We are currently witnessing a remarkable convergence of our physical and material technologies with the worlds of biology. Genome sequence information is leading us ever closer to the most fundamental structural and functional secrets of living organisms. Dominant among them is the realization that the complex structures of biology seem remarkably, almost magically, to self-assemble. From vesicle formation, to protein folding and ribosome assembly, to the organogenesis of multicellular organisms, both macromolecular sequence information as well as instructions for self- assembly are encoded within the genome.

 

The David G. Lynn Group at Emory University works to understand the structures and forces that enable supramolecular self-assembly, how chemical information can be stored and translated into new molecular entities, and how the forces of evolution can be harnessed in new structures with new function. Such knowledge offers tremendous promise for discoveries in fields as diverse as drug design and genome engineering, pathogenesis and genome evolution, functional nanoscale materials and the origins of evolving chemical systems.  Some of our current research areas include the origins of prokaryotic and eukaryotic pathogenesis, template directed polymerization and dynamic combinatorial systems, amyloid diseases and protein self-assembly, and intelligent materials. 

Introducing Dr. Rosemary Magee, Gray Crouse noted that, although Rosemary needed no introduction to this audience, he wanted to pay special tribute to the ways in which Rosemary has helped transform Emory, most particularly her primary role in the development of Emory's Schwartz Center for the Arts. When an early design for a performing arts center by a well-known architect was scuttled as too expensive and unworkable, Rosemary, then associate dean for planning in Emory College, made a strategic decision to move toward a different concept, won approval from the Board of Trustees, and then (with Board member Laura Hardman) raised the funds for construction. Emory finally had its long dreamed-of arts center, thanks to Rosemary's vision and determination. In addition to serving in the College administration, Rosemary held the post of vice president and secretary of the University for a number of years before taking the position (2012) as director of the Manuscript, Archives and Rare Book Library (MARBL), recently renamed and dedicated as the Stuart A. Rose Manuscript, Archives and Rare Book Library (now called the Rose Library).

 

Stuart Rose ('76B) became fascinated with literature and rare books through a course he took with Bill Fox, later vice president for development at Emory but at that time teaching classes in the ILA. Bill's class had a profound impact on Stuart's life and the two became fast friends, keeping in close touch over the years. Stuart's successful business in alternative energies allows him to follow his passion and avocation, collecting manuscripts and rare books, a passion now directed toward building these resources at the Rose Library. For Stuart, the major attraction of the manuscript and rare book library at Emory is its mission to promote use by undergraduates as well as experienced scholars.

 

The complete gutting and remaking of the tenth floor of Woodruff has created a dramatic and larger physical space by taking in most of the surrounding balcony, opening all parts of the floor with light-filled spaces and dedicated classrooms. The annual number of users in recent years has totaled around a thousand, with half of those from Emory; of that half, 30% are undergraduates. Expectations are that use will continue to climb with growing and more accessible collections in new and inviting spaces. The remade space also enables use of modern technologies that could not be accommodated in the old environment.  

 

To focus her broader theme of archives as "human experience revealed," Rosemary used five literary archives held in the Rose Library as illustration of the ways in which archives can reveal new meanings and connections in authors' lives and their work, and, by extension, open students' and scholars' minds to new ideas and revelations. Serendipity also plays a part. Salman Rushdie, for example, had recently placed his archive at Emory and begun his role as distinguished visiting professor when, asked (by Rosemary) if he would like to see other parts of Georgia, he expressed an interest in visiting Milledgeville. He had just read an essay about Flannery O'Connor and Milledgeville and wanted to see it. The trip was made and documented with photographs, including a visit to Eatonton where Rushdie was photographed beside the stone rendering of Brer Rabbit. Thus three archives held in the Rose Library became immediately connected---Joel Chandler Harris, Flannery O'Connor, and Salman Rushdie. When asked why he placed his papers at Emory, Mr. Rushdie said that "they asked" and went on to ponder what author wouldn't want his papers archived with those of Flannery O'Connor, Seamus Heaney, and Brer Rabbit. His connection with Flannery O'Connor and Milledgeville also influenced his teaching. When Rushdie and Matthew Bernstein taught a film course together, Rushdie selected "Wise Blood" as one of the films he wanted to discuss. Rosemary also noted that Rushdie's and O'Connor's writings share a common theme of displacement, which their archives and their lives illustrate. As well, Rushdie has expressed public gratitude to Emory on a number of occasions, as organizing his papers helped him immensely in writing his memoir, Joseph Anton.

 

Connections between O'Connor and Alice Walker, another author whose papers are at Emory, are brought to light by the Walker archive. Ms. Walker was born and reared in Georgia a short distance from O'Connor's home yet they were, of course, from very different worlds. Ms. Walker wrote an essay on Flannery O'Connor and an unpublished story, found by Prof. Nagueyalti Warren in Walker's archive at Emory, is a parody of O'Connor's story "The Lame Shall Enter First."

 

Yet another archive revealing connections in human experience is that of Benny Andrews, the artist, whose family also has long and deep roots in middle Georgia. Benny Andrews wrote appreciatively of Flannery O'Connor's work, noting that she "saw things big."   "I looked in her work," he said, "and I had revelations." A well-known book illustrator, Andrews illustrated a beautiful large format edition of O'Connor's "Everything that Rises Must Converge."

 

An even more fascinating series of revelations of human experience can be found in a study of the archives of O'Connor and the Beat writer Jack Kerouac. The Rose Library has just acquired a large trove of Kerouac papers. Kerouac and O'Connor were born and lived their short lives in the same era (Kerouac 1922-1969, O'Connor 1925-1964).   O'Connor was a devout Catholic and was devoted to her mother. The Kerouac archive reveals (through his doodles on unpublished writings and through his letters) that he was deeply spiritual and devoted to his mother, also a devout Catholic.. He once described his book On the Road as "two Catholic buddies roaming the country searching for God, and they found him." He also said he gravitated to the "mad ones," another connection with O'Connor. The archives show that they both dabbled in painting and were devoted to the craft of writing. These two writers' archives, thus, reveal surprising connections in life experiences that students and scholars will now be able to explore.

 

Rosemary summed up her presentation, which she illustrated with images of manuscript drafts, photographs, and memorabilia from the collections, by describing the experience of working in archives as delving into the "great mysteries of lives," never knowing what one will find. The Rose Library's mission statement speaks to these revelations and the library's dedication to access, learning, and opportunities for discovery and dialogue.

 

From Rosemary's responses to audience questions concerning the acquisition and management of archives, we learned that such collections come by both gift and purchase, that institutions sometimes vie for the same collection but deal ethically with each other, that a new Library Services Center on the Briarcliff property (jointly built and managed by Emory and Georgia Tech) will provide additional space for housing collections from the Rose Library and Woodruff, that the Rose Library has an active program to digitize selected collections and staff trained to manage digital materials, and that fund raising has begun to support processing of the Sam Nunn archive which Senator Nunn has indicated a willingness to open for research. Rosemary closed by inviting EUEC members to support the Rose Library, to visit and to bring their friends and family who may be interested, to attend readings and other events and to consider encouraging donation of materials they may know about, including university records, that may be of interest.

 

--Linda Matthews

 

Click here to view the webcast of Rosemary's talk.