Be careful what you wish for. As I mentioned in the last blog, I had my first photo identification session with one of the family members of Reverend Claude and Addie L. Wyatt. The follow-up session this week was with Mrs. Wyatt's youngest and only surviving sibling who happens to be 80 years young. I was prepared or so I thought for whatever would come my way. I realized that looking at the pictures could stir up emotions and that I may need to anticipate delays, etc. I geared up with tissues on hand.
When Mrs. McArthur* arrived with her husband, she greeted me with a friendly smile and an unexpected request---for coffee! I explained that there was no eating or drinking in the Reading Room. The Reading Room is where I conduct the photo id sessions. There is ample space. The tables are large and the chairs are sturdy and wide. The lighting is perfect for reading and the temperature is a mild climate. Its the perfect place for research... not refreshments. I respectfully explained that I would not be able to allow her to drink coffee while she identified photos. She agreed but then requested that I make her a cup, instructed me to escort her to the bathroom and greet her upon my return with her cup-o-joe outside, in the lobby once she was done with her rest room break. Mind you, we hadn't began the session! She further informed me that once she was done, she'd id. I obliged. Apparently, my message about not drinking coffee in the Research Center was carried over louder than my words through the form of my horrible instant coffee making skills. She requested that I never make her a cup of coffee again. Hence, a beautiful relationship was born. Mrs. McArthur* identified approximately 150 photographs. She scheduled reoccurring sessions for the following Tuesdays at 1pm. I was touched by our interaction. I was also reminded of the importance of donor relationships whether the connection is made with the Creator of the archival collection or with close family and friends of the Creator of the archival collection.
Later the same week, I was in the midst of processing the photographs I'd positively identified with Mrs. McArthur* when I received a call from the Reference Desk that there were family and church members in the lobby who were ready to identify photos. Imagine how elated I was with that mid-afternoon surprise. I quickly gathered my materials: Slips (with Who, What, Where and When blank fields), sharpened pencils, a loaded Harsh Research Center cart with archival boxes filled with unidentified photographs and erasers. I was completely unprepared for the amount of people who showed up and were sitting in the lobby. There were 9 adults and a baby! After getting over my initial shock, I quickly coordinated with the Reference Desk staff to make arrangements to use the Reading Room, separated my guests into groups and utilized my co-workers Lucinda and occasionally Michael. The groups were a family group, which consisted of Mrs. Wyatt's sister-in-law and a close family friend, who had been an original member of the Wyatt Choral Ensemble. Mrs. Blue had been married to Mrs. Wyatt's brother. The Wyatt Choral Ensemble was formed by the Wyatt's while they lived in the Altgeld Garden Homes and attended the Langley Avenue Church of God. The Wyatt Choral Ensemble helped young members remain active in the church and provided a productive community group activity. The second group was a church member group. Within the group were three generations of family members who belonged to the Vernon Park Church of God since its inception + the baby. While meeting the needs of all the members, with Lucinda's help, I occasionally found myself diverting looks from the mother feeding candy to her baby---in the Reading Room! I felt like I was going insane with juggling maintaining focus on the id session and monitoring the blue drool that threatened to leave the baby's bottom lip, the candy wrappings adorning the floor and the possible sticky fingers that might interact with my precious, precious archival materials. None the less, I maintained my composure and successfully completed the session. We even gave a short tour to some of the members. We felt it was beneficial for them to connect the valuable information they shared with the archival collection. They were amazed at the 300+ archival boxes of the Reverend Claude and Addie L. Wyatt Collection and to know that they had been a part of the process that will highlight their lives in photographs in the upcoming months, which will be the Addie L. Wyatt Photograph Collection Exhibit.
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