Showing 351 - 400 of 434 Items

Date: 2009-02-27

Creator: Kent Conrad

Access: Open access

Biographial Note

Kent Conrad was born on March 12, 1948, in Bismarck, North Dakota, to Abigail and Gaylord Conrad. After graduating from Phillips Exeter Academy in 1966, he attended Stanford University; he later received an MBA from George Washington University. After college, Conrad became an assistant to the North Dakota tax commissioner. He became tax commissioner in 1980, a job he held until 1986, when he successfully ran for the Senate as a Democrat representing North Dakota, when George Mitchell was chair of the DSCC. In 1992, he chose not run for reelection because of a campaign promise he made that he would not run for reelection if the budget deficit had not fallen by the end of his first term. However, the other North Dakota Senate seat became vacant and Conrad won a special election to fill that vacancy in December of 1992. At the time of this interview he was still in the Senate, serving on the Finance Committee, the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry, the Joint Committee on Taxation, the Committee on Indian Affairs, and as chairman of the Budget Committee.

Summary

Interview includes discussions of: the Muskie presidential campaign; Conrad’s Senate campaign of 1986; Mitchell as chair of the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee and his decision to give the maximum possible support to Conrad; the Clean Air Act; North Dakota’s interest as a coal state and the difficulties that posed for Conrad when Mitchell wanted him to get behind the Clean Air Act; Mitchell’s leadership qualities such as patience and determination; Mitchell’s role in balancing the budget under the Clinton administration; Mitchell’s skill in questioning witnesses; Mitchell’s sense of humor and how that served him well as a senator; Conrad’s recommendation to then Senator Obama regarding the importance of reaching out to Mitchell; and the prospects for Mitchell in his new post as special envoy to the Middle East.

Date: 2009-10-28

Creator: David F Durenberger

Access: Open access

Biographial Note

David F. Durenberger was born August 19, 1934, in St. Cloud, Minnesota. He attended St. John’s University and the University of Minnesota Law School, graduating in 1959. Beginning in 1966, he was chief of staff to Minnesota Governor Harold LeVander. In 1978, he won a special election to finish the unexpired term of Senator Hubert Humphrey, was reelected twice, and held the seat until 1995. He served as chairman on the Select Committee on Intelligence, was vice chair of the Pepper Commission, and had a special interest in issues involving health care. At the time of this interview, he was a health policy fellow at the University of St. Thomas, and he sat on the advisory board for Energy Literacy Advocates.

Summary

Interview includes discussion of: the Republican influx to legislature in 1980; first impressions of Mitchell and how Mitchell differed from Muskie; Mitchell as a colleague on committees; Iran-Contra; observations on Mitchell’s staff; reactions to Mitchell’s being elected majority leader; Clear Air Act; Mitchell’s ability to build consensus; Voting Rights Act; Mitchell’s reputation with the Republican Caucus; Warren Rudman; health care; the mainstream group on the Clinton health plan; Mitchell as a centrist on health care; Dole on Clinton’s plan; the future of political parties; and Mitchell’s legacy.

Date: 2008-09-23

Creator: Janet M Dennis

Access: Open access

Biographial Note

Janet Mary Dennis was born on September 5, 1945, in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, to Clemenza Rowlandson Sullivan and William Aloysius Sullivan. Her father was a postal inspector and her mother was a parochial schoolteacher. Janet grew up in Waterville, Maine, and was the youngest of five children. She attended Thomas College. In May of 1965, she spent a year as Senator Muskie’s secretary in Washington, D.C., and then became the office manager in Muskie’s Waterville and Augusta state Senate offices. She also did work for the Senate Public Works Committee on the Subcommittee on Air and Water Pollution under Leon Billings until May of 1970. She worked with George Mitchell on Muskie’s 1970 U.S. Senate reelection campaign. In 1980, when Mitchell was appointed to Muskie’s Senate seat, she remained on staff working in the Waterville state Senate office. Janet’s sister graduated in the same high school class as George Mitchell’s sister, Barbara.

Summary

Interview includes discussions of: family and educational background; Waterville community; working for Muskie and Mitchell; Mitchell’s personality and intellectual capacity; comparison between Mitchell and Muskie; Muskie’s 1972 presidential campaign; Mitchell’s Waterville office; Muskie’s 1970 Senate campaign; and Colby College.

