Suffolk University is a private, non-sectarian, university located in Boston, Massachusetts and with about 9,500 students, it is the fourth largest university in Boston.^[2] It was founded as a law school in 1906 and named after its location in Suffolk County, Massachusetts.

The university is co-educational and comprises the Suffolk University Law School, the Suffolk College of Arts and Sciences, the Sawyer Business School, and the New England School of Art and Design at Suffolk University (NESAD) It has one international campus in Madrid, Spain in addition to the main campus in downtown Boston. Due to its location and well-known law school, Suffolk often attracts notable scholars and prominent speakers; for example, former President John F. Kennedy,^[3] former Chief Justice of the United States, William Rehnquist,^[4] and former President George H.W. Bush.^[5]

History[link]

Founded in 1906 by lawyer Gleason Archer, Sr., Suffolk University was initially named "Archer's Evening Law School" but soon became Suffolk School of Law. The school's goal was to "serve ambitious young men who are obliged to work for a living while studying law."^[6]

In 1907, Archer moved the school from his Roxbury, Massachusetts home into his downtown Boston law offices. A year later the first of Archer's students had passed the bar, leading to a boost in registration.^[6]

By 1930, Archer developed Suffolk into one of the largest law schools in the country, and decided to create "a great evening university" that working people could afford.^[6] The Suffolk College of Arts and Sciences was founded in 1934, and the Sawyer Business School -- then known as the College of Business Administration—in 1937. That same year, the three academic units were incorporated as Suffolk University.^[6]

During the 1990s Suffolk constructed its first residence halls, began satellite programs with other colleges in Massachusetts, and opened its international campuses.^[6] From 1990 to 2005, its endowment increased over 400%, to approximately $72 million and tuition climbed.^[7]

Presidents (1906–present)[link]

• Gleason Archer, Sr. (1906–1948)
• Walter Burse (1948–1954)
• Robert Munce (1954–1960)
• Dennis C. Haley (1960–1965)
• John E. Fenton (1965–1970)
• Thomas Fulham (1970–1980)
• Daniel Perlman (1980–1989)
• David Sargent (1989–2010)
• Barry Brown (2010–2012) (interim)
• James McCarthy (2012–present)

Campus[link]

Sargent Hall

The main campus in downtown Boston is situated on well-known Beacon Hill, adjacent to the Massachusetts State House and the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court. Up until 1995, Suffolk was a commuter-only school. Today, there are four residence halls, housing about 90% of freshman, and a total of 25% of the entire undergraduate population. The Residence Halls are:

• 150 Tremont
• Miller Hall
• 10 West
• Modern Theatre Hall

The residence hall at 150 Tremont Street was the first built by the university and currently houses students in singles, doubles, quads, and suites, with communal bathrooms. Nathan R. Miller Residence Hall (located at 10 Somerset St.) was opened in 2005 and houses 15 floors of freshman, and 2 floors of sophomores in singles, doubles and quads, with bathrooms shared between every two rooms. 10 West/10 West Expansion is the newest residence hall and has housing for freshman and sophomores in singles, doubles and a variety of apartment style suites.

Both Miller Hall and 150 Tremont have cafeterias. Students living at 10 West can choose to at either cafeteria. Suffolk University occasionally leases additional properties (such as the Hyatt & Holiday Inn Beacon Hill). If leased, those locations house freshman students.

The Modern Theatre Resident Hall opened in the fall of 2010. It is also considered an extension to the 10 West Resident Hall. It is built over the new Modern Theatre, at Suffolk University.

In addition to its main campus in Boston, there are satellite campuses in Madrid, Spain, and Cape Cod, Massachusetts.

Academics[link]

Suffolk employs nearly 800 full-time and adjunct faculty members, who instruct approximately 9,500 undergraduate and graduate students.^[8]

The Sawyer Business School (previously the Sawyer School of Management) focuses on global business education.^[9] It offers undergraduate and graduate degrees. Joint degrees are also offered. About 3,000 students are currently enrolled in all programs. The Saturday-only Executive MBA Program incorporates four off-site one-week seminars and week-long global trips to London and China. The Global MBA is a specialized MBA in international business with an intensive concentration in either finance or marketing. The full-time program includes a 3-month internship outside the student's home country. Summer 2010 Global MBA internships are in 10 countries. Part-time Global MBAs complete either a global experiential research project at their place of business or a 3-month consulting project that includes an intensive 2 week residency outside the US.^[10]

The Suffolk College of Arts and Sciences has seventeen academics departments which offer more than seventy undergraduate and graduate programs. Among the departments is the New England School of Art and Design (NESAD)^{[11] [12]}

