51视频

10/16/2015
By 厂丑别颈濒补听贰辫辫辞濒颈迟辞

The audience at the opening of 鈥淜erouac Retrieved鈥� was as large as it was diverse. The exhibit about Lowell鈥檚 famous son at the university鈥檚 Allen House drew hundreds of people, from freshly minted freshmen to Chancellor Jacquie Moloney, from those who didn鈥檛 know much about the writer to world-renowned experts on his every published work.

The exhibit 鈥� the latest in a series of generous gifts to the university from John Sampas, executor of the Kerouac estate and brother-in-law of the famous scribe 鈥� includes personal items retrieved from Kerouac鈥檚 last residence, in St. Petersburg, Fla.聽

The items, said English professor and Kerouac expert Todd Tietchen, help 鈥渃ontextualize Kerouac as more than just a famous Beat writer鈥� and include some of the expected 鈥� the writer鈥檚 desk and chair, and unexpected 鈥� three rudimentary cat carriers constructed by Kerouac and marked with each favorite feline鈥檚 name (Timmy, Pitou and Dobie) and signed on the bottom in the famous Kerouac cursive.

鈥淚 heard about Kerouac in an honors class I鈥檓 taking that鈥檚 all about Lowell, and I thought I鈥檇 check out the exhibit,鈥� said Tyler Tringale, a freshman computer science major from Peabody. Tringale鈥檚 casual interest morphed into something more after perusing a bit, resulting in some careful angling for cell phone photos of each exhibit item.

There were lots of students like Tringale, mostly young students who鈥檇 been previously unaware of Lowell鈥檚 best-known writer, but who, after absorbing the buzz and enthusiasm of a houseful of Jack fans and memorabilia, joined the besotted.

Michael Millner, like Tietchen an English professor and Kerouac expert, shared his experience travelling 鈥� at Sampas鈥� invitation 鈥� with Tietchen to mine for exhibit items in Kerouac鈥檚 former Florida home.

鈥淚 didn鈥檛 know what to expect,鈥� Millner said. 鈥淯pon entering the home, I saw the desk. It looked like any writer鈥檚 desk, strewn with papers and pencils and drafts. Sort of like my own, only neater.鈥澛�

Then he got to the cat carriers. 鈥淚 picked them up carefully and walked them across the room, and then it hit me: Jack Kerouac had done the same thing 鈥� walked these carriers, maybe taking the exact same steps.鈥澛�

The carriers鈥� importance, Millner said, was their role in allowing a restless man 鈥渢o keep moving while keeping the things he loved close by.鈥澛�

Sound recording technology freshman Spencer Cardillo was surprised to find he had more in common with Kerouac than he thought. As a member of the university鈥檚 jazz band, the Northboro native was pleased to see that among the smattering of items the writer held onto were some jazz records and a variety of mementos.

鈥淚 like knick-knacks, too. They can be so small, but have amazing detail,鈥� Cardillo said. 鈥淎nd they remind you of a place you鈥檝e been or an experience you鈥檝e had. I think it鈥檚 cool Kerouac held onto so many.鈥�

Above the writer鈥檚 desk, which was a gift from his sister, Caroline, perch figurines representing many of his interests: Shiva figures and a pottery cat and dog from India, remarkably well-preserved articles of Lowell Tech-branded clothing and a large crucifix, a nod to his French-American Catholicism.

A recurring theme among the attendees was the sense that Kerouac is Lowell鈥檚: that exhibiting his personal belongings here, in his hometown, is appropriate and cause for celebration.

The opening drew Kerouac enthusiasts from further afield as well, including a standing-room-only panel discussion called 鈥淩ace, Ethnicity and the American Hipster鈥� featuring Jean-Christophe Cloutier of the University of Pennsylvania, Tim Z. Hernandez of the University of Texas El Paso and D. Quentin Miller of Suffolk University. The discussion was inspired by essays about race by Norman Mailer and James Baldwin and moderated by 51视频 English Prof. Keith Mitchell.

鈥淥ne of the university鈥檚 pillars is the importance of place. When we talk about 鈥極ur Legacy, Our Place鈥� this is what we mean,鈥� Moloney said 鈥淗ere we are on this day, in this city that we inhabit, in the place Kerouac called home.鈥�

鈥淜erouac Retrieved鈥� is free and open to the public. Visit for directions and details about accessibility at Allen House.