THE SALEM ATHENÆUM LIBRARY HOURS: 337 Essex Street, Salem, MA 01970 Tues. / Wed. / Fri: 1 PM to 5 PM (978) 744-2540 - Fax (978) 744-7536 Thursday: 5 PM to 9 PM Email: [email protected] Saturday: 10 AM to 2 PM Web Site: www.salemathenaeum.net DIRECTOR: Jean Marie Procious Salem Athenæum Newsletter SUMMER 2008 FOUNDED AS THE SOCIAL LIBRARY IN 1760 SAVE THESE DATES 2008 Garden Party Summer Salons July 18 - Hale Bradt discusses World War II. a Success August 1 - Charlie Newhall discusses historical documentaries. August 8 - Carlton and Nancy Lutts discuss Beatrix Potter and England's Lake District. August 15 - Janet Barnes will d i s c u s s I r i s h a u t h o r s , Somerville and Ross. August 22 - Richard Scott will discuss digital photography. Courses September 8 - Course on the American Presidency begins. Dr. Maura Henry, lecturer. Course will run on six consecutive Monday evenings. October 16 - Course entitled The Sea Life of the World's Oceans will be conducted by Dr. George Buckley and will run for six consecutive Thursdays. Lectures September 23, 7 pm: Dr. Alison Frank, Harvard University, will speak on “The History of Oil” and the political, economic, environmental, social, and cultural implications Carlton and Nancy Lutts and friends of the world!s increasing demand for this commodity October 9, 7 pm: Dr. Jane The annual garden party was held at the Athenæum June 8 under clear, sunny Kamensky, Brandeis University, skies. Despite hot and humid conditions, everyone deemed the party a success. As discusses her new book The Exchange Artist: A Tale of High- usual, we owe this success to the volunteer efforts of numerous members and F l y i n g S p e c u l a t i o n a n d trustees who contributed time, food and refreshments. Events such as this don't A m e r i c a ! s F i r s t B a n k i n g just happen. It takes the coordinated efforts of many. Collapse. See page 6 for more Garden Party pictures Salem Athenaeum Summer 2008 Oil, the Collapse of the Banking System, New Fidelity Grant & George Washington's Enables Continued Secret Navy to Launch Fall Lecture Series Long-Range Planning If you’re curious about the first events in our fall lecture series, here’s a teaser: Good news to report on fundraising for the Tuesday, September 23, 7 pm: Dr. Alison Athenæum: we have now secured a $15,000 grant Frank, Assistant Professor of History at from the Fidelity Foundation, which will help support Harvard University, will speak on “The History our continued pursuit of long-range strategic planning of Oil” and the political, economic, with our consultant TDC. The grant is designated to environmental, social, and cultural implications fund the second half of our planning project with of the world’s increasing demand for this TDC, and allows us to go forward without using commodity from the nineteenth through the Athenæum operating funds. Many readers are twentieth centuries. Frank teaches two courses familiar with our collaboration with TDC, having at Harvard that are focused on this topic and responded to the firm’s extensive member survey confronts complex questions about oil’s dual earlier this year. (The first half of the TDC project role as global good and as agent of war and was paid for through generous private donations and poverty. through support from Athenæum board members.) With the TDC survey now tabulated – but with Thursday, October 9, 7 pm: Dr. Jane results still being studied – we have gained a Kamensky, Associate Professor of History at fascinating look at Athenæum member usage patterns Brandeis University, will discuss her new book and attitudes. Among its key findings were that our The Exchange Artist: A Tale of High-Flying stronger emphasis on cultural and educational Speculation and America’s First Banking programming, and the growing wealth of that Collapse, described as “the epic story of a programming over the past three years, have garnered founding father of our speculation nation.” Two considerable attention and new visibility in Salem centuries before the collapse of the sub-prime and beyond, bringing new members into the fold, and real estate market, a wily New England attracting strong audiences for nearly all programs. entrepreneur triggered a crisis of value that Other findings are contained in a preliminary report shook the nation’s confidence in money itself. by TDC, available in the Library to members, and Clearly, what goes around comes around. will guide our work over the next several months. Our expectation is that by the end of the project, we Tuesday, October 28, 7 pm: James L. will have developed a long-range plan for managing Nelson, a former professional sailor and the Library, including a set of goals for growing the award-winning maritime author, will discuss his membership and maintaining financial stability. latest book George Washington’s Secret Navy: