Harvard Alumni - Class of 1961

Dear Classmate,

The Pitman Diorama Restoration Fund has been successfully launched.  To date, donations have been received from 29 Classmates for a current total of $110,500.  Dara Wolkoff of The Harvard Fund thinks we are off to a great start.  She will continue keep us updated as she receives donations.  The minimum goal for the Project is $250,000 by December 31, 2019, and the total funding requirement is $400,000 by June 30,2020.  

Please join this campaign now and make your contribution today.  In addition to the 18 names below, 11 more have contributed to the total of $110,500.  Those whose names we know thus far include: 

If you haven’t already done so, please read the attached Summary, .  It carefully describes the work of the Diorama Restoration Committee (Newell Flather, Chair, Greg Downes, Todd Lee, Jane Otte, and Joyce Penniston) from its inception.  This will be a very important and unusual Class Gift, because it creates permanent, relocatable, museum-quality works of art.  They will be a must-see for tours, admission visits, and reunions for decades to come. 

We hope to complete the fundraising campaign by the end of this year, so Restoration can be completed next year, and the three Dioramas are ready for public viewing at our 60^th Reunion in 2021. 

Eleven members of our Class (listed on the last page of the Summary) have volunteered to share their enthusiasm with you.  They will be calling Classmates to see if they can answer any questions, and to encourage you to participate.  Please feel free to call any of them. 

Please send your gift, payable to “The President and Fellows of Harvard College.”  The memo line should say “For the Pitman Diorama Restoration Fund,” then mail your check to: Class of 1961, Harvard University; 124 Mount Auburn Street; Cambridge, MA 02138-5795.   

Please note you can request that your contributions be anonymous.  All Donations will be credited to the 60th Reunion Class Gift.  

When we meet our goal, we will announce that the Campaign has been successfully completed.  Any excess will pour over to the 60^th Reunion Gift.  I hope you are as excited about this project as we are, and want to participate now. 

With best regards,

Introduction

We have, we believe, an exciting and unique proposal for a Permanent Class Gift to be made as part of our upcoming 60^th Reunion, the restoration of the Pitman Dioramas.  The Pitman Dioramas consist of three permanent memorials depicting Harvard in three distinct phases of its history 1677, 1775, and 1936.  The Dioramas were installed, beginning in the fall of 1947, but were placed in storage in 2000 when the Widener Library was undergoing renovation.  Since that time, they have become aged and broken, and the essential background art has been lost.  Once fully restored and installed in permanent, well-lighted display cases, they will be protected for centuries.  This much-needed, museum-quality restoration will be our Permanent Class Gift.

The Gift was first proposed by our Classmate Newell Flather who had researched a project he found interesting, and presented it to the Class Committee for consideration.  The Class Committee then established the Diorama Restoration Committee (DRC), consisting of Newell Flather, Todd Lee, Greg Downes, Jane Otte, and Joyce Penniston.  The newly formed DRC was asked to conduct in-depth research regarding the project’s feasibility and the receptiveness of the Harvard community.  The DRC has completed its research, determining that the project is feasible, and that Harvard is very enthusiastic.  They recommend that we go forward with the restoration.  Our Class Officers and Class Committee as a whole fully support this Campaign to make the Permanent Gift possible.  We can also report that we have full endorsement from FAS Harvard Museums, from HAA, and most notably, from the Harvard Fund.  The Pitman Dioramas Restoration Fund has been created.  The goal is to raise $400,000 by December 31, 2019 so that we can all see them at our 60^th Reunion in the Spring of 2021.  These contributions will be fully credited to our 60^th Reunion Class Gift, which will close on or around July 1, 2021. 

The following Permanent Gift Summary spells out all the project details.  The 1936 Diorama was loaned to Harvard Management Corporation.  Our plan is to raise the funds to restore all three.  Work will begin on the third Diorama, hopefully with the first two, as soon as we have the permission of HMC and have raised the required funds. 

We hope to achieve as close as possible to 100% participation from our Class.  Donations should be payable to “President and Fellows of Harvard College,” with “Pitman Diorama Restoration Fund” in the memo and mail to: Class of 1961, Harvard University; 124 Mount Auburn Street; Cambridge, MA 02138-5795.  The initial work will not begin until we have raised the entire sum. 

The following pages outline the scope of our planning.  If you have questions, or would like to see more materials, eleven of our Classmates have volunteered to be your local representatives.  Go ahead and call them, share your interest, and discuss any questions you may have.  Their names and contact information are on the last page.  You may also want to call other classmates to discuss this project.  

The Pitman Dioramas

The 1961 Class Committee, while mulling over options for a Permanent Class Gift project, became aware of an important piece of Harvard’s history that was in need of restoration and display through the research and analysis performed by Newell, Todd and Greg.

