Week Fifteen: "I'm Still Standing"

Michael Gladden Jr. and Marie Stapler Gladden, 1971-12-23.

Hello, reader! I can't believe it's already the last week of my internship. These past four months have sure flown by! Despite the various challenges and moments of discouragement presented to me throughout the semester, I am extremely proud of what I've accomplished with my work on the Gladden Archive. I can't wait to continue to expand and honor the work Michael Gladden Jr., Ms. Francina Boykin, and countless other safekeepers started.

The infamous George W. Bush headshot, c. 2004.

This week, the Gladden Archive grew to a milestone number of 150 artifact pages! I focused on scanning objects from the fourth Gladden binder, which contains miscellaneous items from various eras in and after Mr. Gladden's lifetime. Binder four comes with an assortment of rather humorous objects when removed from their historical context. When I first assessed this binder months ago, I came across a seemingly out-of-place official headshot of George W. Bush, signed by the president himself. When investigating further, I found its context: an official White House-branded 100th birthday celebration card addressed to Marie Stapler Gladden. Much of the fourth binder's contents are dedicated to Mrs. Gladden's 100th birthday in 2004, receiving commendations from elected officials across the country. I started to update the Marie Stapler Gladden page accordingly with these letters and cards, commemorating her milestone birthday and her community achievements.

Sentinel Star Article "He's 74 and is still in (foot)gear," c. 1977.

I also added objects to the William Gladden Sr. Collection, including two newspaper articles written while William's Shoe Hospital was still in operation in the late 1970s and early 1980s. In these articles, I learned that William's cobbler business started in the back of M. Gladden Staple and Fancy Groceries! After returning from Georgia State College, William Gladden Sr. set up shop in Michael Gladden Jr.'s established grocery store before purchasing his own store right across the street from it. This new information was extremely precious, as less information exists about William than about his brother. Ms. Boykin finally received a donation of materials from Mr. Terrance, William Gladden Jr.'s caregiver, so I may come across more physical artifacts relating to his life soon. Ms. Boykin additionally mentioned to me on Tuesday that she finally reconnected with Mr. Gladden's niece, Carolyn Gladden McBain. Ms. McBain is in her 90s and currently lives in New York City. Ms. Boykin informed me that Ms. McBain has a complicated history with the Gladden Collection, having previously discarded certain items. However, this new interaction gives me hope that some Gladden objects still survive in Ms. McBain's possession and that she plans to send them to Ms. Boykin one day.

Over at the Museum of Military History, Mr. Lou and I spoke with Mr. Henry Brailey over the phone for our first formal introduction. Mr. Henry is an Air Force veteran of the Vietnam War, having served as a medic during the conflict. He came into possession of a collection of soldiers' letters that never made it back home. Mr. Henry has extensively researched the soldiers behind the letter collection and told me he was interested in hosting it on the Gladden Archive. Additionally, Mr. Lou is allowing me to digitize his personal collection from his work with the District Department of Transportation in Washington, D.C. — materials that narratively capture both his and the city's exponential growth over the more than two decades he worked there. I have already begun efforts behind the scenes to accommodate these safekeeper collections on the Gladden Archive, so stay tuned for more when I return to posting for my independent study over the summer semester! I can't wait to share more good news with you soon, reader. See you soon!