Category: Archival Research

Archives on Screen: ODU MLIS students explore the impact of archives in creative media

by Jessica Ritchie, Head of Special Collections and University Archives

Loki and Mobius search for answers in the TVA archives in Season 1 of Loki

For the past several years, I have had the pleasure of developing and teaching courses about archives, special collections, and preservation management for ODU’s Master in Library and Information Science program. Last summer, I incorporated a new project in my LIBS:610 Seminar in Archives and Special Collections that was focused on the use of archives in creative media. Students were asked to write a short opinion paper describing and analyzing the use of archival materials and/or rare books in a creative media production of their choice, including feature films, television series, documentaries, podcasts, video games, novels, or other programs intended for a national audience.

I was delighted that the students seemed to really enjoy the assignment, with several of them saying it was their favorite assignment of the course. Given that this was an opinion paper and not a research paper, I was very impressed by the thoughtfulness of their work and their ability to take on some of the more challenging aspects of the texts they selected.

Scene set in the archives in Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones

I found it interesting that the students shared very similar takeaways from their exploration of archives in creative media, despite the genre and format they selected. Students exploring fictional storytelling reported being surprised how often primary sources featured in film and television productions. In many feature films, regardless of genre, characters engage with primary sources to learn critical information that advances the narrative, contributes to character development, or uncovers hidden truths that are central to the story. In her essay on Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones, Adrian Mohr notes that archival documents, while incomplete, play a fundamental role in advancing the film’s plot:

“Due to their incompletion or mutability, the archives fail the movie’s protagonist at various times. Nonetheless, they play an essential role in his investigation and uncovering a conspiracy threatening the entire galaxy.”

Adrian Mohr

In addition to advancing the narrative, students pointed out that archives are critical for developing the visual storytelling and authenticity of create media productions. Filmmakers often rely on archival video footage, photographs, and primary sources documents to develop the visual style of a film, including creating sets, costumes, props, and other visual elements that create an authentic sense of time and place. In this way, archival materials develop a sense of immersive visual storytelling that is critical to the authenticity of films, television, and even video games. Archives are also used to construct authentic concepts of identity, which are fundamental to character development and the societies in which the characters live. In his essay on the game Stardew Valley, Donovan O’Daniel explores how “memory institutions of Stardew Valley reflect the purposes and struggles of their real-world counterparts.” In order to rebuild the society of Stardew Valley, the player of the game has to rebuild the collection of books and artifacts central to establishing the town’s identity. The player is required to take on the role of a curator and approach collection development from both a nostalgic and forward-focused viewpoint.

Players of the game Stardew Valley have to help the new curator rebuild the stolen collections of their towns’ memory institutions.

In documentary films and podcasts, students noted that archival materials often play a critical evidentiary role by reinforcing the authenticity of the story. In addition to visually or auditorily telling a story, archival materials are sometimes utilized by documentary filmmakers to credibly challenge an accepted narrative of an event, person, or entity. They are also critical resources for interrogating and contextualizing memory, including negotiating and renegotiating complex identities. In her essay on the documentary Saigon, USA Linh Nguyen explores how archival materials contribute to establishing authentic and nuanced experiences of Vietnamese Americans:

“Archival materials significantly enhance the storytelling of this documentary by providing a rich, authentic backdrop that contextualizes the narrative of many perspectives- the old and young generations. By incorporating footage, photographs, and documents, the documentary can vividly illustrate the lived experiences of Vietnamese refugees, their journey to America, the younger generation’s point of view of Vietnamese, Vietnamese Americans, and Americans, as well as protests and rallies.”

Linh Nguyen

In addition to developing students’ skills in media literacy and archival theory, the exercise helped students explore more nuanced aspects of how archives operate in society through the lens of creative media. Even fictional stories invite us to make important connections to the real world. In his essay on Blade Runner 2049, Caleb Lane explains how the protagonists’ visit to the fictional archive of a science fiction film is similar to what we experience in our reality, where the histories of marginalized communities are often unaccounted for or difficult to locate:

“When K arrives at the Wallace Corporation Archives, he gives the File Clerk the replicant’s serial number as well as the lock of hair discovered inside of the buried box. The Clerk then places it inside a scanner, which then provides him with a small amount of information. If the viewer is paying attention to the details of the scene, the File Clerk obtains the record’s shelf location. This shows that the workers of the Wallace Corporation Archives took the time to organize each record in way that is accessible to staff and visitors. The File Clerk informs K that the hair belonged to a ‘pre-blackout’ replicant, which makes finding any information on her difficult. This idea of fragmented information as a result of an event or marginalization of a group of people is a reality that we face in the real world.”

Caleb Mohr

An archivist helps the protagonist access information in the archives in Blade Runner 2049

Finally, while many creative media productions rely on archives and/or archival institutions to their stories, students discovered that they rarely show or reference the archivist caring for the materials. This is true across all media, including documentaries and podcasts, where archivists are key contributors of content to the production. Students proposed several theories that explain phenomenon, including the idea that revealing the archivist would disrupt the immersive aspect of the media production. Some students felt that the nature of archival labor is inherently “behind the scenes,” while other students were unhappy that the archivist was obscured in the process.  In my personal opinion, the invisibility of archival labor is a contributing factor to the chronic underfunding and devaluation of the profession, despite our critical contributions to creative media output and the economy it sustains. In her essay on episodes “695BGK” and “39 Shots” of the Criminal podcast, Stephanie Hernandez explores the paradox of invisible archival labor:

In Criminal, the archivist who cares for the materials used is not seen or mentioned. However, this absence emphasizes archivists’ often invisible yet critical role in preserving and providing access to historical records and documents. Archivists’ work is fundamental to creating these podcast episodes, as they rely on these archival materials to tell accurate and compelling stories. The detailed reports, testimonies, photographs, and official records used in the episodes are all products of archival work.

