Bridging the Space Between
We are in one of those liminal times. The in-between period that is so clearly demarcated by what we recognize as “before” and “after.” With this post being published on Election Day in the United States, it is particularly indeterminate what lies ahead for the country. Hopefully, we will know tomorrow. Perhaps it may take longer to clearly know the election results. This year has already brought so many endings: lives lost to the COVID-19 pandemic; lives lost and people injured by the cruelty of state power wielded to intentionally cause harm; the normalcy of what everyday life was like before quarantine measures became routine; the closing of our beloved alma mater.
Despite the losses we have endured, life continues and we work to make sense of, and give meaning to, the challenges we encounter. This year has brought about a renewed national discussion focused on systemic and institutional racism not seen since the 1960s. Our national election has proceeded despite the pandemic. On a smaller scale and more closely related to this community, we held an election for the new Alumni Council and the results are in and the transition from interim council to elected council is underway.
As a community, we have been battered by the challenges the year has presented and yet have managed to stick together. To honor this in-between time, we share two new additions to the Association’s “Memory Bank.” The first offering is a work by Tom Ragle, President Emeritus, in the form of a newly written foreword to his book, Marlboro College, A Memoir. The Archive Subcommittee received this gift from President Ragle with permission to share it with the wider Marlboro community. You can access Tom’s foreword here.
The second offering is a video recording of the Wake for Marlboro College that Adrian Segar conceived, coordinated, and facilitated during September. The event was intended as part celebration, part catharsis, part opportunity to connect/reconnect with other members of the Marlboro community. While we continue to process our grief over the closing of the College, we hope that by sharing the Wake, you will continue to honor the spirit of Marlboro by celebrating it, reconnecting, and engaging with the wider Marlboro community. You can access the video of the event here.