Suffolk University Law School, founded in 1906, offers a standard Juris Doctor program and advanced L.L.M. program. 43% of applicants were admitted to the J.D. program in 2005.^[13]

The university is also home to various research centers and institutes, including the Beacon Hill Institute, a "free-market think-tank,"^[14] the Centers for Crime & Justice Policy Research, Restorative Justice, and Women's Health and Human Right, the Poetry Center, Political Research Centers, the R.S. Friedman Field Station, and the Sagan Energy Research Laboratory.^[15] The Suffolk University Political Research Center (SUPRC) conducts various scientific polls of national and regional political issues.^[16]

Rankings[link]

In 2011 U.S. News ranked Suffolk #60 in Regional Universities (North).^[17] In 2009 U.S. News ranked Suffolk in the "top tier of “Best Master’s Universities” in the North" and #7 in "Best College: Most International Students” attending master’s programs."^[18] Suffolk is also listed annually in the Princeton Review rankings of "The Best 376 Colleges," including a ranking in the top 25 entrepreneurship programs in the World.^[19] The 2011 edition of U.S. News publication ranked Suffolk Law School 20th in the United States for its legal clinics, 13th for its Alternative Dispute Resolution program, and 15th for its Legal Writing. The ILRG also has numerous other categories and ranks Suffolk University Law School as the 68th most selective law school, 45th for job placement before graduation, 78th for job placement after 9 months, 23rd for best bar passer rates among first time takers, 14th when ranking the school versus the state average for bar passage rates, 92nd for student to faculty ratio and 87th overall for student median LSAT/GPAs.^{[20][21][22][23][24]} Law & Politics' 2010 ranking of law schools ranked Suffolk University Law School 33rd overall.^[25] In 2010, The Social Science Research Network ranked Suffolk 25th in the country.^[26] Leiter's ranking of most desirable law schools lists Suffolk as the 35th most desirable law school in the country.^[27][28] Law.com ranks Suffolk 54th overall for best job placement and employment trends into "BigLaw" with eleven percent of the class entering Big Law.^[29][30] In 2010, The Hylton Rankings placed Suffolk University Law School 94th overall among all law schools.^[31]

Student Life[link]

Thirteen athletic teams from Suffolk compete in the NCAA Division III.^[32]

The student organizations on campus are:

Notable persons[link]

Notable alumni[link]

President Sargent, Chairman Macaronis, and Carl Bernstein

• Thomas J. Lane, class of 1925, U.S. Representative from Massachusetts (1941–1963)
• James A. Burke, U.S. Representative from Massachusetts (1959–1979)
• Gleason Archer Jr., class of 1939, theologian
• Martin F. Loughlin, class of 1951, U.S. District Court of New Hampshire, judge (1979–1995)
• David Sargent, class of 1954, President of Suffolk University (1989–2010)
• Joe Moakley, class of 1956, U.S. Representative from Massachusetts 1973-2001
• Judge Frank Caprio, class of 1965, television judge Caught in Providence on ABC; Chief Judge Providence, R.I. Municipal Court
• Gunnar S. Overstrom, Jr., class of 1968, vice-chair of Fleet Boston and president and chief operating officer of the Shawmut National Corporation.
• James Sokolove, class of 1969, television personal injury attorney
• Robert L. Caret, class of 1969, President of Towson University
• Salvatore F. DiMasi, class of 1971, Mass. House of Representatives (1979–2009)
• Richard J. Leon, class of 1974, U.S. District Court of the District of Columbia, judge (2002–present)
• Paul Reiber, class of 1974, Chief Justice of the Vermont Supreme Court
• James Bamford, class of 1975, journalist, author
• Francis Flaherty, class of 1975, Justice of Rhode Island Supreme Court
• William F. Galvin, class of 1975, Secretary of State of Massachusetts
• Dan Harrington, poker player
• Robert A. DeLeo, class of 1976, member of the Mass. House of Representatives (served 1991 - present)
• Jerald G. Fishman, class of 1976, President & CEO, Analog Devices
• John F. Tierney, class of 1976, U.S. Representative from Massachusetts 1997–present
• Paul Suttell, class of 1976, Justice of Rhode Island Supreme Court
• John Loftus, class of 1977, author, television commentator
• Maureen Goldberg, class of 1978, Justice of Rhode Island Supreme Court
• Ronald Machtley, class of 1978, President of Bryant University, U.S. Representative from Rhode Island (1989–1995)
• Michael E. Festa, class of 1979, member of the Mass. House of Representatives (served 1998 - present)
• Nina Mitchell Wells, Secretary of State of New Jersey, 2006–present
• Martin Meehan, class of 1983, U.S. Representative from Massachusetts 1993-2007, current Chancellor of the University of Massachusetts Lowell
• Cheryl Jacques, class of 1987, Legislator, President of the Human Rights Campaign
• Patrick C. Lynch, class of 1992, Attorney General of Rhode Island
• Gary Christenson, class of 1990, 1992, and 2003 (triple alumnus), mayor of Malden, Massachusetts.
• Jenna Mourey, class of 2008, YouTube personality

