MARAC Report

Two weeks ago, at this point in time, the Brave Astronaut clan was enjoying a breakfast buffet at the Hershey Lodge as part of the Spring 2018 MARAC meeting, held in Hershey, PA.  It had been a good meeting, with some informative sessions, and a great plenary.  The business meeting was getting underway and it was time for the Awards portion of the breakfast.  Unbeknownst to me, I was about to be surprised with the MARAC Distinguished Service Award.  I had no one to blame but myself, having started the "tradition" on dropping the award on an unsuspecting colleague, when I chaired the committee.  Surprise is always better than staged theatrics.  Except when it happens to me. :)

I have already expressed my thanks to those individuals who nominated me for this great award, as well as the members of the committee who selected me.  In my shock and surprise, I was unable to adequately express at the Business meeting my thanks.  I wrote the following, which will hopefully be published in an upcoming MARAC newsletter.

First, let me thank the MARAC Membership and the Distinguished Service Award Committee for bestowing on me this incredible honor. To have my name listed alongside giants in our profession and our organization like, Danna Bell, Lauren Brown, Lisa Mangiafico, Ron Becker, Jodi Koste, Jim Byers and others who came before me, is very humbling.

I would like to also thank those individuals (it’s possible I may have said “blame” in my remarks on Saturday morning) who nominated me for this award. To be recognized by them for (in the words of the nomination form) “significant contributions to MARAC which have contributed to the success of the organization” means a great deal to me and I am truly grateful for the honor.

I have been a MARAC member since I became an archivist more than twenty years ago. I quickly sought ways to contribute to the organization, joining the Steering Committee as a Member at Large, was later elected Treasurer, and finally served as MARAC Chair. Along the way, I sought counsel from those who had come before me, including those named earlier, along with Marsha Trimble, the late Leonora Guidland, Becky Collier (our incoming Chair), Lucious Edwards, Fynnette Eaton, Geof Huth, Jeff Flannery, and many others, all of whom are just as deserving as I of recognition by this great organization that we all support and love.

Speaking of love, I really must thank my wife [Mrs. BA], who is in attendance at her first MARAC Meeting in several years (that should have been a tip off to me!), along with our two boys, [LBA and SoBA]. Some of you may know that Mrs. BA and I met at the Spring 1996 MARAC Meeting in College Park, where she was giving a workshop on Arrangement and Description. It was MARAC who brought us together and now sixteen years later, we are one of the “MARAC love connections” and the three of them make me a better archivist, husband, and father, in that order at least for this venue. Also, [LBA] spent some time in the MARAC cradle that was made for the late Leonard Rapport and passed down through the organization for many MARAC member children to sleep in. Ted also was a dues paying MARAC member for a few years after he was born – and he has talked of following his parents into this wonderful profession.

In closing, I was talking with a few colleagues earlier in the meeting that we had noticed that our organization had gotten younger of late – and that is not necessarily a bad thing. We “seasoned” members of this organization are revitalized by the infusion of younger talent entering our profession and look forward to working with them to further the mission and goals of our organization and our profession.

Thank you again very much. I am deeply honored.

No Selfies Here, yet

Today is the anniversary of the Apollo 11 Moon Landing.  Earlier this year, NASA launched (see what I did there?) a new database of images.  From the press release, "The NASA Image and Video Library website consolidates imagery spread across more than 60 collections into one searchable location."

You can access the images here.  Here is an image I downloaded from the database, showing Neil Armstrong coming down the ladder of the LEM.

And another of the Earth taken from the spacecraft.

In this year, the centennial of the birth of John F. Kennedy, the Brave Astronaut shares with you, the 1962 speech in which the President laid out the plans to go to the moon.

Fun With Data

Most of you, my dear readers know what I do for a living.  I work for a government agency that is responsible for collecting and preserving the records of the federal government, primarily the "born digital" records of the government.  Every once in a while, I spot something in the paper or online that is just too good not to share.  This is one of those instances. From Greater, Greater Washington.

Population growth by census tract for cental DC and Arlington. Image by Esri.

The map above comes from a website, Esri, that is using census data to track population trends across the United States, between 2012 and 2017. The darker the blue, the more growth, the light orange indicates no growth or a decline.  In the above picture, the Launchpad is in that dark blue area at the upper right. So we're doing OK.

Clicking on the link above, will bring you to the article and then you can search your own neighborhood and see what your people are doing.  Here is the link to the Esri map.

That's Great - But Where are the Archives?

I would be remiss if I didn't post where you could find out more about these brave men who forged the document that guarantees our freedom.

All of the signers are linked to a website from "ushistory.org."  The landing page is here.  I have linked the states to my blog series on the States of the Union.

If you are interested in learning more about the signers, please consult their archives:

1. John Adams (MA) - at the Massachusetts Historical Society.
2. Samuel Adams (MA) - at the New York Public Library.
3. Josiah Bartlett (NH) - there is a Bartlett Museum in Amesbury, MA, and there is an online finding aid for some Bartlett family papers at the Library of Congress.
4. Carter Braxton (VA) - there's a body of papers scattered across several repositories, here's a list.
5. Charles Carroll (MD) - primarily found at the Maryland Historical Society.
6. Samuel Chase (MD) - there is an extensive essay found at the Society of the Descendants of the Signers of the Declaration of Independence.
7. Abraham Clark (NJ) - a small collection of Clark's papers exist in several repositories, here's a list.
8. George Clymer (PA) - there is a small collection of Clymer correspondence at the American Philosophical Society.
9. John Dickinson (PA) - there is a collection of Dickinson papers at the college named for him.
10. William Ellery (RI) - at the Rhode Island Historical Society.
11. William Floyd (NY) - a limited collection, but you can visit the Floyd family home on Long Island.
12. Benjamin Franklin (PA) - Franklin's papers are available online through a collaborative project between the American Philosophical Society and Yale University.
13. Elbridge Gerry (MA) - on microfilm at the Massachusetts Historical Society.
14. Button Gwinnett (GA) - a very small collection of correspondence is scattered across several repositories, here's a list from the Congressional Biographical Directory.
15. Lyman Hall - a very small collection of correspondence is scattered across several repositories, here's a list from the Congressional Biographical Directory.
16. John Hancock (MA) - at Harvard University.
17. John Hart (NJ) - a very small collection - here's a list.
18. Benjamin Harrison (VA) - There's a collection of Harrison's papers at the Library of Virginia.
19. Joseph Hewes (NC) - scattered across several repositories, here's a list from the Congressional Biographical Directory.
20. Thomas Heyward, Jr. (SC) - no major body of papers exists for Heyward.
21. William Hooper (NC) - there is a good biography of Hooper at the North Carolina History Project.
22. Stephen Hopkins (RI) - bits and pieces across several repositories, see this list from the Congressional Biographical Directory.
23. Frances Hopkinson (NJ) - a finding aid is available online from the Historical Society of Pennsylvania for the Hopkinson Family Papers.
24. Samuel Huntington - a scattered, small collection is listed here.
25. Thomas Jefferson (VA) - two extensive bodies of papers exist for Jefferson, at the Library of Congress and the University of Virginia.
26. Richard Henry Lee (VA) - there's a collection at the American Philosophical Society.
27. Francis Lightfoot Lee (VA) - a small scattered collection exists - here's a list.
28. Francis Lewis (NY) - a very limited collection is listed here.
29. Philip Livingston (NY) - there are materials on Philip spread across many repositories, here's a list.
30. Robert Livingston (NY) - at the New York Historical Society.
31. Thomas Lynch, Jr. (SC) - like the man itself, who vanished, no body of papers appears to be extant for Lynch.
32. Thomas McKean (DE) - some materials at the University of Pennsylvania.
33. Arthur Middleton (SC) - there is a collection of Middleton's papers as well as the family's papers at the South Carolina Historical Society.
34. Lewis Morris (NY) - a small scattered collection, here's a list.
35. Robert Morris (PA) - there is a sizable collection at the Library of Congress.
36. John Morton (PA) - you can read this essay on Morton at the Society of the Descendants of the Signers of the Declaration of Independence.
37. Thomas Nelson, Jr. (VA) - there's a collection of gubernatorial papers at the Library of Virginia.
38. William Paca (MD) - a finding aid of Paca's papers at the Maryland State Archives may be found here.
39. Robert Treat Paine (MA) - at the Massachusetts Historical Society.
40. John Penn (NC) - a essay on Penn is at the Society of the Descendants of the Signers of the Declaration of Independence.
41. George Read (DE) - a scattered collection, here's a list.
42. Cesar Rodney (DE) - some correspondence exists at the New York Public Library.
43. Benjamin Rush (PA) - a prolific writer, there are Rush papers at several repositories, including the University of Pennsylvania and the American Philosophical Society.  Here's a complete list.
44. Edward Rutledge (SC) - there is a small collection of materials at Duke University.
45. Roger Sherman (CT) - the majority of Sherman's papers are at Yale University.
46. James Smith (PA) - the majority, if not all of Smith's papers were destroyed in a fire.  Here's an essay on Smith from the Society of the Descendants of the Signers of the Declaration.
47. Richard Stockton (NJ) - there is a collection of the Stockton Family Papers at Princeton University.  Here's a finding aid.
48. Thomas Stone (MD) - no significant body of Stone papers have ever been located, here's a list of Stone material appearing in other collections.
49. George Taylor (PA) - another obscure delegate with little "backstory" - here's an essay from the Society of the Descendants of the Signers of the Declaration.
50. Matthew Thornton (NH) - a very small collection is listed in the Congressional Biographical Dictionary.
51. George Walton (GA) - a manuscript collection is located at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
52. William Whipple (NH) - another small collection is described in the Congressional Biographical Dictionary.
53. William Williams (CT) - there is a manuscript collection at Yale University.
54. James Wilson (PA) - there's a collection of Wilson papers at the Historical Society of Pennsylvania.
55. John Witherspoon (NJ) - a collection at Princeton and the New Jersey Historical Society.
56. Oliver Wolcott (CT) - there is a collection of Oliver Wolcott papers at the Connecticut Historical Society.
57. George Wythe (VA) - a small collection of Wythe's papers are at the College of William and Mary.

Cleveland Rocks! Go visit a museum!

I'm traveling again today (after the great summer vacation in Maine last week) - heading for the Society of American Archivists meeting in Cleveland, Ohio.  I will meet up with my archival friends, speak on a panel and take in some minor league ball (the Indians are out of town this week).

None of the museums on this list are in Cleveland (but the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame is - and I'll be going there) - but one should visit these, I've been to several already and will work on the rest in the coming years!