Date: 2008-07-14

Creator: Barbara M Atkins, Janet F Mitchell

Access: Open access

Biographial Note

Barbara (Mitchell) Atkins was born in July, 1935, in Waterville, Maine. She grew up with four older brothers: John, Paul, Robert, and George Mitchell (Sr.). Her mother, Mintaha, was a weaver in the woolen mills in Waterville, and her father, George, Sr., was with the Central Maine Power Company and with the Colby College maintenance department. The family practiced the Maronite Roman Catholic rite of Lebanese descent. Her mother was born in Lebanon and immigrated in 1920. Barbara attended St. Joseph’s elementary school, Waterville Junior High School, and Waterville High School, where she played volleyball, basketball, was a cheerleader, a member of the French Club, and edited the yearbook. She earned her degree at the University of Maine, Orono, majoring in sociology. She married Edward L. Atkins, who had a printing and photography business; Barbara managed the office staff for her husband’s business when she wasn’t teaching. Edward Atkins was a devout Democrat, although he came from a Republican family. Janet (Fraser) Mitchell was born December 5, 1931, near Westbrook, Maine. When she was fifteen she and her family moved to Waterville, Maine, where she attended Waterville High School in the same class as George Mitchell. She married Robbie Mitchell, George Mitchell’s older brother. She lives in Waterville.

Summary

Interview includes discussion of: growing up in Waterville; the Lebanese community in Waterville; Barbara attending class with her brother George when they were young; their parents’ interest in the children’s education; Janet Mitchell’s welcome to the Mitchell family; an anecdote about George Mitchell bringing Janet’s mother a Christmas tree; an anecdote about George and Robert Mitchell working together at the Boys Club; Eddie Atkins; an anecdote about George Mitchell practicing at home to read the Epistle as an altar boy; Mitchell family gatherings; Robbie Mitchell; the Mitchell brothers playing cribbage; Mr. and Mrs. Mitchell; Mrs. Mitchell’s baking; the goat milk story; story of George Mitchell giving his brother Robbie a car; George Mitchell’s time doing counter-intelligence work; turning down the Supreme Court judgeship; their aspirations that he would be president; and the good qualities of the people of Maine.

Date: 2009-01-10

Creator: Sharon A Sudbay

Access: Open access

Biographial Note

Sharon Sudbay was born on October 10, 1958, in Portland, Maine, to Rita Madonna Joyce and Charles Clifford Sudbay, Jr. She grew up on Munjoy Hill in Portland and graduated from Portland High School. She attended the University of New Hampshire and worked as a telephone operator throughout her college years; she was graduated with a degree in political science in 1980. She volunteered on Harold Pachios’s 1980 congressional campaign and learned FEC reporting. She worked on Joe Brennan’s 1982 gubernatorial campaign and organized fund raisers. She was hired to work for Mitchell’s 1982 campaign and stayed on after the election to organize town hall meetings and handle casework in Portland; she worked for Mitchell until he retired from the Senate in 1994. She also worked on his 1988 reelection campaign and Governor Brennan’s 1990 reelection campaign. After Senator Mitchell left the Senate, she took a job with Jim Mitchell on his congressional race and later worked in a consulting firm with him.

Summary

Interview includes discussion of: growing up in Portland, Maine, on Munjoy Hill; Sudbay’s Irish family; Portland High School; going to school at the University of New Hampshire and deciding to major in political science; watching the 1972 national conventions; how Sudbay’s grandfather worked the longshore with Joseph Brennan; working as a telephone operator; working on Harold Pachios’s congressional campaign and submitting the campaign’s FEC reports; coordinating fund raisers, including one for Joe Brennan that brought Ted Kennedy up to Maine; working on the 1982 Mitchell campaign handling finances; the office at the corner of Congress and High Street; collecting voter lists from around the state; campaign finance rules; the Brennan people and the Mitchell people; an anecdote about doing visibility with Mike Hastings and Bill Anderson; going to Senator Mitchell’s swearing-in; handling casework for Mitchell in Portland; her mother’s reaction to Sudbay’s decision to work on Mitchell’s campaign; the hearings in Maine on Social Security; working for Jim Mitchell’s congressional primary campaign and working with him at the Public Affairs Group; Sudbay’s consulting firm and her work on bringing natural gas to Maine; her trip to Morocco; Mitchell and Sudbay’s involvement in the Boys and Girls Clubs; Mitchell’s work on the Irish peace accords and the Olympics corruption investigation; an anecdote about driving Mitchell and Muskie to a McDonald’s and their ensuing conversation about Jeffersonian democracy; an anecdote about picking up some groceries for Mitchell and his putting “something chocolate” on the list; Sudbay’s plans to go to President Obama’s inauguration; and President Clinton’s inauguration.

