Showing 341 - 350 of 388 Items

Interview with Patrick Leahy by Brien Williams

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.


Interview with Audrey Sheppard by Brien Williams

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.


Interview with Daniel Lind (Class of 1991) with Marina Henke

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.


Sewheat Asfaha '16 interviews Ama Gyamerah '17

Date: 2016-01-01

Creator: Ama Gyamerah

Access: Open access



Ama Gyamerah '17 interviews Sewheat Asfaha '16

Date: 2016-01-01

Creator: Sewheat Asfaha

Access: Open access



"Life at Home During Quarantine" by Joshua Lin (Class of 2022)

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.


Interview with Jean Brountas (Class of 1983) by Ben Bousquet

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.


Interview with Ken Carpenter (Class of 1958), Deborah Jenson (Class of 1983), and Jim Jenson (Class of 1982) by Ben Bousquet

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.


Interview with Jane Warren (Class of 1983) by Ben Bousquet

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.


Interview with Eric Luft (Class of 1974) by Emma Kellogg

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.