The Burke Library held a formal re-opening of the Emerson Rare Book Room, honoring Patsy Couper W'44 and Dr.Walter Brumm, with a dedication of the Patricia Pogue Couper Research Room on April 14.
Patricia (Patsy) Pogue Couper, wife of the late Hamilton alumnus and life trustee Richard W. Couper ’44, has supported Hamilton throughout her life, including since the death of her husband in 2006. The Coupers created and sustained the Williams-Watrous-Couper Fund, which provides support for faculty research and teaching improvement at Hamilton. They also established an endowment to fund the director’s position for the Burke Library, which was named in their honor, and support in other ways the college’s library and its collections.
Dr. Walter Brumm, retired sociology professor from California State University in Pennsylvania, is a major donor to the Emerson Rare Book Room. His gift to the Hamilton College Communal Societies Collection makes it one of the leading collections by and about the American Shakers and other intentional communities in the country. Brumm, in explaining his gift said, “It is my intention that this gift enrich an already significant collection of such materials at an institution of higher learning, where there is an emphasis on innovative and rigorous academic learn programs, including interdisciplinary coursework, comparative studies, collaborative learning and an opportunity to promote the use of an extensive and rich archival resource.”
President Joan Hinde Stewart, Elizabeth J. McCormack Professor of English Margaret Thickstun, and Couper Librarian Randall Ericson spoke at the event, which included a ribbon cutting and tours of the newly designed facility.