Date: 2008-12-19

Creator: Richard 'Rich' A Arenberg

Access: Open access

Biographial Note

Richard A. “Rich” Arenberg, the son of Bernard and Mary Arenberg, was born on October 16, 1945, in Norwich Connecticut. He was a campus activist during his undergraduate years at Boston University, and worked on some local campaigns, including the campaign of Tom Atkins, the first African American city councilor in Boston. He received a Ph.D. in political science also from Boston University and has a background in survey research. He worked as the issues director for Paul Tsongas’s first congressional campaign in Massachusetts and continued on Tsongas’s congressional and Senate staff until Tsongas retired from the Senate in 1984. At that point he was hired as Senator Mitchell’s chief of staff and was involved with the Congressional Committee Investigating the Iran-Contra Affair. He later collaborated with Senators Mitchell and Cohen to write the book Men of Zeal. At the time of this interview he was working for Senator Carl Levin of Michigan.

Summary

Interview includes discussion of: experiences as a staffer on Capitol Hill; Senator Mitchell’s decision-making style, in particular as compared to Senator Tsongas’s style; the role of a senator’s chief of staff; Democratic leadership positions in the Senate; the advantages of being a senator from a small state; Senator Mitchell’s ascent to the position of majority leader; the Iran-Contra Committee, Oliver North’s testimony, and Senator Mitchell’s questioning; the tension between pursuing justice and the public’s right to know regarding public scandals; collaborating with Senators Mitchell and Cohen on their book Men of Zeal and the two men’s distinct writing styles; the role of the deputy president pro tempore in the Senate; the tension between covert intelligence and democratic values, and the emphasis Mitchell placed on opening those issues up; the “Gang of Eight;” the congressional bunker at the Greenbrier Hotel; and the importance of pursuing solutions over partisan issues and the work Senator Mitchell did in that direction.

Date: 2009-05-08

Creator: Audrey Sheppard

Access: Open access

Biographial Note

Audrey Sheppard was born on July 31, 1948, in Newton-Wellesley, Massachusetts; her mother, Annabel, married Jack Sheppard, Jr., during Audrey’s infancy after the death of Audrey’s father. She attended Syracuse University, where she studied journalism and political science. After graduation, she worked at Brandeis University and then as a paralegal at a Boston law firm. She worked for the McGovern presidential campaign of 1972, spent some time working on Capitol Hill, and then went to Rothstein/Buckley, a political consulting firm. She later started her own political consulting firm that focused on women candidates. Between 1981 and 1987, she served as assistant executive director of the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee (DSCC).

Summary

Interview includes discussion of: family and educational background; working at Rothstein/Buckley and the Muskie reelection campaign; first impressions of Mitchell; Budget Committee work; the changes and similarities between campaigning in 1976 and campaigning now; working at the DSCC for six years; the mission of the DSCC and the strategy that they adopted during Sheppard’s time there; developing both sides of the DSCC’S responsibilities – fund-raising and technical assistance – and the increasing effectiveness of their efforts through the 1986 elections when Senator Mitchell was chair of the Committee; the structure of the DSCC and how appointments were made; relations between the DSCC, the Democratic National Committee (DNC) and the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC); opposition research; fund-raising and the Democratic Senate Leadership Circle; the internal organization of the DSCC and the division of various tasks; candidate recruitment and the recruitment committee that Mitchell helped start and served on; the 1986 election; Mitchell’s leadership style; the Elizabeth Taylor joke; Mitchell’s swearing in new citizens; an anecdote about Ted Kennedy going for a swim before an event on the Maine coast; the degree to which protocol and neatness were important to Mitchell; and Sheppard’s hope that Mitchell would be appointed secretary of state under Clinton.

Date: 2009-12-17

Creator: Anthony 'Tony' W Buxton

Access: Open access

Biographial Note

Anthony “Tony” Wayne Buxton was born in Augusta, Maine, on December 19, 1946, and grew up in Readfield, Maine. His father, Wayne Wilson Buxton, an artist and writer, and his mother, Margaret (Murray) Buxton, an artist and teacher, both came from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Tony attended Bowdoin College, being graduated in 1968, then served in the Army from 1968-1970. He received his law degree from Franklin Pierce Law Center in 1978 and began working for the firm Preti, Flaherty, Beliveau & Pachios in 1980. He co-founded the Energy Law Institute. Tony has served on both the Democratic State Committee and the Democratic Party as treasurer and chair. He was heavily involved in several of George Mitchell's political campaigns in 1974, 1982, and 1988.

Summary

Interview includes discussion of: Buxton’s first impressions of Mitchell; Mitchell's run for chair of the Democratic National Committee; Mitchell’s 1974 Maine gubernatorial campaign and the dynamics; Mitchell’s comments on Nixon’s pardon; Mitchell’s 1980 appointment to the U.S. Senate; Mitchell’s relationship with Ken Curtis in 1980; Mitchell's kitchen cabinet 1980-88; Social Security issue; Buxton’s role while Mitchell was in the Senate; Mitchell’s staff; Mitchell and fund-raising; Mitchell’s leadership capacity as Senate majority leader; Donny Peters; Marshall Stern; Judge Ed Stern and Red Sox games; Mitchell’s law practice after retiring from the Senate; Mitchell’s legacy in Maine; and partisanship in Maine.

