On June 5, the 乐播传媒 community gathered at the Garcelon Field flagpole for its annual Pride flag-raising ceremony, celebrating Pride Month with joy, reflection, and a renewed commitment to the fight for LGBTQ+ rights. During the event, Anthony Del Real, assistant director of LGBTQ+ programs at 乐播传媒鈥� Student Center for Belonging and Community, offered opening remarks. Community members shared personal stories highlighting the small yet meaningful steps the campus community can take to support LGBTQ+ people. 

Del Real provided historical context for contemporary Pride Month celebrations, and their relationship聽to the Stonewall Riots. On the early morning of June 28, 1969, police raided the Stonewall Inn, a gay bar in Greenwich Village. Raids on gay gathering places were habitual practices for the police, but on this date, they met with resistance from a fed up queer community and the demonstrations grew. Eventually, Del Ray said, this led to聽鈥渕ore organized and concrete efforts to create spaces for queer people to be present and not fear being arrested for being authentically themselves.鈥� Pride Month commemorates the anniversary of the Stonewall Riots.聽

Del Real highlighted the advocacy and efforts of Marsha P. Johnson, who will be celebrated at NYC Pride later this month. The New York City Pride gathering and parade is officially themed “For All of Us,” drawing inspiration from Johnson鈥檚 work. Johnson was a transgender Black activist, sex worker, and performer who co-founded STAR House, which聽provided food and shelter for transgender youth beginning in 1970. After years of advocacy, frequently focused on supporting those impacted by the HIV/AIDS epidemic, Johnson was found dead 鈥� presumably murdered 鈥� in 1992. Despite the harm, violence, and prejudice that she experienced, Johnson鈥檚 actions demonstrated her commitment to 鈥渓ove, home, and justice for her community,鈥� Del Real said.聽

The threats to the LBGTQ+ community are heightened currently, Del Real said, including executive orders that reverse rights. 鈥淚t is unfair,鈥� Del Real said, 鈥渂ut I ask each of us to continue to stay vigilant and look out for one another.鈥�  

Pride celebrations like the 乐播传媒 flag-raising are an annual reminder of the actions of our LGBTQ+ ancestors to fight for and establish the rights we have today, Del Real said in closing. 

鈥淭here is no one symbol, action, identity, that can serve as the beacon to bring pride for all. However, it is my hope that even in moments like this, that this flag can serve as a symbol for a queer person who cannot be 鈥榦ut鈥� but can still know that they matter. It is in these moments that we continue the work of Marsha P. Johnson, and so many other queer ancestors in the fight for pride for all.鈥� 

When Trinity Monstwillo 鈥�26 made her way across the country from Oregon as an incoming student at 乐播传媒, she was anticipating the unexpected. But seeing another student hand-wash and hang dry their clothes to save the $3 that each on campus load of laundry cost wasn鈥檛 just unexpected. It was unwelcome. 

鈥淚t made me sad that he was hand-washing his clothes,鈥� said Monstwillo. She鈥檇 perceived 乐播传媒 as progressive. Why wasn鈥檛 laundry free, particularly for students on financial aid? 鈥淭hat would have been a great way to make the space more equitable.鈥�

Before long, she realized that laundry mattered to a lot of students and she connected with Aleisha Martinez Sandoval 鈥�26 of Mexico City on the issue. When they began asking questions to see if this change might happen, the two came to understand some of the challenges of simply making laundry free for the entire campus. Encouraged by Kim Trauceniek, senior associate dean of students for campus life, Monstwillo, a politics major, and Martinez Sandoval, a biochemistry and politics double major, continued to gather information. Eventually they created a proposal and prepared a presentation for senior leadership. 

鈥淲e got to learn a lot about 乐播传媒 and just how many students pay full tuition, how many students don’t pay full tuition, and how we could potentially work out a plan,鈥� said Martinez Sandoval. 

While their proposal was well-received and they appreciated being heard, they were told that free laundry was not possible. Laundry would continue to cost $3 a load through a contract with a third-party provider, CSC ServiceWorks.

But momentum continued to build around the issue. New students like Mohammad Zayd 鈥�27, of the Bronx, N.Y., arrived on campus and experienced their own frustrations around laundry. When Martinez Sandoval returned from study abroad, she found that there was renewed energy around an issue. And she wanted to do what she could for the students who came after her.

鈥淚 am someone who is very grateful to the 乐播传媒 financial aid department, just because I would have never been able to attend this school without it,鈥� said Martinez Sandoval. She wanted to be sure the accessibility efforts were thorough and reflected student need. 鈥淚 really wanted to bring those opportunities to other students.鈥�

Zayd, a neuroscience major with a double minor in physics and chemistry, came to understand the context and complexity around this one issue, and when he ran for student government co-president with Zach Richards 鈥�26 of Princeton, Mass., free laundry was on their minds.

鈥淔ree laundry matters because it addresses a fundamental need of all students,鈥� said Richards, a politics and economics double major. 鈥淭he price of laundry services has long been among the hidden costs of life at 乐播传媒, posing a financial barrier to the well-being of many students on campus.鈥�

Zayd and Richards reached out to Monstwillo and Martinez Sandoval to see what could be learned from their initial outreach. The four students began working together to see what might have been missing. They deepened their research, they clarified their arguments, and they tried again. 

The new proposal offered three tiers for senior leadership to consider: free laundry for those with an estimated family contribution of less than $15K, free laundry for Pell-grant eligible students (and international students with similar financial needs), and free laundry for those on full aid. They gave their presentation and shared their proposal and this time, the answer was yes. Free laundry for all 乐播传媒 students.

“This milestone is the result of a great collaborative effort with our student government leaders, whose dedication and partnership were instrumental in making this a reality,鈥� said Rosanna Ferro, vice president for student affairs. 鈥淚t presents a wonderful opportunity for us to remove a practical daily barrier and continue building a more supportive campus environment where every Bobcat can thrive.” 

乐播传媒 students will certainly feel the impact of this decision in $3 increments across future semesters. The success of this work will also linger for those involved in this collaboration. 

鈥淚’m really proud of my assembly and the executive board,鈥� Zayd said. 鈥淚’m really proud of the research that was put into it. I think it’s going to be a very beneficial thing for all of us.鈥� 

Martinez Sandoval, Monstwillo, and Richards got the news just as they were about to graduate. It was a good note to end on, and to carry forward. 鈥淪omething that I will definitely take with me is the ability to communicate with different groups of people for a shared common purpose,鈥� said Martinez Sandoval. Another takeaway, even though she knows it to be kind of a clich茅, is that 鈥済ood things take time.鈥� 

The experience was intended for the public good but for Monstwillo, there was a personal benefit as well. 鈥淭he overall process of recognizing a problem, compiling tons and tons of research and putting it into this really nice, neat proposal is a skill that’s really valuable for my future endeavors,鈥� she said.

Persistence, revision, and collaboration led to a small but critical change at 乐播传媒. As these student leaders make their mark, the shift reflects something important about 乐播传媒 as well. 

