CODE College of the Atlantic Association Bar Harbor, Maine 04609 May 1988 Edition, Vol. 3, No. 3 COAA Mentor Program Gains Momentum Question: What do public health, wilderness educa- tion, mediation, Waldorf education, microbiology, genetics, architecture, homemaking, peace, social work, massage, NOLS, landscape architecture, visual art, law, construction, community fund raising, field biology, finance, real estate, business, graphic art, land use planning, public housing policy, journalism, advertising, elementary, secondary and post secondary education have in common? Answer: All are career areas in which COAA Mentors are currently working. To date, 34 Mentors including alumni, trustees and dis- tinguished friends of College of the Atlantic have registered in the Alumni Office, making themselves available to COA students and recent graduates interested in their line of work. Hailing from Alaska to Bar Harbor and various lo- COA student Phil Lichtenstein participates in Alumni phonathon. cales in between, Mentors will become a valuable resource See story on page 3. (continued on page 6) Pioneer Alumnus Remembers COA's Pilot Program Last spring I happened to strike into that first hopeful summer by a from all others as well: philosophical, up a conversation with a fellow neighbor from Lincoln, Mas- literary, historical, a multi-viewed traveler on the Eastern Express flight sachusetts, by the name of Ed Kael- perspective. between Boston and Rockland. He ber. Bill had worked for the previous "I guess I took greatest advantage turned out to be Bill Janes, one of two summers for the Appalachian of Bill Carpenter, the English profes- COA's first students, from the Pilot Mountain Club near Echo Lake, and sor. I had always wanted to read Program of the summer of 1971. one day had run into Ed on the Island. Tolstoy, so Bill and I read War and Recently, I spoke with him by phone And that was that. Having just Peace, and met to discuss it twice a in his office at the Lincoln Property finished his junior year in high school, week. We'd meet to talk right out Company in Washington, D.C. Bill turned out to be the youngest stu- front on the porch, well what used to It turns out that Bill was lured dent at COA, out of a total group of be the porch, of the old green man- about 15 students, including, among sion. It was fantastic. others, Edwin Geisler. Two out of the "The girls all lived in the mansion Meeting Set three original professors never made that summer, and the guys were over The COAA Annual Meeting is it back to the COA faculty, but one in the carriage house. It was a really scheduled for the morning of May did: he was Bill Carpenter, on loan good group of people -- incredibly 28, Graduation Day, from 10-12 that summer from the University of diverse. Some were in college, some a.m. in the COA Auditorium. The Chicago. were taking time off, some were agenda will include a brief annual "That summer was a great intel- graduate school students, and some report, elections, an open discus- lectual experience for me," Janes were recent high school graduates. sion and a light lunch. Please reminisced. "The thing that I really I've stayed in touch with a few people: come and participate. COA liked best was that the College with Alex and David Payne and also graduation will be at 1 p.m. approached the environment not from with Ed Geisler. the scientific point of view only, but "I returned to my senior year in (continued on page 4) Editor's Note CODE College of the Atlantic Association This issue marks my third as Editor, and completes another cycle for COAA Bar Harbor, Maine 04609 News. In the year just passed, we have continued the good work of earlier newslet- ters, and made a few improvements. We have a new logo, a new crisp, computer- COAA NEWS is published Fall, aided layout, a stapled binding, are using more pictures, and are negotiating with Winter and Spring by College of the suppliers to start printing on recycled paper. We still do not have a new name so Atlantic Association, COA's alumni we have decided to extend the "Name that Newsletter Contest" until the nest issue, organization since 1982. hoping that you will continue to suggest names! We still are laboring under an ex- tremely slow printing process, the snail's creep of bulk mail and the inability to af- May 1988 Edition, Vol. 3, No. 3 ford two colors. This year's five COAA Board members live in Portland, New York and Editor, Washington D.C. and Becky Buyers-Basso lives in Bar Harbor. Since we take Philip B. Kunhardt, III '77 turns hosting the bi-monthly meetings, there is a certain amount of travel involved. Production Editor, As a board, we meet not only