Date: 2008-08-22

Creator: Seth W Brewster

Access: Open access

Biographial Note

Seth Brewster was born on January 8, 1960, in Worcester, Massachusetts, and grew up in Manchester, Maine, where his father worked for Central Maine Power. He attended local public school until his junior year of high school, when he transferred to Deerfield Academy. He was graduated from Dartmouth College in 1982 with a double major in engineering sciences and economics. After college he worked for Arthur Andersen Consulting, based in New York City. He attended law school in Boston and took the bar exam in Massachusetts and Maine. In 1991, he pursued an opportunity to work for Senator Mitchell in Washington, D.C. as a trade legislative aide. He remained in that position until Mitchell decided not to seek reelection in 1994. In early 1995, he joined Verrill Dana, a law firm in Portland, Maine, where he remained at the time of this interview.

Summary

Interview includes discussions of: Kent’s Hill School; Deerfield Academy; Dartmouth College and Dartmouth culture; the modern pentathlon; Arthur Andersen Consulting; clerkship for Judge William G. Young; the Levasseur case; the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) and the Uruguay round of the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade; Senator Mitchell’s role in passing the NAFTA as majority leader; the responsibilities of a trade legislative aide; Mitchell’s decision to resign from the Senate; commercial and anti-trust litigation in Maine and how that ties in with Brewster’s work on the Hill; and an anecdote about being introduced to President Clinton by Senator Mitchell.

Date: 2008-03-06

Creator: Colleen Quint

Access: Open access

Biographial Note

Colleen Quint was born on September 22, 1963. She grew up in Portland, Maine, attended Deering High School, and Bates College, graduating in 1985. She first met Senator Mitchell in the fall of 1985 while working as an intern in his Washington, D.C. office. She worked at the Christian Science Monitor for three years as editor for Western Europe and Great Britain, then returned to Maine for law school and practiced law for ten years. She is married to Bill Hiss, who was involved in the founding of the Mitchell Institute. At the time of this interview she was executive director of the Mitchell Institute.

Summary

Interview includes discussion of: family and educational background; growing up in Portland, Maine; working as an intern in Senator Mitchell’s office in Washington D.C.; Samantha Smith legislation; working for the Christian Science Monitor; clerkship with Thomas Delahanty; Attorney General’s Office legal work; Bowdoin College fraternity policies; Americans with Disabilities Act [ADA]; the creation of the Mitchell Institute; running into George Mitchell at the airport and his great memory; the environment that many Mitchell Scholars come from; and the development of the Mitchell Institute.

Date: 2008-11-21

Creator: Christine G Williams

Access: Open access

Biographial Note

Christine G. Williams was born January 20, 1952, in Boston, Massachusetts, to Adelaide and Donald Williams, a Methodist minister. She earned a degree in history from Boston University. As a VISTA volunteer she taught on the Rosebud reservation in South Dakota before returning to New England to teach at Brunswick High School in Brunswick, Maine, for the 1975-1976 school year. Subsequently, after teaching in New Hampshire for four years, she was hired by George Mitchell’s U.S. Senate office in 1982 and worked there until 1994, focusing on health care issues in the latter years. She later went to work for the Agency for Health Care Research and Quality.

Summary

Interview includes discussion of: teaching social studies; working for Senator Mitchell; changes when Mitchell became chair of the Health Subcommittee of the Finance Committee; Robert Wood Johnson Fellows and staff in Mitchell’s office; involvement in Health Care Reform and the bill they wrote; changes when Mitchell became Senate majority leader; Clinton’s election and what could have been done better for health reform; the task force on the Clinton health reform bill; work on health care legislation and how the bill was finally defeated; other health legislation; the question of bipartisanship; her wedding; Mitchell’s retirement; appreciation and understanding of Maine people, Maine’s health care; ambience of Mitchell’s office and what it was like working there; Mitchell’s temperament, professionalism, and personality; Mitchell’s contributions to the Senate and leadership; Mitchell’s election to majority leader; involvement with the Mitchell Institute scholarship program; Mitchell and long term care; and federal recognition for the Micmacs.