1. The Andy Warhol Museum, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania - I've been here (at another conference).  The largest museum dedicated to a single artist in the United States, the Andy Warhol museum features works from throughout the career of the king of pop art. The museum is located in the North Side of Pittsburgh, which was Warhol’s hometown.
2. Asian Art Museum, San Francisco, California - I missed out on the SAA meeting in San Francisco and have yet to visit the city by the bay.  San Francisco’s Asian Art Museum features one of the largest and most comprehensive collection of art and handicrafts from throughout the Asian continent.
3. The Bernice Pauahi Bishop Museum, Honolulu, Hawaii - I've not been to Hawaii and don't have a whole lot of interest, unfortunately.  While Honolulu’s Bishop museum features several different exhibits ranging from Earth science to art, what really makes this museum unique is its collection of items of importance from the Hawaiian people and their culture, which is unparalleled, and visiting the Bishop Museum means you are in Hawaii, which is pretty excellent.
4. Chasing Rainbows Museum, Pigeon Forge, Tennessee - I've not been to Tennessee either, but might be able to be convinced.  Yes, that’s right, there is a museum that’s all about Dolly Parton, and, yes, you have to visit this all Dolly Parton museum that’s a featured attraction in Dollywood, the all Dolly Parton theme park located in Tennessee’s Great Smoky Mountains.
5. Clinton Presidential Center, Little Rock, Arkansas - Hey, it's a National Archives location! If you are in the mood for some 90s nostalgia, there’s really no better place on this planet today than Little Rock, the home of Bill Clinton’s presidential library and museum, which does a pretty nice job of breaking down the state of the world during the Clinton presidency.
6. Corning Museum of Glass, Corning, New York - I really meant to stop here on the way home from Rochester last year.  This could be done as a day trip or an overnight.  Located in the small Upstate New York town of Corning, which is also the home of the Corning Glass Works that founded this museum in the 1950s, the Corning Museum of Glass is part hands on science museum and part art/history museum focusing on the development of glass as a material and it’s many uses.
7. Jacques Marchais Museum of Tibetan Art, Staten Island, New York - Wait, there's something other that landfill on Staten Island? Tucked in a suburban neighborhood on New York’s remote Staten Island is one of the world’s best collection of Tibetan and Himalayan art and artifacts. It’s a pretty interesting and quiet oasis in the middle of one of the world’s biggest cities.
8. National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum, Cooperstown, New York - CHECK! While certainly an important stop for any fan of America’s Pastime, the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum presents a succinct telling of American history through the lens of one of this nation’s most popular sports. It seems like today there is a hall of fame for just about everything, but Cooperstown is no doubt the best of the bunch.
9. National Civil Rights Museum, Memphis, Tennessee - Two museums from Tennessee on the same list?  Housed in the former Lorraine Motel in Memphis, infamous as the place where Martin Luther King, Jr. was assassinated in April, 1968, the National Civil Rights Museum takes a poignant look at America’s Civil Rights Movement from the 1600s through today.
10. National Cryptologic Museum, Fort George G. Meade, Maryland - I keep meaning to go, but I can never find it, plus I think it's password protected.  If you can believe it, the National Cryptologic Museum is a pet project of controversial National Security Agency (NSA). The museum is perfect if you are a fan of looking at the actual objects that inspired your favorite Bond gadgets, this museum is perfect for you. It’s perhaps best to turn off your phone before you enter though… just in case. 
11. New Bedford Whaling Museum, New Bedford, Massachusetts - Growing up on Long Island, I often would visit the Whaling Museum in Cold Spring Harbor.  That's not to say that I'm not prepared to branch out.  Before we discovered fossil fuels were capable of helping us generate energy while destroying the environment, people actually loaded up on sailing vessels and went out to harpoon whales to process their blubber as oil. The New Bedford Whaling Museum, located in what was once one of the biggest whaling ports in the world, looks at the history and culture of the whale fishing era, whale biology as well as the fight to help save these incredible creatures. 
12. Seashore Trolley Museum, Kennebunkport, Maine - We hit this one up just last week! With all the summers I spent in Maine, I had never been there.  Located in the small coastal Maine village of Kennebunkport, the Seashore Trolley Museum is home to the world’s largest collection of mass transit vehicles from street cars dating to the 1800s to busses and subway trains just decommissioned from their respective cities. Be sure to take a ride on one of their functioning cars for a bit of transit nostalgia.
13. Totem Heritage Center, Ketchikan, Alaska - I've not been to the Last Frontier State, yet. Tucked at the end of the scenic Alaskan Peninsula, Ketchikan hosts the worlds largest single collection of authentic totem poles in the Totem Heritage Center along with the Totem Bight State Historic Park and other nearby facilities.

Reflection on a Dark Day

This morning LBA asked me about the significance of the 50th Anniversary of the assassination of John F. Kennedy.  My first answer was that the killing of an American President had not happened since William McKinley in 1901 (obviously Warren Harding and Franklin Roosevelt had died in office but not at the hands of a killer).  LBA knows about Tecumseh's Curse and he asked about that, too.  My follow up response was that JFK was so young and full of "vigah" - plus he was the first Catholic President as well.  The assassination also played out on national television, bringing a nation (and the world) to a standstill for the weekend.

Most of the reports that you hear often start with, "People who were alive in 1963 can always remember exactly where they were when they heard the news."  For an entire generation of Americans, the day's events are seared in their collective memories.

My mother told me her story many times.  She was bowling in a women's league, while my brother was home sick.  He called the bowling alley to tell my mother what had happened.  She immediately asked for the news to be announced over the bowling alley's PA system.  Everyone in the alley stopped bowling and went home to learn more.  The rest of the weekend was spent watching the news on television.  Of course, in 1963, there were no cable news channels, and only a few TV channels at that.  She always told me of watching Walter Cronkite deliver the news in his shirtsleeves - then as the afternoon turned to evening, he suddenly realized he was not wearing a suit jacket.  Later, when Cronkite returned to the air, he had put on his suit jacket.

There are any number of stories about this seminal event in American History.  Of course, there are the conspiracy theories as well, and there have been a number of "alternate histories" of what could have happened had JFK lived. Where I work, there are countless records about the JFK assassination and I have worked with researchers here and in a previous archives job who were looking into the story of the day's events.

As a "history geek," I can tell you with ease where I was when other significant events took place in history though I was not alive when JFK was killed.  The death of JFK was most certainly a defining moment in history and it brought a generation together not seen again, in my opinion, until the September 11 attacks nearly forty years later.

All About Saints

Today is All Saint's Day in the Catholic Church Calendar.  As has been mentioned here before, the patron saint of my profession is St. Lawrence, whose feast day is celebrated on August 10.

Here's a list of some more obscure saints that you may not have realized were looking out for you.

Performers
St. Genesius - the patron saint of actors - allegedly had an epiphany while performing in a play satirizing Christian sacrament and converted to Christianity on the spot, right in the middle of the play. Emperor Diocletian, for whom the play was being performed, was enraged and, when Genesius refused to change his mind, had the performer tortured and beheaded. This reputedly untrue story, originated three centuries after Genesius’ death. It is believed that Genesius was actually a legal clerk who became so upset about the edict of persecution for Christians that he left his position and went in search of baptism. He was beheaded, around 303 CE, but there’s no evidence to suggest the conversion-during-a-play story is accurate.
St. Vitus has a slightly more legitimate reason to be patron saint of performers, but it’s still a bit fuzzy. Vitus is known as one of the “Fourteen Holy Helpers,” a group of saints venerated together because their intercession is considered especially effective.