鈥淪eeing 乐播传媒 make this change shows that the college’s leaders follow up their words with actions,鈥� Richards said. 鈥淎s a leader in student government, I see the success of this initiative both as a result of the thoughtfulness of the 乐播传媒 administration and of the power of student advocacy. The process of working on our most recent laundry proposal highlighted to me what a collaborative place 乐播传媒 is and the sincerity with which faculty and staff seek to elevate student voices.鈥�

Two 乐播传媒 students have been awarded 2026 Davis Projects for Peace grants to carry out individual humanitarian projects 鈥� one focused on expanding economic opportunities for women, and the other on safe menstrual waste disposal.

The grantees, Angel Guitcha 鈥�27 of Accra, Ghana, and Vyshu Viju 鈥�26 of Atlanta, will each receive $10,000 to complete projects in Ghana and India, respectively, this summer. Projects for Peace, which is based at Middlebury College, is funding 142 projects in 2026, taking place across 59 countries and seven U.S. states. 

Since its inception in 2007, Projects for Peace has funded more than 2,200 projects. The organization鈥檚 goal is to support student-led, community-centered, and scalable projects addressing pressing issues 鈥� anywhere in the world. To develop their projects, 乐播传媒 students work closely with staff from the Harward Center for Community Partnerships, including Daphne Comeau, associate director for center operations and Davis Partners for Peace campus liaison, and Director of the Harward Center Darby Ray.

Last summer, 2025 Projects for Peace grantee Axelle Tougouma 鈥�27 of Fada N鈥橤ourma, Burkina Faso, led the installation of an irrigation system and agricultural training for women refugees from Burkina Faso living in Ouangolodougou, Ivory Coast. 

Tougouma aimed to create an agricultural system through which refugee women could not only improve their food security but also support themselves financially. She led the three-month-long project virtually while also completing an internship in Boston. 

鈥淚t was definitely fulfilling,鈥� Tougouma says. 鈥淚t also made me realize that the small action we do can also contribute in solving problems. Because sometimes when I sit down and I read news about my country, about terrorism attacks, and [I see] those millions of people being displaced, I wonder, being abroad and not living in that situation, how can I give back to my community?鈥� 

Tougouma hired an engineer to install the irrigation system, identified teachers to lead agricultural lessons, and gave financial literacy classes via WhatsApp. While managing the $10,000 project budget, she leaned on what she鈥檚 learned at 乐播传媒 as an economics major and math minor.

鈥淲e really needed to maximize our budget at some points, and that required giving up on some things,鈥� Tougouma says.

Since the project鈥檚 conclusion, Tougouma has remained in contact with the refugee women 鈥� as has the irrigation engineer, who has offered ongoing consultation free-of-charge 鈥� and plans to pursue other grant and funding opportunities to continue her work in Ouangolodougou.

鈥淸We are] making sure that they feel like we are still supporting them, and this is something that we really care about,鈥� Tougouma says. 鈥淲e are definitely ready to step in if other opportunities open up.鈥�

2026 Davis grantee Angel Guitcha applied for Projects for Peace after learning about the opportunity from Tougouma. She will be completing her project, 鈥淜ayayei Artisan Initiative: Economic Empowerment for Women in Accra,鈥� in Ghana, which borders both Burkina Faso and Ivory Coast.聽

In Accra, Ghana鈥檚 capital city, tens of thousands of women workers called 鈥渒ayayei鈥� make their living as porters, carrying heavy loads of market items in large baskets atop their heads. When Guitcha was growing up in Accra, she met a girl working as a kayayoo. The girl was desperate to earn a living after a rape made her a mother at only 12. Her circumstances were not unusual; many kayayei work for as little as a few dollars a day in unsafe labor conditions, sleeping on the streets where they are vulnerable to gender-based violence.

Talking with the girl, Guitcha became determined to organize a project to improve kayayei鈥檚 quality of life. 

鈥淭hat conversation sort of radicalized me. 鈥� That was a very difficult conversation to have with someone at that age,鈥� Guitcha says.

Guitcha will return to Accra this summer to coordinate a six-week workshop on craftsmanship skills for 50 kayayei, with the goal of fostering autonomy and economic empowerment. Women will learn how to make beaded jewelry and embellish Kente clothing, then how to sew reusable menstrual pads with fabric leftover from textile companies. In addition to teaching the women how to create products they can sell and keeping discarded fabric out of landfills, the workshop will also make it easier for the women to take care of their menstrual health, which they often don鈥檛 have the money or time to properly maintain. 

At the end of the workshop, Guitcha will host a graduation ceremony, during which the women will be able to sell the products they鈥檝e made.

鈥淚’m hoping that they leave their workshops feeling more empowered and more in control of their lives,鈥� Guitcha says.

Guitcha, a biochemistry major with a math minor, volunteers regularly in the Lewiston community through the Harward Center and at St. Mary鈥檚 Hospital. She plans to attend medical school.

鈥淚’m very passionate about community service,鈥� Guitcha says. 

Davis grantee Vyshu Viju will head to India this summer for her project 鈥淪ustainable Cycles: Integrating Hygiene Equity and Waste Sovereignty in Chelannur,鈥� which aims to improve access to menstrual waste disposal by installing trash incinerators specifically for menstrual waste.

The town of Chelannur, where Viju鈥檚 grandparents live, is known for its excellent trash management system. However, menstrual product waste is excluded from regular trash pickup because of health safety concerns. Residents are instead expected to dispose of it at a site two hours away, but many residents burn their menstrual waste at home, Viju says, which causes pollution.

鈥淭hey’re supposed to collect [their menstrual waste] for two to three months and then throw it away,鈥� Viju says. 鈥淏ut most people just find that to be a lot of work, and it just takes up too much of their time.鈥�

Viju and her grandparents will together work to secure government approval for the incinerators, then purchase and install them around Chelannur. 

鈥淚’m hoping it decreases pollution and creates a more sustainable pathway in the way that trash is done,鈥� Viju says. The incinerators鈥� emissions from burning waste could also be harvested as an energy source, she says. 

Viju has long been passionate about issues related to reproductive justice and access; she volunteers with Maine Family Planning as a Harward Center Bonner Leader and hopes to pursue a Ph.D. in neuroendocrinology. She thought up the idea for the incinerators in conjunction with her grandmother, who is involved in a local feminist group called Kudumbashree.

Staff at the Harward Center were instrumental in helping the project come together, Viju says, including Comeau and Ray, along with Ellen Alcorn, associate director of community-engaged learning and director of student leadership programs, who initially connected Viju with Maine Family Planning.

Viju has also learned a lot about waste management while working as a landscape assistant with 乐播传媒 Facility Services, specifically from 乐播传媒 grounds and maintenance workers Amy Ray and Ian Brownlie.

鈥淭hat’s been a very meaningful part of my 乐播传媒 experience, and I think it very much inspired this project,鈥� Viju says.