Stephanie Hernandez

Interested in learning more? Many of the productions are available at the ODU Libraries or can be streamed/purchased online. In celebration of National Archives Month, we have partnered with our colleagues in charge of the Naro Video Collection to curate a special shelf featuring several of the productions that were selected by the students! Stop by the first floor of Perry Library to browse the shelf, which includes the student recommendations and other films selected by Special Collections and University Archives Staff.

Here is a complete list of the texts selected by the students:

Feature Films

  • The Mummy
  • The Monuments Men
  • Blade Runner 2049
  • The Wave (Norway)
  • The Batman
  • The Sentinel
  • The Da Vinci Code
  • The Da Vinci Code: Angels and Demons
  • Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones
  • Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix

Documentaries

  • Federer: 12 Final Days
  • Scandalous: The True Story of the National Enquirer
  • Saigon, USA
  • Crip Camp: A Disability Revolution
  • A Revolution on Canvas
  • Mickey: The Story of a Mouse
  • “The 3 Sailors Trapped in the USS West Virginia” by the YouTube channel Real Horror

Television Series and Mini-series

  • The Interpreter of Silence (Germany)
  • Avatar: The Last Airbender

Podcasts

  • Criminal
  • Red Valley
  • The Magnus Archives
  • In the Dark

Video Games

  • Stardew Valley
  • Honkai: Star Rail
  • Valiant Hearts: The Great War.

Novels

  • The Selection, a series of five young adult novels written by Kierra Cass

Tracing History: Using Innovative Research Methods and Chemical Testing to Track the Origins of Colonial Pottery

by Special Collections and HIST 368 Intern Amber Kates

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Amber Kates being interviewed in the ODU Chemistry Lab where the testing occurred

My favorite thing about working in archives is getting lost in the stories. The shelves are a treasure trove filled with others’ memories. Sifting through the pages reawakens moments long since passed. Some interconnect to form entire lives. Others are just snapshots of a single moment, bringing with them an air of mystery. They whisper out questions, begging you to discover their long hidden secrets. But these allurements do not belong solely to the two dimensional world. Artifacts contain their own stories; you just have to know how to read them.

In 2022, the ODU Special Collections was gifted a few pieces of pottery. They were just a small fraction of the 20,000 pieces found during the expansion of I64, headed by the Virginia Department of Transportation. After they were pieced back together by the team at William and Mary, they were placed in the possession of the Coastal Virginia Church – the owners of the property where the pieces were found. The Coastal Virginia Church graciously gave the pieces to the Special Collections. As the intern for the Fall 2022 semester, I was given the opportunity to research a large jug and tankard.

Not much was known about the pottery when it arrived at our Special Collections. They were accompanied by a report prepared by the William and Mary Center for Archaeological Research. Based on this report, it appeared that these pieces were created around the 1730s by the William Rogers Pottery in Yorktown, VA. If everyone was correct, that meant the pieces were almost 300 years old, and a truly extraordinary find!

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ODU Professor Rick Nickel explains the firing process that resulted in jug’s decorative surface to his Introduction to Ceramics Class.

Assuming that the experts were correct, I dove headfirst into my investigation. When looking at the pieces, they appeared to be common stoneware, consistent of the colonial period. The missing pieces in both the tankard and jug made their fragility obvious. Cracks slither across the jug, indicating places of reconstruction; both handles had been destroyed. The potter utilized a two-tone glaze technique on each piece. Artfully detailed ridges denote the deft hand of the maker. As I studied the jug, my eye was drawn to these drips of green glaze. Not only does the color not match any glaze used on either piece, but the finish is distinct. In contrast to the more matte, gritty-looking finishes, the green glaze is glossy and smooth. These markings are obviously unintentional.

After my initial observations, I began my research. I gathered as many sources as possible on William Rogers and colonial pottery. I read through the report that was sent with the pieces, but it was just a snippet of information. According to the report, the area in which the excavation was conducted was within the site of the old Newtown Colony. Like many colonies in the area, Newtown was an English settlement, and acted as a port for trade. However, by the early nineteenth century, the residents of the area moved on. They discarded whatever wares they couldn’t carry into a giant pit – a pit that wouldn’t be discovered for hundreds of years.

NPS Photo of the Poor Potter Site

After immigrating from England, William Rogers was a resident of Yorktown colony until the mid-eighteenth century. Often referred to as the “poor potter”, Rogers was anything but. A natural businessman, Rogers had made quite the name for himself with several different ventures. Before building the factory, he was a brewer and merchant. The success from his various enterprises made him a prominent figure in the community, and a wealthy man.

So, why the nickname “poor potter?” Well, it stems from the lieutenant governor of the time, William Gooch. In a 1732 letter to the Board of Trade in London, Gooch mentioned Rogers’ pottery endeavor and stated that it was “of so little consequence.”  Then, in 1739 he wrote “The Poor Potter’s operation is unworthy of your Lordship’s notice…” In reality, pottery from Rogers’ factory was transported up and down the east coast and to the West Indies. Gooch’s motivation for the way he handled the situation remains a mystery. After all, what Rogers was doing was illegal. At the time, English law made it clear that goods were to be manufactured in England and then transported to the colonies. Many have stated that Gooch must have been “on the take”.  While there was probably some monetary incentive, I believe that the situation was far more complicated. Gooch’s position as lieutenant governor was a balancing act between keeping both Virginia and England happy. He was in charge overseeing the colony and its people while being a soldier for the English Crown. The success of Virginia was good for everyone involved, and Rogers’ pottery was a component of this success. Gooch also knew that he couldn’t turn a blind eye to it. Eventually the truth would be discovered, and there would be consequences.

