When he speaks about his collection, Doug McCabe folds his arms high on his chest and tips his chin up just slightly. It's pride.
McCabe is the curator of manuscripts at Alden Library and his collection is the vast wealth of information that is the Ohio University archives.
There are newspapers, faculty writings, diaries, rare books, photographs, jail logs, even old OU memorabilia such as Manasseh Cutler's deer-hide covered travel trunk. McCabe oversees everything stored in the bulging archive vaults.
There is no question this department is a hidden treasure of the university
McCabe said. The information in the archives goes back to the beginning of the university -and prior.
McCabe's beginning with OU was from 1969 to 1972. As a freshman, he witnessed the spring of 1970 Vietnam protests and riots. His intended major was Radio-Television Communications, but he ended up leaving OU during his junior year to start working in advertising promotion.
But the business world soon burned him out, and with a persistent curiosity about history, he decided to turn an avocation into a vocation.
McCabe returned to OU 16 years later. One month after graduating with a master's degree in history, he began working at the archives and has been ever since. He has devoted 13 years of his life to the archives and he has the anecdotes to prove it.
When asked about his favorite little-known facts about OU, McCabe had several.
Most people know that the school was closed due to the riots in the 1970s but it also had to close for three years between 1845 and 1848 because of financial difficulties.
He also mentioned the tight religious control the Presbyterians and Methodists exerted over OU at the school's beginning. He also said that before Athens established its Halloween block party, the massive celebration was on St. Patrick's Day instead.
Recently, McCabe even fended off a lawsuit from Ohio State University over OU's trademarked shorthand logo 'Ohio.' Assisted by some graduate students and the cache of information in the archives, McCabe scared off Ohio State's attorneys.
When they saw the stack of information we had they left
he said.
From photography exhibits, to the digital transferring of old Sammy Kaye records, to creating the Spookfile on Athens' ghost stories, McCabe always is working on a project.
For the upcoming 35th anniversary of the Vietnam riots, McCabe is putting together a documentary with journalism professor Mark Leff.
(McCabe) was one of the first people I met at the archives. He knows a tremendous amount and is a great guy
Leff said.
Sarah Westrick, a senior history major, has worked with McCabe since her junior year.
He knows so much
is very easy-going
and very responsive to your needs
Westrick said.
She said McCabe has taught her the enjoyment and excitement of working in the history field.
McCabe makes presentations to E.W. Scripps Information Gathering classes that focus on the riots of 1970. Leff said McCabe has become sort of a primary source expert about the riots.
The curator of manuscripts encourages students to visit the archives, as they are a great resource to fill papers with those primary sources that professors look for.
We have a lot of (information) and a wide range of it. The archives are a good place to come if you are stuck. We can point you toward the right direction.
As far as other advice for students, McCabe urged students to learn through experience and not just through textbooks.
There is more than one way to get an education -it's not just in a classroom.
McCabe has three children -one son and two daughters -all of whom have graduated college. He and his wife, who were married during his junior year at OU, recently celebrated their 33rd wedding anniversary.
McCabe's historical curiosity permeates even his free time; he likes reading only non-fiction and is working on a few manuscripts of his own.
Next month, McCabe and Westrick's exhibit of presidential campaign memorabilia will be on display on the fourth floor of Alden.
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