Collections Highlight: Paul Carnahan's Jacket

By Teresa Greene 
 
As Librarian at the Vermont Historical Society for 32 years, Paul Carnahan's guiding hand will be felt long after he departs. His professional legacy is well preserved, from the quirks of cataloging to notes that will undoubtedly be found in the backs of files decades from now. However, what might surprise readers is how much of Paul's story is preserved in the Museum Collection. 
 
Paul wore this windbreaker as a marching band member at Brattleboro Union High School. The jacket is blue nylon on the exterior and lined with black fleece. The arms feature parallel rows of white piping from the collar to the machine-knitted cuffs. The jacket opens at the center with five snaps, and the bottom hem contains a drawstring for tightening around the wearer's hips, minimizing drafts. The band's seal, encircled by the words, "BRATTLEBORO UNION HIGH SCHOOL BAND," is printed on the front left breast. The name "Paul" is embroidered on the opposite side.  
 
The seal depicts Brattleboro Union High School's now-retired mascot, a Confederate colonel. The same image was used by the University of Mississippi, but the reasons behind the choice of mascot vary by source. Brattleboro Union High School retired the mascot in 2004 but retained the name "Colonels.” This connection to Confederate ideology has recently called the name back into question, with petitions both in favor and against the mascot active online. 

 
As a Brattleboro Union High School marching band member, Paul played trombone and acted as the band's Secretary-Treasurer. He traveled with the group to Washington, DC, to play in the National Cherry Blossom festival during his junior year.

Marching band was not Paul's only extracurricular activity as a high schooler. He also won awards on the debate team and headed up a mural project as part of the student council. Outside of school hours, he spent two weeks shadowing Senator Leahy in Washington and he served as editor of the Brattleboro Reformer's ongoing column, "Events of the Past," a precursor for his work with the Vermont Historical Society.