During this portion of my research, I came across a book that proved to be surprisingly helpful. In, Yorktown, Virginia: A Brief History, author Wilford Kale has an entire chapter on William Rogers and the unearthing of his factory. Included in this chapter was the story of the initial discovery around 1970. According to Kale, the story goes that W.A. Childrey, a Yorktown resident, was sweeping the dirt floor of his garage when he noticed shiny green spots. Curious, Childrey dug a little further and revealed bricks covered in a green glaze. He contacted the College of William and Mary, and the real hunt began (Kale, pp. 30).

Inside an 18th Century Pottery Workshop.

My “spidey senses” were tingling. Was this, a brief mention of green glaze, my first clue? Steve Bookman, Head Archivist at the Special Collections, was kind enough to reach out to William and Mary for a copy of the original excavation report. This report described the kiln as being “coated by a thick (1-2 inches) accumulation of a lustrous light to dark green smooth and glass-like glaze” (Barka, 1973, pp. 14). I was like Nancy Drew gathering little fragments of information to solve a mystery.

I knew I needed to go on a field trip and see the site for myself. I reached out to the National Park Service and explained about the pottery and research. I was put into contact with Dr. Dwayne Scheid, Cultural Resources Program Manager and Archaeologist for the National Park Service. He was kind enough to invite me out to the site to discuss this project. I was excited, but nervous. Before I arrived, I emailed pictures of the pottery. Once there, he agreed that they looked like pieces of pottery found during the excavation of the property. However, the only way to really confirm was to get the pieces tested. Dwayne also pointed me to Lindsay Bloch’s work with testing historical ceramics.

I toured the space, which really is the size of someone’s garage. Looking down into the large kiln, it is easy to see the green glaze that was described by Barka. Just as I had hoped, visually it was a match to the drops on the large jug. Dwayne reiterated the need for testing. He explained that the best and easiest thing to do was to first get the pieces tested with an XRF machine. As an undergraduate intern who was clearly in over her head, I just nodded. There was no way that I was going to explain to this very knowledgeable man that I had not even the slightest clue what I was doing, though I’m pretty sure he caught on. I left feeling a little deflated. Was this the end of the road for my project? Nevertheless, I still had a few avenues of investigation to pursue.

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Inside the Poor Pottery Kiln. Photo by Amber Kates, 2022

Overwhelmed but undeterred, once again, I began my research. Assuming the budget for student-led testing was practically nonexistent, I wanted to find out if the William and Mary’s Center for Archaeological Research had conducted testing during the preservation process. When the pottery was donated to the Special Collections, it was accompanied by a report prepared by William and Mary for VDOT. Reading the report, a second time, I realized that pages were missing. However, several names were listed, including Deborah Davenport. The report stated that she was in charge of “laboratory processing and artifact analysis.” I figured it would be best to go straight to the source and reached out to her with my questions. She informed me that due to their own budgetary constraints they had not performed any testing of the pieces but confirmed their belief that they were created by the William Rogers pottery in Yorktown. She was also kind enough to send me the full report – all 608 pages!

Realizing we were on our own in reference to the chemical analysis, I did a little digging to the basics of XRF testing. This was unknown territory. The Special Collections is not used to diving into the archaeological side of historical preservation. I was able to find a few different institutions who had the ability to help us out but wasn’t sure how many would be willing to assist us pro bono. I once again feared a dead end. On a whim, I contacted the department chair of the ODU Chemistry Department, Dr. Craig Bayse. I explained the situation and asked if we had the testing capabilities. To my surprise, not only did he have access to the equipment, but he was willing to conduct the tests himself.

This is where we are now. The chemical analysis is the final missing piece to confirm if all our work is correct. The wonderful Dr. Bayse conducted XRF testing on both pieces of stoneware. When the results are analyzed, we will be able to determine if the pieces are, in fact, part of the William Rogers collection. I am so lucky to have had the honor to work on this project. It has been an amazing example of different departments and institutions coming together to uncover the truth. Everyone served as an important piece of the puzzle. A special thank you to everyone in the Special Collections. You were all so supportive of me and provided a great learning experience. Jessica Ritchie in particular has been so amazing. She trusted me enough to allow me to run wherever the research led. This has been a truly remarkable hands-on experience.

Director’s Update: After graduating from ODU, Amber has continued to collaborate with the Poor Potter Site and ODU Libraries on a project to trace the pottery back to the site. Amber’s research and ODU’s pioneering chemical analysis methodology could help other repositories and museums officially trace their pieces back to the Poor Potter Site.

Women’s Votes Count! An introduction to the League of Women Voters

by Mel Frizzell, Special Collections Assistant

spectator-sport
Bumper Sticker in the Records of the League of Women Voters of Hampton Roads in the ODU Libraries’ Special Collections

Women’s votes count!  That is what the League of Women Voters is all about!  The League of Women Voters was founded in 1920 – the same year that women’s suffrage, the legal right for women to vote, was incorporated into the U.S. Constitution with the passage of the 19th Amendment.

The League of Women Voters was created from the merger of two then existing organizations – the National American Woman Suffrage Association (NAWSA) and the National Council of Women Voters (NCWV).   NAWSA had long been a champion of Women’s suffrage. The original organization was established in 1890 and was led by Susan B. Anthony until she retired in 1900.   NCWV was envisioned as an organization to follow NAWSA once women had received the right to vote.  At the 1919 National Convention of NAWSA, a motion was made to merge the two organizations into a new organization called “The League of Women Voters.”   The merger officially took place on January 6, 1920.  The League of Women Voters filled the role originally seen for NCWV and in doing so distanced itself from more radical figures within NCWV.  This decision set the tone for the League of Women Voters to become a non-partisan organization embracing women from across the political spectrum.

The League of Women Voters is a non-profit organization.  Its original goal was “to educate women on election processes and lobby for favorable legislation on women’s issues.”   The modern League works “to promote political responsibility through informed and active participation in government” as well as “to protect and expand voting rights and ensure everyone is represented in our democracy.”

