by Cassidy McFadzean
Dear Mr. Schmitt,
Thank you for contacting University Archives & Special Collections. In response to your inquiry, we collect and store a variety of historically significant materials from Saskatchewan writers, artists, and local figures.
We are happy to assist you in your research inquiries but due to volume of requests please allow 8-12 weeks for assessment of archival materials.
To start with, please submit Form 2A (attached) with a description of the items you hope to submit and Appendix 1-3 (if necessary). Please refrain from sending any packages at this point in the process at the risk of valuable items getting lost in the mail. We’re a small department and unable to process unsolicited materials— if we want to view any documents, we will arrange for you to send via courier.
Thank you for your interest.
Sincerely,
Delaney Thompson
Archives Assistant
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Hi Mr. Schmitt,
Thanks for your email. My records indicate we received Form 2A last Thursday. I’m sorry you didn’t receive a confirmation email—sometimes it goes to the Junk folder. In the future, please direct all inquiries to me here. I’m happy to report your submission has entered the queue so please allow 8-12 weeks for initial assessment.
Best wishes,
Delaney
PS—Yes, I grew up in Fort Qu’Appelle! That’s a fun coincidence. I’m not sure I remember you from school. My first grade teacher was Ms. Sanders—did you have her too? Do you still live in the Valley?
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Hi Walter,
Unfortunately I can’t do anything to speed along the process. I will be sure to communicate with my supervisor the urgency of your request. To answer your question: Yes the University of Saskatchewan also has a University Archives and you’re certainly welcome to explore other options, but typically only one institution handles each individual’s archives. Between you and me, I can tell you that their process is even longer than ours—between four to six months.
We appreciate your patience.
Thanks,
Delaney
PS—You must have been a few years ahead of me. My Dad still lives in the Fort, but I got my Library and Information Technology Diploma at U of S before moving to Regina. How are you liking Edmonton? Are you able to visit home very often?
***
Hi Walter,
I received your “2-month birthday card”— Very funny! Yes, it’s now been 8 weeks. I apologize for the delay. We’ve been swamped with English profs retiring and although it’s an unwritten rule, there’s pressure to look at their diaries and unpublished (dare I say unpublishable!) manuscripts before tackling the queue. I’ll flag your file for my supervisor and follow up in no more than 5-7 business days. Just a note that we’re closed next week so it might be delayed a bit.
Happy Thanksgiving,
Delaney
PS—that’s amazing your grandfather lived in the valley for so long, and I’m sorry for your loss. Wow. That’s a crazy story. I understand why it’s so important to preserve the items you found in the Archives & Special Collections. I didn’t see anything like that myself, but I wouldn’t call myself a nonbeliever per se. My dad worked as a surveyor up North so I grew up hearing a lot of wild stories. I do miss the hills. Especially in the autumn, the leaves are so beautiful. I’m grateful I can visit this weekend and hopefully you can visit home soon!
***
Dear Walter,
I had a nice long weekend. Thank you for asking! I have great news. Your Form 2A has made it to the top of the pile, so it shouldn’t be too much longer now. I should have an update for you by the end of next week by the latest, and again, I apologize for the delay.
Best wishes,
Delaney
PS—I’m sorry to hear your grandfather’s house is being torn down, but how lucky you found his items when you did! My mother grew up near Pense. After the one-room schoolhouse was demolished, she saved a brick as a souvenir. I wouldn’t recommend doing anything illegal of course, but if I can take off my archivist hat for a moment, I wonder if it might be cathartic for you to do something similar? (for a personal collection of course—Archives & Special Collections doesn’t preserve items of sentimental value).
***
Dear Mr. Schmitt,
I am writing to report that University Archives & Special Collections has finished processing your Form 2A. Due to the volume of inquiries we do not have space for all historically significant material. I regret to inform you that your items do not meet our needs at this time, and we are closing your file. We encourage you to try other archives or the Saskatchewan Historical Society, which may offer additional resources.
Thank you for your patience and I apologize for the delay in processing your form.
I hope I can be of assistance regarding your archives needs in the future.
Sincerely,
Delaney Thompson
Archives Assistant
PS—I’m really sorry not to be writing with happier news, Walter. As mentioned, we’ve been inundated with professors’ travelogues (oddly blasé about sleeping with TAs on research trips!) which severely limits the number of external items we can take on. Beyond this, physical items are always a tough sell and there are few clothing items in the collection at all. Did your grandfather have any photographs or anything to verify his coat and boots were related to his experiences? Let me know if there’s anything I can do, or if you have other materials you’d like to submit. If you want to pursue the Sask Historical Society, let me know—I have a friend there I can put you in touch with.