Advertising, Television, & Broadcasting 
Bernardine of Siena was a Franciscan priest and is considered the patron saint of advertisers, an honor that stems from his passionate and highly persuasive preaching. In 1444, he realized his death was imminent, and preached for 50 consecutive days until his death. Take that, Don Draper.

Gabriel the Archangel looks after radio broadcasters (and “communication workers” in general).  Gabriel is the angel who appeared to Mary to announce her pregnancy.

St. Clare of Assisi helps those in television.  Near the end of her life, Clare became too sick to attend daily mass. On Christmas Eve, she saw visions of the chapel mass on the wall of her cell, complete with organ music and singing. Considering this miracle to be the first live broadcast, Pope Pius XII declared St. Clare the patron saint of television in 1958.

Beer, Brewers, & Alcoholics
Beer has just one patron saint, an Austrian bishop who was known for extolling the benefits of drinking beer. St. Arnold was born into a prominent Austrian family in 580 CE. In that time, water wasn’t actually very safe to drink, as it was often filled with contaminants that could make people sick. Beer’s preparation, however, kills off any harmful bacteria, making it positively healthy in comparison. Arnold spoke often on the topic of beer, especially its health benefits. He’s credited with the statement, “From man’s sweat and God’s love, beer came into the world.” About a year after Arnold’s death and burial at his monastery in Remiremont, France, his body was relocated to the local church in Metz, France, where he had frequently preached. According to legend, the procession that transported his body stopped at a tavern for refreshment on the way, but there was only one mug of beer left, so they all split it… and the mug never ran dry, quenching the crowd’s thirst. Today, there’s a brewery in Houston named for the patron saint of beer: Saint Arnold Brewing Company.

Brewers have a whole assortment of patron saints to call their own: Augustine of Hippo, Luke, Nicholas of Myra, Amand, and Wenceslaus. Yet the explanations for these patrons are lacking. The only one given an explanation is St. Augustine of Hippo, and it’s shaky at best. According to Catholic.org: “St. Augustine of Hippo is the patron of brewers because of his conversion from a former life of loose living, which included parties, entertainment, and worldly ambitions. His complete turnaround and conversion has been an inspiration to many who struggle with a particular vice or habit they long to break.” His early bad boy lifestyle may have been a classic case of rebellion—his mother was the super holy St. Monica, who managed to convert her husband and his mother to Christianity. She prayed for Augustine through 17 years of his “loose living” and was consoled by a priest who told her, “It is not possible that the son of so many tears should perish.” Eventually, her prayers and preaching won out, and Augustine cast aside “all impurity” and began living “in imitation of Jesus.”

Speaking of St. Monica, she’s known as the patron saint of alcoholics (and those affected by them). In addition to her challenges with her son Augustine, her husband was an abusive alcoholic pagan whom she had married through arrangement at a young age. Despite their differences and his bad temper, Monica was able to not only “nag him to sobriety,” as one site put it, but to convert him to her faith. She’s also the patron saint of wives and victims of abuse, as you may have been able to guess.

Illegitimate Kids, the Divorced, & Single Moms
There isn’t much information available as to why St. John Francis Regis is regarded as the patron saint of illegitimate children, but it’s most likely related to his work with “wayward women and girls.” John was ordained in 1630 and embarked on a life of assisting others, including helping wayward women and girls “withdr[a]w from vice,” establishing hostels for prostitutes, and providing girls with incomes by setting them up as lacemakers (which is why he’s also the patron saint of lacemakers).

Those who have been divorced, especially women, can look to Helena of Constantinople, mother of Constantine the Great, as their patron saint. St. Helena (also known as St. Helen) is most often associated with the True Cross, since she is credited with finding the relics of the cross on which Jesus was crucified. However, her personal life suits her to patronage of divorcées. It’s unknown exactly when and how she met Emperor Constantius, but it is said that when they met he saw her as “his soulmate sent by God.” Sources are also unsure as to the exact nature of their relationship: some say it was a legal marriage, others a common-law marriage; some say she was his wife, others his concubine. Whatever the specifics, the two were in a relationship that produced an heir, Constantine, around the year 272 CE. They remained together for at least 15 years, but in 289 CE Constantius, who was Roman Emperor Caesar, divorced Helena to enter into a politically advantageous marriage with a younger woman, Theodora, who was the stepdaugher of Maximian, Roman Emperor Augustus at the time.

As for single moms, they have St. Margaret of Cortona, who became the mistress of a nobleman when she was a teenager. Margaret remained with the nobleman for ten years and even bore him a son, despite his refusal to marry her as she desired. She left only after his murder (don’t worry, she wasn’t the one who killed him) and returned home to her father’s house with her son, but her stepmother refused to let her stay. She took refuge with the Church of Saint Francis in Cortona, eventually joining the Third Order of St. Francis (although her past led to resistance by some members of the order).

The Ugly & Those Suffering Discrimination
Drogo of Sebourg, who was born into Flemish nobility, held himself responsible for his mother’s death in childbirth and practiced extreme penance, ridding himself of all possessions at age 18 to become a penitential pilgrim. During one pilgrimage, he suffered an “unsightly bodily affliction.” The term “unsightly” is actually a bit too mild to properly convey Drogo’s condition: he became so deformed that townspeople were scared of his appearance, and they even built a cell (attached to a church, since he was so religious) for him to stay in, to “protect the local citizens of the village from his appearance.” Yeah, he was that ugly. For the remaining 40 years of his life, the only human contact he had was via a small window in the door of his cell, through which he received his sustenance—barley, water, and the Eucharist. So if you feel that you’re ugly or deformed, send up a prayer through St. Drogo… or just remind yourself he had it a lot worse. There’s also St. Germaine, who supposedly was abandoned by her parents as a young child due to her unattractiveness. She spent her life isolated from society; as a shepherdess, she slept in fields and under stairways and had limited human interaction.

