COA Volume 5 I Number 1 Spring 2009 The College of the Atlantic Magazine COA Mission: Letter from the Editor College of the Atlantic enriches the liberal arts One of the great pleasures in putting together COA tradition through a distinctive is the oral history project associated with it. Since educational philosophy- College of the Atlantic may literally be the last in- human ecology. A human dependent liberal arts college created in the United Photo by Bill Carpenter. ecological perspective States (do tell if there are others!), it seems essential integrates knowledge from to document just what it's like to create a school all academic disciplines and from scratch. Each COA issue includes an excerpt of a much longer from personal experience to interview with a person involved in the beginnings of the college. This investigate-and ultimately time, my victim is trustee Philip Kunhardt III '77, a member of the col- improve-the relationships lege's first class and a current COA parent. between human beings and our social and natural We talked in Philip's home outside New York City. As he spoke about communities. The human the early days, I watched the energy of a joyous young man geared up ecological perspective guides for one of the great adventures of his life take over the demeanor of all aspects of education, the serious adult I know from his COA duties. Read it! The enthusiasm research, activism, and is intoxicating. These students were doing more than creating a col- interactions among the lege; they were establishing a life for themselves, pushing boundaries at college's students, faculty, every front. staff, and trustees. The College of the Atlantic community What's more amazing is that this creative energy is still a potent force encourages, prepares, and at COA. For faculty, this is revealed by constant questioning and chal- expects students to gain lenges, tempered by careful, precise thoughtfulness-just read the dia- expertise, breadth, values, and log among Karen Waldron, Don Cass and Dave Feldman. practical experience necessary The energy is also apparent in today's students, especially at senior to achieve individual project time. As I write, students are mounting photographs, peppering fulfillment and to help solve them with ethnography, creating whale exhibits, finishing up novels problems that challenge and theses, building greenhouses and rebuilding walls-all while mak- communities everywhere. ing plans for their own futures. At one end of campus, two students are refurbishing the Hidden Garden. At the other end, JoAnna Cosgrove is busy digging a pollinator-friendly meadow. When I asked her what she Cover: says about COA when she talks to others, she sounded as enthusiastic Northern leopard frog, photo as Philip. "This school is absolutely ideal for nurturing those wacky, by Noah Hodgetts '11, taken out-there desires to do great things. They seem impossible at first, but in Baxter State Park on the the faculty and staff are incredibly approachable, encouraging and hi- first night of an extended field larious, in many cases." trip to Maine's north woods Ah, staff. Perhaps there's nothing "more COA" than the recognition that for last fall's "monster class." the COA community truly consists of staff members as well as students, (More on page 25.) faculty, alumni and trustees. This issue underscores that with the pub- lication of an excerpt from Leviathan, a novel-in-progress by COA stu- dent and webmaster, Sean Murphy. Back Cover: As Karen Waldron says in these pages, "the degree is different, the ap- Solid Impenetrability in a Vast Stand of Trees. A scene proach is different, the students are different, the faculty is different." And the structure is different, too. This issue, centered upon human from the performance of Graupel created by arts faculty ecology, our mission and major, attempts to reflect COA's singularly member Dru Colbert. Photo creative approach. by Christine Heinz. (More on page 28.) Damn Gold gold Donna Gold Editor, COA features COA Letter from the President p. 2 The College of the Atlantic Magazine Volume 5 Number 1 Spring 2009 COA Beat p. 3 EDITOR Donna Gold News from campus and beyond EDITORIAL GUIDANCE John Anderson Richard Borden Jennifer Hughes Notes from a Watson Journey p. 8 Matt Shaw '11 Rebecca Hope Woods By Ana Maria Rey Martinez '08 EDITORIAL CONSULTANT Bill Carpenter Sum & Parts p. 10 ALUMNI CONSULTANTS Jill Barlow-Kelley Dianne Clendaniel By Kirk Torregrossa '00 PROOFING Jennifer Hughes Recent Alumni Books & Albums p. 13 DESIGN Rebecca Hope Woods PRINTING JS McCarthy Printers Donor Profile p. 15 Augusta, Maine A Living, Breathing Tribute: Clare Stone and The Allan Stone Chair in the Visual Arts COA ADMINISTRATION Oral History p. 16 David Hales Andrew Griffiths Philip Kunhardt III '77: Soaked in Poetry and Utopia President Administrative Dean Sarah Baker Kenneth Hill Dean of Admission Academic Dean Poetry p. 18 Lynn Boulger Sarah Luke Quando sono nata Dean of Development Associate Dean of Ken Cline Student Life By Stefania Marchese '11 Associate Dean Sean Todd for Faculty Associate Dean for Advanced Studies The Conversations the Connections BOARD OF TRUSTEES A School of Human Ecology William G. Foulke, Jr., Ronald E. Beard, Chairman Secretary Elizabeth D. Hodder, Leslie C. Brewer, What It Means to Teach Human Ecology p. 19 Vice Chair Treasurer Casey Mallinckrodt, Taking Human Ecology Into the World p. 23 Vice Chair * By Rich Borden Edward McC. Blair, Stephen G. Milliken Life Trustee Philip S. J. Moriarty T. A. Cox What's It Like to Study Human Ecology? p. 22 Phyllis Anina Moriarty David H. Fischer William V.P. Newlin, Amy Geier Life Trustee Human Ecology, the Empty Vessel p. 24 James M. Gower, Elizabeth Nitze By Michael Griffith Life Trustee Helen Porter George B. E. Hambleton Cathy L. Ramsdell '78, Samuel M. Hamill, Jr. Trustee Emeritus Experiencing Human Ecology p. 25 Charles E. Hewett John Reeves, The Maine Woods "Monster Class" Life Trustee Sherry F. Huber Hamilton Robinson, Jr. John N. Kelly, Graupel: Dru Colbert's Aesthetics of Human Ecology Trustee Emeritus p. 28 Henry L.P. Schmelzer Philip B. Kunhardt III '77 Henry D. Sharpe, Jr., By Donna Gold Life Trustee Susan Storey Lyman, Life Trustee Clyde E. Shorey, Jr., Life Trustee Suzanne Folds Leviathan: Chapter 62 p. 30 McCullagh William N. Thorndike, Jr. By Sean Hugh Murphy Sarah A. McDaniel '93 Cody van Heerden Jay McNally '84 John Wilmerding, Trustee Emeritus Class Notes p. 35 COA is published twice each year for the Faculty and Community Notes College of the Atlantic community. Ideas, p. 39 letters and submissions (we are always looking for short stories, poetry and especially revisits Q&A with Margaret Pennock '84 p. 44 to human ecology essays) should be sent to: COA Magazine Human Ecology Essay Revisited p. 45 College of the Atlantic Doubt and Enduring 105 Eden Street, Bar Harbor, ME 04609 By Libby Dean '89 (207) 288-5015, dgold@coa.edu www.coa.edu Printed on recycled paper using vegetable-based inks. Letter from the President As institutions of American higher education wrestle with the consequences of global financial recession, it is important to look beyond the serious economic issues of today and courageously reconsider our purpose and mission. And we must be more honest than ever about the effectiveness of our performance. As institutions, our "report card" must be measured in terms of the economic health of our societies, the way humans interact with each other and the eco- David Hales. Photo by Donna Gold. logical health of our planet. Our institutions are not performing well. Even as many faculty and students are thoughtfully addressing the challenges of the future, our institutions remain remarkably unchanged, as though fearful of applying the implications of what we know about the way students learn and the challenges we face to the dogma and traditions which too often define us. The challenge to which we must rise is to enable our graduates to not just understand the world we have chosen, but to shape a better one. Almost forty years ago, COA trustees, our remarkable founding President Ed Kaelber, and a select group of (then young) academic leaders, created College of the Atlantic as an alternative to many traditional educa- tional institutions. They believed that it was possible to construct a student experience based not only on state-of-the-art knowledge and the wisdom of the ages, but also on student needs and aspirations. It was an experiment then. We are no longer an experiment, but we are still purposefully and consciously an alterna- tive in what we study, how we teach and in how we try to make sense of the world and our own lives. They created our college to focus on the study of the relationships among humans and their environments, what we call Human Ecology. As relevant as this was in the 1970s, it is even more relevant for the twenty- first century. And for us, as for all of higher education, the challenge of tomorrow is daunting. C.P. Snow, writing about the dissolution of the British Empire, observed: "I can't help thinking about the Venetian Republic. Like us they had been fabulously lucky. They became rich, as we did, by accident. They had acquired immense political skill, just as we have. A good many of them were tough-minded, realistic, patriotic. They knew, just as clearly as we know, that the current of history had begun to flow against them. Many of them gave their minds to working out solutions-but it would have meant breaking the pattern into which they had crystallized. They never found the will to break it." Our college, just as the world in which we live, is the result of the choices we have made. At COA, we at- tempt to shape an institution that mirrors a world we would like to see, and which enables our students to develop the leadership skills and judgment that will let them become the authors of their own life stories. We are not saying that we have achieved it, but we know we are better for trying. I am confident that our graduates will leave knowing that it is their choices that will shape our future, and that they, just like the college, will approach that future with a wonderful sense of opportunity and possibility. Sr David Hales 2 COA COA BEAT Three COA Students Receive Watson Fellowships Despite a 20% cut, all COA Watson nominees awarded a year of travel Brett Ciccotelli, Nick Jenei and Michael Keller, COA's three Watson Fellowship nominees, have been granted their dream year of world travel. This amazing endorsement of COA students comes despite a reduction in the Watson Foundation awards by 20 percent-from fifty to forty-due to the economy. What led to this home run season? Jenei says it's COA's approach. "The Watson committee is looking for people who can work independently to assess situations, pull information together and take on big challenges. The human ecology methodology and self-directed curriculum pushes us to be independent thinkers, to have a core set of ideas, and gives us the tools we need to focus these diverse ideas on one area." Change Along the Banks: Sustainable Entrepreneurship: Mapping Asylum in Fortress Explorations in River Deltas The Future of Business in India Europe and Coastal Wetlands and China The high school friendships Keller Ciccotelli defines himself by water. Raised in formed with immigrants to his na- "River projects pervade my studies a family tive Charlottesville, Virginia raised and river trips take over my Satur- business, many questions about their expe- days," says the Blackwood, New Jenei, of rience. Keller has pursued these Jersey native. Come July, Cicco- Westlake questions through a Kathryn W. telli will explore river deltas and Village, Davis Peace Project and a Human- coastal wetlands in Canada, Mex- Califor- ity in Action Fellowship. On his ico, Italy, Bangladesh and Egypt, nia, be- Watson, he'll hoping to learn directly from Nick Jenei '09. lieves be asking refu- those whose Photo by Toby Hollis. that, "a gees resettled "prosperity, new econ- in Denmark, security, and omy that values society and the Poland, Spain, identity are environment must be built one Sweden and inseparable business at a time by a worldwide the United from their network of innovative entrepre- Kingdom to wetland or neurs who are collaborating in create maps of river," and the creation of a sustainable world their journeys, Michael Keller '09. to gain the economy." He plans on looking to discover, Photo by Donna Gold. Brett Ciccotelli '09. experiences into sustainable entrepreneurship "how refugees Photo by Jordan Motzkin '10. necessary to in India and China, seeking to "ex- interact with environments to de- "understand the complex chal- plore innovative business models velop a new sense of place" as they lenges and beauty that can only that value people and the environ- "start new lives amidst intolerance be found on the water." ment as much as they do profits." and strict asylum policies." What are other COA graduates doing? Some are continuing to graduate school, including Columbia University School of the Arts, Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine, Cornell University Department of Crop and Soil Sciences, George Washington University School of Law and Harvard Divinity School. Others are taking time for different dreams: working on farms, biking across the continent-or sailing around it-gaining laboratory and teaching experience paying back loans. Still others have started their own businesses. Students who have already taken some time off are now heading to programs such as Columbia Uni- versity School of Nursing, Max Planck Institute for Terrestrial Microbiology in Germany, Sciences Po in Paris, York University in Ontario, Harvard Graduate School of Education and University of California Hastings College of Law. COA 3 COA BEAT Letters to the Editor Dear Donna, Hi Donna, I cherrypick my way through COA, at least I try I just wanted to tell you how much I enjoyed to. I start flipping pages, reading first sentences or the last issue of COA. I thought the alumni pieces by a lead paragraph, then I fail. I find myself ensnared Amanda Witherall were great. That's exactly what by the faces of the faculty and students, by the I hope to see in a COA magazine-stories of how variety and successes of College of the Atlantic alumni are working human ecology in the world. graduates, and the extraordinarily good writing of It is also great to see alumni like Abe Noe-Hays this professional yet intimate magazine. And I always and Ben Goldberg involved in the greening of the wind up thinking about the college itself. It attracts college by creating the composting toilet system in the best. the new student residences. Aside from alumni, the Certainly, one of the best is Lisa Hammer. Her magazine is doing a great job of highlighting ways "Phoebe: Living from the Inside Out" is simply COA is maintaining its leading role at the cutting riveting. To pack her thoughts and emotions about edges of sustainability and providing a glimpse into Phoebe and describe the character and personality what current students are exploring and what faculty of the child in such a short piece is the soul of skill. are up to. I continue to feel so blessed that I found Wow! my way to COA and I'm thrilled that the college is As a career National Park Service person, I have thriving. The more I experience and observe in our frequently been asked what I liked best and did best world the more reverence and gratitude I feel for the during my career. I have consistently answered, college. "Helping found the College of the Atlantic and Shawn Keeley '00, Director of Development promoting human ecology." Green Mountain Club, Montpelier, Vermont Cheers, John Good, COA founding trustee & Acadia Please send letters to COA, 105 Eden Street, Bar Harbor, National Park Superintendent 1968-1971 Maine 04609 or dgold@coa.edu. Bringing People Together An appreciation of Ted Koffman By Wing Goodale MPhil '01 After thirty-two years at COA, holding positions as and a troop of undergrads varied as admissions director, financial aid director, on the way to a meeting campus housing manager, outdoor orientation at Maine Audubon. Eco/ program coordinator, director of government Eco, Ted explained, was Photo by Donna Gold. relations and director of summer programs; after bringing together people helping the college acquire nearly three million with opposing views dollars in Title III grants; after spearheading Eco/ about the economy and the environment to discover Eco; after serving eight years in the Maine State common ground. When people find they share a Legislature (retiring due to term limits) after helping love for Maine, their families, and perhaps Indian bring Maine into RGGI, the Regional Greenhouse food, listening to each other suddenly is easer. When Gas Initiative; Ted Koffman is moving on. Our loss is we arrived at Gilsland Farm, Maine Audubon's Maine Audubon's gain. Koffman is now its executive headquarters in Falmouth, Ted was immediately director. ~ DG speaking with business leaders, legislators and then-Governor Angus King. Somewhere back in the I first met Ted Koffman when I was a graduate student crowd, I was learning from him. at COA in 1998. Actually, several faculty members strongly suggested I seek him out-he was breaking Anyone who has worked with Ted knows his smile, down barriers with his Eco/Eco work, begun in 1989. enthusiasm and dedication. These qualities have A few days later, I found myself in a van with Ted been ever present during his tenure at COA, Eco/ 4 COA COA BEAT Lucy Bell Sellers Retires After Twenty-Three Years of Fall Theater Workshops Working with Lucy Bell Sellers was different than no right an- working in any other theater program that I have swer. She also ever seen. She inspired students with her love and used theater as passion rather than shouting and demanding. It was a way of explor- amazing to see all of the students work to bring a ing issues that show together. She cared so much, you just couldn't we, the actors, let her down. could relate to I still remember one rehearsal when she said, "My events in the angel is coming." A few minutes later her husband, world. A true Peter Sellers, walked in and she ran into his arms for a human ecolo- Lucy Bell Sellers heads offshore to spot huge hug and kiss. It was like they were newlyweds, gist. swimmers during the 2008 Bar Island though they were married for many, many years at ~ Jennifer Swim. Photo by Donna Gold. that point. Warnow '04 She has such a great respect for humanity that she brings everyone who knows her up. Saying thanks Thank you Lucy Bell for your generosity! For years, isn't enough. Everyone who has worked with her Lucy Bell, along with her sister-in-law Louisa Newlin, needs to also bring an endless amount of love and have brought the American Shakespeare Center to passion to their work to bring everyone up! COA, and with it a workshop for students. ~ Michael Kattner '95 ~ Lyn Berzinis, COA events coordinator You've taught at the college forever I worked closely with Lucy Bell for years. I have And I cannot imagine the place never met a person more enthusiastic about her Without your passionate endeavor students. She always treated each one as if they To enthrall an audience in Gates. were the next Sir Lawrence Olivier. Lucy Bell could I love you! never, ever evoke negativity. I know that there are ~ granddaughter Cora Sellers '10 many students over the years that think of Lucy Bell as one of the most inspirational people that they Lucy Bell was one of my first teachers at COA. Her encountered while at COA. I was often inspired by class and office were always a warm and welcom- Lucy Bell. She had a wonderful way of getting the ing place to be able to find (and lose) myself during most out of everyone she came in contact with. It my first trimester away from home. She allowed me has been an honor to be her peer and collaborator. to be creative and try things in different ways with ~ John Cooper, faculty member in music Eco and the Maine State Legislature. Ted's leadership in Maine is remarkable both in what he accomplishes directly, but also in how he empowers others to lead. This he does through an encouraging slap on the back, kind words and making those around him feel worthy and valuable. Ted gets things done through his tremendous skills, but also through an amazing ability to be in every corner of the state, seemingly simultaneously-in downeast Maine talking about