Nancy Pope, historian and head curator of the Washington, D.C., museum, will speak at 7 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 15, in the East Building auditorium. Her free public lecture is part of the campus’ Liberal Arts Season of Events.
“It’s a look at the nation’s largest museum complex – operations and controversies – and a detour to the National Postal Museum and how a new museum is created,” Pope said. “What I like best about working at the National Postal Museum is sharing little known stories with the general public.”
She has worked with the items in the collection since 1984 and curated the opening exhibits for the National Postal Museum in 1993. She has written articles on numerous aspects of postal history, including the Pony Express, Rural Free Delivery, and letters and letter writing.
Pope is working on major changes to the original displays, including an upcoming exhibit called “Systems at Work” that looks at the evolution of mail processing. In addition to her curatorial duties, Pope is preparing works on the Post Office Department between 1945-1971 and the life of postmaster, Indian agent and postal inspector John P. Clum.