ANN E. HANSON
Youtie in 1934 onward she was a tireless worker in Michigan's papyrology collections, and her bibliography shows the fruit of one aspect of her constant labors. Her scholarship was meticulous and
deep, yet without affectation or needless verbiage. She gracefully
blended practicality with a fine sense of humor, clearly rejoicing in
the life of the mind she shared with her husband and all those who
spent time in the various areas of the library in which Michigan
papyri were housed in the early years. Once special quarters were
prepared for the collection on the eighth floor of Hatcher Graduate
Library, the Youties spent most of their days in Room 807, absenting themselves only occasionally for working visits to London and
Oxford, Brussels, and Cologne. From the front windows of their
apartment on East University they could also see the eighth floor of
Hatcher, and at night would glance over from home to see if the
lights were still burning in Room 807. Many of us have the warmest
memories of Louise, beginning with our days as students, for she
was also indefatigable in the efforts she expended for others: verifying readings on the papyrus for all who asked, reading transcripts, securing photographs, and xeroxing materials available
only in 807. She was a particularly skillful reader of documentary
hands, with a keen and accurate eye and a meticlulous concern that
every detail of a publication be correct.
Louise not only kept the secret of Collectanea Papyrologica.
Texts Published in Honor of H.C. Youtie, but also contributed editions of 24 mummy labels from the Michigan collection to that publication of 1975-6 (P.Coll.Youtie 97-120). After Herbert's death in
February 1980, she continued to publish vigorously, and was an active participant in the uniting of her five-part publication of "The
Michigan Medical Codex" in Zeitschrift fir Papyrologie und Epigraphik 65-70 (1986-7) into the monograph The Michigan Medical
Codex, which appeared in 1996. She also read early versions of
what became chapters three and six in J. Rowlandson (ed.), Women
& Society in Greek & Roman Egypt (Cambridge 1998), catching a
number of mistakes and making useful suggestions at many points.
It was only in the last years that Louise's vigorous involvement
with papyri, both documents and those of medical content, grew
gradually less. With her death, papyrologists and papyrology itself
have lost a steadfast and caring friend.
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