PortsmouthAthenaeum AnnualReport 2019...portsmouthathenaeum.org | 2 Report of the Keeper In most...

Portsmouth Athenæum Annual Report 2019

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June 2020

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Contents Report of the Keeper – Thomas M. Hardiman Jr. ............................................. 2 Minutes of the Annual Meeting .......................................................................... 4 Statement of Activities .......................................................................................... 8 Report of the Admissions Committee* – Gary Ghigliotti ................................ 12 Report of the Art and Artifacts Committee – Elizabeth Aykroyd................... 16 Report of the Exhibits Committee – Sandra Rux .............................................. 18 Report of the Investment Committee* – Jeffrey Keefe ..................................... 20 Report of the Library Committee* – Peggy Hodges ......................................... 21 Report of the Nominating Committee – Thomas R. Watson .......................... 23 Report of the Performance Committee – William F. Wieting ........................ 24 Report of the Publications Committee – Sherry Wood ................................... 26 Report of the Social Committee – Cynthia Knapp ........................................... 27 Report of the Special Collections Committee – Richard Candee .................... 29 Report of the Technology Committee – Gail Drobnyk .................................... 33 Report of the Treasurer – Jeffrey Keefe .............................................................. 34 Gift Acknowledgements ....................................................................................... 35 Necrology ............................................................................................................... 41 Officers & Directors | Staff | Credits ................................................................... 42 * Denotes a standing committee of the Athenæum. Mission We, the Proprietors of the Portsmouth Athenæum, associate to promote learning and advance useful knowledge among our constituents and the wider community by facilitating convivial interchange and intellectual discourse; maintaining our historic buildings and library; and collecting and preserving materials relevant to the history and culture of Portsmouth and the Piscataqua region.


Report of the Keeper In most respects, 2019 was one of the very best in the history of the Portsmouth Athenæum. Thanks primarily to the generosity of our members, we had one of the strongest fiscal years in memory. Thanks to the hard work of our volunteer committees, we had a full calendar of engaging exhibitions, extraordinary concerts, and excellent speakers. Our paid staff—Robin, Susan, James, Carolyn, Katy, and Stephanie—each outdid themselves, doing far more than what is required in their job descriptions. It is important to remember these overwhelming successes in the face of ongoing challenges. We are really good at what we do, and when you are good at what you do, you don’t see challenges as defeats but as opportunities to improve. We had a surprising setback in August when a structural engineer confirmed an earlier report that not only would the floors and footings of the Foye building not withstand the weight of additional bookshelves, but also under current code the existing shelves were 100 percent overloaded. It came as a shock, although it probably shouldn’t have, given the exponential growth of our collections, especially the research materials, over the past thirty-five years. Some of us might liken this situation to the shock one receives when pulling a pair of pants from the far recesses of the closet and discovering that they don’t fit. Some react to this shock with denial, buying a case of hair dye and a convertible and pretending that it is still 1985. Others look at it as a wake-up call, go on a diet, and spend some time at the gym. We have chosen to remediate the immediate risk so that we have time to properly explore and discuss long-term actions and opportunities. We have rented climate-controlled, secure space in North Hampton. Thanks to the help of many volunteers, we have already moved 180 boxes of books and more than 300 cubic feet of historical newspapers. New shelving that is scaled to the existing floor load will arrive in a few weeks. By the end of February 2020, we should have enough material out of the Foye building to make each floor meet current code. At that point, we can say we have done the hard work—we have kept to our diet and been to the gym. We have done what we needed to do, and now we can look at what we want to do. The board and Long-Range Planning Committee have already started that process. As always, we will seek input and feedback from the membership as that process moves forward.


I have every confidence that the Athenæum will be reinvigorated by this exercise. We may not be in the same shape as at age thirty, but, looking back, 1847 really wasn’t all it was cracked up to be: the country was deeply polarized politically, roads and other infrastructure were in a parlous state, and Wi-Fi and cell connections were spotty at best. By planning carefully and acting deliberately I know we can prove that 203 is the new thirty. Tom Hardiman, Keeper Report presented at the 201st Annual Meeting January 26, 2020

Image: PC1456


Minutes of the Annual Meeting

PORTSMOUTH ATHENÆUM Minutes of the Annual Meeting

Sunday, January 27, 2019 3:00 p.m. in the Shaw Research Library

1. Call to Order: President Steve Roberts called the 200th Annual Meeting of the Proprietors of the Portsmouth Athenæum to order at 3:00 p.m. He notified the attendees that the meeting was being recorded. The minutes of the 199th annual meeting were presented. On the motion of John Rice, seconded by Richard Candee, the minutes of the 2018 meeting were unanimously approved. 2. Necrology: Steve Roberts read the list of Proprietors, spouses, and former Proprietors who died in 2018: Proprietors George “Buzzy” Dodge, Share 211; Robert A. Hall, Share 330; Julian Fischer, Share 243; Lawrence P. McManus Jr., Share 190. Spouses Robert B. Field Jr., spouse Share 283; William Richard Smyser, spouse Share 139; Helen Weinbaum, spouse Share 198. Former Proprietors Lois Fonda, formerly Share 344; and Lalla K. Woerner, formerly Share 321. Steve then asked for a moment of silence. He announced that the memorial concert would take place in St. John’s Church on February 7 featuring Geoffrey Wieting on the organ. 2. Finances:

a. Report of the Treasurer: Treasurer Jeffrey Keefe presented the financial summary for 2018, which he called a very strong year. Our income was $557,000 while our expenses were only $426,000, leaving us with a surplus around $130,000 for the fiscal year. A large portion of the surplus was the result of around $85,000 in bequests and gifts. About $42,000 was spent on building maintenance and renovations, the majority of which involved our fire and safety systems. These improvements helped increase the number of people who could be in any part of our buildings at one time, which allowed us to bring the holiday gala back to the Athenæum. We currently have $25,000 budgeted in 2019 for additional building repairs. He noted that our fiscal performance reflected greatly on the fine work of President Steve Roberts, our active and engaged board, and cost-cutting efforts of Keeper Tom Hardiman.

b. Report of the Investment Committee: Jeff noted that 2018 had not been as kind to the financial markets as it was to our revenue. As a result, our investment portfolio was down on the year, dropping from $1,684,100 to $1,563,796 for a loss of 7.84 percent compared


to a benchmark figure of minus 4.6 percent. The current allocation of the portfolio is 65 percent in equities and 35 percent in cash and fixed income. The investment manager for the portfolio is Morgan Stanley and has been for the past thirteen years. To ensure prudent management practices, the Investment Committee is seeking proposals from seven highly qualified investment managers. Our goals are to increase the level of service and reduce investment management fees while maintaining competitive investment results. A decision is expected by the end of the first quarter.

3. Approval of the 2019 Assessment: Ellen Fineberg made a motion to approve the 2019 assessment of $250. Richard Candee seconded the motion, which passed unanimously. 4. Report of the Keeper: Keeper Tom Hardiman reminded the audience that he predicted that as good as 2017 was, 2018 would be better. He noted that 2018 was way better. The year was filled with excellent events by the Exhibits, Performance, and Program Committees. We also had the return of the holiday gala to our historic buildings. That result was largely due to the work of the Board of Directors, especially Jeffrey Keefe and Peter Rice. Another wish fulfilled was the expansion of our open hours of our Research Library to five days a week. Although the change had some challenges, our staff, and especially our Librarian Robin Silva, did whatever was needed to make it happen. He complimented the “active” board led by Steve Roberts. He noted that we have a Development Committee again, led by John Rice. We also have a new Long-Range Planning Committee, which is looking at how we can continue to be a great and vital institution for twenty-five years and beyond. In closing, Tom referred to one of the earliest reports, which compared the Athenæum to a plant. The question we face today is whether we cut the flower so it can be admired for a short time or continue to water and nurture the plant so that it can serve another generation. 6. Report of the President: President Steve Roberts delivered the Report of the President. Steve noted that we are in great shape financially for several reasons. The market was good to us until the end of the year, and the $85,000 we received in bequests was huge. He thanked Peggy Hodges for her work in getting a $50,000 grant to study our space utilization and determine HVAC requirements for the future. Steve thanked Peter Rice, Jeff Keefe, and Tom Hardiman for getting the holiday gala back to the Athenæum. He reminded members how important it is for people to RSVP because of the strict occupancy limits. He added that it has been a wonderful year for exhibits, and he thanked Sandra Rux and her committee for their hard work. He noted that we are in excellent shape membership-wise. The second-annual Portsmouth Athenæum Prize in the Humanities was awarded last November; Bill Wieting has been instrumental in the success of this program. Peter Tarlton has been leading the Strategic Planning Group, looking at where we want to be in five, ten, and fifteen years from now. He noted that the Development Committee led by


