The third term begins...

After his 1972 reelection victory over John Chafee, Pell returned to Washington with an ambitious agenda, and his new look. The look symbolized a new period in his life, the subject (among others) of Chapter Six, which I am now writing.
Here is a photo of Pell in the fall of 1973.

Celebration at the Pell Center

Last night, family and friends of Claiborne Pell joined Pell Grant recipients at Salve Regina University's Pell Center for a celebration of the grant program and the winner of the first Legacy Award: Rochelle Denisha Gregory, who told her extraordinarily compelling story. A documentary film crew including producer Elyse Katz was on hand; Elyse, director Steve Feinberg and Pell grandson Clay are making a film about the success of the Pell Grants (I am serving as consultant). A great evening in Newport.
Pictured are: Nuala on the "set," actually a reconstruction of Pell's hideaway office (note the painting of Nuala and Claiborne on the wall); Clay, daughter Dallas, granddaughter Tripler, Nuala and former Congressman Louis Stokes, who served 30 years with Pell; Elyse, Dallas and others on the set; a view of Nuala before the camera, Steve back to me; and Rochelle at the podium.

Nuala on the campaign trail

Have finally finished Chapter 5, likely to be the longest chapter. The focus is the Pell Grants, Pell's opposition to the Vietnam War, and his tough 1972 reelection race against John Chafee. He won, of course, with a strategy that called on his wife to again hit the trail, as she had so effectively in 1960 (the 1966 race was a blowout). Nuala impressed the people (and media) that she met during speeches and door-to-door campaigning. Here she is leaving a house in October 1972. Note the Pell literature in her hand. And that white picket fence is so '50s (and early '70s).

Pell Grants; a 'Titanic Struggle'

The year 1972 was one of the busiest for Pell. It was the year he finally realized his ambition of a college-aid program that would come to be called the Pell Grants, an ambition accomplished in the thick of angry debate over busing; the year he began as a huge underdog for reelection against John Chafee, a campaign The Providence Journal rightly caleld a "Titanic Struggle"; and the year his mother died. I am writing all this now in the longest chapter yet of the bio.
When the year was over, Pell grew a mustache. Here's a shot of him wearing it. A very different look for A Very Different Senator.
And also, a flyer from the 1972 campaign. A very clever pun of a slogan, "Pell: When you stop to think."