Desperate Situations and Impossible Cases
People who feel they’re facing desperate situations can comfort themselves with the knowledge that they have several patron saints to whom they can turn: Jude, Gregory the Wonderworker, and Eustace. Really, the majority of the officially recognized saints suffered through “desperate situations,” so almost any of them are worth a shot. St. Jude is probably the most well-known for desperate situations (and lost causes). His reputation as patron of the desperate is due to his New Testament letter, which “stresses that the faithful should persevere in the environment of harsh, difficult circumstances, just as their forefathers had done before them,” according to Catholic.org.

If your situation is truly impossible, though, you have only one person to turn to: Rita of Cascia. From childhood, Rita (also known as Margarita) yearned to be a nun, but her parents forced her into marriage at age 12 to “a rich, quick-tempered, immoral man, who had many enemies in the region.” She endured his “insults, abuse, and infidelities” and persevered in converting “her cruel husband from his wicked ways, making their home a peaceful sanctuary of holy bliss.” They went on to have two children together. Despite her husband’s change of heart, his past led to his downfall; he was stabbed to death, betrayed by his allies. As her sons grew older, they plotted revenge for their father’s murder and wouldn’t listen to reason from Rita. So Rita turned to prayer instead, and her sons died non-violent deaths before they were able to enact any revenge.

Happy United Nations Day!

Today is United Nations Day, the day in which the UN Charter came into effect, with the ratification and signatures of the majority of its original members.

I have a long history with the United Nations.  I spent many days on the UN tour of the New York City campus, shepherding girl scouts and girl guides through the buildings.  It was always fun to - at the conclusion of the tour - send a postcard from the UN post office, which by agreement is on international territory, despite being in the middle of New York City.

In high school, I was a member of the Model United Nations club - and spent time traveling to Model UN conferences at various colleges and universities, where our members would be assigned a country and given a role to debate at various meetings of the bodies of the UN.

At one conference, held at Yale University, one of my classmates was assigned as the United States representative to the Security Council.  In the middle of the night, with the approval of the teacher / chaperons, the students were awakened in the middle of the night with the scenario that East and West Germany had reunified (before they actually did so), re-armed themselves, and were preparing to march across Europe again.  The Security Council needed to meet in emergency session to resolve the crisis.

The following year, I, and another classmate, were serving as the Soviet Union's representatives to the Security Council.  We filled our role very well - vetoing things that came up for a vote that were not in the best interests of the Soviet Union.  Then we broke for lunch.  Both of us were delayed getting back from lunch and the rest of the Security Council drafted and passed a resolution kicking the Soviets out of Afghanistan and other areas where Soviet troops were stationed and levied sanctions against the USSR.  Needless to say - we didn't win any awards at the conference that year.

At my first archives job, working for the Rockefeller Archive Center, I learned more about the Rockefeller connection to the United Nations.  Nelson Rockefeller was heavily involved in the UN Conference in San Francisco in 1945, and was responsible for keeping the nations of Latin America at the conference, when they threatened to walk out.  Of course, it was John D. Rockefeller, Jr. - Nelson's father - who donated the land in New York City for the headquarters of the UN.

Later, while working at the International Monetary Fund Archives, I led a committee of staff from the IMF and the World Bank to create an exhibition on the Bretton Woods Conference, from which the IMF and the Bank were created as a financial counterpoint to the United Nations.  The exhibition still lives, virtually and can be seen here.

I am leaning toward a new Thursday series for 2014, which will be devoted to the countries of the world- as defined by the UN Member States (currently at 193 members).  Look for it starting in January 2014!

NO MORE WIRE FASTENERS EVER!

As most of you dear readers know, I am an archivist and when I worked primarily on paper collections, one of my responsibilities was to remove staples, and rusting paper clips from the paper to aid in their long-term preservation.

Some time ago, I spotted an article in my Reader about a new paper clip from ACCO Brands.  The article reports "though the U.S. long ago ceded manufacturing of such items as cellphones and computers to lower-cost producers, it still prevails in paper clips. Most of the estimated 11 billion sold each year in the U.S. are made domestically. But innovation has become rare."  While no one was out there clamoring for a redesign of the lowly paper clip - "the two main U.S. makers - ACCO and Officemate International Corporation of Edison, N.J. - have survived in that business mainly because, since 1994, import tariffs ranging up to 127% of the base price have protected U.S. clip makers from what the federal government deemed unfair Chinese competition. In June, the U.S. government renewed those tariffs for another five years. ACCO and Officemate also have kept costs low through automation."

Paper clips of course, do not just keep papers together.  "Others report using clips to hang Christmas tree ornaments (been there), clean pipes (done that) and unclog tubes of glue (got glue on the t-shirt). Some bend clips while talking on the phone, then flip them into the trash. Certain types of shredders have been made tough enough to digest all the clips office workers toss out with stacks of old paper."

While I am an archivist and will continue to protect paper from rusting metal - for many, the difference is lost on them - they think I am a librarian.  And it leads to some interesting looks, when they think I say "anarchist." Here's an "Open Letter to the Look that Slowly Forms on your Face When I Tell You I am a Librarian" (from McSweeney's)

An Open Letter to the Look That Slowly Forms On Your Face When I Tell You I Am a Librarian

by Becca Brody

Dear Look That Slowly Forms On Your Face When I Tell You I Am a Librarian:

The raised eyebrows and intake of breath fool no one. As a librarian, I am well aware that most people do not find my job an interesting topic of conversation at a neighborhood barbecue, music festival or, to use a more keenly relevant example, the cocktail party we both attended last Friday night. 

I believe that those four minutes we spent together, both holding a glass of shiraz in one hand and crumpled up napkins in the other, created a camaraderie that allow me to offer a few delicate suggestions. While at no time did your lips actually curl downward into a grimace, the frozen, dare I say stricken, look you chose to accompany my declaration of career halted our conversation before it even began.

It’s true that reactions to my occupation tend to fall into two camps. The first group registers immediate delight with a laugh and smile and a squealed “I love librarians!” followed by a request for assistance finding a favorite childhood book that had pictures of cats or rabbits and probably had a blue cover, or maybe red. That I can’t help them (because my job involves database administration and website creation, not children’s books) doesn’t seem to dampen their enthusiasm, because they had a great librarian in school once. 

