The Virginia Tech Special Collections is home to a multitude of memorabilia of one of the most tragic events to occur at the university and the nation. The University Archivist, Tamara Kennelly, works tenaciously to preserve and collect items sent to comfort the families, friends, and loved ones of the victims who died on April 16th, 2007. On that day, 33 lives were lost in a massive school shooting. This number, 33, is not accounted for in many of the pieces in the collection. The “Handbook for Folklore and Ethnomusicology Fieldwork” (2019) illustrates key points to the struggles in selectivity that field
workers undergo that can be translated to archivist work. An archivist has a difficult job in choosing what pieces of the collections are on display and what gets omitted. Seung-Hui Cho, the perpetrator, is often not recognized or depicted in the collection. A few pieces, such as the hand-blown eggs sent by Carol Davis depicted in the picture to the right, showcases colored eggs of the 32 victims
"Carol Davis, 32 Hollowed-Out Painted Eggs,
Observed on February 14, 2020, in the
Virginia Tech Archives.
These eggs represent the 32
victims who passed on April 16th, 2007"
of this tragedy. Her intention was to have 33 eggs, but the pain of making one for the perpetrator was too much. In place of an egg, she sent a note of forgiveness to him. This note is important to this piece of artwork because it provides the viewer with context of her feelings and intent to make 33 eggs. How would the viewer have known that the artist wanted to make an egg for him? How would one know that she meant to acknowledge him without the note? Some works in the collection are sent without a note, making it difficult for the archivist to interpret the meaning and objectives for the piece. This ties along with the article, “Why Archives” (2016). The author, Kathleen Roe, directs the reader’s attention to the lack of awareness of archivists’ work and how impactful their occupation is on preserving treasured archives. Roe urges people to move past the adjectives that describe archive work as “fascinating” and “interesting,” to explore the “why” these archives matter.
Why does it matter that the archivist places the note that Carol made for Cho by the eggs? What kind of message does this send about different reactions to the shooting? A ton of the pieces in the collection deliberately excluded Cho because of his horrific actions that most people cannot forgive. Others viewed his actions as a product of a mental illness and chose to remember him in their memorabilia.
"Carol Davis, Two Notes Written by Carol, Observed on February 14, 2020, in the
Virginia Tech Archives.
These notes provided the observer
with more context to the 32 eggs."
Regardless of people's opinion of whether he should be remembered or not, the archivist is tasked with a troublesome job in determining what materials are saved and what materials must be discarded. The community must take responsibility and contribute to supporting archivists who protect and nurture evidence of society, especially this memorial for April 16th. The way in which the Roe suggests to gain this support is to capture the hearts of the community by explaining why archivist work is so meaningful. Tamara Kennelly’s occupation at Virginia Tech is not for the weak of heart. She relives the impact of the tragedy with each material item that is sent to the university and the emotional effect is overwhelming. She is a perfect example of why communities need to support and care for archivists because their jobs are not an easy undertaking, especially when they must archive a monumental catastrophe.
The “Handbook for Folklore and Ethnomusicology Fieldwork” identifies issues relating to selectivity and representation of data in relation to privacy and consent when it comes to showcasing data or collections (218-219). The “Handbook” asks important questions for fieldworkers to consider when compiling ethnographic data, such as “What are the relationships between ownership and custody of materials?” and “Who owns the materials you collected and who should own them?” (230). The owners of the Virginia Tech Collection belong to the university, but the families of the victims have ownership in choosing what is put on display and what is not. For example, this caricature, depicted below, of the 32 victims was requested by the families to stay behind closed doors in the collection.
The families did not like the piece and did not want their loved ones to be remembered in that way as caricatures. Kennelly’s job is to preserve and care for the items sent to the university, but she must ultimately respect the wishes of the victims’ families. I was surprised to find out that Kennelly is not allowed to speak with the families directly, but rather had to communicate through a liaison.
"Unknown Artist, Caricature Illustration of the Victims,
Observed on February 14, 2020, in the
Virginia Tech Archives.
This illustration was given to the VT Archives,
but was not appreciated by the
families of those who passed"
Perhaps interacting with the victims’ families would have been too emotionally troublesome to manage, in addition to the university prohibiting her from communicating with them. The enormous flood of material items that were sent from across the globe to Virginia Tech made Kennelly’s job even more difficult, as well as the families who choose to view the items and endure experiencing more heartbreak. This influx of material is extremely strenuous for one person to sift through and examine.
I found the pieces sent by the Korean elementary school to be especially moving in how they desperately did not want Americans to be afraid of their culture. One person’s actions do not reflect an entire culture. I might guess that those pieces would be difficult for the victims’ families to see, but I see those pieces as a pure outreach to embrace and comfort those families and the community at Virginia Tech.
"Korean Elementary School, Origami Creation Among a Poster,
Observed on February 14, 2020, in the
Virginia Tech Archives.
The Korean children feared that Americans
would have negative feelings about all
Koreans after the perpetrator's actions
and pleaded that America not be afraid of their culture."
One thing that I appreciated about Kennelly’s work is that some items, such as blankets or teddy bears, were sent to foster homes or given to Goodwill to re-purpose these items for the greater good. This donation in hopes to bring others joy and comfort is infinitely more impactful than having those items sit, unloved, in a collection. I hope that these items have made the lives of children and those in need feel a sense of solace and enjoyment. The world needs more love and care to support others and the community, especially in times of tragedy.
Citations
Gilman, Lisa, and John Fenn, 2019. Handbook for Folklore & Ethnomusicology Fieldwork. Bloomington: Indiana University Press.
Roe, Kathleen D. 2016. "Why Archives? The American Archivist 79(1): 6-13
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