John Rice will make it easy for people to remember the Athenæum in their will. He highlighted the work of Cindy Knapp and the Social Committee throughout the year. He thanked all serving on committees, the board, and the staff as well. 7. Approval of Changes to the Bylaws: Steve Roberts presented a proposed change to the bylaws of the Athenæum, which was approved by the Board of Directors. It would add the following sentences to the end of Article 4b: “A Director may be nominated for a second full term. No person who has served two consecutive terms of three years as Director shall be eligible for re-election as a Director until the expiration of one year from the completion of his or her term.” Elaine Tefft made a motion to approve the recommendation of the board. Don Margeson seconded the motion. Steve said he recommended passing the motion since it would provide for greater institutional memory. The motion passed unanimously. 8. Volunteer Recognition: Douglas Aykroyd presented certificates recognizing various volunteer activities. Recognized for five years of service on the Social Committee were Elizabeth Aykroyd (2012 to 2016) and Jan Dinan (2014 to 2018). Recognized for five years of service on the Publications Committee from 2013 to 2017 were Kimberly Alexander, Peggy Hodges, and Jeff Hopper. Don Margeson was recognized for his service from 2014 to 2018 on the Publications Committee and as a Wine Steward. Steve Roberts presented Peggy Hodges a certificate recognizing her as an Outstanding Grant Writer. 9. Election of Officers and Directors: Tom Watson presented the following slate of officers and directors:

Treasurer (to 2020) Jeffrey W. Keefe Secretary (to 2020) Douglas Aykroyd Directors (to 2022) Ellen J. Fineberg Sandra Rux Lynne Crocker

John Rice made a motion to accept the nominations of the committee. Bill Purinton seconded the motion, which passed unanimously. 10. New Business:

a. Naming and Renaming of Athenæum Rooms and Spaces: Peter Randall reported that he was surprised to see that the Copley Research Library had been renamed as the Shaw Research Library. He suggested that there needs to be a more deliberative process involved in the naming and renaming of rooms and spaces. He made the following


motion: “The naming of any room or space, or the renaming of any room or space, in the Portsmouth Athenæum shall be approved only by a majority vote of the Proprietors at the annual meeting.” The motion was seconded by Richard Candee. Those speaking in favor of the motion made it clear that this was not an attack on any person, but rather on the process. In response to a question asking if this motion should be a part of the bylaws, Douglas Aykroyd responded that the approval of the motion would establish a policy, which could be documented in the handbook for the Board of Directors. The motion carried. Peggy Hodges said that there should be a committee to develop specific procedures for the implementation of the proposal. Peter Randall and Bob Chase volunteered to join her on this committee. When the vote was taken the majority was in favor, several Proprietors voted against the motion, and John Shaw abstained.

b. Library and Special Collections Fundraiser 2019: Chair of the Library Committee Peggy Hodges noted that in 2018 the fundraiser supported the conservation of four Portsmouth maps from the nineteenth century. She listed the candidates for conservation in 2019: several books from the sixteenth through nineteenth centuries containing book plates of notable Portsmouth dignitaries; the two velum scrolls on display in the Reading Room; the 1823 Portsmouth Bicentennial guest list on the stairway; the 1822 New Castle Association papers; the Badger-Neal-Locke collection, consisting of twenty-three volumes of account books dating from 1830 to 1900 that document shipbuilding in the Piscataqua region; and a vinyl recording of the Kimball’s Department Store jingle. She noted that there would be more information forthcoming in the newsletter and the e-mail blast and asked for everyone’s support.

11. Adjournment: There being no further business, Peter Rice made a motion to adjourn. Richard Candee seconded the motion, which passed unanimously. The meeting was adjourned at 3:45 p.m. Douglas Aykroyd, Secretary


Statement of Activities It was another busy year of programming for the Portsmouth Athenæum in 2019. With increased participation in gallery exhibitions, literary events, and music programs, the Athenæum is truly an intellectual center of the community. New and longtime Athenæum members enjoyed a full social calendar. The 200th Annual Meeting of the Proprietors of the Portsmouth Athenæum was held on January 27, filling the Shaw Research Library. On February 7, the annual memorial concert honoring Proprietors who had passed in 2018 was held at St. John’s Church. Traditional new member teas and open houses were held on April 16 and September 17. A summertime favorite, the annual picnic took place on August 20 at the Seacoast Science Center in Rye; Athenæum members and their family and friends enjoyed a beautiful afternoon on the coast. To close the year, Athenæum members made merry at the annual holiday party on December 6. The Athenæum staff, in addition to providing research help, welcomed local school groups and businesses as well as hundreds of visitors from around the world for tours of our beautiful, historic building. Other staff-led events included a transcribe-a-thon, held in November, to enhance access to the collection of prolific local photographer Douglas J. Armsden. These events brought awareness to the Athenæum’s rich local history collections. Gallery Exhibitions The Athenæum presented four popular and thought-provoking exhibitions during the year. Each first Friday of the month, the Randall Gallery was open to the public for Art ’Round Town to showcase the current exhibition. On February 15, an opening reception was held for The Many Faces of George Washington, an exhibition that explored the myriad ways Washington has been depicted and memorialized over time. Items on display included a fragment of the Cambridge elm tree under which Washington took command of the Continental Army in 1775 as well as objects related to Washington’s visit to Portsmouth in the fall of 1789. Sandra Rux and Judy Groppa provided gallery tours. The exhibition ran until April 13. Sponsored by the Seacoast LGBT History Project, which was founded by Tom Kaufhold, Seacoast LGBT History: 50 Years of Rainbow Reflections opened on May 3. More than 150 people attended the opening reception. Gallery talks were held throughout May and June, including a showing of video collected for the project by Tom Kaufhold. Holly R. Cashman, associate professor of


Spanish and women’s studies at the University of New Hampshire, presented “Collecting Our LGBTQ+ Stories,” featuring excerpts from oral histories conducted with the Seacoast LGBTQ+ community, and she discussed concerns related to collecting and preserving these stories. Additional items from the Athenæum’s collections were added for Pride Month, and the gallery was open for extended hours for Pride Day on June 22. The exhibition closed on July 6. Drawing a variety of curious visitors, By the Bottle or the Barrel: 400 Years of Brewing in Portsmouth opened on August 2. The exhibition included an 1845 petition with the names of nearly 900 Portsmouth women calling for reform during the temperance movement; this item was a new addition to the Athenæum’s collections. Co-curator Sandra Rux led a gallery talk on August 17, followed by several lectures by local brewing history experts in September and October. Tad Baker, professor of history at Salem State University, and Butch Heilshorn, author of Against All Hops, discussed the history of making gruit, a lost beer style dating to the Middle Ages. Cheryl Parker, who manages the Brewing Science Laboratory at the University of New Hampshire, presented on the science of brewing and the UNH brewing program. The founders of Granite State Growler Tours, David Adams and Mark Chag, talked about Portsmouth’s modern craft brewing industry and the history of brewing in Portsmouth, respectively. This exhibition was on view until November 9. The annual Proprietors’ Art Show opened during the Athenæum’s holiday party on December 6. Submissions by Proprietors, Subscribers, and Friends showcased the creativity of the Athenæum family through varied media. Literary Events The Portsmouth Athenæum Program Series 2019, entitled Scripting the Seacoast with Words, Beauty, Learning, and Laughter, kicked off on March 20 with mystery writer Brendan Dubois, followed by humorist Rebecca Rule on April 17. Food writer Rachel Forrest drew a crowd on May 15. Photographer Alexandra de Steiguer spoke on September 18, while the October 16 program featured Marguerite Matthews and Gregory Gathers of the Pontine Theatre. The series concluded on November 20 with songwriter and poet John Perrault. Keeper Tom Hardiman celebrated the publication of Money, Revolution, and Books: A Multi-Generational Perspective on the Portsmouth Athenæum’s Library of John Fisher of London, with