Concurrent with the long-range planning effort How the American Revolution Went to Sea, with TDC is our new push to secure other outside described by Eric Jay Dolin as “a gripping and grant support, and several other grant applications are fascinating book about the daring and heroic now underway for the benefit of the Library mariners who helped George Washington collections, building repairs, and other upgrades. change the course of history and create a We’ll report back on our anticipated success with nation.” When invited to give this talk at the these efforts. Athenæum, James Nelson replied, “You folks In the coming months, look for news of a members are at ground zero for Washington’s navy. This campaign and of program sponsorship opportunities. will be a terrific event!” As always, we encourage members interested in helping with development and fundraising efforts. —Francie King, Trustee Chair, Development Committee 2 Summer 2008 Salem Athenaeum PREVIEW OF FALL AND SPRING COURSES promises exciting learning opportunities on “The American Presidency and Even though we are barely past the Presidents through History and Film.” first day of summer, the Education Beginning with the very first feature film Committee is busy assembling the made in the U.S. (D.W. Griffith's “Birth of programming for the Athenæum’s a Nation,” 1915), the American Presidency 2008-09 season. And while we will and Presidents have had starring roles on save the complete line-up for the fall both the big and small screen. From newsletter, we thought you might like “Young Mr. Lincoln” (1939) and “Dr. to see the exciting courses that the Strangelove” (1964) to “All the President's Athenæum will be offering. Men” (1976) and “Fahrenheit The courses have proven to be 9/11” (2004), the office of the President popular among members, attracting a and its incumbents have been lionized, core group of course-takers who criticized, spoofed, and rebuked in major return again and again, regardless of motion pictures, documentaries, and what is being offered. But the courses television shows. How has our have also proven to be an attractive understanding of the American Presidency way of drawing new members from and the 43 Presidents who have served thus far been reflected in and shaped by films the larger North Shore and Greater Boston communities. Therefore, the and television? What happens when Athenæum will offer four courses in politics and Hollywood collide? Aside the coming year, three of which have from the entertainment value, what do been confirmed at this writing. All films and shows about the presidency and presidents offer us? This seminar will will be taught by first-rate instructors, Continued on page 4 whose research and teaching have assess presidential politics, powers, won for them numerous awards and policies, and personalities by exploring key accolades. texts (notably the U.S. Constitution, central legal decisions, presidential speeches, and newspaper reports) as well as by screening clips from a variety of films and shows. The course will run on six Monday evenings: September 8, 15, 22, 29; and October 6, 20. The second course will begin on October 16 and run for 6 consecutive Thursdays. George Buckley, Associate Director of the Master of Liberal Arts Program in Environmental Management Dr. Maura Henry within Harvard’s Division of Continuing Education, will lead a course on one of The season will begin with the return the important topics of our time: "The of one of our most popular lecturers, Sea Life of the World’s Oceans." Join Dr. Maura Henry, Associate Professor us for an undersea adventure in which of History at Holyoke Community participants will study the life forms College and an Athenæum trustee. In within the world's oceans while George keeping with the excitement of a pre- Buckley provides them with a "window election autumn, her course will focus Continued on page 4 3 Salem Athenaeum Summer 2008 to the underwater realm." With a n d E m i l y B ro n t ë , e d i t o r o f specimens of sea life and numerous Among the spring offerings is Dr. Approaches to Teaching Emily Brontë’s visual images, he will explore such Sue Lonoff’s literature course on Wuthering Heights, and author of topics as the ecology of bays, “The Brontë Sisters and Their Wilkie Collins and His Victorian mangrove swamps, salt marshes and Novels.” Perhaps the most famous Readers. She is also a founding trustee coral reefs; the deep ocean, seashells of sister-act among fiction-writing of The Center for the Humanities at the world, ocean conservation, families, the Brontës are major The Graduate Center of the City protection and sustainability, the effects nineteenth-century writers whose University of New York, and is of climate change, and other topics of novels continue to fascinate readers, likewise a winner of Harvard’s Petra T.