Curator’s Note
TheveryfirstemailIreceivedwhenIstartedworkingattheLawLibrarywasfrom Sandy Boyd. It was a short and hearty welcome that made me smile—and also wonderhowonearthheknewwhoIwas?Afterthatfirstday,IsawSandyoften.An active and energetic patron of the Law Library, he was frequently conducting research,checkingoutbooks,andtalkingwithlawlibrarians.Itwasnosecretweall coveted receiving a “Sandy question” and he was generous in trying to rotate betweenus.
Sandy actively curated his Presidential Collection, donating books and ephemera until well after he retired. What I love most about this collection is how it reflects Sandy’ssenseofhumorandsenseofstory.ItwasnotlostonSandythattheReagan slippers (pictured in this exhibit) were a bit creepy, but he insisted they remain in the collection, much to the humorous chagrin of Professor Arthur Bonfield (Law LibraryDirectorfrom1985-2014).
In2015,tocelebratetheLawSchool’s150thanniversary,SandyandDeanAgrawal invitedmetocurateanexhibitionaboutthepeopleandstoriesthatcomposeour Law School. I still have every email and voicemail Sandy sent me, offering advice, support,andgratitudethroughouttheprocess.Theyareatreasure,andwhileIstill struggle to “reduce text as much as possible,” I am still guided, encouraged, and inspiredbyhiswords.
Somanyofushave“Sandystories”toshare,andIhopethistinyexhibit,justasmall sliver of Sandy’s rich life, will provide further opportunities to connect with one another.Throughstory,Sandycreatedcommunityandconnection.Imisshimevery singleday.
Thankyou,Sandy,foreverything.
NoëlleSinclair HeadofSpecialCollections
University
of
IowaLawLibrary
Boyd Presidential Collection
Thank you to Sandy's familySusan, Bill, Tom, and Betsyfor sharing Sandy with the rest of us!