Marian Miner Cook
Athenaeum

A distinctive
feature of social and
cultural life at CMC

 

Welcome to The Athenaeum

Unique in American higher education, the Marian Miner Cook Athenaeum (the “Ath”) is a signature program of Claremont McKenna College. Four nights a week during the school year, the Ath brings scholars, public figures, thought leaders, artists, and innovators to engage with the CMC and Claremont College community. In addition, the Ath also hosts lunch speakers, roundtables, and smaller presentations in its two auxiliary dining rooms.

For decades, the Ath has hosted a spectrum of luminaries with expertise and insight on a wide range of topics, both historical and contemporary. In the Ath’s intimate yet stimulating setting, students, faculty, staff, and other community members gather to hear the speaker, pose questions, and to build community and exchange ideas over a shared meal.

At the core of the Ath is a longstanding commitment to student growth and learning. Central to the Ath are its student fellows, selected annually to host, introduce, and moderate discussion with the featured speaker. Priority is given to students in attendance during the question-and-answer session following every presentation. Moreover, speakers often take extra time to visit a class, meet with student interest groups, or give an interview to the student press and podcast team.

Thu, December 5, 2024
Dinner Program
Adrian Flynn '25, guitar
...and YOU!

Join us for the Second Annual Athenaeum Singing Party, an extension of a beloved CMC tradition to cap off the semester.

For decades, renowned Professor of Government Ward Elliott (1937 - 2022) held "singing parties" every semester in his home. Featuring his wife Myrna's legendary seven-layer dip, Ward's guitar and piano, and an abundance of good cheer, these events drew crowds of students, faculty, staff, and friends, who all gathered to sing folk songs from the 1960s, 70s, 80s, and beyond.

After dinner, we'll gather 'round the the piano with a pianist and Adrian Flynn '25 on guitar, who will lead us in an evening of song. But remember: this is a singing party, so attendees should feel free to bring their own instruments (guitars especially) and song requests. Don't know the songs? No problem -- we'll have lyrics for you. But come ready to sing!

Possible songs include: 

Blowin’ in the Wind

California Dreamin

The MTA Song

The Sound of Silence

Leavin’ on a Jet Plane

Build Me Up Buttercup

16 Tons

Puff the Magic Dragon

Wonderful World (Don’t Know Much About History)

Surfer Girl

Tainted Love

… and your favorites!

Read more about the speaker

Adrian Flynn '25 is an International Relations and Public Policy dual major from New York City, and was a Woolley Athenaeum Fellow in the 2023-2024 academic year. Alongside his interest in international space policy and science diplomacy, Adrian is an artist and guitarist.

Professor Ward E.Y. Elliott (1937 - 2022) was the Burnet C. Wohlford Professor Emeritus of American Political Institutions. He joined the CMC faculty in 1968, and had the rare distinction of serving under all five CMC Presidents. A scholar of American government, constitutional law, the Supreme Court, and the economy, Elliott held three degrees from Harvard, and served for two years as Order of Battle Officer in the U.S Army's 1st Cavalry Division at the Korean DMZ. His interests extended into smog prevention and Shakespeare; a prolific author, he published numerous articles in journals including Ethics, Shakespeare Quarterly, Oxfordian, Tennessee Law Review, Computers in the Humanities, and the Transportation Quarterly. Alongside John Roth and Gordon Bjork, he co-founded CMC's Philosophy, Politics, and Economics (PPE) program in 1985. Even after his retirement in 2014, Elliott remained active at CMC, attending his last Athenaeum dinner in October 2022. He passed away on December 6, 2022 at the age of 85 and is missed by generations of CMC faculty, staff, and students.

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Marian Miner Cook Athenaeum

Claremont McKenna College
385 E. Eighth Street
Claremont, CA 91711

Contact

Phone: (909) 621-8244 
Fax: (909) 621-8579 
Email: