The Bill Shorrock Memorial Fund

The Bill Shorrock Memorial Fund committee, chaired by Philip Boucher, has begun a five-year fundraising campaign. Once capitalized, the fund will underwrite a prize to support graduate student travel to meetings.

As you likely know, the French Colonial Historical Society (FCHS) suffered a terrible
loss last fall with the death of Bill Shorrock, one of the society’s most valuable and beloved members. Bill served in many official capacities - president, vice-president, chairman of the Alf Heggoy book prize, organizer or co-organizer of several annual meetings and much more.
Just as important, Bill strongly influenced the culture of FCHS and he epitomized those values once established. He valued the exchange of knowledge across different regions of the French colonial empire and across the centuries. But he did so in a manner which emphasized cordiality and the lack of boundaries between established and younger scholars. At the annual meetings, Bill sought out individuals who had not previously participated and incorporated them into the group. Bill was naturally easygoing, affable, and a real gentle man.
The FCHS executive committee decided to establish a five-year campaign to attain a goal of a minimum of $20,000, which will constitute a permanent capital fund. We hope that ten people will pledge $200 a year for five years, that ten will pledge $100 a year, that ten will pledge $50 a year and that ten or more will pledge $25 a year. Marge Shorrock has pledged $5,000 and three other individuals have pledged $3000, so the campaign is off to a great start. Interest on the permanent capital fund will be used to support graduate student presentations of papers at the annual FCHS conference. An FCHS committee will evaluate
applications for conference support on the basis of the originality and importance of their research projects. Applicants will submit a brief description of their research program.
To support this phase of the fund raising campaign, current President Mike Vann constituted the Shorrock committee to include ex-presidents Cornelius Jaenen, Patricia Galloway, Dale Standen, Dale Miquelon, John Johnston, Bob Duplessis and Sue Peabody as co-signatories to this letter of appeal. All these individuals have witnessed Bill Shorrock’s contributions to the culture of FCHS as well as his dedicated and effective service in many official capacities.
We urge you to consider making a pledge to the Shorrock fund. We consider 2008 to be the initial year of the campaign. If you wish to donate, send a check and the cut out form below to Elizabeth Foster at the Department of History, Bates College, 4 Andrews Rd., Lewiston, ME 04240. Please make the check out to FCHS and indicate the money is for the Shorrock Memorial Fund.

We thank you very much.

Philip Boucher, Cornelius Jaenen, Patricia Galloway, Dale Standen, Dale Miquelon, John Johnston, Bob Duplessis, Sue Peabody
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