[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.
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