Profiles Stories

HMML Stories — Profiles

Meet some of the people who have a hand in preserving and sharing written history.

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Meet Dr. Ali Diakite
May 8, 2025

Meet Dr. Ali Diakite

“Dr. Ali Diakite, cataloger of West African manuscripts, began...”

  • Dr. Ali Diakite
The J.F. Hinnebusch Collection and the Writings of Jacques de Vitry
January 16, 2025

The J.F. Hinnebusch Collection and the Writings of Jacques de Vitry

“John Frederick Hinnebusch, born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, in 1923, was the youngest...”

  • Dr. Jan Vandeburie
Arthur Vööbus: Preserving a Legacy
January 24, 2024

Arthur Vööbus: Preserving a Legacy

“Dr. Arthur Voobus was many things—a scholar, pastor, teacher, and refugee in exile...”

  • Dr. James Walters
Instructions for Burial: The Last Will and Testament of Ephrem the Syrian
September 28, 2023

Instructions for Burial: The Last Will and Testament of Ephrem the Syrian

“Ephrem is perhaps the most widely known of all Syriac authors...”

  • Dr. James Walters
Build a Church, Build a Library
May 25, 2023

Build a Church, Build a Library

“If you want to establish a new church, you’re likely going to need some books...”

  • Dr. Josh Mugler
May 11, 2023

Tracing Scribal Genealogies in Syriac Manuscripts: The Naṣro Family

“The act of hand-copying a manuscript requires specialized skills that...”

Dr. James Walters

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Muḥammad Ṣādiq: A Scribe Between Manuscript and Print Cultures at the Beginning of the 20th Century
April 27, 2023

Muḥammad Ṣādiq: A Scribe Between Manuscript and Print Cultures at the Beginning of the 20th Century

“A great opportunity to look at the interaction between manuscript and print cultures can be found in the Middle East...”

  • Dr. Celeste Gianni
The Calligrapher Clément Perret
April 13, 2023

The Calligrapher Clément Perret

“In the mid-15th century, the invention of the printing press made books relatively easier to produce and...”

  • Katherine Goertz
Jacques Hnizdovsky in Minnesota
December 1, 2022

Jacques Hnizdovsky in Minnesota

“Jacques Hnizdovsky had arrived in the city the year before as a...”

  • Katherine Goertz
A Tribute to Getatchew Haile (1931–2021)
April 19, 2022

A Tribute to Getatchew Haile (1931–2021)

“In Wayne Gretzky’s final NHL game in Minnesota, he added four assists to the...”

  • Ted Erho
Migration, Digitization, and Preservation - A Case Study of a Somali Manuscript
August 12, 2021

Migration, Digitization, and Preservation - A Case Study of a Somali Manuscript

“On the eve of the Somali Civil War, tensions ran high in my ancestral home of Galdogob as...”

  • Mohamud Awil Mohamed
Yeɗi Sanba Ɓooyi, a Fulani Scholar and Poet
February 25, 2021

Yeɗi Sanba Ɓooyi, a Fulani Scholar and Poet

“Yeɗi Sanba Ɓooyi was a scholar who belonged to the Fulani, a traditionally nomadic people who...”

  • Dr. Ali Diakite and Dr. Paul Naylor
Getatchew Haile, Ethiopic scholar
December 13, 2020

Getatchew Haile, Ethiopic scholar

“The work of Dr. Getatchew Haile, long-time curator of the HMML Ethiopia Study Center...”

  • Ted Erho
The Gift of Knowing One Another
December 1, 2020

The Gift of Knowing One Another

“The three couples have been friends for more than 35 years. They have traveled together and...”

  • Joe Rogers
New Faces at HMML
January 8, 2020

New Faces at HMML

“HMML welcomes Dr. Heinin Ali Diakite, Dr. Catherine Walsh, and Katrina Schlude...”

October 7, 2019

Cultural Heritage Present and Future — A Benedictine Monk’s Long View

Watch Father Columba's NEH 2019 Jefferson Lecture.

Dr. Columba Stewart

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National Endowment for the Humanities names Fr. Columba Stewart, OSB, the 2019 Jeffereson Lecturer
July 22, 2019

National Endowment for the Humanities names Fr. Columba Stewart, OSB, the 2019 Jeffereson Lecturer

“Established by the NEH in 1972, the lectureship is the highest honor bestowed by the federal government for...”

  • Joe Rogers
May 1, 2017

Festschrift for Getatchew Haile

“In recognition of the career and work of Dr. Getatchew Haile, FBA, a festschrift was...”

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Artistic Director and Scribe of The Saint John's Bible Receives Apostolic Knighthood
June 16, 2016

Artistic Director and Scribe of The Saint John's Bible Receives Apostolic Knighthood

“Donald Jackson received one of the highest honors bestowed upon laypeople by the Vatican.”

New Curator Hired for HMML's Malta Study Center
April 23, 2014

New Curator Hired for HMML's Malta Study Center

“Dr. Daniel Gullo has been named the Joseph S. Micallef Curator of the Malta Study Center.”

Council of the British Academy Bestows Edward Ullendorff Medal Upon Getatchew Haile
July 22, 2013

Council of the British Academy Bestows Edward Ullendorff Medal Upon Getatchew Haile

“The Council of the British Academy has bestowed the Edward Ullendorff Medal upon Dr. Getatchew Haile.”

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