Strategic Plan 2023-2025

Elmira College Center for Mark Twain Studies Strategic Plan 2022-2024

Introduction

Mark Twain on the Quarry Farm Porch (1903)

Strategic planning is a useful tool for the Elmira College Center for Mark Twain Studies (CMTS) to assess its past and design its future. Strategic management helps CMTS cultivate a continuing commitment to its mission and vision, promotes a culture that includes meaningful input from all stakeholders and encourages a focus on the annual agenda by means of a transparent decision-making process. The annual strategic plan allows the staff of CMTS to identify and respond to its most fundamental and immediate issues, and develop strategies for fostering fiscally sustainable growth in moving CMTS toward being a leading internationally recognized academic center. Finally, the CMTS strategic planning process fosters proactive discussion and formulation of action plans by all staff members, both within their spheres of influence and within the organization as a whole. This strategic plan also incorporates systemic assessment requirements as necessitated by Elmira College and the Middle States Commission of Higher Education.

The 2022 annual cycle was a successful one, in no small part the result of the strategic planning decision-making process. Key highlights include:

Programming and Outreach

Successfully continued the Quarry Farm Fellowship program. CMTS hosted and aided the research of ten senior and developing scholars and writers from a variety of academic disciplines. All of these fellows-in-residence had the opportunity to live and work at Quarry Farm for two weeks to a month and take advantage of one of the best libraries dedicated to Mark Twain Studies located on the premises.
Facilitated Elmira 2022: The Ninth International Conference on the State of Mark Twain Studies, a quadrennial conference recognized as the largest gathering of Mark Twain Studies scholars in the world. The conference consisted of over 50 individual papers and 7 roundtable discussions. It featured keynote speech by Jimmy Santiago Baca, an award-winning poet.
Facilitated the inaugural “From Seminar Paper to Publishable Article: A Workshop for Graduate Students and Recent PhDs” a writing and research institute for advanced graduate students and recent PhDs working in Mark Twain Studies at Quarry Farm in collaboration with the Mark Twain Circle of America.
Facilitated The Ninth Quarry Farm Symposium “Abolition Studies.” This event sought to take an intentionally transhistorical approach to the field of abolition studies through panels and discussions that attend to the long duree of abolitionist thought, activism, and organizing from the 19th to the 21st centuries. The symposium included Sarah Haley, author of No Mercy Here: Gender, Punishment, and the Making of Jim Crow Modernity.
Facilitated eleven online lectures as part of the fall and spring “Trouble Begins” Lecture Series and the Park Church Summer Lecture Series. All of these lectures were video recorded and made accessible on the CMTS YouTube Channel and MarkTwainStudies.org.
Experienced growth in traffic on all digital platforms. The website has proven to be success far beyond initial expectations. In the past year, CMTS witnessed over 240,000 visitors pass through the MarkTwainStudies.org domain, a 12% increase from the previous year. Even more rapid has been the growth of The American Vandal Podcast. In 2022, three short seasons, and a total of 15 episodes, were produced. While exact figures for the number of downloads and streams are hard to provide since the podcast is distributed across a range of platforms, many episodes have been consumed by thousands of listeners. In 2022 alone The American Vandal Podcast has appeared on the Apple Podcast charts in either the “Books” and/or “Arts” categories in twenty countries, including the United States, the United Kingdom, and Canada, rising as high as #2 in some places.
Held 11 lectures as part of the 2022 Spring and Fall Trouble Begins and Summer Park Church lecture series. All lectures were open to the public at no charge.
Facilitated an in-person Mark Twain Summer Teachers Institute “Mark Twain Under Assault: What Do We Do Now?” led by Jocelyn Chadwick (Harvard Graduate School of Education.
Students in the Elmira College History class “Museum Studies” created a display in the Quarry Farm Barn focusing on the Quarry Farm Dairy.

Administrative, Financial, and Physical Resources

Witnessed the creation of the Quarry Farm Foundation, Inc., a duly registered and approved 501(c)(3) charitable organization recognized by the Internal Revenue Service and the New York State Charities Bureau. The sole purpose of the Quarry Farm Foundation is to raise funds for Quarry Farm and the Center for Mark Twain Studies.
Acquisition of over $300,000 by the Quarry Farm Foundation in actual and pledged donations for fire suppression and drainage systems at Quarry Farm
Created the position of Assistant Director. The primary responsibilities of the role will be public relations and accounts payable.
Repaired the Quarry Farm chimney and roof. In 2021, Hale Roofing, Inc. completed a survey of the roof to assess the causes of moderate water infiltration. The assessment found a chimney, fan opening and dormer in need of repair. Courtney DeRusha, a mason specializing in historic preservation, was employed to restore and repoint the chimney.
Restored the Susan Crane Bedroom to the time when Mark Twain inhabited Quarry Farm. The original 1880’s Lincrusta wallpaper of the Susan Crane bedroom was restored by Aaron Greene, an architectural arts contractor specializing in restoring historic sites.
Restored the windows in the Quarry Farm Parlor. Steve Jordan, historic window repair and restoration specialist, restored four large original 1890’s windows in the Quarry Farm parlor.
Acquired historically appropriate furniture for the Quarry Farm Porch. The new furnishings of the famous Quarry Farm porch were selected to capture the look and feel of the property in 1925, an era that corresponds to historic photographs of the house as occupied by the Langdon family when the current version of the porch was built.

The staff of CMTS wishes to follow up and continue last year’s success.

The CMTS Strategic Planning Committee includes:

David Anderson, Project Manager and Vice-President of Johnson-Schmidt & Associates, Architects
Elise Johnson-Schmidt, Principal Architect and Owner of Johnson-Schmidt & Associates, Architects
Dr. Joseph Lemak, Director of the Center for Mark Twain Studies
Dr. Matt Seybold, Associate Professor of American Literature and Mark Twain Studies at Elmira College and Editor-in-Chief of MarkTwainStudies.org
Steve Webb, Quarry Farm Caretaker
Ann Welles, Assistant Director of the Center for Mark Twain Studies

The Strategic Planning Committee produced a draft of the strategic plan for adoption by:

Dr. Charles Lindsay, President at Elmira College
Dr. Patricia Ireland, Provost at Elmira College

Any questions about the CMTS 2023-2025 Strategic Plan should be directed to Dr. Joseph Lemak ([email protected])

Vision Statement

The Center for Mark Twain Studies strives to renew and deepen its identity as a scholarly, creative, and cultural center for Mark Twain Studies and to include all related academic and creative disciplines with the goal of becoming one of the best academic centers in the country.

