COAA News college of the atlantic association march 1987 Ed Kaelber Reflects On COA's Early Years It has been four and a half years since Ed Kaelber resigned as founding President of College of the Atlantic, took some time off, and went on to continue what he obvioiusly likes to do best -- find a good idea, attract committed, energetic people, and, as he puts it, ''help get things started up''. Prior to joining COA, Ed was an Associate Dean at Harvard University. In this capacity, he organized a secondary school in Nigeria. Before that, he owned and operated a lumber business in upstate New York. Intrigued with the idea of starting a small college that Honorees Betty Thorndike and Ed Kaelber as would be free to develop a fresh pictured in the February 19 issue of The Bar Harbor approach to education and operate out Times. The photo appeared in the paper alongside two of a spirit of collegiality and common special feature articles. The articles, commissioned by purpose, Ed and his wife Pat came to COAA's board of directors, have been reprinted here Bar Harbor in 1970 and began working in preparation for a benefit dinner being planned in with a handful of dedicated people. honor of Thorndike and Kaelber. Proceeds from the reception dinner/ dance go directly to the Phoenix Fund for reconstruction of On the recent morning we met in his Kaelber Hall/ Thorndike Library, lost to fire in July of kitchen for some of his delicious 1983. continued on page 2 Time And Energy Are Thorndike's Gifts Grace was in all her steps. Heaven in her eye books for the library book sale, In every gesture dignity and love. Betty, as she is known to most of Milton B.K. viii, Paradise Lost the college community, exemplifies the gracious, caring woman. Together with her late husband, R. Throughout her 13-year tenure as Amory Thorndike, Betty supported the a trustee of College of the establishment of College of the Atlantic, Elizabeth F. Thorndike has Atlantic in 1969. In 1972, after given unstintingly of her time and Mr. Thorndike's death, the Thorndike energy. Whether it is chairing the family established the R. Amory executive committee of the board of Thorndike Fund for Arts and trustees, participating in a Humanities at the college. Each year presidential search, hosting a the fund purchases important books reception for a college visitor, or on art, literature, architecture, unpacking and sorting countless used continued on page 3 COAA NEWS KAELBER continued homemade pancakes -- or 'french dimension and Rousseau's concept that a crepes'' as he now calls them -- he true education must be self-directed. admitted that the idea was a very long What we aspired to was generating in shot. Like most things he has done, it our students a long-term commitment to was an effort many others consider to society, the environment, and the have been well worth the risk. quality of life. So we had a number of ideas. It is hard to say how much of GLEN BERKOWITZ: How was it that you it was planned for and how much of it actually became involved with College of was sort of something which just the Atlantic? happened that turned out to be really EDWARD KAELBER: I had left Harvard, good. most recently that part which took me GB: When you started COA, were you to Africa, and decided that I wanted to convinced it was going to be well stay in education. I heard through a received? friend that there were people in EK: Well, maybe this is a kind of Maine who wanted to start a college. defense, but when you start something And I said to myself, my gosh, wouldn't new you admit to yourself that that be fun. this is a very long shot. We didn't GB: ''Fun''? know whether it would work or not, I EK: Remember, it was 1970, and many mean work in the sense that we could colleges had a lot of turmoil. You could get the kinds of students in the look around and see if there was, numbers we wanted. And could we get maybe, an alternative way of doing the kinds of faculty we wanted. things that would serve some people's - GB: How about money? -- not all people's -- needs better EK: One of the things that has amused than what existed. So that was me -- thought it wasn't always funny -- exciting. was that in the early years of the GB: When you came up you knew that the College most people when they came to college was going to award a single visit asked where we were going to get degree in Human Ecology, right? the money to run the place. And that EK: Yes, but I'm not sure that anybody obviously was and remains a big knew what that meant, really, except in question for COA. But I had, and I the very broadest terms. It seemed to don't think it was naive, a feeling me that what we were talking about had that if you have a good idea, and it its roots in the aims of a liberal suggests an alternative to what exists, education. To recognize each individual and you can find able people to get has to have their own specialty, their behind this good idea and push it and own bit of expertise, that has to be work at it, then probably you are going put into a larger context. And it to be able to find the money. Sure, seemed to me that if you had a focus you can't be certain; it will always in environmental problems, which I think involve an element of risk. So you have by nature are broad and complex, that to like taking risks. One of the things this was a wonderful new way, or that made the College go is that we centralizing theme, for organizing a attracted risk