a book launch held at the Athenæum on April 19. The Reading Room was packed, and attendees clamored for Hardiman’s autograph after his talk. Throughout the year, he gave book talks at other local libraries, including the Portsmouth Public Library and York Public Library. There were several additional book talks by local authors. On May 8, Julie Dobrow discussed her critically acclaimed book, After Emily: Two Remarkable Women and the Legacy of America’s Greatest Poet, which explores the overlooked history of Emily Dickinson’s sister, Lavinia, and Mabel Loomis Todd, who edited and promoted the trove of over 1,800 poems discovered after Dickinson’s death. Later in May, Athenæum Proprietor Kevin Lafond held a book launch for New Hampshire Merchant Scrip, Along with a Brief History of Its Use and Biographical Sketches of the Merchants. His 400-page volume traces how New Hampshire merchants issued their own small-denomination paper money in tough economic times. Athenæum Proprietor and Portsmouth Poet Laureate Tammi Truax gave a book talk on August 18 for her new release, For to See the Elephant. On October 29 in time for Halloween, author Kurt Leland presented a lecture, “Celia Thaxter: Ghosts, Ghouls, and Gurus.” Leland discussed Thaxter’s interest in Spiritualism and other creepy tales from the Isles of Shoals, such as the Smuttynose murders and the haunting of one of Thaxter’s friends, a medium named Marion Dickinson. He also addressed Thaxter’s involvement in the Theosophical Society, including a class in the Bhagavad Gita taught by a young Indian man in 1887, one of the earliest appearances of a guru in the United States. Cosponsored by the Athenæum, the Portsmouth Peace Treaty Forum celebrated its twenty-fifth anniversary with a lecture on United States diplomacy by Jake Sullivan, former national security advisor to the Obama administration. The event, held in the ballroom at the Wentworth by the Sea hotel in New Castle, also recognized the anniversary of Theodore Roosevelt’s Nobel Peace Prize for orchestrating the Portsmouth Peace Treaty. Athenæum Proprietor Sarah Hamill held a book talk on December 10 for her new memoir, When I Was a Child in England during World War II.


Music Programs In May, student musicians from the University of New Hampshire gave a well-attended performance at North Church. The Portsmouth Athenæum Chamber Music Series 2019 began on July 21 with a performance by cellist Sebastian Baverstam and pianist Constantine Finehouse at St. John’s Church. On August 11, four musicians from A Far Cry performed a trio and two quartets for an audience of nearly 100 people at the Dance Hall in Kittery. The Omer String Quartet performed at North Church on September 22. The series concluded at the Dance Hall in Kittery on October 27 with the Neave Trio, which played the Piano Trio in A minor by New Hampshire composer Amy Beach. On September 26, a screening of the seventeen-minute film Tom Hall – Musical Life, Musical Community celebrated how the late Tom Hall inspired local singers, songwriters, and musical groups with his sea chantey sessions held at the Press Room for some thirty years. The short film included interviews and musical interludes to demonstrate the way Hall, an organizer of the Portsmouth Maritime Folk Festival, spread a passion for folk music. The film screening took place in the Research Library on the eve of the festival’s twentieth anniversary, accompanied by stories and songs from a number of musicians who knew Hall in the early days. On September 29, cameo concerts were held in the Athenæum’s Reading Room during the festival. On November 3, the third-annual Portsmouth Athenæum Prize in the Humanities was awarded during the intermission of the Portsmouth Symphony Orchestra’s season opening concert at the Music Hall. The Noree Chamber Soloists played an in-house concert for Athenæum members on November 17, held in the Reading Room and featuring Mozart’s String Duo No. 1 in G major, K. 423; the String Trio by Françaix; and Beethoven’s String Trio in C minor, Op. 9 No. 3.


Report of the Admissions Committee The Admissions Committee met on four occasions in 2019 and unanimously approved all of the following applications. The committee recommended the following share transfers: Share 111 to Pierce Cote from his mother, Wendy Cote. Pierce is an Army veteran now working in supply chain project management. He is endorsed by his mother, John Rice, and Reverend Robert Stevens. Share 256 to Zoe Pringle from her father, Warren Pringle. Zoe is an information technology manager who lives in Kittery, Maine. She is recommended by her father, Lynne Crocker, and Tom Hardiman. Share 56 from the estate of Helen Rollins to her sister, Elizabeth Rollins Mauran. Liz is a former rare book and manuscript archivist and is active in a number of museums and libraries, including Mount Vernon; the American Museum in Bath, England; and the Providence Athenæum. She lives in Providence, Rhode Island, with her husband, Frank, and three children. Liz is endorsed by Alexander Warrick, Charles Tarbell, and Peter Lamb. The committee also recommended the following for admission as Subscribers: Shintaro (Sam) Asano is an executive and inventor who lives in Portsmouth and was named one of the ten most influential inventors of the twentieth century by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Sam is endorsed by Dick Adams, Michael Chubrich, and Carvel Tefft, all past presidents of the Athenæum. Amy Lou Emmanuel Bassett is an instructor and pilot/commander with the 133rd Air Refueling Squadron of the New Hampshire Air National Guard. She lives in Portsmouth with her husband, Luke, and their two children. Amy Lou is endorsed by Allen McGee, Reagan Ruedig, and Tom Hardiman.


David Harrison Bryan is the treasurer of Piscataqua Savings Bank, and he would like to support the mission of the Athenæum. He lives in Portsmouth and is endorsed by Jay Gibson, Alan Robinson, and Rodman Philbrook. Harold Allen Chadwick is a defense contractor with an interest in local history, and he is a member of the Piscataqua Maritime Commission. He lives in Rye with his wife, Darleen, and is recommended by Phil von Hemert, Peter Rice, and Jack Nelson. Lauren Gallant is a recently retired administrator from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology who lives in Kittery Point, Maine. She is endorsed by Linda Cheatham, Mary Carter, and Wendy Lull. Kathleen Gordon is the business manager at Corpus Christi Parish in Portsmouth and has a lifelong interest in genealogy and local history. She lives in Portsmouth with her husband, Glen, and is endorsed by Tom Hardiman, Mary Beth Kula, and Tom Watson. Sharon Anne Griffin is a professor of psychology and education and is an active member of the Athenæum’s Performance Committee. She lives in New Castle with her husband, Paul, and is recommended by Richard Adams, Sally Gayer, and Katherine Kane. Richard David Grossman is soon to retire from a long career as senior mechanical engineer for the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard and is a longtime Friend of the Athenæum. He lives in Portsmouth and is recommended by Tom Hardiman, Craig Steidle, and Allen McGee. Nancy Rae Hammond is a retired librarian and lecturer at Harvard University and is an active volunteer at the Athenæum. She lives on Gates Street in Portsmouth and is recommended by Joan Christy, Richard Candee, and Tom Hardiman. Carrie N. Hurn is the owner and developer at Energy Resources Group and is interested in family history, gardening, boating, cooking, and embroidery. She lives in Milton Mills with her husband, Derek, and is endorsed by Stephen Roberts, Keith Frisbee, and Simone Shields. Sandra L. Jalbert is the acting executive director and board chair of the nonprofit Dover Triangle Club and is working on her MFA in creative nonfiction writing. She and her husband, James, live in Rollinsford. She is nominated by Susan Noerdlinger, Jameson French, and Stephen Roberts.


