Community Corner

Hidden Gems Of Hartford And Tolland Counties

The latest Hidden Gem is steeped in history and presidential visits.

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The Dodd Center at UConn.
The Dodd Center at UConn. (UConn Communications )

STORRS, CT — This week's Hidden Gem is so steeped in history and significance that the President of the United States stopped by for its re-dedication.

The Dodd Center was dedicated in 1993 and U.S. Sen. Christoper Dodd was instrumental in its development to carry on the legacy of his father, Thomas Dodd.

Thomas Dodd, a Connecticut senator in the Word War II era, was the senior prosecutor in the post-war Nuremberg trials that sough to hold Nazi war criminals accountable for their wartime actions.

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Thomas Dodd saved just about all correspondence from the tribunal and the papers are housed at the UConn center.

In August 2021, the UConn Board of Trustees voted to rededicate the Center as the Dodd Center for Human Rights.

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In addition to the Nuremberg papers, the Dodd Center also houses UConn's Archives & Special Collections, a unit of the University of Connecticut Library, the Human Rights Institute, and the Center for Judaic Studies and Contemporary Jewish Life. The center's John P. McDonald Reading Room is the public access point for the university archives and special collections.

It annually recognizes a world leader for contributions to human rights. Former President Bill Clinton is among the recipients.

See more about the Dodd Center here.

And here's a video on the center:

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The Hidden Gems series features out-of-the-way mom and pop restaurants, small specialty stores you may have never heard of, little-known historical markers or beautiful nature spots that may be a bit off the beaten path, all located within Hartford and Tolland counties. Do you have a favorite "hidden gem" in the area that you wish to see featured in this column? Email your ideas to tim.jensen@patch.com.

Other columns in this series:

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