shorebird roosting areas, in Portland giving a plenary address, listening to testimony in Augusta. He is one of the great doers in Maine. Eleven years after I watched Ted bring people together as a guest at Maine Audubon, he has become the nonprofit's executive director. Ted's caring for Maine's people and wildlife, his ebullience and his dedication will come to work with him every day. Maine Audubon is so fortunate to have Ted at the helm. He will be deeply missed at COA, but I'm sure he will still be seen on campus, walking along the carriage roads, and connecting to all of those around him. Wing Goodale has just become deputy director of the BioDiversity Research Institute in Gorham, Maine where he also serves as a senior research biologist. Elected to COA's board of trustees in July 2008, Goodale's new position means he has stepped down from the COA board. COA 5 COA BEAT Renewable Energy At COA By Donna Gold First-in-Nation Wood Pellet Boiler a Success Clean renewable energy results in carbon-neutral heat, hot water College of the Atlantic has just fired up its wood pellet boiler-the first of its kind in the United States. Providing all the heat and hot water for the Kathryn W. Davis Student Residence Village and Deering Common, the system is one further step in the college's commitment to carbon neutrality and renewable fuels. The renewable wood pellets feeding the boiler result in absolute carbon neutrality for the heating of one-fifth of COA's campus. This is not your ordinary wood-burning stove with billows of smoke emerging from a chimney. It's a KOB wood pellet boiler built by Veissmann of Austria with The shiny silo holds a highly sensitive computer system and more than a dozen sensors and motors COA's wood pellets. that continually monitor temperatures, oxygen Photo by Rogier van Bakel. levels and pellets, keeping emissions at a bare minimum. Says Burkhard Fink, who installed the half-million BTU boiler, "The combustion technology is very advanced, the fuel-air mixture is the perfect mixture. There's constant monitoring, so it is high efficiency and clean burning." He compares the emissions to the cleanest of gas boilers-and yet, because this system uses renewable fuel-compressed sawdust pellets-a byproduct of an Aroostook County sawmill, the net carbon emissions equals A worker sifts through the a delightfully earth-friendly zero. pellets. Photo by Donna Gold. Windpower Comes to COA Students build turbine at Beech Hill Farm COA has always prided itself on its hands-on approach to learning; still, seldom will a class have a more practical outcome than this spring's Practicum in Residential Wind Power. Thanks to a series of grants and the planning work of Dave Feldman, faculty member in mathematics and physics, and Anna Demeo, lecturer in mathematics and physics, COA will be installing its first wind turbine at Beech Hill Farm, the college's organic farm in the town of Mount Desert. The functioning turbine will be the product of Demeo's spring class. Students will be siting, installing and evaluating this residential- scale wind turbine. They'll also learn the basic physics of energy generation and conservation-scientific knowledge that is essential for students who wish to conserve energy, evaluate options for renewables and organize and advocate for alternative energy projects. The turbine is expected to generate sufficient power to supply the farmhouse, saving COA up to one thousand dollars annually. As the wind turbine will be located at a highly visible site, it will also serve as a means of informal education and outreach. The plan is for the practicum to be a yearly offering, with each class building and installing an additional wind turbine-either at the farm or on COA's main campus. Support for the turbines has come from two anonymous donors and a grant from the Maine Community Foundation. The Maine Space Grant Consortium has also provided funds to develop and implement the class and subsequent community outreach. 6 COA COA BEAT Life Changing, City Changing Apoorv Gehlot '09 Creates Sure enough, Davis Taylor, faculty member in eco- Photo by Noreen Hogan '91. An Emergency GIS System nomics, served as Gehlot's advisor, while Dave for Cupertino, CA Feldman, faculty member in math and physics, and GIS Lab Director Gordon Longsworth, were project Although extraordinary senior proj- advisors. Jay Friedlander, who holds the college's ects are not unusual at COA, seldom Sharpe-McNally Chair in Green and Socially Re- has the work made a difference for sponsible Business, also helped. Gehlot has finished an entire city. Senior Apoorv Gehlot built a GIS COA with a business plan-and a National Park Ser- emergency management system for the Silicon Val- vice contract under his belt, having created a GIS ley city of Cupertino, California, population 55,000. program for Acadia National Park's annual BioBlitz. Should disaster strike, the emergency operations But what's most rewarding, Gehlot says, "is that this manager can see at a glance what buildings are safe, work can possibly help save lives." where supplies are stockpiled and which roads are passable-all thanks to Gehlot. Leland Moore '10 Conducts Energy Audit for Bar Harbor The task evolved while Gehlot was interning in Cu- pertino's GIS department and was asked to evaluate Leland Moore loves to figure things out. His first proposals for a GIS-based emergency management year at COA he helped collect energy data for John- system. Gehlot wasn't impressed. He thought them son Controls when it audited COA buildings. By his costly and cumbersome and figured he could do it second year, Moore was assisting Millard Dority, himself-as a senior project. director of campus planning, buildings and public safety, during the Kathryn W. Davis Student Resi- Using a GIS program that works with online map- dence Village construction. This year, Moore has ping, Gehlot built a dynamic system that considers a gone beyond COA, conducting an energy audit for multitude of disasters. "You can't predict what data the town of Bar Harbor as an independent study. you'll need," says Gehlot. Knowing that, he worked to incorporate as many variables as possible. Gas Through detailed research, Moore found the town leaks, impassable roads, severely injured citizens can save $11,400 a year on street lights just by and safe havens can be pinpointed on the map. By switching out high-pressure sodium fixtures for making the disaster easier to visualize, officials can LEDs. Upgrades to the municipal building can raise better handle it. Satellite-propelled, the program the savings by an additional $9,500 each year. works even if the electricity and phones go down. "Johnson Controls helped me to learn about light- Thanks, in part, to rave reviews from Cupertino of- ing load," says the Northampton, Massachusetts ficials, Gehlot is now the web mapping producer of student. "Working for Millard gave me construction the independent consultancy firm, G4 Global Tech, technology; but I didn't have specifics about, say marketing the program to cities around Cupertino. boiler efficiency. I didn't know a lot about heating After all, he says, "emergencies don't happen within loss-which often depends on surface materials." cities, they happen in regions." He's learned a lot, and credits COA's ability to "hurl you into problems," structuring classes around expe- Raised in Jodhpur, Rajasthan, Gehlot came to COA riences, as part of his success. from the Mahindra United World College of India. He says he asked each college admissions officer Ultimately, he says, he's after what most at COA whether he would be able to bring his science ideas long for, "to discover how our interests, moral com- to an economics professor and leave college with a pass and making money fit together." business. Though wooed by top colleges, it was only COA that said, "Of course." Matt Shaw '11 helped report this story. COA 7 Notes from a Watson Jourr If Only My Words Could Do Justice to My Experiences: Testimonials of former coca growers By Ana Maria Rey Martinez '08 Ana Maria Rey Martinez is currently on a year-long journey through South America and Southeast Asia, courtesy of a Thomas J. Watson Fellowship. Born and raised in Colombia, having seen the impact of drugs on her own nation, she is seeking to understand the role and culture of coca in the countries that produce it by listening to the stories of former coca growers. This edited excerpt comes from a report sent to the Watson committee, which she prefaced with this caveat: "The following are immediate thoughts, emotions, sentiments, feelings, idealism put into somewhat inadequate words." ~ DG Peru Last November, I was on the bluest suffering by providing vigor. "Because God put it lake I have seen-Lake Titicaca. At in this land more than in other lands, it might have an altitude of two and a half miles above sea level, been necessary for the locals. God did not create male Taquileños (from Taquile one of Titicaca's things without a reason and without a particular islands) still carry on their waist a traditional purpose," says Juan de Matienzo, a historian of the handmade purse. Detached from both the Bolivian sixteenth century. and Peruvian mainland, disconnected from typical technology (no TVs, radios, cell phones) and getting Many self-styled Peruvian cocaleros (former or just enough energy from solar panels-given by the current coca growers) whom I met before my visit to dearly remembered President Fujimori-Taquileños Lake Titicaca loved sharing passages from chronicles are probably unaware of the stigma attached to what of the conquest and colonial times. Francisco they carry in their purses: their daily intake of coca Pizarro, Pedro Cieza de Leon and Huaman Poma leaves. de Ayala-the most revered chroniclers-write that during colonial times Spaniards decided to prohibit Their relationship with coca is special. It is kept the chewing of coca by indigenous people. As coca wrapped around their waist, close to their very consumption declined, productivity decreased. The bodies, inside finely made chuspas or purses. Coca Spaniards withdrew the law. This interest in gathering is their source of corporal energy, an intermediary early accounts proves the need by cocaleros and for the communication with the gods of the pre-Inca their supporters to defend coca through cultural and civilizations of twenty thousand years ago and of historical arguments. The Taquileños may not be the Incas themselves. Chewing coca may not be a as actively political as some cocaleros I met in the conscious political act, but it is a constant reification Peruvian Andean and Amazonian regions, yet they of Taquileño identity, heritage, needs and beliefs. It too celebrate and defend the very nature of coca is also a power source to climb up the very steep every time they create a purse and wear it around hill-820 feet high-from the pier to their houses. their bodies; every time they chew coca. The Taquileño use of coca led me to imagine the This coca-the pure, the sacred-has been turned way Incas interacted with the plant. Today's evil into an evil. Coca is like any other capitalist leaf used to be a considered the daughter of the commodity but illegal, making it more desirable deity Pachamama. It was so pure that it was given and more profitable. It is produced in Bolivia, Peru as an offering to the Inca pantheon: Sun, Mother and Colombia by laborers who do not-and never Earth and the Huacas, or sacred sites. Coca was also will-enjoy the high prices their product brings offered to the Inca themselves. During the empire, in the international market. Like coffee, bananas, the chasquis, or messengers, chewed coca so as to asparagus and cacao, coca is produced for export walk for miles through the rough and high Andean in the most fertile areas, satisfying the cravings of mountains to deliver important messages. Coca was the Western capitalist world who want it all, at any believed to improve memory and relieve human social, cultural and economic cost. 8 COA ey My friend Dr. Linterna, a former Colombian narco-trafficker-and a poet, journalist, activist, father of seven and founder of a Christian children's school in the deepest part of the humid Peruvian Amazon-told me that by growing marijuana and coca, former Colombian coffee producers take revenge for their historic exploitation. According to Linterna, farmers were demoralized by the low cost of coffee and so turned to marijuana in the seventies and coca in the eighties. "Coca for cocaine production was like a social revolution in itself," he said to me. Ana Maria Rey Martinez '08 with Dr. Linterna and his family. I cannot stop thinking about this unconventional analysis. I see a lot of honesty in it. Perhaps it rural development, to oppose forced eradication is not just the consumers, growers and traffickers, practices and aerial fumigations and to defend the but also the very unjust, capitalist, profit-oriented traditional and cultural importance of coca leaves. global economy that is perpetuating this illegal parallel market. The rules that define product Taquileños appeared unaware of this struggle. Their commercialization and the abstract forces that silent way of living and gentle interactions with each control prices ought to be held accountable for the other and with nature reveal how removed they are existence of this illegal and harmful market. Is the from this much louder, political and troublesome global economy truly interested in giving better reality that cocaleros from the Andean and Amazon options to farmers to substitute for their illegal regions are facing. My experience in Taquile was crops? a reflective one. Overtaken by silence and a sense of reverence for nature and humanity, I was able The commodification of the sacred coca and its to reconsider past experiences and emotions and subsequent demonization has created a negative my perception of silence and loudness as opposite stigma for those who defend it. Sadly, cocaleros environments. in Peru are not only not respected, they're viewed as narco-traffickers, as terrorists, revolutionaries, Unexpectedly, without having chased it, I came insurgents, remainders of the Shining Path guerrilla across an effervescent, dignified and passionate group, people who destabilize the country and social movement. Although not fully formed and delay its development. Don Orvil Matta, a journalist, organized, lacking consolidated ideas, strategies and technical agronomist and sociologist who was the goals, and evidently demoralized by high politics principal advisor of the municipal government of and media, I found people devoting their lives to the Ucayali in 1990 and recent advisor to Nancy defending coca in rural and urban Peru. Some work Obregon (a cocalero congressmember), believes at influencing public policy, others research coca's that there is a campaign to weaken and disrupt the nutritional benefits, others want to commercialize cocalero movement in Peru. coca in legal, healthy ways. Some in the cocalero movement organize events to celebrate the existence In 2003 and 2004, some fifteen thousand people of coca and so create awareness. Others simply grow from several coca regions walked to Lima on Marchas and sell coca in the market. Still others buy it. Some de Sacrificio, or Marches of Sacrifice. By giving up are more radical, some more diplomatic, some live work, spending days away from their families and a better life than others. Many times they have been walking long distances through challenging routes, divided by external and internal forces, but coca the marchers hoped to peacefully pressure the unites them and they network when necessary. They government to consider their struggle for land and all chew coca after all. COA 9 Sum & Parts A collaboration between Keisha Luce '02, documentary sculptor, and Kirk Torregrossa '00, documentary photographer. A child plays with a small car in Tu' Du' Hospital. He will live his life in a ward here in downtown Ho Chi Minh City. By Kirk Torregrossa Ho Chi Min City, Vietnam-Some twelve to sixteen million gallons of herbicide were sprayed and dumped on over 10 percent of Vietnam's countryside between 1961 and 1971. Beyond an ongoing, widespread cancer epidemic, three generations later children are still being born with horrific birth defects caused by the chemical. Together with alumna Keisha Luce, I am in Vietnam this winter to discover the stories of people shaped by the extraordinary consequences of war. Our multimedia documentary project, Sum and Parts, explores the long-term effects of the Agent Orange bi-product dioxin in the bodies of the people of Vietnam. Luce, who is a graduate student in liberal arts at Dartmouth College, is recording what we call the "war body" through body-casting, a rare technique of molding sculptures from real life. She is also collecting an extensive oral history of the victims while I document the journey and process through photography, crafting a story of the resilience and perseverance so prevalent in the victims of ecocide. We hope this work can assist those impacted by the chemical. 10 COA In February, we come to Tu' Du' Hospital in Ho Chi Minh City, where Peace Village, a state-sponsored ward, houses numerous dioxin victims ranging in age from infants through young adults. As I enter one of the rooms, I am inundated with teenage boys. One is bounding around the room, armless, using his one good leg to propel himself while the other, half the size, is used for balance. They ask me if Keisha is my wife, and when I say no, they ask if she would be theirs. Very typical teenage boys, playing with a soccer ball, asking about what we do in America for work, if we like Obama, if we listen to music. For a second we forget that these boys are victims, despite the fact that one rests the stump of his right leg, not six inches long, in my lap. They all laugh; we pass out the books and cookies we have brought along as gifts. Then a soft groan from the corner brings everyone back to reality. A boy is tied firmly to the bed, moaning in slow agony, his body covered in scales and sores, a common pathology associated with Agent Orange poisoning. He is tied to prevent scratching at his Lo is training in masonry at a facility wounds, so that his flesh does not fall off in large pieces, staining outside of Ho Chi Minh City. his institutional sheets. Some four million Vietnamese alone have been affected by Agent Orange. That does not include the thousands of US troops and their families, among them Scott Luce, Keisha's father, who served during the Vietnam conflict and died of an Agent Orange-related cancer in 1988. Sum and Parts is funded partly by John Sloan Dickey Center for International Understanding at Dartmouth College, and The Ella Lyman Cabot Trust. Donations can be made through the website www.sumandparts. com or by mail to 9 Woodlawn Drive, Binghamton, New York 13904, care of Keisha Luce. Teens hang out during rest hour at Peace Village, a Tu' Du' Hospital ward specializing in dioxin victims. All Photos by Kirk Torregrossa Photography 2009. COA 11 Looking for the Pony A review of the play written by Andrea Lepcio '79 By Jennifer Prediger '99 Stage photos by Stacey Bode Photography. Looking for the Pony is a heartfelt, dark and comic tale Off Your Chest, gives the sisters the feeling that they of two sisters whose worlds are built on the bedrock are in good hands. of their connection. Written by Andrea Lepcio '79, the play was praised for its unexpected humor by the Insurance lawyers and experimental treatment offer New York Times following its off-Broadway debut comic catharsis-drilling home the off-kilter idea this winter. It was also selected as a 2008 National that "Early Detection is the Best Prevention." Which Endowment for the Arts Outstanding New American begs the question, how can you prevent something Play Finalist. that you already detect? Life deals each of the sisters gifts, along with Amidst the unexpected, Lepcio slips in a subconscious dilemmas that they get through together, with nod to human ecology and the interconnectedness laughter and pain. Amidst this bond, there is still a of all things, represented by the idea that a butterfly sense of struggle, or "fractal alienation," a term from flapping its wings has an impact elsewhere. It flaps the play that gives words to the ways we are all, to and then is quickly jolted into the realm of the funny, some degree, dealing with being there for each other frantic tone of the play, "My mind was like a million and being alone. The sisters dance with closeness different butterflies flapping." and distance, both geographical and emotional. Thoughts, ideas, wit fly everywhere through what They are adults in their own lives, living in different one sister refers to as "theoretical wormholes." parts of the country-the older sister with a busy This story of how women love each other was family and the younger with a lesbian partner, and produced by the Vital Theater Company and on the verge of leaving her day job to pursue her played by a skilled and impressive cast of four. J. dreams to be a writer. "I don't want to miss any Smith Cameron, Deirdre O'Connell, Lori Funk and more of your life," says the slightly younger Eloisa Debargo Sanyal are energetic, versatile, comic and to Lauren. real. And so they maintain their connection through long The play ended and the applause done, surround- distance flights, phone calls and trips to Costco. sound sniffling could be heard throughout the theater. These things we do to feed ourselves and stay In every row were people not quite equipped to deal connected to one another are at once made absurd with the story and its emotions. Bravo! and embraced. Add to this middle-aged, sisterly tale the simultaneously hilarious and depressing squished- breast-under-a-glass-plate phenomenon of the mammogram. The test results force both women to face the "C" word. Welcome to the world of stage III breast cancer. Over the course of this emotional medical journey we meet characters whose names and attitudes summarize all-too-common health care experiences, like Dr. Wrote-A-Book, whose cheeky title, Get it Andrea Lepcio '79. Photo by Stephen Sunderlin. 