I see where I've not written a new post in a long time. I've been busy with editing the posts about my UK/Europe adventure of November 2010, tweaking here and there for possible self-publication. It's taken longer than I thought it would have!
But now, I want to write and share about a wonderful upcoming opportunity. During my UK visit, I met with a gentleman named Allen Packwood, who is the Chief Archivist of the
Winston Churchill Archives Centre at
Churchill College--which is part of the
University of Cambridge, in England. He showed me some of the treasures in the Churchill Archives: letters, family photos, and copies of some of Churchill's own speeches. It was a rare chance to see some well-known photos of young Winston, his brother
John, and his parents
Lord and
Lady Randolph Churchill.
During the chat Allen and I had in his office, he shared with me about an upcoming exhibition that the Churchill Archives is involved in. It is about Churchill and his American ancestors; Churchill's mother, the former Jennie Jerome
(photo right), was the daughter of a
Wall Street financier named
Leonard Jerome, who was born in the hamlet of
Pompey Hill, New York, in the country south of
Syracuse.
Leonard's wife, Clarissa Hall, was born in the Western New York village of
Palmyra. Palmyra is also where Leonard met and married Clarissa, and where they lived briefly after their marriage--before their social ambitions and Leonard's work took them to New York City.
This exhibition will be held at the
Morgan Library (photo left) in New York City, in June 2012. And Allen has asked for my assistance, in finding any photos, documents, etc., that are related to Leonard and Clarissa Jerome, for inclusion in the exhibition. And Allen has also asked if I can assist in the actual
design for the exhibition! He already has a principal designer--a staff member at the Morgan Library, I would imagine. But he is also asking for
my input, as the planning goes on.
Of course, I am more than happy to search for any of the documents and such. There are historical societies in Pompey and Palmyra, that are well within driving distance to do research. But to actually
assist in the exhibition's design?!? This is mind-boggling to me: I am just an ordinary person, with no university education or experience in such things! It's very humbling to assist in this way.
Allen told me in a recent conversation that he will be making more visits to the US, as the exhibition draws closer. And I invited him to come visit the Pompey Hill area, if possible. I'd be more than happy to act as tour guide, and show the beautiful area where Leonard Jerome
(photo left) was born.
I hope I am up to the design task. I can definitely research. But I am fighting self-doubts about the design part. Time will tell how it all pans out.
