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CCI Newsletter, No. 26, November 2000

David Hanington Closes the Book on CCI

by Carol MacIvor, Senior Communications Advisor, Information Services and Marketing


It's always hard to cut the ties that bind — bookbind that is! Master bookbinder David Hanington, who joined CCI as a conservator in the Works on Paper Laboratory in 1978, retired in September 2000. David was CCI's resident specialist in leafcasting, and throughout his career at the Institute worked on such rare and interesting artifacts as John James Audubon's "Birds of America" (two sets!), Louis Riel's diary, and the original Royal Proclamation Charter of the Hudson Bay Company.

But it was David's last major project (an early Mi'kmaq prayer book from Conne River, Newfoundland) that he considered the most significant of his 45-year career. When this prayer book arrived at CCI in the spring of 1998, many of its pages had become loose. With most of the text written in hieroglyphic symbols, just figuring out their proper order was a major challenge! Noted Mi'kmaq educator Helen Sylliboy visited CCI to assist with this task and she provided invaluable help with translation of the pictographic text. David describes this project as a moving spiritual and professional journey — one that eventually took him to Newfoundland last June when the prayer book was returned to the Conne River Band.1

David, who was born in England, credits a particularly good teacher with instilling in him a love for bookbinding. He recalls one advanced class where he would even work over lunch and stay after hours. In the mid-1950s he went to Sangorski and Sutcliffe (a leading bindery in London, England) for a 6-year apprenticeship, and then on to the British Houses of Parliament and House of Lords to expand his knowledge and skills.

A chance meeting with a Canadian colleague of his brother's led David to Canada in 1970. Looking for work and adventure, he decided to move. He was hired by the National Archives of Canada where he branched out from bookbinding to dealing with paper and archival documents. His arrival at CCI in 1978 coincided with the installation of a leafcaster and, in short order, he ended up responsible for this technique.

Figure 1

Figure 2

In David's early days with the Institute, the Mobile Laboratory Programme was in full swing. Every summer the five distinctive vehicles, manned with a senior conservator and an intern, would set out for weeks at a time to visit small and large museums across Canada, providing advice and treatment for collections. David recalls these first forays into the regions as a bit daunting. Always a specialist in paper and books, he was suddenly being asked for a broad range of conservation advice. In his understated way, he gives credit for the success of these ventures to the interns with their general backgrounds. But we give credit to David who nurtured the development of 10 interns in the Works on Paper Laboratory during his time at CCI.

Prior to leaving, David treated his colleagues to a computerized presentation of his life and times at the Institute. This display of David's lighter moments (and those of many of his colleagues) left us all with a smile.

And who can forget his love for Crokinole? His "Olde Croks Team" not only developed its own rules of play, but David invented a doubles scoring system and then helped write a booklet about the game, including diagrams of various named shots. That led to a Web site, trading cards, a cake, and live video of games being played.

As David settles in to retirement, he is looking forward to more time for travelling, tennis, gardening, decorating, and playing on the computer. A professional who always strove for perfection, he will be remembered for his dedication, his sense of humour, and his willingness to help colleagues with treatments, travel information, and sophisticated computer applications. David admitted that he was retiring with some reluctance but promised to remain dedicated to conservation. À bientôt, David!

  1. See pp. 1–3 of CCI Newsletter No. 25 (May 2000) and p. 5 of this issue for a more complete account of the treatment of this prayer book and its return to Conne River.

Last Updated: 2005-6-16

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