Levi Strauss & Co. (CA) (Images of America)
Title: Levi Strauss historian speaks at Museum Monday  Publisher: Wickenburg Sun Author: Staff Writer  Date: 11/20/2008  The first corporate historian hired for Levi Strauss & Co. will speak at the Desert Caballeros Western Museum Monday (Nov. 24) at 5 p.m. Lynn Downey was hired as the first historian for Levi & Strauss Co. in 1989, after receiving her master's degree in library and information science from the University of California, Berkeley, specializing in archives administration. Downey manages the Levi & Strauss Corporate Archives in San Francisco, which includes clothing, marketing materials, photographs and artifacts. One archival item in particular will be of interest to Wickenburg residents: a pair of Levi's jeans purchased by a miner named Homer Campbell at Brayton's Commercial Co. in Wickenburg in 1917. The fascinating story of how this pair of jeans found its way to the Levi Strauss & Co. archives will be revealed in her lecture this Monday. Downey has published a number of books, articles and book reviews on historical subjects, including This is a Pair of Levi's¨ Jeans (1995), and Levi Strauss & Co., a corporate history for Arcadia Publishing's Images of America series (2007). Her next project is a biography of company founder Levi Strauss. Downey is the media spokesperson for company history and has appeared on numerous global television shows, including The Oprah Winfrey Show and Today. She frequently goes on press tours with vintage products for fashion journalists. She is also a regular speaker at the Fashion Institute for Design and Merchandising and the California College of the Arts in San Francisco. Downey's presentation begins at 5 p.m. at the Desert Caballeros Western Museum and is free to the public. --Wickenburg Sun