Publication Date

3-12-2016

Comments

An abstract of this interview is available below. A transcription is available for download above and to the right. An essay summarizing themes that emerged from interviews conducted about Myers in 2016 is available: Portrait of a Collector: Reflections on an Influential Bibliophile.

Abstract

Ellen Myers shares stories about how she and Minor met, their time together before their two sons were born, their relationship with Minor's colleagues, and how her interest in collecting developed due to him. She describes herself as a "savvy collector" of things that have "panache" and discusses the kinds of objects she and Minor collected. She had a family upbringing that emphasized saving and that made it hard to reconcile with Minor's interest in spending. Ellen believes her husband had a life-long ambition to become a college president and, in response to a later question, states that this was not her ambition but that she did not have a choice. She notes that Minor used his engaging personality to meet and connect with Prime Minister Edward Heath and with others; these were purposeful actions. She concludes the interview with reflections on how Minor's collections made it difficult to move after his death. She believes Minor had many more books than the University acquired and is not sure what happened to all of them.

Streaming Media

Duration

01:47:51

Keywords

first date, moving, career choices, 18th century, china, furniture, decorative arts, coins, stamps, autographs, books, collecting impulse, presidential aspiration, spoons, silver, auction, Portrait of a Collector, Family, Collector

Disciplines

United States History

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