To achieve this vision, CMTS must harness its great energy and talents, inspire its supporters, and most importantly, exercise the collective imaginations of the greater Mark Twain Studies community to build and maintain an even better center of excellence for its current constituents and future generations.

Local school group visiting the Mark Twain Study on the Elmira College Campus

Mission Statement

The Elmira College Center for Mark Twain Studies is dedicated to fostering and supporting scholarship and pedagogy related to all aspects of Mark Twain. The primary purpose of CMTS is to serve an international community of scholars, writers, educators, and artists working in the field of Mark Twain Studies. CMTS seeks to enrich the broader community by promoting and preserving the legacy of Twain and his deep connection to Elmira.

Fulfillment of the Mission Statement and CMTS Responsibilities

CMTS fulfills its mission through the sponsorship of academic and creative research fellowships-in-residence; the creation of content for MarkTwainStudies.org, the website of CMTS; the oversight of the Mark Twain Archive on the Elmira College campus, and the facilitation of a number of scholarly events, including annual symposia, academic lectures, teaching institutes, and the quadrennial International Conference on the State of Mark Twain Studies, the world’s largest scholarly conference focusing on Mark Twain.

The responsibilities of CMTS include oversight and preservation of two historic landmarks: Quarry Farm, which has been designated a cultural humanities site dedicated to scholars and writers working in Mark Twain Studies, and the Mark Twain Study, now located on the Elmira College campus. Starting in 1871 and for over twenty consecutive summers, Twain lived at Quarry Farm and worked in his octagonal Study. It was here that the author wrote The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court, and many other important works, signifying his most productive and successfully creative time of his life.

Organizational History

The Elmira College Center for Mark Twain Studies is known and respected world-wide as one of the premier sites for the research and study of Mark Twain. Following a long tradition of associations between Mark Twain, the Langdon family, and Elmira College, CMTS was established in 1983 with the gift of Quarry Farm to Elmira College from Samuel Clemens’s great-grandnephew, Jervis Langdon, Jr.

Clemens’s connection to the Langdon family began in 1867. In that year he secured funding from the Alta California newspaper to travel to the Europe and the Middle East and write about his journey. On June 8th, Clemens, who was by then already known by his “Mark Twain” pen name, left New York City aboard a steamship named Quaker City. The series of letters he wrote between then and his return on November 19th, were later immortalized in 1869 as Mark Twain’s first book The Innocents Abroad. This hugely successful work brought Twain fame and fortune, and was the best-selling of his books during his lifetime.

Charles J. Langdon with his children. *Image Courtesy of the Mark Twain House and Museum (Hartford, CT.)*

The professional significance of this voyage was matched by a personal one. On board the Quaker City, Clemens met Charles Langdon, the brother of Clemens’ future wife. The Langdons were a wealthy Elmira, New York family, and the eighteen-year-old “Charley” Langdon had been sent by his father Jervis to the Mediterranean in order to gain worldly perspective. Despite the age difference between Charley and the thirty-one-year-old Sam Clemens, the two became friends. One day aboard the Quaker City, Charley Langdon felt compelled by homesickness to show Clemens a miniature portrait of his sister Olivia.

After the Quaker City returned to New York, Charles Langdon introduced Clemens to his father and sister in person. As the story goes, Clemens fell in love with Olivia at that first meeting. Clemens travelled to the West Coast for business soon after, but in August of 1868 followed up on an invitation to visit the Langdon family, arriving in Elmira by train. He was smitten with “Livy,” and, after two rebuffed marriage proposals and hundreds of letters between the couple, Samuel Clemens and Olivia Langdon were married in Elmira in 1870.

Starting in 1870, at the prime of his creative life, Clemens summered at Quarry Farm, the home of Olivia’s sister and brother-in-law, Susan and Theodore Crane in Elmira. Nearly every year until 1891, the Clemens family members divided their time between their own home in Hartford, Connecticut, and Quarry Farm. While life in Hartford was happy, hectic, and very social, in Elmira, life was slower. At Quarry Farm the family was more isolated and away from distractions, creating an environment that was conducive to relaxation and where Twain could concentrate on his writings. Additionally, Livy could be close to her family. All three of Twain’s daughters were born in Elmira, two at Quarry Farm.

In 1874, after Mark Twain had already successfully published his best sellers, The Innocents Abroad (1869) and Roughing It (1872), Susan and Theodore Crane surprised him with a small octagonal study. The Study was built on a secluded high knoll, one hundred yards from the Quarry Farm main house. In this small structure Mark Twain wrote many of his best works, such as The Adventures of Tom Sawyer (1876), A Tramp Abroad (1880), The Prince and The Pauper (1881), Life on the Mississippi (1883), Adventures of Huckleberry Finn (1885), and A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court (1889). A number of important short stories and essays were also inspired and composed at Quarry Farm, including “A True Story, Repeated Word for Word as I Heard It,” a short story recounting the life of ex-slave Mary Ann Cord, who was the housekeeper at Quarry Farm.

The Clemens family spent its last summer at Quarry Farm in 1903. Clemens spent the rest of his life abroad and in various places in the United States until his death on April 21, 1910. He was buried in the Langdon plot in Elmira’s Woodlawn Cemetery, alongside his wife and four children. After Twain’s death, the Langdon family took two important steps to help preserve the legacy of Mark Twain. First, in 1952, Twain’s niece, Dr. Ida Langdon, a professor of English at Elmira College, presented Twain’s Study to Elmira College locating it at the heart of the Elmira College campus where it remains on display for the general public. It is one of the most well-known literary landmarks in the United States. Second, in 1983, Jervis Langdon, Jr., the great-grandnephew of Twain, donated Quarry Farm to Elmira College. In a document entitled “The Four Party Agreement,” Jervis Langdon, Jr. bequeathed Quarry Farm to Elmira College with two basic purposes: first, “to assure that Quarry Farm, as a residence, will be properly maintained and preserved, and the grounds included in the donation will be cared for and protected, including the trees, lawns, shrubbery, flowers, and wild life;” and second, “to have the residence at Quarry Farm available as a center for the study of Mark Twain and as a temporary home for such members of the faculty of the College, visiting scholars, and graduate students as may be designated, from time to time, by the President of the College, because of their interest in Mark Twain, his works, his philosophy, and the environment in which he lived.” These words created the Center for Mark Twain Studies. While Jervis Langdon, Jr. and Elmira College constituted the two primary members of “The Four Party Agreement,” the National Trust for Historic Preservation and the Chemung County Historical Society rounded out the other two. It became the responsibility of these two secondary organizations to assure that Elmira College carry out Jervis Langdon, Jr.’s intentions. As a result, Elmira College must submit an annual preservation report to the National Trust for Historic Preservation and the Chemung County Historical Society.

