Everyone who had the chance to know Joan Gosnell immediately loved her. I first encountered Joan during my first year as a student at SMU, when I asked if she might be able to find any information on my great-grandfather who lived in Dallas. In a move that would surprise nobody who has worked with her, Joan responded within minutes with information she had uncovered, as well as the promise that she would search for more. In my classes, my classmates’ experiences were similar. When I asked Joan if she had any material from a past campus event, she arrived to my research session with a cart piled high with material meticulously preserved from the Archives. Joan went above and beyond in everything she did, especially when it came to helping others.
As many would tell you, Joan also had a great sense of humor and knew how to have a good time. When explaining her role as the University Archivist, Joan told my class, “I’m an archivist, not anarchist!” Joan intuitively understood and embodied the balance between working hard and enjoying yourself while doing it – perhaps most notably, she knew how to make the Archives and history plain fun.
Joan worked with many treasures as an archivist at SMU, but as many will attest, she was the true treasure. She will be sorely missed. News of her passing impacted students she had worked with years ago, who had long since left the Hilltop but fondly remembered their time in the Archives with Joan. It is evident that her impact on the Libraries, the University, and beyond will remain strong, as we all remember our wonderful colleague, archivist, and, above all, friend, Joan Gosnell.
To contribute to the recently renamed Milazzo/Gosnell Archives Fund, which Joan helped to establish in support of the Archives and in memory of former archivist Lee Milazzo, please visit this page to give.
This post was written by Brynn Price, Communications and Engagement Specialist at SMU Libraries.