BETHEL – Paul T. Burlin, PhD, professor of history and interim dean, College of Arts and Sciences, University of New England, Biddeford, presented the first of the 2007 lecture series, “Maine Character and Characters,” in the Bethel Historical Society’s Dr. Moses Mason House meeting room on May 10.

Titled “Maine-Hawaii Connections” and based on his recent book on the same topic, Burlin explored the 19th-century Maine families who played a prominent role in a formative period of Hawaiian history.

Many of the Maine people went to Hawaii to fulfill missionary callings, but ended up staying and were instrumental in brining the future state under American control. Names like Sewell, Dole, Stevens and Blaine assumed roles in the transition.

Burlin received his undergraduate degree in philosophy from Heidelberg College and his PhD in American history from Rutgers University. Upon graduation from college, he served in the Peace Corps in Micronesia, where he developed an interest in American imperialism, particularly in the Pacific.

Burlin lives in Portland with his wife and two sons. On June 1, he will be on a 15-month sabbatical working on several new projects.

Burlin’s appearance in Bethel was made possible, in part, from a grant from the Maine Humanities Council.

For more information about the society, call 824-2908 or 1-800-824-2910, e-mail [email protected] or visit www.bethelhistorical.org.