Past Forward

Providence Archives Newsletter
Winter 2008, Vol. 15, No. 1

In this issue:

From the Archivist: A Balancing Act in the Archives

New Accessions

A New Face in the Archives 

Picturing Providence: Just in Time for Football Season

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A Balancing Act in the Archives

If you noticed that Past Forward was not printed mid-year, you are right. There was a staff change and we wanted to wait to introduce our new archivist, who you meet in this issue.  At the same time, projects consumed more time than anticipated.  Although our 2006 sesquicentennial year of celebration is over, historical research has continued in Providence Archives.  We have proceeded with projects to enhance the preservation and dissemination of the history of the Sisters of Providence and their ministries.  Regardless of the media type - manuscripts; books; photographs, films and tapes; artifacts - if we are going to keep them then they must be accessible and preserved.  This is the balancing act that archivists encounter: how to share archival material without damaging it through use.

Although not the sole answer, today's digital resources provide an option to transfer historical material and make it accessible to a wider audience in a more timely manner.  In our collections are 1/4" reel-to-reel audio tapes from the first Legislative Assemblies and Community Meetings held by the sisters in the 1960s.  Too fragile to play on vintage equipment, the real-time content of these tapes lay hidden since the minutes do not adequately capture the substance and intensity of the discussions.  The archives staff decided to begin transferring these tapes to CD.  Using modern media to listen to historic meetings is a journey to the past.  It is amazing to hear the strong, thoughtful voices of many sisters who are no longer in their prime or alive. 

Another project to preserve the past and make it accessible is the transcription of oral history tapes completed by Sister Barbara Schamber with sisters throughout the province.  A professional transcriptionist types the conversation and this is reviewed and edited by the archives staff.  Although time consuming, it is necessary to make the information readily available for Sister Barbara's historical research without her repeated use of the actual cassette tapes.

Other digital projects include continued cataloguing of visual media.  This year, more than 1,200 images have been scanned, described and catalogued.  It is our goal to make the images in this heavily used database accessible via the web.  Similar cataloguing efforts for artifacts have begun to facilitate exhibit design, artifact loan, and study of the religious community's material culture.

By using today's technology, we strive to enhance the preservation of the historic resources and dissemination of the history of the Sisters of Providence and their ministries, care for materials for future research, and balance use without unnecessary damage.

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Marge Vranizan displays Sister Mary Conrad's jubilee crucifix.  Well known in the Seattle area for her work to benefit the poor and as a foundress of St. Vincent Home for the Aged (now Providence Mount St. Vincent), Sister Mary Conrad distinguished herself as a leader in several early missions including Nome, Alaska in 1902.

Gifts to the archives come at  unexpected times and from unexpected people.  This was the case for two new artifacts donated to Providence Archives.

A Jeweled Crucifix

Marjorie Vranizan of Burien, Wash., donated a crucifix, adorned with faux diamonds, which was a gift to Sister Mary Conrad (Kratz) on the occasion of her 75th jubilee in 1947. Sister Mary Conrad celebrated her diamond jubilee at a time when few sisters reached this milestone anniversary of religious profession.
Before her death the following year at the age of 96, Sister Mary Conrad gave the crucifix to her grand-niece Sister Conrad Mary Bomer who gave the memento to  Marjorie's mother.  Mrs. Vranizan also donated the crucifix from the casket of her cousin, Sister Conrad Mary, who died in 2001 after a long career in health care like her grand-aunt.

Tabernacle from Providence Academy Vancouver chapel that was blessed in 1875.

PAV Tabernacle

The Archives gained another slice of Vancouver mission history with the acquisition of one of the side-altar tabernacles from the  chapel at Providence Academy. Fr. Dominic Hahn, Pastor, St. James Parish, Vancouver, Wash., transferred the tabernacle in June. It is wood, about 18" high, with a thick coating of paint which conceals its original colors of white and gold. In the Archives, it takes its place beside the sisters' first little tabernacle made from a candle box by Mother Joseph in 1856.

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On September 10, Emily Hughes Dominick joined Loretta and Peter as Associate Archivist. Emily and her husband, Yancy, are settling into their new home on Capitol Hill where they moved just days before both began new jobs in Seattle.  Yancy is enjoying his work as a lecturer of Philosophy at Seattle University, Seattle, Wash.