12 COA RECENT ALUMNI BOOKS & ALBUMS Non-Fiction Nishanta Rajakaruna '94 and R.S. Mindi Meltz '99: Beauty. (Hidden Boyd: "The Edaphic Factor: Its Door Press, hiddendoorpress.com) Garrett Conover '78 and Role in Shaping the Biotic World Alexandra Conover '77: Snow Evolution under Extreme Edaphic Albums Walker's Companion: Winter Conditions" in General Ecology, Camping Skills for the North. Vol. 2 of Encyclopedia of Ecology, Aaron Lewis '06 with The Hot (Adventure Publications, Inc.) edited by Sven Erik Jørgensen and Seats (formerly Special Ed and the Stan Davis and Julia Davis '03: Brian D. Fath. (Elsevier) Shortbus): Retreat to Camp Candy Schools Where Everyone Belongs: Temptation Island; Rats in the Jerry Jenkins, Karen Roy Practical Strategies for Reducing Kitchen; Ground Beef Patrol. '77, Charles Driscoll and Bullying. (Research Press Christopher Buerkett: Acid Rain Brooke Brown Saracino '05: Publishers) in the Adirondacks: A Research Stranger's Story. Libby Dean '89 "Doubt and Summary. (Cornell University Sarah Wendt '85: Weightless With Enduring," in The Journals of Press) Love (City Canyons LLC); Here's Knud Rasmussen: A Sense of Tim Spahr '86 and Cindy Us. (City Canyons LLC) Memory and High-definition Inuit Dabrowski Kennie: Incorporating Storytelling. Edited by Gillian Small Streams & Brooks into Robinson. (Isuma) Developing Landscapes. (The Amy Goodman ('79), Janet Braun- Wells National Estuarine Research Reinitz and Jane Weissman: Reservation) On the Wall: Four Decades of Community Murals in New Children's York City. (University Press of Garrett Conover '78: Kristin's Acid Rain Mississippi) in the Adirondacks Wilderness: A Braided Trail. with David Goodman: Standing Illustrated by Roderick Maclver Up to the Madness: Ordinary and Tanya Thompson. (Raven Heroes in Extraordinary Times. Productions) (Hyperion) Ryan T. Higgins '06: Twaddleton's Kate Hassett '08, Mysterious Joe Cheese. Illustrated by Ryan Miller. (katehassett.wordpress.com) Higgins. (Cocklebury Books) Kristin's Wilderness John Jacob '81, editor: Inge Katrin Hyman Tchana '83 and Morath: Iran, Photographs by Inge Trina Schart Hyman: Changing Morath. (Steidl) Woman and Her Sisters: Goddess STANDING editor: Man Ray: Trees + Flowers- Stories from Around the World. Insects + Animals: Photographs (Holiday House) and drawings by Man Ray. (Steidl) Philip B. Kunhardt III '77, Peter Fiction UPLIONESS GOODI Kunhardt and Peter Kunhardt, Jr.: DAVID Elizabeth Bachner '96: "Mick Looking for Lincoln: the Making and Keith, Tom and Huck" of an American Icon. (Knopf in Wreckage of Reason: An Publishing Group) Anthology of Contemporary Frances Pollitt '77: Historic Photos Xxperimental Prose by Women of Maine. (Turner Publishing Co.) Writers. Edited by Nava Renek. (Spuyten Duyvil) COA 13 Notes from a Stolen, Splendid Shore By Sasha Paris '11 Excerpted from a longer journal-essay set at the COA waterfront as part of an independent study in nature 10/22/08 Midday essay writing with COA lecturer Candice Stover. I struggle to walk against a mighty wind. Whitecaps 9/23/08 Early Afternoon break on roiling dark-gray water; waves curl and Sky and sea are matching light blue. Long ripples crash onshore in a broad band of foam. A berm of break almost silently on the shore. The tide is very torn-loose rockweed, sprinkled with tawny pine low, a blessing of revealed life. needles, marks the high-tide line. The pier creaks; trees roar softly against a pale sky. Beneath the pier lies a mosaic of flat-sided boulders encrusted with barnacles and wreathed in rockweed. I come seeking mussels for the Dorr Museum's touch Mussels cluster between rocks, anchored by tough, tank. At water's edge, I feel for them among similarly silt-matted protein strands. dark, rounded pebbles, prying them from a chilly mix of mud and barnacle-shell fragments. Doomed I climb among springy mats of knotted wrack: long to close quarters with sea stars and crabs, they will green-brown strands tipped with gold, beaded with never again touch the sea until I toss their empty spindles of air. Some bear chocolate-brown puffballs shells onto the shore. of epiphytic algae. Bladder wrack is also present: short, branching fronds with round, paired air sacs, 11/6/08 Midafternoon tips heavy with plump, bumpy golden hearts and Dark and glazed with fog, Bar Island seems to float ovals which ooze spore-filled mucus when broken. in air. Only the faintest change in shades of gray The living mass makes a faint bubbling sound, as distinguishes sea from sky. Ocean fragrance hangs if breathing slowly. A nearly-grown herring gull heavy, produced by bacteria in the water. How paddles past, its head faintly washed with gray. wonderful that germs give us such pleasure. 10/15/08 Early Evening Today I bring museum creatures to release in the high tidewaters, among them a rock crab with an Full-moon low tide! The sea is down nearly to the orange ball of eggs held by hooks on her abdomen. pier piling, baring parts of its bed which rarely feel Had her microscopic offspring hatched in the tank, the air. Sunlight has left the beach, although Bar they would have been siphoned up and discarded Island and two creamy cruise ships still glow; sky and with the dirty water. calm sea are soft blue-gray. A white sailboat passes nearby, but I have eyes only for the intertidal. The granite spit near the pier is wet from recent rain. I climb it carefully and try to judge where, in the Gravel borders the shore below the rockweed beds. swirling high-tide waters, the crab could be most I walk along it, skidding on periwinkles. Treasures safely released. lie scattered: mussel and clam shells, dog whelks, giant periwinkles covered in hard white algae, and She would be exposed to predators on the gravel bright red and yellow leaves. beach, and boulder-funneled water flows too strongly over rockweed. I go to the very end of the Previous full-moon tides have yielded other granite spit, above the deepest water I can reach. treasures. Once I found a male rock crab squatting The seafloor below is vaguely visible: an angular on the wrack. He held a smaller female belly-up dark-and-light mass. Knotted wrack waves at my beneath him, waiting for her to shed her shell so feet. I set the crab in the water. She sinks, belly up they could mate. I am like that with the sea when and legs kicking, to disappear beneath the wrack. I in Maine: keeping it near, watching, waiting for the will never know it if she lives to shake her hatchlings brief, precious time when it opens up to me. to the currents, but now she has a chance. 14 COA Donor Profile A Living, Breathing Tribute: Clare Stone and The Allan Stone Chair in the Visual Arts A five-foot shark hangs restricted his son's funds. That didn't stop the art in front of the robin's- buying. On the family dime, he'd order expensive egg blue trestle desk suits in New York and sell them to classmates in in Clare Stone's living Cambridge. Following his father's wishes, Allan room on MDI. Nearby, became a lawyer, but he also kept collecting. In just beyond a large December 1961, the Allan Stone Gallery opened in armadillo-like woven Manhattan. His eye was legendary. Wayne Thiebaud creature sprawls a ten- had his first show there, and Richard Estes his first foot mouse-or is it a photorealist exhibition. rat?-constructed from Clare Stone at the home she and grey-painted canvas. In 1963, Clare went to work for the gallery. It Allan shared in Purchase, NY. Inside one window sits changed her life. Having honed her vision from years Photo courtesy of Clare Stone. a large crow, while a of living with exceptional art, Clare Stone became a huge ship's head figure stands as if having paraded photographer. into the room, hat on head and hands on breasts. The Stones began summering in Maine, and bought At Seabench, the extraordinary Stone summer their home in Seal Harbor during the college's first cottage overlooking the eastern edge of Seal Harbor, years. They came to know COA and became members the downstairs rooms are filled with an uncanny of the Champlain Society through former board diversity of sculpture, painting, furniture and chair and life trustee Ed Blair, who would include pottery-everything from the finest of contemporary the Stones on his whale-viewing excursions. artists to amazing finds from Maine's cacophony of antique stores. Outside, nestled among a rapture "Allan loved Maine so much," Clare Stone says. of ferns, moss and flowers, stand large pottery urns "He was not interested in publicity, not interested and more massive sculptures. These jewels are in fame," she adds. "He saw things and wanted the discoveries of the late Allan Stone, owner of them and it broadened his life. Teaching people New York City's Allan Stone Gallery, a voracious how to see is what he was really good at." She appreciator of all kinds of art, from roadside signs to recalls him standing in front of a Jackson Pollock, African sculpture to abstract painting. explaining "how to look at 'abstract painting.' It was so interesting and so helpful-he could see it and he Shortly after Allan died, in 2006, his family sought could explain it; that's a very rare quality." appropriate ways to honor him. Together with his six daughters, his widow, Clare Stone, decided that one In The Collector, a documentary about her father very fitting tribute to this brilliant collector, a man made by daughter Olympia Stone, the eminent New who constantly shared his love of art with others, York Times art critic Michael Kimmelman speaks of would be an endowed faculty position at College of the deeply personal nature of Allan Stone's gallery. the Atlantic. Thus was born the Allan Stone Chair in "It has to do with love," he says. the Visual Arts. The college is now searching for a person to hold the position. The chair, combining the visual arts and Maine at a college of human ecology, is a true weaving of Allan Stone was a student at Harvard University when the many loves of the Stone family. "This chair will he bought his first piece of art, Study for Pink Angels be ongoing and meaningful-a living, breathing by William DeKooning. This was in the 1950s. The thing, embodying something that Allan believed in," $250 that Allan spent so appalled his father that he echoes Clare Stone. COA 15 Oral History Philip Kunhardt III '77: Soaked in Poetry and Utopia Philip Kunhardt III transferred into COA's first class. He later went to divinity school, became an Episcopal priest, and then a film producer, author and Lincoln scholar. He currently teaches at Bard College and serves as a COA trustee. His eldest son, Philip, caught the COA dream and is a second-year student at the college. This excerpt comes from a longer interview with Kunhardt. Donna Gold: What attracted you to COA? DG: And what were classes like? You spoke about the intimacy that faculty and students had. Philip Kunhardt: I had spent every summer of my life in Hancock, Maine as a boy and I loved that part PK: As you went along you had more and more of the world. The thought of becoming a pioneering chances to specialize and to do independent studies student at a new college in Maine was very, very and things of that sort. That's when I gravitated appealing. toward Bill Carpenter; In addition to courses with him I took a couple of independent studies. In one DG: Can you tell me about the first days? of them, fellow student Frank Twohill '80, Bill and I would meet once a week at a little restaurant, Lenny's PK: When we first got there, the faculty and Lunch. It has long since disappeared. It was a dive, administration had spent a lot of time trying to get sort of a clam shack. We would spend hours just it ready for us. They had devised a curriculum and talking about American literature. I don't know any planned who was going to teach what, and had the college in the country where I could have had that courses ready and we just settled into a system that experience. And I wasn't the only one to get that. had been invented prior to our arrival. Even in the sciences, you had the chance to work really closely with the professors, doing fieldwork. I I don't know how long that lasted, but not very long. There was a kind of revolt after a number of weeks. think that at the best liberal arts colleges today you still can get this if you're a motivated student and A group of us said we didn't come here to be fit really pursue the faculty and they like you and want into an existing framework; we came here to help to work with you. But at COA, every student got create a new kind of school. In my memory-which is bound to be somewhat flawed-I recall that we that opportunity, from the very beginning. And they not only became your teachers, they became your basically went on strike. We said there will be no friends. more classes. And we invented, at that point, the All College Meeting. We would spend every day in DG: And what was the student life like, outside of a kind of group discussion about what we wanted academics? this college to be. I think it went on for quite some time, though I've heard from others that it may have PK: I remember skiing through the park from where only lasted a week or so. Eventually things got back I was living to get to the Beech Hill house, where a to normal, but there was a new committee that bunch of other students lived-Scott Kraus '77, Rick was charged with helping to devise the curriculum Waters '77, John March '76, and others. There were and reform it and a lot of the features that are still five or six households within skiing distance of each part of what the college is came out of those early other. We would meet and have these wonderful discussions. dinner parties. I remember hosting one in Southwest Harbor another year in a warmer season. We all For some people it never went far enough. I think picked mussels and then sat around in the living some people were looking for a kind of commune. room and ate them out of a huge pot and drank red And others were influenced by such experiments wine and sang. All my memories of those days aren't as Black Mountain College, which was a school in perfect, believe me, but there was a lot of fun, and which artists and students lived together very closely. it was healthy fun. Everybody loved the outdoors. COA never quite became that intimate, but it was You wouldn't come to a school like this unless you heading in that direction. For some people it went wanted to be on Mount Desert Island, in Acadia too far, and for others it didn't go far enough. National Park, and wanted to take full advantage 16 COA of it. Compared to other schools, almost no one back on our skates. The problem was, the center of smoked cigarettes. Almost no pot smoking, or drugs the lake was open water. We're racing down, twenty of any kind. Almost none. or thirty miles an hour, with a spinnaker, and we had to time it perfectly so that when we got to this open DG: In those years? That's amazing! section, we'd leap into the air and keep holding this thing and fly over the open section and land on the PK: In general, these were people who were into a solid ice on the far side. We had a very healthy, natural high. They loved nature. They loved exercise. red-blooded, outdoorsy, nature-loving joie de vivre. We would go down to the beach in Bar Harbor at It's one of the things I remember most fondly about night, in the middle of the winter-when there was those days. deep snow and ice on the beach-and we would strip down and race into the water and swim out DG: Have you thought about how going to COA as far as we could and then swim back, leap out, changed you? freezing-the steam coming off our bodies-and run up and down the beach, howling. It was like electric PK: For me, it'll always be the place of these shock treatment. You would just freak yourself into memories, this love affair with the outdoors, the aliveness. To this day, whenever I am about to dive sense of marvelous friendship and community into really cold water I stop momentarily and think that was not only with our own peers but with our of my friend Steve Savage '77, and I tip my head to mentors-soaked in poetry and utopia. I try to build him and then dive in. aspects of that in my current life. It was also the place where I began my passionate involvement I think of so many students-Gillian Brown, who left with interdisciplinary learning. To this day I and returned to graduate in 1988, Megan Godfrey maintain a lively interest in both the sciences and ('78), Craig Kesselheim '76, Alice Leeds '76-all the humanities. I have a vigorous reading program, deeply in love with life and nature and the outdoors. continuing to educate myself in areas that are outside I think of Josh Klauder ('78), who was at the school of my professions. I like to know things outside the only briefly. He was a wonderful man and his daughter fields I work in, and that's COA-that refusal to be Kaija is now a second-year student at the college. pigeon-holed that we felt back in those days, and Josh introduced me to a form of free running. We that still is a hallmark of this amazing college. I've would go out into the park, into an unmarked area- had a kind of poetic life that I plan to continue as off the trails completely-and just start running in a long as I can. straight line, as fast as we could. Whatever terrain we encountered, we'd have to deal with it spontaneously, as we reached it. If we came to a bog, we'd have to go through it and we might sink up to our waists, and we'd just keep going as hard as we could until we came out the other side. Once, running hard, we came suddenly to a cliff. And we just leaped out and grabbed hold of a tree branch and kind of swung down, and fell, tumbling, and got up and kept running. Eagle Lake would freeze over, and I have a great memory of going out on a windy day, skating into the wind the full length of the lake. A visiting friend and I had brought with us a tent fly, and when we got to the far end we opened it and it became a sort of Philip Kunhardt III '77 with his son Philip Kunhardt IV, COA class of spinnaker, and we sailed all the way 2011. Photo by Donna Gold. COA 17 poetry Quando sono nata By Stefania Marchese '11 Translated by Stefania Marchese with the help of Bill Carpenter, faculty member in literature and writing. Quando sono nata When I was born Quando sono nata When I was born mia madre non c'era. my mother wasn't there. Era andata al mercato She had gone to the market a comprare gli oli speziati to buy the spicy oils e i fiori bianchi di cannella. and white cinnamon flowers. Quando sono nata When I was born mia madre non c'era. my mother wasn't there. Era andata al mercato She had gone to the market quello lontano, oltre al bosco di cipressi the one that is far away, behind the cypresses e poi non è tornata. and she never came back. Si è persa per la strada dei lupi e della luna She got lost on the road of the wolves and the moon sui ciottoli freddi di ortica pungente on the cold stones of stinging nettle dove il muschio cresce a sud where moss grows on the south-facing bark ed il sole sorge a ponente. and the sun rises from the west. Mia madre non c'era quando sono nata. My mother wasn't there when I was born. Doveva comprare gli oli e le spezie. She had to buy the oils and the spices. È ovvio che mi sia mancata Of course I missed her ma niente può nascere senza profumo. but nothing can be born without its scent. Si è persa per la strada del rumore. She got lost on the road of noise. Hai sentito le sue grida Did you hear her screaming quando il salice piangente when the crying willow la frustava ridendo? was whipping her, laughing? Si è persa per la strada del ritorno. She got lost on the way home. Quella dell'andata non esisteva più. The road leading away from me had disappeared. Quando mia madre non c'era It was when my mother wasn't there sono nata io. that I was born. È dolce esistere It is sweet to exist quando intorno è il nulla. when around there is nothing. This winter, while Stefania Marchese was working at the Commission on Human Rights in the Mexican state of Yucatan, she heard that she had won the Fifth Edition of the International Poetry Competition Castello di Duino- Solidarietà: Poetry and Solidarity, Language of the Peoples. Marchese, who is from Monfalcone, Italy, is a Davis United World College scholar. 