to put out this newsletter but to work on Col- Rebecca Buyers-Basso '81 lege/Alumni relations. We sponsor the Mentor Program, encourage special events Layout, such as the Tenth Reunion last year and we help coordinate fund raising cam- Jamien Jacobs '86 paigns such as Annual Giving. Attempting to represent a cross section of the COA Association, we also represent you to the Trustees and Administration of the Col- COAA 1987-88 Board Members lege. The newsletter serves as a conduit for your letters, for the "Campus Store" Michael Kaiser '85, Secretary and for forums such as our ongoing Readers' Forum, in which faculty and As- Jean McHugh '81, Treasurer sociates can share important books and articles with one another. It is interesting George Benington '82 to note that both faculty member Craig Greene and alumnus Bruce Bender have Joy Knowlton '82 recommended James Gleick's book Chaos: Making a New Science. Philip B. Kunhardt, III '77 At the Tenth Reunion last year we began to talk together about what human ecology means to each of us in our lives now, ten years after COA. I'd like to see The college logo combines three runic symbols: that conversation continued in upcoming issues of this newsletter. Please write to me, or to Becky, and tell us how the real world and human ecology converge in is for tree, X for humans, and your life today. When we put a few of these together, they will make a fascinating and helpful statement. for ocean, intertwined in a circle For the Fall Issue we are also looking for photos of your children. More and more alums and associates have children now, both large and small. We'd like to symbolizing the earth and universe. run a gallery of faces, beaming out from the page. Please mail them directly to Becky at the College. I have recently been elected to the Board of Trustees of the Cathedral of St. Table of Contents John the Divine, in New York City. Not only has this huge and active Cathedral been thoroughly commited to the problems of the urban poor, to interfaith rela- Mentor Program page 1 tions, and to the world of the arts, but it has long had a deep involvement with is- Pioneer Alum sues of human ecology as well. page 1 Its preachers have included Bishop Tutu and Wendell Berry. It is associated Editor's Note page 2 with the Gaia Institute and with people like Lynn Magulis, James Lovelock and Phonathon Roy Rappaport. The Cathedral sponsors the Lindisfarne Association which has page 3 recently established a program for Biology, Cognition and Ethics. I'd like to see Readers' Forum page 3 whether a Cathedral/COA connection of some kind might be found. My point in Personal Notes mentioning this now is to ask you what other connections might be out there, wait- page 4 ing to be made? Those yet-to-be-made interconnections are part of what makes Campus Store, Notices our membership in COAA so filled with promise! and Update Form page 7 Hoping to see many of you at the COAA Annual Meeting on May 28. Warmly, Philip B. Kunhardt, III 2 Phonathon Raises $4,600 From 87 Alumni Using President Lou Rabineau's senting about 40% of COA College's Trustee Development Com- office in the Turrets as a base of graduates. mittee to set an objective for alumni operation, 16 COA seniors and alum- Most colleges rely heavily upon annual giving -- $12,000. ni made hundreds of telephone calls Trustees and Alumni for financial It cannot be overemphasized April 17th, 18th, 19th and 20th to and moral backing. The success of that the main goal of the alumni ap- COA alumni across the country. Th the phonathon has been a boost to peal is to realize an increase in par- purpose of the phonathon was to seek the Annual Fund and it is also the ticipation, at any level of contribution. 100% participation of alumni in the voice of a collective vote of con- The idea of "working a day for COA' College's 1987-88 Annual Fund. Over fidence in COA's past and future suc- and donating that day's pay was the four nights of calling, eighty-seven cess. merely to attach a tangible dollar alumni made pledges totalling $4,611. At the COAA Board's meeting figure to an open request. The The phonathon effort was last July members unanimously COAA Board's goal is still to receive launched by a fundraising sub-com- agreed to target an increase in An- 100% participation on behalf of mittee of the COAA Board, which nual Giving as a fundraising priority. alumni. Currently, at the 40% level, conceived the "Work a Day for COA" At that time a graph outlining the participation is higher that ever campaign. Between November and source of gifts to the College was before, and the Board hopes that April, eighty-seven gifts totalling just