[Congressional Record Volume 160, Number 140 (Monday, November 17, 2014)]
[Senate]
[Page S6018]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                       REMEMBERING JACK CHATFIELD

 Mr. BLUMENTHAL. Mr. President, I wish to remember Jack 
Chatfield, a longtime resident of Hartford, CT, who passed away on 
September 18, 2014. Although Jack was not well known outside 
Connecticut, he helped create a better history for our Nation. Born in 
Baltimore, MD, in 1942, he first came to Connecticut to attend Trinity 
College. Later, he returned to teach, first at the Watkinson School and 
then at Trinity.
  Jack Chatfield was an incomparable individual who lived a full life. 
He interrupted his undergraduate career at Trinity in 1962 to volunteer 
with the Student Non-Violent Coordinating Committee, SNCC. An article 
in the New York Times detailed how southern sheriffs had beaten his 
college roommate Ralph Allen, and without looking back Jack went down 
to join him in rural southwest Georgia. At the time, SNCC workers faced 
great personal danger, both from local law enforcement and from 
vigilantes known as ``nightriders.'' Immediately after arriving, Jack 
was wounded by shotgun blasts fired by nightriders while he was eating 
dinner in the house where he was staying. Despite this, Jack's spirit 
never wavered, and he kept working to register African Americans to 
vote. He later said that it was during this time that he became ``a 
true student of American history.''
  Jack returned to Trinity in the fall of 1963 and graduated in 1965. 
He went on to earn his master's and doctorate from Columbia University. 
During this time, he turned his attention to teaching, which he found 
to be his true calling. He returned to Trinity in 1987.
  In the classroom, Jack absolutely excelled. He had an exceptional 
ability to teach history as if it were happening today. He drew his 
students in, immersing them in history texts that would make them think 
and question, building knowledge and skills that they would never 
forget. His love of the subject was equaled by his unwavering 
dedication to his students. Whether they were interested or not, 
brilliant or not, Jack wanted to reach them all. He was honored for his 
ability with Trinity's Hughes Teaching Prize for junior faculty in 1993 
and its Brownell Prize for senior faculty in 2002.
  Jack was equally concerned with how his students were faring outside 
the classroom, and he saw part of his job as facilitating their moral 
development and understanding of life. With another colleague, he 
started what became known as the ``Friday Table.'' This informal 
gathering of students and faculty for Friday lunch became a tradition 
that endured for over 15 years. Around the table, the participants 
would talk about history and politics, life at Trinity, and other 
issues of importance. For many of the students who were fortunate 
enough to participate, this remains one of their most cherished 
memories.
  The world is a little bit emptier today without Jack Chatfield, but 
his spirit and vision live on. Robert Kennedy once remarked that our 
actions could send out ripples of hope and that those ripples together 
can make a significant difference. Everyone who knew Jack Chatfield 
came away a little better for the experience, and each of these people 
are one of his ripples of hope. Whether consciously or unconsciously, 
they will continue to carry on his vision, maintaining his legacy and 
his spirit for many years to come.

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