Strength to Strength Campaign Report

Preserving Trinity’s Stories

It’s tempting to think of the archives as musty and lifeless, when in fact it is home to stories – stories that could easily be lost. Sylvia Lassam and Ruth Bell

But thanks to the generosity of alumna Ruth Bell ’56, Trinity’s history will now be preserved and shared.

Bell recently gave $1 million to endow a full-time archivist, and in June 2008 the College hired Sylvia Lassam as the first Rolph-Bell Archivist, named for both Bell and her first husband, Prof. Bill Rolph.

“Ruth is an extremely accomplished and inspiring person – the kind of person you would want Trinity students to be aware of,” says Lassam.

In just over a year, Lassam has started to bring the collection up to current archival standards of arrangement and description. She has also completed a walking guide to Trinity’s Chapel – with more guides on the way – and has got most of Trinity’s art collection out of boxes and up onto the walls. Moving forward, one of her goals is to develop a stronger digital presence, with photographs and stories available online.

Although progress has been made thanks to Bell’s gift, there is more to be done, including a proposed relocation. “If we can get the funding, it will be transformative,” says Lassam. “It will be a much more inviting place for researchers. It will also address overcrowding and safety concerns, since some of our collection could be lost if there was a burst pipe or similar incident.”

The plans are ready; they’re just awaiting inspired benefactors to follow Bell’s extraordinary example. Preserving Trinity’s history, of course, goes a long way toward ensuring its future.