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Leaflet from the Records of the League of Women Voters of Hampton Roads – in the ODU Libraries’ Special Collections

While the League of Women Voters is non-partisan, they often do take stands on political issues.   Before taking stands or offering positions on political issues, they first study these issues and develop a consensus of members.  They support many progressive positions.  They support health care reform and believe that “Every U.S. resident should have access to affordable, quality health care, including birth control and the privacy to make reproductive choices.”  They believe that we should protect the environment.   They support counting all citizens in our national Census.  They believe in fair immigration policies that “promote the reunification of immediate families, meet economic, business, and employment needs, and [are} responsive to those facing political persecution or humanitarian crises.”  They are against racial and partisan gerrymandering of voting districts and support a “fair and transparent process that produces the most representative maps.”  They are against big money, special interests, SuperPACS, and dark money in American politics and for greater transparency regarding campaign finances.  They are against voter suppression whether the suppression of women, People of Color, the disabled, or other marginalized groups.  They are for responsible gun control.   The League of Women Voters has also done studies and taken stands on the Equal Rights Amendment, domestic violence, sexual harassment, green space, affordable housing, civil rights restoration, and many other issues.

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Bumper Sticker in the Records of the League of Women Voters of Hampton Roads – in the ODU Libraries’ Special Collections

The League of Women Voter’s helps women take action on many of these issues by creating Action Guides, pamphlets, and by offering tips on lobbying and writing one’s legislators.  At the organization level, national, state, and local Leagues advocate for legislation on these issues and even take up litigation in support or opposition of certain issues and causes.

In addition to their studies and positions, the League of Women Voters actively works to register voters.  They provide voting information to voters; create non-partisan voting guides; survey the opinions and platforms of political candidates; moderate candidate debates; and even monitor elections. 

The League of Women Voters includes the national organization, state-wide boards, and local groups.  Each of these levels has its own newsletters, conventions, meetings, and other events.

There had been a chapter of the League active in Norfolk, Virginia in the 1930s.  That chapter had disbanded at the beginning of World War II.  In 1957, a new League chapter was founded in Norfolk.  In the early 1960s, the League gained additional membership from Virginia Beach when Princess Anne County merged with the city of Virginia Beach.  In 1964, the Norfolk and Virginia Beach membership merged to become the League of Women Voters of Norfolk-Virginia Beach.  In 1994, the local League was renamed League of Women Voters of South Hampton Roads. 

To learn more, contact us about viewing the Records of the League of Women Voters of Hampton Roads

Resources:

Records of the League of Women Voters of Hampton Roads – ODU Libraries Special Collections and University Archives

League of Women Voters Official Website

League of Women Voters on Wikipedia

Encapsulating a Moment in Norfolk History

by Steven Bookman, University Archivist

timecapsulebox
Florence Crittenton Home’s Time Capsule, Norfolk, Virginia

While filling out a recent research request in the archives, I noticed a box in the stacks that read “ODU Time Capsule.” Being an inquisitive (“nosy”) archivist, I decided to take a look and see what was inside. Up to this point, I hadn’t heard of any active time capsules on campus. The box was a part of a recent transfer from the office of the Vice President for Administration and Finance, which oversees the grounds and landscaping on campus.  In the box were a few early histories of the William & Mary Norfolk Division, the predecessor to Old Dominion University (ODU), and a copper tube with one of the ends open.

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Discovering what is inside the copper box

Inside the tube were old publications, news clippings, artifacts, and other material related to the Florence Crittenton Home for Unwed Mothers, which operated in Norfolk from the 1890s to the 1970s. The home was last located in the Larchmont area of Norfolk overlooking the Lafayette River. The home’s mission was to aid unmarried women during their pregnancies. One might ask “How did a time capsule with material from the Florence Crittenton Home come to ODU?” It may be a surprise to some people, but ODU and the Florence Crittenton Home have had a relationship going back 45 years. In 1977, the house and the records of the Florence Crittenton Home were given to ODU, with the records being house in Special Collections and University Archives. From the 1970s to the early 2000s, the Florence Crittenton Home was the location for ODU’s Center for Coastal Oceanography (CCPO) before the facility was torn down to make room for new housing. One would suspect that the time capsule was found during the demolition of the building and given to the Vice President for Administration and Finance office.

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Inventory of the time capsule

As to the time capsule itself, it appears to have been placed during the cornerstone laying ceremony on October 15, 1949. Included in the time capsule are a copy of the cornerstone laying program and the charter of Florence Crittenton Home; clippings from local newspapers about the groundbreaking ceremony and the new facility; manuals from the local Masonic Lodge; a brief history of the home; a travel edition of the New Testament Psalms and Proverbs; samples of dirt from the area; and two coins, one a quarter from 1948, and the other is a half dollar commemorating the 250th anniversary of Norfolk from 1936. Since the time capsule is important to the history of the Florence Crittenton Home, it will fit better to be a part of the home’s records.

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Corner-Stone Laying Program
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Dirt from the site of the Norfolk Florence Crittenton Home was included in the box
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A small copy of the New Testament was included in the box

So, if you are interested in finding out more information about the Florence Crittenton Home, the physical records are in Special Collections and University Archives. The guide to the collection can be found at https://archivesguides.lib.odu.edu/repositories/5/resources/40. Photographs of the home while it was a part of the CCPO can be found in the ODU Libraries Digital Collections at https://dc.lib.odu.edu/digital/collection/oduphotos/search/searchterm/Crittenton%20Hall/field/buildi/mode/exact/conn/and. A short video clip on the home’s mission can be found in the WTAR-WTKR Hampton Roads, Va., Historic News Film Collection at https://dc.lib.odu.edu/digital/collection/wtar/id/1862/rec/1.

