Showing 191 - 200 of 5709 Items
Date: 2019-11-10
Creator: Robert Johnson
Access: Open access
- Robert Johnson, Class of 1971, talks about his first visit to Bowdoin in 1967 with a friend, and being involved with BUCRO, the Bowdoin Undergraduate Civil Rights Organization. There, he met Virgil Logan, president of BUCRO and an instrumental face on campus and in the Bowdoin African American Society. Johnson details how Afam came about after the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr out of a desire to form community. Johnson then became the first President of the AfroAm at Bowdoin College. Johnson talks about how critical AfAm was for him and fellow black students isolated from their respective communities and drove black students to organize, and change racist systems. He shares stories of activism and resistance carried out on campus, specifically one where the black students on campus went silent and marched across campus to protest the lack of action on part of the Bowdoin administration as far as ensuring racial diversity in future classes. He also talks about racial incidents at Bowdoin and how Bowdoin shaped him in the years during and after graduation.
Date: 2019-11-09
Creator: DeRay Mckesson
Access: Open access
- DeRay Mckesson ’08 was a two-time president of Bowdoin Student Government, and instituted many of the programming and policies that are in place today. Mckesson shares how during his tenure he transferred several powers of the presidency onto the Executive Committee. He tasked this body with selecting members for BSG’s General Assembly but also with selecting students for institutional committees. Mckesson reaffirms his belief in the Bowdoin community, which he considers unique for its collection of highly capable individuals who believe in the bigness of the world. He discusses how he strove always to imagine new ways to serve the community and built meaningful relationships with faculty, staff, and students.
Date: 2018-06-01
Creator: Edward Koch
Access: Open access
- Edward Koch (Class of 1958) discusses the story behind his admittance to Bowdoin, his adjustment from a Minnesota upbringing, and his favorite memories. He describes his involvement in the hockey team and Glee Club. He also describes his involvement with the Alpha Delta Phi fraternity, recounting hazing stories from his time as a pledge. He speaks of his friendship and tennis rivalry with future-College president Roger Howell, Jr. Koch reflects upon his sociology major and finance career, and gives advice to current and future students about designating an area of study.
Date: 2018-06-02
Creator: Paul Todd
Access: Open access
- In this interview, Paul Todd (Class of 1958) recounts how his upbringing in Brewer, Maine, contributed to his decision to enroll at Bowdoin, as well as the College’s influence on his interest and eventual career in physics. He discusses his experience with a 5-year Bowdoin/MIT program, comparing both schools, and identifies the adjustments he made in transitioning to each. Todd tells a hazing story from his time as an Alpha Delta Phi pledge and describes the various social events hosted by the fraternity. He speaks of interactions with close friend and classmate Roger Howell, Jr., as well as anecdotes about some of his favorite professors: William Root, Charles Livingston, and Roy LaCasce. He also touches upon other aspects of campus life, mentioning the Alpha Rho Upsilon fraternity, his time as a violinist with the Brunswick Choral Society, and his involvements with the track and debate teams.
Date: 2019-06-01
Creator: Richard Lustig
Access: Open access
- Richard “Rich” Lustig (Class of 1974) shares how his childhood vacations in Maine led him to Bowdoin. He speaks about the serendipitous nature of making friends and the enjoyable times he spent playing music with friends. Reminiscing on a study-away experience at St. Andrews University in Scotland, which turned into an independent study on early music, Lustig speaks about how Bowdoin allowed him to pursue a wide and varied array of passions. He describes directing a play through Masque and Gown. He also describes how he ended up joining Alpha Delta Phi, despite a general distaste for fraternity life. Additionally, Lustig reflects on the drinking culture and the lack of socioeconomic and racial diversity at the College.
Date: 2019-05-31
Creator: Maura Allen, Laurel Mast
Access: Open access
- Maura Allen (Class of 2014) and Laurel Mast (Class of 2014) describe the transition to Bowdoin and meeting each other on the rugby team. Mast talks about taking extra courses many semesters, participating in plays, and being an avid sports fan. Allen speaks about being a year-round athlete, a facilitator for V-Space, and living in Quinby House. The pair discuss their love for the state of Maine but acknowledge the unique challenges that come from being so far from their homes in Colorado and Oregon. Allen and Mast also reflect on the burgeoning discussions surrounding cultural appropriation and hookup culture on campus.