18 COA The Conversations The Connections What It Means to Teach Human Ecology A dialog with COA faculty members Don Cass, Dave Feldman and Karen Waldron Photo of Don by Toby Hollis; photo of David by Lauren Broomall '09 for her project, "Working on Mount Desert Island, Maine," photo of Karen by Donna Gold. What does it mean to teach human ecology if you're a chemist? How about a literature or math professor? One winter afternoon, Don Cass, COA's chemist, Dave Feldman, who teaches math and physics, and Karen Waldron, who teaches literature, gathered in Dave's office. What they reveal is that teaching human ecology is not really about content, it's about COA's special structure, the breadth and depth of its faculty, and the students who are attracted to it. ~ DG Karen Waldron: I think that teaching at COA is very happened. The conversations that are possible, the different from teaching at other institutions. The connections that students are making to other classes, degree is different, the approach is different, the is part of where the difference in teaching at a school students are different, the faculty is different. I think of human ecology lies-which is happening live, that all these things reinforce each other, but I don't real time, while you're doing literature or history, or think it's so different that we wouldn't recognize whatever it is that you're doing. colleagues in other areas, or that Dave's calculus class wouldn't be thought of as a calculus class. Don Cass: At COA there's a broader type of question that it's okay to talk about in class. I try to make an The biggest thing for me is what comes up in a effort to find out what students care about-and I try classroom-where it's allowed to go. In literature to relate what I'm trying to get across to what they classes I taught before I came to COA, teaching the care about. I like it that there are art students and exact same material, I would never have a student philosophy students and psychology students asking raise a hand and say "that's resource extraction"- questions from their disciplines about what chemists which could create a whole conversation about do: Is it art? What's the difference between art and the fact that this novel is representing the impact of science? I let students learn what they want to learn mining on a community. That just would never have in the class, so that those who want to learn the nitty- COA 19 gritty of chemistry can do that, but students who don't can approach it So, you ask about from whatever they do care about. teaching the KW: At other schools there might not be the time, but there also isn't basics of chemistry. Well, the inclination. It's a structural issue. At other schools, students are in a department and they define their goals by their major and they don't look what's a basic? I don't outside that major. really believe in atoms DC: Where I taught before, we never had art students taking chemistry that much, they're just classes. They would take the chemistry for artists course, so the "real" sort of a convenient fic- chemistry people would never hear the sort of things that the non-chemistry students hear. Here they hear it all. It means there's more of a burden put tion in my mind. But I on students to dig more deeply if they want to get the depth out of the don't think that that's class, but that's a good thing, too, it teaches them how to do that. the way it's taught in Dave Feldman: COA's type of education also places more of a burden most places. My stu- on faculty to individualize and tailor assignments. I agree with Karen's and Don's point about majors structuring so much of life at most other dents like to talk about colleges. Those schools don't have the openness or interdisciplinary mix relationships, and so I that COA does, because students and faculty are cloistered via their majors and departments. make lots of relationship KW: The intellectual range that I need to have here is different-there's analogies. Are we sepa- something palpably interdisciplinary about what I'm doing even when I'm rate? Or are we parts teaching a discipline. Personally, I'm hopelessly interdisciplinary-I find of a bigger something? the kinds of things that Don and Dave talk about really fascinating and if somebody makes a point in class about them, I don't say, "Oh we're That's what chemistry is talking about symbolism, we're not going there." really all about. When At COA we may not develop the same knowledge base, in some cases, are things really different but in terms of developing intellectual skills, we do a really good job. The from each other? When students learn how to be responsible for their own goals and to become scholars much earlier than do students who became majors at schools atoms come together where I taught before, where once they knew what being a major was, to make molecules, are they didn't have to ask any more questions. they still atoms? Or have DF: I think there's a culture and structure in place that enable students to make connections here: final projects, internships, independent studies. they formed some new But a lot of teaching is just communication, so at one level it's just the same thing. It's like a commu- here as when I taught a class of two hundred at a large state school. nity. If you're part of a DC: It seems like where I was teaching before, the goal was to get students community, are you still ready for the next class. Professor Whatsit expected that they knew this, that and the other, and I had to be sure they were ready. a separate individual? And the students are in- DF: Being liberated from teaching to the next class does give you the freedom to teach slightly different content and emphasize different skills. terested in how the way KW: I agree with Dave that teaching is teaching, and you go over the chemists think is a specif- material in a way that's suitable to the audience, therefore the audience ic example of more gen- is going to make a huge difference as to how you deliver the material. eral ways of thought. But the purpose of teaching at COA is not to a test or to the next class; that changes what's happening in the classroom. I know that my students Don Cass aren't going from Major American Writers 101 to Major American Writers 102. They might be going to Ken Cline's law and policy class or to physics, 20 COA or ballet, or chemistry. So my own intellectual Being liberated from teaching to the next experimentation that's constantly going on is not only because of my students, but also because of my class does give you the freedom to teach colleagues. slightly different content and emphasize different skills. There are ways that I think about what's in the novels that I'm teaching that's much more inherently ~ Dave Feldman and explicitly interdisciplinary and reflective of the practice and theory of human ecology than if I had project topics. Every now and again they do, and often taught at another school, because the goals of the they should but don't, but often they shouldn't-and institution are to do human ecology-and I believe in that's really different than where I went to college, them. I believe that there's a connection in everything where a lot of us did independent research projects, we teach to how we live on this planet. There's a but the idea that I could come up with one of those connection to activism, and to moral choices that on my own, that just wasn't in the air. you make, to values. COA is not an ivory tower. It's not that I'm going to give you knowledge so that you KW: It's not just the freedom to follow their own can be prepared for the next thing. No, the world is path, but the sense of their awareness of themselves messed up, so how does my material help you be a in the world as someone following that path that is decent human being and make good choices or take really different. Having students knowing that they positive and specific actions in this world that you're want to do xyz is great, and empowering them to inheriting? That's much more conscious to me here do that-sometimes with fewer resources than than it was in other places, and that's because of the anywhere else-can also be a fabulous education institution's values. for someone who doesn't need or want to have something handed to them or prescribed for them, I think human ecology is partly how we do what we but wants to understand how to chart their own path do. I also think it is the way in which the relationships of success. that are the center of our curriculum get individually accessed and thought about by different students. DC: It instills a sense of ingenuity, to figure out how To me, what's really valuable is how an individual to do it themselves. puts together the various pieces of what they need to know in order to address the issues they think KW: I think the level of questioning and pursuit is they need to address. That can be anything from the deeper. The things you do question here and where most deeply personal philosophical question that you go with those questions are different from things is driving their entire life, to the selection of artistic that you question at another institution. What you media that expresses the self, to deciding to be a question here are the structures of thought and veterinarian: In what sense does this job function in arenas of knowledge-and that's valuable. I think the world and how do I want to inhabit it? there's always this awareness of where an idea or bit of knowledge came from and how it's deployed DF: We do tend to attract students who are interested in the world. in being able to chart their own path. Our students want to know different things. They're self-directed. There are some faculty who probably consider It's very rare that students take my suggestions for themselves as teaching human ecology, and who think of it more as a content area than those of us who are teaching literature and math and chemistry. Rich The world is messed up, so how does my Borden, in his seminar on human ecology, traces the evolution of that concept. I think it's another way material help you be a decent human of looking at a similar thing, even though we could being and make good choices? That's have profound debates on whether human ecology much more conscious to me here than is a discipline or a method, an approach or a content area. it was in other places because of the DF: I do think we reify human ecology sometimes institution's values. and use the words as a shorthand for a richer ~ Karen Waldron COA 21 description of how we teach and learn at COA. What really gifted teacher? I'm not sure I care what human are you teaching? Human ecology. Why is it good? ecology is; I care that we're a really, really good I think relying on the phrase "human ecology" risks college in the ways we've all been describing. distancing ourselves from those who should be our fellow travelers because COA's human ecology has KW: People here are committed to doing what a funny language and you might not recognize that we're doing. This is not something that sets us we're sharing a philosophy. I certainly see people apart-but the fact that we all have that sense may that are as "human ecological" as we are, they're set us apart. There are people that have these kinds just not using those same words. I think sometimes of principles in lots of different places, but the we get caught up in the idea that we're so special institution supports, seeks, looks for and constantly and different, which is one of the reasons I've spent reinforces those principles. To me that's what human two-thirds of this conversation resisting the idea that ecology is and I'm much more interested in what we teach differently, because I don't think that we're it does than what it is. An education isn't a set of actually that different-maybe we're just better. Are courses, an education is a process of learning and Karen's literature classes different because of some getting smarter and more sophisticated and more magic human ecology that she conveys to people, able to sort out the knowledge that you have and the or are they just different because she's a really, purpose it has and where it's going. What's It Like to Study Human Ecology? COA Students-Current and Former-Weigh In "COA taught me to understand complex problems "Studying human ecology meant understanding holistically. This approach has been useful the complexity of nature and human interaction-a throughout my life, from living and working in challenging but beautiful quest." post-war El Salvador to studying educational issues Kate Frances Gatski '98 in the United States for English language learners who are learning academic content in a language "I felt my education was different at COA, because they do not yet understand. No other university I've the classes were very small. The teachers encouraged attended (and I've studied at four!) has prepared students to think, and to write. I never felt a teacher me so well to take messy, real-world data and find was simply putting basic information out and integrated and creative solutions. COA will always going through the motions of regurgitation. Every be a part of my heart and mind." teacher was passionate about the subjects he or she ~ Barbara (Dole) Acosta ('75) PhD taught and understood the topic's relevance in an ecological perspective. The sciences came alive "To study at a school of human ecology means that before my eyes. The arts went deep and gave people every single thing I learned was deeply relevant a place to express themselves. The senior project on both personal and academic levels because the and human ecology essay are special opportunities place as a whole embodies values I trust. In that for one-on-one interaction with faculty. I think this atmosphere it is so easy to be completely open personal expression is rare in college. All College and ready to absorb all kinds of ideas-but most Meeting and committee involvement was another importantly, uncomfortable ones. I think that has unusual way to learn. Students learned to work in a been one of the most useful tools-the ability to group and think realistically." truly see both sides of an issue." ~ Jessie Greenbaum '89 -Jeanne Fletcher '99 22 COA Taking Human Ecology into the World By Rich Borden, When fire destroyed the original Kaelber Hall in Rachel Carson Chair in Human Ecology 1983, we were backed into a re-founding situation. Later, as academic dean, I wanted to know more As Karen, Don and Dave have said, teaching at COA about the origins and uses of human ecology. I began is different. Before I came here, I taught at Ohio to look for other individuals and organizations using State and Purdue universities. Departmental majors it as an approach to education. Since then I've visited completely defined those institutions-academically, numerous institutions and gotten to know hundreds architecturally and culturally. At COA, I discovered of human ecology colleagues. There are people students didn't want the "inside story" of psychology, all over the world who understand and appreciate as did undergraduate majors or graduate students COA's educational vision. Many have visited COA. elsewhere. Rather than me defining the subject A substantial literature of human ecology exists and matter and delivering it to the class, COA students, is growing. each in their own way, challenged me to teach to their interests. One was there to learn about the I think this is what some people mean by human evolution of consciousness, another was working on ecology as "content." Well-yes-I do integrate it group dynamics and cooperation, the next searching into my human ecology seminar and throughout for the meaning of dreams. I felt like a sock being my teaching. Other COA faculty members use turned inside out. It was then that I appreciated the some of this content in their classes as well. Many intersection of self-directed and interdisciplinary COA professors have written their own human education. ecology essays. They have presented their ideas at conferences and published them in books and Another way the college is distinctive is in our human articles. These contributions are often referenced in ecology mission. The college's founding documents published work by others elsewhere. They appear are some of the most inspiring pieces of educational on course syllabi at other institutions and are philosophy I've seen. Ed Kaelber, COA's founding read by non-COA students. I concur with Dave's president, got it right early on: human ecology is concern about waving the human ecology term as best understood as a perspective-a way of looking an empty reification. That which means anything, at the world. frequently means nothing. But an opposite danger is reticence. If COA were a polytechnic institute or I came to COA to join a dedicated community of an art school, "being good" would mean different scholars. I relish its experimental pedagogy and things. As a college of human ecology, it should collaborative inquiry about the place of humans mean something else. It is our place to articulate in the living world. It feels open, creative and that, for ourselves and others. I hope we continue to important. I've always believed our aim is to build on talk about it, write about it, and contribute to making those founding principles. By developing individual it as meaningful and world-changing as the college's perspectives, we create fresh combinations and founders envisioned. There is a wide road between contribute-in a collective effort-to a richer way of solipsism and silence. It is the path on which we seeing the world. began and remains, I believe, the right course. "For me, studying human ecology meant that I learned to stop arguing passionately and start listening to other viewpoints. It didn't mean that I changed mine, only that I needed to think about other people's vantages before I could pursue a course of action. I learned that I would be a more effective agent of change if I could have a meaningful discussion with the other side. I've never seen anyone change their mind during a heated argument, but I have seen people think hard after a long conversation." ~ Sonja Johanson '95 COA 23 Human Ecology: The empty vessel By Michael Griffith '09 Perhaps alone among disciplines, human ecology is an anti- discipline. If there is a narrow way, human ecology does not see it. No-Instead of walls it sees a wide plane of vision. It sees seeing. Because of human ecology, eyes open or closed, I can imagine the edges of a discipline, press against them, break through; hold three disciplines together, collapse them, combine them. Another discipline might say, in a single voice, Hey! I can see you! But you'll exist inside of me. Whereas human ecology might say, chorally, Hey! We can see you! Let's see together! It does not cover: it combines. In this way, we combine with human ecology, we become human ecology-and yes, it becomes us. History does not Photo by Donna Gold. become us; we do not become biology. This is fine (even a relief: cool distance). After all, discipline can be enjoyable, enlightening and perhaps-with enough dedication, or indifference-we all see the same in the end. But say we do not? Say seeing alone is not enough-to think, love and (admit it) help others the way we want, even need, to do? Alone among disciplines, only human ecology moves us to see seeing-and then, to see that, and to see that. This is a greedy practice, gorged on a moving limit. But when one is in motion, why pretend to stand still? We'll never find ourselves-or anything-in one place. Sometimes I say, Oh, my major's always the same; it's changing all the time. But my major's changing all the time: it's always human ecology! And so we live by and learn from this powerfully empty phrase. When Michael Griffith graduates this spring he heads to Pune, India, where he'll be teaching English literature at the Mahindra United World College of India. "Studying human ecology meant a different way of approaching my education. Seeing my education as a tool for change for the larger community rather than as simply a rung in a ladder for my own personal achievements. It also meant taking control of my education: not relying upon a 'major' to define the last three years of my course list, and instead being responsible to select which mix of courses would give me the breadth and depth I needed for life. The faculty at COA are truly living an interdisciplinary education, not just talking about it. So not only are there far more team-taught classes at COA, but the breadth of each professor's knowledge expands beyond his and her own area of expertise allowing an interdisciplinary approach even to classes taught by one professor. In graduate school, faculty tried to be interdisciplinary, but they were doing so from a departmentalized approach. Without those barriers between faculty members, the students at COA naturally made connections across course topics that the students in my graduate school were struggling to come to grips with or else ignoring altogether." ~ Sarah (Cole) McDaniel '93 The students in this section also attended Antioch College, Central European University, George Mason University, Harvard Law School, University of Pennsylvania, Yale School of Forestry and Management-and others. 