takers, in the staff, liberal education. the students, and the parents of students. GB: As a businessman, you'd had experience in developing new ventures. GB: Okay. But didn't you worry about What kind of planning went into the anything? development of COA? EK: I think we were realistic in EK: Oh, no, I wouldn't say we did an knowing that we would probably exhaustive analysis. It is not that we make a lot of mistakes. And we were tried to devise a new philosophy of realistic in knowing that if we did education, for example, rather we took make some major mistakes that would be from Whithead the idea that education the end of it. On the other hand, it should be the 'acquisition of the art seemed like a good idea to try and of the utilization of knowledge.' We make this kind of college go in this coupled this basic theme with Plato's kind of area. And as I say, for awareness that education has a social whatever reason, COA attracted people of continued on page 4 2 COAA NEWS THORNDIKE continued and philosophy for the library. residents displaced by the fire. On July 8, 1983, the Thorndike During the Korean Conflict, Betty Library was officially dedicated to set up community donor centers where R. Amory and Elizabeth F. Thorndike blood was collected, turned into in conjunction with her birthday and plasma, and shipped overseas. In in recognition of the Thorndikes' September, 1986, Betty received a encouragement and support of the citation for her extensive and college from its inception. continuing work with the American The benefit dinner planned for Red Cross. April 11 in honor of Betty and COA Perhaps her greatest continuing founding president Edward Kaelber contribution to Mount Desert Island will be a fitting tribute to the residents and summer visitors has woman who each summer so graciously been her work with the Wild Gardens opens her home to friends of the of Acadia. Since its founding in Thorndike Library. Thomas Brockman's 1961, Betty, along with the other annual piano concert, although rich members of the Bar Harbor Garden and beautiful in itself, sounds even Club, has transformed a three- more so as guests listen to Liszt, quarter-acre jumble of brush, Debussy, Chopin, Schumann, Faure, brambles, and scarred red maples Haydn, and Bach while sitting on into 11 habitats displaying plants Betty's terrace or in her living or native to Mount Desert Island. Over dining rooms which overlook the the years the Wild Gardens of ocean, Dorr, and Cadillac mountains. Acadia have attracted younger Betty's contribution to and members who have volunteered to work interest in people has not been there. To these volunteers and the limited to College of the Atlantic. summer students, Betty has become a After receiving her master's degree mentor. They turn to her not only from Simmons College, Betty worked to learn how or what to plant or at Massachusetts General Hospital as prune but also to receive a medical social worker from 1930- encouragement, guidance, and 1937. Since marrying Amory Thorndike in friendship. 1937 and moving to Bar Harbor in And it is not just at the Wild 1940, Betty has been concerned with Gardens that one encounters a the well-being of the island supportive and gracious person, but community. A trustree of the Jackson with all whom Betty has contact she Laboratory, the Maine Seacoast imparts a generosity of spirit. Mission, and the Abbe Museum, Betty - Anne Kozak has also served on the Bar Harbor Appeals Board, was the first woman elected to the Bar Harbor Town Council, and for many years was on TABLE OF CONTENTS the vestry of St. Saviour's Church. As a volunteer for the Hancock Feature articles page 1 County Chapter of the American Red Nominations page 5 Cross, Betty drew on her experience Participation page 5 and training as a social worker. Alumni Clubs page 9 During World War II, she coordinated Leadership page 11 and trained volunteers to counsel Poem: The Tourists page 12 Forum for Discussion page 13 and advise families of servicemen. Letters from NYC page 16 Following the 1947 fire, in which Poem: Preserving page 18 she too had lost her home, Betty Class Notes page 18 headed a group of volunteers who Old Photos page 27 responded to 1500 inquiries from all Dinner Reservation Form back cover over the world concerning Bar Harbor COAA NEWS 3 KAELBER continued talent, and energy, and commitment. able to transfer. If one came to COA, GB: And people of style! and then wanted to leave, well, you EK: Well, you say that, but I've always couldn't answer that. You didn't know. believed the best way to encourage the But fortunately a few people came that right people is to free them up. And first year and wanted to transfer and that in part was the style of the by gory were able to transfer to college. Sometimes I wonder if this was established and distinguished places. I just administrative laziness on forget who it was, but somebody went to my part, but by and large I think if MIT right off, long before you had gone you get good people who generally agree there. But this was great! I mean this on where you want to get, it's best to gave parents some confidence that if just leave a lot to the the place wasn't good for their individuals to decide how they are offspring, it wouldn't be a lost year; going to use their own resources to they could go to MIT! help you get there. And I felt that GB: Was it the plan to have that way about students. If you can attract number of