At our recent annual meeting, History Cambridge elected three members to our board of directors. Susan Tomlinson, Owen Payette McGarry and Betsy Bard each bring a unique perspective on living and working in Cambridge, and we are excited to have their passion for history and community as part of the team.
Tomlinson is an associate professor of English at the University of Massachusetts, Boston, where she teaches courses in African American literature and American women’s fiction. She holds a bachelor of arts from Sarah Lawrence College and a doctorate from Brown University, where she wrote her dissertation on the Harlem Renaissance author and editor Jessie Redmon Fauset.
Tomlinson describes her relationship to Cambridge’s history stemming from the city’s historic markers and how they have piqued her curiosity about the everyday experiences of extraordinary Cantabrigians:
“The Cambridge History site markers have been my Narnia portals since I moved to the area 20 years ago. Their size makes them impossible to miss and spacious enough for details that bring their historic occupants back to life for as long as we stand, read, and imagine. I still get a flutter right before passing the Flagg Street house where W.E.B. Du Bois lived when he was a Harvard student and the Irving Street house where William James wrote Varieties of Religious Experience and letters to his sister and brother in England. Pauline Hopkins’ commute from Clifton Street to the Colored American Magazine offices in downtown Boston was longer than Du Bois’ or James’ stroll to campus. Was there a trolley to the nearest T, or did she walk? I imagine how tired she must have been when she got home and the energy and determination it took to write her novels after a day’s work. And she lived with her parents; was she always well-behaved at dinner?”
Raised in North Cambridge, McGarry has deep roots in the Cambridge-Somerville community. A Rhode Island School of Design graduate with a bachelor of fine arts degree in industrial design, he’s forged a unique career path within historic trades. From shipwright to homing pigeon trainer, joiner and now a historically informed hand-poke tattoo artist, his work reflects a lifelong passion for history.
McGarry sees his art and his interest in local history as intertwined, helping to bring new perspectives to light:
“I was born in North Cambridge and have spent much of my life in Somerville and Cambridge, where I work as a tattoo artist at Lucky’s in Central Square doing historically informed hand-poked tattoos. My interest in history has always permeated my art. Particularly in recent years I’ve begun using my tattooing in museum and living history settings to educate the public about the past from unexpected perspectives. I joined the board of directors in the hopes of contributing my skills as an artist and communicator to help preserve and tell stories of Cambridge’s past.”
Bard, a retired Cambridge Rindge and Latin High School social worker and advocate for youth, dedicated 35 years to supporting students and families. Inspired by Anna Deavere Smith, she founded The Theater Project, directing documentary theater with youth to explore social justice issues.
Bard stresses the importance of sharing the stories of a wide variety of Cantabrigians so everyone can see themselves reflected in the city’s rich history:
“I have lived in Cambridge for 55 years and its history is a big part of what makes it such a special place for me to call home. I love learning and writing about our city’s fascinating historical events and the people who have shaped it. I feel it’s so important to preserve and share the stories of long ago in a way that connects us both to the past and to each other. I am so eager to join History Cambridge because they have made history accessible and inclusive in a way that everyone has the possibility of seeing themselves reflected in the stories that are told.”
Their experience and perspectives will help us to collect and share the stories of all Cantabrigians and create deeper connections within the Cambridge community.
About History Cambridge
History Cambridge started in 1905 as the Cambridge Historical Society. Today we have a new name and a new mission. We engage with our city to explore how the past influences the present to shape a better future. We recognize that every person in our city knows something about Cambridge’s history, and their knowledge matters. We listen to our community and we live by the ideal that history belongs to everyone. Throughout 2025, we are focusing on the history of East Cambridge. Make history with us at historycambridge.org.
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Beth Folsom is programs manager for History Cambridge.
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