Larry Dohey
The Association of Newfoundland and Labrador Archives mourns the death of our friend and colleague Larry Dohey. Larry was a member of our organization from the beginning of his archival career. In typical Larry fashion, he became active on our board almost immediately and served in various positions for over ten years. He hosted many ANLA meetings and events during his tenure with the archives at the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of St. John’s and continued to be a friend to the association when he moved to The Rooms.
One of Larry’s greatest strengths was in communicating the relevance of archives to the life of this province. He became in many ways the public face of archives. His ‘’Archival Moments’’ blog and VOCM broadcast opened the possibilities of the world of archives to a wide community of people. One archivist commented that because of Larry’s work “my Nan finally understands what I do for a living.’’
Larry’s knowledge of archival sources, gleaned from his archival experience and his own research, enabled him to connect people and organizations to the archival resources that helped to tell their stories and answer their questions. It wasn’t all academic – he took a genuine interest in the research journeys of the people who turned to him for advice and his empathetic support resolved many research dilemmas. His work in this area epitomised the value of the archival skill set.
Larry was a wonderful colleague and friend. In the Canadian archival community he was renowned for his hospitality, his conviviality and his kindness to one and all. One Canadian archivist, speaking of a conference they both attended, said “ Larry’s accommodations were not up to standard so I told him he could stay at my place. It took him less than 24 hours to inform his vast network of fellow Newfoundlanders in the city that he was in town and before I knew it, I was the host of large kitchen party that was simply too much fun. “ We all acknowledge with happy memories that part of his life.
Larry loved this province, loved its culture and loved the stories its archival records could tell. We extend our sincere condolences to his partner Ian, to his family and to his colleagues and friends. He was a good man.
