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As director of the Smithsonian Institution’s National Museum of American History, Brent D. Glass ’69 is a national leader in the field of history. But he says when he arrived at Lafayette even though history was all around him growing up, he didn’t have a firm intent to major in that subject. The times and the faculty helped him decide his course of study.
“There was a real consciousness of national and international events, with the Vietnam War, the Civil Rights movement, and the election of 1968 coming up,” Glass says. The summer reading assignments for incoming students–Why We Can’t Wait by Martin Luther King Jr., and The Other America by Michael Harrington–also got him to think of larger issues. “I owe a lot to the history professors, including Albert Gendebien, Jacob Cooke, John Coleman, George Heath, and Richard Welch,” he continues. Glass reconnected with Gendebien when he was named executive director of the Pennsylvania Historical Commission.
“We renewed our friendship, and I invited Al to make the keynote speech at a celebration of the museum commission’s 75th anniversary,” Glass says. “He was interested in and supportive of my career, and we maintained a friendship until his death. I’m sorry he’s not with us now.”
Another Lafayette alumnus, H. Peter “Pete” Claussen ’62, is also playing a major role at the American history museum. He is chair of the board and a dedicated donor and fund-raiser for the museum, which is undergoing a major renovation of its permanent exhibitions. He led the museum’s development committee before becoming board chair in February and was a member of the search committee that selected Glass for director.
Claussen is also a member of the Smithsonian Institution’s national board, its premier external advisory body, and a member of its development committee. He is chair and chief executive officer of Gulf & Ohio Railways, headquartered in Knoxville, Tenn., which owns and operates several railroads in the Southeast.