Members of the other camp (this means you) pause just a bit too long. Their faces blank out, and maybe their heads lurch back just a touch as the eyes search for something or someone else to latch onto. This is not so bad. I too have stood next to a woman at a party and had absolutely no idea what follow up question would be appropriate. What do you ask someone who did something unpronounceable for a municipal water system? Blanking out is a known risk at cocktail parties and schmoozing events of all types and is not in itself a reason for despair. 

It’s what happens next that, to me, is unforgivable. It’s when your eyes light up ever so slightly, that bemused, faraway look coalesces, and you turn to me and say: 

“How ‘bout that Dewey Decimal System?” 

At that moment, you look so proud of yourself. You believe you have found a clever way out of cocktail party purgatory. You look almost hopeful, as if the conversation has been saved. But let me explain to your smug visage what has just happened: you have ruined it for everyone. 

Because now I have two options: I can spend a few minutes boring both of us by explaining how that system has been superseded in academic libraries by the Library of Congress system and how I never learned Dewey because I am not a public or school librarian (thereby confirming that, indeed, librarians have no sense of humor) or I can laugh as if I have never heard that comment before and say “I know, right? It’s really confusing.” Then one of us can scramble around for a follow-up. In either case your face blanks out again, and it is only a matter of seconds before one of us makes a desperate excuse and runs off to get more canapés. 

Next time, might I suggest a smile and a simple “How do you enjoy your work?” 

All the best, 
Becca

Archivists and Presidents - Left Handers

I am left-handed. Many years ago, I was in Boston for a high school conference (Model United Nations trip to Harvard) and during some free time, I went shopping and came across a store that catered to the left-handed. I am fond of the saying that goes, "If the right side of the brain controls the left side of the body, then only left-handed people are in their right minds." I used to have a mug that said so.

My mother was also left-handed and used to tell stories about being persuaded to change. Growing up, she was made to write with her right hand, but it didn't take. She wanted to learn to knit but her favorite aunt refused to teach her to knit left-handed so she learned to knit right-handed.

President Obama is also left-handed. I have noticed sometimes when he signs his name he has that over-the-top curl, which I don't have (and neither did my mother). In the modern era of the ball-point pen, it is less of an issue (less smudging), but I don't know how my mother made out.

I have also noticed that in my profession, there are an inordinate number of left-handed archivists. I don't know what that says, but there it is. And here's a list of facts about being left-handed.

• According to Scientific American, 15% of people are left-handed. Males are twice as likely to be left handed than females.
• Left-handers are more likely to be geniuses. 20% of all MENSA members report being left-handed.
• A study found left-handed men are, on average, 15% richer than right-handed men for those who attended college and 26% richer if they graduated.
• Left-handed people are three times more likely than right-handed people to become alcoholics.
• If both parents are left-handed, 50% of their offspring will be left-handed. Two righties have only a 2% chance of having a lefty. (I've been working on SoBA, who tends to bat from the left. That formula sort of works - 50% of my parents were left handed, so 25% of their kids should be left-handed, right? That's me.)
• Psychologists from Queen's University Belfast found that female cats are more likely to be right-pawed, while male cats tend to be left-pawed.
• Lefties are more likely than righties to really, really hate spiral notebooks. (Yes we do.)
• Research conducted by Dr. Nick Cherbuin shows that lefties are better at handling large amounts of stimuli, making them naturally better at playing video games. (Well that explains a lot.)
• Statistically, the older a mother is, the more likely she is to give birth to left-handed children.
• Left-handers are believed to reach puberty 4 to 5 months after right-handers.
• Only 50% of lefties report using a computer mouse with their left hands.. Similarly, 68% use their right hand for scissors and 74% hold a dinner knife in their right hands. (Raising my hand, my left hand, but even so.)
• 4 of the 5 original designers of the Apple Mac computer were left-handed. [In addition to President Obama], three of the past five presidents were left-handed (Clinton, and Bush 41).
• According to one study, lefties have an average lifespan that is nine years fewer than that of righties. (Well, that's depressing.)
  

The IMAX of the Gilded Age

Hey, that's what the Post calls it. The Gettysburg Cyclorama is making a comeback. What is the cyclorama you might ask? It is a 360 degree oil painting depicting Pickett's Charge during the Battle of Gettysburg. The cyclorama is one of the last surviving cycloramas in the United States. It is being restored and will be the showpiece in a new multi-million dollar building at Gettysburg National Military Park. The cyclorama used to hang in a 1960s building, where it was on display for more than 40 years. It had been painted in 1884 by French artist Paul Philippoteaux.

One of the pieces of the cyclorama is 26 feet long and weighs more than 950 pounds. It was hoisted into place that past week. When completed the new visitor's center will resemble a Pennsylvania farmhouse and will be far from the battlefield. The current visitor (read: not there during the battle) structures will be torn down. The cyclorama is not expected to be shown again until fall of 2008.

Cycloramas used to be all the rage. There were at least two in Washington, DC. One was on 15th Street NW, near the Treasury Building and featured cycloramas of the battles of Gettysburg, Shiloh, and Bull Run. There were nine Gettysburg cycloramas touring the country. Philippoteaux made four of them. And here is your MAC (mandatory archival content): When hired Philippoteaux hired a photographer to take pictures of the battlefield to ensure the accuracy; then he came to Washington and did research on the battle and examined maps.

This particular painting has had a hard life. First installed in Boston in 1890, it was cut into pieces, crated, and left in a vacant lot in Boston. It was set on fire twice, and exposed to the elements. In the early 1900s, it was acquired by a department store owner, who installed most of the pieces in his Newark, NJ store. In 1913, for the 50th anniversary of the battle, an unheated, tile-covered building on the battlefield was constructed and the painting was put on display. Finally in 1942, the National Park Service acquired the painting and built a cyclorama building in time for the 100th anniversary of the battle in 1963.