Both Projects for Peace are scheduled to be completed by September.

Yun Garrison, assistant professor of psychology, was honored on March 8 with the Lee Young Leadership Award from the YWCA of Central Maine. The award, given for excellence in professional, community, civic, or artistic leadership, was awarded to Garrison in recognition for her community-engaged work, including the Ka Bogso initiative and her community art installation,

Ka Bogso, which Garrison co-leads with Fowsia Musse, executive director of Maine Community Integration, uses storytelling and visual arts toward healing from traumatic events that impact refugee women. The resulting work was shown on campus at Olin Arts Center in 2024 and in Lewiston at Munka Studio.

The Lewiston is Our Hope project is a community art installation involving 400 small wood circles on which community members created art that represents hope 鈥� individual and communal. Participants ranged from age 2 to 92.

Garrison, who joined 乐播传媒 in 2020, was granted tenure this year, and received the Award for Outstanding Community Project from the Harward Center for Community Partnerships in 2025. Garrison鈥檚 work in and out of the classroom centers on psychological well-being and vocational outcomes among people of color and immigrant and refugee communities. 

Garrison and Musse continue to team up for public speaking engagements, including on March 26 at the Great Falls Forum at the Lewiston Public Library. Their presentation was titled 鈥淏e Healed (Ka Bogso): Posttraumatic Healing and Growth for Somali Refugee Women.鈥� 

乐播传媒 has once again been recognized by the American Council on Education and the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching for its deep level of commitment to community engagement, an honor the college first achieved in 2008 and again in 2015. Recently 乐播传媒 was also lauded  by ACE and Carnegie for its success in providing paths for graduates to earn competitive wages. 

Last week, ACE and Carnegie announced that 乐播传媒 had been designated with the 2026 Carnegie Elective Classification for Community Engagement. Community engagement constitutes 鈥渃ollaboration between institutions of higher education and their larger communities (local, regional/state, national, global) for the mutually beneficial exchange of knowledge and resources in a context of partnership and reciprocity.鈥�

At 乐播传媒, inspiration for that work comes from the diverse and rich opportunities for student learning, skill building, and collaboration offered by the college鈥檚 location, explained Darby Ray, director of the Harward Center for Community Partnerships. 

鈥淭he Carnegie recognition is a wonderful affirmation of the college’s dual commitment to high impact student learning and community well-being, as well as the off-campus community’s investment in our students, 鈥� said Ray, who is also the Donald W. and Ann M. Harward Professor of Civic Engagement.

Mutual respect between college and community, along with desire for collaboration, is a key part of the success, Ray said. 鈥淭he result of it is that 乐播传媒 students have meaningful opportunities to work alongside community leaders to develop and apply knowledge and skills to address real-world challenges like public health, affordable housing, and arts-based economic development.鈥� 

乐播传媒 was one of approximately 230 institutions nationwide to receive the 2026 Carnegie Elective Classification for Community Engagement, and the only Maine institution of higher education on the list. This designation, which 乐播传媒 must apply for cyclically, is valid until 2032.

鈥淵our institution鈥檚 application documented excellent alignment among campus mission, culture, leadership, resources, and practices that support dynamic and noteworthy community engagement,鈥� ACE and Carnegie wrote in a letter to 乐播传媒, lauding the college鈥檚 鈥渆xemplary institutionalized practices of community engagement.” 

乐播传媒 has advanced the work of deepening partnerships, leveraging community assets, and addressing urgent societal challenges with 鈥渃larity and distinction,鈥� the award letter said. The accomplishment 鈥渋s especially noteworthy amid significant federal policy and funding shifts shaping the future of higher education.鈥� 

In addition, in 2025, 乐播传媒 was identified for its success in a relatively new classification that ACE and Carnegie began using in 2022, the Student Access and Earnings Classification (an earlier version was known as the Social and Economic Mobility Classification), which prioritizes student success. The classification is intended to identify which American colleges and universities are providing access to students from lower socioeconomic and historically underrepresented racial and ethnic backgrounds to higher education and paths to earning competitive wages.

乐播传媒 ranked high in terms of its return on investment. Eight years after a student first enrolled at 乐播传媒 鈥� so typically, four years into being in the workplace 鈥� data shows that their median earnings are 68 percent above the median earnings of a comparison group of similar institutions. 

鈥淏oth these designations speak to the deep and rewarding experiences 乐播传媒 has to offer to students,鈥� said President Garry W. Jenkins. 鈥淲e鈥檙e committed to our community and we鈥檙e giving our undergraduates meaningful educational experiences not just on our campus, but within the Lewiston-Auburn region we care about so much. They鈥檙e volunteering in public schools and museums. They鈥檙e consulting and conducting research in a wide range of areas, from sustainability to water quality and asbestos remediation, and studying the history and culture of this community.”

These community connections are not fleeting, Jenkins noted. “We see this reflected in how many 乐播传媒 graduates stay in the state 鈥� a little more than 12 percent 鈥� or how they develop the habit of building community connections in their future neighborhoods and communities across the country and the world.鈥�

鈥淎t 乐播传媒, we believe that students from all backgrounds should have access to the transformative power of education,鈥� Jenkins added. 鈥淭hat is and always has been part of our mission. To know that their 乐播传媒 education is helping graduates thrive in their careers is reason to celebrate.鈥�

This week 乐播传媒 President Garry W. Jenkins joined Stefanie Manning, Maine Trust for Local News鈥� managing director, for a public conversation about his leadership and journey to 乐播传媒.

Held at the Roux Institute in Portland, the Sept. 17 conversation was the latest installment in , which invites local business and community leaders for conversations about their work, including challenges they鈥檝e faced and lessons they鈥檝e learned along the way. Lewiston Mayor Carl Sheline and a number of 乐播传媒 alumni were among the more than 100 attendees.

One theme of discussion was the value of education for Jenkins, both personally and universally. He spoke of his early years in the public school system, and his experiences at the private liberal arts school he attended, Haverford College, as well as the large public universities he worked at prior to coming to 乐播传媒 in 2023. He described the powerful, formative impact growing up with parents who were educators themselves had on him, and reflected that his own experience steered him toward 乐播传媒, a place that quickly felt like home to him, and which has given him a sense of optimism. 

鈥淭he students are kind,鈥� Jenkins said. 鈥淭hey’re thoughtful. They are interested in making a difference in whatever way that means for them, and they’re open to that exploration. That makes me excited for the future.鈥� 

Watch the full conversation embedded below.

During an open Q&A, an audience member asked how 乐播传媒 is meeting a new reality, when the value of higher education is being called into question by some in both government and the public. 鈥淭he public seems to be much less supportive, much more skeptical, [and] has much less regard for colleges and universities than was the case previously,鈥� the attendee said before asking: How is 乐播传媒 handling this new reality? 

