Archive for February, 2008
I am indebted to Nan Harris, one of the early organizers and later, President, for her history up to 1976 and to Pat Griffith, past treasurer and representative to the Club.
In 1959, Betty Butterfield, having moved to Cambridge from Princeton where she had helped with its book sale, persuaded members of the Bryn Mawr Club of Boston that they should try something similar. The sale was announced with a flyer, “Thousands of Books at Bargain Prices,” books that had been collected, sorted and priced in the Butterfields’ basement. This continued for 12 years, an annual 3 day sale, initially in the First Church in Cambridge and then moving to the larger space of Memorial Hall. In 1965, Nan Harris became coordinator of the growing number of alumnae who were involved, 73 across the state! However, each sale ended with cartons of unsold books and so began the search for a permanent space. A former barbershop was found in an old building on Huron Avenue and in 1970 a lease was signed for 2 years at a monthly rent of $185! However, many willing volunteers were needed to scrape, scrub and paint ceilings on rented scaffolding before the store could open. The spring of 1971 saw the incorporation of a nonprofit organization, The Bryn Mawr Book Sale in Cambridge, Inc. with its by-laws and need for annual meetings. Soon afterwards, Betty Butterfield, President, and Betsy Jackson, the Vice-President, fearing the loss of hard-earned space if the building were to be sold, bought the entire building and then decided to renovate and expand into the corner store where the entrance is today. A third part of the building is rented to the antique store, “Easy Chairs”. In 1978, the Corporation arranged to buy the property from those two generous alumnae. Betty Butterfield died soon afterwards but her leadership had taught many alumnae how to continue a successful operation.
The Book Sale began as an all-volunteer operation, then it hired help for Saturdays, then, as more alumnae had careers, part-time managers, and now a fill-time manager. However, we still have a loyal group of volunteers, alumnae and others, who enjoy books and the bookstore. Thomas Carlyle once wrote, “Blessings upon Cadmus, the Phoenicians, or whoever it was that invented books,” and people continue to read books in spite of competing media. However, at present, we are overwhelmed with donated books and would be glad both for marketing ideas and for worthy organizations which might take some of our overflow. Come and visit us at 373 Huron Ave.
Libby Atkins, President
February 28 2008 | Bryn Mawr Bookstore | No Comments »
Date: February 26, 2008
Time: 7 p.m.
Location: Belmont High School auditorium, 221 Concord Ave, Belmont, MA
It was amazing to see how many braved the rain on Tuesday, February 26 to hear Greg Mortenson speak about his book Three Cups of Tea. Mawrtyrs Rosi Amador ʼ81, Sydney Owens ʼ64, Cornelia Robart ʼ61, Elizabeth Robart ʼ93 and Elizabeth Atkins ʼ46 attended. There were at least 1000 people there because the groups involved in the “Belmont Reads” project, had planned an earlier series of lectures: a Pakistani professor, a Muslim teacher of world history at Newton North High, a photo journalist who had been many times to Afghanistan interviewing women and children, and a kite making project for kids, so that everyone involved wanted to hear Mortenson himself.
He spoke passionately about his experiences and work, showing slides of people and projects but it didn’t sound at all like a canned speech. He began with an African proverb which he had heard as a child when his parents were working in Tanzania. “If you teach a boy, you teach an individual, but if you teach a girl, you teach a community,” and went on to show the correlation between lower pregnancy rates, better health etc. that resulted from this. He felt that schools being built with USAID
funds or by the Pakistani government were top down and cost much more than those built by working with the local people, listening to their needs and getting them involved. That would be the best counteraction against the Taliban. That’s the same complaint made by Sarah Chayes the NPR reporter who started a soap factory in Afghanistan.
Sydney Owens and a friend then returned to my (Elizabeth Atkins) house with me following the talk. Her friend was a nurse and remarked that she could tell from the way that Mortenson walked that his back must be hurting. He had already spoken that same day at Babson College and a high school. He said that the hardest thing was being away so much from his wife and children but he feels that it’s important to continue going back to Pakistan and Afghanistan and also to talk about his work. Volunteers were handing out copies of “The Journey of Hope”, a special report by the Bozeman Daily Chronicle of a trip taken last summer by the editor and the chief photographer to Pakistan and Afghanistan to document his work there and the Central Asia Institute which he founded.
February 26 2008 | Outings | No Comments »
Date: February 23, 2008
Location: Boston Frog Pond
Despite the snowstorm of the day before, the sun was bright for the Young Alums Ice Skating Event on Feb. 23rd. Jackie O’Mara ‘06, Cassandra Phillips-Sears ʼ04, and Faith Wallace-Gadsden ʼ05 spent the afternoon skating at the Boston Frog Pond. After recharging themselves with hot chocolate and tea they decided to make a short walk to Beacon Hill restaurant Bin 26 Enoteca for delicious wine, delicious appetizers, and to continue the wide-ranging conversation on everything from rainforest to biology to cooking.
It was a great, energizing way to spend the day, and I think everyone who came enjoyed themselves, even if we weren’t doing triple axles!
February 23 2008 | Young alums | No Comments »