And now, the cyclorama is, ahem, coming around again. A new building for an old painting.

A Sad Day for New York

A very sad day for New York today. First is the loss of the legend that was Phil Rizzuto. I could go on for hours about the Scooter, but if he talked first, everyone would have left by now. His Hall of Fame induction speech in 1994 is a classic. And of course, he will be forever memorialized with his words here. You can go watch the video here. An interesting fact I learned today, Rizzuto was the oldest hall of fame member still living. His loss leaves only Yogi Berra as one of the last members of the Yankee dynasty that won seven World Series in nine years.

I hate to mention that the Orioles were mean to the Yankees tonight, pummeling the boys from the Bronx, 12-0, while in Boston the Red Sox came back in the ninth inning to beat the Devil Rays, 2-1. The gap is back to 5 games.

Secondly, as an archivist who worked for the Rockefeller family, I noted with sadness the passing of Brooke Astor. At 105, she had become a recluse and was still in the news recently with allegations of elder abuse by her son. And for some mandatory archival content, her obituary in the New York Times, noted the following.

"Mrs. Astor kept the diaries, letters and drawings from her childhood travels squirreled away in Briarcliff Manor in a closet that she called her “archive room.” Some of her early drawings, poems and plays were reproduced in an illustrated edition of “Patchwork Child: Early Memories,” published in 1993."

The Big Train Makes His Debut

100 years ago today, the pitcher from Idaho, Walter Johnson, strode to the mound to face the Detroit Tigers, who were playing the Washington Senators at Griffith Stadium. Johnson, a Hall of Famer, is regarded as one of the greatest pitchers to ever play the game. His legacy is somewhat murky as he played his entire career for the Washington Senators (first in our hearts, last in the American League), a team that fled the nation's capital, not once, but twice. There used to be a statue of Johnson outside of Griffith Stadium, but the stadium is no more and the statue is long gone.

Your mandatory archival content comes here: The only reason we know as much as we do about The Big Train, the nickname by which Johnson was known, were 30 scrapbooks that were kept in a cupboard of a built-in bookcase of the home of Carolyn Thomas, Walter Johnson's daughter. The scrapbooks were created by Johnson's wife, Hazel, and document the 417 wins, the 531 complete games, and the 110 shutouts. (And I agree with ADR, easily records that will not go by the wayside).

It is interesting to note that on that very first game against Detroit, August 2, 1907, Johnson faced off against Ty Cobb and the rest of the powerful Tigers lineup (Powerful Tigers lineup - isn't that an oxymoron?) . While the Senators and Johnson lost the game (Johnson had 279 career losses), Cobb later remarked about Johnson,

"I watched him take that easy windup - and then something went past me that made me flinch. I hardly saw the pitch, but I heard it. The thing just hissed with danger. Every one of us knew we'd met the most powerful arm ever turned loose in a ballpark."

Twenty-nine years later, Cobb and Johnson were two of the five inaugural members of the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, NY. Hey, anybody wanna try for the other three (no googling! - one of them is easy, the other two are tougher).

Unfinished Projects

Last week, I wrote about the Long Island Expressway. Living with it so close to home, literally, and now that my daily commute takes me on a portion of the Capital Beltway (also Interstate 495), I have sat in my fair share of traffic and developed some ideas on how to help.

Faithful readers have already read my rants about traffic - here are the solutions we need. Sure it will take millions of dollars and people will scream, but the long term benefits outweigh the short. Something must be done!

Double decker the roads. The freeways and bridges in California are often double decker roads and they have earthquakes! The East Coast is a little more stable, so why not put another road on top of the existing one? For both roads, it would be very simple. Development has made the further widening of the roads impossible, so go UP. The beauty of the plan is to make one of the roads an "express" with limited access. For the Long Island Expressway, there has even been talk of this (look for the "Urban Legend on the LIE" section. For the express road, have exits at the "major" interchanges (and this will mean something only to those who have been there): The BQE, the Grand Central Parkway, The Van Wyck Expressway, the Clearview Expressway, the Cross-Island Parkway, the Northern State Parkway, the Seaford-Oyster Bay Expressway, Route 110, the Sagitkos Parkway, and at Exit 70.

For the Capital Beltway (as previously noted, also 1-495), the problem becomes a little trickier and definitely more costly, as there are bridges involved not to mention that huge thing we like to call the "mixing bowl." But double decker the road, make it limited access, with exits (again, for locals and exasperated commuters from DC) at I-95 in Maryland, I-270, (somehow over the American Legion Bridge), the George Washington Memorial Parkway, Route 66, I-95 in Virginia, (somehow over the Woodrow Wilson Bridge), I-295, and Route 50.

Alternatively, let's think about this. For years on Long Island, people have suggested building a monorail down the middle of the expressway. Surprisingly, the Long Island Rail Road has been against it! But let's dream here folks. Build some large parking lots on either side of the expressway (as opposed to the parking lot the expressway can be) and make a pedestrian bridge to a station over the expressway where a monorail can run. DC residents can see how this might work while travelling I-66 in Virginia where the Metro runs down the middle of that road. So in DC's case, build a new Metro line around the Beltway (color suggestions for the line?) on the model of the Orange Line that runs out Route 66.

I will be the first to say that if you build more roads, they will just fill up. But these are a couple of pipe dreams that I think could work in a world where community opposition is nil and plenty of funds are readily available. Governor Nelson A. Rockefeller, who governed New York State from 1958 to 1973, had a pipe dream of his own. He wanted to build a bridge across Long Island Sound. An outstanding idea, but those pesky community activist people told him they couldn't. I actually would have lived near the terminus of the Long Island side of the bridge (that whole expressway thing again), and loved the idea. People shout about it every now and then, especially when thoughts of how to evacuate Long Island should something happen in New York City. Um, tough noogies, folks, you're all gonna die, for one must go through New York to get off Long Island. Sigh. It wouldn't hurt to think about it some more, huh? Please?