Date: 2014-11-17

Creator: Barbara Kates, Stephanie Bailey, Maria Girouard, Arla Patch, Wenona Lola, Esther Attean

Access: Open access

Date: 2014-11-13

Creator: Adele Moore, Stephanie Bailey, Garry Moore, Lynn Mitchell

Access: Open access

Date: 2010-05-04

Creator: Barbara A Mikulski

Access: Open access

Biographial Note

Barbara Ann Mikulski was born on July 20, 1936, and grew up in the Highlandtown neighborhood of East Baltimore, Maryland. She attended Mount Saint Agnes College and received her M.S.W. from the University of Maryland School of Social Work. She became a social worker, community organizer, and Baltimore city councilor, and she made an unsuccessful bid for the U.S. Senate in 1974 before winning election to the U.S. House of Representatives in 1976. After serving in the House for ten years, she ran for the U.S. Senate in 1986, becoming the first elected woman Democratic U.S. senator. She has won numerous re-elections and continued to serve in the Senate as its longest-serving female senator at the time of this interview.

Summary

Interview includes discussion of: Mikulski’s run for the Senate in 1986 and Mitchell’s DSCC role in supporting her campaign; Mitchell dancing with Mikulski at a fund raiser; Mikulski’s reception in the Senate as a female senator; Mikulski-Mitchell ‘spousal impoverishment’ amendment; committee assignments during Mikulski’s first term; women in Congress; DSCC Women’s Senate Network; women’s issues worth legislating and fighting for in the Senate; Mitchell’s qualities as a leader; common constituent interests among ‘coastal senators;’ NAFTA; how Mitchell related to women; Mikulski’s reaction to Mitchell’s retirement from the Senate; Mitchell’s legacy as Senate leader.

Date: 2009-09-29

Creator: Daniel 'Dan' E Wathen

Access: Open access

Biographial Note

Daniel E. "Dan" Wathen was born November 4, 1939, in Easton, Maine, to Wilda (Persis) and Joseph Jackson Wathen. He was graduated from Easton High School and Ricker College in Houlton, Maine (1962), the University of Maine School of Law (1965), and the University of Virginia School of Law (1988). He was appointed to the Maine Superior Court by Governor James B. Longley and served there for four years. He was then appointed justice to the Maine Supreme Judicial Court by Governor John McKernan. He served as justice for ten years, then chief justice for ten more years. Justice Wathen retired from the bench in 2001 and subsequently joined Pierce-Atwood law firm in Portland, Maine.

Summary

Interview includes discussion of: Dan Wathen’s legal career; practicing law in Augusta; becoming acquainted with George Mitchell through his practice in Maine; his parents’ recollections of George Mitchell; first impression upon meeting Mitchell; Freddy Vahlsing and sugar beet project; Mitchell’s 1974 gubernatorial campaign against James B. Longley; Wathen’s inspiration to be a judge; Mitchell’s judicial temperament; Mitchell’s diplomatic role; and the Mitchell Institute.

Date: 2010-03-18

Creator: Patrick J Leahy

Access: Open access

Biographial Note

Patrick Joseph Leahy was born in Montpelier, Vermont, on March 31, 1940. He was graduated from Saint Michael’s College in 1961 and Georgetown Law in 1964. Beginning in 1966, he was elected to four consecutive terms as Vermont state’s attorney in Chittenden County. At the age of 34, he became the youngest U.S. senator ever elected by Vermont, and he is the only elected Democrat from Vermont ever to serve in the U.S. Senate. During the 1980s, he was vice chairman of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence and chairman of the Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry Committee. At the time of this interview, he was chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee and a senior member of the Agriculture and Appropriations Committees, ranking second in seniority in the Senate.

Summary

Interview includes discussion of: Mitchell’s arrival in the Senate and his perceived qualities, especially his negotiating skills; Mitchell’s quick rise to Senate leadership; Mitchell’s decision to retire from the Senate; Mitchell’s potential as a Supreme Court justice.

Date: 2009-09-14

Creator: Robert 'Bob' O Lenna

Access: Open access

Biographial Note

Robert Oscar “Bob” Lenna was born in Jamestown, New York, in 1945 to Harry Albert and Babette (Simon) Lenna. He received his undergraduate degree in American studies and his graduate degree in American and New England studies at the University of Southern Maine. In 1970, he worked on the staff of Senator Charles Goodell of New York, then moved to Maine and was hired for a position on George Mitchell’s staff when Mitchell announced his run for U.S. Senate. He later worked for Libby Mitchell.

Summary

Interview includes discussion of: family and educational background; working on Mitchell’s 1974 gubernatorial campaign; Lenna’s motivations to get involved in politics in the 1970s; Lenna’s impressions of why Mitchell lost the 1974 campaign; difference Lenna noticed between Mitchell’s 1974 and 1982 campaigns; Mitchell’s legacy; Mitchell’s reaction to Nixon’s pardon; and Libby Mitchell’s career.

Date: 2010-03-02

Creator: Heather M Mitchell

Access: Open access

Biographial Note

Heather McLachlan Mitchell was born and raised in Montreal, Canada, and lived in Paris, France, for fifteen years. She was assistant to the executive director of the Association of Tennis Professionals and subsequently represented professional male tennis players. She relocated from Paris to New York and in 1993 met George Mitchell at the U.S. Open. The two were married in 1994. She later worked independently coordinating tennis events. Once their children started school, she began working as a literary agent at Gelfman Schneider.

