Highlights of my last three days at the BC Archives, Royal BC Museum

Here are some of my memories of my last three days at work. On December 16, 2009 I served for the last time on the reference (information) desk, fondly known as The Bridge because it was an elevated workspace from which to survey our reference room. My co-workers, current and a couple of past ones, startled me by gathering round in front of where I sat. They presented me with a Stitch doll (Experiment #626 from the Disney animated film set in Hawaii Lilo and Stitch) dressed up in its Elvis outfit and on a surfboard with a ukulele along with a crown decorated with pithy and witty sayings about being retired. I gave a little impromtu speech. I wore the crown all day much to the amusement of some of our researchers and a tour group from a government office.





On December 17 I was invited to partake of a pizza lunch generously provided by my colleagues in Human History of the Royal BC Museum.

On December 18, my last day at work, my boss had organized a morning farewell coffee for another retiree and me. We were, to say the least, stunned by the turnout of museum, archives and past co-workers, chiefly from the records management arena. My wife and I had arranged at the last minute for a small token of our friendship with the other retiree and I presented the Royal BC Museum with my parting gift, a new tradition that I hope will be carried forward in the "pay it forward" manner. It was inspired by a remark a co-worker had made on December 16 that there should be an award of some sort for retirees similar to the joke award we give new hires after they complete their probationary period. Inspired by that thought and also recent episodes of the TV series "Numbers" where Professor Charlie Epps is struggling to write a letter to the next person who will inhabit a research chair office (or something like that), I decided to create a "Push the Envelope" award in the form of a letter to the next retiree, so I pushed my envelope, which had another envelope inside with my letter and gently coerced my former boss to pick it up. I later told him which manager I thought he should give the envelope to.

In the afternoon I went up to the University of Victoria for the launch of four student Web sites, part of Professor John Lutz' course in micro-history and the Internet that he incorporates into a meta-site called Victoria's Victoria. Other content was also refreshed and we raised a glass to toast Leona Taylor for her work on the newspaper index. Then came another surprise, John announced that an archivist from the BC Archives had just finished his last day at work. He gave a succinct and glowing account of my career and I stood to a round of applause. A tremendous gesture on his part and one for which I'm extremely grateful. Thank you John!