This lizard-shaped brooch is a gentle reminder for Donna Davis-Norris and her three daughters about the value of education. She grew up in an impoverished area of Kentucky where both of her parents were high school dropouts. They regretted that daily, in turn preaching about the importance of education to their six children and encouraging them to go to college. Donna’s parents later divorced, and then the family lost a lot of their belongings in a house fire. One of the few items she managed to salvage was her mother’s brooch. When she wears it, she remembers her mother’s voice, urging her to never give up and complete her education.
Listen to Donna Davis-Norris in her own words:
This item is part of the “Legacy” section of the Artifacts of Experience exhibition designed by University of Cincinnati students in the “Introduction to Public History” course in 2023.
We encourage you to explore the other objects in our collection.
Transcript
Sydney Tompkins [ST]: Why did you choose the lizard brooch as your object?
Donna Davis-Norris [DDN]: Because it’s one of the few objects that I have. That is really sentimental to me. It was kind of my encourager or my motivator to go to school. And it was a constant reminder of what my mother taught us that education was the most important thing in the world.
[ST]: Awesome. And what does it mean to you besides what you just told me?
[DDN]: Well, the brooch is very special to me, which is why I have gifted it to your mother. Because she loved my mom. And it’s special. It’s just a constant reminder of my mother. It’s one of the very few things I have of hers because we had a house fire. We had divorces and I have nothing from my childhood, except that one little brooch of hers and so it was very special.
[ST]: And what is your favorite memory of the brooch?
[DDN]: The brooch? I’m wearing it at my college graduation because my mother had already died. And so I had it on my lapel.
[ST]: Awesome, thank you