Robert (Bobby) Lambert is a solar energy entrepreneur who lives in Portsmouth. He is recommended by Gary Ghigliotti, James Fogarty, and Kimberly Meyers. Duncan J. MacCallum is an attorney in Portsmouth, where he lives with his wife, Maureen. Duncan is very interested in historic preservation and is recommended by Martha Fuller Clark, Karen Bouffard, and Patricia Bagley. Paul James McKeon Jr. is the founder and CEO of B2W Software and has an interest in history, arts, literature, philanthropy, and boats. He lives in Portsmouth with his wife, Jessica, and is recommended by Michael Kenslea, Maryellen Burke, and Susan Labrie. Inge E. Milde is a realtor and former director of the Tufts Entrepreneurship Center. She lives in Portsmouth and serves on several local boards. She is endorsed by John Rice, Shintaro (Sam) Asano, Alan Gold, and Michael Chubrich. Santina Riley is a private wealth investments manager who lives in Kittery Point, Maine, and Winchester, Massachusetts. She is recommended by Keith Frisbee, Steve Roberts, and Tom Hardiman. Edward Rowan is a recently retired psychologist with a very long publishing résumé. He lives in Hampton and is endorsed by Douglas Aykroyd, Lionel Ingram, and John Lamson. Alexandra “Wickie” Rowland is a landscape designer, artist, and gemologist with a longtime interest in local history. She lives in New Castle with her husband, Proprietor Rodney Rowland. Wickie is recommended by Stephen Alie, Ron Bourgeault, and Rodney Rowland. Sareen B. Sarna is a healthcare executive in hospice senior care with interests in history, reading, and sharing a love of the Seacoast region. She lives in Newmarket with her husband, John Gesek, and is endorsed by Ted Alex, John Rice, and Dennett Page. John Wingate Seavey is professor emeritus in the College of Health and Human Services at the University of New Hampshire and is interested in genealogy and supporting the Athenæum. He lives in Portsmouth and is recommended by Kathleen Boduch, John Dika, and Michael Dater. Dana L. Stairs is a corporate IT program analyst and former nuclear test engineer at the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard and is on several local museum boards. He lives in Rollinsford with his wife, Sue, and is endorsed by Peter Cook, Tara Raiselis, and Stephen Roberts.


James Wilcox Teetzel is CEO of Wilcox Industries and is interested in history and philanthropy. He lives in Portsmouth and is recommended by Eric Gregg, John Shaw, and Stephen Roberts. Patrick Jeffrey Thomson is a principal at Booz Allen Hamilton and is interested in history, sailing, and music. He lives in Dover with his wife, Jenna, and is endorsed by Jeffrey Thomson, Steve Roberts, and Bob Barth. Gary Usher is a neurologist who lives in Portsmouth with his wife, Alison Soillee, and has an interest in Celtic and classical music. He is endorsed by Steve Roberts, Maryellen Burke, and Dr. R. J. Allister. Gary Ghigliotti, Chair Admissions Committee


Report of the Art and Artifacts Committee The Art and Artifacts Collection Committee is charged with the care and exhibition of the art and objects, as opposed to books, manuscripts, and photographs, in the Athenæum’s possession. As part of this charge, for some years the committee has been recataloging the art and artifacts collection. We completed this task at the end of last year, although work is continuing on the collection of prints known as Visual Images. Acquisitions and Deaccessions The Athenæum purchased two small paintings dating from the end of the nineteenth century, one of which shows the Thomas Sheafe Coffin house on Sagamore Creek. The other is an unidentified scene of a bridge over a brook. Both paintings are slated for cleaning. Cynthia Harriman also donated a modern woodblock print of the Athenæum’s 1805 building. Bourgeault-Horan Antiquarians sold for us two deaccessioned models, as well as two watercolors with no relevance to the collection. The $1,000 realized from the sales was put into the Sir Peter Warren Fund, which is restricted to acquisitions and conservation. Conservation The Joseph Greenleaf Cole portrait of Theodore Sheafe has been sent to paintings conservator Martha Cox for repair and cleaning. This project will stretch over a number of months, but we anticipate that the painting will be much improved in appearance when it returns. Exhibits The committee aided the Exhibits Committee during the year by lending objects and paintings to exhibitions in the Randall Gallery, especially The Many Faces of George Washington, which included a number of the prints of George Washington from the Visual Images Collection. We also installed in the case in the Library Room a small exhibit about the Founding Fathers who visited Portsmouth.


Committee Members Tammi Truax resigned from the committee because of her many duties as the Portsmouth Poet Laureate. We will miss her but wish her well. We were fortunate to add Judy Groppa to the committee. Her broad knowledge of art will be helpful. Other members of the committee in 2019 were Elizabeth Aykroyd (chair), Douglas Aykroyd, Alan Bennett, Pat Breslin, Tom Hardiman, Rebecca Mitchell, Tara Vose Raiselis, Carolyn Roy, Sandra Rux, Elaine Tefft, and Hilda Versluys. Elizabeth Aykroyd, Chair Art and Artifacts Collection Committee

Image: David J. Murray/ClearEyePhoto.com


Report of the Exhibits Committee It was another busy year for the Athenæum Arts–Exhibits Committee. We said goodbye to David Ewing, who had so ably scheduled the gallery greeters for over five years. Gina Damiano, a new Friend of the Athenæum, volunteered to be the new greeter coordinator and has worked with the greeters to improve the scheduling process. Thanks David, Gina, and all of the volunteer greeters. Lauren Gallant, now a Subscriber, joined the committee in October. She has been helping with the Armsden photo collection. David Random will join the committee in January. He created the metal sculptures that were part of this year’s Proprietors’ Art Show. Sadly, after many years on the committee, Barbara Adams decided to resign due to other responsibilities. She, along with Kitty Clark and Joan Graf, curated the Proprietors’ Art Show for many years. We will miss her on the committee. Our first exhibition of the year, held from February through the end of March and curated by Judy Groppa and Sandra Rux, was The Many Faces of George Washington, which utilized many of the prints of George Washington owned by the Athenæum. Several Athenæum Proprietors loaned items from their own collections for this, as did local museums. It was more successful than we had envisioned, with many people wanting it to remain longer. The next exhibition, held from April through the beginning of July, was Seacoast LGBT History: 50 Years of Rainbow Reflections, curated by Tom Kaufhold and the Seacoast LGBT History Project. The group has amassed a large amount of material, including posters, letters, memorabilia, and photographs. Some of this material will become part of the Athenæum’s collections. Kaufhold also arranged several gallery talks during the exhibition period. A companion exhibit at the Portsmouth Public Library also helped to generate interest in the topic. Many new people were introduced to the Athenæum through this exhibition. In August, we turned our attention to beer with By the Bottle or the Barrel: 400 Years of Brewing in Portsmouth. Curators Judy Groppa and Sandra Rux learned a great deal about breweries in nineteenth-century Portsmouth, the brewing process, and the craft brewing scene. With borrowed items from Proprietors, Russ Hammer, and the University of New Hampshire brewing program and creative design from Susan Kress Hamilton at Phineas Graphics, we created an engaging exhibition. Proprietor Dave Adams, who runs Granite State Growler Tours, assisted in acquiring new objects from local craft brewers. A lecture series featured brewing history in Portsmouth and the renaissance of the brewing industry in Portsmouth as well as the rest of the United States.