Jenkins acknowledged that shift in public perception. 鈥淭o be honest, for a long time, the college degree, its importance, the value, was almost taken as given,鈥� he said. That value hasn鈥檛 changed, he said, but it can鈥檛 be taken for granted that others see it that way. 乐播传媒 is trying to 鈥渃ommunicate more and communicate better about the value that we add,鈥� Jenkins said.聽

乐播传媒 has a mission to educate the whole person and prepare students to be leaders, he said. 鈥淐ollege is not about teaching people what to think,鈥� Jenkins said. 鈥淚t’s about teaching people how to think. That’s really important. I think we’ve lost the thread a little bit on that.鈥�

The public needs to be aware of these myriad benefits of higher education, Jenkins explained, and this can only be achieved collectively. None of these perceptions developed overnight, he noted, citing the steady erosion of support for public institutions, including state funding, over the course of his own career. 

鈥淏oy has that changed over the past, what, 40 years, 50 years? Right?鈥� Jenkins said. Immediately prior to coming to 乐播传媒, he served as the dean of the University of Minnesota Law School. Looking at how the percentage of funding that came from the state 40 years ago compared to how it is now represents a dramatically different scenario, he said. 鈥淲hen I left the University of Minnesota Law School, the percent [of school funding] from the state was in single digits. So this is part of a much longer narrative, and we’ve got to really dig in and work together to change that, but it’s not an overnight type of solution.鈥�

鈥淭his is going to require citizen to citizen action,鈥� Jenkins told the audience. 鈥淎nd so what we can do is we can enlist others to join us in this fight and in talking about the value, the importance that college had to you, to your life, to your family, and really tell that story.鈥� He encouraged attendees to 鈥渢alk to our politicians, talk to your neighbors,鈥� to help bring about a cultural shift. 鈥淏ecause that’s what we need.鈥� 

President Garry W. Jenkins has received the 2025 Maine Black Excellence Compass Career Award from , a network that connects Maine鈥檚 Black professionals, students, and entrepreneurs to opportunities across multiple areas, from social to professional. 

The Third Place gives its Compass Career Award in recognition of 鈥渙utstanding professional achievement, principled leadership, and a commitment to equity and excellence in one鈥檚 field.鈥� The nonprofit, which was founded in 2017 by Executive Director Adilah Muhammad, noted that Jenkins, the ninth president of 乐播传媒, is also its first Black president.

鈥淔rom the courtroom to the boardroom to the college green, Garry Jenkins has led with integrity, brilliance, and heart,鈥� the group said, citing his record spanning higher education, law, philanthropy, and public service. 鈥淗is career is a compass for those navigating the intersections of leadership and justice.鈥�

鈥淚鈥檓 deeply touched by this honor, and for this award to be tied to my new home state of Maine,鈥� Jenkins said as he accepted the award at a dinner celebration on a beautiful August evening outdoors at the Caswell Farm and Wedding Barn in Gray. 鈥淚t carries special significance because it comes from a community that understands both the challenges we face and the excellence we represent.鈥�

鈥淥ur democracy and our institutions succeed and flourish when everyone has a seat at the table and has the support and encouragement to shine brightly,鈥� he added.

Jenkins was one of . He spoke of his pride at leading 乐播传媒, citing its rich and unique history of inclusion and legacy of producing remarkable Black leaders through the 20th century and into the 21st century. Specifically, he mentioned John P. Davis, a debater at 乐播传媒 who graduated in 1926 and would go on to be a lawyer and pivotal figure in the Harlem Renaissance, and civil rights icon Benjamin Mays, a member of the Class of 1920, as well as pioneering television journalist Bryant Gumbel 鈥�70 and Val Smith 鈥�75, the president of Swarthmore College. 

鈥淚 want to make sure that we continue to produce alumni, of all backgrounds, who go on to make a difference to their communities, fields, and institutions,鈥� Jenkins said.  

His remarks ended with an invitation to attendees to come to 乐播传媒, walk on the beautiful campus, visit the museum, and attend theatrical and musical performances as well as athletic competitions.

Among the 乐播传媒 community members who joined Jenkins at the event were recent graduate Davina Kabantu 鈥�24, who is a trainee in a bank management development program, Professor Emerita of Politics Leslie Hill, and Morgan Kinney and Mohamed Awil of the Harward Center for Community Partnerships. The Portland Press Herald .

In the greenhouse atop Carnegie Science Hall, a green seedling peeks up from an unassuming black pot. Small but storied, this plant has traveled the world to put down roots here in Lewiston.

The ginkgo tree seedling, not even a foot tall, is the child of a ginkgo tree in Hiroshima, Japan, one of 170 hibakujumoku or 鈥渟urvivor trees鈥� that miraculously lived through the atomic bombing of Aug. 6, 1945 鈥� 80 years ago this August 鈥� and still stand in the city today.

鈥淲e are looking at a piece of something that survived the bomb, and that’s what’s really magical,鈥� says Alan Wang 鈥�24, who coordinated the effort to bring the seedling to 乐播传媒 in partnership with the .

Green Legacy Hiroshima tends to the surviving trees in Hiroshima and their legacies, collecting their seeds and sharing them with institutions of higher education and botanical gardens. The offspring of the survivor trees are now growing at 146 partner institutions across 41 countries, bringing their message of hope and survival to communities around the world. 

As a junior at 乐播传媒, Wang, who is originally from Henan, China, studied abroad in Japan through the Associated Kyoto Program. As part of the program, he traveled to Hiroshima to visit the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum, where Green Legacy Hiroshima gave Wang and classmates a tour of the hibakujumoku. 

From a watch that stopped exactly at the moment the bomb detonated, to a shadow created by someone instantly vaporized by the heat of the atomic blast, what Wang saw in Hiroshima left a lasting impression on him.

鈥淵ou can just see the devastating impact that the nuclear weapon caused,鈥� Wang says. 

When he learned that Green Legacy Hiroshima had no partners in Maine, Wang became determined to make 乐播传媒 the first. He imagined a survivor tree planted on campus, its presence encouraging discussion about the effects of nuclear weapons.

鈥淚 envision it as a platform to get people to talk about this,鈥� Wang says.

But before he could bring the seeds to 乐播传媒, Wang had to secure the support of campus partners and then apply to join Green Legacy as a partner institution. Though it would be a long process, Wang was committed. 

As a senior back on campus, he started by bringing his idea to Assistant Professor of Japanese Language and Asian Studies Hanna McGaughey and Lecturer in Japanese Keiko Konoeda, who were both eager to support Wang鈥檚 efforts. Impressed by Wang鈥檚 persistence, Raymond Clothier, the interim multifaith chaplain at 乐播传媒, also joined the project.

鈥淲hen somebody is willing to dedicate that amount of time to a project like this and to not let it go when he encounters bumps on the road, it is inspiring,鈥� Clothier says.

Finally, Wang was left with finding a biology professor who was willing to take on a multi-year responsibility. A young tree needs a lot of tending before it is sturdy enough to plant outside. Wang eventually connected with Daniel Slane, a visiting assistant professor of biology, who immediately agreed to help.

