Archivist helps us realize heritage
Haley H. '12
February 22, 2012
Filed under Top Stories
A part of something special
Stepping into her office was like walking inside of a time machine. Pictures covered the walls; yearbooks lined the shelves; boxes filled the floor. There were post-it notes, papers, and newspaper clippings everywhere. To the right, a photo of some 2010 graduates; to the left, a banner with the words, “We Love You, Father Deeves;” in the middle, two chairs from the original Ursuline convent.
This is the office of Sybil Tucker, class of 1951. Sybil is the archivist at Ursuline Academy of Dallas. Her job is to keep track of all things pertaining to Ursuline history and heritage. I had the privilege of sitting down with Sybil’s co-worker, Sister Peggy Hill, class of 1953. Sr. Peggy had plenty of nice comments to share about Sybil and her work.
“Archivists are very important to any institution or family. There’s always someone interested in genealogy or history. Archivists have that role; they tell the story everyone has always wanted to hear.”
As I was conversing with Sr. Peggy, I could sense her fascination with the stories she was sharing. I could see it in her eyes, her hands, and her soft smile. Her words exuded a genuine interest and enabled me to realize just how rich Ursuline’s heritage is.
Sybil and Sr. Peggy have the significant task of not only recording Ursuline history, but also filling the heritage gallery near the Kiva. The heritage gallery has ten windows, and all ten windows are filled with various artifacts from the archivist’s office. Each window has records, pictures, and names. Sybil and Sr. Peggy often face difficulties because they cannot use a picture unless they know the names of the people in the picture. Everything must be recorded and documented as accurately as possible.
An archivist’s job is all about detail. Upon walking into Sybil’s office, I immediately noticed a microscope lying on her desk. In a sense, Sybil is like a historian or a detective. She is like a paleontologist, and the pictures, yearbooks, books, folders – they are her fossils.
“She could spend her whole life in here,” said Sr. Peggy. “She has such a love for story, history, and heritage. She loves what she does, and we love that we have her.”
Sybil’s work is so important to our school. Without her and Sr. Peggy, we would be lacking in so many ways. She connects the present with the past and reminds us where we began and how we arrived at the place we are today.
Ursuline high schools and Ursuline sisters are all around the world. They are everywhere. But what connects us all? Our mutual heritage, our common history. We are bonded by the rich past of Saint Ursula and Saint Angela.
Take a minute and think about how incredible that is. An Ursuline in Chile has so much in common with an Ursuline in the United States, simply due to the fact that the Ursuline heritage is so rich and so bonding.
We are a part of something special. Every graduate, dressed in white, diploma and red flowers in hand, joins a legion of people who are unlike any other. Ursuline sisters and students alike are so unique from the rest of the world. Yet what ties us together is our passion for service, our devotion to academic growth, our commitment to Christ. We should be honored to enter a league of such people.
So when you take that final curtsy before your family members, friends, teachers, and classmates on the day of your graduation, remember that you are a part of something special, something unique, something so unlike what the rest of the world has to offer.
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