementary School. He was inducted into the Oklahoma Hall of Fame in 1982 and the Country Music Hall of Fame in 2009.

Carlos Santana told the Tulsa World in 2021: "I totally love him. He could play the guitar like an ultra-wizard. I have seen him play the guitar with a beer can, and he made it sound heavenly."

The Church Studio itself carries deep Tulsa music history. Leon Russell purchased the church building in 1972 and converted it into a recording studio where he and Denny Cordell ran Shelter Records. Knox purchased the property in 2016 and completed a major restoration in 2022. The building was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2017. It already houses a 5,000-piece collection related to Russell, Shelter Records and "Tulsa Sound" artists.

In 2023, The Church Studio debuted a Roy Clark corner display with a bronze bust, apparel and a guitar, marking the 50th anniversary of Clark sweeping entertainer of the year honors at both the CMA and ACM Awards.

No public exhibition opening date for the full archive has been announced. The Church Studio's existing exhibits and recording studio are open to visitors at 304 S. Trenton Ave.