Foundation benefiting gay/lesbian/bisexual/transgender programs transfers assets to Dartmouth College

Posted 02/21/00

In a ceremony at Dartmouth on Monday, Feb. 21, the Edward Carpenter Memorial Foundation transferred its assets to Dartmouth for the support of gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender studies and co-curricular activities at the college.

Dartmouth President James Wright received assets of $250,000 on behalf of the college from Peter Saccio, Professor of English and Chairman of the Carpenter Foundation's Board of Trustees. The gift will enhance the already existing Stonewall Fund at Dartmouth, which pays for courses and lectures in gay and lesbian studies. It will also establish the Carpenter Fund, to help support co-curricular and extra-curricular activities carried out by student organizations.

The Carpenter Foundation was established in 1985 by a gift from the late Dr. Ralph Elias, Dartmouth College class of 1932, for the enhancement of the lives of gay students at Dartmouth. The foundation was named after Edward Carpenter (1844-1929), an English poet and social reformer who is now considered a pioneer in the field of gay rights. Besides the generous bequest in Dr. Elias' will, the foundation has been enriched by gifts from other Dartmouth alumni; its trustees have been Dartmouth professors and alumni committed to Dr. Elias' concerns.

"Thanks to Dr. Elias' generosity, we have broadened and diversified the opportunities for Dartmouth students," said Saccio. "Now, however, we do not require a separate organization to handle these funds. Dartmouth now has policies and programs in place to address some of the primary educational and social needs of its gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender students. The student groups are active, and a course in Gay and Lesbian Studies, first developed as an interdisciplinary course, is now housed in the Women's Studies program. I am happy to celebrate Dartmouth's growth in this regard, and to transfer to the College means to nurture and build upon these programs and policies."

President Wright and Professor Saccio were joined by deans, directors, other college officials, members of the faculty and staff, undergraduate and graduate students, alumni, representatives from Parents, Family and Friends of Lesbians and Gays (PFLAG) and other community members to mark the transfer of assets.

In its fifteen years of existence, the Foundation has sponsored speeches on campus by then-Congressman Gerry Studds of Massachusetts, Yale historian John Boswell, the novelist Dorothy Allison and officers of such national organizations as Gay/Lesbian Advocates and Defenders (GLAD) and National Gay and Lesbian Task Force (NGLTF). It has further sponsored discussions with writers, exhibits by artists and performances by groups such as the Boston Gay Men's Chorus.

In addition to bringing people to the Dartmouth campus, the Carpenter Foundation also has underwritten student travel to Pride Marches and to the conferences of regional and national gay, lesbian, bi-sexual and transgender organizations. It has subsidized publications, social events and films.