In a case of life imitating art, actor Patrick Dempsey waxed romantic about his relationship with the College in a segment that aired on Good Morning America, saying, “Bowdoin is very special, and of course, it’s in the great state of Maine.”
Fans of Grey’s Anatomy know that Dempsey’s character, Dr. Derek “McDreamy” Shepherd, is a Bowdoin graduate fond of wearing College gear—a T-shirt in bed in one episode, a hoodie or baseball cap in others.
In the interview, Dempsey spoke of his affection for his home state of Maine and about asking Grey’s Anatomy creator Shonda Rhimes to write Bowdoin into the show.
The segment highlights the actor’s return to the series in a number of flashbacks and Dempsey’s new partnership with Poland Spring Origin, a new product that is said to be 100 percent natural spring water from Maine and in a bottle made from 100 percent recycled material.
Dempsey’s other ties to the state include his philanthropy around the creation of the Dempsey Center for Cancer Hope and Healing and the Dempsey Challenge, an annual run, walk, and cycle fundraiser for the center.
Dempsey, who was awarded an honorary degree in 2013, last visited the College in 2019, when he was invited to speak about overcoming challenges with dyslexia for No Hate November’s keynote address.