Jervis Langdon Jr.’s gift of Quarry Farm included the contents of the main house with many nineteenth-century association pieces of furniture and other treasures, such as the books in the Quarry Farm library that often reflect the reading habits of an erudite family. Of particular interest are the books from the Langdon and Crane collections that were read by Mark Twain. Numerous annotations, often dated and written in pencil by Mark Twain, have been discovered in the margins of many of these books.

Honoring Jervis Langdon, Jr’s vision, Quarry Farm offers fellowships-in-residence to scholars pursuing research or writing in the field of Mark Twain Studies. As one of the most important literary landmarks in American history, Quarry Farm is cultural humanities site, a building whose sole purpose is to provide inspiration and resources to scholars, writers, and artists working in the field of Mark Twain Studies. Quarry Farm Fellows have access to twenty-first century workspaces, a nearly complete Mark Twain Studies reference collection on the premises, including the complete Oxford Mark Twain facsimile edition and Mark Twain Project publications as well as up-to-date secondary and reference works dedicated to Mark Twain Studies, while at the same time being surrounded by nineteenth century books, furniture, textiles, and painting, almost all of which were present during Twain’s time at Quarry Farm. Furthermore, Quarry Farm Fellows have access to one of the best collections of secondary scholarly material dedicated to Mark Twain Studies shelved on the premises.

In addition to the Quarry Farm fellowships, the Barn and the grounds at Quarry Farm are used for several academic programs, including annual symposia on a wide variety of specific Mark Twain Studies topics, workshops for teachers who wish to incorporate Mark Twain into their curricula, “The Trouble Begins” spring and fall lecture series, and dozens of school field trips every year. The lectures and field trips are offered free of charge to the schools and general public. While the main house at Quarry Farm is reserved solely for Mark Twain Studies scholars and artists, the nineteenth century barn and nearby housekeeper’s cottage have been adapted for program use and serve as classrooms and lecture space.

Finally, CMTS houses some of its Twain material in the Mark Twain Archive on the Elmira College campus. The Mark Twain Archive affords scholars the uniquely rewarding experience of ready access to a collection of primary and secondary sources on Twain. In addition to various editions of Twain’s works, the Mark Twain Archive collection includes photographs; books from Twain’s personal library and the library at Quarry Farm; secondary source books, articles, and collections related to Mark Twain, his literature, and his circle; and microfilm letters and manuscripts from the Mark Twain collections at the Bancroft library in Berkeley, the Mark Twain Memorial in Hartford, Vassar College, and the Huntington Library. Through the generosity of donors over the years, the collection has also a fine collection of Mark Twain titles in over a dozen languages other than English, the Love Collection of framed photographs and autographs, correspondence between Twain and members of his Elmira circle, such as E.M. Van Aken, Dr. Frank Darby, and Julia Jones Beecher, letters written by Twain at the end of his life, and other photographs and memorabilia that add greatly to the scope and interest of the collection. The Mark Twain Archive itself also includes a collection of decorative art such as period furnishings, rich woodwork, and marble accents from Klapproth’s Tavern, an establishment which Twain was known to frequent during his summers in Elmira. The Mark Twain Archive is available to anyone with a research project that can be served by the collection.

The Center for Mark Twain Studies represents one of four Mark Twain “centers” in the United States that include Mark Twain’s boyhood home in Hannibal, MO; Twain’s home in Hartford, CT; and the Mark Twain Project in Berkeley, CA. However, CMTS is unique in its mission to foster and support scholarship and pedagogy related to all aspects of Mark Twain.

[1] “The Four Party Agreement Regarding Quarry Farm, Elmira, N.Y.,” December 31, 1982. Legal Contract involving Jervis Langdon, Jr., Elmira College, The National Historic Trust, and Chemung County Historical Society, (1983): 2-3

Significance of the Quarry Farm Collection

Quarry Farm, on the U.S. Register of Historic Places, remains today much as it did when Mark Twain resided at Quarry Farm, containing original 19th century furnishings, artwork, textiles, books, wall finishes, and architectural features and objects that have historic and cultural significance that continue to be unraveled by scholarship. At the time of the Langdon gift in 1983, Quarry Farm had been owned by four generations of the Langdon family, starting in 1868. The books on the shelves in the library contain marginal notes and markings from Mark Twain with bookplates and inscriptions of the Langdon family, the Crane family, and Ida Langdon, Sam Clemens’s niece. While the collection was established with the original gift, it is not static. The CMTS continues, on occasion, to receive books bearing the Langdon bookplate or books inscribed by Langdon family members. Interest in the marginalia and books to which Mark Twain had access has long interested scholars. A nineteenth century furniture expert, Walter Ritchie, Jr., has recently published his research about the furnishings of the Langdon Mansion in downtown Elmira, and established that a number of the Langdon furnishings were moved to Quarry Farm before the home was demolished in 1939.

The collection also contains a number of reference works, first editions, and other rare books which are hard to find outside university libraries and special collections. For many fellows-in-residence, this may be the first time they have had access to such resources. Few scholars at any career stage have the opportunity to peruse such materials at their leisure over the course of several weeks, all without leaving the quiet, private, and picturesque domestic space in which many, starting with Twain himself, have found the ideal conditions for writing. Current residents share the same spectacular view of the Chemung River Valley as the famous author, his family, and his in-laws. Many scholars believe that contemplating this view and watching his young daughters play and grow up at Quarry Farm inspired Twain to write about parts of his childhood on the Mississippi River that resulted in the creation Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn, America’s most iconic characters of childhood. Not surprisingly, Twain scholars continue to be struck by the Quarry Farm setting, still peaceful and conducive to relaxation and to work, with a view of the surrounding hills, the Chemung River, and the city of Elmira below, much like it must have been almost one hundred and fifty years ago.

The collections at Quarry Farm provide fellows-in-residence full access to a world-selection of primary and secondary sources related to nineteenth century United States literature and history while offering them a unique, and at times inspirational, experiences of living in the same space, and perhaps partaking the same daily routine, as Twain himself. Between sixteen and twenty scholars are in residence every year, either as Quarry Farm Fellows or contributors to the various CMTS lecture series. More than half of the residents stay for a period of two weeks or more. These residents represent a wide range of demographic and disciplinary backgrounds and come from across the country and the globe.

