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In the fall of 2019, students (Nate DeMoranville ‘20, Aisha Rickford ‘20, Marina Henke ‘19) conducted the AF/AM/50 Oral History Project to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the Africana Studies Program at the College. Over the course of the weekend, they interviewed more than 30 alumni, past professors, and staff. Interviewees varied across many spectrums: black and white, old and young. Some had not been back to Bowdoin for more than a decade. Others still lived in Brunswick. While in no way entirely encompassing the experience of black students at Bowdoin or the history of the Africana Studies Program, this project aimed to provide a window into the lives of a select few. These selections are not representative. No path through Bowdoin was identical. Hopes for the future of the College ranged widely. Themes and topics certainly emerged: of isolation, of prejudice, of pushback, but also of friendship and resilience.

Date: 2021-01-01

Creator: Anonymous

Access: Open access

This is a response to the Documenting Bowdoin & COVID-19 Reflections Questionnaire. The questionnaire was created in March 2021 by staff of Bowdoin's George J. Mitchell Department of Special Collections & Archives. Author is class of 2024.

Date: 2009-05-26

Creator: Martha Pope, Martin 'Marty' P Paone, C. 'Abby' Abbott Saffold

Access: Audio recording restricted during the lifetime of Senator George J. Mitchell

Biographial Note

Martin Patrick “Marty” Paone was born in Everett, Massachusetts, in 1951. His father was a National Labor Relations Board field examiner and his mother was a nurse. He attended Boston College, graduating in 1972 with degrees in economics and philosophy. He moved to Washington, D.C. in September of 1974 to pursue a master’s degree in Russian studies at Georgetown University, and while there he worked in the House post office and as a parking lot attendant at the Senate parking lot. This led to a job in the Senate Cloakroom in 1979 after he completed his degree. In 1982 he joined the Democratic floor staff, and in 1991 he became assistant Democratic secretary of the Senate. In 1995 he succeeded Abby Saffold as the Democratic secretary and remained in that post until 2008. At the time of this interview, he was a member of the lobbying firm Timmons & Company. Martha Pope was born in Newcastle, Pennsylvania, and grew up in Connecticut. She attended the University of Connecticut, majoring in sociology with minors in psychology and statistics and in art. She earned a master’s degree in art education at Southern Connecticut University. She taught art for five years in elementary and junior high school, and then she moved to Washington, D.C. and started work on Capitol Hill. She worked for Senator John Culver, and when Culver lost his bid for reelection, Senator Mitchell kept her on as Environment and Public Works Committee staff focusing on fish and wildlife issues. She became his administrative assistant, and when he became majority leader she became chief of staff to the majority leader. In 1990 she was nominated to be sergeant-at-arms of the Senate, and in 1994 she became secretary of the Senate; she retired from that office in January 1995. She joined the State Department to work with Senator Mitchell on Northern Ireland issues, which eventually led to the Good Friday Peace Agreement of 1998. Abby Saffold was born Carol Abbott “Abby” Reid in Baltimore, Maryland, and attended high school in Framingham, Massachusetts. At Bates College, she majored in history with a minor in government, then began a master’s degree program for arts in teaching at Antioch College; as part of that program, she taught junior high school for a year in Washington, D.C. She decided to pursue a job on Capitol Hill and found work first for Congressman William Lloyd Scott and then Congressman Lloyd Meeds. Subsequently, she was hired as a legislative secretary by Senator Gaylord Nelson and then worked for the Subcommittee on Constitutional Amendments for Senator Birch Bayh. In 1979 she joined the Democratic Policy floor staff, where she remained until Senator Byrd nominated her to be secretary for the majority (Democratic secretary) in 1987. She retired from that position in 1995.

Summary

Interview includes discussion of: how each of the interviewees came to work for Senator Mitchell; first impressions of Mitchell; Martha Pope’s work on the Environment and Public Works Committee; Mitchell’s intellectual capacity; Mitchell’s treatment of other senators and his staff; the impression that Mitchell made with Senator Byrd early on; Abby Saffold’s interaction with Mitchell as a member of the Democratic floor staff when he was a junior senator; majority leader race; Byrd’s parliamentarian skills; Mitchell’s speechmaking skills; Brunswick (Me.) bypass; authorization of boundaries for Acadia National Park; the reason Henry Kissinger was not asked to testify regarding Iran-Contra; Mitchell’s performance questioning Oliver North on Iran-Contra; an anecdote about Mitchell and Senator Cohen watching a basketball game together during the Iran-Contra affair; Mitchell’s relations with the Maine delegation; Mitchell’s leadership style; Mitchell’s relationship with Dole, the expectation that there would be no surprises; “read my lips, no new taxes” and President George H.W. Bush; the Clean Air Act reauthorization and tension with Byrd; Crime Bill; Senator Helms’s filibuster; the Clarence Thomas nomination and congresswomen marching on the Senate Democratic caucus; Marty Paone’s playing an April Fools joke on Mitchell; convincing Mitchell to do an interview with the National Journal before the leader race; and how Mitchell sparingly praised staff.