The year ended with the annual Proprietors’ Art Show, which opened during the holiday gala, featuring the creative talents of Proprietors and their spouses. Thanks to Susan Kress Hamilton for donating labels and the sidewalk sign insert. Thanks to Sherry Wood for excellent publicity and for hosting Art ’Round Town. Next year, 2020, will begin with an exhibition of photographs by Peter Randall titled Hampton Beach: Summer of ’83. It will open on February 7 and will also feature Hampton Beach objects from the Hampton Historical Society. Committee Members Barbara Adams, Elizabeth Aykroyd, Linda Cheatham, Gina Damiano, Ronan Donohoe, Lauren Gallant, Joan Graf, Judy Groppa, Susan Hamilton, Tom Hardiman, David Random, Sandra Rux (chair), Elaine Tefft, and Sherry Wood. Sandra Rux, Chair Athenæum Arts–Exhibits Committee


Report of the Investment Committee This year was kind to the financial markets. As a result, the Athenæum investment portfolio had very strong results in 2019. The portfolio finished up on the year, from a beginning value of $1,562,203 to a year-end value of $1,848,891, for a net gain of $327,267. This represents an investment result of 21 percent net of all fees. By comparison, the relative benchmark return was 15.6 percent. The current allocation of the investment portfolio is 60 percent equities and 40 percent cash and fixed income. Last year, I reported that the Investment Committee was in pursuit of a new investment manager. Our goals were to increase the level of service provided and reduce management fees while maintaining competitive results. I am happy to report that after a thorough search and interview process, we hired Nvest, a local independent investment manager to manage the portfolio going forward. Nvest brought several qualities to the table, including their very competitive management fee of 0.65 basis points, which ultimately led to a unanimous approval of the Investment Committee. By making this transition, we were able to reduce the portfolio management fees by 57 percent and will save the Athenæum nearly $16,000 per year based on current portfolio values. Jeffrey Keefe, Treasurer


Report of the Library Committee The Library Committee works with Athenæum staff and committees to acquire, curate, and make accessible the content of the library in support of the Athenæum’s mission. The committee also supports the day-to-day work of library staff by developing library policy, assisting in planning and budgeting, educating and advocating for the library, fostering collaborations with other organizations, and fundraising for special projects. This was a banner year for all library services and activities. The committee sincerely thanks the library’s dedicated, professional, and seemingly tireless staff for all they do to support the library’s operations: Librarian Robin Silva, Research Librarians Katy Sternberger and Carolyn Marvin, Archivist Susan Kindstedt, and Photographic Collections Manager James Smith. Research Library This year, Research Librarian Katy Sternberger implemented a system to better track how patrons use our Research Library. Her statistics reveal that Between September and December 2019, 499 people visited or called the Athenæum

library, 80 percent of whom were nonmembers. Reference inquiries accounted for 30 percent of all visits and calls; most of these inquiries

were from drop-in researchers. Between June and December 2019, the library received 92 online inquiries. These were

evenly split between reference requests and image order requests. These numbers show that the Research Library is an important community resource, bringing visitors to our doors who are seeking information of particular significance to them. Circulating Library Circulating library statistics for 2019 compiled by Librarian Robin Silva show that while book purchasing is down 30 percent from last year, book donations are up a healthy 38 percent and readership has increased by nearly 13 percent. These numbers suggest that the more disciplined purchasing policy instituted several years ago continues to create a well-curated and cost-effective library of contemporary fiction and nonfiction for our readership.


Library Conservation Fundraiser Once again, a large group of generous donors made our third-annual Library Conservation Fundraiser a success. With the fundraiser’s proceeds, we were able to Send five volumes of the newly acquired Badger-Neal-Locke collection of nineteenth-

century maritime business account books to Green Dragon Bindery in Shrewsbury, Massachusetts, for cleaning and stabilization.

Send the tattered, six-foot-long 1822 strip map of the Road to New Castle Bridge through Shapley and Amazeen’s Islands to Studio TKM Associates in Somersworth, Massachusetts, for cleaning, repair, and stabilization.

We are so grateful to all who support the library’s efforts to preserve our historical collections for future generations! Digitization Project In 2019, Archivist Susan Kindstedt initiated a collaborative project with the Portsmouth Public Library (PPL) and New England Historic Genealogical Society (NEHGS)—the largest and oldest genealogical society in the country—to scan, index, and make available online the historical records of the Portsmouth School Department. Volunteers will have the opportunity to participate in indexing the digitized records in 2020. The Thaxter Foundation has funded the purchase of archival folders and boxes to house the collection after digitization, when the records will be transferred to the public library. This is a groundbreaking project for the Athenæum and signals the beginning of a long-term collaborative effort to make our collections accessible to a wider audience. Peggy Hodges, Chair Library Committee


Report of the Nominating Committee For consideration by the Proprietors of the Portsmouth Athenæum at the 201st annual meeting scheduled for January 26, 2020, the Nominating Committee submitted the following nominations for officers and directors for terms commencing in 2020. President (to 2022) 2 year term Bradley M. Lown Vice President (to 2022) 2 year term Sarah B. Gayer Secretary (to 2021) 1 year term Margaret F. Hodges Treasurer (to 2021) 1 year term Jeffrey W. Keefe For Director (to 2023) 3 year term Edward N. Caylor For Director (to 2023) 3 year term Mark A. McNabb For Director (to 2023) 3 year term Janet D. Dinan Thomas R. Watson, Donald S. Margeson, Ronan P. Donohoe, Maryellen Burke Nominating Committee


Report of the Performance Committee The Performance Committee is proud to report that 2019 was another highly successful year, thanks as usual to the generous support of staunch patrons of chamber music as well as the Athenæum’s Board of Directors. Firstly, the group planned and presented three events on behalf of the Board of Directors for the enjoyment and edification of the Athenæum’s members, who were able to attend without charge: In January, the annual memorial concert presented organist Geoffrey Wieting in a

concert at St. John’s Church. In May, a program of music for wind instruments featured students from the University

of New Hampshire performing at North Church. In November, the Noree Piano Trio played works by women composers at the Dance

Hall in Kittery. These concerts included receptions and refreshments, thanks to the efforts of the Performance Committee members. The committee reports that these events were produced at a cost well inside of the board’s generous budgetary guideline. The 2020 memorial concert commemorating those Proprietors who passed away in 2019 will be held on Sunday, May 24, at 3 p.m. After reading the life stories of our deceased friends, we will present Boston harpsichordist Peter Sykes in a recital at North Church. Our purpose in rescheduling this annual event is to encourage and facilitate greater attendance by the Athenæum’s membership at a concert that has become notable for its dignity and beauty. Additionally, the Portsmouth Athenæum Chamber Music (PACM) Series, a direct outgrowth of the talents and energies of the Performance Committee, enjoyed another solidly successful year in 2019, with generous support from numerous patrons and subscribers as well as the largest ticket sales yet seen. We were able to close the year with a modest surplus. The 2019 series presented: July 21: Sebastian Baverstam, cello, and Constantine Finehouse, piano, at St. John’s Church August 11: Musicians from A Far Cry at the Dance Hall, Kittery September 22: Omer String Quartet at North Church October 27: Neave Piano Trio at the Dance Hall, Kittery


Since the series began nine years ago, Portsmouth has become a destination city for both performers and audiences of classical chamber music, and several other chamber concert series have indeed appeared on the local scene. Happily, there is enough interest and talent to go around, and classical music in Portsmouth has never been more avidly received. Athenæum members are reminded, too, that CDs of many of our concerts, both “in-house” and under the PACM, are available to you as circulating items in the Athenæum collection. The PACM plans four chamber concerts for 2020, including returns by the Omer Quartet, Neave Trio, and musicians from A Far Cry, as well as a concert by the Central 4 Piano Quartet. It is my honor to serve as the chair/spokesperson of the Performance Committee, but it must be emphasized that all of the committee members deserve praise and thanks for their energetic hard work, talents, ideas, and generosity. They are Sally Gayer (our representative on the Board of Directors), Kristin Goodwillie (social chair), Sharon Griffin (recording secretary), Andrew Moore (financial officer), Susan Potters (talent coordinator), Ellie Sanderson (emerita), Heather Thomsen (historian), Tom Hardiman (ex officio), and Bill Wieting (chair). Our appreciation of Tom Hardiman is, as ever, almost beyond expression—his dignified patience, willing drudgery (chairs, tables, etc.), and endless knowledge make him a treasure beyond price. As noted above, this is an exciting time for classical music in Portsmouth and the Seacoast region, and I am proud that the Athenæum is a vital part of this renaissance. The Performance Committee members are united in their enthusiasm and energy and are grateful to the Board of Directors and the members of the Athenæum for their encouragement and support. William F. Wieting, Chair Performance Committee