Due to Quarry Farm’s unique ambiance and ideal writing environment, scholars have made a practice of acknowledging their residencies in their publications, often stating that Quarry Farm was as inspirational for them as it was for Twain. Judith Yaross Lee, author of Twain’s Brand: Humor in Contemporary American Culture (2012, University Press of Mississippi), admits to being at times overwhelmed by “what I found on the shelves in the library at Quarry Farm.” Joseph B. Fulton extends his gratitude when he states “I would like to thank Jervis Langdon, Jr. and his family, whose generosity has done so much for our understanding of Mark Twain” in Mark Twain in the Margins: The Quarry Farm Marginalia and A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court (2000, University of Alabama Press. Shelley Fisher Fishkin in Lighting Out for The Territory: Reflections on Mark Twain & American Culture (1997, Oxford University Press) calls Quarry Farm a “haven for scholars.” Paula Harrington and Ronald Jenn point out that “as all scholars know, no better place exists than Clemens’s own family summer home, Quarry Farm in Elmira, New York. We cannot imagine how we would have completed our book without repeated stays there as fellows-in-residence” in Mark Twain and France (2017, University of Missouri Press). In The Courtship of Mark Twain Olivia Langdon (1996, Cambridge University Press) Susan K. Harris writes that “most important is my debt to Quarry Farm itself. One of the scholars’ few perks is the occasional chance to actually live in a historical house, and I know that I speak for the Twain community when I say that staying at Quarry Farm has been among the most moving experiences of my life.”

Without a hint of exaggeration, CMTS and Quarry Farm have been acknowledged in scores of book-length publications, most from university presses, along with dozens of peer-reviewed academic articles. CMTS continues this proud tradition in the present-day with fellows and lecturers already scheduled for 2023. All biographies and projects from past classes of Fellows, can be found at MarkTwainStudies.org.

Testimonials from recent Quarry Farm residents, detailing their time at Quarry Farm and its importance to the scholarly and creative writing community can be found HERE.

Staff Biographies

Joseph Lemak became the Director of CMTS in January 2016. He also holds the title of Assistant Professor of History at Elmira College and teaches a number of European history courses every year. He served Elmira College in various roles for over twenty years, most recently as Director of the Academic Writing Program and the Writing Center. Joe holds a Ph.D. in Classics from the State University of New York at Buffalo. He organizes the Quarry Farm Fellowships, all CMTS lecture series, the annual symposia, the quadrennial International Conference on the State of Mark Twain Studies, and the Summer Teacher Institute. Joe oversees all financial and budgetary matters, fund raising, grant writing, strategic planning, and the preservation and maintenance efforts of the Mark Twain Study and Quarry Farm.

Charles Mitchell started his career at Elmira College in August 1993. Over the years he has taught a wide variety of courses in American history and culture, including courses in environmental history, landscape art, and photography, and the social and cultural history of American art and visual culture. He has published a book on the legacy of Ralph Waldo Emerson and essays on a variety of topics, including Shakespeare’s responsibility for the most numerous invasive species in the United States. He lectures regularly on topics relating to public parks, landscape tourism, and the paradoxes and ironies of American attitudes toward nature. In 2019 he joined the staff of the Center for Mark Twain Studies.

Matt Seybold joined the Elmira College in July 2015. He earned his Ph.D. from University of California, Irvine in 2012 after which he worked at The University of Alabama. He teaches courses on all periods of American Literature, as well as interdisciplinary courses on mass media and economics. Upon hiring, Matt made the creation of a digital presence for the Center for Mark Twain Studies his highest priority and, with support from Director Lemak and Dr. Mitchell, oversaw the design and launch of MarkTwainStudies.org in October 2016. He sees the website as a repository for an evolving range of Twain-related resources, as well as a broader, more democratic means of serving CMTS’ unique mission.

Steve Webb has been the resident caretaker at Quarry Farm since the winter of 2013. Steve is an experienced landscaper and repairman with an Associate degree in Environmental Science from Finger Lakes Community College, as well as a talented composer and musician. Steve is the direct supervisor of the groundskeepers and cleaning staff at Quarry Farm, as well as the CMTS on-site project manager for all Quarry Farm preservation projects. He serves as the direct liaison of CMTS to all Quarry Farm residents.

Ann Welles joined the CMTS in 2022 as Assistant Director. In 1989 Welles graduated summa cum laude with a Bachelor’s of Fine Art in Metalsmithing from Syracuse University, then pursued a career as an exhibiting artist. She has been an active organizer in the arts community, lectures at multiple colleges and arts organizations, and presented professional development workshops for visual artists. She often serves on grant review panels and juries art exhibitions. She established Exhibit A, a premier regional contemporary art gallery located in Corning, in 2009. In March 2020, Exhibit A’s brick-and-mortar space closed. Welles continues to represent artists, work with collectors, and curate projects.

Mark Twain and John T. Lewis, friend and neighbor, on the Quarry Farm Porch (1903)

Foundation and Corporate Sponsors

(in alphabetical order)

Elmira College – Elmira College supports CMTS in a myriad of ways, including, but not limited to, office space, marketing, branding, library services, and internet access. All of these services are at no cost to CMTS.

Friends of the Center for Mark Twain Studies – The donation membership list for CMTS. Many members donate annually. The majority of donations come from an annual appeal in December or January.

Lilly Broadcasting WENY TV – A local, upstate New York television media group. This media outlet purchases books written by Mark Twain to support CMTS’s “Mark Twain Literacy Project.

Mark Twain Foundation – Annual support from the Mark Twain Foundation provides the major funding to support the activities of CMTS. This is largest and most consistent source of funding for CMTS.

Quarry Farm Foundation – An officially registered 501(3)(c) charitable organization approved by the Internal Revenue Service and New York State Charities Bureau. The primary purpose of the Quarry Farm Foundation is to raise funds for the preservation and maintenance of Quarry Farm.

U.S. Mint Mark Twain Commemorative Coin Fund – A restricted fund for CMTS. CMTS draws interest annually from the 2016 U.S. Mint Commemorative Mark Twain Coin program. The majority of this fund is used to support Quarry Farm preservation and scholarly production at Quarry Farm.

Additional Miscellaneous Funds – Small funds in memory of deceased individuals draw annual interest to support the Center for Mark Twain Studies, including the Darryl Baskin Fund, the Claude Brinegar Fund, the Class of ’34 Fund, The Pietrie Fund, and the Michael J. Kiskis Fund.

