Marg M. Balcom Memorial Archival Fellowship

The Marg M. Balcom Memorial Archival Fellowship honors former Director, former President of the Board, and longtime volunteer of the Natick Historical Society (NHS), Marg M. Balcom. Beginning in 2007, Marg offered wisdom and leadership across many areas at the NHS, but the archives were always her special interest. The Marg M. Balcom Memorial Archival Fellowship celebrates Marg’s foresight and fortitude in preserving and making accessible the archival resources of the NHS to all who share her passion for the past.

The Fellowship is designed to support aspiring or emerging archivists. Fellows work closely with NHS staff and volunteers and have the opportunity to do historical research and work with special format items, including photographs, rare books, and manuscripts. After their work, Fellows present a summary of their work to the NHS community.

Jennifer Coale

Jennifer Coale has been awarded the second Marg M. Balcom Archival Fellowship and will begin her work in the Summer of 2022. Jen graduated from Natick High School, holds a BA from the University of Massachusetts Boston, and recently earned her MLIS degree from Simmons University. Jen has also served in the United States military for seventeen years and held the position of Staff Sergeant, among other roles.

Jen has called Natick home for over three decades. “While I have come and gone,” Jen tells us, “I have always come home.” In her work at the NHS, she has been inspired by the women of Natick’s past who have always supported the community: “Without the support of Natick women in the hospitals, schools, libraries, and more, I don’t believe our town would be what it is today.” Jen hopes to follow in their footsteps by giving some of her time and talents to the NHS. “I want to believe that my work will make it possible for the women of tomorrow to see what the women of yesterday accomplished.” We know it will, Jen!

Jen's work for the fellowship will focus on organizing, updating, and rehousing existing NHS collections, including the historical collections of the Natick Historical Society.

Rachel Speyer Besancon

Rachel Speyer Besancon has been awarded the first Marg M. Balcom Archival Fellowship and will begin her work in Fall of 2020. Rachel grew up in South Natick and graduated magna cum laude from Wellesley College (‘19), where she studied political science and astronomy. Rachel has been a Research and Collections Intern at the NHS since October 2019. Rachel tells us that she “really enjoys learning about the complexities of the lives that people lived before me on the very same ground. It’s fascinating to find parallels to our lives in our local history.” In her spare time, Rachel is an avid follower of the Red Sox and enjoys knitting, cooking, and baking.

Rachel’s work for the fellowship will center around the Founders Collection, which includes documents, books, and manuscripts obtained by the Natick Historical Society over many decades. Materials in the Founders Collection date mostly from the 18th and 19th centuries and relate to Natick’s history.