Marquis Who's Who Millennium Magazine

416 MILLENNIUM R alph E. Whittington has devoted his career to the preservation of historical artifacts. As a deck attendant, searcher librarian, materials locator and curator of the Main Reading Room at the Library of Congress, Mr. Whittington realized the importance of preserving collections and how they might be of greater importance in the future. During his tenure at the library, he noticed that they did not keep erotica or pornography and decided to take matters in his own hands. His selection process consisted of bringing 8 mm films to parties where people would ask countless questions about his collection. If he did not have something that was asked of him, he would diligently go out and find it. From there, he had found his calling. Once he set out on this new venture, the news began to spread, and he was subsequently contacted by Dan Gluck, head of The Museum of Sex, before it was officially established. The top curator in New York City and an erotic literature expert from North Carolina came to view Mr. Whittington’s collection. After their visit, he signed a contract stating that if the museum did not prosper, his collection would be returned. The museum became extremely successful, taking with it Mr. Whittington’s collection. It took three 16-foot U-haul trucks, two years and three trips to move all of the artifacts to the museum, which received 848 boxes containing 9,750 videos, magazines, 8 mm tapes, and other pornographic artifacts. Each item was digitally photographed and placed into five spiral-bound notebooks totaling 2,145 pages and weighing 13 pounds. Mr. Whittington is currently working with the Institute for Advanced Study of Human Sexuality in California, which awarded him an honorary doctorate in 2012. He gave a lecture to the graduating class. Ralph E. Whittington Consultant Museum of Sex