Strategic Goals

Reflecting its vision and mission statement, the Center for Mark Twain Studies has established the following strategic goals:

Enhance and sustain service to all constituents of CMTS
1. Scholarly community
2. Internet community
3. Local and regional community
4. Elmira College community
Preserve the historical infrastructure of Quarry Farm, the Study, the Exhibit, and the Archives
Improve the Quarry Farm experience for all residents
Enhance and sustain the services and materials offered by the Mark Twain Archive to the academic community
Increase financial sustainability to help and support CMTS’ mission and strategic goals

A1. Enhance and sustain services for the scholarly community

Reflecting its mission, service to the scholarly community is CMTS’ highest priority. CMTS has a long and successful history of hosting successful academic symposia and conferences. In fact, the quadrennial International Conference on the State of Mark Twain Studies is the largest Mark Twain conference in the world. CMTS endeavors to continue this legacy of success.

At the heart of CMTS’ service to scholars is the Quarry Farm Fellowship program. CMTS funds national and international scholars to engage in scholarly pursuits at Quarry Farm. CMTS makes a concerted effort to include graduate students and scholars with new doctoral degrees to ensure the robust future of Mark Twain Studies, ensuring the continuation and rejuvenation of Mark Twain as a central figure in American literature and the field of the Humanities.

Notable Successes of 2022

Successfully continued the Quarry Farm Fellowship program. CMTS hosted and aided the research of ten senior and developing scholars and writers from a variety of academic disciplines. All of these fellows-in-residence had the opportunity to live and work at Quarry Farm for two weeks to a month and take advantage of one of the best libraries dedicated to Mark Twain Studies located on the premises.
Facilitated Elmira 2022: The Ninth International Conference on the State of MarkTwain Studies, a quadrennial conference recognized as the largest gathering of Mark Twain Studies scholars in the world. CMTS has acquired respected Mark Twain Studies scholars Shelley Fisher Fishkin (Stanford University) and Tracy Wuster (University of Texas, Austin) as co-chairs for the conference. The conference consisted of over 50 individual papers and 7 roundtable discussions. It featured keynote speech by Jimmy Santiago Baca, an award-winning poet for whom Twain has been an important influence.
Facilitated the inaugural “From Seminar Paper to Publishable Article: A Workshop for Graduate Students and Recent PhDs” a writing and research institute for advanced graduate students and recent PhDs working in Mark Twain Studies at Quarry Farm in collaboration with the Mark Twain Circle of America. The workshop took placeimmediately after Elmira 2022: The Ninth International Conference on the State of Mark Twain Studies. 6 emerging scholars participated in the workshop. Participants had their conference fees waived and all of their lodging and food provided.
Facilitated the The Ninth Quarry Farm Symposium “Abolition Studies” sought to take an intentionally transhistorical approach to the field of abolition studies through panels and discussions that attend to the long duree of abolitionist thought, activism, and organizing from the 19th to the 21st centuries. The event assembled seventeen scholars, including keynote speaker Sarah Haley, author of No Mercy Here: Gender, Punishment, and the Making of Jim Crow Modernity. Most of the talks were video recorded and made available to the general public on the CMTS YouTube Channel and MarkTwainStudies.org.
Facilitated eleven online lectures as part of the fall and spring “Trouble Begins” Lecture Series and the Park Church Summer Lecture Series. All of these lectures were video recorded and made accessible on the CMTS YouTube Channel and MarkTwainStudies.org. CMTS tries to strike a healthy balance between lectures from established, senior scholars and new voices in Mark Twain Studies, including senior scholars who do not identify as “Mark Twain scholars,” early career scholars, and graduate students.

Notable Goals for 2023

Facilitate the Tenth Quarry Farm Symposium “Mark Twain: Invention, Technology, and Science Fiction.” The symposium will work to place Mark Twain and his contemporaries within the cultural transformations of science and technology, and within the broad literary boundaries of science fiction. The symposium keynote address will be delivered by Sheila Williams, the multiple Hugo award-winning editor of Asimov’s Science Fiction magazine.
Incorporate a fellowship exclusively for visual artists into the Quarry Farm Fellowship Program with its own criteria and selection committee.

View of the Chemung River Valley and the hills of Northern Pennsylvania from the Quarry Farm Porch

A2. Enhance and sustain services for the web community

The foundational purpose of MarkTwainStudies.org is to directly serve CMTS’ core constituency, the Mark Twain scholarly community, broadly conceived, by creating and circulating research and resources which facilitate further scholarship on Twain’s life, work, legacy, and world. Some highlights include digital editions of rare works in Twain Studies, substantive encyclopedia-style entries about major figures and events in Twain’s life written by established scholars, and an ever-growing archive of hundreds of audio and video recordings of the Trouble Begins lectures dating back to 1985. The website is also, in a complementary fashion, a resource for students, teachers, journalists, and enthusiasts, and it is frequently updated and reorganized with the needs of these auxiliary constituencies in mind.

In addition to its vast and diverse collection of Twain-related content, MTS.org is increasingly one of the most comprehensive digital collections on historical Elmira, containing virtual tours of Quarry Farm and the Langdon-Clemens Gravesite, interactive maps of 1901 Elmira and Woodlawn Cemetery, a narrative podcast tour, short film, and several essays about Twain’s Elmira and associated figures like John W. Jones, Frederick Douglass, and Thomas K. Beecher.

It also the foremost vehicle for promoting CMTS programming of all kinds, including Quarry Farm Fellowships, annual symposia, the Trouble Begins lectures, and the relevant events of academic member organizations, sister Twain sites, and community partners. It’s modest ambitions, when launched in 2016, have long ago been exceeded and it is now one of, if not the most-trafficked non-profit Twain-related site on the internet. In the 12-month period from December 2021 to November 2022, over 244,000 visitors passed through the MarkTwainStudies.org domain, a 9% increase from the previous year.

