FROM THE PRESIDENT A “fulness of time”
Dear Friends,
I offer you this letter with a mixture of pride, gratitude and sadness, as it is my final letter to you in this magazine. After 15 wonderful years at Monticello, I have decided it is time for new leadership, and I will step down from the presidency of the Thomas Jefferson Foundation on April 30 of this year. Thomas Jefferson said it better than anyone before or since: “there is a fulness of time when men should go, & not occupy too long the ground to which others have a right to advance.” Gardiner Hallock has been appointed interim president, and the board of trustees has begun its search for a new leader. Gardiner has served as a senior leader at Monticello for more than a decade, most recently as vice president for architecture, lands and facilities. During the past 15 years, Monticello has welcomed millions of guests, expanded scholarship, and modernized across digital and physical platforms. We have brought the past forward, informing critical conversations about topics ranging from freedom and slavery to religious liberty, from architecture, science and the arts to civic engagement and education. These efforts have epitomized Jefferson’s fundamental belief in the commitment to “increasing our knolege and improving our condition.” With the shared dedication and brilliance of colleagues, trustees and donors, we have returned Monticello as closely as we could to Jefferson’s vision and creation, and restored lost places, voices and stories. We have added nearly 500 acres to our holdings, preserving the viewshed and original Jefferson lands. With the recent acquisition of the neighboring and historic Jefferson Vineyards, we have further expanded Monticello’s commitment to agriculture, agritourism and Jefferson’s seminal role in the American wine industry. We have expanded our Getting Word African American
Oral History project, now in its 30th year, to connect nearly 1,000 descendants of enslaved families to Monticello and to one another, which has allowed us to trace the human arc from slavery to freedom through their generously shared stories. And most recently, we have worked with David M. Rubenstein to secure the long-term loan of a rare and early engraving of the Declaration of Independence, now on exhibit in the visitor center bearing his name. I have had the privilege to be a steward of one of the world’s most precious places, both a World Heritage Site for its expression of human creative genius and an International Site of Conscience for its painful history of slavery. It has been the greatest honor of my career; I will cherish the work and those alongside me who made it possible. As we look toward the celebration of the 250th anniversary of America’s independence, I step down with certainty that Monticello’s finest days lie ahead, proud that I could play a small part.
Wishing you well,
Leslie Greene Bowman President
Leslie Bowman’s commitment to ensuring America better understands the historic and contemporary impact of slavery changed the trajectory of not only Monticello but of other historic homes and plantations. Her courageous leadership helped all to see the complexity of Thomas Jefferson and the centrality of slavery in the lives of many of the founders of America. We were all made better by her time at Monticello. — Lonnie G. Bunch III, Secretary of the Smithsonian “ ”
Being at Monticello is as close as we can come to being in conversation with Thomas Jefferson, and Leslie Bowman invigorated, elevated and diversified those conversations through years of consequential leadership. Creative and tireless, thoughtful and curious, Leslie has become a leading figure in the complicated, ever-shifting and essential realm of American memory. “ ” — Jon Meacham, Pulitzer Prize-winning presidential historian
Monticello The Magazine is published twice yearly by the Thomas Jefferson Foundation Inc., the private, nonprofit organization that has owned and operated Monticello since 1923. Its twofold mission is preservation and education. Questions, comments and address changes should be directed to Monticello The Magazine , P.O. Box 316, Charlottesville, VA 22902; info@monticello.org. View archives at monticello. org/magazine . Editor: Robert Viccellio (Viccellio Communications) . Design: Monica Pedynkowski, John McKee (Calendar) . Artwork and Photography: Unless marked, images © Thomas Jefferson Foundation. Photos: Sara Addleman, Ian Atkins, William Dillon, Kenneth Garrett, Eleanor Gould, Bobak Ha’Eri, Jennifer Lyon, Leah O’Connell, Gene Runion, Sanjay Suchak, Attila Woodward, Gabriel Zakaib. Contributors: Niya Bates, Diane Ehrenpreis, Gardiner Hallock, Jeff Looney, Brianna Melick, Lucy Midelfort, Crystal O’Connor, Karen Quillen, John Ragosta. © 2023 Thomas Jefferson Foundation®
2 SPRING / SUMMER 2023
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