Inaugural event at Grappone Humanities Institute October 10

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Bolstered by a generous $1 million gift from Bob and Beverly Grappone, Saint Anselm College has founded the Gregory J. Grappone Humanities Institute, named in honor of Bob and Beverly’s son Greg, a 2004 graduate of Saint Anselm.

The Grappone Humanities Institute announces its inaugural event on Wednesday, October 10 at 7:00 p.m. in the Auditorium of the Roger and Francine Jean Student Center at Saint Anselm College. They will welcome author Jay Parini, D. E. Axinn Professor of English and Creative Writing at Middlebury College, for a viewing of the film based upon his 1999 novel The Last Station, followed by a brief lecture and open discussion about the book and film. The Last Station records the tumultuous last days of Leo Tolstoy’s life and stars Helen Mirren and Christopher Plummer. 

Dr. Gary Bouchard has been appointed as the Grappone Institute’s inaugural executive director. An active scholar and teacher in the area of Early Modern English Literature for more than thirty years, Gary has served as the English Department Chair and played an active role in the establishment of the New Hampshire Institute of Politics when he served as the College’s Executive Vice President from 1998 to 2003. “At a time when all sectors of society are expressing concern that the humanities and arts have lost their relevance and when economic pressures are persuading some institutions eliminate traditional humanistic areas of study,” Gary says, “we choose to reassert in an innovative way our historic commitment to the humanities. We want to honor Greg’s memory by lifting up humanistic studies across campus and also foster in our surrounding communities the sort of meaningful human conversations Greg loved.” 

The October 10 event is free and open to the public and offers an opportunity for people to meet and thank Bob and Beverly Grappone and their family.  www.anselm.edu/humanities-institute