Free College Lectures on Pleasant Lake

No grades, no homework, no cost. Yes, it is true. During the summers of 1989 – 1995,
seven retired couples from Pleasant Lake attended the weekly geology lectures of
Dr. Jim Hume. Jim, the former Chair of the Department of Geology at Tufts University
went to a great deal of effort to stimulate our imaginations. He ‘trekked’ back and
forth to Tufts to acquire endless visual aids for us. While absorbing knowledge, we were
able to relax at the Hume cottage in South Cove with a wonderful view of the lake.

Jim’s wife, Pat, the former President of the NH Archeolgoy Society substituted on
occasion. We learned much about her local digs as well as her collection of Eskimo
artifact from the summers that the Hume family spent in Barrow, Alaska. Some of us
have had the opportunity to view Pat’s artifacts at the Peabody Museum in Andover
Academy, MA.

Our final lecture was celebrated with our very own ‘dig’. The Humes presented us with
a huge barrel filled with seven different layers of sediment. As we dug, each couple
had the challenge of finding a personalized gift. (A certain attendee is still using his
silver mustache comb.)

A memorial scholarship was established at Tufts University in memory of Jim who died in
1995. Pat still participates in the annual distribution of the scholarship – a fitting tribute
to a kind and very knowledgeable Professor who so willingly shared his talents with
us.
                                                                                           - Martha Clark