***
Dear Walter,
Thanks for sending along the Leader-Post article. Your grandfather sounds like a phenomenal person and that’s amazing he self-published a book about his experiences that night on the farm. I can’t imagine what it would have been like. I now better understand the significance of the items you wish to have archived, and your grandfather’s dreams about having a box in the Special Collections one day (that detail alone warms my heart!). Unfortunately, it’s still a tough sell. We don’t really have the capacity to assess the materials, especially since they’re part of such a unique story. I understand it’s been nearly fifty years since the event but were you able to get the items authenticated in any way? If your grandfather wrote a book, he must have kept diary entries or notes surrounding that night?
Once a file is closed, it’s sort of closed for good, but since we have the Leader-Post article, I can try to make a case to re-open it. No promises, but I’ll do my best.
Delaney
PS—I do remember a small house across the street from the general store. Wedged between the boarding houses, it looked no larger than a shed. We always joked that it was haunted, but hearing that your grandfather lived there, maybe we were picking up on some other supernatural forces (if I may be so bold). Such a shame it’s being torn down!
***
Hi Walter,
Just a quick note on my lunch break (absolutely swamped today). I have good news for you! My supervisor is willing to take another look at the material if you want to fill out form 2A again (I’m sorry for the hassle—he’s really a stickler for paperwork). It shouldn’t take 8 weeks this time. I can’t say for certain but hopefully no longer than a month.
I would caution against sending material directly. We can’t be responsible for any material sent and I wouldn’t want your grandfather’s coat and boots to get lost in the mail.
Delaney
PS—Thanks for sending the scan of you and your grandfather. You bear a striking resemblance (a handsome one, if I may be so bold). It sounds like your Great Aunt’s safety deposit box could be a good lead. Fingers crossed you can find your Grandfather’s almanac. My grandmother kept one at her farm near Pense— she didn’t trust the weathercasts on the radio. I remember her making strange notes in the back. Things like OFWAIHHBTN. I spent so long trying to figure out what it meant… maybe that’s what made me interested in archives in the first place. Needless to say, I finally realized it was a shorthand for the Lord’s Prayer. Not exactly the mysterious code I was hoping to crack, but still sort of interesting!
***
Walter,
That’s a generous offer but we highly recommend not sending material until it can be properly assessed. To let you in on the inner workings, we’re really at capacity right now. There used to be two other Archives Assistants, but one is on maternity leave and the other left for the U of S Archives (long drama-ridden story I’m sure you don’t want to hear).
Delaney
PS—I was actually at my Dad’s house this weekend. I walked past your grandfather’s old house. The lot is even smaller than I remembered. It’s really beautiful to think that he raised four kids in that house after your grandmother left. I can’t imagine what led your grandmother to leave the family so abruptly, but it makes sense she was shaken by the events of that night, and phenomenal that your grandfather rose to the occasion. It sounds like a difficult situation all around. I hope to have an update for you regarding Form 2A soon.
D
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Dear Mr. Schmitt,
I am happy to be writing with good news. Thanks to the strength of your supplementary materials (the drawings of the machinery at the back of the Almanac were pivotal in making a case for your file), I am thrilled to report that Form 2A has been approved. We would like to welcome you to submit your materials to the University Archivist for assessment. Please find the attached form with instructions for packing and a list of approved couriers. Please note that we require a tracking number for any materials sent as we can’t be held responsible for any items that may be lost in the mail.
Thank you for your patience during this process and we look forward to assessing your materials soon.
Sincerely,
Delaney Thompson
Assistant Archivist
PS—I’m so glad we could make this work, Walter. I’m so thrilled for you! That’s kind of you to offer to listen to workplace drama, but it’s probably best I put it out of my mind. I look forward to receiving your package soon.
***
Hi Walter,
Just a short note to say we’ve received the materials. Thanks for sending them so quickly. Going forward, you’ll be communicating with the Senior University Archivist directly. I’m attaching his email address here. It’s been a pleasure speaking with you over these past few months.
Delaney
PS—I personally received the UPS package, and after corresponding with you for so long and reading about grandfather’s story, I have to share that I had shivers when I opened the metal tin and (in gloved hands!) tagged your grandfather’s coat and boots for my supervisor! He must have preserved these incredibly well. They’re in excellent quality considering their decades in storage. The smell of burnt grass you described was definitely there, and also the strange ozone scent you described in your previous email. I definitely noticed the geometric “blast marks” your grandfather described in his book. This is still a tough sell, but I personally feel this would be a huge win for the Archives & Special Collections. Fingers crossed!
***
Hi Walter,
Just following up. Unfortunately, Frank is on sick leave so you’re stuck with me until he gets back (ha—joking!). The other Assistant Archivist is back from maternity leave, but she’s busy with a donation of a bunch of homesteaders’ diaries (no shortage of these!). It might make the most sense to wait until my supervisor is back, but rest assured your grandfather’s items are bagged and ready to be assessed.
