One of the funniest writers working in America today is undoubtably Sarah Vowell. A historian and essayist (and also the voice of Violet in Pixar’s The Incredibles), Sarah’s sharp, creative mind make her an ideal thought partner. Today we discuss the wild ride of Pamela Wright, an unsuspecting civilian from Conrad, Montana who went on to become the chief innovation officer at the U.S. National Archives. Sarah Vowell and I are equally fascinated by people who devote their lives to making the country a little closer to the ideal set out by the framers so long ago.
Here are my takeaways from our conversation:
The National Archives houses more than just the Constitution. They house the stories of all of us.
Access is a democratic value, and Pamela Wright understood that better than almost anyone.
A good working definition of innovation might be figuring out how to do something that’s never been done with no more than what you have available.
Growing up on a ranch makes a person very resourceful.
Primary source material is the antidote to whisper-down-the-lane history.
The modesty of federal workers is both their greatest virtue and their greatest liability.
The people who built the systems we take for granted came from places we tend to overlook
Educate the “riffraff,” educate the “bumpkins,” and just wait and see what they come up with.
What we’re looking for in the archives is the country we want to live in.
Even though Pamela Wright’s title was eliminated after she retired, the citizen archivists still exist. In other words, “the car that brought you here still runs”.
What’s the most resourceful thing you’ve ever done?
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