A visit to the local Jewish cemetery taught Timothy McCall '08 of Lawrenceville, N.J., a timeless lesson in history.

After spending the summer researching the livelihoods of Jewish merchants who arrived in Lewiston-Auburn in the 1870s, first from Germany and then from Eastern Europe, McCall decided to "fully connect with the community" by visiting the graves of individuals whose names he recognized from weeks of primary-source research.

McCall, a double major in history and German, had been comparing the history of the Jewish community to the larger economic story of the twin cities of the Androscoggin. "The Jews were very much dependent on the mills for their livelihood and the solvency of their businesses," McCall writes. As the area's once thriving textile and shoe mills disappeared, so too did the Jewish community shrink. "For the Jewish merchants, the closures meant their loyal customers were without jobs and without disposable income."

At the Beth Abraham cemetery in New Auburn, McCall, a member of the Catholic Student Community at Bates, saw the lovingly maintained graves, their headstones covered with small stones by visitors in accordance with Jewish tradition. The experience sent McCall a powerful message about his discipline. "People still remember the dead and what life was like," he says. "So long as those memories survive and are preserved, the Jewish communities in Lewiston-Auburn will never be forgotten."

McCall received funding for his research from a Harward Center Community Partnership Grant. He secured the stipend just after completing "Introduction to Historical Methods," a Short Term unit required of all history majors that focuses on critical analysis, research skills and historiography.