Notable faculty and trustees[link]

• Joseph Glannon, Professor, well-known writer of Torts and Civil Procedure texts
• Joseph P. Hoar, Trustee, Commander of U.S. central command
• D. Quentin Miller, Professor of English, literary critic
• Gerald Peary, Professor of Communications, noted film critic, reviewer, and columnist
• Charles E. Rounds, Jr., Professor of Law, specialist in agency and trust law
• Susan Starr Sered, Senior Research Associate at Suffolk University's Center for Women's Health and Human Rights, author of books on women's health

Notes and references[link]

External links[link]

• Official website
• Suffolk University History
• Suffolk University Archives

Coordinates: 42°21′31″N 71°03′44″W / 42.358537°N 71.062277°W / 42.358537; -71.062277

Suffolk
Motto of County Council: Guide Our Endeavour
Geography
Status	Ceremonial and non-metropolitan county
Region	East of England[1]
Area - Total - Admin. council	Ranked 8th 3,798 km2 (1,466 sq mi) Ranked 7th
Admin HQ	Ipswich
ISO 3166-2	GB-SFK
ONS code	42
NUTS 3	UKH14
Demography
Population - Total () - Density - Admin. council	31st 719,500 189 /km2 (490 /sq mi) Ranked 13th
Ethnicity	97.2% White
Politics
Suffolk County Council www.suffolk.gov.uk
Executive	Conservative
Members of Parliament	Peter Aldous (C) Therese Coffey (C) Ben Gummer (C) Daniel Poulter (C) David Ruffley (C) Matthew Hancock (C) Tim Yeo (C)
Districts
Ipswich Suffolk Coastal Waveney Mid Suffolk Babergh St Edmundsbury Forest Heath

Suffolk ( /ˈsʌfək/) is a non-metropolitan county of historic origin in East Anglia, England. It has borders with Norfolk to the north, Cambridgeshire to the west and Essex to the south. The North Sea lies to the east. The county town is Ipswich; other important towns include Lowestoft, Bury St Edmunds and Felixstowe, one of the largest container ports in Europe.^[2] It is one of the few counties in the United Kingdom that does not contain a city.

The county is low-lying with very few hills, and is largely arable land with the wetlands of The Broads in the North. The Suffolk Coast and Heaths are an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.

History[link]

Administration[link]

By the 5th century the Angles, after whom East Anglia and England itself are named, had established control of the region and later became the "north folk" and the "south folk", hence, "Norfolk" and "Suffolk". Suffolk, and several adjacent areas, became the kingdom of East Anglia, which was settled by the Angles in the 5th century AD, later merging with Mercia and then Wessex.

Suffolk was divided into separate Quarter Sessions divisions. These were originally four in number, reduced to two in 1860, the eastern division being administered from Ipswich and the western from Bury St Edmunds. The two divisions were made separate administrative counties as East Suffolk and West Suffolk under the Local Government Act 1888, with Ipswich becoming a county borough. A few Essex parishes were also added to Suffolk: Ballingdon-with-Brundon, and parts of Haverhill and Kedington.

Under the Local Government Act 1972, East Suffolk, West Suffolk and Ipswich were merged to form a unified county of Suffolk on 1 April 1974. This was divided into several local government districts: Babergh, Forest Heath, Ipswich, Mid Suffolk, St. Edmundsbury, Suffolk Coastal, and Waveney. This Act also transferred some land near Great Yarmouth to Norfolk. As introduced in Parliament, the Local Government Bill would have transferred Newmarket and Haverhill to Cambridgeshire, but Colchester would have been transferred in from Essex; but those changes were not included in Act as passed.

In 2007 the Department for Communities and Local Government referred Ipswich Borough Council's bid to become a new unitary authority to the Boundary Committee.^[3][4] The Boundary Committee consulted local bodies and reported in favour of the proposal. It was not, however, approved by the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government.

