By Paula Day

How did the Church in North Georgia respond to the volatile issue of integration in the 1950s? What did it do to offer refuge when Atlanta’s black children were being murdered in the early 1980s? What influence did Mrs. Joel Chandler Harris exert with church officials to open a parish in Atlanta’s West End in the early 1900s?

Notes, letters and documents written at the time and giving an historical perspective on topics such as these were inaccessible because they were randomly kept in files and boxes at the Catholic Center. But they are now being retrieved and soon will be accessible to interested persons if Tony Dees has anything to say about it.

An archivist, Dees has been at work since last September putting in order official and unofficial papers relating to the history of the archdiocese.

These letters, photographs, deeds and blueprints are the “memory” of the Church’s care and service, its institutional as well as people-oriented activities, according to Dees. Some records date from the late 1800s, but the bulk are from more recent parish files and diocesan office records.

“We’ve grown so rapidly and have generated so much information about the Church in North Georgia and the people it serves,” Dees said. “Until now there has been no single person delegated to sort out this material and make it available for use.” Not every scrap of paper needs to be saved, he added, only documents of historical, legal, financial or sacramental value.

The material reveals how the church dealt with the issues of the day. Bishop Francis Hyland’s pastoral letter shows the care that went into wording a statement issued to ease the tension of school desegregation. A joint statement by Archbishop Paul Hallinan and the bishops of Charleston and Savannah shows their concerted effort to deal with the subject. Archbishop Thomas Donnellan’s mediation in labor disputes is detailed. These materials will be readily available.

Archdiocesan officials consulted Dees two and a half years ago about the materials stacked in a room beneath the Catholic Center. As drawers and files in offices throughout the archdiocese filled up, material was transferred to this room, but left unprotected from humidity, dust, pests and possible damage.

What was there, and what should be done to preserve whatever was important, were the questions facing the archdiocese. At the time Dees did a quick inventory and made recommendations, but there was no money to finance the project. In the meantime, carbon duplicates grew fainter, the second sheets on which they were typed yellowed, and old photographs dimmed.

In late August Dees got word the archdiocese had funding for an archivist during the 1992-1993 fiscal year. He has been busy ever since, working four days a week, scanning, sorting and grouping materials under appropriate headings.

Dees takes on the job of archdiocesan archivist with a wealth of experience. He has a master’s degree in library science from the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill. He has been curator of manuscripts and director of the Georgia Historical Society in Savannah. Most recently he was assistant director of the Georgia Department of Archives and History.

Among the material, Dees found a photo album with pictures of a church blessing. The pictures of the interior looked like several churches dedicated at the time, but there was no identification. Later, looking through past issues of The Georgia Bulletin, he came across an identical picture in a story featuring the dedication of Our Lady of Assumption Church. In another place he found a program for the event. Putting the pieces together, he was able to bring to closure that bit of church memorabilia.

Parish files in the archives may contain information detailing the establishment of the parish, maps, documents dealing with property purchases, plans for buildings, and photographs of the parish, as well as sacramental records. These records of marriages, baptisms and deaths can be valuable resources to one interested in tracing a family’s genealogy, Dees pointed out.

Proper handling and storage of archival material is essential. Deteriorating documents need to be photocopied. Since folded blueprints crack with age, they need to be stored rolled. Picking up a pile of photographs glued to construction paper, Dees noted the acid in the paper in the course of time will “eat up the pictures.”

Eventually all documents relating to a subject will be placed in an acid-free box and stored on a steel shelf. The goal is to organize material so anyone needing to use it can retrieve it.

In some cases, easy access may mean not having to “reinvent the wheel,” Dees pointed out. An agency, diocesan office or parish may research a project already initiated in the archdiocese, find how it was accomplished and the data on its track record, for example.

An ideal archives room would be fireproof and waterproof with a steady temperature of approximately 68 degrees, 50 percent humidity and little natural light, Dees said.

When the backlog of material he is now working with has been organized, Dees will begin collecting material from the offices and agencies of the archdiocese. He hopes to mount an exhibit of archival material and believes such artifacts as the recently donated cape belonging to Archbishop Donnellan as well as framed citations and awards will be helpful in livening up the exhibit.

Recently Father Dan O’Connor approached the archivist and told of papers belonging to St. Jude’s parish he would make available. Dees wants parishes and individuals to alert him if they know of material that should be preserved. He will make photocopies of originals that cannot be released to the archdiocesan archives.

Father Don Kenny remarked on the importance of having an archivist. “We’ve not had one until now and a lot of pictures and other historical material have been lost,” the chancellor said. As long as the archdiocese is a viable organization it will need an archivist. In the not too distant future, electronic documents will need indexing and filing.

The archives are not open to the public yet, and because of their sensitivity, some documents will be kept confidential. An interior room on the first floor of the Catholic Center will become the archives repository, Father Kenny said.

Persons with materials they think would be of interest to the archivist should contact him at the Catholic Center, 680 W. Peachtree St., NW, Atlanta 30308. The telephone number is 885-7253.