24 COA Experiencing Human Ecology The Maine Woods "Monster Class" By Donna Gold In the fall of 2008, College of the Atlantic offered It's hard to know who was more passionate about the a class that contained so many COA elements that class, the faculty or the students. Faculty members those involved considered it the "quintessential didn't just teach their subject and leave; they took human ecology course." Called Ecology, Conserva- each others' classes. Students hardly missed a class. tion, and Experience of Place: The Maine Woods, Says Saras Yerlig '11 from South Hadley, Massa- the course was actually three classes combined, chusetts, "Everyone was so committed and excited, taught to eight students by three faculty members: there was so much energy, so much motivation. We Ken Cline, Steve Ressel and Bonnie Tai, along with were driven; we wanted to be there all the time." Tonia Kittelson, a student life staff member. When Katelyn Costello '11 of New Hampshire was asked to talk about the class, her answer was, "How The interweaving of three separate classes is a many hours do you have? How many days?" common occurrence at COA. There's even a col- loquial name for it: a monster class. Like a whis- The "monsterness" of the class allowed for multiple per of a sound in a child's house, this "monster" is field trips, including a two-week stint in the forests of something that grows and grows and takes over the northern Maine just two weeks into the term. There, life of a student's-and teacher's-term. But more the group studied amphibians, viewed clearcuts, like the monsters imagined by Maurice Sendak's hiked, canoed, learned to set up camps and start fires, Max in Where the Wild Things Are, the COA's followed some of Henry David Thoreau's trails, and monster class isn't terrifying-just very intense. talked with hunters, foresters, small store owners and others about the fraught topic of what would be For this "monster," Cline, faculty member in public best for the Maine woods. Throughout, they caught policy and environmental law, offered an exami- stream salamanders and other amphibians for a sur- nation of the policy of conservation of the Maine vey designed by the students and conducted for the woods. Ressel, faculty member in biology, took on State of Maine. As they collected, examined and the biology of Maine woods amphibians-said to be released the tiny salamanders and frogs, they also sensitive environmental indicators, akin to canaries pondered whether amphibians are truly an indicator in coal mines. Tai, faculty member in education, species-and whether that mattered, whether they focused on educational methods and experiential wouldn't be worth conserving in any case. And al- learning with the help of Kittelson, director of stu- ways, as students of education, they considered not dent leadership and engagement. Though no arts only what they were learning, but how they were faculty member was involved, music and drawing learning it-while also taking turns being trip leaders were a continuous part of the experience. As was for a day. Whew. service learning: the students each had to design and conduct a service project. For some, that project Says Costello, "Everything changed after that trip. continues even now. So that the entire group could We bonded as a group-it was as experiential as go on field explorations in one van and stay in one you can get." While students were doing actual sci- campsite, the class was limited to eight students. entific work in conducting the salamander survey, Photo above left to right: Rebecca Abuza '11, Noah Hodgetts '11, Ken Cline, Bethany Johnson '11, Bonnie Tai, Sarah Colletti '10, Saras Yerlig '11, Brianna Larsen '11, Megan Williams '09, Katelyn Costello '10, Tonia Kittelson and Steve Ressel. COA 25 they were also practicing experiential ed- ucation-and beginning to hear multiple sides of Maine woods policy by talking to numerous individuals. The learning began with the making of morning coffee and didn't end until ques- tions about the moon kept people stirring the fire's last embers at night. The group came to know each other as colleagues as well as teachers and students; trust evolved, "almost by default," according to Kittelson. "We were all facing challenges together." One of Tai's beliefs is that knowing one's Above, sunrise on the East Branch of the students is crucial to education. Perhaps Penobscot River. Photos by Steve Ressel and that's why, she muses, everyone in this Sarah Colletti '10. class learned-students and faculty. The knowledge went deep. "There was an incredible integration of content, a With no other classes but the monster, every one sophisticated scientific and political interface. And of the students said they were more engaged, there was a real engagement because of the educa- more overwhelmed and more committed than tion focus," says Cline. At one point, Brianna Larsen they had ever been. '11 of Cape Cod realized she had no idea which folder to file notes in-the material was that integrat- And yet, despite the depth of what the students ed. "What the students learned, stuck," Cline adds. learned, the curriculum for each class was actu- "They were living it, there was an intensity about the ally more limited than what would have been conversations, about the material; we were all in- offered in a single class. Says Tai, "there were volved with it." Notes Yerlig, "There was no bound- things that we couldn't do in terms of additional ary between school and life." reading, additional content, because we didn't have the time, because students were actually getting more depth on greater concepts, with academic content infused in every aspect of the field journey and elsewhere." That the content of each class was more limited concerned both stu- dents and teachers until, says Bethany Johnson, a second-year transfer student from Liberty, Penn- sylvania, who took this class her very first term at COA, "We came to the conclusion that we were a lot more invested, in everything." For projects, one group designed a curriculum to study stream salamanders, another revised an en- vironmental curriculum for Acadia National Park. The project conducted by Noah Hodgetts '11, mapping vernal pools for Bar Harbor's planning department, has led to the discovery of several Above, a spotted that might be regulated under the 2007 Natural salamander. Resources Protection Act, sponsored by Ted Koff- Photo by Sarah Colletti '10. man. The students can still identify frogs by their Left, assembling a nature calls. And whether they are speaking to a mem- portrait at camp. Photo by Megan Williams '09. 26 COA ber of Maine Land Use Regulatory Commission, a forester or a developer, they know how to con- sider the full spectrum of issues-"the varying val- ues, the history of place, what's important," says Yerlig-along with the multiple personal claims people have on a region. "It's really important to see the different sides," Yerlig adds. "Especially if you're going to make a change, to see why some- thing might be important in context of something else." Seeing-and forging-connections, isn't that the essence of human ecology? Now, months after the class is over, students are finding that they have the skills to create such connections them- selves, even among quite disparate elements of their lives-between classes such as Chaos and Fractals and Psychology. It helps that the class was also quite reflective. When students were asked to look at what makes a place, what makes the Maine woods the Maine woods-Is it the history? The biodiversity? Some- thing more?-the class members found them- selves discussing what makes a person that per- The Maine north woods as seen from Horse Mountain. son. Bringing in personal experience, says Tai, is Sarah Colletti '10 holds a spotted salamander. The moods essential to education and human ecology. "It all of the East Branch of the Penobscot River. Photos by Bonnie Tai, Rebecca Abuza '11, Megan Williams '09 and Ken Cline. became a reflection of how we were living our lives, what it meant to you," adds Yerlig. "Every- thing had weight." Noah Hodgetts '11, Tonia Kittleson and her dog Sierra paddle the rapids on the East Branch of the Penobscot River. Photo by Steve Ressel. COA 27 Graupel Dru Colbert's aesthetics of human ecology By Donna Gold One cold, full moon evening in March 2007, Dru Colbert, faculty Contact, Analysis, Classification member in museum studies and graphic and three-dimensional art and design, premiered Graupel, a multi-media installation performance created on the frozen surface of Somes Pond. As the audience meandered over the gravelly ice, odd figures, sculptures and extraordinary sounds emerged in the cold, lantern-lit night. Having traveled with Colbert through this mysterious polar expedition, my sense of a pond in winter is altered forever. Colbert says her work has always related to where she lives-only in the past, that had been urban. As a student and then a teacher at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, Colbert's work tied the city's gritty streets and storefront windows to the prairie culture a Advancing Hoax Toters Photos by Christine Heinz. few miles down the highway. Maine's sense of community and place offered a deeper challenge. It took her years, she says, to feel out her artistic approach here. "I have to be connected in a really visceral way, really experiential. In Maine, I needed to be able to start moving inward in terms of my connection to place and community, to find a way of connecting what I do in making art to my life." Ultimately, this community connection became a massive collaborative environmental performance-surely linking Colbert to the aesthetics of human ecology. More than thirty people were involved, writing a puppet play, fashioning costumes, choreographing an ice dance. As director, Colbert served as guide and thematic visionary to this forty-five minute exploration of the dramatic seasonality of Maine, its people and their stories, which come across as tall tales-but just might be true. Orientation: Dreams Deferred, photo by Kevin Bennett, courtesy of the Bangor Daily News. 28 COA The Unknown, photo by Christine Heinz. "I try to get the content to involve not only the environment, climate and weather-things that influence our experience-but also historical events and ideas that might take a leap into the uncanny. We can't always understand fully everything, all at once." Stories, she says, are essential: "Our experience of life is about creating our own story." Rather than write a narrative, Colbert prefers to let the audience find that story for themselves-much the way they do in life. "A series of events unfolds; you come at them with your own intelligence, history, background: What just happened?" Similarly, when Colbert teaches, human ecology comes out through the process-looking at interpretations, teasing out the cultural, social, objective, subjective in a person's response, encouraging students to find their individual process, whether working incrementally toward a goal, or approaching art-making in an intuitive way by "exploring the alchemy of immediacy between their own hands and the media they are working with." By making, studying and critiquing art, Colbert says, students learn "how they are capable of altering the physical world-both natural and otherwise. They begin to understand how they select, edit and manipulate visions of the natural world"-serving as shapers of their environment, ultimately exploring how the environment shapes them. Colbert is currently on sabbatical, creating another performance installation relating to Maine, the water and our dramatic seasonal changes. Will this one have us swimming in the Atlantic Ocean? Kayaking across an autumn pond? Walking on jury-rigged stilts in a lake? Only Colbert knows for sure-and maybe she doesn't quite know yet. While we wait to ponder our aesthetic fates, we can contemplate the experience of the winter mystery Colbert once brought us. COA 29 Twilight Study #6757 by Sean Murphy. Leviathan Chapter 62 By Sean Hugh Murphy Chapter 62 occurs midway through Sean Murphy's novel-in-progress, an epic coming-of-age story of Patrick Riley, who was born in Manhattan, spent his infancy and early childhood in the Bronx, school years in the woods of early suburban central New Jersey, and later hitch-hiked out west, until returning east to spend his early adult life in upstate New York, eventually settling on the coast of Maine. It follows young Patrick's awakening to the world during the turbulent sixties and seventies, his journey inward (and outward) in search of truth, the overcoming of personal and familial tragedy, the discovery of joy and love, and ultimately the forgiveness and redemption that comes in time to those who persevere. This chapter shows a chance meeting that makes a deep impression on Patrick, age fifteen, as he settles into a new town. 30 I COA nside Tony's Pizzeria, the counter guy lifted She sat down on a block and grunted. Patrick chairs up onto tables. He swept the floor, could see her face now. She smiled; a big, toothy turned the lights low and flipped the closed sign grin. She seemed more relaxed than when he had outward. last seen her, by the bench at the high school. "Damn, they're closed," said Bobby. Ceci had startled him by using the nickname "What time is it?" said Jay-Jay. One-Eye. Patrick hoped sincerely that it wouldn't "Nine-thirty," said Patrick. "What do you guys stick. She said it with great affection, though, and want to do?" genuinely seemed to like him. "Let's go behind the garage and see if anyone's "You guys hang out back here a lot?" he said. hanging out," said Bobby. "Yeah, sometimes. It's a good spot. The juvi Patrick and Jay-Jay followed Bobby around cops go home at five o'clock, and they're gone the right side of the pizzeria and through the gap until Monday. Nobody ever comes up here on the between the back of the restaurant and the end weekend." of the low slung multiple-bay garages, darkened She picked up a small stone and chucked it by shadows at the rear of the juvenile detective down the hill onto the parking lot. bureau. Patrick looked at the row of seven closed, Patrick's eyes began to adjust to the shadows windowless garage doors, and wondered how many behind the garage. He could see Bobby talking hid police cars behind them. with Michael Magliafari. Jay-Jay laughed with some The three boys walked quickly into the second people that Patrick didn't recognize. Several in the alley, beside the garage. They passed through to the group smoked cigarettes, the red embers glowing rear, where a crowd of about twenty people sat at the hot and then cooling arrhythmically. top of a long, narrow set of simple steps. The steps, One-quart bottles of beer passed from hand to two feet wide and made of crumbling concrete, as hand in the darkness. Ceci passed one to Patrick, though they had been constructed long ago in another and he took a few gulps. The beer was cold, kept time, led down to a large, empty parking lot, twenty that way by the cool, late-autumn air. feet below. The ground sloped downward steeply to "What happened to your eye, man?" she said, the lot, and trees stood dormant on either side of the her face suddenly serious. steps, a small grove of ashen saplings, bark covered Patrick looked down. with soot, the underbrush barren and flattened by "Oh, nothing. I had a bunch of operations. The the trodding of feet. A dense packet of these sickly- doctors messed them up," he said. looking trees grew on the slope on either side of the "Sorry to hear that. We got your back now, man. sitting area, adding to the secluded but somehow You come find me if anyone gives you any trouble, neglected feeling, as though this small location had ahh-ite? We'll protect you." been forgotten by the rest of the world. It had the feel "Thanks." Patrick nodded. of a low raptor's lookout; people hunkered down on "You gonna be ahh-ite, One-Eye. Don't worry, concrete blocks on either side of the steps. Steeped man." in dark shadow, this was a covert scene; a hideaway, She drank down a few swigs more from the quart a party spot. bottle, and passed it to the person to her immediate Patrick turned a concrete block on end and sat left. Ceci got up in one creaking motion; more like down quietly at the edge of the crowd. He looked rolling off the concrete block than rising. out across the parking lot to the basketball court Just then Michael Magliafari cupped his hands in the opposite corner, where he'd seen people around his mouth and yelled to an old man walking hanging out earlier in the evening. He squinted his across the far side of the parking lot. eyes to see, but it was too far and too dark to tell if "Love-ly! Hey, Love-ly!" anyone still loitered there. The old man stood straight up with a start under A short, bear-shaped figure, backlit by streetlights the street lamp, and raised his hands up in the air below, approached Patrick from the side, climbing as though praising God in a gospel choir, his back over a few scraps of boards piled up against the back arched, his chest thrust upward. of the garage. "Lovely day; lovely I say!" the old man shouted "Hey, is that you One-Eye?" said the bear. to the night sky. "Hi Ceci, how's it going?" "Hey, Love-ly; come on up here, man," Magliafari "Ahh-ite One-Eye. How you doin'?" she said. barked through his cupped hands. He waved his COA 31 arms in an exaggerated motion so the old man could We're going to get you some chicken and beer so see him. you can play tight, ahh-ite?" Lovely peered into the darkness at the top of the "All right," said Lovely. hill, where the group sat drinking and laughing. He The old man said it with the same tone and put his hands up as a visor against the fluorescent inflection as the younger kids said ahh-ite. Same light of the street lamp, and craned his neck to see. expression, but he pronounced the consonants and Several people giggled as the old man changed distinct words. direction and shuffled toward them. When he reached All Right. the steps he took them one at a