My Kauppis Memory: ‘Organising the photo archive proved to be excellent orientation’

I started working at the communications unit of the Helsinki School of Economics (now the School of Business) in November 2001. At the beginning of the following year, I was given the task of organising the photo archive, which included the identification of people in the pictures. The photographs had been catalogued earlier, but a disconcertingly large number of people had been left unidentified.

Fedi Vaivio, Eero Larmola, and Kullervo Myllyrinne came to identify people in the pictures. Fedi Vaivio had a long career behind him at the school as a professor, Rector, and most recently, as Chancellor. Eero Larmola had worked as a researcher and teacher of data processing, and he had an astoundingly good memory. He remembered the titles, work tasks, and dates from the different stages of their careers. Kullervo Myllyrinne, the head of the school's photo unit, had served as photographer at many events. In the winter and spring, we met once a month, and the assignment provided an excellent orientation to the history of the school and the persons who had been influential there.

Dealing with the photo archive stayed with me throughout my years at work until the move to Otaniemi when the photo archive became part of the archive of Aalto University. I have often searched for suitable historic photos for various uses such as a video and a history book to mark the 100th anniversary of the School of Business, and for the materials of the Ceremonial Conferments.

Satu Holm
Team Assistant for External Relations

#kauppis110

In 2021, we ask former and current members of the School of Business community (especially faculty and staff) to share their memories of the school. These memories will comprise the ‘My Kauppis Memory’ series of stories.