On a visit to the Clinton "A Better Chance" (ABC) House, John Carroll, president of the board, was stopped by Vladimir Rodriguez, one of the young men who lives there. Rodriguez wanted to share the news of his letter of admission to Hamilton, including the offer of significant financial support.
"After a warm embrace, I reminded him of how he first came to the Clinton ABC program as a rather scared 13-year-old," Carroll said. "I looked at him, and he was obviously a young adult getting ready to head to college. He embraced me again, smiled and said, 'I guess we both did our jobs.'"
ABC is a program for academically motivated, educationally deprived young men from New York City. They spend their high school years in a communal residence headed by a resident family in a College-owned house on Campus Road. Tutoring is provided by Hamilton students.
Emeritus Professor of Geology Donald Potter, one of the people involved in starting the program 30 years ago, said, "It started in an idealistic way. We nailed it down and got the program going in one summer. We didn't make detailed analysis about finances et cetera, but we were certain it was the right thing to do. The worth of the program was, and still is, the guiding spirit behind it."
Potter credits the success of the program to Peggy Mason Cratty and Bud Cratty, who helped get it off the ground, as well as to excellent resident directors (couples who have lived in the house.) "We've been so fortunate in having good resident directors. The majority come from the town, and we're rarely out there beating the bushes looking for them," he said.
Gil '45 and Micky Adams were the first resident directors. The current resident directors are Amy James, coordinator of Hamilton's Associated Colleges in China Program, and her husband, Bob Ford. James and Ford, with their children, Jake and Chloe, have been at the ABC House for almost two years. Acting as a surrogate parents to the nine young men, James and Ford did everything from attending sporting and musical activities, to monitoring each evening's 2 1/2 hour study sessions, to advising the boys on what to wear when they went on dates.
James explained that the boys also have host families. These host families participate in the boys' daily lives, helping with school projects, having them over for dinner and cheering them on in their extracurricular activities, but the bulk of the work falls on the house parents shoulders. James laughed as she said, "Imagine grocery shopping for nine teenage boys!" Hamilton hosts are the Debraggios, Pellmans, Hirschfields and Welds. Nitsa Weld, academic office assistant in the French and Spanish departments, is Rodriguez' host mom.
James and Ford will conclude their roles as house parents at the end of this month, and they will always be remembered as "warm, wonderful and nurturing people," according to Carroll. One of their last tasks will be to volunteer their time and energy on June 8 for the famous ABC Tag Sale. But, James said, like so many other former board members and resident directors, she'll stay involved and will be back next year as a member of the board.
Silas D. Childs Professor of Chemistry Robin Kinnel, who with his wife, Anne, has been involved almost all of the 30 years of the program. "The tag sale is the principal fundraiser for the ABC program. With low expenses we usually realize $14,000 for the sale," Kinnel said. "What's so terrific about the program is that it draws people together as a community."
Kinnel explained that there are many ways to be involved, and they do need people for next year's tag sale to help with pricing and sorting merchandise, offer garage space for a collection point, wash donated dish wear, test appliances and everything else needed to run a very big garage sale.
Boosting fundraising revenues will be even more essential next year after the ABC program relocates to a larger house on Campus Road. Anne Kinnel, who tutors ABC students as well as those in the ACCESS Project and HEOP at Hamilton, explained that ABC will be building an endowment to cover its new expenses. "I'm excited about the support that the College has given," she said, "and it's been good having the program on campus particularly because of tutors from the College."
A huge number of people in the Clinton community are actively involved or have been involved with the ABC program. From host families, to resident directors, to board members, a lot of people have had direct contact with the students. Of course the Bed and Breakfast program, which is currently run by Peggy Weldon, has been a significant fundraiser for ABC and benefits the College as well. Community members offer rooms in their homes for events like parents weekend and the proceeds benefit ABC.
Professor of Mathematics Dick Bedient and his wife have been long-term supporters of the ABC Program. The Bedients hosted one student for his four years in Clinton who is currently at Columbia University and still calls on Mother's Day. In addition to academic achievements the students excel in other areas. Alumni of the program boast senior class presidents, musical and acting leads and star athletes. They often form close relationships with their host families.
"Generally speaking, these kids are pretty committed to schoolwork. They were fortunate enough to have a high school guidance counselor see their potential. It's a big stretch for them to come to a little town, and they adjust remarkably well," said Bedient who believes the program "really is doing what it set out do — take young men in educationally disadvantaged situations and give them the chance to perform to their potential."
Potter added, "It works. We're very lucky to have the house where it is on the Hamilton College campus. The ABC students get good tutors and avail themselves of College facilities. That's a big plus. Hamilton has been very generous renting to ABC, fixing-up the old house and now renovating and renting the new house. Hamilton's generosity has gone a long way to helping the program. I think there's a bright future for ABC."