Beginning in February 2008, the Boundary Committee again reviewed local government in the county, with two possible options emerging. One was that of splitting Suffolk into two unitary authorities – Ipswich & Felixstowe and Rural Suffolk; and the other, that of creating a single county-wide controlling authority – the "One Suffolk" option.^[5] In February 2010 the then Minister Rosie Winterton announced that there would be no changes imposed on the structure of local government in the county as a result of the Review, but that the Government would be "asking Suffolk councils and MPs to reach a consensus on what unitary solution they want through a countywide constitutional convention".^[6] Following the May 2010 General Election, all further moves towards any of the suggested unitary solutions ceased on the instructions of the incoming Coalition Government, and the administrative structures of the county are therefore unchanged.^[7]

Archaeology[link]

West Suffolk is, like nearby East Cambridgeshire, renowned for archaeological finds from the Stone Age, the Bronze Age and the Iron Age. Bronze Age artifacts have been found in the area between Mildenhall and West Row, in Eriswell and in Lakenheath.^[8] Many bronze objects, such as swords, spearheads, arrows, axes, palstaves, knives, daggers, rapiers, armour, decorative equipment (in particular for horses) and fragments of sheet bronze, are entrusted to St Edmundsbury heritage service, housed at West Stow just outside Bury St Edmunds. Other finds include traces of cremations and barrows.

In the East of the county is Sutton Hoo, the site of one of England's most significant Anglo-Saxon archæological finds; a ship burial containing a collection of treasures including a Sword of State, gold and silver bowls and jewellery and a lyre.

Economy[link]

The majority of agriculture in Suffolk is either arable or mixed. Farm sizes vary from anything around 80 acres (32 hectares) to over 8,000. Soil types vary from heavy clays through to light sands. Crops grown include winter wheat, winter barley, sugar beet, oilseed rape, winter and spring beans and linseed, although smaller areas of rye and oats can be found in lighter areas along with a variety of vegetables.

The continuing importance of agriculture in the county is reflected in the Suffolk Show, which is held annually in May at Ipswich. Although latterly somewhat changed in nature, this remains primarily an agricultural show.

This is a chart of trend of regional gross value added of Suffolk at current basic prices published (pp. 240–253) by Office for National Statistics with figures in millions of British Pounds Sterling.

Well-known companies in Suffolk include Greene King and Branston Pickle in Bury St Edmunds. Birds Eye have their largest UK factory in Lowestoft, where all their meat products and frozen vegetables come from. Huntley & Palmers biscuit company are now in Sudbury. The UK horse racing industry is based in Newmarket. There are two USAF bases in the west of the county close to the A11. Sizewell B nuclear power station is at Sizewell on the coast near Leiston. Bernard Matthews Farms have some processing units in the county, specifically Holton. Southwold is the home of Adnams Brewery. The Port of Felixstowe is the largest container port in the United Kingdom. Other ports, are Port of Lowestoft and port of Ipswich run by Associated British Ports. BT has its main research and development facility at Martlesham Heath.

Geology, landscape and ecology[link]

Sheep grazing among the ruins of Bury St Edmunds Abbey, Bury St Edmunds

Much of Suffolk is low-lying, founded on Pleistocene sand and clays. These rocks are relatively unresistant and the coast is eroding rapidly. Coastal defences have been used to protect several towns, but several cliff-top houses have been lost to coastal erosion in the past, and others are under threat. The continuing protection of the coastline and the estuaries, including the Blyth, Alde and Deben, has been, and remains, a matter of considerable discussion.^[9]

The coastal strip to the East contains an area of heathland known as "The Sandlings" which runs almost the full length of the coastline.^[10]

The west of the county lies on more resistant Cretaceous Chalk. This chalk is the north-eastern extreme of the Southern England Chalk Formation that stretches from Dorset in the south west to Dover in the south east. The Chalk is less easily eroded so forms the only significant hills in the county. The highest point of the county is Great Wood Hill, the highest point of the Newmarket Ridge, near the village of Rede which reaches 128 m (420 ft).

The county flower of the county of Suffolk is the oxlip ^[11]

Demographics[link]

The Census 2001 Suffolk recorded a population of 668,553.^[12] Between 1981 and 2001 the population of the county grew by 13%, with the district of Mid Suffolk growing fastest at 25%. The population growth is due largely to migration rather than natural increase. There is a very low population between the ages of 15 and 29 as the county has few large towns and institutions of higher education, though the 15-to-29 population in Ipswich is average. There is a larger population over the age of 35, and a larger than average retired population.

Historically, the county's population have mostly been employed as agricultural workers. An 1835 survey showed Suffolk to have 4,526 occupiers of land employing labourers, 1,121 occupiers not employing labourers, 33,040 labourers employed in agriculture, 676 employed in manufacture, 18,167 employed in retail trade or handicraft, 2,228 'capitalists, bankers etc.', 5,336 labourers (non-agricultural), 4,940 other males aged over 20, 2,032 male servants and 11,483 female servants.^[13] The same publication records the total population of the county at 296,304.

