This week, The Extraordinary Times catches up another mover-and-shaker on the historical and cultural scene. Jennifer Patterson Lorenzetti is the new Administrator and Curator of the McGuffey House and Museum at Miami University (readers may recall the Q&A with her predecessor Steve Gordon, to whom we wish a well-earned retirement!).
Jennifer graduated from Miami University in 1991 with a BA in History and 1993 with an MS in College Student Personnel Services. She is a visiting professor at Miami University teaching History of Design in the Communication Design program. She has taught design history, history of photography, history of advertising, art history, and western civilization for universities including Wittenberg University and Sinclair College. Jennifer is pursuing an MA in History with a concentration in Public History from Southern New Hampshire University. Her research focuses on cultural formation and expression in small towns. She actively studies the history of Key West and design history, but she is also passionate about Medieval European history and the history of Christianity. Jennifer currently lives in Huber Heights (Dayton), Ohio, with her husband Daniel and their two dogs, Shinnosuke and Eva. * What are you most looking forward to in your new position as Administrator and Curator of McGuffey House and Museum? The history, of course! One of my greatest joys is helping others find connections between themselves and the past. Locating yourself in the context of millennia of others who have had similar and different experiences to your own is an important part of understanding who you are and how you relate to the grand scheme. I would never have anticipated having this role with one of Miami's museums, but I can't imagine anything more perfect for me at this stage of my life. * How would you pitch the McGuffey House for someone who has never visited before? The McGuffey House was built by William Holmes McGuffey, the author of McGuffey's Eclectic Readers. The Readers shaped and were shaped by the culture of the Midwest in the first half of the nineteenth century. The house gives us an intimate look into McGuffey's world as he wrote these seminal works. It gives visitors an up-close look at what we saw as the American identity when the country was less than a century old. * How did your Miami education prepare you for the challenges of your new role? I received both my bachelor's and master's from Miami, with my bachelor's being in history. I had some fabulous professors—including Charlotte Newman Goldy and Allan Winkler—who taught me that history encompasses everything; any other discipline that interests you can be enriched by an understanding of its role in history. Sometimes, we take Miami's liberal arts focus for granted, but that is really the approach that makes its alumni able to shift into different roles throughout their lives. * How are you balancing your academic studies with the roles of administrator and curator? I am currently pursuing an MA in History with a concentration in Public History from Southern New Hampshire University. I plan to continue on for a doctorate. It is a labor of love in addition to being excellent preparation for my new role. It is interesting to have gone to grad school in my early 20s and then again thirty years later. I find myself irresistibly attracted to my studies, and I typically have to limit my time doing class work or I wouldn't get anything else done!
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AuthorMatthew Smith, PhD (History). Public Programs at Miami University Regionals. Historian of Appalachia, the Ohio Valley, & the early American republic. Archives
February 2024
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