Project 55 Publishes Book Based on the Legacy of our Founders
By Kim Hendler
Executive Director, Princeton Project 55
November 6, 2007
“What are YOU going to do with the rest of your life?”
That was the challenge Ralph Nader ’55 posed to his Princeton classmates at a 1989 mini-reunion in Washington, D.C. For dozens of those who heard him, an important part of their answer turned out to be an organization that didn’t exist until they got it up and running -- and fully incorporated as a nonprofit -- before the year was out. They called it Princeton Project 55.
The story of PP55’s early years is told in Shared Effort, Shared Values: Princeton Project 55 -- The Founders, a new collection of reminiscences by its founders, to be published next month.
The book was proposed by an Ad Hoc Memorials Committee formed to consider what should be done to recognize the founders’ varied and vital roles in PP55. Committee members Charlie Bray ’55, Pete Milano ’55, Chet Safian ’55, Liz Duffy ’88, and Elizabeth Perriello Rice ’90 agreed that such a publication could capture the spirit of the Project’s early days and convey the founders’ intentions to future generations. They believed, “the fruits of this effort would be both inspirational and instructive to future Board members and others involved in PP55.”
Thirty-four individuals involved in the formative years of the Project -- as Board members, program leaders, other volunteers, and paid staff members -- contributed to Shared Effort, Shared Values. They were urged to describe the “distinct ideas about the Project, significant contributions, philosophical debates, and discussions of mission” which were key to the successful formation of PP55.
A committee of volunteers including Milano, Perriello Rice, Jim Lynn ’55, Caroline Moseley s’55, and Dick Turner ’55 collected and edited the essays, drafted accompanying text, and oversaw the selection of photos and layout. Princeton Project 55’s CBLI Derian summer intern, Katie Fallon ’09, completed the layout and final editing of the book.
Princeton Project 55 is self-publishing Shared Effort, Shared Values with the help of generous donors. Each contributor will receive a book, and additional copies will be available at the Project 55 offices in Princeton. Those wishing to purchase a copy can do so at cost, estimated to be under $20. To reserve your copy, please email Kim Hendler at khendler@project55.org.
Stay tuned for word on the publication date.