Topic: Mack McCormick R.I.P.

[Shovel]

Very sad news.  A heartfelt thank you to Mack.

[Gilgamesh]

Mack was one of the early, passionate supporters of the blues, back when you were looked at as crazy for suggesting that the blues was an art form. Nowadays, you're looked at as crazy for suggesting it is NOT an art form. He played a role in that transformation, I think.

He was very active and productive in the 1960s, before he started seriously researching Robert Johnson. Is it possible that an obsession with Johnson contributed to his bipolar disorder? Because it appears the last 40 years of his life were remarkably unproductive.

[wreid75]

"nobody REALLY gives a damn in the grand scheme of things. I know that feeling" The percentage of people who want to dig through that is small but dedicated but that won't matter.  This will all come down to Ben Franklin and his dead president friends.  Most people on this site will die of old age before this research is made available.  She "Macks daughter" also tolls this site so I guess this type of conversation is counter productive.  About UT being interested.........................they are but not willing to pay any money for it.  Most of their collections are donation oriented.  A&T is the same, I have friends in both institutions.  Sorry

[oddenda]

And now the fun begins.

pbl

[wreid75]

I have contacted several people who work within several Universities in Texas to gauge interest in a collection like Macks and if they would be willing to pay the McCormick family for Macks life work.  No less than 10 would love to have it, and several would pay to have it digitally archived and available to the public within a few years time.  All however said that there isn't much money for anything like this and that this is usually donated. The list below are collections that have been rejected in recent years by the schools I have contacted because they wouldn't pay anything for the collections.  There were quite a few more but those were off the top of their heads.  Now if a group of people put money up to buy it then donate it that might work.  I think most people are unfortunately "over" his collection.  Thank god we got what we did on L.V. and Geechee.  That is all we will likely get.  Who knows, our grand children might score but will any of them care?



Howard Hughes, Robert Woodrow Wilson, Bob Willis, Charlie Wilson, Scott joplin, Barbara Jordan, Earnest Tubbs, J.P. Richardson Audie Murphy, Bessie Coleman, Rube Foster

[Blues Vintage]

wreid75, did you try to contact Alex LaRotta (Professor of History, Lone Star College, Houston)?

[wreid75]

did you try to contact Alex LaRotta (Professor of History, Lone Star College, Houston)?

No, I don't know her but it would be worth looking into I guess.  I would love for a school to find a wealthy booster or to get some grant to pay the McCormick money for his work.  If a school won't pay money for Howard Hughes journals/papers/etc I can't imagine they would spend money on research about obscure black musicians that only a few thousand people in the world even listen to. 

[Stuart]

To say that money is tight for acquisitions and processing at public universities is an understatement. Some libraries--university and public--won't even accept donations of materials as the money for the evaluation process isn't even there. It's the world we live in.

I hope that Mack's materials are preserved and made accessible and available at some point. After all, they document and important part of American culture--and they represent a life's work.

As something almost unrelated, did anyone read the following? ("According to some estimates, as much as two million tons of returned items ? most of it undamaged merchandise ? are thrown away each year, enough to fill over 200,000 garbage trucks.") Talk about a world that has lost its way.

http://www.nytimes.com/2015/12/29/business/in-season-of-returning-a-start-up-tries-to-find-homes-for-the-rejects.html

[wreid75]

imagine if that was being given to those in need

[Rivers]

The irony is inescapable Stuart. The last time I lit the stove, last week I think, with the Sunday edition of the NY Times, I couldn't help but notice it was stuffed full of ads for the very highest end perfumes, jewellery, watches, clothing, you name it.

Vote Bernie for president.

[Blues Vintage]

did you try to contact Alex LaRotta (Professor of History, Lone Star College, Houston)?

No, I don't know her but it would be worth looking into I guess.

He gave a lecture on McCormick at the Contemporary Arts Museum january last year. Check out my post earlier in this thread.