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Re: letters of condolence



I had a similar stack of letters at my last job, sent after the death of the
founder.  I decided to keep them all, if nothing else as a symbol of the
impact he had on the world.  Some had very nice personal details that I
imagine would turn out useful if a biography were written.  I imagine that a
biographer of your alumnus might be interested to see the impact he had on
fans as well as the famous people.

DS

______________________________________
Daniel Sokolow, Archives Coordinator
David Taylor Archives
North Shore-Long Island Jewish Health System
155 Community Drive
Great Neck, NY 11021
mailto:dsokolow@nshs.edu

> -----Original Message-----
> From: Elizabeth Happy [SMTP:Zabehappy@AOL.COM]
> Sent: Wednesday, April 25, 2001 7:45 PM
> To:   ARCHIVES@LISTSERV.MUOHIO.EDU
> Subject:      letters of condolence
>
> I am processing the collection of an alumnus for our university archives.
> He
> was a well-loved sportswriter and included in the material sent by his
> widow
> is a carton of  get well cards that he received when his cancer first
> began,
> and another carton of the condolence letters she recieved after his death.
> In
> each category there are a few cards from the famous, but the majority come
>
> from his readers. Should they be kept in the collection [it focuses on his
>
> professional writing life] or, should they be returned  tactfully, if that
> is
> possible, to his widow? My first response was that they should be
> returned,
> but then I started reading the get well cards and it was both touching and
>
> fascinating to see what complete strangers write to a celebrity. Now I am
> confused and would love advise from more experienced archivists.
> Thank you
> Elizabeth Happy

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