Most English counties have nicknames for people from that county, such as a Tyke from Yorkshire and a Yellowbelly from Lincolnshire; the traditional nickname for people from Suffolk is 'Suffolk Fair-Maids', or 'Silly Suffolk', referring respectively to the supposed beauty of its female inhabitants in the Middle Ages, and to the long history of Christianity in the county and its many fine churches (from Anglo-Saxon selige, originally meaning holy).^{[citation needed]}

Cities, towns and villages[link]

Figures for the number of established communities in Suffolk vary greatly among sources because of the treatment of the large number of all but non-existent hamlets which may consist of just a single farm and a deconsecrated church: remnants of wealthy communities, some dating back to the early days of the Christian era. Suffolk encompasses one of the most ancient regions of the UK: A monastery in Bury St. Edmunds founded in 630AD, plotting of Magna Carta in 1215; the oldest documented structural element of a still inhabited dwelling in Britain found in Clare.

This comparatively recent evidence is but a coda to the widespread settlement in the region shown by earlier archaeological evidence of Mesolithic man as far back as c.7000BC, (Grimes Graves, Norfolk - a 5000 y/o flint mine) with Roman settlements Lakenheath, Long Melford, later Bronze and Saxon settlements. Sutton Hoo: burial ground of the Anglo-Saxon pagan kings of East Anglia.

For a full list of settlements see the List of places in Suffolk.

Notable people[link]

Gainsborough's Mr and Mrs Andrews (1748-49), in the National Gallery in London, depicts in the background the Suffolk landscape of his time.

In the arts, Suffolk is noted for having been the home to two of England's best regarded painters, Thomas Gainsborough^[14] and John Constable – the Stour Valley area is branded as "Constable Country"^[15] – and one of its most noted composers, Benjamin Britten.^[16] Other artists of note from Suffolk include the cartoonist Carl Giles (a bronze statue of his character "Grandma" to commemorate this is located in Ipswich town centre), poets George Crabbe and Robert Bloomfield,^[17] writer and editor Ronald Blythe, actors Ralph Fiennes and Bob Hoskins, actress and singer Kerry Ellis, musician and record producer Brian Eno and Dani Filth, singer of the Suffolk-based extreme metal group, Cradle of Filth. Hip-hop DJ Tim Westwood is originally from Suffolk and the influential DJ and radio presenter John Peel made the county his home.^[18] One of Britain's leading contemporary painters, Maggi Hambling, was born, and resides, in Suffolk.

Suffolk's contributions to sport include Formula One magnate Bernie Ecclestone and England footballers Terry Butcher, Kieron Dyer and Matthew Upson. Due to Newmarket being the centre of British horseracing many jockeys have settled in the county, including Lester Piggott and Frankie Dettori.

Significant ecclesiastical figures from Suffolk include Simon Sudbury, a former Archbishop of Canterbury; Tudor-era Catholic prelate Thomas Cardinal Wolsey; and author, poet, and Benedictine monk John Lydgate.

Other significant persons from Suffolk include the suffragette Dame Millicent Garrett Fawcett; the captain of HMS Beagle, Robert FitzRoy; Witch-finder General Matthew Hopkins; and Britain's first female physician and mayor, Elizabeth Garrett Anderson. Charity leader Sue Ryder settled in Suffolk and based her charity in Cavendish.

St Edmund[link]

King of East Anglia and Christian martyr St Edmund (after whom the town of Bury St Edmunds is named) was killed by invading Danes in the year 869. St Edmund was the patron saint of England until he was replaced by St George in the thirteenth century. 2006 saw the failure of a campaign to have St Edmund named as the patron saint of England, but in 2007 he was named patron saint of Suffolk, with St Edmund's Day falling on 20 November. His flag will be flown in Suffolk on that day.^[19]

Education[link]

Primary, secondary and further education[link]

Suffolk has a comprehensive education system with fourteen independent schools. Unusual for the UK, some of Suffolk has a 3-tier school system in place with Primary Schools (ages 5–9), Middle Schools (ages 9–13) and Upper Schools (ages 13–16). However, a 2006 Suffolk County Council study has concluded that Suffolk should move to the 2-tier school system used in the majority of the UK.^[20] The majority of schools operate the more common Primary to High school (11-16). Nearly all of the county's Upper schools have a sixth form, and most further education colleges in the county offer A-level courses. In terms of school population, Suffolk's individual schools are large with the Ipswich district with the largest school population and Forest Heath the smallest, with just two schools.

The Royal Hospital School near Ipswich, is the largest independent boarding school in Suffolk.

Sixth form colleges in the county include Lowestoft Sixth Form College and Suffolk One in Ipswich. Suffolk is home to four further education colleges: Lowestoft College, Otley College of Agriculture and Horticulture, Suffolk New College (Ipswich) and West Suffolk College (Bury St Edmunds).

