(Above: postcard of Indianapolis, looking west along Market Street, contributed by Edward Fujawa)
Indianapolis attorney and Luddy Indianapolis (2022) alumnus Edward Fujawa has had a long-time personal interest in history. As a hobby, he started his blog, Class900: Indianapolis, chronicling the landmarks and landscapes of the Circle City. That endeavor led him to pursue a master’s degree focused on archive management. And eventually prompted him to write his recently published book, Vanished Indianapolis.
Fujawa chose Luddy Indianapolis for its online Master of Library and Information Science (MLIS) degree option, which allowed him to continue working in his present career while taking classes. He was able to customize his degree with the addition of a new specialization in Archives Management.
“I have been practicing law since 2007, with a focus on medical malpractice defense litigation. I decided to explore a master’s in library science for two reasons: First, to help with a side hobby of historical research. I wrote an Indianapolis history blog and felt that a degree in library science would help me understand the nature and operations of archives, and to help hone my research skills and use of archival collections,” Fujawa said.
Andrea Copeland, chair of the Department of Library and Information Science, said, “Edward’s book is a unique contribution to the study of the history of our city and I’m thrilled that our program and its archives management specialization was part of his journey while working on Vanished Indianapolis.”
The idea for a book on local history came about as his blog gained popularity and he was approached by a publisher. Fujawa said he quickly realized the level of organization needed to research and write a book. “When I originally started, I had hard copy files and electronic files for each chapter and things began to get a little out of hand. I began to scan in anything hard copy so that it was all in one place and easily accessible.”
Writing the book was an opportunity to delve into topics Fujawa had long been interested in researching.
“I live near Butler University, which used to be the site of a large park called Fairview Park. I had known bits and pieces of the park’s history prior to its purchase by Butler and had intended at some point to do a deep dive into exploring and researching that history. The book served as a catalyst for me to do that, and is one of my favorite chapters,” he said.
This past November, Fujawa was honored by the Indiana Historical Society with the Hubert Hawkins local history award, for his “distinguished service and career in local history.”
He also partnered with the IU Indianapolis University Library on an event to celebrate their digital photo collection of buildings constructed by the city’s oldest builder, Jungclaus-Campbell.
Fujawa said he plans more history posts on his blog and has a long list of Indianapolis history topics yet to research. “But for now, I will continue to practice law. I’m hoping additional book opportunities will arise in the next couple of years, and am currently working on a new manuscript, although a publisher has not been lined up yet. And perhaps once I reach a certain point in my legal career, I will be able to step back and focus on my history research and writing, and perhaps some archival projects.”
Media Contact
Joanne Lovrinic
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