[Congressional Record Volume 140, Number 27 (Friday, March 11, 1994)]
[Senate]
[Page S]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]


[Congressional Record: March 11, 1994]
From the Congressional Record Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]

 
        COMMEMORATING THE 200TH ANNI- VERSARY OF BOWDOIN COLLEGE

  Mr. MITCHELL. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate 
proceed to the immediate consideration of Senate Resolution 189, a 
resolution commemorating the 200th anniversary of Bowdoin College, 
submitted earlier today by myself and Senator Cohen; that the 
resolution be agreed to; that the preamble be agreed to; that the 
motion to reconsider laid upon the table; and that a statement by 
myself and by Senator Cohen be placed in the Record at the appropriate 
place.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
  So the resolution (S. Res. 189) was agreed to.
  The preamble was agreed to.
  The resolution, with its preamble, is as follows:

                              S. Res. 189

       Whereas Bowdoin College was established in 1794 by the 
     General Court of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts as the 
     first college in the District of Maine;
       Whereas, since 1802, Bowdoin College has educated students 
     from Maine, the rest of the Nation, and many foreign 
     countries on the principle that: ``literary institutions are 
     founded and endowed for the common good and not for the 
     private advantage of those who resort to them for 
     education'';
       Whereas alumni of Bowdoin College have included 1 President 
     of the United States, 16 Members of the Senate, 42 Members of 
     the House of Representatives, 2 Supreme Court Justices, and 
     many other public officials;
       Whereas other distinguished alumni of Bowdoin College have 
     included authors Nathaniel Hawthorne and Henry Wadsworth 
     Longfellow, Civil War hero and the Governor of Maine Joshua 
     Chamberlain, Arctic exploder Admiral Robert E. Peary, and 
     Olympic gold medalist Joan Benoit Samuelson; and
       Whereas Bowdoin College is consistently named one of the 
     Nation's most outstanding liberal arts colleges: Now, 
     therefore, be it
       Resolved, That the Senate--
       (1) recognizes the contributions made by Bowdoin College to 
     the State of Maine and the Nation over the past 200 years;
       (2) extends heartiest congratulations to the students, 
     alumni, faculty, staff, and administrators of this great 
     institution of higher learning on the occasion of its 
     bicentennial anniversary; and
       (3) offers best wishes for the continued success of Bowdoin 
     College in the future.

  Mr. MITCHELL. Mr. President, I rise today to offer a sense-of-the-
Senate resolution commemorating the bicentennial of Bowdoin College. I 
am pleased to join my colleague from Maine and fellow alumnus of the 
college, Senator Cohen, in honoring the students, faculty, staff and 
alumni of this esteemed institution of higher learning.
  From its founding in 1794 as the first college in the territory that 
would later become the State of Maine, to its present status as one of 
the finest liberal arts colleges in the United States, Bowdoin College 
has had an important role in educating the young people of Maine and 
the rest of the Nation. Bowdoin College first began classes in 1802 
with one building and eight students. The college now educates 
approximately 1,430 students from across the national and several 
foreign countries on a campus that houses more than 50 buildings.
  In his 1802 convocation speech at the opening of the college, 
Bowdoin's first president, the Reverend Joseph McKeen, stated that 
``literary institutions are founded and endowed for the common good and 
not for the private advantage of those who resort to them for 
education.'' I am proud that the college remains committed to that 
philosophy today, as indicated by the large number of Bowdoin alumni 
who choose careers in public service, medicine, and teaching.
  Bowdoin's alumni have contributed to the advancement of the Nation in 
a number of areas. Distinguished alumni of the college include 
President Franklin Pierce, an 1824 graduate of the college, 1853 
graduate Melville Weston Fuller, who served as Chief Justice of the 
U.S. Supreme Court, literary greats Nathaniel Hawthorne and Henry 
Wadsworth Longfellow, both 1825 graduates, and Civil War hero and 
Governor of Maine, Joshua Chamberlain, who left his teaching position 
at the college to join the Union Army and who was instrumental in the 
Union victory at Gettysburg.
  For 200 years, Bowdoin College has been a valuable asset to both the 
State of Maine and the Nation. I congratulate the college on its many 
years of service to the country, and I wish it continued success in the 
future.
  I simply want to add that it is a matter of great honor and personal 
pride for me to be submitting this resolution. I am a graduate of 
Bowdoin College, in Brunswick, ME, and I will forever be indebted to 
that institution for the opportunities that it gave me.