Tertiary education[link]

University Campus Suffolk, a collaboration between the University of Essex, the University of East Anglia, partner colleges such as Suffolk New College and local government, began accepting its first students in September 2007. The main Ipswich based waterfront campus building is due for completion in September 2008.^[21] Prior to this Suffolk was one of the few English counties not to contain a University campus.

Culture[link]

Dialect[link]

Suffolk has a distinctive dialect - see Suffolk dialect for more details.

Sport[link]

Football[link]

The county's sole professional football club is Ipswich Town. Formed in 1878, the club were Football League champions in 1961–62, FA Cup winners in 1977–78 and UEFA Cup winners in 1980–81.^[22] Ipswich Town currently play in the Football League Championship - the next highest ranked teams in Suffolk are Bury Town and Lowestoft Town of the Isthmian League Premier Division.

Horse racing[link]

The town of Newmarket is the headquarters of British horseracing - home to the largest cluster of training yards in the country, many key horse racing organisations, including the National Stud,^[23] and Newmarket Racecourse. Tattersalls bloodstock auctioneers and the National Horseracing Museum are also in the town. Point to point racing takes place at Higham and Ampton.^[24]

Speedway[link]

Speedway racing has been staged in Suffolk since at least the 1950s, following the construction of the Foxhall Stadium, just outside Ipswich, home of the Ipswich Witches. The Witches are currently members of the Speedway Premier League, the UK's second division. Speedway National League team Mildenhall Fen Tigers are also from Suffolk. 'Casper' from the Edinburgh Monarchs speedway squad was also a native of Suffolk for a brief period in the 1970s.

Cricket[link]

Suffolk C.C.C. compete in the Eastern Division of the Minor Counties Championship.^[25] The club has won the championship three times outright and has shared the title one other time as well as winning the MCCA Knockout Trophy once.^[26] Home games are played in Bury St Edmunds, Copdock, Exning, Framlingham, Ipswich and Mildenhall.^[27]

Arts[link]

Founded in 1948 by Benjamin Britten, the annual Aldeburgh Festival is one of the UK's major classical music festivals. Originating in Aldeburgh, it has been held at the nearby Snape Maltings since 1967. Since 2006, Henham Park, has been home to the annual Latitude Festival. This mainly open-air festival, which has grown considerably in size and scope, includes popular music, comedy, poetry and literary events. More recently, LeeStock Music Festival has been held in Sudbury.

Suffolk in popular culture[link]

The Rendlesham Forest Incident is one of most famous UFO events in England and is commonly referred to as "Britain's Roswell".

The Fourth Protocol, a novel written by Frederick Forsyth, is a Cold War spy thriller partly set in Suffolk and was made into a film starring Michael Caine and Pierce Brosnan. Other novels set in Suffolk include Unnatural Causes by P.D. James and among Arthur Ransome's children's books, "We Didn't Mean to Go to Sea" and "Coot Club". Peter Greenaway's 1988 film, Drowning by Numbers was largely shot in the area near Southwold.

A TV series about a British antiques dealer, Lovejoy, was filmed in various locations in Suffolk.^[28] The reality TV Series Space Cadets was filmed in Rendlesham Forest, although the producers pretended to the participants that they were in Russia. Several towns and villages in the county have been used for location filming of other television programmes and cinema films. These include an episode of Kavanagh QC and the film Iris.

See also[link]

• List of places of interest in Suffolk
• List of Lord Lieutenants of Suffolk
• List of High Sheriffs of Suffolk
• Custos Rotulorum of Suffolk - Keepers of the Rolls
• Suffolk (UK Parliament constituency) - Historical List of MPs for Suffolk constituency
• Suffolk dialect
• Suffolk Youth Orchestra

Notes[link]

References[link]

External links[link]

• Suffolk County Council
• BBC Suffolk
• Suffolk at the Open Directory Project
• Photos of Suffolk

Neighbouring counties

		Norfolk
	Cambridgeshire		North Sea
		Suffolk    East
		Essex

Robert Kraft
Kraft in December 2008
Born	Robert K. Kraft (1941-06-05) June 5, 1941 (age 71) Brookline, Massachusetts, U.S.
Residence	Brookline, Massachusetts, U.S.
Nationality	American
Alma mater	Columbia University Harvard Business School
Occupation	Chairman and CEO of The Kraft Group
Known for	Ownership of the New England Patriots and New England Revolution
Net worth	US $ 1.7 billion (est.) (September 2011)[1]
Board member of	The Kraft Group, Viacom, Federal Reserve Bank of Boston
Spouse	Myra Kraft (1963–2011; her death); 4 children
Children	Jonathan, Daniel, Joshua, David

Robert K. Kraft (born June 5, 1941) is an American business magnate. He is the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of The Kraft Group, a diversified holding company with assets in paper and packaging, sports and entertainment, real estate development and a private equity portfolio. His holdings include the National Football League's New England Patriots and Major League Soccer's New England Revolution, and Gillette Stadium.

