A Meeting with the Archdiocese

Today I had the pleasure of meeting with Dr. Jeffrey Burns, the Archivist for the Archdiocese of San Francisco. The archives are located at the beautiful St. Patrick's Seminary in Menlo Park.

St. Patrick's Seminary

I was hoping that Jeffrey could help me identify some of the numerous photos and sketches I have. He helped me carry 3 large tubs to his office and we started digging.

Jeffrey sifting through boxes of materials

Some photos were easily identifiable, but most were not. Jeffrey explained that each church serves as its own caretaker of its own individual history and records. Therefore some of the records may be "housed" at their own church and not at the Archdiocese archives.

original sketch of Santa Clara University insignia

One of the interesting things that Jeffrey discovered was this sketch of an insignia that Sam carved for Santa Clara University. This would have been seen on the college's campus. Sam's notes; "I like these...one of each... Enlarge to 16" di (diameter), one of each."

So apparently I need to take a trip to Santa Clara to see the finished results of these insignias! Another thing identified!

negative of Santa Clara University insignia

Since there is an overwhelmingly large quantity of photos and materials, Jeffrey suggested that I start scanning them and he will circulate them among the church's elder priests. Then perhaps with their assistance and knowledge, I'll be able to begin identifying some of these mysterious photos.

Special thanks to Jeffrey for assisting me with this continuous search!