presented; unanimous too, was the more alumni will contribute before under $8,000 were received by the Board's astonishment upon realizing June 30, the end of the College's fis- College in response to a letter of ap- that Alumni contributed 1.1% of the cal year. peal that was sent to all alumni in Oc- total amount during fiscal year 1986- Joy Knowlton tober. Including the phonathon 87. Trustees provided 61.1%. Member of the COAA Board pledges, $12,440 has been raised so The COAA Board then took up Fundraising Sub-Committee far this year from 174 alumni, repre- a first time challenge from the Readers' Forum Recommended by Craig Greene: Chaos: Making a New Science, by James Gleick. Viking Press, New York. 1987. Alumnus Jim Senter brought this book to my attention. In it, Gleick describes our preoccupation with stability and equilibrium models in the physical and life sciences -- a preoccupation that blinds us to the pervasive, orderly and possibly more significant pattern of chaos in natural systems. The new science of chaos represents a paradigm shift, a scientific revolution in the Kuhnian sense, that challenges widely accepted dogma in physics, biology, economics, astronomy, etc. How comforting to think that all the chaos in the life around us is only natural! Recommended by Bruce Bender: Chaos: Making a New Science, by James Gleick. Viking Press, New York. 1987. I had been wondering what use Benoit Mandelbrot and fractals were to land use planning surely some but didn't have a clue where to begin. Gleick's book is where: it presents an overview of the history and personalities of the whole chaos thing. QED, by Richard Feynmann. I have been reading about quantum physics, since I wonder if it isn't down a reductionist blind alley and in need of a basic paradigm change. Well, I don't understand enough to tell, but this book is a gem. It consists of four lectures Feynmenn gave to explain quantum electrodynamics to laypersons. There are no such things as waves, he says. The Heisenburg uncertainty principle is unnecessary and irrelevant (!). High Output Management, by Andrew Grove. Compared to some of the classics of business management this book is bold, brassy, succinct, and very good. (Grove is the head of Intel, the computer manufacturer.) Parkinson's Law, and Other Studies in Administration, by C. Northcote Parkinson. "Work expands to fill the time available for its completion." Here is a whole book full of corollaries and further ob- servations of equal wit and truth. The book is so relentlessly tongue in cheek it's hard to know what's up, but then, that's often true of life in general. 3 Personal Notes Kirsten Backstrom '84 is now living region consists of three towns in Ver- liked each other after camping in Seattle where she has access to mont and 28 towns in New together nonstop for seven months, other artists and women's com- Hampshire, including Hanover we were meant for one another. Ann munities. She is working as a bar- (where Dartmouth is) and some plans to graduate from COA this tender in a women's bar part-time to resort areas. The council does all spring to conclude her nearly epic pay the rent and continues making sorts of land use related planning in seven year undergraduate career. She baskets and woven sculpture for sale the area, most of which is growing is working on her Senior Project here ("Temperwork Baskets") and to show rapidly. There is a very interesting while I study graduate level Ecology in local galleries. She is also studying mix of people, including old Yankee and Behavioral Biology at the to become a therapist but writing is families and many outsiders who've University of Minnesota. This is a still at the center of her activities. She moved there by choice, sort of like BIG school -- 50,000 students. The has completed her second novel (the Mount Desert Island. The new job general biology class that I am help- first she called a learning experience) means a move for Bruce. He writes: ing to teach has a mere 1100 students! and is working on a third as well as a "Moving becomes a bit more of an or- I am starting to recognize faces, at book of essays. She reports that she is deal with a family. The moving com- least in my department, so things are not making much money but that she panies say that the average American looking up. We would love to see any is happy with the diversity of her life. family has between 12 and 20 tons of one of your smiling familiar faces. We She plans to move back to Maine stuff -- and we have 17! Ye gods and have a carpeted floor to share and when she is ready for a permanent little fishes! Seventeen tons of stuff! would really like to hear from you. home. Thoreau