Emily spent the past year as Project Archivist at Rock Island, Ill. She holds an M.A. degree in Museum Studies from the University of Kansas and a B.A. degree in History from St. Olaf College, Northfield, Minn.  Her other recent archival positions include ArchivesTechnician at Unity Archives at Unity Institute, Unity Village, Mo., and Contract Preservation Archivist at the National Archives and Records Administration, Central Plains Region.   Just prior to moving to Seattle, Emily sat for the certified archivist exam through the Academy of Certified Archivists.  After her first few weeks at Providence Archives, she received notification that she passed the exam.

How did you get interested in archives?
I found archives via a circuitous route. I graduated from college with a degree in history and wasn't sure how I could integrate my interest in the past with a career. The summer after college, I worked as an intern at the Chicago Historical Society as an exhibits developer. I spent hours in their research library looking for personalities and events associated with more obscure Chicago sports such as roller derby and bowling. I really enjoyed the historical research that was part of the development stage of creating an exhibit.  It seemed like the perfect position, but by talking with staff members and other interns, I learned that to land a job in a historical field, it is necessary to get an advanced degree. I worked toward a master's degree in Museum Studies and through a variety of internships found that archival materials such as manuscripts, photographs, and corporate records were more interesting than artifacts so I switched my focus to archival work.      
 
What is your favorite aspect of archival work?
I think what I like most about archives is the chance to find a treasure in every box. No matter what task I do, I am likely to learn something new or come across an interesting tidbit. Arranging and describing collections gives me a chance to really get to know a lot about a single person, institution, or event.  Research requests are usually more specific and require some peeling away at the larger collection to find the one pertinent piece of information. I enjoy both tasks a great deal. 
  
In your first couple of months working at Providence Archives, what projects have you worked on?
I've already done quite a variety of work including reference, preparing Chronicles for binding, and orientation tours. Most recently I have been working on a project to organize and inventory back issues of newsletters from various Providence institutions and service areas. The goal is to bind one copy of the newsletters to keep as a preservation copy. I have also been assisting on a transcription project. We listen to oral histories Sister Barbara Schamber did with the sisters and check the transcriptions for accuracy. Sister Barbara will use these as part of her research for the sesquicentennial history she is writing.    
 
Outside of work, what hobbies do you enjoy?
I like to be outdoors and enjoy camping, running, and hiking. Also, I am hoping to do some snowshoeing this winter. When the weather isn't as nice I like to cook and knit.

Farewell Norman...

J. Norman Dizon left Providence Archives in February to take a position as Records and Information Management Supervisor with the Washington State Ferries.  For 4 years, he participated in all archival activities and left his creative stamp on the archives website and Past Forward, giving it a new design and appeal.  We wish him well as he embarks on his new career path.

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Just in Time for Football Season...

The world of archives is one full of serendipity. I can't count the number of times that I have done research to answer a specific question but end up with answers to five questions I hadn't even asked.

Such was the case when using a Google search on the Internet to check the spelling of the name of the football coach identified for this team at St. Joseph School in Sprague, Wash.  I typed "Ace Conlon" into the search engine and found a matching name on a website called BoxRec.com.  It turns out that Conlon was a middleweight boxer with a 12-7 record between 1930 and 1932, including 7 knockouts, plus 8 draws for a career total of 27 bouts. He fought in Spokane, Dishman, Walla Walla and Wenatchee, but later in his career he also had bouts in San Francisco and Seattle. In a 1931 match between Conlon and Tony Portillo, the great heavyweight champ Jack Dempsey refereed as a favor to his friend promoter "Doc" Snell. According to the website, Conlon was also a football star at Gonzaga University in Spokane, Wash. Although not pictured here with the team, the kids must have been proud to have Conlon as their coach.

verbati_m
I will say no more, for others have given you the news.  I do not wish to end before telling you about the arithmetic lessons we had last week on the four first operations.  Add our good works; subtract our bad ones; multiply our small amount of merit by the infinite merit of Our Lord; divide our charity and our love of God by all our actions.  You can see that we have very little left to our credit.

–Sr. M. Scholastique
(LaSalle)
letter to Providence Asile, Montreal
January 13, 1861