About NMH Northfield

History Project Update

History Project Update (as presented in PowerPoint presentation at Reunion 2007)
Becky Parfitt Kennedy ’67, chair and trustee
June 9, 2007

OBJECTIVES

• Capture our compelling NMH history
• Communicate our legacy comprehensively and cogently within the contexts of time
• Clarify NMH’s place ‘on the map’ for continually innovative, significant impact on independent secondary education, the world
• Celebrate our Moody legacy

(Volunteer) Team

• Represents Northfield, Mount Hermon, and NMH alums, faculty, trustees, staff, friends, town of Northfield
• Meets monthly  to work through ideas and challenges
• Individually works on tasks in-between

Surveys & written historical accounts

•  Accomplished
• History Fund seeded
• Landscape and architectural surveys of both campuses (nearly complete)
• Profile of two history volumes outlined:  annotated pictorial landscape and architectural history; in-depth contextual history of NMH
• In the works
• Talking with professionals as advisors in the process
• Collecting ideas / needs of other history project needs to be addressed
• Conducting oral histories
• Seeking donors to fund (ADV canvassing while developing Annual Fund)
• Next steps
• Adjust profile as warranted
• Approach prospective professionals for interest in researching, writing, editing, illustrating
• Needs
• Funds (cannot be taken from school’s operating budget; costs estimated @ $500K for oral histories and two volumes; currently $120K in cash and pledges, some of which has been paid for surveys)
• Volunteers
• Staff support for point and coordination

Other plans (to be developed)

• Provide archive–quality envelopes/cases
• Underwrite digitizing equipment and labor
• Support NMH history coursework, presentations, exhibitions, archive space
• Acquire relevant resource materials
• Update annotated campus guides
• Care for legacy buildings

Conclusion:  This history work is going gang busters! 

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