With the four faculty and staff members on board, Wang submitted the application for partnership to Green Legacy Hiroshima during the holiday break between semesters of his senior year and heard back within a month: 乐播传媒 was approved as a partner.

In summer 2024, seven ginkgo seeds arrived from San Diego, where all Green Legacy Hiroshima seeds for U.S. partner institutions are stored. Slane first sanded their hard exteriors to make it easier for them to germinate. He then refrigerated two of the seeds for cold stratification, a process which mimics winter by exposing seeds to cool weather and encouraging germination. After a couple of months, he removed the seeds and planted them in pots in the greenhouse high above the Historic Quad.

But, those first two seeds did not germinate. Slane suspects that the soil conditions were too moist. Back to square one, Slane refrigerated and planted three more seeds. A couple months later, one seed germinated. Now, Slane heads upstairs almost daily from his office to check on the seedling.

One of the oldest tree species on Earth, ginkgo trees are known for their resiliency. Konoeda says there is a message there for all beings about enduring through the impossible.

鈥淭he mother plants survived and watched the experience 鈥� the fire and the wind and the heat. And still, we see this green and the tree,鈥� Konoeda says. 鈥淪o, we don’t know what is going on in the world right now, but we will survive.鈥�

乐播传媒鈥� seeds are from a 200-year-old ginkgo tree in the lush Shukkeien Garden, created in 1620. The garden is a little less than a mile from where the bomb exploded. Its blast spread outward and then the force of air, rushing back toward the hypocenter, pushed the tree inward, leaving the tree with a permanent slant toward ground zero. 

The fact that the hibakujumoko are able to reproduce is impressive, Slane says, because high radiation can cause plants to become infertile. The ginkgo seeds鈥� DNA may even be altered due to epigenetics, the way in which heritable traits in offspring are changed by a parent鈥檚 life experiences. 

鈥淚f you have seeds from a tree that has been impacted by a natural event or something like a bombing, they will have certain epigenetic changes that allow the offspring to probably deal better with those changes,鈥� Slane says.

Though it will be at least two years before the tree is large enough to plant outside, the ambition, or hope, is that the ginkgo will eventually be planted on campus, joining the ranks of the bright yellow tree standing guard outside of Carnegie since 2003 and the new ones at Bonney Science Center. Once the tree is planted, Clothier and the Multifaith Chaplaincy will be in charge of maintaining it. 

鈥淚t’ll be meaningful to me to see the tree when it’s in the ground, to have a place, a marker on campus for peace, for the intergenerational work of peace,鈥� Clothier says.

Like the seeds themselves, each of the people contributing to this project have a personal tie to the atomic bombings or the brutal history of World War II, and most have traveled across oceans to end up at 乐播传媒. Konoeda, for example, grew up in Kitakyushu, Japan, the original target for the second atomic bomb. The city narrowly avoided complete destruction when clouds obscured its skyline on the planned day of the bombing, and American planes headed toward Nagasaki instead.

Growing up in Independence, Mo. 鈥� the hometown of President Harry S. Truman, who authorized the atomic bombings 鈥� Clothier interrogated the history of the bombings at a young age. 

In middle school, he and his peers put Truman 鈥渙n trial鈥� for a school assignment, attempting to answer the question, was authorizing the bombings the right choice? Thinking through these questions in a shared hometown contributed to Clothier鈥檚 interest in peace and ultimately led to his anti-nuclear weapons activism.

McGaughey and Slane both have a German background, which instilled in them the importance of never forgetting the atrocities of the war. Both also spent years living in Japan.

Growing up in Germany, 鈥淚 was brought up with, 鈥楻emember, remember, never forget what happened back then,鈥欌�� Slane says. 鈥淔or me, that’s in a way connected, and that’s why my heart is there.鈥�

At the intersection of these varied identities and backgrounds are differing narratives about the story of World War II and the relationship between countries like Japan, Germany, and the U.S. The ginkgo trees do not declare one narrative right or another wrong, the project contributors say; they simply open up a space for listening and thinking beyond preconceived notions. 

鈥淛apan tells a story that is very much about its big victimhood and not about what it has done or how it has come to that position in the history,鈥� Konoeda says. 鈥淎nd the U.S. tells its own narratives. And only by stepping outside of those stories, you see a bigger picture. And we are stuck now looking at this contemporary world that’s so divided in different ways, but we need to step back.鈥� 

As a living reminder of both the past and the potential of the future, the ginkgo tree will offer students the opportunity to reflect on their own lives while perhaps exploring these differing historical narratives, McGaughey says.

鈥淭he past isn’t necessarily a blueprint for how we should do things. I think we are free to decide for ourselves what should come next,鈥� McGaughey says. 鈥淭hat’s what I hope that the tree can be 鈥� a place where people can reflect on, 鈥楽o what is the right thing to do here?鈥欌�� 

For Wang, a 乐播传媒 politics major and Japanese minor, the relationship between his home country of China and Japan is storied and complicated. Fighting between China and Japan during World War II exacerbated the two countries’ fraught political relationship and, for many, established an enduring resentment between the two populations, a feeling only complicated by the devastation Japan experienced during the atomic bombings.

With this historical context, some people, Wang says, may be surprised to see someone from China advocating so strongly for something like the preservation of the hibakujumoku seeds.

But, after studying Japanese for two years at 乐播传媒 and studying abroad in Japan, Wang holds two things to be true at the same time: the relationship between his home country and Japan has been a difficult one, and the atomic bombings in Japan were unequivocally devastating.

鈥淎ll of that has some nuanced influence on my opinion of the seed,鈥� Wang says. 鈥淏ut at the end of the day, it came from something that survived the bomb. The wonders of life, the resilience of this being, I think, deserve celebration.鈥�

Ginkgo trees can live for thousands of years. 乐播传媒鈥� tree may live on to see the next generation of people, and the next, and the next, its legacy of survival and hope enduring for centuries to come. 

At 乐播传媒鈥� 159th Commencement on Sunday, May 25, Commencement speaker Angela Duckworth began her address with one simple request to members of the audience: to take out their phones and hand them to someone next to them.

The 504 members of the Class of 2025, along with their families, faculty, and staff 鈥� whether strangers or kin to their neighbors 鈥� obliged. 

Onstage, Duckworth traded phones with President Garry W. Jenkins. Free from their digital companions, Commencement attendees turned their attention forward.

With this striking exercise, perhaps unique to the 2025 graduation season, Duckworth began to drive home a compelling, useful, and relevant message: Through 鈥渟ituation modification, we have the power to shape and alter our surroundings in ways that help us thrive.

 鈥淭his is what mindfulness looks like in the digital age,” said Duckwork, who is a psychologist, leading voice in the study of human behavior, and author of the New York Times bestseller Grit. “Not willpower, but the wisdom to shape the situations that shape you.鈥�

View the 159th 乐播传媒 College Commencement. Speaker Angela Duckworth’s address begins at the one-hour mark.