Summary

Interview includes discussion of: connections in Maine when growing up in Quebec; visiting Maine with George Mitchell; visiting Maine with their children; Mitchell’s balance between work and family; Mitchell’s contact with support staff from his Senate days; and Mitchell’s house in D.C.

Date: 2014-12-05

Creator: Eric Mehnert, Rhonda Decontie, Eric Mehnert and Rhonda Decontie

Access: Open access

This series includes audio recordings and related transcript of statements by focus groups convened by the TRC. Session participants include Wabanaki foster and adoptive parents, Wabanaki Health and Wellness, Maine-Wabanaki REACH board members, community organizers, and inmates at the Maine Correctional Center. The discussions focus on native fostering and adoption; reconciliation, justice, and trauma; community organization; and background history. Some statement providers requested anonymity, and in those cases, both the transcripts and recordings have been altered to protect participants' identities.

These personal memories provide a window into the realities of the relationship between Wabanaki people and the state of Maine. As evidenced by the recordings themselves, the process of participating in the group discussions was often an emotional one for participants. Readers should be aware that many of the statements contain challenging and disturbing content. The statements are made available online with the hope that broader access to these important historical records will further our understanding of this difficult past and lead to improved child welfare practices for Wabanaki families.

Bowdoin does not hold copyright for these materials. They are made available for research and educational purposes, and with the permission of the TRC and group participants. For all uses outside of "fair use" (as defined by Title 17, United States Code), including derivation, publication, and reproduction, researchers must secure permission from the copyright holders, typically the group participants.

For More Information

If you have questions or concerns about your statement, or if you need research assistance, please contact the George J. Mitchell Department of Special Collections & Archives at scaref@bowdoin.edu or calling 207.725.3288

Visit the website of Wabanaki REACH to stay up to date on the work to implement the Commission’s recommendations. If you participated in the TRC and need support, or if you wish to contribute to the archive by providing a statement, please contact Wabanaki REACH at 207.615.3189

Please also read Wabanaki REACH's statement of support issued upon the release of the archives.

A related series of Statements by Individuals is also available.

Date: 2014-11-12

Creator: Karen Sabattis, Anonymous, Stephanie Bailey, Jeanie Grant, Molly Socoby, Selina Mitchell-Lola, Katherine Newell

Access: Open access

Date: 2015-02-06

Creator: Elizabeth Neptune

Access: Open access

Date: 2015-03-19

Access: Open access

Date: 2014-09-11

Creator: Paul Thibeault

Access: Open access

Date: 2014-08-05

Creator: Anonymous

Access: Open access

Date: 2014-09-11

Creator: Rebecca Irving

Access: Open access

Date: 2014-10-14

Creator: Anonymous

Access: Open access

Date: 2014-11-04

Creator: Kirk Francis

Access: Open access

Date: 2013-11-22

Access: Open access

Date: 2013-12-13

Access: Open access

Date: 2014-08-06

Access: Open access

Date: 2014-05-01

Access: Open access

Date: 2014-03-27

Access: Open access

Date: 2014-04-09

Access: Open access

Date: 2014-07-10

Access: Open access

Date: 2014-11-03

Access: Open access

Date: 2019-11-09

Creator: Daniel Lind

Access: Open access

Daniel Lind ('91) describes his path to Bowdoin from New York City. Lind recounts his adjustment to academics during his first years at the College, and how help from his dean gave him the confidence as a scholar to navigate coursework and his sense of place in the classroom. Speaking directly to his time at Bowdoin, Lind emphasizes the importance of having the African American Studies department so linked with the African-American Society, and how this bridging between academics and communal life was crucial for developing a sense of place on campus. Lind expresses concern about what he sees as the current divide between black student life and the Africana Studies department. Finally, he describes his own path to academia, and how his current position as professor of Ethnic Studies at Cypress College is still influenced by his experience at Bowdoin, particularly his admiration for professors like Dan Levine.

Date: 2020-01-01

Creator: Joshua Lin

Access: Open access

This is a short video filmed for my Chinese class (Advanced Elementary Chinese - CHIN 1104) documents things I do in a day while I'm at home. I filmed this at home in Chicago while our whole city was on lockdown. Author is class of 2022.

