$25,000 Matching Pledge for the Murray Endowment
In honor of the Melville Society’s 75th anniversary, Professor Dennis Berthold, an esteemed Melville scholar and longtime supporter of the Melville Society, has generously pledged to match donations in any amount up to $25,000, directed to the Society’s Murray Endowment, between June 1 and November 1, 2023.
Any amount you give during this time will be matched dollar for dollar, for a maximum total of $50,000.
Since its founding, the Melville Society has sought to foster an appreciation for Melville’s writings and influence. In recent decades, the Society has expanded its scope, membership, and outreach to advance the reading and enjoyment of Melville’s works to a diverse audience. We are proud that our membership includes not only college and university professors but also high school teachers, artists, writers, and a wide range of readers who share our enthusiasm for Melville’s writings. Efforts to sustain and expand the Society’s activities depend on the generous support of its members and friends.
The Murray Endowment, established in 1987 by Melville scholar and Harvard psychology professor Henry A. Murray, is a major source of financial support for the Melville Society. To date, it has mainly funded the Society’s publications, primarily its award-winning journal Leviathan. Prof. Berthold’s pledge—paired with members’ donations—will enhance the Endowment’s ability to support the Society’s many other endeavors as well, including conference travel grants, research fellowships, essay awards, digital projects, and the Melville Society Cultural Project and Archive in New Bedford, Massachusetts.
We are grateful for Prof. Berthold’s matching pledge and the opportunity it provides to strengthen the Murray Endowment and advance the Society’s goals. This donation joins significant recent gifts from Professor Wyn Kelley to the Murray Endowment and from Professor Robert K. Wallace to the Murray Endowment and to the Melville Society Cultural Project fund. As always, Murray Endowment disbursements will be limited to the interest generated by the principal.
To donate online, please visit our donate page.
You may also donate by mail by sending a check to:
The Melville Society,
c/o Steven Olsen-Smith, Treasurer
1910 University Drive
Department of English Literature
Boise State University
Boise, Idaho, 83725-1525
All donations are tax-exempt under the Melville Society’s status as a 501(c)(3) organization.
Prof. Dennis Berthold presenting at the 8th International Melville Society Conference in Rome, June 2011