  I was a young man, 16 years old, when I graduated from high school, 
had no means to go on to college, and the administration of this great 
and historic institution took me in, helped me get through, and I will 
forever be grateful.
  So it is a great honor for me to have this resolution adopted.
  Mr. COHEN. Mr. President, I rise today to join my colleague from 
Maine in paying tribute to one of our Nation's finest institutions of 
higher learning, not to mention my and Senator Mitchell's alma mater: 
Bowdoin College.
  Bowdoin College was established in 1794, the first college in what 
was then the District of Maine, some 26 years before Maine attained 
statehood. Since 1802, it has been educating students from Maine, the 
Nation, and around the world on a principle known as the common good. 
This year marks the bicentennial of Bowdoin and the school has been 
honoring throughout the year its many famous alumni. I wish to take a 
moment to describe what Bowdoin has meant to me and to the people of 
Maine.
  Several years ago a national survey was taken of college students. 
Three-fourths of those surveyed revealed that their principal reason 
for pursuing a college education was to achieve financial success 
rather than to develop a philosophy of life. I find that extremely 
disturbing. While I recognize the desire or need to acquire financial 
security, the aim of an education must always remain moral and not 
material. A society that measures a person's value by the size of a 
bank account or possessions is a society that ultimately will decline 
and fall.
  But Bowdoin College is a place where self-interest and mindless greed 
have never found a home. It is an institution where developing a 
philosophy of life is the foundation, where the broad spectrum of 
liberal arts is used to define and shape future generations.
  I recall my first days as a student at Bowdoin, when I was uncertain 
of what my future held and only vaguely aware of Bowdoin's history and 
reputation. On registration day, I was given a booklet containing the 
words of the seventh president of the college, William DeWitt Hyde. The 
pamphlet contained ``The Offer of the College,'' which reads in part:

       To be at home in all lands and all ages . . .
       To carry the keys of the world's library in your pocket . . 
     .
       To make hosts of friends . . . who are to be leaders in all 
     walks of life;
       To lose yourself in generous enthusiasms and cooperate with 
     others for common ends . . .
       This is the offer of the College for the best four years of 
     your life.

  I did not know exactly what those words meant in my first days as a 
Bowdoin student, but over the years their meaning has become clear.
  Bowdoin College is a place where young men and women learn to 
translate thoughts into action, so that as adults they can dedicate 
themselves to serving the common interest. And Bowdoin students find 
myriad ways to do so, whether as President of the United States--
Franklin Pierce of the class of 1824--or in some way not quite so 
noticeable.
  Bowdoin College is about exploring uncharted territories. Adm. Robert 
E. Peary of the class of 1877 interpreted that one way when he became 
the first man to reach the North Pole; Dr. Cornelius Rhoads of the 
class of 1920 another as he performed his pioneering research on 
cancer.
  Bowdoin College is about testing oneself against the best, and 
discovering the limits of human performance. Joan Benoit Samuelson of 
the class of 1979 did when she won the gold medal in the first women's 
Olympic marathon in 1984.
  Bowdoin College is about transforming wisdom into fairness, as 
Supreme Court Justices Melville Weston Fuller of the class of 1853 and 
Harold H. Burton of the class of 1909 did.
  Bowdoin College is about the beauty and power of language, as 
displayed by Nathaniel Hawthorne and Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, both 
members of the class of 1825.
  Bowdoin College is about standing up for the freedoms that America 
was founded upon, as Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain of the class of 1852 
did when leading his troops to victory in the Civil War and later as 
the Governor of Maine.
  Shortly before his death, Robert F. Kennedy said.

       Few will have the greatness to bend history itself, but 
     each of us can work to change a small portion of events, and 
     in the total of all those acts will be written the history of 
     a generation . . . each time a person stands up for an ideal, 
     or acts to improve the lot of others, or strikes out against 
     an injustice, he sends forth a tiny ripple of hope, and 
     crossing each other from a million different centers of 
     energy and daring, those ripples build a current that can 
     sweep down the mightiest wall of oppression and resistance.

  Bowdoin College is committed to sending forth more than its share of 
ripples and together they have built a tidal wave for a better society. 
May it continue to do so ad infinitum.
  I congratulate the students, faculty, staff, administrators, and my 
fellow alumni on this occasion of the bicentennial of Bowdoin College.

                          ____________________