Harrowing Halloween Headlines

by Mel Frizzell, Special Collections Assistant

M&CLogo

Perusing through October and November issues of the Mace and Crown, I found the usual stories about Halloween parties and dances, reviews of horror movies released around Halloween, articles highlighting the “in” Halloween costumes for the year, promotions for the Rocky Horror Picture Show, an occasional article on the supernatural, and a few articles about the annual ODU pumpkin drop. Among those were a trio of truly suspenseful Halloween headlines about harrowing happenings at ODU.

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On Halloween day in 1994, an ODU student tackled “an alleged larcenist” outside the ODU Library. Apparently, Norfolk police were attempting to apprehend the larcenist outside of the Mills Godwin Building when the suspect fled. An ODU student named Snapper Arnquist, who was sitting in front of the library when things went down, saw the suspect running. Arnquist quickly threw down his bookbag, dived over a small outdoor wall, and wrestled the suspect to the ground. The police were then able to arrest the suspect.

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In 1995, three ODU fraternities where caught – apparently “orange-handed” – “committing a pumpkin heist.” Members of Delta Sigma Phi, Lambda Chi Alpha, and Pi Kappa Alpha were caught stealing pumpkins and Halloween decorations from the Larchmont neighborhood adjoining campus. As punishment, the guilty members had to do 230 hours of community service, pay for the stolen items, apologize to the children in the neighborhood, and most punishing of all — throw them a party.

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The last story is less of a crime and more about crushed dreams. The October 29, 2003, article titled “’Great Pumpkin’ goes bye-bye” relates the story of two ODU students with hopes of adventures on a 26-foot sailboat called “The Great Pumpkin.” The students, Matt Cornelison and Robert Munson, acquired the 40-year-old boat for free through a newspaper ad. They had the boat transported from the previous owner’s back yard to a boat storage facility where they could fix it up. A few weeks later, they discovered a small crack in the hull. As time went on, the crack got larger and larger until they could see into the cabin from outside the boat. Unable to afford to fix boat, Cornelison did what he “had to do.” He had the boat demolished with a bulldozer “until there was nothing left of it.” Such is the tragic demise of “The Great Pumpkin” and the sailing dreams of two ODU students.

The Queen who became a Munster: Patricia Pierce Jensen in the WTAR-WTKR News Film Archive

By Kathleen Smith, Metadata Specialist

From summer 2017 to December 2019, I worked on the digitized news reel collection from local television station WTAR (now WTKR). During this time, I viewed and edited footage, as well as entering metadata to describe these digitized news reels and clips dating from the 1940s-1980s. A good portion of these digitized reels had no audio to accompany them. In order to create a more detailed narrative for these silent stories, I had to find the “who, what, and where” regarding them. In order to do this, I entered or “Googled” street names, names of places, and even names of people if featured. I even looked in the city directories located in the third-floor stacks, to find information. In some cases, I came up empty handed. In others, I found a trove of information, some it very interesting and fascinating. I have one example of a silent digitized clip in which I did some sleuthing and entered, or should I say “Googled” a name found on a residential mailbox and was very surprised to find who this person was.

Mrs. Pierce A. Jensen, Jr., WTAR-WTKR Hampton Roads Virginia Historic News Film Collection, Old Dominion University Library: https://dc.lib.odu.edu/digital/collection/wtar/id/697/

Here is the back story-somewhere in 2018, I first viewed a brief 45 second clip that was filmed in December of 1960, in which I saw a group of men paying a visit to a suburban ranch house where the family of P. A. Jensen, Jr. resided (the family’s name is on a mailbox). Opening the door, is presumably Mrs. P. A. Jensen, Jr., who is all smiles. The visitors come with a holiday present for Mrs. Jensen, she even poses for a picture with the visitors whose identities are unknown. I needed a better description than “footage of Mrs. P. A. Jensen, Jr. receiving a holiday gift from unidentified visitors,” so I decided to do some sleuthing. At first, I went out in the third-floor stacks area to look at the Hampton Roads city directories, to find out the full name of P. A. Jensen, Jr. and possibly his wife, as well as where he lived. From looking at the 1959 and 1960 Norfolk city directories, I found the full name for P. A. Jensen, Jr., which was Pierce A. Jensen, Jr., who lived in the Princess Anne County area, now Virginia Beach, Virginia. Next, I returned to my workstation and typed in (Googled) “Mrs. Pierce A. Jensen, Jr.” and I was very surprised to find the results-very surprised. It turns out that Mrs. Pierce A. Jensen, Jr. was Patricia Priest Jensen, who is a very famous and well-known person. She was the daughter of Ivy Baker Priest who was Treasurer of the United States from 1953-1961. Patricia was the first International Azalea Festival Queen (crowned in 1954), but she was better known for her role as Marilyn Munster on the cult comedy television show “The Munsters.”

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Patricia Priest as the Azalea Queen of 1954, Norfolk, VA

In 1955, Patricia Priest married Naval officer Mr. Pierce A. Jensen, Jr. and resided in the Bayside area of Princess Anne County, until 1962 when her husband was transferred to California. It was there that she gave acting a try, using the name of Pat Priest. After several small roles on television and a few commercials, she got the part of Marilyn Munster, the teenage niece in a family of monsters. She was the second actress to play Marilyn, replacing Beverly Owen, and starred on the series from 1964-1966. After the “The Munsters,” Priest continued to appear on television and film into the late 1960s and 1970s, including “Easy Come, Easy Go” with Elvis Presley, but she retired from acting in the 1980s and currently resides in Idaho.

