[Date Prev][Date Next][Thread Prev][Thread Next][Date Index][Thread Index]

Eccentricities



One of my faculty colleagues passed away this week, and a good
friend.   He called himself a "community activist" but to many folks,
he was sometimes a thorn-in-their-side.  He had a wonderful ego
that always shouted every minor and major accomplishment.  He
was active in politics, attended nearly every county commission
meeting, and was a full-time professor of psychology for over 30
years.

I've been talking about him to family, friends, and office staff.  And
it dawned on me, how poor and dismal life would be WITHOUT the
eccentrics.   It is people like this who arouse our emotions, and
feelings, get us to talking, thinking, etc.    We don't often remember
the man-in-the-street in our history--but rather it is the "standouts"...
and it is equally interesting that these individuals are the ones that
we write about.

That, perhaps, is why I've found Don Sakkad's postings interesting.
Mostly I 'delete' them, occasionally I read them, and whenever I see an
article about the Boston Public Library, I read it with a little more
interest than in a pre-Sakkad era.    I don't have to agree with Don or
argue with him.   But it IS people like him that make our lives and
history interesting.

I would be curious how many archivists can tell good stories about
unusual people in their collections, simply because of their "stand out"
or different behaviour.

Dean
Dean DeBolt
University Librarian
Special Collections and West Florida Archives
John C. Pace Library
University of West Florida
11000 University Parkway
Pensacola, FL  32514-5750
Tele:  850-474-2213;   Fax:  850-474-3338

A posting from the Archives & Archivists LISTSERV List!

To subscribe or unsubscribe, send e-mail to listserv@listserv.muohio.edu
     In body of message:  SUB ARCHIVES firstname lastname
                   *or*:  UNSUB ARCHIVES
To post a message, send e-mail to archives@listserv.muohio.edu

Or to do *anything* (and enjoy doing it!), use the web interface at
    http://listserv.muohio.edu/archives/archives.html

Problems?  Send e-mail to Robert F Schmidt <rschmidt@lib.muohio.edu>