Inaugural Donation Seeds Madeleine L’Engle Travel Research Fellowship Fund

Special Collections is pleased to announce that a major donation from T.A. Barron has provided the initial major gift to the Madeleine L’Engle Travel Research Fellowship Fund. The fund is named in honor of renowned young adult fiction author Madeleine L’Engle ‘41.

Barron is an author who was mentored by L’Engle, and his fond memories of her prompted the donation: "I think of money like a burst of good energy. I can’t think of a better use of that energy than to help establish the L’Engle Fund at Smith College. She was a personal friend who was kind enough to be super helpful to me as a person, reader, and thinker. It’s wonderful to have a chance to give back." Barron donated $25,000 to the L’Engle Fund in November 2019.

“T.A. Barron’s inaugural gift is the foundation for the L’Engle Fellowships, with the goal being full endowment,” said Beth Myers, Director of Special Collections. “We hope to support between 10 and 15 researchers each year defray expenses so they may visit and make use of the extraordinary materials in special collections. At the current funding level, demand for support outstrips our resources by 10 to 1.” Research interest in the Libraries’ rare and archival collections is expected to grow even more as they move into the high-profile, newly renovated Neilson Library in 2021.

The Madeleine L’Engle Travel Research Fellowships are intended to help offset the travel expenses of researchers engaged in studies that will benefit from access to, including initial survey and exploration of, the holdings of Smith College Special Collections. L’Engle Fellowships will be funded up to $1,000 per individual. Researchers interested in applying for a Fellowship can find all relevant details at Research Fellowships.

Contact

Beth Myers
emyers@smith.edu