Volume CXXXIII, Number 16 February 15, 2002 f

Mitchell dedicates library wing
KYLE D. STALLER
ORIENT STAFF

Senator George Mitchell '54 spoke with College President Barry Mills and a trustee after Mitchell's remarks at the rededication of H-L Library. (Henry Coppola, Bowdoin Orient)

In a ceremony complete with champagne and a full compliment of College trustees, the Hawthorne-Longfellow Library's Department of Special Collections and Archives was dedicated in the name of Senator George J. Mitchell '54 last Friday evening.

The ceremony also marked the rededication of the renovated Hawthorne-Longfellow Library.

The dedication, attended by members of the Mitchell family, including the Senator's daughter, son, sister-in-law, and wife, Heather, also featured remarks by Board of Trustees chair Donald Kurtz, Dean of Academic Affairs Craig McEwen, President Barry Mills, and Head Librarian Sherrie Bergman.

Mitchell, one of the College's most distinguished alumni, attended and spoke about the importance of Bowdoin in the formation of his character and current success.

The son of poor immigrants, Mitchell hitchhiked from his home in Waterville, Maine to his admissions interview-a humble beginning for a man who would ultimately graduate Bowdoin and move on to serve in the United States Senate and negotiate several important international peace accords.
"I came here as a boy and left, not yet a man, but a more secure person on my way to adulthood," said Mitchell in his remarks, which largely praised Bowdoin for its role in his life.

In 1995, Mitchell donated his papers to Bowdoin. The papers are a survey of the Senator's impressive political career from Maine to the Senate and beyond. These papers include personal correspondence, microfilm, sound and video recordings, photographs, and other memorabilia, the collection occupies over 1000 feet of library shelving.

The George J. Mitchell Papers join an extensive collection of substantial manuscript sources in Special Collections, some of which date back to the 13th Century. The honor of the dedication was not lost on the Senator, who expressed his humility that the Mitchell collection contains many works by Hawthorne and Longfellow themselves.

The rededication of the library marked what Bergman called "a day when we will toast together," as the original modernist structure, built in 1965, had long presented a challenge to the College's increasing information needs.
Aside from an aesthetic update, the library also underwent additional renovations, including bringing the building up to current building codes, making accommodations for increased electronic technology, and making room for collections such as the Mitchell Papers.

Started in April of 2000 with an eventual completion date last fall, the renovation was made possible by a grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities and donations from over 200 alumni and College friends.
In his first dedication ceremony as College President, Barry Mills called the Hawthorne-Longfellow Library "a national treasure" and thanked the project's many donors.