Alumni

History

Introduction
Founded in 1958 by Richard Dorsay, LCS consisted of a group of students who would make regular visits to a nearby mental hospital. During the 1960s, LCS prospered with over 1,000 volunteers, and it was featured on the cover of Life magazine. In the 1970s, membership dwindled to 15 members. LCS began to regain popularity in the 1980s and even more so in the 1990s. Today, LCS has expanded its programs and opportunities to a point never before seen in its history. With a volunteer corps of over 1000 and a staff of 85, LCS serves as an umbrella organization for over 25 different programs. LCS's programs, resources, and leadership capacity have become widely recognized within the Tufts community as well as with the hundreds of community organizations, agencies, and people with whom we work.		  

LCS volunteers in 1968


Before the Leonard Carmichael Society
Prior to the founding of the Leonard Carmichael Society, other Tufts students also contributed to volunteerism and service on the Tufts campus. Gerald Scoones, a member of the Class of 1959, started one such initiative by bringing children from the local mental hospital to his fraternity's Christmas party in 1955. After the Christmas party, he continued to involve other students and influence the lives of children who were otherwise forgotten by bringing them back onto campus for various events. Mr. Scoones, along with others like him, no doubt contributed to the growth of the popularity of service work on campus that led to the formation of the Leonard Carmichael Society in 1958.



Dr. Leonard Carmichael: The Legacy Lives On
Fifty-one years ago, a group of students were interested in starting up a community service organization at Tufts. They had the student volunteers, the outside contacts, and the plan in place, but they needed a name. They needed a name that was reflective of the kind of dignity and respect their enterprise deserved. They needed a name that was familiar and friendly to the Tufts community as well as one that was recognizable to the diverse populations of people outside of Medford and Somerville. They needed a name that was representative of the motivation behind the work they would be doing: a devotion to expanding one's horizons in an effort to seek out a better tomorrow. They chose the name of Leonard Carmichael.

  

Blood Drive 1992