time, pausing at each It meant hello, goodbye, thank you, respect, and step, his stooped frame leaning against the thin iron- a hundred other things, depending on how you said pipe handrail for support. As he reached the top of it and whom you were talking to. the stairs, Magliafari approached him directly. As Michael left to get the beer and chicken, "Love-ly; how's it going man? You got your people resumed their talking and laughing and harmonica with you?" horsing around at the top of the fifty stairs leading "Oh, yeah. I never go anywhere without that." down to the alternative high school's parking lot. The old man chuckled. It seemed like an ongoing party to Patrick, like Patrick could see him a little better now. He this was a way of life up here. It reminded him of had to be in his late sixties or early seventies, and hanging out in front of the Hathaway sisters' house looked to have lived a long life of hard work. The in Endville during the previous summer. It had the man seemed cheerful, even if stooped. He obviously same feel of freedom and safety, but markedly more struggled to walk and stand in his stiff old body. urban and gritty. It felt like the Bronx, soot and dirt He wore dark pants and dress shoes, and a rough- in the air, electric with possible danger. It felt safe looking, thin leather jacket over a collared rayon that night, though, surrounded by friends in the shirt. His skin was dark, and a scruffy afro goatee darkness. framed his yellowed teeth when he smiled. On his The beer, on top of the homemade wine that head he wore a tattered Yankees hat. he, Jay-Jay, and Bobby had drunk earlier, just up the Two people stood up and made room for Lovely street in Labaluster's grandfather's garage, had begun to sit. Everyone's attention turned to the old man to lull Patrick into a very relaxed state of mind, one as he shuffled toward one of the vacated concrete in which he felt neither pain nor fear. His mind blocks and carefully lowered himself down onto it. was numb to the chronic confusions and anxieties Patrick watched his face closely. he usually felt. He fit in with this new group. They "Hey, Love-ly. Play us some harmonica," said didn't ask anything of him. They accepted him almost Michael. immediately, without question. It was comfortable "You all have something for an old man to eat?" and easy. He felt no pressure to be or say anything "Yeah, man. We can probably find you at all. something. You want some fried chicken?" said Ceci walked over and sat down between Michael. Lovely and Patrick, stepping again over the sloppily "That sounds good. Thank you very much young stacked boards leaned up against the rear of the man." garage. She reached over and rubbed Lovely's back "Anything for you, Love-ly. We'll be back in affectionately. a jiff. Okay, y'all. Come on, now. We need some "Hey Love-ly. How you doin', hon?" money so Mr. Love-ly here can eat. We need some "Oh, I can't complain. I can't complain." He said more beer, too. Everybody pitch in two dollars, and it twice. we should have enough." "You doin' okay? You got retirement money A few quiet grumbles fell into the air as people coming in? Food stamps?" she asked. reached into their pockets. Magliafari milled "I used to work for the town, cleaning up the around the group, collecting the crumpled bills and parks," he said. straightening them out in his hands. He grabbed "I remember, from when I was a kid," she said. Patrick's two dollars and turned toward the alley "Uh huh. I worked doing that for thirty years. I between the juvenile detective garage and Tony's used to work for the railroad before that. I worked in Pizza. the mill for a while with my father when I was young. "I'll be right back. Don't go anywhere, Love-ly. Yep, yep. That was a long time ago, though." 32 COA He smiled a warm, broad smile, and a deep, rich "Life is good, isn't it, Love-ly?" presence and kindness filled his eyes. He clearly "Lovely," said Lovely. enjoyed the company and attention. "You have a song for us, friend?" said Michael. About ten minutes later Magliafari reappeared "Sure 'nough," he said. from the alley with a cardboard box filled with six A light wind skittered a single dried leaf across one-quart bottles of beer and two containers of fried the smooth, hardened, well-worn dirt. The leaf came chicken. He put the box down on an unoccupied, to rest between the old man's shoes. upturned block, and took out one container of Lovely pulled a harmonica from his right coat chicken. He walked the chicken over to Lovely and pocket and looked it over. He tapped it against handed it to him. Lovely reached up with both of his his palm a few times to knock out any debris, and slender black hands and gently took the container. reached down for the quart of beer between his feet. "You'll play us a few songs on the harmonica, He drank down the rest of the quart, and then held right? After you eat?" said Michael. it up against the streetlight below and looked at the Lovely nodded as he opened the container and dribble in the bottom of the bottle. began to devour the chicken. He ate like a man "You don't have any more beer, do you?" he who hadn't eaten in a while, said hopefully. ravenously, licking his bony "Sure, my man. Hey, fingers after each piece to Lovely needs more beer. savor it more fully. Cough it up." Michael took a few Michael reached pieces out of the second back and snapped his container for himself, and fingers at someone sitting then passed it around the directly behind him. A other way. He opened one near-full bottle appeared of the bottles of Olde English from the shadows behind 800 malt liquor, twisting Michael, thrust forth by off its aluminum cap, and a black hand. Michael washed down a mouthful. grabbed the bottle and He handed the bottle to passed it to Lovely. Lovely. Twilight Study #7058 by Sean Murphy. The old man took "Here you go, Love-ly." a swig, and then poured "Thank you. Thank you." a stream of beer into the harmonica, first into one Lovely took a long guzzling drink from the side, and then the other. bottle, a little desperately, like he might not get Michael laughed. more. When he finished the first guzzle, he belched "I gots to choke it down," said Lovely. "This here loudly. Then he drank down three or four more long helps me choke it down." gulps, put the bottle between his feet with a thunk, "What, the chicken?" said Michael. Ceci and finished off the last piece of chicken. laughed. He licked the remaining bits of grease and fat "The harp gets a little stiff. This here helps me from the fingers of his left hand, and he leaned down choke it down," said Lovely. and picked up the bottle again with his right, and He poured another sloppy splash of beer into the took another long swig. harmonica, and enthusiastically plugged the harp As if on cue, Magliafari appeared behind him into his mouth and sucked the beer out of it. The and handed him a cigarette, and lit a match. The harmonica wheezed at first as he pulled air across old man cupped his hands to keep the wind from the reeds. blowing it out. A few puffs of smoke drifted up and Patrick's ears perked up at the sound. hung momentarily in the cold night air. Magliafari Lovely's back straightened like a rod as he sat down on the empty block, to Lovely's right, and warmed up the harp. The music sounded like the lit a cigarette himself. A thick moment of satisfaction wailing of a dog at first, howling from loneliness filled the darkness behind the garage as the beer and or hunger, too long tied to a stake in the yard, too food and cigarettes had their effect on the group of often beaten by an unkind master. The old man partiers. transformed into another person before their eyes. COA 33 A rhythm started and grew into an organic Then from the east (clap clap) machine, like a slow train clanking on tracks, made Came a thundercloud (clap clap) of soul; flesh and bone. Lovely's foot started tapping, Sweet Jesus lightning (clap clap) first this way, and then that, on a perfectly timed Called my name out loud (clap clap) offbeat to the harmonica's deeply felt crescendos and diminutions; the old man's song filling the night. And the thunder growled (clap clap) Then, as rain will sometimes just appear out of And the rain did pour (clap clap) air, without wind or storm to carry it in, when the And that old Devil (clap clap) dew point hits just the right spot, the whole group I ain't seen him no more (clap clap) on top of the hill, behind the garage, at the top of the stairs, began to stomp and yelp, and clap their hands And Lovely played the harmonica like a fierce in a perfectly synchronized and syncopated rhythm growling dog, seven generations wild, all teeth and to the old man's wail. bloody snot and gruesome, vicious truth. Lovely picked up on the flush of feeling and And then he played like a child swept up in a soared with it, and now stomping his feet, and perfect day, where excitement and pure joy washed raising his knees high between each downbeat, over him. rocking back and forth like Ray Charles or Stevie Patrick was entranced. He felt himself in a dream Wonder, abandoned himself to each ecstatic, joyful of contentment like none he'd ever experienced, and sorrowful measure. one in which he felt he could not move for fear of Patrick couldn't believe his ears. The memory waking or disturbing the spell. of the music that Mrs. Shimansky, his grade school And just as Patrick became aware of it, the old music teacher, had instilled in him came rushing man came back down, and a sudden peacefulness forward; the attention to detail and breathing; settled on the people sitting at the top of the stairs, focusing on the rhythm and timing with fluid behind the juvenile detective bureau garage, above acceptance, not forcing any wooden, mechanical the parking lot of the alternative high school, just up control on any part of the expression. Patrick found the street from Patrick's family's new apartment in himself clapping and rocking with everyone else, this new town and his new home. letting the old man lead them, loving him for giving And as mysteriously as this old man had appeared, so much of himself to that sound, feeling it in every and they had soared with him on wings of music into part of himself, the downbeats and offbeats, the utter bliss, the music came to the softest and quietest breath and the breathing. of endings, like a small bird landing, hovering for a And then Lovely sang. moment above the ground on a cushion of air, and settling almost imperceptibly down. The old man sat On down the road (clap, clap) still for a long moment in the silence. Every person Where dreams are born (clap, clap) there looked at the life around them with a quiet I met the Devil (clap clap) sense of wonder. Someone whistled a long, soft, dry He was full of scorn (clap clap) whistle. He looked at me (clap clap) "Wow," said Patrick. With that old evil eye (clap clap) The old man sighed a deep, heaving sigh. He He tried to steal my soul (clap clap) shifted his frame on the concrete block, shook his All I could do was cry (clap clap) head and chuckled. "It's a lovely day," he said. "Love-ly I say." The old man seemed transfixed now with joy, as if he had risen completely above his worldly circumstance, transcended every pain he'd ever felt, left them behind with all memory of awful Sean Murphy, COA's webmaster, has been a staff history, and all worry for the future and its inevitable member for twenty-one years. As part of his work outcomes. The whole bloody world fell away from toward a BA in human ecology, he has been that old man's soul as he dug deeper into the music attending Bill Carpenter's ongoing Advanced Fiction and the sound. Everyone else rocked and smiled, tutorial. More of Sean's photographs can be seen at clapping with devotion to him and his song, each www.seanmurphyphotography.com; his music can line punctuated with the moan of harmonica. be heard at smallerthanclouds.com. 34 COA CLASS NOTES 1976 The cover story of the February issue 1984 of Smithsonian Magazine, "Lincoln's Craig Kesselheim continues to work Contested Legacy" was written by Phil- Margaret (Megan) in support of school reform with the ip Kunhardt III. His new book, co-au- Pennock is having Great Schools Partnership. He feels the thored with his brother and nephew, a blast co-teaching work is vitally important, and it keeps Looking for Lincoln, was released in eighth grade envi- him forever on the learning curve. January, and a companion film aired ronmental science One project is a partnership between in February, along with an hour-long with her husband, science and math faculty of public interview on Minnesota Public Radio. Dave Wood, at Sidwell Friends School high schools, vocational schools and The book was the subject of a five- in Washington, DC. With projects like community colleges. Craig is also page article by Thomas Mallon in a long-term study of native pollinators wrapping up a two-year committee the October issue of the New Yorker. (fifty-seven species of bees on the lit- assignment with the National Acad- Philip, who serves on the board of tle urban campus, nine never before emy of Engineering. This group from trustees and is also now a COA parent, recorded in DC), they hope that the around the country conducted an in- received the Order of Lincoln award students will better understand the vestigation into the current condition from the Lincoln Academy of Illinois, world, and become inspired and in of K-12 engineering education in the that state's highest award. He also awe of its beauty and wonder. Their United States. They are issuing their spent five days speaking to audiences students offer tours of the first-ever report later in the spring. With lots in Russia about Abraham Lincoln and platinum-rated green school building of travel around Maine, he says, his Barack Obama on a United States in the world and would love for COA birding and photography appetites State Department grant. In March, grads to visit. Margaret has two lovely are well-fed. Craig lives in Southwest Kunhardt hosted "Why He Still Mat- stepdaughters, a freshman at the Uni- Harbor with wife Beth; both children ters: A Bicentennial Conference on versity of Vermont, and a high school are "out in the world." Lincoln" at Bard College where he senior. She and Dave use every op- serves as a Bard Center fellow. portunity to get out into the wild; a 1977 banner wildlife sighting this year was Fran Pollitt writes to say that her book a Florida panther stalking four deer in Tom Fisher is an archi- Historic Photos of Maine owes thanks an open field! They would welcome tect and green build- to COA faculty member Elmer Beal hearing from COA grads and fellow ing consultant with the who taught Maine history, and former educators: pennockm@sidwell.edu. Washington, DC office staff and faculty members Sam Eliot, of Sustainable Design who insisted on clear writing, and Charmaine Kinton, creator of Critter Consulting (SDC). He Steve Anderson for describing eco- Kites, was delighted to have her eco- is currently managing nomic conundrums-as well as the friendly kites travel to the Uluru Chil- and advising on sustainable design steadfast encouragement of the entire dren's Home in India with a Vermont and construction processes for two faculty who are focused on the suc- teacher this winter. Charmaine de- dozen large building projects in the re- cess of the students under their tute- signed an Asian white-backed vulture gion. Prior to SDC, Tom's design firm, lage. kite for the occasion. For more on her ENVIRON Design Collaborative, pro- education kite project, email info@ vided residential architectural services 1979 critterkites.com. for ecologically oriented clients. Tom designed several straw bale homes Dave Wersan recently moved from 1989 (one was featured on the cover of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania to Shang- Natural Home) and other houses with hai, China to become regional gen- Jared Crawford environmentally responsive features. eral counsel for the electronics manu- is now work- He also managed and co-authored the facturing company, Tyco Electronics. ing for eSolar, English language translation of a Ger- His responsibilities cover all legal ac- a solar thermal man book on green building, Living tivities for the company in China, Ko- startup in Pasa- Spaces. Tom's former wife and good rea, Japan and around the Asian rim dena, Califor- friend, Cynthia Jordan Fisher '79, is in to Thailand. He and his wife, Caroline nia. His job as Charlottesville, Virginia as are their Owens, will be living in Shanghai for a technical writer in the systems inte- kids, Hana, 14, Claire, 22, and grand- the next few years. He encourages gration, evaluation and testing depart- daughter, Macayla. Tom has remar- COA folks going to Shanghai to con- ment, is perfect for a human ecolo- ried and is living just north of DC. tact him:dwersan@tycoelectronics.com. gist, as he reviews, documents and COA 35 CLASS NOTES organizes information for all the other Dan Sangeap received a Lefkowitz Heather Martin-Zboray was unani- groups in the company. Says Jared, Award from New York Attorney Gen- mously elected to fill the Hancock "Systems' job is to make sure we're eral Andrew Cuomo in December for County Democratic Committee's all communicating and meeting each his work on the Merrill Lynch auction open seat on the Maine Democratic other's requirements, from hardware rate securities matter and the investi- Party State Committee. Heather had installers through research scientists." gations that led to improved disclo- served on the committee for sev- The company is currently finishing a sure to utility company shareholders eral years before stepping down last power plant in Lancaster, California concerning risks from global warm- spring to work for the coordinated that will prove the viability of concen- ing. campaign. trated solar thermal technology. For details and photos, visit www.eSolar. 1991 After a permaculture design course com. Meanwhile, Jared and his family last summer, Jen Mazer reports that are cultivating a vegetable garden, re- Natalie Springuel is her life was completely changed. storing a mid-century modern house, an extension asso- She is now growing her own garden volunteering and bicycling in Los An- ciate with the Uni- and is also involved in the transition geles County. versity of Maine Sea movement, which incorporates peak Grant Program. She oil and climate change into decisions 1990 spent a six-month regarding how to make a town, city, sabbatical in New- watershed or other region more sus- Dan DenDanto is the proprietor of foundland in 2008, tainable. Find her at mazer_flyme- Whales and Nails, a business special- studying the role of tourism in revital- away@yahoo.com. izing in the articulation of whale skel- izing outports following the collapse etons. Courtney Vashro '99 and Toby of the cod fishery. Daughter Anouk, at Cedar Bough Saeji says she is Stephenson '98 are working with Dan age one, was Natalie's able research swamped under her second year of on a humpback whale exhibit for the assistant, engaging Newfoundlanders PhD coursework in culture and per- Seacoast Science Center in Rye, New in conversation throughout the vast formance at UCLA. Hampshire. Dan runs his business island, while spouse Rich MacDon- from Seal Cove, Maine, where he ald worked on natural history writing The April issue lives with his wife, Megan Smith '90, projects of his own. This spring she is of National Geo- and their two boys, Gus and Rocco. once again co-teaching COA's course graphic features This Marvelous Terrible Place, the photographs by Human Ecology of Newfoundland. Amy Toensing on the drought in the Career & Internship Services 1993 for Alumni Murray-Darling Basin of Australia. She also photo- We Can Help! Sarah (Cole) McDaniel is back to full graphed a story on Tonga, the Pacific's speed, working at her Portland, Maine Last Monarchy in November 2007 and Career Information law practice and parenting her seven- one on the Parks of Paris in October Searchable Database year-old daughter after donating her 2006. In late June and early July, Amy Graduate School Information kidney to a stranger in October 2008. will be on campus as a teacher in the Job Search Skills Sarah's mother had been on dialysis National Geographic Student Expedi- Resume Review for ten months before receiving a new tion based at COA. The next month, Relocation Guidance kidney the day before Thanksgiving. on August 22, she will marry fellow Employment Websites In what is known as a "list exchange," National Geographic photographer Sarah's donation allowed her mother Volunteer! Matthew Moyer. to receive a deceased-donor kidney Provide an internship in four weeks, instead of the approxi- 1994 Work with prospective mately four years of waiting endured students by many patients on the list. Sarah A paper co-authored by former facul- Mentor current students and asks everyone whose health allows to ty member in botany, Nishanta Raja- other alumni consider donating blood, and is more karuna and Nathaniel Pope '08, Jose than willing to talk with folks about Perez-Orozco '08 and Tanner Har- Contact Jill Barlow-Kelley, Director of Internships and Career Services, jbk@ the possibilities of living organ dona- ris '06, "Ornithocoprophilous Plants coa.edu or 207-288-2944, ext. 236. tions. of Mount Desert Rock, a Remote Bird-Nesting Island in the Gulf of 36 COA Maine, USA," has been accepted for mester students, many of whom have joying life on Lake Superior and play- publication in Rhodora: The Journal ended up at the college. Margaret is ing with and learning each day from of the New England Botanical Club engaged to carpenter and elementary their black lab puppy, Bodhi. and will appear in the autumn issue, school teacher Chris Coleman. They Volume 111 (2009). In press at North- will be getting married this October. 