Celebrating Granny D a huge success thanks to many!
From Irene Herold, Mason Library:
On September 24, 2011 over 100 people gathered to celebrate the opening of the Doris “Granny D” Haddock collection in the Archives and Special Collections of Mason Library.
Greetings, memories, and resolutions were shared during the first hour from notables such as Governor Lynch; United States Senator Jean Shaheen read by staffer Pam Russell Slack; State Senator Molly Kelly; State Representative Chuck Weed; former State Senator Jim Rubens; former West Virginia United States Representative and Secretary of State, WV, Ken Hechler; Secretary of State, NH, Bill Gardner; Secretary of State, CT, Dennis Merrill; and a video greeting from Bill McKibben among others. A donated bronze bust of Granny D was unveiled by Illinois participants Andrea Raila and family with Dennis Burke, who traveled from Arizona to attend the event. Burke then shared anecdotes from his forthcoming second biography on Haddock, including how she would do someone’s job such as feeding alligators, so the woman could take the time to register to vote.
The day was capped off with folk music provided by Dr. Henry Knight, student Kim Christel, city councilor Terry Clark, and readings of poetry by and about Haddock performed by student Clai Lasher-Sommers, and alumnae Liza Mindeman and Stephanie Steele, who also created the first finding aid for the collection. Granny D’s band, Tattoo, which includes performers Fred Simmons, Leslie Vogel, and Karl Wilson, closed out the festive day performing a set of numbers that they played when marching with Haddock in her State Senate campaign, and finishing their set by having the audience march to the library’s exhibit on Haddock to the song, “When the Saints Go Marching In.”
Other students who provided tours of the Granny D exhibit in the Archives and Special Collections room included Sandra Garcia, Clai Lasher-Sommers, and Laura Ruttle, who along with Lee Gemeroth and Brittany Arita helped move and process the collections under the direction of Archivist Rodney Obien.
Many were involved in the much appreciated behind-the-scenes and upfront work on this event: President Helen Giles-Gee, Provost Mel Netzhammer, VP of Advancement Maryann Lindberg, Director of Development Ken Goebel, Dr. Henry Knight, Archivist Rodney Obien, Ann Gagnon, Cheryl Spangler, Mark Gempler, Wade Newer, Steve Armstrong and his student assistants, Linda and Robert Madden, Michele Kuiawa, Chef Rich Ducharme and Rick Kramer and the Sodexo catering staff, Marketing and Communications staff Lucy Webb, Laura Borden, Kelly Ricaurte, and friend of Haddock, Ruth Meyer. Of course Mason Library sincerely thanks the Haddock family for the donation and support in selecting Keene State College as the repository of this significant collection. The event was covered in over forty national news stories in addition to local coverage.
