That’s Power, not Powers, for as he says, “I joke that we were too poor --- we came to America from Ireland not long before the Revolution --- to afford the extra letter.”
Tracy Power has worked at the archives for nearly 24 years, and he’s got a lot of stories to show for it. In fact, he’ll tell you up front that he probably talks too much, but he’s just being modest.
His interest in the Civil War began early – he was five years old when President Kennedy was assassinated. His kindergarten teacher used the experience to relate the students to the assassination of Abraham Lincoln, and from there, he fell into the Civil War, never to return. Fast forward a bit, and you’ll learn that Tracy got his doctorate in only seven years, while working full-time, which may not sound impressive until you realize the average time to completion for a history PhD is eight years for a full-time student. If he wasn’t working here, he’d be a professor.
Mr. Power’s official title is Staff Historian of the State Historic Preservation Office. Says Tracy, “My main duties are serving as co-coordinator of the National Register of Historic Places program in the state, coordinator of the Historical Marker Program, and staff liaison to the South Carolina Hall of Fame.” It’s a unique position which combines Tracy’s love of history with, among other things, his love of sports – he and his wife are season ticket holders for USC’s football, basketball, and baseball games.
Still, there’s more to Tracy than that. His most unusual job? “Probably weeding the parking lot at Jack's Hamburgers in Metro Atlanta, in the summer of 1976.” His very first job? “Reshelving books at the Lanier Lake Regional Library in Lawrenceville, Georgia, in 1973, at the age of 15.” Tracy dreams of going back to Rome some day. He feels the defining moment of Beatles history was the day they announced their breakup in the spring of 1970. And in the event of a total suspension of reality, Mr. Power’s backup career plan is to be a clown in the Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey Circus.
So when you see him, say hi to Tracy, or maybe just honk your big red clown nose.
Friday, September 11, 2009
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Being that the people we research are the ancestors of those of us that descend from those that moved forward to settle our Nation, leaving home and hearth behind, my question is if and when will South Carolina follow the lead of most states and stand down from profiting from the records, lineages and history of "our" people...for they belong to "us " too and not just to a state. I find those that seek to with hold such information for a monetary gain one of the greatest hinders to family genealogy. South Carolina holds this information as ransom. Upkeep and maintaining records is a neccessary thing but not at the high expense your state has created at the expense of such seclusion of all material sought. Without traveling to the county or this state, or paying for information that should be public, our history sits on your shelves and in your archives. Shame on you!
ReplyDeleteI'm pretty sure Dr. Power is a great name for a superhero. And that Dr. Power is pretty close to being a superhero.
ReplyDelete