New Online Collection Makes Legacy of Lowell Native Son Accessible to All
04/05/2016
Contacts: Nancy Cicco, 978-934-4944 or Nancy_Cicco@uml.edu and Christine Gillette, 978-934-2209 or Christine_Gillette@uml.edu
* Media Advisory *
Tuesday, April 5, 9:30 a.m.
What: A new digital archive of the late U.S. Sen. Paul Tsongas’ congressional papers designed to help students and the public learn about the legacy of the Lowell native, lawmaker and former presidential candidate will be unveiled.
The event will include a display of some of Tsongas’ personal items and speakers that are scheduled to include U.S. Rep. Niki Tsongas, Paul Tsongas’ widow, along with UMass Lowell Chancellor Jacquie Moloney and Library Director George Hart.
The new website contains a searchable database of Tsongas’ papers – including letters and policy reports – from 1975 to 1985, a decade when he served in Congress and the U.S. Senate. Within the 34,000 pages archived are insights into issues that mattered most to Tsongas, including fiscal responsibility, environmental stewardship and the transformation of his home city into a cultural and historic jewel. The digital archive complements the physical collection of Tsongas’ papers, books and presidential campaign memorabilia housed at UMass Lowell’s Center for Lowell History.
Tsongas began his career in local and county politics in 1969 before going on to the House and Senate, and an unsuccessful 1992 presidential run. He died at age 55 in 1997 after battling cancer for more than a decade.
Tsongas’ career is intertwined with UMass Lowell’s history. He is a former trustee of the University of Lowell, one of UMass Lowell’s predecessor institutions. In 1991, UMass Lowell’s Graduate School of Education and Lowell National Historical Park – an entity Tsongas filed legislation to create – launched the Tsongas Industrial History Center. Named in his honor, it provides programs about the American Industrial Revolution for teachers and schoolchildren. The Tsongas Center at UMass Lowell, the university’s sports and events venue, also bears his name and is home to a permanent exhibit about his life and work.
Launching the new Tsongas website is UMass Lowell’s Center for Digital Scholarship, which was supported in the effort by a grant from the Massachusetts Board of Library Commissioners.
Where: O’Leary Library Learning Commons, South Campus, 61 Wilder St. Lowell. Contact UMass Lowell media relations for directions and parking information.