Date: 2016-01-01

Creator: Sewheat Asfaha

Access: Open access

Date: 2016-01-01

Creator: Ama Gyamerah

Access: Open access

Date: 2018-06-02

Creator: Ken Carpenter, Deborah Jenson, Jim Jenson

Access: Open access

In this oral history, Ken Carpenter (Class of 1958), Deborah Carpenter Jenson (Class of 1983), and Jim Jenson (Class of 1982) reflect on their respective experiences at Bowdoin. Ken speaks of his background as an “orphan” (his father had died and his mother could not afford to raise him) attending Girard College for Boys, his transition to Bowdoin life as a first-generation student, and his involvement with the Delta Sigma fraternity. He also explores how the research skills that he gained at Bowdoin influenced his career as a cataloger, librarian, and author. Ken and his daughter, Deborah, go on to explain that, during his time at Bowdoin, Ken met his future wife, Mary Carpenter, at a boarding house in Brunswick run by Mary’s mother, Elizabeth Wilson. They later explain that Mary Carpenter had also lost her father and that Mary’s subsequent career in academia influenced Deborah’s career path. Deborah also recounts the factors that affected her decision to attend Bowdoin, as well as a hazing story from her early days at Delta Kappa Epsilon. Jim tells of his decision to enroll at the College, his transition from California to Maine, and his experience in the Theta Delta Chi fraternity. The three also discuss their thoughts on Bowdoin’s decision to eliminate fraternities.

Date: 2018-06-01

Creator: Jean Brountas

Access: Open access

Jean “Jeannie” Brountas (Class of 1983) describes growing up in a Greek Orthodox family and the role that played in her transition to Bowdoin. She also discusses how she has applied her Bowdoin education to her career in business. She describes some of her jobs and other activities, including working for Residential Life and the Library and volunteering at a local middle school. She lists some of her favorite professors, including Professors William Watterson and William Whiteside. She recalls a prank by her freshman proctor that led to Brountas becoming more sociable, and tells of her later experience in the Chi Psi fraternity as a nondrinker.

Date: 2018-06-02

Creator: Jane Warren

Access: Open access

In this interview, Jane Warren (Class of 1983) discusses her experience transitioning to Bowdoin’s social environment and her role in the development of several campus activities. She describes the influence of college housing in forming lasting friendships, her time studying abroad in Paris, and offers a multigenerational perspective on the College’s evolving culture. Warren also describes her involvement in the creation of a women’s synchronized swimming club and women’s volleyball team, as well as her early participation in women’s rugby, which coincided with Bowdoin’s relatively recent decision to admit women.

Date: 2019-05-31

Creator: Eric Luft

Access: Open access

Eric Luft (Class of 1974) recounts a feeling of liberation upon arriving at Bowdoin. Luft describes becoming a double major in Philosophy and Religion, and building relationships with professors both in and outside the classroom. Luft mentions participating in Masque and Gown and the rifle team and also reflects on Bowdoin’s social environment as it related to fraternities and the College's transition to coeducation. Additionally, Luft speaks about student activism and protesting the Vietnam War off-campus. Finally, Luft reminisces about finding community at Bowdoin and emphasizes that while the academics were difficult there was a palpable sense of support.

Date: 2019-05-31

Creator: Todd Caulfield

Access: Open access

Todd Caulfield (Class of 1989) talks about the insecurities he felt coming to Bowdoin, in terms of both his academic preparedness and the College’s lack of socio-economic diversity. He describes how he found his social footing through the fraternity system, the sailing team, and the theater department. Reflecting further on fraternities, Caulfield remembers a tension between the independent and initiated members of campus and discusses his own choice to remain independent rather than initiate fully into Zeta Psi. Additionally, he speaks about how he spent his time and how he came to major in Biochemistry. Finally, Caulfield speaks about the ethics and implicit lessons he feels he absorbed through his time at Bowdoin and their lasting impact on his life.

Date: 2019-05-31

Creator: Joan Britt

Access: Open access

Joan Britt (Class of 1979) talks about falling in love with Bowdoin while visiting her older brother when he was a student. After matriculating, she joined Chi Psi fraternity as a social member, was a student representative for the Economics department, and spent time as a volunteer Sunday school teacher. She speaks about her studies as an Economics major and the relationships she built with her professors and mentors. Britt also reflects on being a member of one of the early coeducated classes and the slight feeling of “second class citizenship” she sensed on campus, especially in the fraternities. Additionally, she talks about her year abroad in Vienna and reintegrating back into the Bowdoin community afterward.

