Converse Sophomore Accepted into Competitive Historical Program

In early June, Jane Marion ’04 will be winging her way to Deerfield, Massachusetts to take part in the 2002 Historic Deerfield Summer Fellows Program. This highly competitive program, which is worth $7,500 (covering tuition, room and board, and books), accepts only 6-10 students from throughout the country each year.

Jane, who is a double major (history and art history), is anxious to begin the intensive training offered by the Deerfield program. ” This nine-week program offers a rare behind-the-scenes view of the workings of a museum and a thorough investigation of early American history and material culture. Deerfield is clearly one of the top undergraduate programs for history majors in the country.”

The Summer Fellows participate in seminar sessions led by Historic Deerfield’s professional staff and by visiting lecturers. In addition, each Fellow gains experience in public history by giving guided tours five afternoons a week in Deerfield’s historic houses. Each Fellow works on an individual research project, utilizing the manuscript, printed, and artifact collections at Historic Deerfield and the Pocumtuck Valley Memorial Association. Finally, the Fellows go on weekly field trips to other museums of history and art in New England, including Old Sturbridge Village, Plimoth Plantation, the historic city of Boston, and the Yale University Art Gallery.

At the end of the summer the Fellows make a week-long trip to the South, visiting Colonial Williamsburg in Virginia and the Winterthur Museum in Delaware. At each stop the Fellows meet with museum staff members for in-depth discussions of their interpretive philosophies. Jane may incorporate her research in a senior honors thesis or another Converse research assignment.