While this represents the lowest year-over-year growth since CMTS launched the site in 2016, it also corresponds with rapidly rising engagement on other platforms, especially YouTube, Apple Podcast, and Spotify. The American Vandal Podcast, launched during the 2020 shutdown, has rapidly become an indispensable part of CMTS digital programming. Through it CMTS builds both brand and direct relationship with a community of potential future Twain scholars who may not otherwise view themselves as such. By the end of 2023, the podcast will have completed seven seasons, totaling 49 episodes, each roughly an hour in length. While exact figures for the number of downloads and streams are hard to provide since the podcast is distributed across a range of platforms, many episodes have been consumed by thousands of listeners. According to Spotify’s “Unwrapped” data, The American Vandal Podcast is a top 15% of “most followed” podcast in the world and a “top 10%” most shared. It is also in the top 10% according to the Listen Score calculated on the ListenNotes platform. In 2022 alone The American Vandal Podcast has appeared on the Apple Podcast charts in either the “Books” and/or “Arts” categories in 23 countries, including the United States, Great Britain, and Canada, rising as high as #2 in some markets, and as high as #56 in the highly-competitive US market.

More important than any metric, however, is the podcast’s role in engaging a wide range of scholars who may not otherwise be aware of CMTS, nor self-identify as Twain scholars, but whose academic work is nonetheless stimulative for our core audience, and who may become contributors to Twain Studies, applicants for Quarry Farm Fellowships, and otherwise further fulfill CMTS’s core mission. In the past year alone, the podcast has featured 36 scholars from 30 institutions and ten different academic disciplines. This is a diverse group as well (64% women, 31% scholars of color, 25% scholars working off the tenure track). This “new media” platform may be our most effective for targeting graduate students and emerging scholars who are fundamental to sustaining Twain Studies and CMTS’s mission long term. More than 50% of podcast subscribers in the United States are under the age of 35.

Notable Successes of 2022

Continuous growth of both MarkTwainStudies.org and The American Vandal Podcast. Please see above for more information.
Publication of 48 lectures to CMTS’s YouTube Channel from 2022 events, namely Elmira 2022: The Ninth International Conference on the State of Mark Twain Studies; The Ninth Quarry Farm Symposium: Abolition Studies; The Spring and Fall Trouble Begins Lectures; and the Park Church Summer Lectures. All of these have been added to The Trouble Begins Archives.
One of The American Vandal Podcast episodes – “Unsealing the Archive of T.S. Eliot’s Love Letters to Emily Hale” – was featured as part of Apple Podcast’s year end “Best of…” packaging. The podcast led directly to host Matt Seybold being invited to appear on MSNBC’s Velshi in July 2022, after which downloads and subscriptions spiked even higher.
Publication of CMTS’ first podcast series, “Mark Twain Among the Indians,” which was co-produced & guest-hosted by an emerging scholar, Mika Turim-Nygren.
Publication of CMTS’ first series blogposts guest-edited by The Mark Twain Circle of America.
Publication of an annotated digital edition of Charles Neider’s Mark Twain & The Russians (1960). The edition was published in May, along with the first installment of an ongoing series by Matt Seybold, “The Twain Doctrine,” which focuses on how Twain’s life, work, and legacy was treated during the Cold War. Mark Twain & The Russians provides yet another model for bringing rare, under-appreciated, unfinished, or otherwise inaccessible primary and secondary texts to the Mark Twain Studies community via MarkTwainStudies.org.
Publication of four “Mark Twain Resource Pages.” These resource pages have been written by Mark Twain scholars, often times experts in the particular field. These are meant to be reliable, efficient resources for teachers, students, enthusiasts, and the general public. They include a short overview of the subject with photographs and suggestions for further research.

Notable Goals for 2023

Explore ways to promote The American Vandal Podcast through an annual electronic newsletter. This publication can not only promote the podcast, but can be used as a vehicle to promote the Quarry Farm Fellowship program and the annual symposia. Additionally, the newsletter could be an opportunity to ask for monetary support exclusively for the podcast and MarkTwainStudies.org.
Publish a digital edition of Samuel Langhorne Clemens: Some Reminiscences & Some Excerpts (1910), a self-published pamphlet by Clemens’s nephew, Jervis Langdon (the 2^nd). This work is ideal for CMTS since it is rare, has potentially under-appreciated utility for scholars, and also highlights Twain’s relationship to Elmira.
Explore the potential of podcast collaborations. CMTS has been pitched on podcast collaborations with several publications (notably, The Los Angeles Review of Books), academic organizations, and other academic and literary podcasts. CMTS will need to evaluate the mutual benefit of such collaborations.
Explore the potential of hosting external online projects on MarkTwainStudies.org. CMTS has been pitched on several hosting projects, most notably by Twain’s Geography, Jim Zwick’s defunct Anti-Imperialism Archive, and the dormant blogsite of the American Humor Studies Association. CMTS will evaluate these opportunities both in terms of value to the Mark Twain Studies community and CMTS resource allocation.

A3. Enhance and sustain services for the local and regional community

Steve Webb (left) leading a Quarry Farm field trip

At the center of CMTS’ service to the local and regional community is the Mark Twain Study Ambassador Program. From Memorial Day to Labor Day, docents lead tours of the Mark Twain Study and Exhibit, both located in the heart of the Elmira College campus. These guided tours focus on the history and legacy of Mark Twain in Elmira and the importance of the Langdon family. The tours are open to the general public at no cost. Thousands of visitors come to the Mark Twain Study and Exhibit every year, creating an important focus of tourism for city of Elmira and the entire Southern Tier of New York.

Additionally, CMTS facilitates the spring and fall “Trouble Begins” lecture series, the “Park Church Summer Lectures” series, resulting in ten to twelve high-quality talks from both emerging and established Mark Twain Studies scholars to the general public for free. CMTS also helps organize and fund the Chemung County Historical Society’s Mark Twain lecture series, often times filled with Quarry Farm residents. Furthermore, CMTS hosts local field trips for students as they delve into the work of one of America’s greatest literary figures at no cost to the schools. Other highlights of local regional service include the Mark Twain Summer Teachers Institute, a two-day workshop for local teachers interested in bringing Mark Twain Studies more effectively into their classroom, and the Mark Twain Literary Project, a partnership with WENY-TV, a local television station, which provides students and teachers free books written by Mark Twain for use in the classroom.

Notable Successes of 2022

Held 11 lectures as part of the 2022 Spring and Fall Trouble Begins and Summer Park Church lecture series. All lectures are open to the public at no charge.
Facilitated an in-person Mark Twain Summer Teachers Institute “Mark Twain Under Assault: What Do We Do Now?”
Collaborated with the Community Arts of Elmira in the “Clemens and the Pen” Program.
Collaborated with ARTS of the Southern Finger Lakes in the “Progressive Prose and Poetry Tour” Event.

Notable Goals for 2023

Resume and promote field trips for local schools to the Mark Twain Study and Quarry Farm.
Update the interior of the Mark Twain Study and the Exhibit in preparation for the 2024 sesquicentennial anniversary of the Mark Twain Study
Explore and organize events for the 2024 sesquicentennial anniversary of the Mark Twain Study.