Date: 2009-03-27

Creator: Harold M Ickes

Access: Open access

Biographial Note

Harold M. Ickes was born on September 4, 1939, in Baltimore, Maryland, to Harold L. Ickes and Jane Dahlman. His father served as Franklin D. Roosevelt’s secretary of the interior. He attended high school at the Sidwell Friends School in Washington, D.C., was graduated from Stanford University in 1964 with a degree in economics, and earned his law degree from Columbia Law School in 1967. He was a civil rights activist during his student years in the ‘60s, spending the summers of 1964 and 1965 registering African American voters in Louisiana and Mississippi. In 1966, he became involved in the Vietnam anti-war movement. He later practiced labor law, joining the law firm Meyer, Suozzi, English & Klein in New York in 1977. He served as White House deputy chief of staff under Leon Panetta for three years during the Clinton administration; he was substantially involved in the Clinton administration’s push for health care reform. He has worked on several presidential campaigns, including those of Eugene McCarthy, George McGovern, Ted Kennedy, and Bill Clinton; for President Clinton’s campaign he was the New York State campaign chair. He also worked on Hillary Clinton’s Senate campaign in New York and later as the assistant to the campaign manager for her presidential primary bid in 2008. At the time of this interview, he was a registered lobbyist with the Ickes and Enright Group, a member of the Democratic National Committee Rules and Bylaws Committee, and president of Catalist, a progressive voter file organization.

Summary

Interview includes discussion of: Muskie presidential campaign 1972 and Ickes’ first encounter with Mitchell; being assigned to the health care brief and Whitewater damage control; why health care reform drafted by the Clinton administration failed to pass; Senator Mitchell’s attempt to get the health care legislation through; the White House’s relationship with key members of the Senate and House; the errors committed by the White House in not getting the input of Congress; the view the White House took of Mitchell and the belief that if he could not get the legislation passed, then no one could; Senator Moynihan’s role as chair of the Finance Committee; the Republicans’ effective strategy and how that differs from typical Democratic strategy through repetition and better focus; and Ickes’ impressions of Senator Mitchell.

Date: 2009-02-17

Creator: Anita Jensen

Access: Open access

Biographial Note

Anita Holst-Jensen was born in Karl-Marx-Stadt (Chemnitz), East Germany, on March 16, 1945, to Rasma Rasmanis and Arvids Lusis. Her mother emigrated from Latvia in September of 1944, and Jensen was born in a displaced persons camp, where she lived until she was four years old. Her family eventually emigrated to Australia in 1949, settling in Victoria. Jensen received all of her schooling in Australia and went to university in Melbourne. She married Henning Holst-Jensen, and in 1966 they moved to Perth. When immigration into the United States became possible in 1968, they relocated to the Washington, D.C. area, and Jensen took a job with Investors Overseas Services, later Equity Funding. In 1970, she went to work in Senator Ed Muskie’s office, where she continued until he became secretary of state. She transitioned to George Mitchell’s staff when he was appointed to Muskie’s vacated Senate seat and remained for his fourteen years of Senate service, becoming increasingly involved with speech writing and research.

Summary

Interview includes discussions of: writing newsletters and doing other tasks while working for Mitchell; handling the Judiciary Committee work; working for Mitchell; Mitchell’s self-made success in his campaigns and career; Mitchell’s achievements in the Senate and Judicial Committee; Mitchell’s work on the Civil Rights Bill of 1991 and tax bill in 1986; what went wrong with health care reform and the Harry and Louise ads; Mitchell’s environmental work; Mitchell’s involvement on the Iran-Contra issue; the 1988 Senate race; first meeting Mitchell; Mitchell’s Clean Air Act success; the Good Friday Agreement in Northern Ireland; not defending Muskie’s “veterans” votes in 1982, and other early-day stories about Mitchell.

Date: 2019-06-01

Creator: Melissa Hudson Howard, John Howard

Access: Open access

Melissa Hudson Howard (Class of 2005) and John Howard (Class of 2009) describe what brought them each to Bowdoin. The first few weeks of Hudson Howard’s first year were marked by the September 11 Terrorist Attacks and Howard’s by Hurricane Katrina, and both speak about the atmosphere of campus during those times. The pair reminisce about their engagement in Theater and Dance, the Bowdoin Outing Club, Obvious hip hop group, African American Society, and Residential Life. Both Hudson Howard and Howard studied abroad, in London and Paris, respectively, and they reflect on the lasting impacts of those experiences. They comment on student activism on campus and mention the Iraq War and the 2008 Presidential Election in particular.

Date: 2019-07-26

Creator: Nessa Reifsnyder

Access: Open access

Nessa Reifsnyder (Class of 1986) describes feeling “a little out of step” while transitioning from urban life in New York City to Brunswick, despite the summers she had spent in Northern Maine. She talks about finding a strong support system in the fraternity Alpha Delta Phi, whose culture felt “evolved” compared to the rest of campus. She discusses feeling “disaffected” from the College’s academic life. She reminisces about the important life lessons she learned during her time in the fraternity, especially about interpersonal skills and feminism. Reifsnyder speaks about finding a grounding comfort in the “working class element” of Brunswick. Finally, she discusses her role in the negotiations between Bowdoin and ADP when the College decided to phase out fraternities.