Meet Otis

A brave, little, history loving squirrel who lives on the grounds of Spiegel Grove. He loves to follow school tours about the grounds, soaking up whatever history he can from the tour guides. Perhaps, you will meet him some day. Bring a bag of peanuts. I hear he is quite fond of them.

Once upon a time, I had the immense privilege of working at the Rutherford B. Hayes Presidential Library & Museums. It was my favorite job. Ever. In fact, you could hardly consider it a job. It felt like a hobby. I kept a scrapbook. Who keeps a scrapbook of their job? Me. I did.

I got to hold presidential history in my hands. I repaired buttons on a WWI nurse uniform. I stood in the White House with descendants of the president. I read the words of Lucy Hayes, dressed in period clothing, on the verandah of her home. I walked the grounds daily that are steeped in American history. I got to do daily what only a handful of people in the country ever get to do. And I absolutely loved it.

My adventures look different now. They have blond hair and blue eyes.

One day, while reminiscing about my time at HPLM, Otis’ story came to me in a flash. I had not been imagining a time traveling squirrel but, suddenly, I had one running around in my head! He is a nod to everything I hold dear about the grounds of Spiegel Grove, the buildings and the staff that roam its halls. My time there was precious to me. I’m so excited to be connected to the grove again, through the pages of my book.