The NURJ

My research topic is about legacies, and a man whose lifework is to preserve other people’s
histories, yet he struggles with preserving his own. In this great irony, we explore what it means
to collect the stories of those who have left this earth, as well as the ethical ramifications of who
gets to pass on the torch to future generations.

In the Summer of 2019, I stumbled upon the NU Archives Instagram. Fascinated by the amount
of history housed within my own school, I was delighted to be able to do a deep dive on the subject
in my documentary class later that year. Subsequently, I was referred to by multiple people in
the department to interview Kevin B. Leonard. Thus, this documentary was born.

There is a fascinating irony in a man who preserves other people’s histories, but struggles in
preserving his own. I hope that future researchers might build upon this documentary
by equivocating the ethical ramifications of who gets to pass on other people’s legacies.
Furthermore, I do hope that the Northwestern Archives would consider taking in the records
of a man who’d tirelessly worked 40 years towards building its historical records.

I’m moving to Los Angeles to pursue storytelling in TV.