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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.
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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!
- 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.
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