Indiana Handfield-Jones Explores the Deep, Dark, Mysterious and Unknown State Archives

Thursday, March 19, 2009, 7 pm, The Lakewood Historical Society will present a program at the Lakewood Library, 6300 Wildaire Road SW.

Jerry Handfield was appointed Washington State Archivist by Secretary of State Sam Reed in 2001 and was recruited from Indiana where he served as State Archivist for 14 years. The State Archivist manages the life cycle of all public records to insure that important legal and historical records are preserved and that all records are managed in an efficient and cost effective manner. He is responsible for the maintenance and security of all public records and establishes safeguards against unauthorized removal or destruction.  As a member of the State and Local Records Committees he approves and vetoes, or modifies all schedules for public records.

This presentation surveys the public records landscape in the state of Washington and the United States. The talk focuses on the importance of records to researchers, historical societies and citizens and why they should care about the preservation and accessibility of our public records. The presentation will feature some records from Pierce County, including one valuable record that saved millions for the taxpayers.

Jerry was born in 1944, the oldest of eight children, attended one-room schools and worked on dairy farms in and near Franklin, CT. Jerry went to South Dakota for his BA (Yankton College) and MA (University of SD). In 1967, he went to Indiana University for the doctoral program in history. His dissertation and master’s thesis focused on American foreign policy in the 20th century.

Jerry’s career includes many years of teaching college level history, oral history, and fieldwork for the Indiana State Library and the Indiana Historical Society. Jerry was appointed as Director of the Indiana Commission on Public Records by Governors Frank O’Bannon and Evan Bayh. His professional experience includes leadership in several national organizations, special assignments in Indiana state agencies, and archives consultant to the government of Kazakhstan.

Jerry’s family consists of four children (three boys and a girl) who live in New York, California, Indiana, and Michigan. He has a grandson in New York City. He enjoys traveling throughout Washington State and meeting county and local officials (he has visited all 39 county courthouses), speaking on the importance of public records and exploring museums and historic sites. His hobbies include men’s softball (voted MVP at the National Championships of 1999 and 2001) and all the activities associated with owning property on South Puget Sound’s Eld Inlet – canoeing, kayaking, oyster farming, and neighborhood groups.