Remembering Louise Kenneally
The College's first Archivist provided future generations with a window to our past.
Thanks to the commitment and dedication of Louise Kenneally, who died last week, the College has a strong, professional Archives department that comprehensively gathers, preserves and shares Stonehill’s history and that of Southeastern Massachusetts.
Our first full-time Archivist, Kenneally devoted 23 of her 40 years on campus to providing future generations with a window on Stonehill’s past. At all times, she did so with unfailing courtesy and vision, especially in anticipating the importance of electronic records.
In 1961, Kenneally began working at the College as a part-time reference librarian and became the College Archivist and Special Collections Librarian in 1978, a position she held until her retirement in 2001.
“Without Louise, the Archives simply wouldn't exist as they do today,“ explains her successor Nicole (Tourangeau) Casper ’95 who served with Kenneally as a volunteer intern.
Louise established the organizational structure that we use today along with the finding aids that enable us to search through the information. Under her direction, Archives became an official department with policies and procedures, formal collecting policies and dedicated staff.
Separating Wheat from Chaff
In his announcement of Kenneally’s retirement, then Executive Vice President Robert J. Kruse, C.S.C. described her as a preserver of institutional memory, noting that she was “a solicitous preserver, diligent in gathering documents, adept at separating the wheat from the chaff, conscientious in cataloging and storing materials—from the most prosaic to the most sensitive.”
Fr. Kruse added that “The history of the College will forever be indebted to her.”
Forming A Complete Picture
Committed to documenting the people, past and present, who make up the College community, Kenneally once noted that she saw historical documents and records “as a type of mosaic, with various independent components coming together to form a complete picture.” For her, it was important not just to form that picture of the past but to also to make it accessible so it could be shared with the community.
Kenneally’s love of preservation and history was not confined to the College. In 2009, the Easton Historical Commission honored Louise and her husband, Professor Emeritus of History James Kenneally with its W.L. Chaffin Award for their contributions to the preservation of the town’s history. As the award’s citation explained:
“…the keeper of the Arnold B. Tofias Industrial Archives, aka the shovel collection/museum, Louise ably cared for this unique collection of materials integral to the history of our town … and the nation...Louise was always open with her time and willingness to guide people through this huge collection and ably spoke and prepared displays on a variety of topics related to the Ames Family, the shovel Collection, and of course the history of Stonehill and its campus.”
Remarkable Team
Whether working together at Stonehill or in Easton, Louise and her husband, Jim, who survives her, were a remarkable team. When the College celebrated its 50th anniversary, both Jim and Louise Kenneally were among the 50 individuals honored for their contributions to the success of Stonehill over its first half century. Their son Stephen Kenneally is a member of the Class of 1977 and daughter Ann (Kenneally) Puccetti is a member of the Class of 1980.