students the first year? -- and this is the big if -- EK: For whatever reasons there wer committed, energetic, intelligent enough good people who came. When we students, then I think it is very started the College, we said we would important that they have a hand in have four faculty members and that we deciding how their education is going would like to begin with 25 students. to be formed. But we wanted to be fussy -- in a good GB: Do you remember who the first sense -- in admissions, and if there student was. were only four students who by our EK: Actually, the first students were Becky standards qualified, then that was the Koluris and Jill Tabbutt. They came to COA number we were willing to start with. before we had opened, and were very helpful GB: So you were going to go regardless? in organizing the College. As it turned EK: Oh year. We were going to go, out, Becky didn't go to COA, she finally sure. And we weren't simply going to went to the University of Maine. Jill came dip into the barrel and take anybody to COA. who showed up. We were looking for GB: And how about the first year's people who were bright, and who seemed class? to be seriously interested in their EK: I think there were 25 who arrived education. And I think we were also in September -- what was it -- 1972, looking for people who had or could when we finally started up. I remember develop a sense of maturity that we when Bill Ginn came in as a transfer, thought the style of the College could and again, there was alot of turmoil at accommodate. various schools at the time. I remember GB: A style more like Bill coming into my office and sitting EK: That of a graduate professional down and saying that one thing he school. We wanted to have a relatively wanted to know was what would be the small student-to-faculty ratio, and we relationship between the students and wanted students to work in close administration. I don't remember what my collaboration with faculty members answer was, but I think one of the whenever, wherever possible. In other reasons he came was because he wanted words go off with Bill Drury to Alaska more of a say in determining his own and study birds, work with Roc Caivano education. About 60 percent of that or do a project with Harris Hyman. And entering class stayed. I think that same style maintains. But GB: Talk about risk takers! What kinds it is important to remember that not of things did you say to them? everybody can handle that. EK: Well, I think we were quite open GB: So you got 25 on favorable terms. in admitting that we didn't have all Do you remember what you said at the the answers. For instance, we didn't first All College Meeting? know whether there'd be enough new EK: I suppose I had some idea of what courses for students to take in their to say, I can't remember what it was, second year. And then the question came and I've never been very good at -- I up whether or not students would be continued on page 6 4 COAA NEWS Nominations For The Alumni Association's Board Of Directors Each year nominations are requested from the Association's membership. from all members of the Association Board members serve two year for creative, hardworking staggered terms and diversity is individuals to be elected to the always sought to represent years of Board of Directors of the Alumni graduation. All former students of Association. the College, whether visiting student or graduate, are eligible to The Association's Board of Directors be elected to the Board. acts as the governing body of alumni activities and affairs. The five All nominees are reviewed by the board members meet regularly Nominations and Elections Committee throughout the year to develop and and a slate of candidates are direct the goals of the Alumni chosen. Candidates will then be Association; facilitate presented to the Association for communications between alumni and election to the Board for a two year the College; strengthen the alumni term beginning in June of 1987. network; and create programs and activities to support the College. Please take this opportunity to nominate alumni who you feel would Working on the Board provides the serve the Association well. You may opportunity to work with former nominate yourself. Serving on the classmates, teachers and staff from Board is an excellent way to help the College. Serving the College formulate the direction of the after graduation can be very Association and strengthen the rewarding by helping to recruit and programs that exist. meet with prospective new students; returning to the College to talk with current students about personal Please mail or call in the names, and professional life after addresses and telephone numbers of graduating; and developing programs your nominations to: to bring alumni together, catch up on news, just to mention a few of Rebecca Buyers-Basso the possibilities. Coordinator of Alumni Activity College of the Atlantic To ensure diverse representation, Bar Harbor, ME 04609 nominations are invited every year (207) 288-5015 Now Is The Time To Participate As many of you know, during the The college has been challenged with course of a year alumni receive a an extraordinary set of number of requests from the College circumstances during the past two for financial contributions. There years. The college must continually are a number of fundraising efforts maintain a yearly operational budget that the College is currently that remains in the