was right." Shan Burson '83/ Ann Seymour Bruce Bender '76 has a new job as Ann Seymour and I got married in Dept. of Ecology, 109 Zoology 318 Church St. SE Executive Director of the Upper Val- July 1985, after a bike trip across ley/Lake Sunapee Reginioal Council country and before our trip to the Minneapolis, MN 55455 in Lebanon, New Hampshire. The South Pacific. We figured if we still (H) 612-489-6866, (W) 625-0670 (more notes on page 5) Janes (continued from page 1) high school and ended up graduating "Without wanting to sound trite, from cars and people, and get a sense early because of COA. I went on to I think yes. I would say that I bring an of being completely lost." choose Hampshire as my college, but environmental ethic to the business Bill is married to Alice Rowley quickly transferred to Bowdoin, of land development. Take an area Janes ("Missy") and they have a boy, where I stayed until graduation in like Washington, D.C., a highly "Pack" and a girl, "Max". For the past June of 1976. Why didn't I choose to developed area. It's important to several years they have sought out the come to COA? Maybe because I determine where there should be fu- beautiful isolation of North Haven, thought it would be too small, or per- ture development, such as within an Maine for their summer vacations. haps too unstructured. And I'm sad office corridor around the beltway, The things Bill remembers best to say I've had almost no ties and where there should be only about College of the Atlantic are whatsoever with COA since." residential buildings, and where there people: Bill Carpenter, Sam Eliot, Ed Now Bill works for one of the should be park land. It is essential to Kaelber ("He just inspires me."), Mel largest development companies in have strong zoning in place in order Cote ("who I thought was great") and the U.S., of which he is part owner. A to keep some areas completely un- Tibby Russell, who taught a seminar recent project of his in Arlington, touched. For instance, I belong to the based out of the Jackson Laboratory. Virginia, involved the creation of two Piedmont Environmental Council, "I have very fond memories of entire office buildings, with a total of whose object is to protect farmland my summer at the College. What one half million square feet of floor from being gobbled up. those people were trying to do, I space, at a cost of one hundred mil- "You can blame developers for thought would be a great success." lion dollars. everything, but when you come down Bill and I talked about his to it, it is people who zone the land. Philip B. Kunhardt, III philosophy of the land and its proper It's easy to see what is going on in development. I asked him specifically Maine right now, as far as land if his COA experience, or an environ- speculation and development is con- mental ethic in general had had any cerned. And it's essential that areas influence upon the way he conducted be protected. There need to be himself in business. places where you can still get away 4 Personal Notes N.J. Project H.I.R.E. is currently looking to fill two or three positions similar to Suzanne's. She says it is a diversified and rewarding job, and possessing a human ecologist's perspective is ideal. If you are interested in applying, contact: Suzanne at 4 De Witt Ave. Belleville, NJ 07109 Patrick Hunt '80 has moved to White Flower Farm in Litchfield, CT where he is an apprentice grower. The farm is owned by Eliot Wadsworth, publisher of Horticulture magazine. Pat is currently looking for a reasonable rent in the area. Any alums in Litchfield? He can be reached at (203) 567-0801. June Tuson Dufford '78, her husband, Jim, and their two children left their home Katrin M. Hyman '83 married and construction business in Alaska for a two month vacation in Connecticut. Eugene Tchana on January 22, 1988 Two-and-a-half years later, they have still not returned because of the downtum in Maraoun, Cameroon. in Alaska's economy. They are prospering in CT where Jim finds plenty of work, June is taking paralegal classes and they are building their own home. The Duf- Than James '84 and his wife, Alison, fords (with the exception of their newest addition) are pictured above. are teaching at the North Country School in Lake Placid, New York. Than earned his Master of Education Letitia Brewster '76 and her husband, Fairbanks doesn't have an ocean, but in 1987 for which he wrote a thesis on David Walton, have a baby daughter it is feeling more like home each day named Alice Fytte Walton, born that the sun goes higher and the snow "Using the Word Processor to En- February 19, 1988. remains on the ski trails. I have just hance Writing Skills in