2001 eastern Naturalist 16 are three arti- cles: R. S. Boyd, A. R. Kruckeberg and 1997 Caroline Leonard now spends the Rajakaruna '94, "Biology of ultrama- academic year off-island in Rockland, fic rocks and soils: research goals for Margaret Hoffman and her boyfriend, Maine to take advantage of indepen- the future;" Rajakaruna '94 and Boyd, Dave Sherman, purchased a home last dent schools and mainland opportu- "Advances in serpentine geoecology: summer on Southport Island, Maine. nities for Field, 11, and Addison, 5. A retrospective" and Harris '06 and Acadia, Margaret's cat, and Cody, "Vinalhaven, which is so dear to me, Rajakaruna '94, "Adiantum viridi- Dave's dog, are still adjusting to life is too isolating for me in the win- montanum, Aspidotis densa, Minuar- together under one roof. There's al- tertime. We go to the island for the tia marcescens, and Symphyotrichum ways room for guests. COA alumni summer, which is wonderful, and we rhiannon: Additional Serpentine En- visiting Coastal Maine Botanical Gar- manage to get there some weekends demics from Eastern North America." dens in Boothbay are encouraged to during the year when the kids aren't Nishi, seen in call or email Margaret, who is direc- busy with sports." photo with ad- tor of marketing and visitor services. junct faculty If she knows in advance, she's happy 2002 member Fred to provide a private tour: mhoffman@ Olday, is cur- mainegardens.org. Eric Berthoud, rently the co- a COA visitor editor of Soil 1998 from 2000-2002, And Biota of is completing Serpentine: A World View: Proceed- Philip H. Nicholas moved to Port- his master's in ings of the Sixth International Confer- land, Maine and is now working for computer arts in ence On Serpentine Ecology (Law- the Maine Office of the Trust for Pub- New York. His rence, Kansas: Allen Press) and Ser- lic Land. He and Tammy (McGrath) thesis involves a pentine: A Model For Evolution And '97 and their three kids, William, 6, video installation with nature images Ecology (Berkley, California: Univer- Josephine, 3, and John, 1, are really projected into an interior space. Eric's sity of California Press). excited to be back in Maine. interests are in video production and web design; recent work can be seen 1996 2000 at www.eberthoud.com. Ryan Ruggiero loves his work heading On August 23, Nikki (Hooper) up the land acquisition program for 2008, Jaime Du- Fox lives in the the McKenzie River Trust, a regional val was married back woods in Or- land trust that covers an area the size to Rob Beranek land, Maine with of New Hampshire. Mason, 6, and at the Rapid River husband Tom, Stella, 3, are loads of fun and energy. Lodge in Michi- Willa, 5, and Net- He writes, "We've been in Oregon for gan's beautiful Up- tie Jane, 3. This ten years now and are here to stay. per Peninsula. Jaime and Rob met in past summer she began operating We're buying an old house and will graduate school at Antioch University Moon Dog Farm and Market, estab- be totally redoing the whole thing." New England and are currently living lishing a farmstand in Town Hill to and playing in Marquette, Michigan. sell her produce along with other lo- Margaret Youngs is the farm manager Jaime is working part time as a re- cal organic farmers. She has joined the at the Chewonki Foundation in Wis- ceptionist for a naturopathic doctor, board of directors of The Great Pond casset, Maine. It's a small, diversified, getting involved with the local food Mountain Land Trust (the Wildlands), horse-power, education-based farm co-op and pursuing farm work for the a 1,400-acre land trust located in her and it keeps her very busy. Margaret upcoming growing season. Rob is back yard. www.greatpondtrust.com. says that with several alumni working working as an environmental techni- Her woolen creations are now on- at Chewonki, COA never feels that cian at Cliffs Natural Resources where line at www.moondogfarm.etsy.com. far away. Alumni are always talking he coordinates habitat reclamation Nikki writes, "After a long and snowy about COA to their Maine Coast Se- and air quality control. They are en- winter we are looking forward to get- COA 37 CLASS NOTES ting our hands in the dirt and swim- and exploring the relationship of mu- getting ready to pursue graduate ming in our stream. Life is full and sic and visual arts with eighth grad- school in the arts. busy for the Fox family!" ers. The artwork produced will be in the Ebune Festival, on display in a 2006 2003 Portland city bus and exhibited at the Maine College of Art. Sam has also Katie Alayan Allison Garoza mar- been student teaching in a number of is amazed by ried Robert Putnam schools from pre-school through high Tiki, Alice Jr. in 2008. They school, making connections through and George, now live in Sydney, art to interdisciplinary study and rel- the three el- Australia and are evant issues. Sam continues to paint ephants she greatly enjoying a portraits and landscapes and is explor- works with in Winston, Oregon at warmer climate. ing the role of art in conservation. His Wildlife Safari, a six-hundred-acre latest work integrates his keen interest drive-through zoological park. She Erin Enberg was the director of pho- in teaching with promoting a healthi- has participated in meetings and con- tography on the short indie film Her er local and global environment. ferences about elephants and was Alibi, now in post-production. She able to visit numerous zoos during a also did lighting and sound for a Trav- After graduation, Jim recent trip to Europe. If anyone wants el Channel show during which she Harriman worked at to chat, feel free to email: kalayan@ hung out with Linda Greenlaw on her the Massachusetts coa.edu. lobster boat. Currently in the Univer- Institute of Tech- sity of Southern Maine's Stonecoast nology Center for Diana Kombe writes that she is co-au- MFA creative writing program, Erin Cancer Research thor with Robert T. Wheeler, Sudeep is working on a screenplay that has for two years before D. Agarwala and Gerald R. Fink of been requested by the Sundance Film deciding to go back "Dynamic, Morphotype-Specific Institute. Her short play Pirates of Lei- to graduate school in the University Candida albicans ß-Glucan Expo- sure was a finalist for the Maine Short of Maine's Functional Genomics pro- sure during Infection and Drug Treat- Play Festival and was given a public gram. This summer he finished an ment." The paper, featuring research reading last spring. "In January," she internship in the bioinformatics de- conducted at the Whitehead Institute writes, "I went to the Obama inaugu- partment at BASF, the world's largest for Biomedical Research in Cam- ration and it was amazing!" chemical company, based in Germa- bridge, Massachusetts, can be found ny. at http://dx.plos.org/10.1371/journal. Mike Shepard's Mountain View Farm ppat.1000227 in the peer-reviewed was featured in a local foods article While the sun journal PLOS, published by the Pub- in the Burlington, Vermont-based in- set over the At- lic Library of Science. dependent newspaper Seven Days. lantic and the While raising cattle, pigs and chick- wind whipped 2007 ens, he and partner Erin Buckwalter snow around, are reclaiming pasture land in South Andrew Moult- María Lis Baiocchi completed a one- Starksboro that has been in Mike's on proposed to year master's degree in sociology and family for six generations: www. Amanda Mus- social anthropology at the Central Eu- mountainviewfarmvt.com. cat '06 on January 16 at Conneymus ropean University (CEU) in Budapest, Cove, Rhode Island. Andrew is now Hungary with a full fellowship. She 2004 training to be a yoga teacher while received an Outstanding Academic Amanda is in England working toward Achievement Award for highest GPA As a student in the Maine College of a PhD in social studies. Their emails of all master's graduates in her depart- Art Teacher Certification Program, are moultonandrew@yahoo.com and ment. Her thesis was on the process Samuel Wustner is teaching paint- amuscat@coa.edu. of collective identity formation by ing at an art center for adults with ex- participation in anti-nationalist, anti- ceptionalities, collaborating with the 2005 militarist, feminist mobilization. Ma- Museum of African Culture on work- ria now works as project manager of shops and lectures featuring masks, Shaya Shub-Durbin is living in Oak- the Human Rights Initiative, an NGO puppetry and printmaking, facilitating land, California, working for herself whose mission is to promote social a project with middle-schoolers about making jewelry, unofficially launch- engagement through awareness-rais- civil rights activist Claudette Colvin, ing www.shayafinejewelry.com and ing and capacity-building, primarily 38 COA FACULTY & COMMUNITY NOTES working with CEU students, alumni Heather Albert- Natural History, brought six students and regional NGO staff and activists. Knopp '99 has to the Waterbird Society meetings on taken on the Texas' South Padre Island where he 2008 part-time posi- presented the paper, "Impact of Bald tion of admin- Eagle Recovery on Seabird Popula- Ilva Letoja has been working for istering the tions in the Brother's Brother Foundation since college's new Northeast- October 2008 as a mission trip and Sustainable ern United humanitarian assistant. BBF is a fifty- Food Systems States." The year-old charity based in Pittsburgh, Program, which includes the Trans- Padre students also Pennsylvania, sending medical, hu- Atlantic Partnership in Sustainable presented re- manitarian and educational supplies Food Systems, linking COA with the search based to countries around the world. Ilva is University of Kassel in Germany and on work at in charge of the mission trip program, the Organic Research Center (ORC) the Alice Eno Research Station on providing pharmaceuticals to domes- at Elm Farm in the United Kingdom. Great Duck Island last summer. Anna tic groups going on short-term mis- Perry '10 gave an oral presentation sions, mostly to Latin America, but of her work on the distribution of also to Africa and Asia. Leach's storm petrel burrows, while Adrianna Beaudette '11, Yoko Bow- en '10 and graduate student Clodagh Collins presented posters. Addition- ally, John has been nominated for COA Alumni Relations the Council of the Waterbird Society. http://www.coa.edu/alumni Staff at COA's marine mammal re- John also gave invited seminars at search arm, Allied Whale, contin- the University of Maine Orono and Keep in Touch! ued work last summer at the Edward Maine Audubon about research he Update your contact McC. Blair Marine Research Station and Aspen Reese '12 have been do- information. at Mount Desert Rock, along with on- ing on reconstructing pre-colonial Tell us of job changes. shore projects, including the Bar Har- seabird populations in the Gulf of bor Whale Museum and the Marine Maine. In February, John was an in- Tell us of life changes. Mammal Stranding Response Pro- vited representative to the two-day Find out about alumni gram. Improvements to the research Upper Trophic Level Predators Expert events. station continue. Working closely Group in Portland, Maine, chaired by with the Department of Marine Re- Scott Kraus '77. Also at the meeting Find out about alumni sources, last season Allied Whale was Peter Stevick '81. services. collected data pertinent to northern Get Involved! right whale distribution in the Gulf The world Help organize regional of Maine, as well as a wealth of ma- premier alumni events. rine mammal acoustic data collected of On a in conjunction with Cornell Uni- Phantom Volunteer for the Alumni versity's Bioacoustic Research Pro- Limb, the Board. gram. Says Sean Todd, COA faculty latest film Contact Dianne Clendaniel, member and Allied Whale director, by Nancy Alumni Relations and Devel- "Much of the success Allied Whale Andrews, faculty member in vid- opment Coordinator at 207- has seen in the past few years is due eo and performance art, was held 288-2944, ext. 268 or dclen- to two factors-our wonderful, smart March 13 at the 14-Karat Cabaret in daniel@coa.edu. and committed students, and a senior Baltimore, Maryland. Thanks to her staff management team that is just Guggenheim Fellowship, Nancy just fabulous, unparalleled and entirely completed a two-term leave, during dedicated to maximizing the student which she was able to create and (Class years in parentheses refer to alumni experience." edit her film. COA talent abounded: who did not graduate from COA.) Dru Colbert created the bird head John Anderson, faculty member in and appears in the film; John Cooper biology and the William H. Drury, wrote original music, arranged addi- Jr. Chair in Evolution, Ecology and tional music and performed on key- COA 39 FACULTY & COMMUNITY NOTES board and guitar; and recording engi- Human Ecology, Scientific Commit- After more than six years of work, neer Zach Soares '00, COA's library tee on Problems of the Environment the Maine State Museum in Augusta media specialist, recorded and mixed and other professional associations. opened its At Home in Maine exhibit, sound. Additionally Colin Capers '95, Rich's Rachel Carson Chair presenta- the largest exhibition the institution MPhil '08 served as cameraman and tion, "Welcoming Rachel Carson to has created. Dru Colbert, faculty actor; documentary filmmaker Ned College of the Atlantic: A Centenary member in graphic and three-dimen- Johnston, a COA visiting teacher in Celebration of Life," appears as an in- sional design and museum studies, photography and video, also worked vited essay in the forthcoming Journal was one of the key designers of the the camera; and Davis Taylor, faculty of Mediterranean Ecology. exhibit, working with a Washington, member in economics, was an actor. DC designer to create a concept for Upcoming screenings include the San On June 21, 2008, Lynn Boulger, the exhibit on the history of domestic Francisco International Film Festival. Dean of Development, married Tim life in Maine. Nancy has also been invited to be Garrity, officiated by Sarah Baker, part of New Media Artists Maine, or Dean of Admission. Faculty member in NMAM, new media artists who work music, John Cooper, with new media technologies and re- Last October's wrote and published ject commercial influences and popu- Sacred and Pro- under C Lynne Music, lar culture. A screening of work, in- fane festival on his third book based cluding Nancy's, was held in April at Peaks Island, on his "Steps Ahead" the Southern Maine Community Col- Maine, includ- theory system, Linear lege in South Portland. Collaborating ed an installa- Transitions, a developmental meth- with writer Lisa Leaverton and with tion version of sabertooth by Colin od of Improvisation Studies for high Elmer Beal, faculty member in anthro- Capers '95, MPhil '08, lecturer in school and college jazz ensembles. pology as voice talent, Nancy created composition, writing and film studies. The original volume, Every Key/Ev- Encounters, a five-minute video for The festival was co-founded in 1996 ery Day: Piano/Keyboard Harmony Trickhouse.org. It can be seen at an- by Paul Kozak '86. The original vid- Text, was recently reprinted for use tral.net/encounter.mov or trickhouse. eoart version, featured on the cover of by Denis DiBlasio and the Rowan org/vol4/video/leaverton&andrews the Fall 2008 COA, was screened as University Jazz Program. John also html. Nancy was also in the show ti- part of the three-day Lumina festival produced and performed the music tled "Comical" this April at the Center in Waterville, Maine, a collaboration score to Acadia Always, an hour-long for Contemporary Maine Art in Rock- between the Maine Film Center and documentary shown on Maine PBS in port, Maine. Her animated work was the American Film Institute-Colin December, narrated by Jack Perkins, part of the Rhode Island College Ani- received their Emerging Filmmaker former NBC News correspondent and mation Festival in April. Visit www. award. host of Art & Entertainment's biogra- nancyandrews.net. phy series. John, who had a sabbati- Ken Cline, Associ- cal over winter term, conducted jazz The Bar Harbor Whale Museum, cu- ate Dean for Faculty clinics at numerous Hancock and Pe- rated and directed by Toby Stephen- and faculty member nobscot county schools and served as son '98, received an outreach grant in public policy and an adjudicator for several Maine jazz from the Maine Community Founda- environmental law, festivals. He also served as guest artist tion to enhance marine education in attended the Fifth for the Brewer Jazz Spring Concert. Hancock County schools and make World Water Forum visits to the Whale Museum in down- in Istanbul, Turkey Faculty member in mathematics and town Bar Harbor more meaningful. in March, the latest in a series of in- physics, Dave Feldman, is first author ternational conferences devoted to of the article, "The Organization of Rich Borden, faculty member in psy- water. Ken hopes to return to the Intrinsic Computation: Complexity- chology and the Rachel Carson Chair 2012 forum, bringing students from Entropy Diagrams and the Diversity of in Human Ecology, is serving as co- that year's Hydro Politics in a Thirsty Natural Information Processing," with chair of an international conference World class. Also at the forum was Carl McTague and James Crutcheld. on human ecology in Manchester, Geena Berry '10, a The three are colleagues at the Santa United Kingdom. This conference, student passionately Fe Institute. The article was published running from June 29 to July 3, is interested in waste- in Chaos. 18:043106. 