Date: 2019-06-01
Creator: Michael Jeng
Access: Open access
- Michael Jeng (Class of 1989) describes living in Winthrop Hall and building lifelong friendships with his roommates. He speaks about challenging himself to take classes outside of his Biology and Philosophy majors. He discusses various on-campus jobs, like selling ads for the Orient, and extracurricular activities such as playing squash and tennis. Jeng remembers organizing a 10k run for Bowdoin students against apartheid in support of divestment from South Africa and attending pro-choice rallies in Washington, D.C. He reminisces on volunteering for a variety of organizations, mentioning the Big Brother Little Brother Program. Jeng also reflects on learning more about himself while at Bowdoin, including exploring his sexuality, leading a balanced life, and interacting with people from all walks of life.
Date: 2019-06-01
Creator: Frank Skornia
Access: Open access
- Frank Skornia (Class of 2004) describes how he found his way to Bowdoin, including a Class of 1968 alumnus who mentored him. He discusses pre-Orientation trips and settling in to Hyde Hall. He reminisces about his deep involvement in the technical side of theater, including working for both the Theater department and Masque and Gown, and innovating ways of utilizing the new Wish Theater. Skornia speaks about taking advantage of the wide range of courses and the support of faculty advisors and mentors, and talks about his decision to spend a year abroad at the University of York. He discusses the increasing environmentalism and political tensions of the time, and the atmosphere and feelings on campus surrounding the September 11 Terrorist Attacks.
Date: 2008-07-29
Creator: Robert 'Larry' L Benoit
Access: Open access
Biographial Note
Robert Laurent “Larry” Benoit was born on August 20, 1948, to Robert Barry Benoit and Inez Frances Benoit. He grew up in the Portland, Maine, area, attended Cape Elizabeth High School, and entered the University of Southern Maine, where he concentrated in U.S. history and received a B.S. in education in 1970. He was a self-taught mechanic but became involved in politics at a young age, running for a vacant seat in the House of Representatives while still in college. After graduating, he took time off to travel and visit family and was then approached in 1971 to work in New Hampshire on Senator Muskie's presidential campaign. Benoit also worked on the reelection campaign of Peter N. Kyros, Sr., a U.S. congressman from Maine’s First Congressional District. He was on the staff as a caseworker until Kyros lost his seat in 1974 to David Emery. In 1980, when George Mitchell was appointed to Senator Muskie’s vacated U.S. Senate seat, Benoit was hired as a senior field representative for Maine. He later served as sergeant-at-arms of the U.S. Senate.
Summary
Interview includes discussions of: position with the Maine Democratic Party; work on Muskie’s 1968 vice presidential campaign; running field operations; working for Peter Kyros on the congressional reelection campaign, and later work as a caseworker on his congressional staff in Portland, Maine; establishing the Portland state Senate office; as campaign manager of Mitchell’s U.S. Senate campaign (1982); Mitchell’s U.S. Senate campaign (1988); Jasper Wyman; David Emery; Iran-Contra; work in the Capitol Building in Washington, DC; Senate security; and the intelligence and intellectual energy of Senator Mitchell.
Date: 2009-07-13
Creator: J Bennett Johnston
Access: Open access
Biographial Note
Bennett Johnston was born June 10, 1932, in Shreveport, Louisiana. He was graduated from West Point United States Military Academy and served in the Judge Advocate Corps in Germany between 1956 and 1959. He won a seat in the Louisiana House of Representatives in 1964 and in the state Senate in 1968. In 1971, he ran for governor of Louisiana but was defeated in the runoff election. When the U.S Senate seat came up for election in 1972, he ran as a Democrat and won, receiving 54% of the vote, and he was continuously reelected to the Senate until retiring in 1997. He sought the role of majority leader in 1989 but lost to Mitchell. In 1997, he was inducted into the Louisiana Political Museum and Hall of Fame. Since leaving the Senate, he has been a lobbyist in Washington, DC. At the time of this interview, he was serving as a government affairs and public policy advisor for Steptoe & Johnson and for his firm Johnston & Associates.
Summary
Interview includes discussion of: coming into the Senate in 1972 and the campaign; the Senate becoming partisan; the Democratic Party in the South; partisanship and changes in the Senate; becoming chairman of the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee; disappointments with Carter; the surprise of the 1980 election; the race against Mitchell for majority leader and Mitchell’s victory; Mitchell’s leadership and link to the White House; factions within the Democratic Party; the DG-51 Destroyer Maine-versus-Louisiana issue; the ’91 and ’92 energy bills; the BTU tax; reasons for leaving the Senate; and reflections on Mitchell.