PAPERWEIGHT

Description: PAPERWEIGHT, DOME-GLASS. PHOTOGRAPH OF "GALT HOSPITAL, LETHBRIDGE ALTA" AFFIXED TO UNDERSIDE OF PAPERWEIGHT. UNDERSIDE OF PAPERWEIGHT PAINTED GOLD. BOTH GOLD PAINT AND PHOTO CAN BE VIEWED THROUGHT THE GLASS OF THE PAPERWEIGHT. PHOTO IS PEELING SLIGHTLY AND SOME OF THE GOLD PAINT HAS SCRATCHED OFF.

History: ACCORDING TO THE DONOR, TOMIKO SUGIMOTO, THE PAPERWEIGHT WAS ACQUIRED BY CHANCE. AT THE TIME OF THE DONATION SHE WROTE TO COLLECTIONS TECHNICIAN KEVIN MACLEAN IN ORDER TO EXPLAIN HER STORY. SHE SAID, "IN 1957 AFTER GRADUATING FROM THE GALT SCHOOL OF NURSING, I WENT ON TO THE UNIVERSITY OF BRITISH COLUMBIA. AS PART OF THE FIELDWORK FOR THE B.S.N. PROGRAM IN 1959, I WAS ASSIGNED TO THE ROYAL JUBILEE HOSPITAL IN VICTORIA ON VANCOUVER ISLAND. ONE FREE AFTERNOON WHILE BROWSING IN AN ANTIQUE SHOP, THIS LITTLE OBJECT CAUGHT MY EYES. WHAT A SENTIMENTAL PIECE IT WAS! I WONDERED HOW IT HAD EVER GOTTEN THERE. FOR ONCE, IT WASN'T PAINFUL PARTING WITH THE PRECIOUS STIPEND, TUCKED IN MY POCKET; WITHOUT ANOTHER THOUGHT I PURCHASED IT AND HOPED 'TO TAKE IT BACK HOME' SOMEDAY. ACTUALLY IT ACCOMPANIED ME TO KYOTO AND SAT WITH MY BOOKS ALL DURING THE 30 YEARS THAT I LIVED IN JAPAN, WHERE I TAUGHT - NO NOT NURSING, BUT ENGLISH! I WAS BORN AND RAISED IN RAYMOND SO THE PRAIRIE FOLKS, THE VASTNESS OF ROLLING PLAINS, THE SILLOUHETTE OF THE MOUNTAINS IN THE WEST, THE CLOUDS, AND WONDERS OF THE NIGHT SKIES - ALL DREW ME BACK TO ALBERTA. IN 2001 I RETURNED AND SO TOO, DID THIS HUMBLE PAPERWEIGHT." FOR MORE INFORMATION SEE PERMANENT FILE.