Yale Dean Headlines Cheshire-Wallingford League of Women Voters Annual Dinner

Allegra di Bonaventura will be the guest speaker at the Cheshire-Wallingford League of Women Voters annual dinner meeting on Wednesday, June 5, at the Waverly Inn in Cheshire. 

Dr. di Bonaventura is assistant dean of the Yale Graduate School of Arts and Sciences and oversees Ph.D. and Masters programs in humanities and social sciences. Her doctoral dissertation was awarded the William Egleston Prize as the best dissertation in American History in 2008, and it was the basis for her recent book, For Adam’s Sake.   

Subtitled “A Family Saga in Colonial New England,” the book deals with the settlement of New London, Connecticut and highlights the lives of two men, Joshua Hempstead and John Jackson, who were master and slave.  By rare good fortune, Joshua Hempstead kept a diary for more than 40 years and it was preserved. 

It described daily life of the Hempstead family and it was the starting point for di Bonaventura’s research into the lives of colonial settlers in New London. Slavery was part of the New England life style before the Revolution, a little-known fact.  Fascinatingly descriptive of many aspects of the lives of these people, For Adam’s Sake is a compelling read and Allegra di Boneventura’s presentation promises to be an event to remember. 

The Cheshire –Wallingford League of Women Voters will also hold a business meeting to elect officers for the coming year as well as introduce scholarship awardees.  It begins at 6 p.m. with a social gathering and dinner.  Reservations may be made by calling Elaine Lau at (203) 272-0819.