Sources:

Mrs. Pierce A. Jensen, Jr., WTAR-WTKR Hampton Roads Virginia Historic News Film Collection, Old Dominion University Library: https://dc.lib.odu.edu/digital/collection/wtar/id/697/

Lisanti, Tom “Pat Priest.” Drive-in Dream Girls: A Galaxy of B-Movie Starlets of the Sixties. https://www.google.com/books/edition/Drive_in_Dream_Girls/j8bUpOl2TgYC?hl=en&gbpv=1&dq=Pat+priest&pg=PA303&printsec=frontcover (viewed 9/11/2020)

“The Munsters” https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Munsters (viewed 9/11/2020)

“Pat Priest.” https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pat_Priest_(actress) (viewed 9/11/2020)

“Pat Priest-Biography” https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0696330/bio?ref_=nm_ov_bio_sm (viewed 9/14/2020)

Cougars, Capris, Fiats, oh my! Automotive History in the George Conoly Phillips Papers

By Mel Frizzell, Special Collections Assistant

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One of the most memorable collections I’ve worked on since I’ve worked in ODU Special Collections has to be the George Conoly Phillips Papers.  It was one of my early collections and may have even been the very first archival collection I ever organized. 

Conoly Phillips was extremely active in politics, religion, and civic organizations in Norfolk, the Tidewater region, and Virginia, but in my opinion, those aren’t the most interesting parts of his collection.   To me the most interesting parts of his collection relate to Conoly Phillips’ car dealership. 

In 1956, Conoly and his brother Tench opened the Phillips Brothers Automoville used car dealership in Norfolk.  The following year they entered into an agreement with Ford Motor Company to sell imported Ford vehicles.  By 1960, the brothers had also acquired a franchise with Rambler and formed “Phillips Brothers Rambler.”  After much business success, Tench negotiated with the Oldsmobile Division of General Motors to open an Oldsmobile franchise in Norfolk.  The franchise was awarded under the condition that Tench divest of his interests in Phillips Brothers Rambler, and his separate Oldsmobile franchise was begun in early 1965.   For his part, Conoly moved on from the Rambler business and became an authorized dealer for Ford Lincoln’s and Mercury’s in 1967.  The dealership initially held the name “Tench Brother’s Lincoln-Mercury.”   By the 1970s, the business became known as “Conoly Phillips Lincoln-Mercury.”  Conoly retired from the daily management of the business in 1999.  At that time, his company merged with Freedom Automotive, and Conoly Phillips remained a partner in the company.

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The materials in Conoly Phillips papers relating to the car dealership include contracts, financial statements, correspondence, board minutes, policy and procedure manuals, and a host of other business materials.  They also contain advertising and marketing materials, artifacts, and scrapbooks from the dealership.

Among the marketing and advertising materials are newspaper advertisements; yellow pages ads; press releases; and scripts for radio and television commercials.  Phillips also took part in promotional events such as the 1972 Mid-Atlantic Auto Show at the Norfolk Scope.  The collection contains information on several models of cars including the Rambler, Capri, Cougar, Fiat, Daimler, Lincoln, and Mercury. There’s even a children’s coloring book with pictures of 1969 Ford car models to color in.

Artifacts include Phillips Brothers emblems and stickers, some promotional pens for the business, an auto show emblem, aerial photos of the Lincoln-Mercury dealership, a license plate, and a set of Phillips-Lincoln Mercury keys. 

Scrapbooks feature newspaper clippings about the dealership, advertisements, an overview of the business for the 1964 Rambler Retailer of the Year contest, and a plan for a Women’s Automotive Resource Center. 

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Conoly Phillips graduated Maury High School in Norfolk with honors in 1949 and received his bachelor’s degree in Business Administration from the University of Georgia in 1953.  He also served for two years as a Lieutenant in the U.S. Air Force.  Later, Phillips earned his MBA from Old Dominion University in 1976.  Conoly married Charlotte Baird Ferebee and the two had three children together.

Conoly was involved in a number of civic and community organizations for business, personal, religious, and philanthropic reasons.  These included the Better Business Bureau, Norfolk Chamber of Commerce, the Norfolk Symphony, the Norfolk Rotary Club, the United Community Fund, the Union Mission, the United Drug Abuse Council, and many others. 

Phillips was a religious person belonging to First Presbyterian Churches in Norfolk.  Phillips served on the Norfolk City Council from 1976 to 1980 and was reelected to the Norfolk City Council in 1986.  In 1978, he ran unsuccessfully for a U.S. Senate seat. 

George Conoly Phillips passed away, April 22, 2020, at the age of 88.

Collection Guide for the George Conoly Phillips Papers: https://archivesguides.lib.odu.edu/repositories/5/resources/307.

Photo Captions:

  • Phillips Brothers Automoville, 1st Military Highway location at corner of Johnston Road, 1961 (MG 15, Box 33, Folder 8)
  • 1971 Billboard.  “A very simple business” was the dealership’s advertising slogan in the early 1970s. (MG 15, Box 1, Folder 4)
  • Phillip Bros Cougar Girl Coloring Book from the early 1970s. (MG 15, Box 1, Folder 1)

True Crime in the Music Archive

By Lara Canner, Curator of Music Special Collections

As Taylor Swift once sang “I think he did it but I just can’t prove it…”, true crime and music go hand in hand. There are hundreds of ballads based off horrific crimes: Nirvana’s “Polly”, the Smiths “Suffer Little Children” and Sarah McLachlan’s “Possession”, to name a few. Music invites passion, heartbreak, darkness, and yearning. It is no wonder that musicians have found a font of inspiration from terrible crimes and their instigators. Yet, not only has music immortalized tales of the horrific, but musicians are also the victims of true crime stories and the initiators.

True crime storytelling is having a cultural moment, but where do you think the researchers for the multitude of podcasts, books, and documentaries have gotten their information? Enter archives: the keepers of knowledge. Special Collections and archives are responsible for preserving and making accessible historic record, ranging from newspapers, court documents, organizational records, oral histories, and even films from television stations. Without an archive there would not be documentation for amateur investigators to pour over, map and theorize. There are so many in fact that archivists from the University of North Texas created an entire series called “True Crime in the Archives.”

