5 minute read
STORYTELLING ACROSS TIME
Cate’s favorite artifact was the EHS Annual, the predecessor to Whispers, that was published intermittently in the 1890s. While Cate had heard of the EHS Annual, it almost felt like a myth until she was able to handle the publications from over 125 years ago herself.
The EHS Annual 1893-94 was gift of Page Dame ’59
For Caroline DeVoe’s Digital History class, four students took a deep dive into EHS history, each pursuing a topic based on their passions.
TAYLOR CHAMBERS ’23 continued earlier research into racial integration at Episcopal to bring the subject up to the present day and, in doing so, contribute to the historical record with her findings.
CHARLOTTE HEAD ’23 researched Lettie Pate Evans, a longtime benefactor to Episcopal, connecting her philanthropy to coeducation and the female experience at EHS.
JOSH HWANG ’24 pursued his passion for football by researching the history of the sport at Episcopal, including mapping where EHS players have continued their careers at the collegiate level.
CATE LAVERTY ’23 was drawn to research the history of Episcopal’s yearbook, Whispers, based on her enthusiasm for student publications and her current role as its Editor-in-Chief.
While each student pursued a different topic, they were all genuinely supportive of each other’s projects. For example, because of Cate’s extensive work with the yearbooks, she would share relevant findings on race and gender with Taylor and Charlotte, providing them with leads to support their research. Cate reflected on how motivating it was to come to Bryan Library on a regular basis with her classmates to conduct research with the School’s archival materials, exchanging ideas and giving encouragement to her fellow DiHi Subgroup members — the nickname the students gave to themselves as the subgroup of the Digital History class who were conducting their research in the School’s archives.
Cate’s enthusiasm for Whispers actually preceded her enrollment. When visiting her older brother at Episcopal, she would find herself studying the collection of yearbooks housed in Bryan Library, thinking, “There are yearbooks here from 1920. That’s crazy!” After joining the Episcopal community, Cate found an immediate home on the Whispers staff in the yearbook lab, furthering her passion for student publications and leading her to pursue her chosen field of study, creative directing and communication design.
As Whispers Editor-in-Chief, Cate’s research was informed by changes over time in yearbooks, some of which were driven by technological developments. For instance, as photography became more affordable, the number of photos included in the yearbook increased, and with digital technology, even more so. Other changes Cate noticed included the placement of advertisements in the yearbook, a feature of earlier editions of the publication. While Cate is grateful Whispers staff no longer needs to pursue this source of funding, she enjoyed seeing the old advertisements and connecting them to historical events beyond The Holy Hill, such as the advertisements from the 1930s editions about the Great Depression. Looking ahead, Cate anticipates technology-driven changes to future graphic design elements. For example, for a previous edition of Whispers, Cate used an online color generator to develop the chosen color palette, a technology only available to recent yearbook staff. With this technology, the yearbook staff was able to use art, color, and design to communicate a message.
Perhaps Cate’s most significant takeaway from her project was connecting her work as yearbook Editor-in-Chief to contributing to the historical record over time. By telling the Episcopal story from her years as a student through Whispers, Cate recognizes she is adding to a narrative that goes back to the earliest days of the publication. With this in mind, Cate reached out to one of her predecessors, Page Dame ’59, who was Editor-in-Chief his senior year. Talking with Page gave Cate a real pride in her position, recognizing the shared lifelong lessons they both learned in this role. Page observed to Cate: “You are the custodian of the principal underpinnings of the School. Your yearbooks are the touchstone everyone will go back to.”
During her research, Cate found herself projecting forward, anticipating future yearbook staff and researchers turning to the yearbooks from her time at Episcopal to develop an understanding of the Covid experience or the 2020 Presidential election. Despite her passion for design, when working on the yearbook, Cate now asks herself, “What am I trying to show here historically?” — recognizing the importance of recording history for future generations.
You are the custodian of the principal underpinnings of the School. Your yearbooks are the touchstone everyone will go back to. - PAGE DAME ’59
After her deep dive through the long history of Whispers, Cate finds herself thinking of future yearbooks, even her successors decades from now, and offers the following advice, “Your biggest passion is storytelling. Recognize you are telling your own story and the School’s story. Dive into the storytelling aspect of the yearbook.”
