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by Erika Anderson, Staff Writer
ATLANTA—It is said that history often repeats itself. Amie
Wilson is hoping that’s true.
Hired as the new archivist of the archdiocese, Wilson aspires to
continue in the footsteps of her predecessor, Tony Dees, who created the
Archdiocese of Atlanta’s archives department.
Dees, who retired earlier this year, was hired as the archdiocesan
archivist in 1992, after first working as a consultant since 1990, when the
archdiocese asked him to make recommendations on the organization of the
archives. At that time, any records were stored in boxes in a room off of the
Catholic Center’s parking garage.
In January 1995, the department moved into a three-room office and
archives area set up on the first floor of the Catholic Center.
Dees’ career spans nearly 40 years. He began as a librarian
at Washington and Lee University in Lexington, Va., and then at the University
of Georgia, where he later became the director of the Georgia Room and curator
of manuscripts. He also worked as director of the Georgia Historical Society in
Savannah and came to Atlanta as the director of the Georgia Department of
Archives and History.
His job with the Archdiocese of Atlanta was one, he said, that he
truly enjoyed.
“It was a very fun job and a wonderful culmination of my
career of 39 years,” he said. “Not many people have the chance to
establish an archives. Usually when you start a job, the archives is already in
place and you make your own contribution. But establishing the archives for the
archdiocese was an exciting challenge.”
Dees, whose quiet, joyful presence filled the archdiocesan offices
in the downtown Catholic Center, said that he had accomplished what he had
started out to do: to gather records and to put them in “some kind of
bibliographic order.” He also made people aware of the “documentary
heritage” of the archdiocese.
The collections of the Archdiocese of Atlanta are not confined to
paper. They consist of correspondence, memoranda, reports, official documents,
publications, photographs, audio and videotapes, architectural drawings and
artifacts. The materials span from 1822 to the present; however, the bulk of
the collection starts after 1956.
The oldest document, a parish register from the Church of the
Purification then in Locust Grove, dates back to 1822. The next oldest is a
1902 letter from Mrs. Joel Chandler Harris, wife of the author of the Uncle
Remus stories, asking Bishop Benjamin Keiley for a church in the West End. In
reply, the bishop assessed the area and St. Anthony of Padua Church was built.
Though establishing the archives is an accomplishment in itself,
Dees is especially proud of one achievement.
“I’m most proud of having catalogued, on the computer in
the MARC AMC format, over 800 records,” he said. “It makes (the
records) so much easier to retrieve.”
The MARC AMC format, or machine readable cataloguing—archives
manuscript collection format, is the standardized cataloguing format for
manuscripts and is used throughout the United States. Dees said that the format
would allow the records to be nationally accessed if the archdiocese chose to
do so.
At this time, however, the archives office is strictly open for
researchers by appointment between 8 a.m. and 4 p.m. weekly. A limited number
of archives also appear on the Archdiocese of Atlanta’s official website
located at www.archatl.com. All sacramental records, such as baptismal
certificates, are kept at the respective parishes.
Those who use the archives and the archivist for research are
grateful to Dees for all the work he has done and he said that those are the
people he misses the most.
“What I really miss are the people I dealt with,” he
said. “I dealt with a great deal of people in the Catholic Center and
those doing research.”
But retirement hasn’t slowed Dees down completely. He
continues to work as a consultant for the archdiocese and is currently working
as a project manager for a grant to restore the historic Catholic cemetery in
Locust Grove. His other project is researching the history of the archdiocese
in depth.
Dees said that he feels confident ins Wilson’s ability to
take care of his “baby.”
“I think she’s going to handle it terrifically,” he
said. “Though she’s young in age, she has a wide range of experience
that she will bring to the archdiocese’s archives.”
Wilson may be young, but the 27-year-old has a love for things
that happened before her time. As a child growing up in Philadelphia, her
father would often take her to historic sites.
The parishioner of All Saints Church in Dunwoody earned a
bachelor’s degree in history from Auburn University and a master’s
degree in public history from North Carolina State.
She knew that she loved history, but did not want to teach.
Her first job was at the Georgia Historical Society in Savannah.
She spent a year and half there in the manuscripts archives.
“It was a very amazing first job,” she said. “There
were a lot of very nice treasures there.”
She then moved back to Atlanta and worked at the Atlanta History
Center in its Olympics collection. As that position was temporary, Wilson
looked for something more permanent and then heard of the opening at the
Catholic Center. She began work with Dees on Jan. 4.
“He has very much let go of the reins and has been great
about saying ‘you do it now,’” she said. “But luckily I
have his phone number and his e-mail address. He was such a boost for my
confidence. He introduced me to everyone and was so nice about saying how much
confidence he had in turning his baby over to me.”
Wilson said she is learning her way around the archives and
finding the history of the Catholic Church in Georgia fascinating.
“I thought I knew quite a bit, but I keep learning more and
more things,” she said. “It slows me down in some respects because
I’ll be looking something up and find something else interesting to
read.”
Wilson said there are many “unique things” about her job
to which she looks forward.
“This is the first time I’ve ever been my own boss, so
to speak, where I get to be in charge of the program,” she said. “I
have not been in that position before and it will be an interesting challenge
to see where things go.”
Wilson hopes to make the archives more visible and more of a
resource for parishes and other institutions. She recently gave a talk to
Immaculate Heart of Mary Church in Atlanta about the history of the archdiocese
and would like to facilitate more discussions in parishes and schools.
The avid Braves fan said she has been surprised by the history of
the archdiocese.
“It’s amazing how incredibly rich and deep it is,”
she said. “I’m also very interested in the increase in population of
us Catholics throughout the years.”
Wilson encouraged all parishes to send in their church bulletins.
“It’s kind of an interesting record when you get them
together,” she said. “It’s a unique reflection of the community
of the parish.”
On a personal level, Wilson will soon begin to write another
chapter in her own history book. She was engaged on New Year’s Eve and is
planning a December wedding at All Saints Church. |