This emphasis on self-determination and its relationship to our surroundings 鈥� whether the latter be the location of a cellular device, the campus that the Class of 2025 has grown to call home, or 乐播传媒鈥� spot in an uncertain world 鈥� echoed throughout the Commencement speeches, including Jenkins鈥� welcoming remarks and the 2025 Senior Address given by Aanika Patel 鈥�25 of Needham, Mass.

On the heels of last week鈥檚 atypical May northeaster that covered campus in rain, the 159th Commencement was one of the chilliest in recent memory, with the temperature at 56 degrees but feeling cooler thanks to clouds overhead and a northwest breeze, which prompted a number of audience members to arrive with fleece throws.

Members of the Class of 2025 are from 38 states, the District of Columbia, and 31 countries. Among those students were 126 with double majors and four with triple majors, including five students who received Fulbright grants for the 2025鈥�26 academic year. Sixty percent of the Class of 2025 studied abroad, and more than 40 percent played on varsity sports teams. 

Duckworth received a Doctor of Humane Letters honorary degree, and three other honorands were also recognized: 

• Mary Bonauto, a lawyer and activist for LGBTQ+ rights who successfully argued Obergefell v. Hodges (2015) before the Supreme Court, received a Doctor of Letters degree;
•  Stanley Nelson, an award-winning documentary filmmaker who tells the dynamic stories of Black Americans, received a Doctor of Fine Arts degree; 
• Deval Patrick, the former governor of Massachusetts and former U.S. assistant attorney general for the civil rights division, received a Doctor of Laws degree.

In his opening remarks, Jenkins acknowledged the unique and challenging moment that the Class of 2025 faces as they enter the world beyond 乐播传媒.

鈥淵ou have probably heard more than once that these are uncertain times,鈥� Jenkins said. 鈥淧erhaps so much so that you may be a bit tired of hearing it.鈥�

But, Jenkins said, there is good and bad news on this front. On one hand, 鈥渢here will always be uncertainty,鈥� Jenkins said. 鈥淟ife is defined by change, by the unexpected, by the yet-unknown and the always-unknowable.鈥�

The Class of 2025 is well-equipped to handle uncertainty, Jenkins said, having ended high school and begun college during a pandemic and gained an education preparing them to handle a changing future.

As they venture onward, the Class of 2025 has much to offer, Jenkins said, and he hopes that they will bring forth the skills they鈥檝e acquired at 乐播传媒 to continue to do good.

鈥淭he world needs 乐播传媒 graduates 鈥� the world needs you 鈥� to bring all the tools and talents you have acquired during your time on this campus to bear for lives of leadership and purpose, ameliorating uncertainty, fueling prosperity and innovation, standing up for what is right, caring for those around you,鈥� Jenkins said.

The Class of 2025 has much to offer, Jenkins said. They embody grit, creativity, and a commitment to seeking justice and asking the hard questions, values instilled by a liberal arts education.

鈥淚t is at places like 乐播传媒 that we prepare students to think critically, to problem solve, to engage across difference, to connect, both the dots and with each other,鈥� Jenkins said. 鈥淎nd then those students become graduates who contribute to their communities around the world in all their vibrancy, diversity, and complexity.鈥�

Jenkins charged the Class of 2025 and Commencement attendees with carrying forward a message about the importance of higher education in changing our world for the better, and 鈥渢he reason it matters to a healthy democracy.鈥�

鈥淗igher education has long fueled American progress 鈥� driving innovation, preparing leadership, and enhancing civic life. Of all this, I am certain,鈥� Jenkins said. 鈥淎nd, I can tell you 鈥� our amazing graduates, as well as friends and visitors 鈥� I call on you all to be ambassadors for 乐播传媒 and for higher education.鈥�

Senior Speaker Aanika Patel 鈥�25, an environmental studies major from Needham, Mass., began her speech by recounting a very-乐播传媒 tale. 

Picture this: It was winter in Lewiston, and Patel was preparing for the first outdoor lab in the course 鈥淪cientific Approaches to Environmental Issues.鈥� Ahead of the lab, her professor, Christian A. Johnson Professor of Interdisciplinary Studies Holly Ewing, encouraged her students to dress appropriately for the trek up Mount David in the snow. 

That was really no big deal, thought Patel. She showed up wearing a jacket and Blundstones, not a glove in sight, and declined to sport the college-provided snowshoes, despite a foot and a half of snow on the ground.

鈥淎bout 30 minutes into it, I felt the snow slowly seeping into my socks, and my hands turned a terrible pale shade of white,鈥� Patel said. 鈥淭his class had suddenly become one of those David Attenborough Planet Earth 诲辞肠耻尘别苍迟补谤颈别蝉.鈥�

Patel learned her lesson: proper preparation frees the mind to revel in the surrounding natural wonders. 

鈥淎fter learning to dress properly, I began noticing the Maine beauty around me that I continue to be grateful for,鈥� Patel said. 

On Mount David, Patel saw a maple tree, which, even in its stateliness, grew while leaving room for a nearby birch tree to also extend its roots. Each species, she noticed, played a role in the delicate dance of nature. She imagined the birch tree falling over, and its fellow trees stepping up to take over its ecological responsibilities.

鈥淓ach species finds a new place in space,鈥� Patel said. 鈥淚n this way, communities form, diverse but intertwined and interdependent through relationships forged over many years.鈥�

乐播传媒鈥� community is not indifferent from these intertwining natural relationships, Patel said. Since the first week of freshman year, the Class of 2025 has constructed its own 鈥渆cosystem,鈥� rooted firmly in place and defined by the lessons students have learned from one another and the memories they鈥檝e shared.

鈥淧lace is a network of relationships carrying histories, contexts, stories, and identities,鈥� Patel said. 鈥淚n order for a place to remain, there needs to be this acknowledgement of what has created it and how our identities are framed by it.鈥�

Like Jenkins, Patel acknowledged that the Class of 2025 has dealt with tremendous change, from enrolling in college during a pandemic, to grieving in the aftermath of the October 2023 Lewiston shootings, to processing the 2024 presidential election.

But they didn鈥檛 go it alone. The Class of 2025 persisted and thrived thanks to support from many entities on campus.

鈥淚t is on this campus we found a community to fight against isolation, to mourn loss and find hope in change, and to fight for the things worth fighting for just by being there and adjusting and relying on each other,鈥� Patel said.

Wherever the members of the Class of 2025 end up next, despite the fear and uncertainty of a path untrodden, they will always have 乐播传媒, Patel said.

鈥淟ike the trees standing their ground on Mount David, we will always have these histories we created in our back pockets, and their memory will be a reassurance to stand tall, stay grounded in who you are, and be courageous in this next chapter of our lives.鈥�

In her Commencement address, Angela Duckworth also discussed the importance of staying grounded, specifically by improving our relationship with the devices that now live ubiquitously beside us.

鈥淚f being on your phone were a paid job, we would be getting overtime,鈥� Duckworth said.

