Jack W. Larkin

Jack Larkin, an accomplished scholar, educator, and public historian, died on March 29, 2013.He earned an A.B. degree from Harvard University in 1965 and an M.A. in American studies from Brandeis University in 1969. Most of his professional career was spent at Old Sturbridge Village, where he began in 1971 as assistant director of museum education. Over the next thirty-eight years, he served in many capacities for the Village, including acting director of museum education, researcher, director of research collections and library, and chief historian. Upon his retirement in 2009 he became chief historian emeritus. Outside of the Village, he was an affiliate professor of history at Clark University from 2004 until his death and could often be found at AAS doing research (he was granted a National Endowment for the Humanities long-term fellowship for the 2011- 2012 academic year) or acting as lead historian for several of the Society’s professional development workshops for K-12 educators. Most of his scholarly research focused on everyday life in early America. His 1988 book, The Reshaping of Everyday Life, 1790-1840, was a distinguished finalist for the P.E.N./Martha Albrand Award for nonfiction. Among his most recent work were the co-edited A Place in My Chronicle: A New Edition of the Diary of Christopher Columbus Baldwin, 1829-1835, published by the Society, and research on the famous cartoonist David Claypoole Johnston, for which he held his fellowship at AAS. Awards for his work included the President’s Award from Old Sturbridge Village in 1996 and the Kidger Award for outstanding teaching and scholarship from the New England History Teachers Association in 1999. Jack Larkin was also an active member of his local community. He was a member of the choir at Second Congregational Church in Palmer, Mass., and in the past had been a choir member, deacon, chair of the board of trustees, and member of the Finance and Stewardship Committees at the United Church of Ware (Mass.). He took part in the Warren (Mass.) Community Theater, playing the role of Max in The Sound of Music, and was a member of the Warren Library board and the Warren Thief Detecting Society.