Berkshire County Historical Society To Collect Oral Histories

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PITTSFIELD, Mass. — The Berkshire County Historical Society concludes its year-long celebration of the 100th anniversary of the publication of Herman Melville's "Billy Budd, Sailor" with two events that honor the journey that led to the novel's discovery. 
 
"Billy Budd, Sailor" was discovered and published by Herman Melville's granddaughter, Eleanor, who shared a special relationship with her grandfather. On Nov. 16 and Dec. 7 BCHS will record and archive stories of grandparents and grandchildren. 
 
Together with partners from the Housatonic Heritage Oral History Center at Berkshire Community College and the Berkshire Athenaeum, they will create a story scavenger hunt for children and their families, which will include treats and art projects. 
 
All participants will receive a recording of their story. The Nov. 16 event takes place at Herman Melville's historic home, Arrowhead, from noon - 4 pm. 
 
The Berkshire Athenaeum hosts the Dec. 7 event from 10 am - 2 pm. Both events are free. 
 
This program is funded in part by Mass Humanities, which receives support from the Massachusetts Cultural Council and is an affiliate of the National Endowment for the Humanities.
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BCC Trustees Vote to Hire Hara Charlier as Next President

By Brittany PolitoiBerkshires Staff

Catheryn Chacon Ortega, the alumni appointment, liked how Hara Charlier easily connected with students faculty; Melissa Myers, alumni representative, also noted how comfortable Charlier was with various groups. Charlier, right, was called after the vote and accepted pending negotiations and state approval. 
PITTSFIELD, Mass. — It wasn't hard for BCC's Board of Trustees to elect a new president from Minnesota on Monday.

One by one, during a special meeting at Berkshire Community College, board members expressed their conviction that Hara Charlier was the best candidate to lead after Ellen Kennedy retires. They unanimously recommended Charlier as the next president of BCC to the Massachusetts Board of Higher Education.

"We're not trying to hire a replacement for Dr. Kennedy; We are trying to hire our next leader," Chair Julia Bowen said.

Charlier, currently the president of Central Lakes College in Brainerd, Minn., was one of four finalists identified by the Presidential Search Committee who visited the campus. She was not on site, but was called after the vote.

Catheryn Chacon Ortega was impressed by how Charlier connected with students and faculty, as well as her passion and breadth of experience.  

"As the appointed alumni, I put myself in the students' shoes when I was thinking about this, and I think I feel very represented by her, like if I come back as a student here, I think she will be a person that will be open doors to me, to my community, to the immigrant community, to everybody," she said.

Danielle Gonzalez feels Charlier has a "very" clear commitment to the community part of community college, and a deep experience of serving underserved populations, "really just with great enthusiasm."

"I think that in addition to having really deep community college leadership experience, she was able to articulate a very thorough understanding of the issues of the college of Berkshire County, of what those opportunities might look like, and how she would connect what her experience has been with how she could drive the school forward," said Julie Hughes, a newer member of the board.
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