J.E. To Publish History; Wants Spiders To Submit Reminiscences

J.E. to Publish New History of the College

In a recent e-mail blast to alumni of Jonathan Edwards College, Mark Saltzman, Head of the College, and Mark Ryan, Chair of the JE Trust, announced the forthcoming publication of a new “introductory history” of the College. A preliminary website has been launched, inviting alumni of JE to contribute reminiscences for the publication, and, if they wish, to donate to the project. The website includes engaging excerpts of reminiscences that have already been received, organized by decade: See https://jespiders.org/  Reminiscences, which can be submitted through the website, will be accepted until February 1.

The new JE history has been a long time coming. The last time the College published a brochure about itself was in 1978. Since then, successive Masters/Heads of College have contemplated an update, with some making significant strides along the way. But with the ever more complicated tasks of the college heads and their offices, the vision hasn’t come to fruition. A breakthrough came through the support of the Jonathan Edwards Trust, an endowment that promotes the educational and cultural life of the College.

Founded in 1966, the JE Trust was launched by Joseph Toy Curtiss, one of the original fellows of the College, who left a bequest that formed the core of its resources. It is now governed by an independent board of twelve alumni and fellows, with the current Head of College serving ex-officio. In its 52-year history, the Trust has supported a wide range of projects, contributing towards musical instruments, cultural programming, art collections, publications, dramatic productions, educational facilities, and the College’s “Culture Draw,” which enables students to attend outside cultural events, especially in New York. Over the past year, it has taken on the new JE history as a major project, contributing both financial support and personal skills.

The history’s forthcoming text is a collaborative effort, written primarily by long-serving administrators of the College: Gary Haller, Master from 1997-2008; Penelope Laurans, Master from 2009-2016; and Mark Ryan, who was JE’s Dean from 1976-1996. Both Haller and Laurans have been fellows of JE since their first years on the Yale faculty. The text incorporates, as well, contributions of other fellows and former masters; Mark Saltzman has written the foreword.

The inclusion of reminiscences by alumni and fellows, portraying life in JE from its earliest beginnings, promises to give the publication a special verve and color. Miko McGinty, Secretary of the Trust, has been the chief organizer of that side of the project, promoting the idea and then, with the help of a subcommittee of colleagues, engineering the establishment of the new website. Owner of a New York graphic design firm with prominent art books and catalogues to its credit, McGinty is designing the volume; currently she is culling through historical and contemporary photographs that will grace this new presentation of the College. Publication, both online and in hard copy, is planned for June.