Doris Haddock, the political activist who gained fame as an advocate for campaign finance reform, visited the Bryant Library on April 24 to recall her famous walk across America, one that was meant to dramatize the need for a cause that eventually claimed some political success.

Ms. Haddock, better known to the public as "Granny D" read from her book, Walking Across America in My 90th Year, while happily noting that the U.S. Congress did indeed recently pass legislation she had championed, one that would eliminate "soft money" from political campaigns.

Ms. Haddock began her journey on Jan. 1, 1999 in Pasadena, CA.; the same day that city hosts the annual Tournament of Roses parade. The parade obviously received more publicity than the start of her walk, but in time, the walk would garner much attention, including those by politicians running for the highest office in the land.

The walk's route ran from California to the Southwest, to the mid-south, the lower midwest and the Appalachian Trail before moving east across Maryland into Washington, D.C. Ms. Haddock's hardest miles were climbing the Appalachian Range in blizzard conditions. During that stretch of land, she cross-country skied 100 miles along the old C & O Canal tow path. But in the end, she prevailed. Ms. Haddock was met in Washington by over 2,000 people, including those representing a wide variety of reform groups. Several dozen members of the U.S. Congress walked the final miles with her. The entire walking tour covered no less than 3,200 miles.

At her talk, Ms. Haddock recalled that her oldest son, among others, had a somewhat dim view of her ambitious plans. But in time, he became her strongest and most indispensable supporter. Despite the daunting odds, Ms. Haddock never entertained any doubts about the walk's success. Early on, she declared her intention to "walk until given shelter" and "fast until given food." The walk ended on Feb. 29, 2000. In 2001, she took to the pavement again, walking around Capitol Hill in Washington for seven full days, once again to highlight the need for campaign finance reform.

During the walk, Ms. Haddock stuck to a disciplined schedule, traveling 10 miles a day, six days a week, over a 14-month period---all at the age of 89. She was hospitalized once, in Arizona, for both dehydration and pneumonia. Throughout the entire walk, she was assisted by numerous supporters and sympathizers, people who walked with her, drove the trailing car, and gave her places to stay. Ms. Haddock gave numerous speeches along the way, all in an effort to draw various reform groups together.

Politics aside, the walk was an invigorating experience for Ms. Haddock. She described a ranch scene in West Texas as being a "world apart" from the modern, industrialized America where, she claimed, "there never seems to be a satisfying end to anything." Ms. Haddock so enjoyed life on the ranch that she stayed there for three days before hitting the road again.

The most important discovery Ms. Haddock made while out on the road was that the "old America" is still alive and well. "The America I discovered," she said, "is the America we sometimes think has faded away into history." That's not so, but at the same time Ms. Haddock also learned that Americans are a people who struggle with "an unmet need to live a life that expresses their passions and beliefs." Furthermore, "they feel their lives will pass before that happens."

"We are all starving for more meaning in our lives, for people to believe in, to trust," Ms. Haddock continued in a passage from her book. "We all long for a world that reflects our values." Her optimism was reinforced not just by the enduring American landscape, but by the lack of class distinctions among Americans themselves.

Political activism is nothing new for Ms. Haddock. Way back in 1960, along with her husband, Jim, she helped stop the planned atmosphere testing of hydrogen bombs in Alaska, saving a fishing village at Point Hope.

A native of Dublin, NH, Ms. Haddock first became interested in campaign finance reform in 1995, when earlier reform efforts failed. She made her decision to walk across the country in 1998, and spent that year walking around little Dublin to get in shape for the big walk. Ms. Haddock acknowledges that she has both emphysema and arthritis, both of which improved during her walk.