Delaney
PS—I saw that the buttons were melted, but I didn’t even notice that the left sole was on the right boot and the right sole was on the left boot?! That is an eerie detail. How would that even happen? Beyond the obvious I mean… And is that real mud in the soles from the night in question? I have chills! It’s crazy that your grandma didn’t believe your grandfather’s story, especially when he had been sober for so long. Alcoholism runs on both sides of my family tree so I unfortunately understand it all too well. I hope donating these items to the Archives & Special Collections will allow your grandfather’s spirit to finally rest.
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Dear Walter,
I’m writing with some unfortunate news. The University Archivist, Frank Donnelly, suddenly passed away late last week. This will obviously impact all operations at Archives & Special Collections, but I wanted to personally let you know the reason for the delay since I understand how eager you were to have your grandfather’s coat and boots admitted to the University Archives.
We’ll have to hire someone new, which might take a while. It should be posted internally next week and then externally if no one is found for the position.
As this might be quite time consuming, I understand if you would like to request the return of your materials, which I can assist you in processing.
Sincerely,
Delaney Thompson
Assistant Archivist
***
Dear Walter,
Thank you for the card. That was really thoughtful. It meant a lot to all of us who knew Frank, as did the Edible Arrangement, which all of us at Archives & Special collections enjoyed.
I’m so glad to hear you want to go ahead with assessing your grandfather’s clothing and almanac. I appreciate your patience in what has been a longer than usual assessment process.
On a happier note—I’ll be interviewing for the position of Junior University Archivist! It’s early in the interview process, but I can promise you that whoever is hired will treat your grandfather’s materials with the utmost care and respect.
Yours Truly,
Delaney
PS—If it were up to me, I would accept your grandfather’s materials into the Archives & Special Collections in a heartbeat. It’s such a unique story, and his description of the bright light and spacecraft he sketched in the almanac is absolutely out of this world (forgive the pun!). I don’t want to jinx anything, but fingers crossed I get the job!!
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Dear Walter,
I hope you can forgive my silence over these past few weeks, but please note that my old email address is now forwarding to this shiny new one! Yes, you’re looking at the new Junior University Archivist. This is literally a dream come true, and I can’t believe I got the job over Samantha (between you and me the maternity leave really hurt her).
Your grandfather’s coat and boots are at the top of my list.
More soon,
Delaney
***
Walter,
What can I even say? The flowers and prosecco were completely unexpected (and totally unnecessary!) I don’t actually drink (3 years sober this July!) but the thought is appreciated. It’s been a bit of an adjustment as Junior University Archivist so I hope you can forgive the delay. Unfortunately, Frank left me with a pile of paperwork (which I think was Samantha’s responsibility—but who’s keeping track?) so I have to deal with this before I can get to the fun part.
This is just to double-check, but your grandfather’s items were not exposed to Uranium or other radioactive materials, were they? There’s a bit of a snafu from Frank’s wife, who may be filing a lawsuit with the university (nothing for you to worry about). I’m just double-checking Form 2A and as far as I can see the Index C was not filled out? Please correct me if I’m mistaken.
Would appreciate you updating me on this when you have a chance.
Delaney
***
Dear Walter,
I apologize for the carelessness of my last email. You’re absolutely right—there were two Form 2As. I remember now. I see the Appendix in the initial Form 2A which you submitted.
This must have slipped my mind, but I completely missed that under “Hazardous and Contaminated Materials” you checked off “Unknown.” Can you say more about this? I’m just a bit concerned because if materials are contaminated with harmful material as outlined in Form 2A Appendix C then we’re typically not able to accept them for processing. This must have slipped past me, which is a bit concerning. I don’t want to raise an alarm if I don’t need to (not a good look my first week on the job!) but if this box was not checked accidentally, then I may need to arrange for the items to be moved out of the University Archives & Special Collections.
Please respond at your earliest convenience. I am including my cellphone number if you prefer below.
Delaney
***
Hi Walter,
It was great to talk on the phone. After chatting with you for so long via email, I felt like I got to meet another side of you. I would like to apologize for becoming emotional. As mentioned, it’s my first week as Junior University Archivist, a position I’d dreamed of holding all those cold winter nights at Sask Polytechnic, and with the sudden way that Frank left, it’s a little fraught to say the least. I would like to thank you for your patience on the phone. You hadn’t mentioned you’re a therapist, but your comforting tone in your emails now makes a lot more sense 🙂
Thank you for clarifying your reasoning behind answering “unknown” in Form 2A Appendix C. I appreciate your diligence in sending along the note from the Department of Public Health who assessed your grandfather after his UFO encounter. It’s true that many common foods are radioactive, and while I knew that fact about bananas, Brazil nuts were a big surprise to me!
