Guests attended the exhibit opening of A Better Chance of Andover, celebrating 50 years of its own history graduating 137 alumni.
Feature: A Better Chance celebrates its own history - By Richard Snyder, Andover Townsman March 16, 2017 article and photographs.
Among the most intellectually gifted, motivated and courageous students at Andover High School are those attending through “A Better Chance of Andover.” This is as true today as it was in the fall of 1967 when ABC’s first student, Mark Ayers, began his freshman year. Ayers went on to study math at Dartmouth, work as a programmer at NASA and do graduate work in mathematics. Since that time 137 students and counting have been through the ABC program and gone on to make their marks on the world.
The exhibit celebrating ABC’s 50 years is a true feat, presenting a tremendous amount of local and national history in an engrossing and meticulously crafted display. Susan Connolly, President of ABC, told the gathering, “We started with closets of archive materials, poring through newspaper clippings, photographs, letters, transcripts of oral histories...We mulled over magazine articles and journalists’ accounts of national news back in the ‘60s. We read memoirs from those who were there, those who marched, those who changed life’s course, including their own.”
“Opening Doors: A Better Chance of Andover” celebrates the organization’s 50th anniversary. The exhibit is on display at the Andover Historical Society on 97 Main St., open Tuesday-Saturday 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. through June 2017.
A Better Chance of Andover partnered with the Andover Historical Society to host the exhibit with generous support from sponsors and the Andover Cultural Council. The Andover Cultural Council honored its 2017 Grant Recipients with a wine and hors d'oeuvres reception on Thursday, April 27 at the Andover Historical Society. Co-chair Molly Foley was “thrilled” that the Andover Historical Society hosted the event. “The Andover Historical Society is one of our grantees this year and we also helped to fund their current exhibit "Opening Doors: A Better Chance of Andover". It was a perfect location,” said Foley.
Andover Cultural Council honors 2017 grant recipients - article and photographs.
Additional photos:
Lifestyles: A Better Chance celebrates its own history - Andover Townsman March 16, 2017 photographs.
Stepping Out: Andover Historical Society Exhibit opening - Eagle Tribune March 26, 2017 photographs.
History Exhibit Opening - invitation.
For more information on the 50th anniversary celebrations, visit AndoverABC.org/50th.
CARL RUSSO/Staff photo. ABC students who attend Andover high, from left, senior Déanna Clarke-Campbell '17, freshman Leannette Garcia and junior Elise Cabrera look at the exhibit. A Better Chance of Andover, as part of a year-long, 50th Anniversary celebration, has partnered with the Andover Historical Society to host an exhibit highlighting the civil rights struggles of the past 120 years and how the movement inspired townspeople and led to the launch of Andover's ABC program. The exhibit will run from March 10 through June. 3/10/2017.
Susan Connolly and Mary Pritchard with Andover Historical Society's Elaine Clements and Lauren Kosky-Stamm at the Andover Cultural Council's Grantees Reception