So another bridge in DC? The area is concluding work on a major renovation of the Wilson Bridge, which included the construction of a new span. And, hey, guess what, they envisioned a light rail across the middle. See? Someone has been listening to me. There are often talks about a new crossing across the Potomac also. But I think the problem with all this talk is, the people doing the talking know they will be long dead before any of this would get built. But they will probably die in a traffic jam on the beltway. It would serve them right.

BTW, this gets an archives tag for a couple of reasons. I used to work at the Rockefeller Archive Center, where the biography of Nelson Rockefeller comes from (in fact, I put it on the web when I served as the webmaster) and the plans for the Long Island Sound Bridge come from the archives of the Suffolk County Planning Department.

Notable Birthdays

Three individuals have significant milestones around this time of year. Today would have marked John Fitzgerald Kennedy's 90th birthday. American Movie Classics showed war / patriotic movies all weekend to commemorate Memorial Day. One of the ones I caught part of was PT 109, starring Cliff Robertson. The movie, which came out in 1963, was enjoyed by Kennedy, who screened it at the White House. My father wandered in while I was watching it, and for fun I quizzed him on what the movie was. From generic navy guys on a dock in a tropical setting, he says, its either PT109 or They Were Expendable, but it can't be that, because that was in black and white. My father's a bit of a military movie nerd.

One of the stars of They Were Expendable was John Wayne, who would have turned 100 on May 26. You gotta love the Duke. I think my favorite John Wayne film is Big Jake, where he plays Jacob McCandles. The movie also featured his son Patrick, who plays his Jacob's son. Wayne winds up confronting people who will usually say to him, "Jacob McCandles? I thought you were dead." On Friday June 15 at 11:00pm, at the McGowan Theater in the National Archives, the movie Stagecoach, will be shown. The movie will be repeated Saturday June 16 at noon. John Wayne was one of President Lyndon Johnson's favorite actors. The film is being shown as part of the Presidential Film Favorites series.

Another National Archives event to mark a milestone birthday will be on Wednesday June 20 at noon in the Jefferson Room. To celebrate 200 years since the birth of Robert E. Lee, author Elizabeth Brown Pryor will discuss her book, "Reading the Man: A Portrait of Robert E. Lee Through his Letters." Using recently uncovered documents and letters, Pryor sheds new light on aspects of Lee's life that are more complex and contradictory—and far more fascinating—than the familiar icon. Pryor contends that "Lee's letters and papers reveal a man who is frequently as confused, passive, and vulnerable as he is conscientious and brave."

All About Art

I had two different people in the past week send me links to articles about art. The first was from a friend who is seeking to raise the level of discussion about archives and is doing it very well here. She sent me a link to an article about the Renoir archive. Her comment to me, which I concur with was, "I don't know quite what I'd say about this news story--it's just kind of sad and bizarre . . . "

To summarize (go read the article), the Renoir archive was purchased by a gallery in Arizona. The gallery then produced a business plan to market souvenirs featuring the work of Renoir (yes, you to can own a Renoir sculpture toilet paper holder). The business plan, quoted in the Art Newspaper article, stated that the merchandise would be aimed at “the most Neanderthal of art fans.”

The sale of the archive was made with the blessing of one of Renoir's grandsons, who is named in the business plan. Unfortunately, the "Renoir archive includes letters from Rodin, Monet and Manet, the artist’s Légion d’Honneur medal as well as hundreds of photographs and letters, and even a dossier on fake Renoirs."

The second article came from today's Wall Street Journal. You have to register with the WSJ to read the article, but again, I will summarize. The article was titled, "Perishable Art: Investing
In Works That May Not Last Collectors Struggle to Preserve, Insure Contemporary Pieces; Replacing the Dead Shark." Many works of art are now being questioned about their "staying power. From the obvious "Puppy" discussed in the article, made from fresh flowers, to works of art by "established" artists who may have used materials that may not stand up to the test of time. It hasn't seemed to bother the collectors, from the article, "Aging and wear affect all art, but the ephemeral nature of some contemporary art has become more problematic as values have soared. Prices of contemporary and postwar art shot up 44% in 2006 and 19% annually over the past five years, while art prices overall rose nearly 12% a year from 2001 to 2006, according to Artasanasset.com."

The article continues, discussing the even more problematic use of electronic mediums in art, video, audio, computer, etc. What is it we say in our profession? Migrate, Migrate, Migrate. So insure the work of art, right? Uh, no. "Fine-arts policies also often contain a provision for "loss of value" that occurs when a piece cannot be completely restored to pristine condition after a covered claim. If a $2 million painting is worth just $1.5 million after a tear in the canvas, the insurer pays for the repair plus the $500,000 difference in price. Some fine-arts policies also cover up to 150% of the insured value to allow for appreciation." Put your elbow through your Picasso at your own risk, there, Mr. Wynn.

Art is nice, and I would like to own more of it. But as is once again painfully clear, I can't afford it. Well, maybe the art, just not the insurance.

So Long, Farewell, and Good Night

Another hopping Saturday night here in Brave Astronaut land. My wife and I are babysitting my sister-in-law's daughter and she and my son are fast asleep in his room. We have been reduced (though by choice) The Sound of Music, which is being played on TV, sadly with commercials. I recall growing up that the Sound of Music was often on TV at Easter and it felt right to stop and watch Christopher Plummer and Julie Andrews go to the hills.

And here is your archival content for the evening. The records of the Von Trapp family's immigration into the United States are held at the National Archives, here in Washington, DC. I am assuming that cannot be said for the other big Easter flick, being played over on the ABC network, The Ten Commandments.

I spent a very lazy Saturday watching the Masters on television. It is the one golf tournament that I try not to miss. Today is traditionally referred to as "Moving Day" and today everybody took a few steps backwards. There is no player in the field that is above par. The scoring average for today hovered nearly 4 over par (72). I hope that the "Archival Trash" talker bundled up for his excursion to Augusta for it has been mighty cold there in Georgia. But then again, it snowed here this morning.

As I long for the return of warm weather, I have turned to another archival colleague, who has headed to Florida for a family vacation. I highly recommend reading his virtual postcards on his "Mission to the Dry Tortugas." We can all live vicariously through him.