Cell phone use and placement have a profound effect on personal performance and well-being, Duckworth explained. Research shows that having one鈥檚 phone within eyesight while taking an IQ test lowers scores, and high school students who study with their phones farther away from them perform better academically.

Additionally, she pointed out, the popularity of social media over the last two decades coincides with decreasing rates of in-person social interaction, and studies show that halting Facebook and Instagram use for just one month corresponds with increased levels of happiness and decreased levels of depression and anxiety.

Often, the choice to pick up our phones is not a conscious act but rather a habit that we turn to when we鈥檙e feeling awkward or anxious; cell phones are 鈥渆ffectively adult pacifiers,鈥� Duckworth said.

The key to dealing with digital distractions, she said, is not about willpower but taking action to remove the distraction.

鈥淪ituation modification means using physical distance to create psychological distance,鈥� Duckworth said.

Successful people change their environment to eliminate temptations or distractions instead of expending energy to resist them.

Due to her phenomenally successful book, Duckworth is famously linked to the concept of grit, which 鈥渕ight make it sound as if world-class performers just force themselves to do things. But that鈥檚 not accurate. They love what they do. And because they love what they do, they create sanctuaries where they cannot be distracted from their craft.鈥�

Where we keep our phones is among the most important choices we make, Duckworth said. Luckily enough, it is not a choice that we make only once, but rather one that we can recommit to 鈥� or change 鈥� over and over again.

鈥淚 urge you to make a humble yet powerful vow: Commit to situation modification,鈥� Duckworth said.

As such, Duckworth offered six suggestions:

• Put your phone in another room when you need to focus deeply.
• Go outside when you feel awkward, anxious, or bored.
• Keep your phones off of the table during group dinners.
• Keep your phone beyond arm鈥檚 reach while driving.
• Don鈥檛 keep your phone in your bedroom.
• When you do want to use your phone, listen to The Ezra Klein Show podcast featuring author Zadie Smith, who discusses why she refuses to buy a smartphone.

鈥淪ituation modification isn’t about abstinence. It’s about intentionality,鈥� Duckworth said. 鈥淚t’s about creating space between stimulus and response, between notification and reaction. And it鈥檚 about reclaiming your attention.鈥�

Malcolm Hill, vice president for academic affairs and dean of the faculty, offered the honorary degree citations for Duckworth, Bonauto, Nelson, and Patrick.

Bonauto, a leader in legal efforts to advance marriage equality, has been senior director of civil rights and legal strategies at GLBTQ Legal Advocates and Defenders (GLAD Law) since 1990.

In 2015, she successfully argued in front of the Supreme Court in the case of Obergefell v. Hodges, which made same-sex marriage legal throughout the country.

鈥淎s she said at the beginning of this year, accepting the Presidential Citizen Medal from President Biden, 鈥榃e each have a role to play in fulfilling our country鈥檚 promises of equality, dignity, and freedom,鈥欌�� Hill said, quoting Bonauto.

鈥淚n her career, and her contributions to a more equitable society, we see the realization of her own hopes,鈥� Hill said.

Stanley Nelson鈥檚 expansive documentary filmmaking has broached subjects including Harriet Tubman, Emmett Till, and historically Black colleges and universities.

鈥淗e is a prolific 鈥� and prolifically talented, and prolifically honored 鈥� documentary filmmaker, focused on telling the stories of Black Americans 鈥� lifting up those narratives that haven鈥檛 been told, and sharing other narratives, ones that we presume we know, in new and revelatory ways,鈥� Hill said.

Deval Patrick focused on 鈥渟tudent achievement, healthcare coverage, entrepreneurial activity, and veterans services鈥� and defended Massachusetts鈥� law legalizing same-sex marriage, the first of its kind in the country.

鈥溾�楥ommunity鈥� provides not only the through-line of his life and career 鈥� it is a value deeply held, frequently cited, and powerfully enacted,鈥� Hill said.

Hill then read the Class of 2025鈥檚 names during the conferral of the degrees, the students鈥� short steps across the Coram stage marking a leap into the next phase of their lives.

After the conferral, Jenkins paused to recognize Hill for his contribution as dean of the faculty; after a sabbatical; he will returns to the classroom as a professor of biology and earth and climate sciences.

Then, Leah Elsmore 鈥�12, president of the 乐播传媒 Alumni Association, offered parting words about the importance of building connections with fellow alumni and being prepared to support future 乐播传媒ies.

鈥淭hroughout the twists and turns of your professional and personal journey, you can always connect with a Bobcat in the wild,鈥� Elsmore said. 鈥淎nd I urge you to pay it forward. Someday when you鈥檝e established yourselves in your chosen fields, be ready to be there for the next generation of 乐播传媒 graduates.鈥�

In a benediction coinciding nicely with the images of nature twisting through Patel鈥檚 address, and after Jenkins鈥� charge to go out and do good, the words of the Rev. Raymond Clothier, interim multifaith chaplain, closed the Commencement ceremony:

鈥淢ay what you have learned at 乐播传媒 take root and flower in minute and majestic ways to nourish others, nurse the wounded earth and nurture human community.

鈥淢ay it be so.鈥�

Thirty-nine years ago, even a hurricane couldn鈥檛 stay Jimmy Carter from a self-appointed duty: coming to 乐播传媒 to dedicate a new archive in honor of his good friend, Edmund Muskie 鈥�36.

As Hurricane Gloria roared up the East Coast in late September 1985, threatening to thwart the former president’s trip to Maine, Carter’s reaction was, basically, 鈥渂ring it on.鈥�

鈥淣othing short of an absolute national catastrophe…could have prevented my coming to 乐播传媒 College,鈥� Carter told an audience of more than 2,700 in Merrill Gymnasium on Sept. 28, 1985, during a dedication convocation for the official repository of Muskie鈥檚 papers, now known as the Edmund S. Muskie Archives and Special Collections Library.

Carter died today at age 100 at his home in Plains, Ga.

In 1985, Carter also used the occasional to speak warmly about another 乐播传媒 friend, civil rights leader Benjamin E. Mays, Class of 1920, who had died a year earlier. 鈥淚 want to thank this college for making it possible for Dr. Benjamin Mays to overcome the handicaps of white supremacy and racism to take his place among the prominent leaders of our nation and our world.鈥�

In his address, Carter described Muskie, a deeply admired colleague and friend who served as Carter鈥檚 secretary of state from May 1980 to January 1981, as representing 鈥渋n a superb way the greatness of America鈥檚 character.鈥� Muskie, he said, was 鈥渁 man who had a strong and beneficial impact on my own life and on that of the nation.鈥�

In Merrill Gym, the speakers鈥� platform was chock full of dignitaries. Maine Gov. Joseph Brennan was there, as was the entire Maine congressional delegation: representatives Olympia Snowe and John McKernan, and senators William Cohen and George Mitchell. Also on the platform was Frank Coffin 鈥�40, who, as a federal judge, swore in Muskie as Carter鈥檚 new secretary of state in 1980. (Carter had visited 乐播传媒 once before, giving a campaign speech in 1975.)