Theodore Pitman ’14, a sculptor, wanted to create a tangible expression of the University’s history as a permanent memorial of the 1936 Tercentenary in the form of three Dioramas.  Samuel Guernsey, formerly of the University Museum, partnered with Mr. Pitman.  They worked with students from the Harvard School of Design and nearby art schools.  Henry Brooks ’22, painted the backgrounds.  In the fall of 1947, the first model of this project was installed on the main floor of the Widener Library.  The three Dioramas depict:

    1.  The Harvard of 1677, the beginning of construction overlooking Cambridge Common. 
          It shows the first Harvard Hall and the Old College.  The smallest of the three Dioramas,
          it stood in the embrasure of the central window in the west corridor of Widener. 

    2.   The Harvard of 1775, on the eve of the Revolution, placed in the angle of Widener’s
          west corridor. 

    3.   The Harvard of 1936, the Tercentenary Year, an exact replica of the University of
          June 1936, encompassing 315 acres, on a scale of one inch to fifty feet.  It was placed
          in the angle of the east corridor.

​Unfortunately, during the 2000 renovation of the Library, the first two Dioramas were moved to storage, with some considerable damage to the 1776 model.  The 1936 model was “cleaned up” and put on display at the Harvard Management Corporation office downtown, but without its painted background, a museum quality case. or appropriate lighting.  

These snapshots from our history have been languishing in obscurity.  We feel they should have their proper pride of place, a living reminder of the growth and evolution of our College.  

A Restoration Project

The 1961 Class Committee began a careful exploration of the proposed project.  It was concluded that the Dioramas were not only unique cultural artifacts, but an embodiment of the living history of the University, and their restoration and redisplay was proposed as a worthy Class Gift.  With the support of the HAA, the DRC was formed to assess the scope and budget for the project. 

 The ultimate goal is to present the restored Dioramas at our 60^th Reunion in May 2021.  They would then be held in storage until a suitable permanent display location is determined.  The proposed Allston Campus Conference Center has been suggested as a suitable permanent location, although it would probably not be available until at least 2026.  This would join the history of the Harvard Yard with the Allston Campus as a symbol of unity. 

Institutions responsible for the Dioramas, the Harvard Art Museums and the FAS Harvard Office of Resources and Planning, worked with us to facilitate our investigation.  Harvard Management Corporation has possession of the third 1936 Diorama, which is in its lobby in downtown Boston.  We are negotiating with HMC for authorization to restore and display it.  It is possible that this Diorama will be restored as part of our Class Gift, but will continue to be displayed at HMC, rather than in Allston.  The project will involve five moves for the Dioramas: 

1. From storage to workshop for complete restoration

2. Completed illuminated display cases to holding storage of cases 

3. To Harris Center for display

4. To holding storage

5. To ‘final’ installation, preferably at the Allston Conference Center
   to provide continuous public access for viewing of all three Dioramas

Our clear goal is to have all three Dioramas restored and displayed together in a suitable public space where groups can view them.  Nameplates on the cases will read:  Restored by the Harvard Class of 1961.  

Finding the Restoration Conservator

Over the winter of 2018-19, we worked to secure permissions from the involved Harvard institutions, and researched contractors acceptable to Harvard, who could provide restoration, case fabrication and illumination advice and experience.  Designs and scope (what was to be included in the basic project and what was not), were considered, and we requested proposals for different parts of the work, so that an informed budget and work plan could be produced.  We now expect a total budget of $400,000, including an allocation for the HMC-owned 1936 Diorama (still pending), and a modest Endowment. 

We have a proposal for the Diorama restoration from a professional conservator, Barbara Mangum, who has worked successfully with Harvard in the past, and who is sympathetic not only to the industry standards of conservation, but to our need to present an accurate and empathetic representation. 

Barbara is the president and lead conservator of Sculpture and Decorative Arts Conservation LLC (SDACS) (http://sdaconservation.com/).  She is a Professional Associate of the American Institute for Conservation, and the firm has worked with Harvard, MIT, the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston, the Peabody Essex Museum and the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, as well as municipalities, historical societies and private clients.

Barbara holds a BA in chemistry and art history cum laude from Vanderbilt University (1977), a MFA from the State University College at Oneonta in NY and a certificate in the Conservation of Historical Artifacts and Art from the prestigious Cooperstown Graduate Program (1983).  Of particular relevance to our Class, she was certified in the conservation of objects from the Center for Technical Studies in the Field of Fine Arts at Harvard University in 1983 and undertook advanced internships at the Peabody Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology at Harvard University, the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, the Fitzwilliam Museum, Cambridge, England and the Metropolitan Museum of Art in NYC.  From 1986 to 1991 she worked as the Objects Conservator at the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum.  She became Chief Conservator in 1992 and remained in that position until her resignation in 2000 and her involvement in SDACS LLC. 

