Showing 1771 - 1780 of 2039 Items

Statement by Anonymous collected by Meredith Eaton on August 5, 2014

Date: 2014-08-05

Creator: Anonymous

Access: Open access



Statement by Rebecca Irving collected by Rachel George on September 11, 2014

Date: 2014-09-11

Creator: Rebecca Irving

Access: Open access



Statement by Anonymous collected by Rachel George on October 14, 2014

Date: 2014-10-14

Creator: Anonymous

Access: Open access



Focus Group Statements

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.



Statement gathered at Sipayik-Pleasant Point, Maine, November 13, 2014

Date: 2014-11-13

Creator: Adele Moore

Stephanie Bailey

Garry Moore

Lynn Mitchell

Access: Open access



Interview with Chuck Kruger by Mike Hastings

Date: 2009-03-28

Creator: Charles 'Chuck' B Kruger

Access: Open access

Biographial Note

Charles “Chuck” Kruger was born in Morristown, New Jersey, on July 2, 1950. His parents were Charles Bromley Kruger and Barbara Burke Kruger. His father was a WWII veteran and captain of a B-17 before starting an aviation business and then going into the family business. As a boy Chuck sang in St. Peter’s Church boys’ choir, and he started playing guitar at age 14. Chuck went to boarding school in New Hope, where he became interested in theatre, English, and writing. After high school, he went to New York City, where he played in a band and sang in the Masterwork Chorus for about a year. He attended Nasson College, started his own acoustic band, lived off-campus and did gigs at the ski areas. After graduating, he performed professionally and met with success as a singer/songwriter solo act. He married and had a son in 1984. He drove and helped raise funds for George Mitchell and became increasingly interested in Maine politics. In 1986 he began to work on campaigns and joined the State Committee while also working for MBNA. At the time of this interview, he had recently been elected to the Maine state legislature.

Summary

Interview includes discussion of: family background and education; Chuck’s father’s experience in the war; singing and playing in New York in 1969; attending Nasson College in Maine and the ski area gigs with the Mirror Lake Band; the Profile Theater Company; career as a professional musician and recording albums; driving for Mitchell in 1974; performing at fund raisers; story about Mitchell and the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier Ceremony; working in Maine politics; booking off-site programming for MBNA; the decision to run for state senate; being a state senator; tax reform and not creating a bill; thoughts and memories of the business and people involved; reflections on Mitchell; and the state legislature today.


Interview with Bob Kerrey by Brien Williams

Date: 2009-06-11

Creator: Joseph 'Bob' Robert Kerrey

Access: Open access

Biographial Note

Joseph Robert “Bob” Kerrey was born August 27, 1943, in Lincoln, Nebraska. He was graduated from Lincoln Northeast High School and entered the University of Nebraska – Lincoln, where he earned a degree in pharmacy in 1966. He served in the U.S. Navy after graduation until 1969 and was wounded in combat in Vietnam, receiving the Medal of Honor and the Bronze Star. He returned to Nebraska, and in 1982 he was elected governor. He was elected to the U.S. Senate in 1988 and was reelected for a second term in 1994. He ran in the Democratic presidential primaries in 1992 but lost the nomination to Bill Clinton. He was a member of the 9/11 Commission. When he left the Senate, he became president of The New School, a position he held at the time of this interview.

Summary

Interview includes discussion of: Kerrey’s incoming Senate class; contact with Mitchell prior to coming to the Senate; supporting Mitchell for majority leader; Mitchell’s leadership style; the 1990 budget; the role of the majority and minority leaders; the differences between being a governor and a senator; friendships in the Senate; Mitchell’s logical arguments; Mitchell’s TV presence; Mitchell’s relationship with Dole; Mitchell’s role in helping Kerrey achieve the goals he had in various policy areas; Health U.S.A.; Kerrey’s understanding of agricultural interests; the 1991 War Powers Resolution; the Clean Air Act; Mitchell’s relationship to Presidents George H.W. Bush and Bill Clinton; Kerrey’s stance on the stimulus bill of 1993 and budget issues; health care reform of 1994 and Mitchell’s leadership on that effort; Kerrey’s reaction to Mitchell’s decision to retire; Kerrey’s decision to retire in 2001; Mitchell’s neutrality in the Democratic presidential primaries in 1992; Mitchell’s legacy in the Senate; Tom Daschle as majority leader; and Mitchell’s loyalties to country, state and political party.


Interview with Barbara Keefe by Andrea L’Hommedieu

Date: 2009-08-26

Creator: Barbara Keefe

Access: Open access

Biographial Note

Barbara Keefe was born in Jersey City, New Jersey, in 1940, and grew up in Trenton, New Jersey. She was graduated from Seton Hall University. She received a fellowship to study deaf education and worked at the Governor Baxter School for the Deaf, Mackworth Island, Maine. She joined the League of Women Voters and became involved in the National Women’s Political Caucus. She was treasurer for Senator Mitchell’s reelection campaigns in 1982 and 1988, and she has served on the Mitchell Institute Board since 1994.

Summary

Interview includes discussion of: Keefe’s introduction to politics through her father’s involvement; Keefe’s activity in the Maine League of Women Voters; starting the Maine Women’s Political Caucus with Patty Ryan; Keefe’s recollections of Mitchell’s 1974 campaign; what appealed to both Democratic and Republican women about George Mitchell; Keefe’s becoming treasurer for Mitchell’s 1982 reelection campaign; working with Larry Benoit and Mary McAleney on Mitchell’s staff; Mitchell’s friendship with Pat and Joe Angelone; Mitchell’s win in 1982; Keefe’s involvement with Mitchell between the 1982 and 1988 campaigns; fund-raising for Mitchell’s campaign in 1988; the development of the Mitchell Institute; how the Mitchell Institute is funded; and Mitchell’s commitment to education.


Statement by Eric Mehnert and Rhonda Decontie collected by Rachel George on December 5, 2014

Date: 2014-12-05

Creator: Eric Mehnert

Rhonda Decontie

Access: Open access



Interview with Rich Arenberg by Brien Williams

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.