 paul takahashi/the daily northwestern. Patrick M. Quinn will retire at the end of May after spending 34 years as Northwestern's University Archivist. The archives, which chronicle over 150 years of NU history, are stored in Deering Library.
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Walk back to a far enough corner in Deering Library, the University Library's quaint and musty older sibling, and you'll find a living history of Northwestern held in 15 rooms, 25,000 cubic feet of filed records and the institutional secrets of more than 150 years of history.
And back in one of the rooms that house the university's archives, which extend into the basement of Fisk Hall and a makeshift closet in a closed Deering men's bathroom, there's a man who built it all.
To listen to University Archivist Patrick M. Quinn tell 150 years of NU's stories - from the beginning of purple and white to the life of famed anthropology researcher and Program of African Studies founder Melville Herskovits - is to tap into NU's own personal Wikipedia, animated by a ruddy-faced, gray-haired man who has seen and heard it all.
He's retiring at the end of this month after 34 years of cultivating the school's history in official and personal documents, yearbooks, newspaper clippings and academic files.
"I know a lot of dirty linen about the university, yes I do," Quinn said, grinning. "But I can't tell you any of it."
As the go-to guy for the archival profession in the Chicago area, he's taught in library science programs at Loyola and Dominican universities, and in a now-extinct library education program at NU. His dedicated staff of three full-time archivists consists of old pupils and old customers: Associate Archivist Kevin Leonard wandered into the archives in 1976 as an undergraduate history major. He requested information on a research project about Harris Hall, and was later offered a student position. He's been working alongside Quinn ever since. Leonard will act as head archivist when Quinn departs on May 30 and said he might apply for Quinn's position if NU posts the opening.
"It will be sad to have him leave," Leonard said. "I've learned everything from him."
When Quinn came to NU in 1974, the archives were two filing cabinets' worth of records. Today, the archives are the meat that serves requests from academics, researchers, journalists and alumni from around the world.
Spring Break
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Viewing Comments 1 - 3 of 3
Catherine
posted 5/21/08 @ 4:52 AM CST
Quinn's dedication really shows through in this article. It's sad to see him go. I wish him a wonderful retirement.
Kevin
posted 5/21/08 @ 6:20 AM CST
Mr. Quinn will be difficult to replace. As this story makes clear, he's been so much more than a filer of dusty documents; he has set a standard for preserving an institution's soul and has a contagious enthusiasm for passing it on. (Continued…)
Bob Good
posted 5/22/08 @ 11:01 AM CST
Northwestern University, has an amazing history and solid foundations for current and future growth. One of the Northwestern advantages may be that original campuses next to Lake Michigan seem to attract sound leaders. (Continued…)
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