black, which it undertaking -- all of which have has been successful in separate goals. accomplishing. Meanwhile the college must raise 6 million dollars, above The costs of a college education are operational expenses, to rebuild the staggering for an individual seeking campus. Thus, operational and a baccalaureate degree in any capital funds must be simultaneously institution of higher learning raised. throughout the country. College of the Atlantic is not immune from that Today it costs $17,000 a year to phenomenon and neither are COA educate one aspiring Human students. continued on page 7 COAA NEWS 5 KAELBER continued love to talk! but I've never been silly and won't make it but let's give very good at making speeches. I do them a good grade for trying. Bill came remember pointing out to people, down and gave a good talk and he was probably ad nauseam in the first two or serious about it. But I can't help but three years, over and over about what a think in his mind he was saying ' 'my risky venture it was. And that indeed goodness, these poor souls are never we were in a goldfish bowl. That there going to make a college go with just was skepticism on Mount Desert Island one graduate''. about having a college, and skepticism GB: How many people were there in the within the academic community as well. audience? I felt we probably could not afford the EK: Along with that one graduate there luxury of Harvard -- when I was at must have been 200 or 300 people in Harvard you could make a series of the audience. mistakes from time to time, yet never GB: You're kidding. really rattle things EK: I mean everybody came, and it's particularly. The position we were in always been the case. at COA was different. If we made any GB: You were at COA for more than a major mistakes that would probably be decade. What stands out in your mind the end of it. So if the community from the middle of that period? didn't like the College, if they didn't EK: On the good side were the people we like the students or staff, well then, continued to attract. Dick Davis and I used that would probably end it, because you to talk about this. We didn't always agree, can't have a college in a small and I'm not sure how he felt about my views community like this that's not accepted. on this one; but I've always assumed And in academia, you know, if we did a everybody is motivated by self-interest. I lousy job and people wanted to take that as a given. Then I guess what I transfer, no respected college was going hope is that this self-interest in the to have anything to do with it. It put individual somehow turns out to be the an added burden on the students, and collective interest of the group. I as well as on the staff. Which I think also think that one of the things we in a funny way helped to strengthen the all have a share of in our makeup is College. Everybody knew they'd have to greed. At least I do, and if I have it do their best to make it work. I hope everybody else has it! The GB: When did you hand over the first feeling I got again and again at COA diploma? Who received it? -- and this applies to the staff and EK: Bill Ginn and Cathy Johnson were students and trustees alike -- was that the first two who graduated. They were this group of people was a little less both transfers. At our second greedy. I wouldn't go any further than commencement one year later, we had one that. And last there was in the best graduate. And that was also fun because sense a spirit of collegiality that I we got Senator Bill Cohen, who was then thought was deeper than I found at a Representative in Congress to come other places. That was quite a nice down. Earlier that morning he gave a thing. commencement address at UMO you know GB: And on the bad -- or not so good fifteen hundred people. And then that -- side? afternoon he came to COA and spoke at EK: Then as the college got going, my our commencement addressing one time as you noticed was spent more and graduate. This was 1974, or 1975, I more in raising funds. And like a lot of guess. places there was never enough money. I GB: Has Bill Cohen ever talked to you suppose I felt a little bit lonely on again? this one, for it wasn't the EK: Oh sure. I think he was amused responsibility of the faculty or too! One thing you have going for you students to worry about how to finance when you start something like this is the place. They had other things to that a lot of people find it appealing. worry about. That was my responsibility. Here's a group of people trying to do Well, obviously we had enough to keep something and in a way it's kind of going and make progress, but it 6 COAA NEWS PARTICIPATION continued Ecologist. Yearly tuition payments, critical task of rebuilding the $7,200, will pay for less than one college. Alumni have actively half the cost of educating a supported these efforts by student, leaving a deficit of sponsoring several mail appeals and approximately 10,000 per student to telethons to secure gifts to the be earned elsewhere. This requires Phoenix Fund Campaign. the College to seek $840,000 in annual gifts per year. The goal of the Alumni Association is to secure contributions from 65% Rarely will one find a college or of its 350 graduates. To date we university that relies on tuition as are only 50 graduates short of that its only source of income. Tuition goal. To help us reach this rate of would be prohibitive for most people participation, two alumni have given