Early life and career[link]

Kraft attended Brookline High School in his hometown, graduating in 1959.^[2]

He is a 1963 graduate of Columbia University, which he attended on scholarship, and received an MBA from Harvard Business School in 1965. While at Columbia, Kraft played on the school's lightweight football team. He was married to the former Myra Hiatt, a 1964 graduate of Brandeis University and the daughter of the late Worcester, Massachusetts philanthropist Jacob Hiatt. She died from cancer, aged 68, on July 20, 2011. ^[3]

He began his professional career with the Rand-Whitney Group, a Worcester-based packaging company owned by Hiatt. He still serves as this company's chairman. In 1972, he founded International Forest Products, a trader of physical paper commodities. The two combined companies make up the largest privately held paper and packaging companies in the United States. International Forest Products is consistently among the top 100 US exporters/importers and in 2005 was No. 45 on the Journal of Commerce's list in that category.^{[citation needed]}

In 1986, Kraft helped a minority business group acquire WNEV-TV, a CBS affiliate in Boston (now NBC affiliate WHDH-TV). He continued his investment in the entertainment field by buying several Boston radio stations. He is a member of a private equity group, which funded film, theatre, and television producer Scott Sanders' company, "Scott Sanders Productions."^[4]

Ownership of the Patriots[link]

A Patriots fan since their American Football League days, Kraft has been a season ticket holder since 1971, when the team moved to the then-Schaefer Stadium.

In 1985, Kraft bought an option on the parcel adjacent to the stadium. The option would be the first in a series of steps which would culminate nearly a decade later in his eventual ownership of the team. Later, in 1988, Kraft outbid several competitors to buy the stadium out of bankruptcy court from Billy Sullivan for $25 million. The purchase included the stadium's lease to the Patriots – which would later provide Kraft leverage in purchasing the team.

In 1992, St. Louis businessman, James Orthwein, purchased the Patriots from Victor Kiam, who was facing bankruptcy and owed Orthwein several million dollars. For the next two years, rumors of a Patriots move to St. Louis were rampant, based on the fact that Orthwein wanted to return the NFL to his hometown, which had lost the Cardinals to Arizona in 1988.

In 1994, Orthwein offered Kraft $75 million to buy out the remainder of the team's lease at the Foxboro Stadium, which, if Kraft agreed, would free Orthwein to move the Patriots to St. Louis. However, Kraft rejected the offer and made a counter-bid—a then NFL-record $175 million for the outright purchase of the Patriots (a surprising move in that the Patriots were, at the time, among the least valuable franchises in the NFL), an offer Orthwein accepted.

The day after the NFL approved the sale in January 1994, Patriots fans showed their appreciation by purchasing almost 6,000 season tickets en route to selling out every game for the first time in the team's 34-year history. Every home game—regular season, postseason, and even preseason—has been sold out since. The Patriots responded by putting together a seven-game winning streak to end the 1994 season, making the playoffs for the first time since 1986. In 1996 Kraft founded the New England Revolution, a charter member of Major League Soccer which began playing alongside the Patriots at Foxboro.

Kraft (left), with President George W. Bush and Bill Belichick during the Patriots' visit to the White House in 2004

After the failure of a number of stadium plans that included either revamping the area in Foxboro or relocating to Boston or a town near Boston, the Patriots nearly moved to Hartford, Connecticut, in 1999. They reached an agreement with then-Connecticut Governor John Rowland to move to a new stadium intended to be the cornerstone of downtown redevelopment. After Rowland lobbied the Connecticut legislature to approve state funds for the stadium the Patriots were given another opportunity to resume negotiations with the Massachusetts legislators who had initially balked on paying for site improvements for a new stadium in Foxboro. At the last minute the Massachusetts legislature approved the subsidies and hurdles were cleared for what became Gillette Stadium in the Patriots' longtime home of Foxboro. The $350 million stadium, privately financed by Kraft, opened in 2002 as CMGI Field, before financial difficulties for CMGI resulted in Gillette taking over naming rights.

In 2007, Kraft announced plans to develop the land around Gillette Stadium, creating a $375 million open-air shopping and entertainment center called Patriot Place. The development opened in stages through 2007, 2008, and 2009 and included "The Hall at Patriot Place," a multi-story museum attached to the stadium, and the "CBS Scene," a CBS-themed restaurant.