A4. Enhance and sustain services for the Elmira College community

CMTS is dedicated to teaching Elmira College students about the legacy of Mark Twain and the Langdon family and their relationship to the city of Elmira and Elmira College. As a result, CMTS has created a number of successful programs that interact with the Elmira College community in a number of meaningful, educational ways by sponsoring annual writing and creative art contests, hosting visiting scholars to speak to students in the EC Honors program, and creating opportunities to engage with the student body as the occasions arise.

Notable Successes of 2022

Continuation of the annual “Portraying Mark Twain Art Contest” and Mark Twain Essay Contest. Each student was awarded a monetary prize ranging from $75-$250 for their artistic and writing skills.
Students in the EC History class “Museum Studies” created a display in the Quarry Farm Barn focusing on the Quarry Farm Dairy.
Hosted a very well-attended Elmira College Mountain Day hike to Quarry Farm.
Elmira College Students in the Honors Program were given a guided tour of Quarry Farm.

Notable Goals for 2023

Create incentive for EC community to participate in Quarry Farm Mountain Day Hike.
Continue service to Elmira College, namely its employment of student workers, creative arts and writing contests, and support of the EC Honors program.

B. Preserve the historical infrastructure of Quarry Farm, the Study, the Exhibit, and the Mark Twain Archive

Due to the historic importance of Quarry Farm and the Mark Twain Study as National Historic Landmarks, it is essential that CMTS take a proactive approach to their preservation and maintenance. The strategic planning decision making process is ideal for helping CMTS allocate funds, calculate the costs of upcoming projects, and proactively anticipate needs.

In addition to typical annual preservation, maintenance, repairs, nationally respected preservation architects and engineers, Elise Johnson-Schmidt (Johnson-Schmidt & Associates, Corning, NY), Michael C. Henry (Watson & Henry Associates, Bridgeton, NJ and University of Pennsylvania), and Wendy Jessup (Wendy Jessup & Associates, Arlington, VA), have established that fire suppression and drainage/humidity control are vital to the long-term preservation of the main house at Quarry Farm and the building’s collections, with fire suppression as the most urgent priority.

CMTS’s other important historic structure, the Mark Twain Study, is approaching its sesquicentennial anniversary in 2024. The landmark anniversary of one of the most important and iconic structures in American literature will be an important event for CMTS, Elmira College, the city of Elmira, and the surrounding region. It is imperative that the structure be in top form as it is recognized and celebrated.

Notable Successes of 2022

Repaired the Quarry Farm chimney and roof. In 2021, Hale Roofing, Inc. completed a survey of the roof to assess the causes of moderate water infiltration. The assessment found a chimney, fan opening and dormer in need of repair. Courtney DeRusha, a mason specializing in historic preservation, was employed to restore and repoint the chimney. All of these repairs were completed, allowing CMTS to proceed with the restoration of the Susan Crane and Mark Twain bedrooms on the second floor.
Restored the Susan Crane Bedroom to the time when Mark Twain inhabited Quarry Farm. The original 1880’s Lincrusta wallpaper of the Susan Crane bedroom was restored by Aaron Greene, an architectural arts contractor specializing in restoring historic sites.
Restored the windows in the Quarry Farm Parlor. Steve Jordan, historic window repair and restoration specialist, restored four large original 1890’s windows in the Quarry Farm parlor. The restoration of these windows, along with the accompanying original storm windows, will not only improve the aesthetics of the Parlor, but will improve the overall energy efficiency of Quarry Farm.
Acquired historically appropriate furniture for the Quarry Farm Porch. The new furnishings of the famous Quarry Farm porch were selected to capture the look and feel of the property in 1925, an era that corresponds to historic photographs of the house as occupied by the Langdon family when the current version of the porch was built. The collection of eighteen pieces of 1920’s Old Hickory Style-furniture not only improves the aesthetics of the porch, but creates a number of new workspaces for scholars.

Notable Goals for 2023

Samuel Clemens Looking out from the study window, Quarry Farm, East Hill, Elmira New York. — Mark Twain looking out of the Study at Quarry Farm (1903)

Obtain a cultural landscape report for Quarry Farm from Martha Lyon, Landscape Architecture, LLC. Martha Lyon, managing principal, has been working on the report in 2022 and the finished report is due January 2023. The findings of the report will be incorporated into CMTS’ strategic plan.
Purchase and install an electrical generator. This action is part of the Quarry Farm fire suppression project.
Install new gutters and downspouts for Quarry Farm. This action is part of the Quarry Farm drainage project.
Regrade and reinstall the groundwater drainage system. Fagan Engineers & Land Surveyors, a civil and environmental engineering firm, have already completed the design of the updated drainage system. This action is part of the Quarry Farm drainage project.
Remove old wallpaper in the Mark Twain Bedroom and install a historically similar wallpaper in relation to the time when Mark Twain occupied the room.
Restore all windows in the Mark Twain Study. Steve Jordan, historic window restoration expert, will be employed to complete this project.

C. Improve the Quarry Farm experience for all residents

At the heart of CMTS’ mission is the Quarry Farm Fellowship Program. When the Langdon family bequeathed Quarry Farm to Elmira College, the Langdons insisted on restrictions dependent on the gift that Quarry Farm would only be used as a retreat for scholars and writers working in Mark Twain Studies and other related fields. Because of their far-seeing vision, Quarry Farm is not a historic home open to the general public, but a cultural humanities site singularly dedicated to the promotion and support of Mark Twain Studies scholars. In order to better fulfill its mission and stay true to its long-term vision of becoming one of the best academic centers in the county, Quarry Farm must be a productive and comfortable workspace for scholars and writers, without compromising its historic integrity. It is essential that CMTS constantly strive to improve the scholarly work amenities, both direct (primary and secondary source materials, lights, desks, chairs, computers) and indirect (kitchen and sleeping amenities).

Notable Successes of 2022

Employed Walter Ritchie, Jr., 19^th century furniture expert, to create a virtual tour of Quarry Farm, with the purpose of informing Quarry Farm residents about the Quarry Farm furniture and interior furnishing collection.
Acquired a set of historic “Old Hickory” furniture for the Quarry Farm Porch, increasing the work spaces, comfort, and aesthetics.
Added a number of WiFi routers throughout the house.
Continued to acquire recently published books pertaining to Mark Twain Studies.