the Middle Grades". returned from a sea kayak trip to Anne W. Goodwin '74 has been Columbia glacier in Prince William making her home in Sonoma, Califor- Sound. These are the things that keep Joy Knowlton '82 plans to be married nia where she finds herself happy with me excited about being here, and I to her fiance Tom Field on July 16 at the weather, people and all the ele- hope I will attract some of you to a ceremony by the sea in South ments. She teaches a class on come play. Always an open door -- Dartmouth, Mass. creativity and works with her husband's "Bright Builders" business. Paul Kozak '86 appeared in two short Anne also reads tarot, hikes, enjoys Katherine Wade Hazard '76 has been plays at Portland's Tree Cafe in hummingbirds, travel and writing. appointed clerk to Judge Harry Ed- February, "The Talking Dog" by John wards of the U.S. Court of Appeals Guare and "The Unsung Human" by Matt Hare '84 writes from the for the District of Columbia. Her one Paul himself. Paul is a graduate of the University of Alaska where he is year clerkship will begin in August, prestigious Trinity Square Acting working on his Master's Degree: "I'm 1989, following her graduation from Conservatory in Providence, RI nearly a year into my program, taking the Law School of Boston University. where he studied acting and playwrit- ever more classes, teaching and ing. "The Unsung Human" was squeezing little Aleutian song spar- Suzanne Franklin Hellman '82 is described by the author as being "a rows for their DNA in order to study working as an "employment specialist" very male play" based on a conversa- tion between Paul and a childhood their population genetics. Who would for the developmentally disabled. She friend. have thought that counting whale does both community PR work and respirations would lead to this? on-the-job training in Essex County, (more notes on page 6) 5 Personal Notes Adele Lupo '86 is temporarily back on mont". John is the only recipient of the coast of Maine being a nanny to the national award in the state of her newborn nephew. She has Vermont. He will receive a year's returned from a wonderful year in salary ($26,000) and $10,000 to pur- Scotland where she was housesitting, chase equipment for his program. waitressing, exploring and falling in "Stars Over Vermont" combines the love. She plans to rejoin her fiance study of astronomy with a treatment in northern Scotland in the spring. of some of the larger philosphical questions of life. John is currently a Greg Merrill '79 wrote us from the third grade teacher at the Italian Riviera where he found him- Westminster School. self after telemark skiing in the Swiss Alps and touring Milano, Venezia, Jo Todrank '76 has been admitted to Firenze and Roma. He will returm to the Ph.D. program in Experimental Seattle and a new job as director of a Psychology at Northeastern Univer- maximum security unit within a sity. She is planning a visit to Mount juvenile prison. Greg will be doing Desert Island before diving into the cognitive/behavioral and group program in September. therapies with adolescent sexual of- fenders. Last year he completed a Michael Weber '83 studied at the Masters of Social Work at the Rhode Island School of Design after University of Washington. Then, graduating from COA and now lives prior to his trip to Europe, he served in the East Village of Manhatten as a treatment specialist with street working as a designer for a mid-town youths in a downtown Seattle crisis firm, doing communication, product residential center. and packaging design. Greg has enjoyed living in the Compiled by Seattle area where he has access to Rebecca Buyers-Basso both cultural and wilderness outings. He encourages visitors to the west coast to look him up. His work phone number is 624-6514 ext. 321. Mentor (continued from page 1) to the 40 to 50 COA seniors an- Shosahana (Susan) Perry '83 is cur- ticipating graduation this spring and rently studying at Hebrew Union Col- entry into the world of work. lege where she has only one year Jean McHugh '80, the COAA remaining of rabbinic school. She Board Member who first envisioned a reports that she will be the rabbi in mentor program for COA, says she is Bangor next year on a monthly basis pleased with alumni response to the and feels like she'll be coming home. Mentor Program. Jill Barlow-Kelley, Friends may reach her at: COA Career Services staffer and the administrative "broker" of the program, says she would like to see 100 Mentors registered. She noted that, even before the program was ad- Pam Stone '87 is serving as Co-Direc- vertised in OFF THE WALL, she tor of Vanderbilt University's Student had requests from