I trust you understand the difficult position I’m in. I would like nothing more than to admit your Grandfather’s boots and coat into Archives & Special Collections. What a gift for the University Community to have artifacts from the province’s most famous UFO sighting in our very own shelves (or boxes to be more accurate)! At the same time, as we await the items’ radioactivity testing, it’s out of my hands. In the event we must decline accepting these articles, may I suggest a list of historical museums that may be interested in the items (see attached).
I hope to have better news for you soon.
Delaney
PS—I was home this weekend, and I had forgotten how quiet the hills become in the winter. It’s as though the snow acts as a blanket, covering everything in heavy silence. It was comforting in a way, and I missed it dearly. I wanted you to know I walked past your grandfather’s house. The windows are boarded up and there’s a yellow sign stapled to the door. I suppose it’s only a matter of time now. Afterwards, I found myself walking the winding road up to the cemetery. It was in these hills where I spread my mother’s ashes, and I haven’t been back since that difficult summer day. It was emotional to be back there, and I couldn’t help thinking how proud my mother would be that I got my diploma, stopped drinking, and was promoted to Junior University Archivist within three years. This knowledge was a gift, Walter, and I have you to thank for leading me to it. I hope you don’t mind, but I left a bouquet of tulips at your grandfather’s grave.
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Hi Walter,
Please see the attached document.
I’m as upset about this as you are. The University is full of cowards, and at the risk of taking responsibility for admitting potentially hazardous materials, they’re opting to forgo the admission of your grandfather’s coat and boots entirely. The radioactive levels were good—no more than a banana as you say (or a bundle of bananas, I guess), but the decision was out of my hands.
I want to apologize for what an ordeal this has been and thank you in advance for your understanding. I appreciate your phone call the other night. It meant a lot that you were there for me to check in. I’m forwarding you to Samantha—the Assistant Archivist. She’ll arrange the UPS return of your materials in Edmonton (give her a few days to respond—she’s not as prompt with emails). Please let me know if there’s anything else I can do for you. I’m so sorry I don’t have the power to do more.
If I may speak candidly, these items are too precious to be locked away in Archives & Special Collections. I know your grandfather’s dying wishes were to see these items in the University Archives, but I want you to know how proud he would have been of you for trying. This is no small feat, and the end result was completely out of your control.
Please note I am closing your file at this time (you will receive an automated email alerting you of this).
Sending you my very best wishes,
Delaney
PS—I’m honoured to have corresponded with you, Walter, and to call you a friend.
***
Dear Walter,
(I hope this doesn’t go to your spam folder—this is my personal email)
I wanted to apologize for my phone call last night. That was crossing a boundary, and it was inappropriate to call you while drinking. I want to reassure you that I don’t often get like that (it was unfortunately your prosecco that did it!). I hope you can understand the exceptional circumstances that precipitated that phone call. At the same time, it feels like we’re more than professional contacts, especially after you sent me those flowers. Did I misinterpret things, or do you feel it too?
As you might have guessed after last night, I will be taking a leave of absence from the University. You should contact Jessica—the new Assistant Archivist—with any future Archives & Special Collections related questions.
Apparently Samantha has also fallen ill and there is now an investigation regarding form 2A Appendix C. It’s nothing for you to worry about. I don’t understand why it’s my responsibility to remind people to wear gloves and protective gear when handling submitted materials! Yes, it’s sad what happened to Frank, but it’s also confirmation that your grandfather’s coats and boots are artifacts of a legitimate UFO encounter! Doesn’t anyone but the two of us understand how rare and beautiful this is? It’s confirmation we’re not alone, have never been alone…
Yours,
Delaney
PS—I know you said you didn’t want to talk about it, but I wasn’t joking about my offer. Yesterday, when I unpacked at my Dad’s it was like I heard a voice, pulling me towards your grandfather’s house. As I stood outside, looking up at the attic window, where you found his boots and coat in that tin box, I’ve never felt so certain about anything in my life. What if there’s more evidence, Walter? What if he left you something more to discover? I hope you don’t mind, but I did a little recon on my own. The front and back doors are sealed shut, but it looks like it’s possible to get from the porch into the second-floor window. I tried to jump the fence, but I didn’t want to arouse suspicion from the neighbours. I’ve ordered some flashlights and rope on Amazon, and flights from Edmonton right now are good. Give me the word, Walter. I’ll wait for you here.
Cassidy McFadzean studied poetry at the Iowa Writers’ Workshop and fiction at Brooklyn College. She is the author of two books of poetry. Her fiction has appeared or is forthcoming in CALYX, Maisonneuve, The Conium Review, and Prism International.