The College lost two valued members of its community and giants in its history when Frederick G. P. Thorne ’57 H ’05, and Harry K. Warren passed away over the summer.
Thorne will be remembered as a kind, perceptive and generous man, who saw the College through many important transitions. He served as an overseer or trustee during the tenures of five Bowdoin presidents, and was chair of the board of trustees from 1996 to 1999. He also led two presidential search committees. While he gave his opinions—and stood by them—he never resisted change when he saw the benefit for the college that he loved.
“He was a really remarkable guy,” said former President Barry Mills. “Some people as they get older can get sort of set in their ways, they don’t understand changing times, but Fred was a leader at Bowdoin through all of the transitions that the college has gone through. He never got locked into the past—he was always thinking about the future. Whether it was fraternity issues or coeducation or gender equity, or access and affordability, when those issues became important at the college, Fred bought [into them] and was a leader.”
“When the hard jobs were required to be done and he was on watch, he stepped up and led the College in a really remarkable way,” said President Clayton Rose.
Senior Vice President for Investments Paula Volent met Thorne when she interviewed for a job at Bowdoin. She recalled Thorne as a generous spirit and said his genuine passion and knack for investing greatly benefited the College. She also remembers him as a deeply personable and influential mentor.
“He was an amazing gentleman—sort of old-school,” said Volent. “I have all these beautiful handwritten notes he wrote to me on beautiful stationery that say thank you for something. He was just an amazing person.”
Thorne’s devotion to the College was unconditional and he never sought public recognition for his gifts. When the College was facing a dire financial situation under former President Robert Edwards and Dayton Arena’s refrigeration system broke, Thorne quietly paid for repairs. Edwards did not learn it was Thorne who had taken care of the hockey rink’s problem until months later.
Warren arrived at the College in 1965 and held a variety of responsibilities: director of Moulton Union, director of career counseling and placement and career services, coordinator of summer programs, secretary of the board of overseers and secretary of the College. Even after his retirement, Warren continued his involvement in the lives of many members of the Bowdoin community.
“[He was] a very gracious person [and] always made people feel comfortable. For many years he was secretary of the College which meant that he acknowledged gifts to the College with a personal handwritten note,” said Secretary of Development and College Relations John Cross ’76. “For a lot of people he was the point of contact once they graduated with what was going on at Bowdoin.”
Warren ran the job placement bureau at the College and liked to say that he got Stanley Druckenmiller ’75 his first “real” job—running the billiards room in Moulton Union.
Warren graduated from the University of Pennsylvania, where he was a accomplished football player. Although he did not attend Bowdoin, his dedication to the College is unquestionable. Warren and his wife Judith Dickson were always willing to open their home to students. They hosted international students during vacations and were known to drive students to the airport to make sure they made their flights.
“He’s just quite simply one of the great human beings of this world—a completely selfless person who just has connected with so many people,” said Dean of Student Affairs Tim Foster. “As you think about your own life you think about the number of people whose lives he’s touched in different ways.”
“The job that Harry did writing acknowledgement letters was the job that my father had done for 41 years, and then Harry did it, and now I’m doing that same job,” said Cross. “I do remember my father always said that there was only one other person he felt at Bowdoin who could do that job when he retired and it was Harry... He was very much an interpersonal contact person.”
Though they existed in two very different spheres of Bowdoin, both Warren and Thorne will be remembered for their selflessness, graciousness and quiet yet deep devotion to the college.
“All the stuff they did they didn’t do it thumping their chests; they did it because of this devotion and not to seek attention but because they felt it was the right thing to do and because they cared about other people,” said Foster. “In totally different ways, these are two giants of Bowdoin.”
Both of these longstanding pillars in Bowdoin’s community embodied connection to place, one of the College’s key values. Their influence will remain strong, as they leave behind legacies of kindness, humility and devotion to the common good. It is fitting that every day, Bowdoin students pass through places that carry their names: Thorne Hall and the Warren Dining Room in Moulton Union.