students wanting Environmental Health Project in to talk to alumni working in Tennesee. groundwater quality assessment, recycling and forest research. For more information on the John Tapper '83 has won a Christa MacAauliffe Fellowship to implement Mentor Program, feel free to contact the Alumni Office. a junior high school curriculum he designed entitled "Stars Over Ver- Rebecca Buyers-Basso Kaelber Hall in Process 6 Campus Store Name that Newsletter The COAA Board is continuing a contest for the naming of its one-shy-of- For those of you who have been Quarterly Newsletter (currently COAA NEWS). If you win, you will like the wondering how to get your hands on a prize. Send all submissions to Becky Buyers-Basso, College of the Atlantic, Bar COA sweatshirt, want to buy the Harbor, ME 04609. The winning name will appear on the Fall Issue. latest edition of VOICES or have been thinking about ordering a COA chair for your office, this is the place to look. Nominations Sought The COAA Board Nomination Committee continues to seek names of the To order, please write or call: Rebecca Buyers-Basso persons interested in serving for a two-year term on the Board of Directors. You College of the Atlantic may nominate yourself, or someone you know to be willing to serve. Board mem- Bar Harbor, ME 04609 bers meet six times a year. Each member is given significant work on behalf of (207) 288-5015 the Association and the College. It also happens to be a lot of fun. Send nomina- tions to Becky at COA. Alumni Directory $10.00 A xeroxed listing of the names, addresses and phone numbers Alumni: (where available) of all former COA students. Someone Wants to Know COA Sweatshirts $16.00 Moved lately? Got the job? Wrote the book? Won the case you always said you Navy, Turquoise would? Said "I do"? How about that new baby? Help us keep alumni and other Small, Medium, Large, X-Large members of the College of the Atlantic community informed about your ac- tivities. COA Tee Shirts $14.00 Long sleeved Please print or type: Red, Royal Blue Medium, Large, X-Large Name Home # Kaelber Hall Tee Shirts $5.00 Class (year) Work # "The Omens are Good" White w/blue print Street Small, Medium, Large, X-Large City/State Zip VOICES $4.00 The 1986-7 edition of COA's I'd like my address in the next COAA NEWS. art/literary journal - This is my NEW mailing address. Current COA Catalog $1.00 - Old COA Catalogs $2.00 Here's my news!: (If available) Subscriptions to OFF THE WALL $20.00 --ALSO-- COA Captain's Chair custom order Faculty Publications by request Remember to include awards, honors, appointments, job changes, organizations, offices held, professional achievements, etc. Include a picture if possible! Please Maine residents add 5% sales tax. return this to: Becky Buyers-Basso, College of the Atlantic, Bar Harbor, ME Thank you. 04609. 7 Letters Dear Friends, development. They have looked at away fighting the war. Last summer I embarked on public policy issues as a complex web APSNICA is placing me in their what was meant to be a six week trip of political, economic, environmental Technical Assistance Program. Al- to Mexico with Megan Pennock and and human problems human ecol- though the details are still being Diana Cohn. They returned on ogy at its best. Needless to say, I worked out, I will probably be work- schedule to their lives as teachers but learned a lot. ing with a regional planning office in I ended up staying on. I spent the fall In January I returned to Mexico Managua. in Mexico City studying Spanish and with my family and continued on to It's a bit of a switch from the working with a Mexican non- Nicaragua. There I joined a six week work I was doing last year with an ar- governmental organization, "Pro- building brigade sponsored by chitect in Portland, Maine. I feel I mocion del Desarrollo Popular" APSNICA (Architects and Planners am more actively pursuing and living (Promotion of Popular Develop- in Support of Nicaragua), a private out my ideals. Best of everything! ment). They have been around for 25 group based in California. We built Warmly, years creating networks with a variety 20 houses, a school and a water supp- Debka Colson of grassroots organizations through- ly system for an agricultural coopera- out Mexico and Central America. tive in the Matagalpa region. The They have provided training and sup- cooperative had a severe lack of port for projects in health, small busi- housing both due to a lack of funds ness, low income housing and and because the majority of men are Non-Profit COAA NEWS Organization College of the Atlantic U.S. Postage Paid Bar Harbor, Maine 04609 Bar Harbor, ME 04609 Permit #47 Address Correction Requested