Flynn Book Collection on Display at Van Pelt and Opie Library
Faith Morrison
by Michigan Tech Archives
American Archives Month has come to a close, and the Michigan Tech Archives saved something very special for closing the celebrations.
The Archives and Copper Country Historical Collections are pleased to announce one of our latest acquisitions, a rare book collection and display case donated in memory of the late Professor John Flynn, who taught in the Department of Humanities at Michigan Tech from 1979-1999. The materials were given to the Van Pelt and Opie Library by Flynn’s wife, Elizabeth (HU), and his daughter, Katherine. Elizabeth is a professor emerita of reading and composition in the Department of Humanities. Katherine is the senior manager for strategic communications at the American Institute of Architects in Washington, D.C.
The collection includes 63 special volumes (41 titles) which were originally owned by Lt. Col. Henry A.C. De Rubio, a career cavalryman who served in the U.S. Army in World War I. The provenance of the books and the journey they made to the Copper Country tell a powerful story of the importance of a good book, good mentors and good preservation.
These books are meant to be shared through a rotating exhibit at the library and will be available for research, classes and general interest. The materials may also be viewed under current archives visitor guidelines. A full title list for interested patrons may be obtained by contacting University Archivist Lindsay Hiltunen at leha...@mtu.edu.
By sharing and preserving the collection, we hope to honor Flynn's memory — he passed on Sept. 7, 2000, from a rare form of cancer.
Flynn made considerable contributions to the University’s undergraduate offerings in the humanities. He taught courses such as the philosophy of technology and a survey course on the history of the humanities as well as writing and literature. He also taught writing and speech in the Department of Chemical Engineering and, once, a course on Western civilization for the Department of Social Sciences at what was to become Keweenaw Bay Ojibwa Community College. He always included diverse offerings in his courses: texts by women, African Americans, Indigenous peoples and other underrepresented groups. He was an excellent teacher, receiving enthusiastic commendations from his students and former students, including while he was in hospice and after his death.
Beth and Kate have shown enduring love and boundless joy in bringing this gift of books to the library. They would like to thank Hiltunen, librarian Nora Allred, former departmental coordinator Mia Kemppainen and former librarian Katie Edson, who assisted in the initial physical review of the materials. They would also like to thank Faith Morrison and Steve Walton of the Friends of the Michigan Tech Library for their encouragement early on in the process of the donation.
From: Tech Today <tech-...@mtu.edu>
Date: Mon, Nov 1, 2021 at 6:00 AM
Subject: [Tech Today] Guest Blog: Virtually Possible (How the Pandemic Forced Us to Rethink Data Collection)
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Guest Blog: Virtually Possible (How the Pandemic Forced Us to Rethink Data Collection)
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The pandemic’s impacts on our campus research ecosystem are many and varied. In his guest blog, Kevin Trewartha (CLS) shares how the halt in face-to-face interactions compelled his team to find . . .
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