Display Honoring Madeleine Giguere at Franco-American Collection

July 2004

The Franco-American Collection at USM's Lewiston-Auburn College will be displaying photos, programs, and articles related to the life and accomplishments of Madeleine Giguère who died May 13. Ms. Giguère was former director of the Collection and professor emerita of sociology at USM. The window display, entitled "Madeleine Giguère: The Franco-American Marraine," will remain up through the summer and at the Festival de Joie July 30, 31, and August 1.

The display includes one of her favorite paintings she donated to the Collection. The oil on canvas by Marc Poirier shows a view of Lewiston from the Auburn side of the Androscoggin and includes SS Peter and Paul Church and the Libbey Mill.

Madeleine Giguère, a life-long Lewiston resident, was known locally and regionally as la marraine (the godmother) of Franco-Americans. She had a long and distinguished academic career as an internationally recognized sociologist specializing in ethnic and women's issues.

She attended St. Peter's grammar school, graduated from Lewiston High School, and then received degrees from the Ursulines' College of New Rochelle, Fordham University, and Columbia University. Beginning in 1967 she taught at the University of Southern Maine, where she remained for more than two decades and established Franco-American Studies as a legitimate and important part of her curriculum.

The author and editor of numerous groundbreaking publications about Franco Americans, she was an internationally recognized authority on the analysis of the U.S. Census since 1970. Professor Giguère was instrumental in having ethnic heritage questions included in these fundamental national surveys, and because of her meticulous examination of this data, the Franco-Americans' quiet presence in Maine and throughout New England was documented and made more visible.

Madeleine was instrumental in establishing the Franco-American Collection (formerly known as the Centre d'Heritage Franco-Americain) at USM's Lewiston-Auburn College. She served for seven years as volunteer director and contributed her substantial private collection to its holdings. Its Reading Room is named in her honor.

From Governor Kenneth Curtis to Governor Angus King, Madeleine served on statewide committees defending women's rights and promoting Franco-American contributions to Maine. Her many awards and affiliations include her appointment to the Advisory Council on the Status of Women (1973), the U.S. Advisory Commission on Civil Rights (1979), and the Commission to Study Development of Maine's Franco-Americans (1997). In 1992, the Library of Congress recognized her for research regarding Acadian culture.

Locally, Madeleine was a long-time member of the Lewiston Public Library Board of Trustees and the Lewiston Historical Commission. A life-long parishioner of SS Peter and Paul Church, she was a member of the planning committee and actively involved in the church's restoration efforts.

To memorialize her accomplishments, Lewiston-Auburn College has set up a fund in her name to continue her efforts in developing the Franco-American Collection as a premier archive and resource center on the largest ethnic group in the state. For more information, contact the Franco-American Collection, 753-6545, 51 Westminster Street, Lewiston, ME 04240.

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