Date: 2018-06-01

Creator: Abdullah Muhammad

Access: Open access

Abdullah Muhammad (Class of 1973) discusses his decision to attend Bowdoin, his on-campus activism, and his involvement with the John Brown Russwurm African American Center. He describes his role as the creator of the Center’s library, as well as his broader position as the Center’s house manager. Muhammad also recounts a specific instance of protest, which occurred in response to the College’s administration reneging on their promise to ensure that at least 10% of an admitted class was African American. He tells of how his passion for activism inspired his studies in government and English, and finishes with several pieces of advice for current and future Bowdoin students.

Date: 2018-06-01

Creator: David Anderson, Phoebe Girard

Access: Open access

In this interview, David Anderson (Class of 1955) talks about his decision to attend Bowdoin, favorite campus traditions, and how Bowdoin helped him post-graduation. He reminisces about his days as a Psi Upsilon pledge and member, and describes his involvement with The Bowdoin Orient. Anderson emphasizes how Bowdoin and the connections he made during his years as a student opened the doors to opportunities after graduation, including working for Congressmen Lud Ashley of Ohio and Henry Reuss of Wisconsin.

Date: 2018-06-01

Creator: JoAnn Chrisman

Access: Open access

In this interview, JoAnn Chrisman (Class of 1973) discusses her experience as one of the first women to attend Bowdoin College. She explores her decision to transfer from Scripps College in California, the reactions of students to women enrollment, and her time as a social member of the Delta Kappa Epsilon fraternity. Chrisman also describes her favorite activities, on-campus job in the Rare Books Room of the library, and how the skills she gained as a history major aided her in her corporate career.

Date: 2018-06-02

Creator: Jon Fuller, Beverly Fuller

Access: Open access

Jon Fuller (Class of 1968) speaks of himself and his great-grandfather, Arthur Taylor Parker, class of 1876. He describes two items that he donated to the Bowdoin Special collections and Archives: Parker’s diploma, bearing then-president Joshua Chamberlain’s signature, and a Class of 1876 ivory-handled cane. He also discusses his own experience transitioning from a small, rural town to Bowdoin, meeting people of different backgrounds, and mentions his involvement with the Psi Upsilon fraternity.

Date: 2019-05-31

Creator: Nancy Prince

Access: Open access

Nancy Prince (Class of 1974) shares her long-held desire to follow in her family’s footsteps and attend Bowdoin. Her goal was realized when she came to Bowdoin as part of an exchange program and then transferred. She reflects on the pressure and difficulties of being one of only a handful of women on campus. She discusses her study of English and Studio Art and the important spaces and places on campus where she pursued these passions. Describing her extracurricular activities, Prince speaks about photography, the Orient, leisure time with her close friends, and editing the yearbook.

Date: 2019-05-31

Creator: David Treadwell

Access: Open access

David Treadwell (Class of 1964) talks about his arrival at Bowdoin and the hectic atmosphere of his first two months. He reminisces about being a member (and eventual President) of the fraternity Zeta Psi. Describing his extracurricular activities, Treadwell mentions Glee Club, interfraternity singing competitions, and playing on the golf team. He also speaks about time spent relaxing with friends playing bridge, participating in sports, and hitchhiking around the region, as well as his summer abroad working and touring in Europe. Treadwell reflects on the academic difficulties of his first year. He finishes by talking about his lifelong involvement with Bowdoin and its community and offers advice to current and future Bowdoin students.

Date: 2009-01-27

Creator: Juris Ubans

Access: Open access

Biographial Note

Juris Ubans was born on July 12, 1938, in Riga, Latvia. When Ubans was six years old he and his mother and two brothers fled Latvia while his father remained behind to recover from typhoid fever. In 1950 Ubans, his mother and brothers arrived in the United States, eventually settling in Syracuse, New York. His mother taught languages at Syracuse University, which he and his brothers all attended. He initially studied engineering but eventually decided to pursue art like his father. He spent two years in the army, from 1957 to 1959, and was graduated from Syracuse University in 1966. He subsequently attended Pennsylvania State University to pursue graduate studies in painting. He was hired by the University of Southern Maine, where he taught for forty-one years. At the time of this interview, he had recently retired from teaching but was managing the Fiore Verde Foundation, which he had founded.

Summary

Interview includes discussion of: immigrating to the United States from Latvia; the chaos experienced by displaced refugees during World War II; deciding to study art in college; applying for jobs and interviewing at USM; playing tennis with George Mitchell and the relationship that developed among that group; Mitchell’s competitive spirit; playing doubles with Mitchell and John Breaux; what you can tell about a person by playing tennis with them; Ubans’ perspective on politics, especially regarding Russia; Mitchell’s three principles to govern by; Ubans’ 1973 visit to Latvia to see his father; Ubans’ efforts to collect his father’s artwork; the Fiore Verde Foundation; Mitchell’s ability to put issues into their historical context; and the bipartisan respect accorded to Mitchell.