Woman Surprised to Find Love Note to Her Family in Old State House Exhibit

On July 13, 2022

An impromptu visit this month to the Old State House Museum in Hartford, Connecticut gave Dr. Petulia (Sarah) Blake a very emotional surprise: a love note to her family included in an exhibit about immigration.

Dr. Blake knew that her family was featured in the exhibit in the early 2000’s, but had not seen the included note that she had written to her family while she was at basic training in the 1990s. Blake’s family is the only Jamaican family featured in the exhibit, and the photos chronicle both their preparation to leave Jamaica in the 90’s and their re-settlement in Connecticut.

Dr. Blake was born in Jamaica in 1974, and her parents, Evadney and Leostine Blake, emigrated to Connecticut with their 10 children in 1990. By 1995, the group had relocated from New Haven to Hartford where they bought a home.

An album in the exhibit called “Record of Love” features a message Dr. Blake wrote to her brothers, sisters, and parents from basic training in Fort Jackson, South Carolina. She wrote, in part, “To my beautiful family… with all my love.”

Today, Dr. Blake conducts research on corporate social responsibility and environmental sustainability leadership. She graduated from the Ph.D. in Technology Management Program at Indiana State University, specializing in human resource development and training. She earned a Master’s degree in Industrial Management in 2001 from Central Connecticut State University. In 1998, she received a bachelor’s degree from Bates College in American cultural studies and Spanish. Dr. Blake has traveled to over 30 countries and enjoys creative writing, hiking, and swimming.