This exhibit uses archival holdings in the Library’s Special Collections & Archives to explore some of Bowdoin’s earliest Asian students, Asian affinity groups, and the development of the Asian Studies program. Our goal is not to present a definitive history, but to introduce a more holistic history of Bowdoin College and bring to light the Asian students and alumni who are an integral, yet under-acknowledged presence at the College.
Early Asian Students: Susan Tomita, Class of 1975
Susan Tomita, Class of 1975
Susan Tomita arrived in Brunswick in 1971 as part of the first class of women students at Bowdoin College. Hailing from Seattle, she arrived on campus with her high school classmate Mark Lincicome, Class of 1975 and another high school alum, Edwin Lee, Class of 1974, as mentor.
At Bowdoin, Tomita earned her B.A. in Philosophy and enjoyed classes with Professor John Turner (Hispanic Studies) and Professor June Vail (Dance).
At Bowdoin, Tomita earned her B.A. in Philosophy and enjoyed classes with Professor John Turner (Hispanic Studies) and Professor June Vail (Dance). Socially, Tomita was integral in establishing a “coffeehouse” space in the basement of Baxter House that hosted a broad range of creative activities. Dana Bourgeois, Class of 1975, described the coffeehouse in the Orient:
The “Coffeeshop” [...] has in the past assumed the identity of a leather workshop, a pantomime playhouse, a poetry workshop, a cooking laboratory, a gigantic easel for ambition mural artists, a dance hop, and more often than not a gather place for people who like to play and listen to music.
After Bowdoin, Tomita attended Georgetown University Law Center (1980, JD) and retired as Director of Special Projects at The American Law Institute.
[Abelardo Morell ’71 “Susan Tomita,” photograph, in Bowdoin Bugle 1972-1973]