Curtis in 2007.
Courtesy | Lori Curtis
In this Quick Hits, Archivist and Special Collections Librarian Lori Curtis discusses the crowning of Charlemagne, Pacific Grove, and Celestial Seasonings Tension Tamer tea with lemon.
What is something you’ve recently learned that surprised you?
How much it costs to have doctors do absolutely nothing when you fracture your wrist.
What is your favorite place you’ve ever traveled?
Israel, 45 years ago. I traveled around the Mediterranean for about six weeks back in 1981. I visited some amazing places, but it was Israel that stayed with me. As our group was crossing the border between Israel and Egypt at El Arish, I remember looking back toward Israel with the heart-wrenching feeling that I was leaving home. It didn’t help that we had to get off the bus on the Israeli side of the crossing and walk across this no man’s land lined with Egyptian soldiers, who stopped me every five feet or so, until we got to the Egyptian side.
What’s a moment in history you wish you could have witnessed firsthand?
The crowning of Charlemagne by Pope Leo III on Christmas Day, A.D. 800. This was such a pivotal point in history — was it extralegal or illegal? Yes, the pope did not have the authority to make Charlemagne an emperor or king. But look at Europe’s history after that momentous day. I would like to be able to say, “I was there.”
If the year was only one season, which would you choose?
My first thought is to choose spring, especially here in Michigan. I moved her in mid-November, and when spring hit for the first time, I was stunned. Everything was so green! Almost too green. I came from Southern California, where there was no water and everything was universally brown year-round. But I also love fall: leaves are changing color, you get to wear sweaters.
What’s an accomplishment that you are most proud of?
Raising my son, although I really can’t take any credit there. We sort of grew up together. He is now an absolutely amazing man, and I can take credit for him not dying on my watch.
What was your first car — did it have a name?
The first car my sister and I had at college was an orange Chevy Vega. We named it Sputnik, not after the Russian satellite, but because it would sputter when trying to get up the hill to the college.
What is the best gift you’ve ever received?
My son.
Do you miss anything about California?
Good, authentic Mexican food. And the town of Pacific Grove, where my grandmother lived during my childhood.
What is the coolest thing in the library?
I am a bit biased, but I think having the original works of Jacques Necker here in Mossey Library is pretty darn cool. Necker has been simultaneously credited and blamed for starting the French Revolution. His publications at that time were a big deal, and to find a collection of them sitting on a shelf in the Dow Room when I started was amazing.
Coffee or tea?
Both? I like a nice cup of coffee (not Starbucks), but I also like a nice chai tea, or Celestial Seasonings Tension Tamer tea with lemon.
What is something you’ve always wanted to learn more about but haven’t yet?
I love to study things; do research. I have often said I would have liked to be a scientist studying volcanoes, or planets, or dirt, even. Lately, I’ve been spending hours researching ancient Greek coins. I love doing research.
What is the best advice you ever received?
During my undergraduate days, when I was stressing over how many papers and such I needed to get done, the library director told me to focus on one at a time. Don’t think about the totality of what I needed to accomplish, just focus on one thing, get it done, and go on to the next item on the list.
How did you end up as an archivist at Hillsdale?
I wanted to live closer to my son, who lives in Ferndale, near Detroit, so I started applying for every job I could find and got lucky with Hillsdale.
Do you have any fun collections at home?
Hundreds of vintage knitting needles and an entire room full of vintage yarn.