2008. DOI: sponsored by the Society for Human water treatment and 10.1063/1.2991106, and is available Ecology, Commonwealth Human sanitation. at http://tinyurl.com/dmeb4a. The Ecology Council, German Society for article refers to how dynamical sys- 40 COA tems store, structure, and transform com/2008/TECH/science/11/03/da- ing on farms across the United States historical and spatial information. By vid.hales/index.html. His comments and in Europe and holds a BS in en- graphing a measure of structural com- on corporate responsibility were fea- vironmental science from Allegheny plexity against a measure of random- tured in the January editions of both College in Pennsylvania. ness, complexity-entropy diagrams Time and Fortune. Last July, David display the different kinds of intrinsic moderated two days of the weeklong Jamie McKown, facul- computation across an entire class of session of the Annual Ministerial De- ty member in govern- systems. velopment Forum of the Economic ment and polity, holds and Social Council of the United Na- the James Russell Wig- Jay Friedlander, tions at its New York City headquar- gins Chair in Govern- the Sharpe-McNal- ters. In April, he addressed the New ment and Polity. He ly Chair in Green England Board of Higher Education served as a judge for and Socially Re- on the role of higher education in the The Association of Political and Pub- sponsible Business, sustainability crisis. This July, he will lic Affairs Professionals' annual Pollie was the keynote be giving the keynote address at the Awards, akin to the Academy Awards speaker at the Eco- International Conference on Human for political advertising. Jamie also Maine green business symposium, Ecology in Manchester, United King- presented "Beyond House Divided: Achieving Sustainable Competitive dom. Recharting Lincoln's Use of Conspira- Advantage, in October. He also pre- cy Narratives" in St. Louis, Missouri. sented to the Gorham Savings Bank After serving as trea- sustainability team in November and surer for the successful Suzanne Morse spent completed a green marketing pro- Elsie Flemings '07 for her fall sabbatical in gram for a United States Agency of State Representative Norway where she International Development project campaign, Jennifer taught in the interna- promoting sustainable furniture man- Hughes (photo), man- tional master's program ufacturing in Indonesia. In August, Jay ager of donor services and prospect in Agroecology and was featured in Mainebiz for his new research, was elected treasurer of the Food Systems at the position at COA, www.mainebiz.biz/ Hancock County Democratic Com- Norwegian University of Life Scienc- news43225.html. mittee. es. She also gave an invited talk about COA, "Being the Greenest College: COA President David Associate Dean of the convergence of theory, practice Hales serves on the Student Services and press" to university students, fac- steering committee of Sarah Luke gave the ulty and administrators. While in Eu- REN 21, the Renewable presentation, "Small rope she visited the Organic Research Energy Policy Network and Sustainable" in Centre in England and University of for the 21st Century (see March at the annual Kassel in Witzenhausen, Germany, a video of David on NASPA national con- COA's partners in the new Trans-At- its website: www.dailymotion.com/ ference, along with Sandy Olson-Loy, lantic Partnership in Sustainable Food video/k7KhXHvKwo4cXwVyzM) and Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs at Systems. In London, she joined up also serves on the steering committee University of Minnesota, Morris and with Graham Woodgate of the Insti- and leadership circle of the American Cathy Kramer, Dean of Students at tute of the Americas for a presentation College and University Presidents Warren-Wilson College. NASPA is the on the meaning of corn in Mayan ag- Climate Commitment, or ACUPCC. professional organization for Student riculture. Suzanne will return to the Additionally, David chairs the higher Affairs Administrators in Higher Edu- United Kingdom and Germany this education committee of the American cation. Sarah and the other women August for Our Daily Bread, the first Council on Renewable Energy, or spoke about sustainability initiatives class established under the new Sus- ACORE, and serves on the advisory on each campus and the overall phi- tainable Food Systems Program. In boards of the Center for International losophy of sustainability that perme- preparation, she is participating in a Environmental Law and Blue Legacy, ates all three schools. Sustainable Agriculture Research and Alexandra Cousteau's foundation to Education program for wheat grow- continue the work of her grandfather, Alyssa Mack is the ers. Jacques. In November, CNN revis- new farm manager ited its interview with David as one at Beech Hill Farm in Working with the Penobscot East of the world's Principal Voices on Somesville. She comes Resource Center, or PERC, Chris Pe- the environment. See it at www.cnn. with experience work- tersen, faculty member in biology, COA 41 FACULTY & COMMUNITY NOTES has received a grant from the Long elist on a National Oceanic and At- At February's 40th Cove Foundation to focus some of mospheric Administration grant tech- annual Northeast the college's research resources on nical review panel in Shepherdstown, Modern Language As- the specific needs of fisheries on the West Virginia. During a winter term sociation Conference coast of Maine. The grant, "Forming sabbatical, Sean traveled to the South- in Boston, Karen Wal- Successful Collaborations in Marine ern Ocean to work aboard the M/V dron, faculty member Research and Policy: Combining Ex- Minerva as a marine mammal expert, in literature, organized and facilitated pertise from Academic, Non-Profit guest lecturer and naturalist guide for the seminar Methods of Literary Ecol- and Resource User Groups," provides ecotourism trips visiting the Falklands, ogy in American Literature: Construc- $100,000 over three years to fund stu- South Georgia and the Antarctic Pen- tions of Place, featuring eight scholars dent and faculty research into issues insula. He used this opportunity to from the US and Canada. She also surrounding Maine's fisheries. The collect data for Allied Whale's Ant- presented "The Silent Partner and grant also funds internships at PERC, arctic Humpback Whale Catalog, ob- Deafness: A Story of Three Women," of Stonington, Maine, by COA under- taining photographic identification of on Elizabeth Stuart Phelps' 1871 The graduate and graduate students. Also over thirty new animals. Sean worked Silent Partner. Karen also presented involved in the grant are Ken Cline, on several peer-reviewed papers. "Chandlerian Reprise or Revision? Todd Little-Siebold, faculty member He is first author, with Kaitlin Allen, Gender and Romance in James Lee in history and Sean Todd, Associate Christie Mahaffey MPhil '05, Jessica Burke's Dave Robicheaux Series" Dean for Advanced Studies. Damon '99, Mick Peterson, Phil Ham- at the Popular Culture Association/ ilton and Bob Kenney, on "An acous- American Culture Association annual Jean Marie Roth is the tic mysticete shipstrike mortality risk conference in New Orleans, complet- new Summer Field assessment for the Gulf of Maine," ing her two-year stint as co-area chair Studies director, tak- which will be presented in England for the detective and mystery fiction ing over from long- this spring by a graduate student, to section. time director Dianne be published in the Proceedings of Clendaniel, who is the Institute of Acoustics. He is also Amy Wesolowski '10 gave three re- now the alumni development coor- first author on a paper to be published cent talks. Last August, she spoke dinator. Jean taught all ages in the in the peer-reviewed journal Marine at the Mathematical Association of camp's summer sessions over the last Mammal Science, "Stable isotope America's MathFest in Madison, Wis- two years and has been working as an signal homoreneity and differences consin on "Network Analysis of the environmental educator since gradu- between and within pinniped muscle Clique Replacement Graph" and re- ating from Pennsylvania State Univer- and skin," co-authored with Bethany peated a similar talk in September at sity with a BS in biology. Holm '04, Dave Rosen and Dominic the Women in Mathematics in New Tollit. He is second author of the ar- England Conference at Smith Col- In November, Sean ticle written by Julien Delarue MPhil lege. In January, she presented "Tiling Todd, faculty member '08, along with Sofie M. Van Parijs the Plane with Squares," with Sasha in biology and the Ste- and Lucia Di lorio, "Geographic vari- Berkoff of Smith College at the Ameri- ven K. Katona Chair in ation in Northwest Atlantic fin whale can Mathematical Society Session Marine Sciences, took songs: implications for stock structure on Geometry at the joint meeting of eight students to the Right Whale assessment" in Journal of the Acousti- Mathematical Association of Ameri- Consortium in New Bedford, MA. In cal Society of America. 2009: 125(3) can and American Mathematical So- December, Sean was an invited pan- 1774-1782. ciety in Washington, DC. Images from COA's Earth Day Celebration & Alumni Reunion (April 17-19, 2009) 42 COA The XVI International Conference of the Society for Human Ecology The most recent confer- mental interactions are complex, says Human Ecology session. Her discus- TT ence of the Society for Hu- Rich. "Through the human senses, sion examined whether a method of man Ecology brought nu- environmental awareness reaches explaining human development and merous COA community much further than the envelope of our behavior in a comprehensive social, members to Bellingham, Washington skin; and a substantial portion of hu- biological and literary manner can ex- last September, including the chair, man life processes occur without any ist within the sciences and humanities, Gene Myers, a 1980 visiting student. awareness at all." With the help of finding that "the scientific method al- The theme was Integrative Thinking several avant-garde films, Rich invited lows for a wider spectrum for the in- for Complex Futures: Creating Resil- an expanded exploration of the psy- terpretation of human nature." Along ience in Human-Nature Systems. chological dimensions of "personal with Lauren Broomall '09, Margaret ecology." Longley '10 and co-chair Rich Bor- The session titled A Renaissance den (center of photo with Conference of Natural History in Human Ecol- Jay Friedlander presented "Creating Chair Gene Myers), Ingrid was part of ogy: An Interactive Symposium was a Socially Responsible Company," the roundtable chaired by John Anderson. John's pre- discussing the fast food industry from on New Direc- sentation was "Philosophical Issues: Is the perspective of social and environ- tions in Inter- Natural History Discovery Really Sci- mental costs in addition to profits. disciplinary and ence?" He asked whether "increasing His case study was O'Naturals, the International specialization within the life sciences, nation's first natural and organic fast Education. coupled with a greater emphasis on food chain, where Jay had been chief narrow hypothesis testing and the use operating officer. Davis Taylor, faculty member in of ever more expensive technology" economics, presented "Local Food might not, "leave some field biolo- Faculty associate Patricia Honea- and Business Cluster Development: gists with the concern that the organ- Fleming presented "Insight-Outlook: Charting New Terrain," a review of ism was being lost in the rush to theo- Minding a Story to Hold the World," the community economic develop- retical synthesis." John argues that we in which she noted that physical ex- ment claims of the local food move- ignore the holistic approach of natural pression of emotion lasts all of ninety ment through the lens of the business history to our peril. seconds. To create a further concern cluster concept. According to current or connection requires some linkage, literature, clusters are almost exclu- Rich Borden gave the presentation such as a story that links a personal sively export-oriented, positioning lo- "Personal Ecology: Exploring the experience or feeling to another per- cal food clusters as anomalous. Davis Body Boundary" in the session on son. also was on the panel at the discussion Ecology in Thought and Action. Ac- of Warfare Ecology: An Introduction cording to Rich, most definitions of Graduate student Ingrid Lindstrom and Dialogue on the Contribution of human ecology emphasize "the rela- presented "An Introductory Explora- Human Ecology. tionships between humans and their tion of Literary Darwinism" during environment." But human-environ- the Literature, Myth and Theatre in In Memoriam: Sherry Geyelin (December 1924-May 2009) On Sunday, May 3, surrounded by Though one of her favorite quotes was, "the short- her family, Sherry Geyelin died. est distance between two people is a story," Sherry Sherry was married to the late COA Geyelin waited until last January before publicly tell- trustee Philip Geyelin, a Pulitzer ing the tale of how she and her husband consented Prize-winning Washington Post edi- to their four children's wishes to try marijuana. How tor. A dancer with Charles Weidman in her youth, were they to know that then-Secretary of State Henry Sherry later became a storyteller. Kissinger would call that very night? Recalls COA trustee Steve Milliken, whom Phil Geye- According to daughter Mary-Sherman Willis, who lin introduced to the COA board, "She danced her studied at COA, Sherry Geyelin's death was peace- way into all of our hearts with her bright enthusiasm ful and seamless. In this, says COA President David and generous love, and we laughed over Phil's con- Hales, "as in so much else in her life, she was filled stantly reminding me that 'I had to do my homework' with grace and beauty." for COA." COA 43 Margaret Pennock started out taking field ecology and natu- ral history courses with the late Bill Drury, faculty member in biology. When her interests turned to sharing this love with others, as a teacher, she joined with other students and lobbied COA for education courses-bringing in Peter Cor- coran, COA's first faculty member in education. Pennock has been at the Sidwell Friends School in Washington, DC for thirteen years-and this consummate teacher sounds as excited about the school and her work as if she were in her first year. ~ DG Margaret Pennock '84 COA: Tell me what you do- and how it all fits together is re- COA: It must make a difference that ally important to me. The fact that they're learning about the environ- MP: I teach seventh and eighth there were no departments at COA ment inside a new and impressive grade science in the middle school is a real strength in not creating platinum-rated LEED building- at Sidwell Friends School. The divisions between fields. People eighth grade course is a year-long tend to be more holistic, interdis- MP: Yes, and at the end of year, the environmental science class taken ciplinary thinkers. That had a huge students will be able to tie almost by all eighth graders. impact-you get steeped into find- everything they've learned during ing connections between different the year back to lessons from the My job is to nurture a love of the fields and disciplines. It becomes building. They know that a con- world in these youngsters' hearts a way of approaching thinking in scious decision was made about and minds-to help them develop general, and that's where we need almost every single feature in the a deep appreciation for the com- to be. building-it comes alive for them. plexity and beauty of the world The kids really get that they're in and how it works. I know that COA: And has having been taught an extraordinary facility, they're in- most of my students won't become this way affected you as a teacher? spired. scientists; I do think that having people in a wide variety of fields MP: We ask our students to think COA: Do you also think of yourself who really understand ecological personally about what they're as talking to the White House, with and scientific basics can make a learning; we bring in a lot of cur- the "first children" on campus? big difference. There are so many rent issues and want them to un- careers in which people would be derstand how these issues relate to MP: I think President Obama is making different decisions if they their studies, so we go beyond sci- already thinking in terms of sus- understood natural laws and pro- ence and get into ethics, poverty, tainability. I'm sure that when the cesses and how our lives depend overpopulation-everything from family visited Sidwell, the green on them. immigration to terrorism to the building made an impression and need for economic help from the it's hard to believe that our food I feel phenomenally fortunate to be United States. There are lots of con- service didn't make an impres- teaching where I am, and teaching nections we're able to make with- sion-we have a fabulous chef this course in a way that we think in our course that I think create a who cooks mostly organic food, really works well. much more complex fabric for our and the Obamas are a very health- students as to how their science fits conscious family. Beyond that, it's COA: How has COA influenced into the world around them. And been fun, exciting and extremely your work? it's hard to think of a field now low-key. The teachers have been where there aren't decisions made very thoughtful in making the ex- MP: I loved immersing myself in that affect the environment, there perience as normal as possible for nature. My love of nature and life are so many connections. everyone. 44 COA The Human Ecology Essay Doubt and Enduring By Libby Dean '89 I first went to Nunatsiavut, the Inuit land claim region knowledge or Inuit Qaujimajatuqangit-dubbed IQ) of Labrador, as a waste management intern and envi- is considered to be a sort of folklore and thus (!) con- ronmental educator with a small non-governmental sidered irrelevant by Western knowledge systems organization in the summer of 2000. I learned that (often called Southern ways of thinking by Inuit). there were many health and environment-related Separation from the environment is one of many concerns that were not being addressed. I returned impacts of colonization on Inuit-whether by taking to university to become better prepared to help In- children away to distant residential schools or by uit communities communicate with outside institu- creating a dependence that encourages Inuit to seek tions. a "better" life away from Inuit Nunaat-Inuit home- land. Well-meaning, educated people have asked Now, much of my work involves communicating me, with no irony: "Why don't they just move?" or about environmental contaminants, food and health "Why don't they build a casino?" I have learned not issues with Inuit. Their traditional diet of wild foods to scream, but I still have trouble finding the right exposes them to chemicals from global industrial, words to explain why. agricultural and military activities that end up in the Arctic-and thus in the foodweb at levels that threat- We white settlers in North America have little com- en confidence in the safety and even the value of prehension of a sense of place that stretches unbro- their wild food. ken to a very distant horizon both temporally and spatially. I think of an Inuk I know who has had to Meanwhile, activities related to procuring wild ani- live away from his northern home for many years; in mals, birds, plants and fish-hunting, traveling over his dreams he can still see every rock and hill and land and ice, inter-generational knowledge sharing- stream around his community. are tremendously important to the complex fabric of Inuit life. It is therefore vital that the communica- Memory in Inuit culture was-and still is-a lifeline, tion of any information about the risks of contami- stretching from past generations to present; know- nant exposure be accurate. Fear and confusion have ing the lay of the land or the ice ahead determined sometimes resulted in negative diet changes. There life or death. Survival means that the memory also are many ways to communicate complex health in- survives to be passed on. Death, individually or cul- formation poorly, language barriers being just one! turally, utterly ends this memory-line, as surely as Translating abstract concepts such as "invisible" slipping into a dark sea under the ice. substances and "contaminants" into any of the four regional Inuktitut dialects can vary from translator Even now-or perhaps especially now, as the Arc- to translator. Responsible researchers and educators tic faces the rapid effects of climate change-Inuit need to evaluate whether people understand what adaptation and memory means survival. What will is being said, and what the receivers of this informa- remain and what will vanish? tion do (or feel!) in response. I often wonder at the still predominant belief that Libby Dean is senior project coordinator in the Depart- people and the environment are somehow separate. ment of Environment and Health at Inuit Tapiriit Kanata- As young COA students, we discussed human ecol- mi www.itk.ca and an MA candidate at the School for ogy in everything we did; some of us demanded this Resource and Environmental Studies/Dalhousie Univer- philosophy be present in the structures around us sity in Nova Scotia, Canada. Excerpted, adapted and re- (physical, academic, political). Inuit have a unique printed with permission from an essay published in The Journals of Knud Rasmussen: A Sense of Memory and and specialized knowledge of their surroundings, High-definition Inuit Storytelling (ed. Gillian Robinson, their environment. Much of their knowledge (Inuit 2008). Submissions are welcome-send to Donna Gold. COA 45 NON-PROFIT U.S. POSTAGE College of the Atlantic PAID life changing, world changing. AUGUSTA, ME 105 Eden Street PERMIT NO. 121 Bar Harbor, ME 04609