We do not think we could find anyone better qualified than Barbara to restore the Dioramas.  

Exhibition Case and Lighting Creation

To fully attain our Permanent Display objectives, the restored Dioramas must be world-class, and able to compete with any recent museum-quality exhibition.  The Dioramas must be sufficiently attractive to engage institutional memory and prove the merit of our Restoration Project. 

We have a proposal for the exhibition case design and fabrication from an internationally known museum supplier, also well known to the Harvard art and display community.  They are responsive to our unusual need to move the display a number of times.  The construction of the cases would be done by SmallCorp (https://www.smallcorp.com) of Greenfield, MA.

For the display lighting, we have selected a proposal from world-known creative designers, Available Light of Boston (https://www.availablelight.com/).  They have also worked with Harvard at many locations, including exhibition venues.  Steven Rosen, FIALD (Fellow of the International Association of Lighting Designers) would head up the project.  

Preliminary Budget and Fundraising

As we researched this project, our understanding of the value and message of the Dioramas increased.  We strongly feel it is imperative that our Permanent Gift from the Class of 1961 be a world-class presentation.  We have assembled an impressive team of consultants, and developed a budget as our research codified the work required.  

Here is our projection for the Project Budget, based on current scope, allowances for unknown items, a 7.5% contingency, and written estimates from our consultants.  No additional charges for Harvard staff and preparation of the Allston Campus site have been included.

Our current budget estimate is:

1. RESTORATION - Diorama models (approximate dimensions)

• 1667 – 6’7” wide, 4’0” deep, in fair condition                 $ 15,000
• 1775 – 11’2” wide, 4’6” deep, poor condition                   32,000
• 1936 – 10’10” wide,  4’6” deep, recently restored            10,000  (confirm)
• Workspace rental and miscellaneous                          ___6,600

                                                                   $  63,600

Potential Savings                                       __ (3,800)

                                                                            $ 59,800

2. ENCLOSURES – Unique, relocatable, structurally protective, and climate-controlled that can be disassembled to move through doorways.  Scope includes engineering design as well as shop drawings, fabrication, delivery, and coordination with other entities. 

• 1667 -                                                                           $  63,000
• 1775                                                                                  79,000
• 1936                                                                                  79,000
• Delivery and Assembly supervision                              ___3,000

                                                                                     $ 224,000

• Contingency (for unknowns) @10%                             __22,000

               Potential Savings                                          __(14,600)

                                                                                     $ 231,400

         C.  LIGHTING – Programmable LEDs, design, sourcing and installation, including test scenic scenarios, plus dim setting for conservation
               and limited time brighter for general space. 7’ tall backdrops need larger than usual instruments for cabinet display.

• Three dioramas with 7’ backdrops @21,000                    63,000
• Dimming Controls: total for all three                                   6,000
• Full phase Design Fee and Expenses                          __14,500

                Potential Savings                                           __(5,000)

                                                                                               $  78,800

D.  ENDOWMENT

• Ongoing upkeep, moving costs, unidentified @7.5%       30,000

   BUDGET TOTAL                                                                            $ 400,000

            Note:  No additional charges for Harvard staff and Allston Campus preparation are included.  

This completes the presentation of the Permanent Class Gift Diorama Project.  To provide convenient access to information and materials, several Committee members volunteered to serve as geographically-placed subject matter experts.  They will be happy to answer your questions. 

• Midwest:  Joel Henning  312-475-9830, jfh150@gmail.com
• Northwest:  Ann Moore  971-701-6965, anadonaldovna@gmail.com
• South:  Bob Glauber  617-731-5712, robert_glauber@harvard.edu
• Southwest: Shrub Kempner  409-744-2443, kempner@kempnercapital.com
• Florida:  Spencer Jourdain 407-506-2071. 1420foundation@cs.ucf.edu
• Mid-Atlantic: Carmen Gentile:  202-412-0004, clgentile@mac.com
• CT and NY:  Bill Nickerson:  203-661-0597, nickerson@eahinc.com
• MA:  Bill Kargman:  617-661-8837, bkargman@frmboston.com
• Northern New England:  Josh Young: 617-242-1471, joshuaasyoung@gmail.com
• Radcliffe:  Jane Otte: ottes9@gmail.com
• Radcliffe:  Ruth Scott  609-683-1733, xruthscottx@gmail.com

If you are inspired to donate for our Class Gift, please mail your check, payable to “President and Fellows of Harvard College,” with “Pitman Diorama Restoration Fund” in the memo, and mail to: Class of 1961, Harvard University; 124 Mount Auburn Street; Cambridge, MA 02138-5795.   Please note you can request that your contributions will be anonymous.  They will also be credited to The 60^th Reunion Class Gift.  Please encourage others to give to help us meet our goal. 

Thank you for your participation and generosity.