Report of the Publications Committee The committee produced three issues of the Athenæum’s newsletter in 2019, each with twelve pages and containing a total of thirty-eight articles. Contributors included the committee members, Keeper Tom Hardiman, and staff members Susan Kindstedt, James Smith, and Katy Sternberger as well as Proprietors Ann Beattie, Sandra Rux, and Bill Wieting. Thanks to our stellar designer Susan Kress Hamilton’s donation of her services at Phineas Graphics, the newsletter has never looked better and now includes many more visual elements—a total of twenty-four illustrations in 2019. Committee member Douglas Aykroyd has ably authored the Secretary’s Notes column for many years, and we will miss him in that role as he steps down as Athenæum Secretary. Fortunately, he plans to stay on the committee and keep penning articles for the newsletter. The newsletter’s deadlines are March 1, June 15, and October 1. Contributions and queries may be directed to committee chair Sherry Wood at <[email protected]>. The highlight of the year was the committee’s (small) supporting role in the production of Tom Hardiman’s book Money, Revolution, and Books: A Multi-Generational Perspective on the Portsmouth Athenæum’s Library of John Fisher of London. John Fisher Sr. was the “fixer” for the Tory Wentworth family, helping them to navigate the turbulent times of the American Revolution and later rescuing their wealth and property seized in the war. The book was launched April 19 at a well-attended event in the Athenæum’s Reading Room. Tom has since given a number of book talks in the community. To order the book, visit the Athenæum’s website <portsmouthathenaeum.org> and click on “shop.” The book is $30, plus $5 for shipping and handling. Committee Members Dick Adams, Kimberly Alexander, Douglas Aykroyd, Tom Hardiman, Peggy Hodges, Jeffrey Hopper, Don Margeson, and Sherry Wood (chair). Sherry Wood, Chair Publications Committee


Report of the Social Committee The Social Committee met five times this year and was responsible for organizing and preparing refreshments for the annual meeting, held on January 27; the annual summer picnic, held on August 20 at the Seacoast Science Center in Rye; two new member teas held on April 16 and September 17; and the annual holiday party, held at the Athenæum on December 6. The events of the past year were well attended, including the two new member open houses, where we chose to maintain the tradition of serving tea rather than alcoholic beverages. In fact, attendance at the September event was exceptional, with many new and prospective members attending as well as several board members and other Proprietors. The presence of more Proprietors made for a more energetic and interesting experience for all. The annual picnic was cherished by attendees, with varied and plentiful potluck options presented. The weather was welcome and beverages abundant, making for a relaxing and convivial evening. Many thanks to Lois and Bud DesRochers for providing the tables and chairs for this event. Thank you to all who helped with setting them up as well. As usual, the holiday party had a wonderful response, with about 177 positive RSVPs. However, the snow that evening was a deterrent and probably a causative factor in keeping attendance lower than expected. Nonetheless, the White Apron caterers presented and served a delightful array of appetizers throughout the evening, supplemented by stationary entrées prepared by members of the Social Committee. It is with regret that we acknowledge the resignation of Tammi Truax from the Social Committee. Tammi is the current Portsmouth Poet Laureate and has new commitments to fulfill. She has been a valued member of the committee since 2014.


I would like to thank the members of the Social Committee for their continued support throughout the year. Thanks to Douglas Aykroyd and Peter Rice for their planning, management, and presentation of the wine service at each of our functions. Many thanks also to Mark Ankarberg, Elizabeth Aykroyd, Jan Dinan, and Tom Hardiman for their consistent support over the years. I would like to express my appreciation to Peter Rice and Tom Hardiman for their work in choosing and setting up a new, sturdy coatrack, replacing the one that failed last year. It was much appreciated at the holiday party. Thanks goes to each of the following Wine Stewards, who are organized by Douglas Aykroyd and have assisted with each of our annual events: Mark Ankarberg, Frank Breslin, Pat Breslin, Ed Caylor, Ronan Donohoe, Alan Haesche, Jeffrey Hopper, Wendy Lull, Don Margeson, Stephen Roberts, Sandra Rux, Curt Springer, Clint Springer, and Rod Watterson. Cynthia Knapp, Chair Social Committee


Report of the Special Collections Committee The goal of the Special Collections Committee is to keep local manuscripts, imprints, ephemera, serials, and photographs from leaving this area and to seek out items that should come back to Portsmouth. We recommend to the board materials for transfer or deaccession but rely primarily on the staff to help acquire materials. We also encourage local organizations to give or deposit manuscripts and photographs for public research. The committee almost never meets as a group since we do most of our work by email or individually with staff. J. Dennis Robinson (who checks eBay) and Richard Candee work with Tom Hardiman and others on the staff regarding possible purchases. Individual items are considered with Susan Kindstedt for manuscripts, James Smith for photographs and postcards, and Carolyn Marvin and Katy Sternberger for ephemera. Richard also serves as a link to the Library Committee, especially in selecting maps and manuscripts for our conservation program. Manuscripts Special collections items purchased in 2019 include the letters of Elizabeth Spalding, 1821–1822; a Civil War–era notebook of Lyman Greenleaf Spalding; a box of letters, photos, and ephemera of the Decatur family; a shipping contract by Andrew B. Vennard; a mid-nineteenth-century temperance broadside advertising a bowling alley; a collection of World War I letters to a Portsmouth young woman; an 1857 autograph book; and 1839 records of the Eliot Academy. Perhaps the largest and most diverse acquisitions this past year included materials on the Adams family, including the 1709 Harvard notebook of Reverend Joseph Adams and Josiah Adams’s account books, 1811–1868; business records of the C. M. Prince store in Kittery, 1910–1911; records of the William Randall plumbing and electrical business, 1926–1928; and a huge group of local photographs, pamphlets, and postcards, including many of the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard, which will be added to existing collections. As usual, many—if not most—additions to the collections have come as gifts from members, staff, and friends. This year, we again received gifts from Hollis Broderick, Mary Carter, Kinley Gregg, Frederick Hill, Michael Labrie, Dave Kaselauskas, and Dave Sanderson, as well as Scott Dean, Robert Fuller, Louesa Gillespie, Bob Shouse, the Giambalvo family, and Margaret Betts and the family of Nicholas J. Baker.


We also benefited from transfers of local materials from other institutions—just as we offer our out-of-scope materials to others. This year, the Kittery Historical and Naval Museum gave us Portsmouth receipts and ephemera, and the University of New Hampshire Library transferred a typed document from the U.S. Customs Service related to the bark Martha, built in Portsmouth. The most distant transfer we received was from the Santa Barbara County Genealogical Society in California: a letter from John Langdon to Nicholas Gilman in 1795 and another Langdon letter to Joseph Varnum in 1805. To make these new manuscripts of greatest use to researchers, we need to continue scanning them. Among the volunteers this year, Eric Longbottom has been scanning material from single items and small collections; Joan Hammond has been indexing four volumes of Appledore Hotel registers (S0082); and Tom Kaufhold has spent many hours sorting the collection of the Seacoast LGBT History Project. Sue Polidura has transcribed and indexed the 1782 Henzell’s Island Hospital inoculation record book (S0047), created a list of ship names to be added to PastPerfect from the 1770–1775 Port of the Piscataqua customs record book (S0039), helped create a folder list of the new Decatur family papers, and is currently working on revisions to the Bridget Graffort Club (MS045) finding aid. Susan Kindstedt coordinated a collaborative project with the Portsmouth Public Library (PPL) and New England Historic Genealogical Society (NEHGS). In January 2020, NEHGS began scanning and indexing the historical records of the Portsmouth School Department from 1846 to 1935 in 122 volumes. The records will be available online in the NEHGS database American Ancestors. Of particular significance are the school attendance records that provide student names, birth dates, guardian names, and addresses. They also contain details about teachers and curriculum. Following scanning by NEHGS, the Athenæum will work with the PPL to preserve the original records. A grant from the Thaxter Foundation was awarded jointly to the Athenæum and the PPL to purchase rehousing supplies. Photographs Among the gifts this year were more than 1,000 images for the Haven School collection (P0062), cataloged with the assistance of Proprietor Peter Randall and volunteers Mary Clough Ertl (donor) and Susan Wood. We are looking for more photographs, and we are planning an exhibition for 2021. Because of the publicity for the Haven School project, we received Cabot and Whipple school class photos from the early 1900s and team sport photos from before 1900. This group of additions included a few real-photo postcards of a military parade, most likely the Veteran’s Day parade through Market Square circa 1910, as well as a photograph of Portsmouth Post Office