If you are searching for your music true crime fix (featuring archives!), here is a list of podcasts, books, and documentaries to checkout.

Podcasts:

  1. Songs in the Key of Death – https://nevermind.fm/shows/death//
  2. Disgraceland – https://www.disgracelandpod.com/

Books:

  1. Ladies and Gentlemen, the Bronx is Burning by Jonathan Mahler
  2. BMF: The Rise and Fall of Big Meech and the Black Mafia Family by Mara Shalhoup
  3. Lords of Chaos: The Bloody Rise of the Satanic Metal Underground by Michael Moynihan and Didrik Søderlind
  4. Hit Men: Power Brokers and Fast Money Inside the Music Business by Fredric Dannen
  5. Notorious C.O.P.: The Inside Story of the Tupac, Biggie, and Jam Master Jay Investigations from NYPD’s First ‘Hip-Hop Cop’ by Derrick Parker and Matt Diehl
  6. CrimeSong: True Crime Stories From Southern Murder Ballads by Richard H. Underwood
  7. Unprepared To Die: America’s Greatest Murder Ballads And The True Crime Stories That Inspired Them by Paul Slade
  8. Party Monster: A Fabulous But True Tale of Murder in Clubland by James St. James
  9. Helter Skelter: The True Story of the Manson Murders by Vincent Bugliosi and Curt Gentry
  10. The Axeman of New Orleans: The True Story by Miriam C. Davis

Documentaries:

  1. The New York Times Presents: Framing Britney Spears on Hulu
  2. FYRE: The Greatest Party That Never Happened on Netflix
  3. I Called Him Morgan on Netflix
  4. Surviving R. Kelly on Netflix
  5. ReMastered: The Two Killings of Sam Cooke on Netflix

Music can inspire intense feelings causing us to cry, sigh, and dance for joy. Intense feelings can inspire music creating songs of sadness, love, and hope.  Archives that specialize in music are filled with songs of terrible heartache and stories yet unsung. Even Old Dominion University Special Collections holds secrets too if you are willing to look.

Hampton Roads LGBTQ+ Community Snapshot 1977

By Mel Frizzell, Special Collections Assistant

In December 1977, the Norfolk Unitarian-Universalist Gay Caucus (UUGC) undertook what may have been the first survey of the LGBT community in Hampton Roads.  The survey was not intended to be a complete profile of the local gay community as those surveyed tended to be either bar goers or those active in the local Gay and Lesbian community.  Questions pertaining to the local Trans community were virtually non-existent.  Surveys were distributed in local gay bars including the Cue, the Nickelodeon, the Late Show, the Ritz, and at UUGC meetings.  The results of the survey were released in the January, February, March, and April 1978 issues of Our Own Community Press.  The January issue gave an overview of results.  The February issue featured the results as they pertained to women / Lesbians who took the survey.  The March issue shared results pertaining to gay and bisexual men.  The April issue highlighted comments made by survey respondents.

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According to the February 1978 issue of Our Own, “The typical woman who filled out one of the UUGC questionnaires… is between 18 and 24 years old, lives in Norfolk, is registered to vote, Protestant, makes between $5-10,000, rents, has some college education, considers herself exclusively gay, attends a gay bar once a week, and always feels good about her sexuality.”  A total of 86 women responded to the survey.  

Older women were not well represented in the survey.  69% of the women surveyed were under the age of 24, and an additional 29% were between the ages of 25 and 34.  Only 2% of the women were over the age of 34.  Half of these respondents were from Norfolk, and the rest were from other cities in Hampton Roads with ten respondents from outside the area.  Two thirds of these women were registered to vote.  Political affiliation was not reported, but religious affiliation was.  Nearly half of the respondents identified as Protestant.  Nearly a third were Catholic.  A smaller number identified as Jewish, not religious, or other (including two who identified as witches).  48% of respondents had an annual income between $5,000-10,000, 29% had an income less than $5,000 a year.  Very few respondents made over $15,000 a year.  Only 14% of these women owned their own home; 68% rented, and 18% lived with parents, with a lover, or had other living arrangements.  Only 14% of these women had college degrees, 43% had completed some college, 35% had only graduated high school.  A very few women had advanced degrees or had not completed high school at all.  The highest number of these women (20%) worked in service and blue-collar industries.  17.5% of respondents were students and another 17.5% worked in government jobs.  Other jobs included healthcare, education, management, clerical jobs, merchandising, and artists.  Very few women surveyed were lawyers, journalists, engineers, or housewives.  8% of those women surveyed were unemployed.

Of the women surveyed, 8% claimed to be exclusively heterosexual, 44% considered themselves exclusively homosexual, and others claimed varying degrees of bisexuality.  Most of these women (84%) always or usually felt good about their sexuality.  14% had mixed feelings about their sexuality, and only one woman usually felt bad about her sexuality.   No one claimed to always feel bad about their sexuality.  36% of the women surveyed went to gay bars once a week, 28% went to bars only once a month, and 25% went to gay bars more than once week.  Only 22% of these women belonged to gay organizations, while 28% belonged to social groups; 20% to professional groups; 15% to political groups; 38% to special interest groups; and 13% to religious groups.  26% of the women surveyed did not belong to any organization at all. 

Popular LGBT publications among women were Our Own Community Press, The Advocate, Gay Blade, and Gay Community News.  Only a small number read Lesbian publications such as Lesbian Connection or Lesbian Tide.

LGBT-mens-survey-results1977

A total of 440 men answered the survey.  This was over five times the response rate for women.  The typical profile for men answering the survey was very similar to that of the women.  The typical man answering the survey lived in Norfolk, was between the ages of 18 and 24, was registered to vote, rented their housing, had some college education, was Protestant, had an annual income of $5,000-10,000, considered themselves exclusively gay, and always felt good about their sexuality. 