As if a visit to 乐播传媒 by a former president didn鈥檛 create enough hullabaloo and hubbub, there was Hurricane Gloria. To skirt the East Coast鈥揾ugging storm, Carter first flew to Syracuse, N.Y., where the local newspaper photographed him walking through a hotel lobby in jogging shorts after a seven-mile run around Onondaga Lake.

Carter arrived on campus to the sounds of chainsaws. From early morning, 乐播传媒 community members, including students, took to the campus to clear fallen limbs before the big weekend鈥檚 events, which included traditional Back to 乐播传媒 festivities. Then-treasurer Bernie Carpenter wielded one of the saws and later wrote a thank-you letter to The 乐播传媒 Student. 鈥淲ithout that extra help [from students] our campus could not have looked as great as it did on Back to 乐播传媒 Weekend for our alumni and honored guests.鈥�

During the convocation, Carter received an honorary Doctor of Laws degree, and later had a tet-a-tet with then Dean of the Faculty Carl Straub about Straub鈥檚 degree citation. The two met up, by chance, at the foot of the driveway to the President鈥檚 House as they arrived from different directions to attend a lunch hosted by 乐播传媒 President Hedley Reynolds. 

As Straub and Carter turned to walk up the steep driveway, Carter suddenly took the dean鈥檚 arm 鈥渁nd stopped my walk,鈥� recalled Straub, who died in 2019. 鈥淗e said he wanted to talk.鈥�

Straub, who was a religion professor who would return to the 乐播传媒 classroom as the college鈥檚 first Griffith Professor of Environmental Studies, had piqued Carter鈥檚 interest by invoking the environment twice in his citation for Carter. 

First, he noted that 鈥渢here is more than the Appalachian Trail which binds Maine to Georgia,鈥� such as a 鈥渃ommon heritage which rises from the simple decency of our people: We share a sense of what is good and just and beautiful.鈥� Second, the citation praised Carter for, among other achievements as the 39th U.S. president, the 鈥渇oresight to protect our natural environments, to preserve American wilderness.鈥� 

Carter, recalled Straub, wanted to talk about the Appalachian Trail. Not surprising: In 1978, Carter signed a law giving the federal government more power to protect, expand, and improve the trail.

Straub said he took a moment to thank Carter for his leadership in establishing the Denali National Park. (In 1978, Carter used executive authority to designate 56 million acres of Alaska wilderness as federally protected national monuments and in 1980 signed a law bringing the former McKinley National Park into a larger protected area named Denali National Park and Preserve.)

It was a proud if surreal moment for Straub, having a 10-minute private audience with a former president 鈥� 鈥渨hile dignitaries waited at the top of the driveway to welcome [Carter].鈥� 

Carter鈥檚 friendship with and admiration for Ed Muskie is well-chronicled in the public record, thanks in large part to the Muskie Archives. It shines through in the famous photo of the 5-foot-10 Carter hugging the 6-foot-4 Muskie during the archives dedication. 

And it comes through in quieter ways, like the April 1981 photo showing Carter, decked out in fly-fishing gear and smiling that famous Carter grin, holding a big brown trout. On the back of the photo, which Carter sent to Muskie, he wrote, 鈥淥n the opening day of the season, with my new Ed Muskie self-casting rod, I caught a lot of smaller ones, plus three over 18 inches. Thanks again. I鈥檓 sure the Maine fishing will be even better. Jimmy.鈥� 

While less well-known, the late president鈥檚 relationship with Mays was no less vital or authentic. For one, it reflected a shared Southern upbringing, wrote Damian Dominguez in a March 2023 story about the Mays鈥揅arter friendship for the Greenwood (S.C.) Index-Journal. 

鈥淭he two shared a common sensibility: Carter grew up a rural, Southern, Baptist farmer; Mays was the son of freed slaves who became sharecroppers and grew up a Baptist in rural Epworth,鈥� Dominguez reported. 

Carter and Mays probably got to know one another around 1970, Dominguez suggested. At the time, Mays, who had retired as president of Morehouse in 1967, was presiding over the Atlanta Board of Education 鈥� just as the federal courts ordered the desegregation of Georgia public schools 鈥� and Carter was ramping up his successful campaign for governor.

Mays pointed to Carter’s inaugural address as Georgia’s governor in 1971, when Carter said that “the time for racial discrimination is over.”

Within a few years, Mays, who had been advising U.S. presidents on racial issues since the 1950s, starting with Harry Truman, would announce his support of Carter for president, a decision that Mays explained during a talk at 乐播传媒 in February 1977 during Black Arts Week. Then age 82, Mays spoke in the Chapel (and was introduced by Marcus Bruce ’77, then a 乐播传媒 senior and now the Charles A. Dana Professor of Religious Studies).

Mays explained that he had been getting letters asking why he had supported Carter’s run for president in 1976, so he took a moment to explain his reasons. Mays pointed to Carter’s inaugural address as Georgia’s governor in 1971, when Carter said that “the time for racial discrimination is over.”

From that moment, Mays took time to “study his record, read what he said and what his mother said about Jimmy’s early years. At a time when Negroes went to the back door [of a] white house… Jimmy Carter’s black friends went in and out of of the Carter house through the front door.”

When Carter served in the Navy, Mays told his Chapel audience, his voice sounding still strong on an old cassette tape recording, “one of his friends was Black, and when he visited Jimmy Carter’s home, he was treated as a man and was a guest in the Carter home. So when he made his statement about racism in his inaugural address [as] governor, I had reasons to believe.”

Mays went on to recount the various actions Carter took as governor, including integrating the powerful Board of Regents, which controls policy for Georgia’s public university system. “He meant what he said,” Mays concluded.

After Mays’ death on March 28, 1984, Carter praised him as 鈥渕y personal friend, my constructive critic, and my close adviser.鈥�

Mays, known as the “Schoolmaster of the Movement” for mentoring Martin Luther King Jr. and other civil rights leaders, told the Chapel audience that in supporting Carter he was also supporting his own life’s work, to help lead the South’s emergence from its Jim Crow past. Mays spoke of growing up when “lynching was respected by the state and condoned by the church…. I knew segregation and denigration.”

After Mays’ death on March 28, 1984, Carter praised him as 鈥渕y personal friend, my constructive critic, and my close adviser.鈥� Offering one of the eulogies at his funeral, held at Morehouse, Carter described Mays as a 鈥渕onumental figure in the field of education and social justice. He inspired all who knew him.鈥�

At Mays’ funeral, when a speaker asked all the “Morehouse men” to stand, Carter stood with the many other Morehouse degree-holders 鈥� Carter had received an honorary degree from Morehouse in 1972.

“I was proud to stand as one of the Morehouse men,” Carter said in his remarks. “Dr. Mays told me that he was proud a Morehouse man was finally in the White House. He told me, ‘You may be the first, but you won’t be the last.'”