employees from descendants of assistant postmaster Israel Henry Washburn. Also cataloged this year were 153 slides of the Golden Eagles marching band, which include Portsmouth and other Seacoast-area venues. eBay buys included an 1859 ambrotype of an unidentified man by Davis Brothers, photographs related to Oscar Laighton, and thirty-two real-photo postcards by photographer William Lamson to enhance our Lamson collection of glass plate negatives. Thirty-two local cabinet cards were found in a secondhand shop in Picton, Ontario, and transferred to the Athenæum by the Museums of Prince Edward County in Canada. Some have been scanned but not yet added to the online catalog. Nitrate film found in a boarding house in Kittery of the Little family of Cass Street and, later, Islington Street during the World War I era has been scanned but not processed. In addition, we acquired a photo album of the Card family, found in that same Kittery boarding house and first given to New Castle Historical Society, which mostly relates to the eldest brother, Frank Card. These images join the Card family photograph collection (P0053) and the Alvah C. Card slide collection (P0054)—from which more than 1,000 images were scanned this year. Other photographs scanned but not yet online include a Kimball’s Department Store slide collection (over 600 images scanned this year); Decatur family photographs; John Prentiss Benson photographs; and fifteen images from 1915 showing various street scenes and historic homes in Portsmouth (PS3041). From two albums related to the World War I–era Shattuck Shipyard in Newington, more than 100 images were digitized; James Smith wrote an article about the collection for the Portsmouth Herald. Our digitization program would not be possible without the efforts of dedicated volunteers. Kristen Peterson has been cataloging and scanning images from the Portsmouth Historic District Survey. These images were removed from the street files and are being alphabetically cataloged. Additionally, Peter Randall has been scanning the Wentworth by the Sea photograph collection. James Smith has been processing photographs in the huge Douglas J. Armsden archive donated in 2018. Mary Carter and Proprietors Richard Candee, Bob Chase, Ronan Donohoe, and Peter Randall have helped provide names and locations for many of these images. Mary Coombs, Lauren Gallant, James Shanley, and contract archivist Roland Goodbody were instrumental in the early stages of the project. In November, James Smith organized a transcribe-a-thon to type up Armsden’s catalog of his work, alphabetized on index cards. In one day, seventeen volunteers transcribed 3,600 entries, and the remaining 900 entries were transcribed in the following weeks, which completed this phase of the project to help identify what is in the collection.


Transcribe-a-thon volunteers were Joanne Carpenter, Linda Cheatham, Janice Farmer, Dean Gallant, Lauren Gallant, Andrew Jaffee, Richard Kirkpatrick, Wendy Lull, Amanda Nelsen, Sarah “Tinker” Newick, Kristen Petersen, Kathy Pounds, Steve Pounds, Phillippe Von Hemert, Colleen Walker, Mara Whiting, and Sherry Wood. After the transcribe-a-thon, Rose Eppard and Jake Elwell also contributed. Clearly visual images are a growth area in special collections and one with healthy volunteer support. To all the staff and volunteers the Athenæum is much indebted! Richard Candee, Chair Special Collections Committee

Image: Sherry Wood


Report of the Technology Committee The Technology Committee met in 2019 to review technology issues facing the Athenæum. We continued the service contract that we initiated in 2006 with Lenharth Systems as they have provided excellent technical support. The committee met with Lenharth Systems to plan for the 2020 budget. We currently have three computers that are running Windows 10, and we need to upgrade five computers that are running Windows 7, which is no longer supported. At least three of the computers cannot be upgraded to Window 10. We agreed to purchase four new computers in 2019 for Tom, Robin, James, and Elizabeth. Brandon LeBlanc (Lenharth Systems) will conduct an inventory of our monitors. We investigated the possibility of switching to Comcast Business as our internet provider, but they required that we include phone service with internet service. We could not transfer the phone service because the alarm system requires copper wiring and Comcast uses their modem. Comcast is now offering nonprofit pricing and may be more flexible, so we agreed that we should evaluate their offerings again. As slide scanners are no longer being manufactured, Will Lenharth said he has a slide scanner the Athenæum could use. If members have any suggestions for technology initiatives in 2020, please pass them on to any of the committee members. Committee members are Gail Drobnyk (chair), Rose Eppard, Tom Hardiman, and Robin Silva. Gail Drobnyk, Chair Technology Committee


Report of the Treasurer Preliminary Financial Summary, January–December 2019 REVENUE

Proprietor’s Assessments $ 105,064

Annual Appeal 49,584

Miscellaneous Contributions 137,144

Investment Income 90,599

Other Operating Income 102,087

Gain (Loss) on Sale of Investments (1,062)

Receipts for Special Purposes 93,384 TOTAL REVENUE (including gifts and grants) $ 576,800 EXPENDITURES

Staff & Related Costs $ 214,177

Collections 19,032

Utilities 23,858

Building, Maintenance & Renovations 53,647

Insurance, Office & Printing 96,706

Depreciation 47,208

Special Purpose Expenditures 32,226

TOTAL EXPENDITURES $ 486,854

NET SURPLUS $ 89,946 Balance Sheet

ASSETS

Cash (including savings reserves) $ 302,879

Invested Funds 1,848,891

Accounts Receivable 321

Prepaid Expenses 6,836

Fixed Assets 1,170,471 TOTAL ASSETS $ 3,329,398 LIABILITIES

Prepaid Proprietor Assessments $ 55,750

Deferred Income 4,112

Accounts Payable 5,937

Accrued Expenses 6,459

TOTAL LIABILITIES $ 72,258

ASSETS - LIABILITIES = $ 3,257,140


Gift Acknowledgements

Annual Appeal Richard AdamsAnnual Appeal Ted Alex Annual Appeal Robert Gray Allen IIIAnnual Appeal Timothy AllisonAnnual Appeal Robert AllisterAnnual Appeal Rhett Austell Annual Appeal Douglas AykroydAnnual Appeal Elizabeth AykroydAnnual Appeal Michael BaenenAnnual Appeal Patricia BagleyAnnual Appeal Walter BardenwerperAnnual Appeal Gilman BarndollarAnnual Appeal Alan Bennett Annual Appeal Michael BerounskyAnnual Appeal David Borden Annual Appeal Karen BouffardAnnual Appeal Pat Breslin Annual Appeal Maryellen BurkeAnnual Appeal Irene Bush Annual Appeal Laurence BusseyAnnual Appeal Lorn Buxton Annual Appeal Juliana CardoneAnnual Appeal Joanne Carpenter Annual Appeal Thomas CatalanoAnnual Appeal Edward CaylorAnnual Appeal Robert ChaikinAnnual Appeal Robert Chase Annual Appeal Joan Christy Annual Appeal Sharon ChurchillAnnual Appeal Geoffrey E. & Martha

Fuller Clark Fund (NHCF)

Annual Appeal William ColbathAnnual Appeal Wendy Cote Annual Appeal Donald and Merry CraigAnnual Appeal Kerry Cronin Annual Appeal Michael Dater Annual Appeal Stanley Owen DavisAnnual Appeal William Davis Annual Appeal Judith Day Annual Appeal Stephen Decatur

Annual Appeal Sara Delano Annual Appeal G. Wesley DeVriesAnnual Appeal John Dika Annual Appeal Janet Dinan Annual Appeal Charles DoleacAnnual Appeal Gail DrobnykAnnual Appeal Carolyn EastmanAnnual Appeal Sharen Eidelbert-SprattAnnual Appeal David Ellis Annual Appeal Timothy EllisAnnual Appeal Barbara EngelbachAnnual Appeal David EwingAnnual Appeal James FenderAnnual Appeal Robert Field Jr.Annual Appeal Ellen FinebergAnnual Appeal Sarah Ford Annual Appeal Jameson FrenchAnnual Appeal Keith FrisbeeAnnual Appeal Lauren GallantAnnual Appeal C. Wesley Gardner Jr.Annual Appeal Sally Gayer Annual Appeal John Gens Annual Appeal Gary GhigliottiAnnual Appeal David Gobbi Annual Appeal Frank Graf Annual Appeal Kinley GreggAnnual Appeal Nancy GrossmanAnnual Appeal Jacinthe GroteAnnual Appeal Sarah HamillAnnual Appeal Nancy HammondAnnual Appeal Thomas HardimanAnnual Appeal Mary Beth HerbertAnnual Appeal Barbara Hill Annual Appeal Ronda Baker HillAnnual Appeal Margaret HodgesAnnual Appeal Daniel HoefleAnnual Appeal Walter & Mary Ellen