While the “typical” snapshot of respondents was similar, actual percentages varied and there were some differences between the men and women surveyed.  The typical male (49.2%) went to gay bars more than once a week whereas the largest number of women (36%) only went to bars once a week.  There was a larger number of men than women over the age of 24 who responded to the survey.  There were more men over the age of 35 and even some over the age of 50.  Men were less likely to have a religious affiliation at all, or if they did – to have a non-Christian affiliation (Jewish, Humanist, Buddhist, Moslem, B’ai H’ai, etc.).  Twice as many men than women had completed college, and men generally had higher incomes.  Women were slightly more likely be registered voters.  Men were more likely to consider themselves “exclusively” homosexual than women, but women tended to overall to feel better about their sexuality.  Men were more likely to belong to a gay organization or conversely to no organization at all than were women.

As for men’s statistics, 51.5% of men lived in Norfolk.  34.5% lived in other Hampton Roads cities.  The remainder came from other places in Virginia, Washington DC, or from out of state.  54% of men were aged 18-24; 34% were 25-34; 9% were 35-49; and 1.5% were over age 50.  45% of male respondents identified as Protestant; 25.5% as Catholic; 15.0% as none; 7.0% as other; and 4.5% as Jewish.  The highest percentages of men worked in either government or service jobs (16.2% and 16.4% respectively).  Other higher percentage occupations included students (9.7%); management (7.7%); healthcare (7.4%); merchandising (7.4%); and other professionals (7.0%).  Only 4.9% of men surveyed were unemployed.  65% of male respondents were registered to vote.   37% of those men surveyed had annual incomes between $5,000-10,000; 23.3% had annual incomes of $10,000-15,000; 17% had incomes over $15,000; and 20% had incomes under $5,000.  29.8 percent of the men surveyed had college degrees; 35.6% had some college; 27.8% had only graduated high school; and 5.9% did not have a high school diploma.  52.5% of men rented their housing; 21.0% owned their own home; and 23.5% had other living arrangements.

Of the men surveyed, 43.6% identified exclusively homosexual; 1.6% claimed to be exclusively heterosexual; and the rest claimed varying degrees of bisexuality.  79.6% of the men always or usually felt good about their sexuality; 18.7% felt both good and bad about their sexuality; and only 1.1% usually or always felt bad about their sexuality.  Nearly half the men surveyed (49.2%) visited gay bars more than once a week; 25.5% visited gay bars weekly; 18.2% visited gay bars once a month or less; and of these only .7% never visited gay bars.  26% of the men surveyed belonged to gay organizations; 37.3% belonged to no organizations at all.  Men also took part in professional organizations (27.3%), social organizations (26.2%), political organizations (14.1%), religious organizations (18.0%), and special interest groups (24.4%).

Popular publications among men included Our Own Community Press, The Advocate, In Touch, Gay Blade, Blueboy, Cruise, Gay Community News, Christopher Street, Gay Times, Eagle, GPU News, Drummer, Mandate, Playgirl, and After Dark.

AdvocateCoverPride
Stot, 2013: https://www.advocate.com/arts-entertainment/pride/2013/06/12/photos-remembering-birth-pride

While the demographics created a snapshot of LGBT bar goers and those active in the local LGBT community in 1977, the most revealing and sometimes entertaining portion of the survey were open-ended responses to the questions “What do you see as the greatest need of the lesbian/gay community of Tidewater?”  Overall themes to these questions included the need for unity and a sense of gay community; gay and straight education on gay issues; politics and legislation for gay rights; acceptance and understanding; more and better bars; and social outlets other than the bars.  

Comments included practical suggestions for the community – a Lesbian bar, live gay/lesbian music events, a gay military organization, a gay bookstore, a gay business association, an organization for aging gay men, a gay community center, and a gay church.  All of these things have come to pass in Hampton Roads (at least at some point) since the 1977 survey.  Some comments were idealistic like this one.  “For them to learn to live together.  To be friends no matter what color the person’s skin might be or what sex the person might be.  To be openminded with everything, because being gay is hard enough without fighting each other.”  Other idealistic responses included developing a unified gay/lesbian political philosophy, or ending division and labels within the community.  Some comments focused on educating the public on gay/lesbian issues, helping gay and lesbian folks to feel better about themselves, and helping folks come out of the closet.  There were also a few colorful comments by folks who obviously weren’t comfortable with segments of the gay/lesbian community at the time.  “The flaunting of homosexuality is the major problem.  The super “fags’ and ‘butch’ are what gives the rest of us bad names.”  Another respondent suggested, “More Gay Bars!… Make anyone over 40 stay out!  And have a special bar just for trolls.”  

Since 1977, hopefully at least some things have changed for the better in the Hampton Roads LGBT community.  Gay bookstores have come and gone, as have Lesbian bars.  LGBT military organizations have formed, especially at the height of the gay military ban and “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell.”  We have an organization for aging Gay men, an LGBT business organization, and an LGBT community center.  There’s an LGBT church, and even room at the annual Pride month Interfaith event for non-Christians and LGBT folks involved in non-traditional religions such as Wicca and Paganism.  We have an LGBT Pride organization, an annual Pridefest, a Pride Boat Parade, and even a whole month of local Pride events.  While not well represented in the 1977 survey, we now have organizations and events for Trans folks in our community too. 

While we may have lost some things this past year or more due to Covid, this Pride month consider all that we have gained and learned since the early days of the Hampton Roads LGBT community.  What will the Hampton Roads LGBT community be like 44 years from now?

You can browse the issues of Our Own Community Press mentioned in this blog post, as well as all other issues of Our Own, in our digital collections: https://dc.lib.odu.edu/digital/collection/ourown