01:15 PM EDT on Monday, April 11, 2005

Frank the Moderator: Greetings all. I hope everyone was able to read G. Wayne Miller's story on the Pells. He will be logging in today at noon for your questions, comments and thoughts about the story and the Pell family.
Please feel free to post questions now.
Thanks.

The Pells: A remarkable life

Read G. Wayne Miller's story on Nuala and Claiborne Pell

talk: Wayne -- How long did it take for you to get close to the Pells. Were there many short meetings, or a few longer sit downs? Great story thanks.
G. Wayne Miller: I met the Pells several years ago when I wrote a series about a Newport summer. And then I have run into them every year at a Christmas party in Newport. At the last one, I asked Nuala if i could write this story. She ran it by Claiborne, who said yes. So that was the beginning. I then spent several hours with them over four separate days; Connie Grosch, who took the photos, spent a day of her own. My first day there was relatively short, but the Pells warmed up to the idea and I was there longer on subsequent days. I also talked several times to Nuala by phone. Glad you liked the story! Thanks.

zoldano: What was the most 'remarkable' thing that struck you about the Pells as a couple?
G. Wayne Miller: I guess the fact that they have been married for 60 years. That is an extraordinary achievement, especially given that both their parents divorced and remarried. And they are still together now, with Claiborne so sick.

zoldano: Why do you think the Pells let you borrow their personal scrapbooks for publishing?
G. Wayne Miller: Well, I asked for them -- any time I do a story like this, I welcome any additional materil besides interviews that will help with the narrative. Then we figured it would be nice to publish some of them. I asked Nuala and she saw no reason not to. I think she and Claiborne are proud of what they have done, and also, they have been such public figures for so long that a glimpse into their scrapbooks wasn't anything off-putting.

Frank the Moderator: Wayne -- In your story, Claiborne is hardly quoted, Nuala does all the talking. What sense did you get from the Senator about this.
G. Wayne Miller: He was there to correct her, or to add -- sparingly, of course -- when she was telling the story. The sense I got was that Claiborne was happy that he has her to speak for him, now that he can barely speak for himself.

Apanciera: In an online guestbook that projo.com is running with your Pell story, one of the posters talks about how fortunate Rhode Island has been to have such "honorable" senators as Pell and the former and current Chafees. Is there anything special about the old-money world they come from that might lend itself to that?
G. Wayne Miller : It wasn't the old-money world per se, because most of the inhabitants of that world do not get involved in public service. Nuala's parents, for example. But Claiborne inherited a sense of nobless oblige from his father and other relatives. It's actually a European practice: most of the great Italian artists, for example, were supported in their work by wealthy patrons.

Frank the Moderator: Will you continue to be in touch with the Pells and will there be other stories.
G. Wayne Miller: I will stay in touch with the Pells, because I found them so charming and interesting. But I do not at this point have any plans to write another story. I think I said all I have to say!

Frank the Moderator: Wayne -- A question from a editor here in the newsroom: What sense did you get of the Pell's spiritual life? Are they religious people?
G. Wayne Miller: They are Episcopalians, and the sense I got was that they followed that church as many do: by attending Sunday services (although I don't believe Claiborne does any longer). Their spirituality, though, I think comes more from their commitment to the common good. And they have certainly made good on that belief.

Frank the Moderator: Wayne -- A second question from a editor: Who are the Pell's best friends? What do you think it would be like to be a friend of the Pells?
G. Wayne Miller: Bruce Sundlun is one of their best friends. Norenn and John Drexel, of Bellevue Avenue. But really, their best friends seem to be their children and grandchildren -- they are the ones most often at Pelican ledge. What would it be like to be a friend of the Pells? Fascinating. Nuala has so many stories, has seen so much with Claiborne, I can't imagine a friendship would be dull!

Frank the Moderator: You touched on this in the story, a bit: What is the Pell legacy?
G. Wayne Miller: The Pell legacy starts with the Pell Grants, which have helped so many needy students. But it also includes a commitment to world peace, a clean environment, and the arts and humanities.

Frank the Moderator: Thanks Wayne for answering some questions this afternoon.
We will have G. Wayne Miller again on Thursday (from noon to 1 p.m.) to answer more questions about the Pells and his story. Please join us then.