Circle of Benches to Memorialize Late Senator

When Joel Schwartz met the late Sen. Paul Wellstone nearly 40 years ago, the two seemed destined for friendship.

Joel Schwartz was professor of political science at UNC, and Paul Wellstone, a recent graduate, was beginning his doctoral studies. He served as Paul Wellstone's adviser and teacher in two seminars.

"Our families became friends due to a confluence of interest," said Myrna Schwartz, Joel's wife. "Sheila (Wellstone) and I both worked in Wilson Library ... and of course, our husbands were in the same academic department."

Paul Wellstone later accepted a position teaching political science at Carleton College in Northfield, Minn., and in 1990 campaigned successfully in the Minnesota senate race.

Despite separation over the years, the two families remained in close contact.

Joel Schwartz and his family even invited the Wellstones to share their two-bedroom apartment while both professors taught a summer course at the University of California-Berkeley.

"Living together cemented our relationship," Joel Schwartz said. "We truly were family."

On Oct. 25, a tragic plane crash ended the lives of Paul Wellstone, his wife and their daughter while they were on the senator's campaign for re-election. The crash shook the lives of those who were close to the Wellstones.

"We went into a period of mourning," Joel Schwartz said of he and his wife. "It was like a surrealistic trance."

Out of mourning came a desire to honor Paul Wellstone's legacy.

The Schwartz family collaborated with UNC School of Law Dean Gene Nichol, who befriended the Wellstones during his own unsuccessful senate campaign in Colorado.

After some deliberation, they chose to dedicate a circle of benches next to the newly renovated Murphey Hall.

Those involved with the memorial said they think that the idea is very fitting for the late senator, who was a proponent of interaction and community.

In Paul Wellstone's campaigns for senator, Joel Schwartz said, he visited numerous small towns to gain strong local followings.

"Paul believed that Democratic politics concerned ideas at the most grass-roots level possible," he said. "We felt a circle of benches was symbolically the best way to express what he stood for."

Nichol said the benches would be representative of Paul Wellstone's political beliefs. "Paul engaged in politics meant to lift people's lives," Nichol said. "It is very fitting for UNC to have a memorial to Wellstone."

At its completion, the circle of teak-wood benches will be surrounded by flowers."We want to make it a place people naturally gravitate to," Joel Schwartz said.

Each bench will feature an inscription with a saying or phrase related to Paul Wellstone's family or career. Joel Schwartz said the memorial also might include a granite centerpiece.

Those involved hope that the project will be completed by early fall next year, but the task of funding remains an obstacle.

The memorial will cost $25,000 -- an amount set by UNC's Development Office -- and the funds are being accumulated solely by donations.

"It shouldn't take very long (to raise money)," Joel Schwartz said. "There are people who were touched by Paul that we don't even know about."

Those wanting to make donations can make out a check to UNC-Chapel Hill and write "Wellstone Benches" in the memo. Checks should be sent to Andi Soubee, P.O. Box 0309, Chapel Hill, NC, 27514.

After Joel Schwartz did an interview about Paul Wellstone and the memorial project with a Minnesota radio station, he received several e-mails from people in Minnesota who wanted to contribute. "We have no doubt that we will raise $25,000 by the end of spring semester," he said.

Joel Schwartz and Nichol said that they feel confident about the undertaking and that they possess a strong dedication to honor a man who has left such a legacy in Chapel Hill.

"Wellstone was not only an alumnus," Nichol said. "Paul Wellstone, in my judgement, has been, in the last decade, one of the most inspiring public figures in American life."

The Features Editor can be reached at features@unc.edu.