The Patriots appeared in Super Bowl XX under their original owners, the Sullivans. Yet, this was one of only six playoff appearances in 33 years. However, since Kraft bought the team, they have made the playoffs 12 times in 17 years. They have also appeared in more playoff games (25) than in the team's first 34 seasons combined (10). The team won AFC East titles in 1996, 1997, 2001, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2010, and 2011; they represented the AFC in the Super Bowl in 1996 (lost), 2001 (won) 2003 (won) 2004 (won) 2007 (lost) and 2011 (lost). The Patriots finished the 2003, 2004, and 2010 seasons with identical 14–2 regular-season records, and also finished the 2007 regular season undefeated before losing to the New York Giants in Super Bowl XLII.

Kraft was principally involved in the 2011 NFL labor negotiations. He was credited for being a bridge-builder who brought the two sides closer together and a catalyst in negotiating a historic 10-year agreement. The deal was announced on Monday, July 25, 2011, while Kraft was still mourning the death of his "sweetheart", Myra Kraft, his wife of 48 years, who had died only five days before. In what became an iconic image of the CBA resolution, NFLPA representative and Indianapolis Colts center Jeff Saturday praised Kraft for his role in the negotiations, stating, "without him, this deal does not get done ... He is a man who helped us save football."^[5]

In Kraft's first 18 seasons as team owner the Patriots have won 193 regular season games and 19 playoff games (including Super Bowls XXXVI, XXXVIII and XXXIX). The team reached a milestone 200th win (encompassing regular season and playoffs) under Kraft ownership with their third win of 2011, a 30-19 win against the Oakland Raiders.

Other activities and hobbies[link]

Soccer is a hobby of the Kraft family. After selling $3.5 million tickets for the 1994 World Cup, they saw a savvy business opportunity to invest in the new professional soccer league Major League Soccer. In 1995, Robert Kraft became the investor / operator of the New England Revolution from Major League Soccer. The team had a successful run from 2002-2007, with 4 MLS Cup appearances in 6 years. Robert Kraft attended in person for 3 of the 4 appearances, opting for a regular season New England Patriots game instead of attending the 2007 MLS Cup between his New England Revolution and the Houston Dynamo.

In 2005, a minor international incident was caused when it was reported that Russian President Vladimir Putin had inadvertently taken one of Kraft's three Super Bowl rings. Kraft quickly cleared up the misunderstanding, stating that he had given Putin the ring out of "respect and admiration" he had for Putin and the Russian people.^[6]

In November 2005, Kraft met with Rick Parry, the Chief Executive of English football team Liverpool. Kraft was rumoured to be interested in investing money into the 2004-05 European Champions. Kraft told BBC Radio Five Live: "Liverpool is a great brand and it's something our family respects a lot. We're always interested in opportunities and growing, so you never know what can happen." Eventually, however, the club was sold to American duo George Gillett and Tom Hicks.^[7] Liverpool was eventually sold to another local sports ownership in 2010, New England Sports Ventures, owners of the Boston Red Sox.

Philanthropy[link]

The Krafts have donated over $100 million to a variety of philanthropic causes including education, child and women issues, healthcare, youth sports and American and Israeli causes. In 2011, the Krafts pledged $20 million to Partners HealthCare to launch the Kraft Family National Center for Leadership and Training in Community Health, an initiative designed to improve access to quality healthcare at community health centers throughout New England. Among the many institutions the Krafts have supported are Columbia University, Harvard Business School, Brandeis University, The College of the Holy Cross, Boston College, Tufts University, the Belmont Hill School, the Boys & Girls Clubs of Boston, and the Dana Farber Cancer Institute in Boston. One of their most distinctive projects is supporting American Football Israel, including Kraft Family Stadium in Jerusalem and the Kraft Family Israel Football League. In 2007, in recognition of a gift of $5 million in support of Columbia's intercollegiate athletics program, the playing field at Columbia's Lawrence A. Wien Stadium at the Baker Field Athletics Complex was named "Robert K. Kraft Field."

On October 1, 2011, Kraft was inducted into the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, one of the nation's oldest and most prestigious learned societies, founded by John Adams, James Bowdoin and John Hancock in 1780.

He has received numerous honorary degrees from several colleges and universities and was awarded the NCAA's highest honor when he received the Theodore Roosevelt Award, "presented annually to a distinguished citizen of national reputation and outstanding accomplishments."

References[link]

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Robert Kraft (businessman)

• New England Patriots biography
• New England Revolution biography
• The Kraft Group
• Forbes 2011: The 400 Richest Americans: #263 Robert Kraft
• Forbes 2008: The 500 Largest American Private Companies: #326 The Kraft Group
• Forbes 2011: The World's Billionaires: #833 Robert Kraft