BURLINGTON, Vt. -- This summer, amid the sea of pomp and pageantry accompanying the yearlong celebration of Samuel de Champlain's 1609 exploration of the lake and region that now bear his name, Champlain College will become an academic island outpost for studying four centuries of Franco-American presence in the New World.
With its commanding views of Lake Champlain from its hilltop vantage, the College campus is the ideal gathering place for the "When the French Were Here" symposium. The four-day event is expected to draw some scholars and educators from around the world.
The Lineup
Beginning July 2, symposium participants - and the general public - will hear presentations on topics related to explorer Champlain's arrival on local shores in the company of Algonquin guides and a fleet of 24 canoes.
Keynote speakers include such luminaries as Pulitzer Prize-winning historian David Hackett Fischer, whose latest book, Champlain's Dream, offers a definitive biography of the French explorer. Fischer appears on Thursday, July 2, at 4 p.m.
Eric Thierry, an expert in travel literature at the University of Paris-Sorbonne, speaks on Friday, July 3 at 11 a.m. Raymonde Litalien, the honorary archivist of Canada, presents on Saturday, July 4, at 2 p.m.
A celebration, first and foremost, the conference's scholarly activities will share the schedule with such high-spirited events as the "Order of Good Cheer" 17th-century-themed dinner, a July 3 fireworks cruise on Lake Champlain, and excursions to historic landmarks.
The Quadricentennial will also witness the official unveiling, on July 2 at 5:30 p.m., of a bronze statue of Samuel de Champlain by Vermont sculptor Jim Sardonis. Longtime Champlain College supporter Dr. John W. Heise, Jr., commissioned the work.
Campus Catalysts
The driving forces behind the conference are two Champlain professors, Willard Sterne Randall and Nancy Nahra. The couple shares a passion for history, having lectured widely on the history of the Lake Champlain region and its inhabitants.
For 22 summers, they have traveled to France, often with an eye toward finding primary sources on explorers such as Samuel de Champlain. Over the past three summers they reviewed his memoirs, examined his maps and sketches, and visited his childhood home of Brouage, a medieval village on the Atlantic coast of France.
"Linking a highly developed civilization to a place rich in resources, Samuel de Champlain demonstrated an energetic optimism that still marks the culture of people who found rewards and satisfaction in a vigorous lifestyle where we live and work today," Randall says.
"The lake is so much a part of what we are here in our region," Nahra adds. "And through it, Samuel de Champlain's history collides with our own."
Nahra will edit the research presented during the conference, which will then be published for further scholarly review and distributed widely to libraries.
Champlain College President David F. Finney recognizes that the 400th anniversary celebration presents a rare opportunity for the College. "It seemed to me we just couldn't let this go by. We are Champlain. The lake is Champlain, and he's the guy," Finney says.
"This allows us to celebrate tradition, and it will illustrate to the world that Champlain College is a serious academic place. It also reinforces the strong ties that we have to the community."

To learn more, visit
www.champlainquadricentennial.com or www.celebratechamplain.org.
To learn more about Champlain College www.champlain.edu