Archives: the yesterday, today and tomorrow

Intermountain Catholic

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Gary Topping is the archivist at the Catholic Diocese of Salt Lake City.

SALT LAKE CITY- Being an archivist is the most exciting thing that it could happen to Gary Topping.

He goes to work with a smile, expecting new surprises that the day is going to give.

His passion for the archives grew with his training in history. "They are the primary material of history – they are the sources that we used to write history."

Topping, who holds a doctoral degree in history, is the archivist for the Diocese of Salt Lake City. "I never planned on a career in archives, but it has been the best thing that happened to me because I get to be in the archive every day and with these wonderful records."

According to Topping, the diocesan archive collection might seem small, but "it is very complicated. I have to say that I am still surprised when I open a box and say, ‘Wow, what’s this?’"

His passion for the archives has led Topping to research stories; he has written a book, "The Story of the Cathedral of the Madeleine," and posts the "From the Archives" column on the diocesan website.

Among his favorite stories is one that has to do with the remains of the Right Rev. Lawrence Scanlan, first Bishop of Salt Lake, who was buried in the Cathedral of the Madeleine. When the cathedral was renovated, the bishop’s body had to be moved. When they pulled out his body, it was intact, just like he had fallen asleep, Topping said.

Through the renovations Bishop Scanlan’s body was stored at O’Donnell & Sons Mortuary. With the renovations complete, the remains have been returned to the cathedral’s main floor.

"As it should be," Topping said.

Another great story, which Topping is still working on, is about one of the cathedral’s benefactors. Topping began researching her after seeing the name Eileen Hayes printed on two of the cathedral’s stained glass windows.

"We have never known who she was, but I found her," Topping said, adding that Hayes was a wealthy businesswoman in Nevada in the early 20th century, when Nevada’s eastern parishes were part of the Salt Lake diocese. Hayes was instrumental in helping found the cathedral; she also bought the original organ.

"We have this almost anonymous benefactor out there," Topping said. "I think archives are important for any organization because archives are the history of that organization and its memory."

For Utah Catholics, archives are important, he said. "We are a strong heritage community because we are a minority. We know each other and we stick together. In the early days of the Catholic Church here in Utah, it was even more intimate. Every catholic knew every other Catholic. Today, having a sense of our history gives us a sense of our place in this community that we have developed."

Monsignor Fitzgerald, vicar general of the Catholic Diocese of Salt Lake City, also believes in the importance of archives.

From the earliest of times the Catholic Church has maintained archives with important documents and artifacts.

"It is through archives we record the development of civilization, the progress of human culture," Msgr. Fitzgerald said.

Topping has a PhD from the University of Utah. He has worked in the archives of the Utah State Historical Society, where he learned the archives profession. In 1989 he started teaching at Salt lake Community College. In 2001 he became part of the staff of the Catholic Diocese of Salt Lake City.