Hoerman Annual Appeal John HopkinsAnnual Appeal Andrew JaffeAnnual Appeal Marcia Jebb


Annual Appeal Paul Peter JesepAnnual Appeal Linda JohnsonAnnual Appeal Jeffrey Keefe Annual Appeal Herbert KingsburyAnnual Appeal Cynthia KnappAnnual Appeal Michael KocsisAnnual Appeal Elaine KraskerAnnual Appeal Michael LabrieAnnual Appeal Kevin Lafond Annual Appeal Robert LambertAnnual Appeal John Lamson Annual Appeal Frederick C. LewisAnnual Appeal John Lewis Annual Appeal Vincent LombardiAnnual Appeal Frances Lord Annual Appeal Wendy Lull Annual Appeal Glenn MacklesAnnual Appeal John Maher Annual Appeal Anne Malin Annual Appeal Edward MallonAnnual Appeal Fran Mallon Annual Appeal John Mayer Annual Appeal Janet McCrackenAnnual Appeal Garvin McCurdyAnnual Appeal Paul McEachernAnnual Appeal George W. Merck Fund

(NHCF) Annual Appeal Faith Miller Annual Appeal Andrew M. T. MooreAnnual Appeal Zhana Morris Annual Appeal Stephen MuntonAnnual Appeal John Nelson Jr.Annual Appeal Jane Nylander Annual Appeal James O’Neil Annual Appeal Peter Paisley Annual Appeal John Payzant Annual Appeal Elinor PearsonAnnual Appeal Karen Pierce Annual Appeal Peter Randall Annual Appeal David RandomAnnual Appeal Anne Rehner Annual Appeal Susan ReynoldsAnnual Appeal John Rice Annual Appeal John Rice Annual Appeal Peter Rice

Annual Appeal Santina RileyAnnual Appeal Stephen RobertsAnnual Appeal Edward RowanAnnual Appeal Reagan RuedigAnnual Appeal James Russ Annual Appeal Sandra Rux Annual Appeal Louis SalomeAnnual Appeal David SandersonAnnual Appeal Eleonore SandersonAnnual Appeal Sheafe SatterthwaiteAnnual Appeal Gayle SawtelleAnnual Appeal Ira Schwartz Annual Appeal Keith Searles Annual Appeal James ShanleyAnnual Appeal John Shaw Annual Appeal Simone ShieldsAnnual Appeal Thomas SmithAnnual Appeal Sally Smyser Annual Appeal Curtis SpringerAnnual Appeal Dana Stairs Annual Appeal Nancy Starks-CheneyAnnual Appeal Michael SterlingAnnual Appeal Robert StewartAnnual Appeal Sally StrazdinsAnnual Appeal Barbara SweetAnnual Appeal Edmund TarbellAnnual Appeal Peter TarltonAnnual Appeal David TaylorAnnual Appeal Carvel Tefft Annual Appeal Heather ThomsenAnnual Appeal Jeffrey ThomsonAnnual Appeal A. Robert ThoresenAnnual Appeal Richard ToomeyAnnual Appeal Philippe von HemertAnnual Appeal Joan WaldronAnnual Appeal Thomas WatsonAnnual Appeal David WattersAnnual Appeal Rodney WattersonAnnual Appeal Nancy WetzelAnnual Appeal Douglas WheelerAnnual Appeal Anne WhitneyAnnual Appeal William WietingAnnual Appeal Matthew WoodAnnual Appeal Roger Wood Annual Appeal Lawrence Yerdon


Annual Appeal Susan Zuckert Arts Athenaeum Susan Bank Arts Athenaeum Lorn Buxton Arts Athenaeum Michael ChubrichArts Athenaeum Irja Cilluffo Arts Athenaeum Thomas ColemanArts Athenaeum John Miles EvansArts Athenaeum Christine FrieseArts Athenaeum Frank Graf Arts Athenaeum Mary Gray Arts Athenaeum Jason Grucel Arts Athenaeum Fran Mallon Arts Athenaeum Paul McKeon Jr.Arts Athenaeum Peter Randall Arts Athenaeum Kathleen RockwoodArts Athenaeum Sandra Rux Book Fund Gilman BarndollarBook Fund David Bryan Book Fund Joan Christy Book Fund Michael ChubrichBook Fund Lynne CrockerBook Fund Ellen FinebergBook Fund Frank Graf Book Fund Joan HammondBook Fund John Lamson Book Fund Vincent LombardiBook Fund Frederic SchubertBook Fund William WeilerBook Fund Roger Wood Book Fund: Donald Hickmott Fund

James Garvin

Book Fund: Donald Hickmott Fund

Thomas Hardiman

Book Fund: Donald Hickmott Fund

Woodard Openo

Book Fund: George I. Pierce Fund

Karen Pierce

Book Fund: Jane Porter Fund Deborah ChildBook Fund: Merilee Possner Fund

Susan Zuckert

Endowment Fund Robert AllisterEndowment Fund David Bryan Endowment Fund Thomas ColemanEndowment Fund Robert Lambert

Endowment Fund John Maher Endowment Fund Donald MargesonEndowment Fund Mark McNabbEndowment Fund Robert MennelEndowment Fund Jessica Ritzo Endowment Fund David SandersonEndowment Fund Gayle SawtelleEndowment Fund Ira Schwartz Endowment Fund David Watters Friend Winthrop AllenFriend Timothy AllisonFriend Galen Beale Friend Lee BeauregardFriend Barbara BennFriend Stephen BennettFriend Linda BentonFriend Daniel BottinoFriend Marlane BottinoFriend Ian BourgoineFriend Laura BrownFriend Weld Butler Friend Philip CarlingFriend Joanne CarpenterFriend Elizabeth CarruthersFriend Judith Castle Friend Edward CaylorFriend John ChamberlainFriend Sharon ChurchillFriend Elaine ClementFriend Alan Cohen Friend William ColbathFriend Donald & Merry CraigFriend Bruce CrawfordFriend Anne Crotty Friend Gina DamianoFriend Karyn DeNicolaFriend Sherburne DunnFriend Carolyn EastmanFriend John Eddy Friend Craig Evans Friend Susan Evans Friend Anita GauthierFriend Julie Gaye Friend Julie Gaye


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Trust Unrestricted Donation Evelyn B. Stickney TrustUnrestricted Donation Sally StrazdinsUnrestricted Donation Barbara SweetUnrestricted Donation Peter W. TarltonUnrestricted Donation Carvel Tefft Unrestricted Donation Edward ThompsonUnrestricted Donation Philippe von HemertUnrestricted Donation Rodney WattersonUnrestricted Donation Mara WitzlingUnrestricted Donation Ursula WrightUnrestricted Donation Lawrence Yerdon Warren Conservation Fund Gilman BarndollarWarren Conservation Fund Frances LordWarren Conservation Fund Tara Raiselis Warren Conservation Fund Lee Roberts Warren Conservation Fund Stephen RobertsWarren Conservation Fund David Sanderson


Necrology In Memoriam Nancy Reynolds Beck ....................................................................................Share 294

Mark Connolly ...............................................................................................Share 306

Carl Crossman ................................................................................................Share 214 (formerly)

Morris Foye III ...............................................................................................Share 35 (formerly)

Gerald Kelly ...................................................................................................Share 253

Michael Kenslea .............................................................................................Share 194

Elizabeth Larsen .............................................................................................Share 46

Joan Lockhart .................................................................................................Share 33

William W. Seaward ......................................................................................Share 145

Clinton Hoxsie Springer ................................................................................Share 293

Sumner Winebaum .........................................................................................Share 198

Joyce Reopel Zabarsky ..................................................................................Share 118


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