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Never a Question: The Peter C. and Danuta M. Barnard Scholarship Fund

Story posted April 07, 2006

“Bowdoin is very special,” says Danuta Barnard. “You know, I feel almost as if I’d gone there.” Her husband, the late Peter Barnard ’50, was one of Bowdoin’s most faithful and loyal alumni with a long history of service to the College, including Secretary of the Northern Ohio Alumni Association; Alumni Admissions Aide; Secretary and Treasurer and Alumni Council Representative of the Bowdoin Club of Cleveland; Campaign Worker; Director of the Bowdoin Club of Portland; Director of the Bowdoin Club of Boston; and Secretary of the President and Trustees from 1977 to 1991.

And, Mrs. Barnard, too, worked for the College for many years, as a secretary in Bowdoin psychology department from 1961-65 and again from 1973-79. When Peter passed away last January, Mrs. Barnard established a scholarship fund in his memory, as a way to honor their affection for Bowdoin. In this way, she also continues Peter’s philosophy toward monetary gifts to the College during his lifetime, which were regular and thoughtful, often in memory of classmates, professors, and deans.

“We’ve always supported the College,” Mrs. Barnard explains. “Peter often designated gifts toward scholarships for students who were qualified to attend Bowdoin but couldn’t afford to, and often students from Maine. I simply continued his train of thought—it was nothing sudden this support was over many years—I just continued to carry out his wishes.”

The Peter C. and Danuta M. Barnard Scholarship Fund, to be capitalized with proceeds from a pooled income fund and charitable gift annuity, will support scholarships for Bowdoin students, with preference for those from Maine. “Maine is not a rich state. We felt there were many needy students from Maine,” explains Mrs. Barnard, “and Maine was our adopted state. When Peter retired, we could have gone anyplace but there was never a question that we wanted to be in Maine. It’s a remarkable thing about Bowdoin that a number of Bowdoin graduates move back in close proximity to the College.”

Peter Barnard did graduate work in English and history at Western Reserve University, as well as at Yale and Harvard, earning a master’s in English from the Breadloaf School at Middlebury in 1955. He was a scholar and an educator for most of his early career, and at heart, before he embarked on a highly respected career in fundraising, which culminated in the position of Director of Development of Maine Medical Center.

“We believe in education. That’s the future. Education benefits everybody— every segment of the population. We believe in that.”

For more information about Planned Giving, please contact Stephen Hyde, Associate Vice President/Director of Planned Giving, (207) 725-3436 or shyde@bowdoin.edu.