Notable Goals for 2023

Create a satisfaction survey for Quarry Farm residents. This assessment tool will be administered every year, offering a longitudinal perspective in time.
Acquire a king-size bed and associated bedding for the Mark Twain bedroom

D. Enhance and sustain the services and materials offered by the Mark Twain Archive to the academic community

The Mark Twain Archive, located in the Gannett-Tripp Library on the Elmira College campus, is dedicated to supporting scholarship and pedagogy related to Mark Twain. The Mark Twain Archive serves as a repository of primary and secondary source materials related to Mark Twain and Mark Twain scholarship with particular focus on Mark Twain’s association with Elmira and his Elmira circle of family and friends. The Mark Twain Archive collects, appraises, organizes, describes, preserves its holdings, makes its records available to advance scholarship in the field of Mark Twain Studies, and provides research support and instructional services to the Mark Twain Studies community.

In early 2020 Elmira College declared financial exigency and laid off a number of positions throughout the organization, including the archivist of Elmira College and CMTS. This sudden loss of a valuable staff member has lessened the services offered by the Mark Twain Archive to the academic community and forced CMTS to dramatically diminish expectations for strategic advancement in this particular area. Until CMTS acquires an archivist, the only sustainable goal for the Mark Twain Archive is to preserve and maintain the existing collection. Any consideration of growing the collection or expanding its accessibility through digitization efforts must also be delayed. While the Mark Twain Archives was open to the general public in the past, the collections will now only be accessible to Quarry Farm residents or individuals with explicit permission from the Director. The acquisition of a dedicated CMTS archivist is the foremost priority in this strategic area.

Thankfully, Katy Galvin, Technical Services Manager of the Elmira College Gannett-Tripp Library, has stepped in to help. Katy Galvin has assisted CMTS in fulfilling the needs of scholars by maintaining the collections at Quarry Farm, the Mark Twain Archives, and the Mark Twain Collection, and by locating archival materials in answer to specific research queries.

Notable Successes of 2022

Relocated and organized the Quarry Farm scholars’ library to accommodate new bookcases.
Inventoried the books in the Quarry Farm downstairs library and parlor, adding location items to each item.
Processed, cataloged, and shelved the “Coleman Donation” – a 140 book collection dedicated to William Dean Howells.
Maintained a high standard in response to the needs of Quarry Farm scholar, as well as to inquires related to the Quarry Farm historic structure report and the founding of the Quarry Farm Foundation.

Notable Goals of 2023

Complete the inventory of the books at Quarry Farm, notably the Ida Langdon collection.
Inventory the book Collection in the Mark Twain Archive
Inventory the book collection at Quarry Farm.
Explore ways to acquire a dedicated archivist for the Mark Twain Archive.

19th century chair in the Library at Quarry Farm, originally located in the Langdon Mansion and rumored to be one of Twain’s favorite smoking places

E. Increase financial sustainability to support CMTS’ mission and strategic goals

Due to generous support from the Mark Twain Foundation and individual donations from private supporters, CTMS is able to offer high quality services to all of its constituencies. CMTS is honored to state that the Mark Twain Foundation has been the largest and most consistent source of income for CMTS. However, with major projects looming, such as large-scale Quarry Farm preservation projects and continued improvements to MarkTwainStudies.org, while still preserving the Quarry Farm Fellowships and all the other customary annual programming (lectures, field trips, symposia, workshop for teachers, et cetera), CMTS will have to inspire its donation base and aggressively seek out and apply for historic preservation and digital humanities grants. CMTS will need to continue its most helpful relationship with the Mark Twain Foundation and individual donors, while at the same time it aggressively seeks grants associated with historic building preservation and digital humanities.

In 2022 a collection of individuals saw the need to organize and institute a major fundraising campaign for Quarry Farm and CMTS. As a result, last year witnessed the formation of The Quarry Farm Foundation, Inc., a duly registered and approved 501(c)(3) charitable organization recognized by the Internal Revenue Service and the New York State Charities Bureau. Board members include representatives of the Langdon family, prominent Elmira businesspeople, delegates from the Chemung County Historical Society, and senior administrators of Elmira College. CMTS has been designated the operating arm of the Quarry Farm Foundation. The stated purpose of the Quarry Farm Foundation is to restore and renew all the operating systems at Quarry Farm and to create an endowment that will make Quarry Farm self-sufficient and provide a significant additional funding source for CMTS.

The first action of the Quarry Farm Foundation was to launch a comprehensive and ambitious fund-raising drive. The campaign currently has a $6,000,000 goal, $2,000,000 of which will be dedicated to the complete overhaul of every operating system at Quarry Farm. $500,000 of the $2,000,000 will be raised locally and will focus on the most urgent priorities, fire suppression and drainage. The balance, $4,000,000, will fund an endowment to ensure the long-term self-sufficiency of Quarry Farm and the Center for Mark Twain Studies. If successful, the Quarry Farm Foundation has the potential to revolutionize the preservation efforts of Quarry Farm and the services provided by CMTS.

By the end of 2022, in its silent phase, the Quarry Farm Foundation has raised at least $300,000 in actual and pledged donations from the local Elmira community. The formal commencement of the local campaign should be announced in December 2022. A successful local campaign will surely prove valuable as demonstration of the “local share” in approaches to national foundations.

The national campaign will launch upon completion of a video narrated by Ron Powers, nationally acclaimed Mark Twain biographer. The video is in the final stages of production, and the national campaign should launch early in 2023.

Notable Successes of 2022

Witnessed the creation of the Quarry Farm Foundation, Inc.
Acquired over $300,000 by the Quarry Farm Foundation in actual and pledged donations for fire suppression and drainage systems at Quarry Farm.
Created the position of Assistant Director. The primary responsibilities will be public relations and accounts payable.
Implemented an online registration and payment process for symposia and conferences.

Notable Goals of 2023

Support the Quarry Farm Foundation’s local campaign.
Support the Quarry Farm Foundation’s national campaign.
Create a capital campaign for the restoration of the windows in the Mark Twain Study
Create a “donor appreciation” plaque for Quarry Farm.
Entreat the National Register of Historic Places to change its designation from “local significance” to “national significance,” allowing CMTS to pursue larger grants. Johnson-Schmidt & Associates is taking lead on this writing the appeal.
Begin formally tracking the number of donors and the average donation gift on an annual basis.

A hardcopy of the “Elmira College Center for Mark Twain Studies Strategic Plan” can be obtained by sending a request to Dr. Joseph Lemak ([email protected])