C.F. Adams
Joy Adamson
Issac Asimov
Dr. Helen Caldicott
Boston Camarata
The Boston Opera
Company
Harvey Brooks
Thornton Burgess
Sarah Chayes
Steven Cohen
Bud Collins
Dave Cowens
David Donald
First Corp Cadets
Band
Michael Fitzgerald
Betty Friedan
Robert Frost
John Kenneth Galbraith
Hamlin Garland
Julia Glass
Doris Kearns Goodwin
Dr. Vartan Gregorian
Joanne Hamlin
Jeffrey Hoffman
Pauline Kael
George Kennan
Jean Kilborne
Maxine Kumin |
A
century ago...
A unique tradition was established in 1892, in the rural town of Lincoln, Massachusetts. In his will, native Lincolnite George
 Bemis
(r) left the town funds to build "a new Town Hall in which
shall be a room of sufficient capacity and proper construction for
public lectures...and to provide an annual course of public lectures
in said Hall of an instructive and elevating character."
Bemis Hall, the home of the Bemis Lecture Series, was dedicated in
May, 1892 as the Town House. The building was designed by Boston
architect W. Langdon Warren. At that time, the first floor of
the building comprised a selectmen's office, town clerk's office, a
kitchen, a smaller meeting hall and a jail cell. The larger hall on
the second floor was designed to seat 385 people. This
building was commonly known as Town Hall for many years and only
officially became Bemis Hall in the 1980s, after most municipal
functions had relocated to the former Center School building.
The Bemis Free Lecture Series
has enjoyed a distinguished
 history, attracting leading national
figures in politics, arts, sciences and social issues. In
1982, a generous gift by another Lincoln citizen, John Todd,
brought a firmer financial footing to the lecture series and
expanded its scope.
Inspired by the model of the Lowell Institute Lectures and the
Lyceums of the mid-1800s, Bemis endowed the
"Bemis Free Lecture Series,"
which, over 100 years later, still plays a lively role in the
educational, cultural and intellectual life of the community.
The audience of the Bemis Lectures is, invariably, a highly educated,
knowledgeable
group. The town has a tradition of commitment to community, as
demonstrated by our volunteer town government and vital annual Town
Meeting. Each lecture is meant to appeal to the interests of
town residents, and is advertised through a variety of town media,
ensuring a large audience.
The Bemis Lecture Series is
managed by three Trustees, publicly elected by the citizens of
Lincoln. Funds are managed and administered by the Town of
Lincoln.
Trustees: Susan Pease, Andrew Singer, Gertrude Webb |
|
Sergei Krushchev
Jane Langton
Anthony Lewis
Ed Logue
Dr. Jean Mayer
Mission Wolf
David McCord
Margaret Mead
The Moscow Artists
Ensemble
Sen. Patrick Moynihan
Frank Newman
Grace Paley
R.E. Peary
Roger Tory Peterson
Pocket Mime Theater
Robert Reich
Roland W. Robbins
Woodrow Wilson Sayre
Arthur Schlesinger
F. Hopkinson Smith
Dr. Benjamin Spock
Lorado Taft
Julie Taymor
Lester Thurow
Barbara Tuchman
Admiral
Stansfield Turner
Brad Washburn |