if that were the case. The college the Association a $10,000 challenge relies, therefore, upon a range of grant to reach a 65% level of financial support to supplement participation. tuition payments and meet operational expenditures. Methods Your support of both annual giving of raising funds are diversified to and of the Phoenix Fund Campaign are insure that if one stream of revenue of the utmost importance. This may falls short of annual projections seem like a lot to ask, and it is. other sources of income will help to This is an unusually critical time soften the deficit. Current income for the college and as alumni we relies upon: have a certain responsibility to assist in the rebuilding of the * tuition campus and in the institutional * a range of grants from private development and operations of COA. foundations, * federal government support, In making your decision whether to * annual giving, and support annual giving and/or the * individual high dollar gifts. Phoenix Fund Campaign, please allow me to suggest that you make a As alumni, we are asked each year to contribution that reflects your support the annual appeal to support support and your financial ability. operational expenditures. The No matter how modest your support, annual appeal is mailed with the it makes a difference. One dollar full endorsement of COA's Alumni from a graduate who has not Association and Board of Trustees. contributed to the Phoenix Fund will The annual appeal is an integral bring us one step closer to component of the College's achieving 65% participation and fundraising. $10,000 towards the construction of the campus. Each year the College receives an increasing number of contributions from alumni. This past year the Bob Holley number of alumni contributions to Secretary, COAA the annual fund has increased by 35% as have the amounts of the total dollar contributions. The increasing number of alumni gifts has indicated to trustees and foundations that alumni are in support of the college's goals and activities. peacock In addition to supporting annual giving, the Alumni Association has that sits on its tailfeathers chosen to raise funds for the is just another turkey. COAA NEWS 7 KAELBER continued was always tight. And that was a worry. ready to eat. Who's going to help eat GB: Okay, you know how people talk the cake. And everybody crowds around. about the stages of life in an But as I say, that's probably a little organization defensive, a little cynical. But I EK: Sometimes I feel that the easiest think there is that element. It's so time to be in an organization is at easy to stand around on the outside and the beginning. And there's also what is tell people what can't be done. They're called the honeymoon period. There's right in one sense; there area always alot of hubris and enthusiasm. An reasons why something can't be done. espirit that comes from saying we're But I suspect that alot of the all in this together. A much tougher important things that have happened in stage is when you get beyond this, once the world in almost any field came you get going and the glamour of being about despite having many people at the beginning sort of wears off. My standing around saying they couldn't be successors -- Ive always felt that if done. In music, what do you suppose the you're the first President of the reaction was to some early Stravinsky College all you have to do is survive music. Or in art of Van Gogh. Yes, and you come off a hero. All you have alot of the things people try are no to do is survive. I think your good. But on the other hand, somebody's successor, and the third, have a much got to try something new once in a tougher time, because people don't have while. that initial enthusiasm. You can't GB: So how did you feel when you sustain that forever. You can't always decided it was time to move on from be brand new. the College? GB: At what point before you left COA EK: Whenever you leave an organization, did you admit to yourself that the there are always problems that are left place was working, that it was behind. But I really think when you definitely going to make it? leave something you should really leave EK: Well, I don't think there was ever it. Your hope is that it's in a sound a time -- and in one sense should enough condition so that whatever never be a time -- when it's alright changes occur -- and of course there to sit back and say everything is the will be changes -- that they would be way it should be. adapted to. I think the College has GB: Getting back to the risks involved proven this out. with this sort of enterprise. GB: When you left COA, did you know EK: Yes. I'll always remember a letter what you were going to do? from an old friend from my Harvard days EK: Not exactly. Pat and I took some -- Roy Laisen -- I guess he was time to do a few fun things. We had president of Time, Inc., at the time. heard about some possibilities out of He reminded me how important he thought state, but decided we didn't want to it was to take a shot at things and to leave Maine. We wanted to stay right appreciate people who 'stepped up to the here in this house. plate and took a swing''. He was saying GB: So how did you get involved in the that, for heaven's sake, the only way Maine Community Foundation? anything is going to happen is if every EK: I guess I had thought for several years once in a while somebody steps up about starting a foundation for Maine. and takes a swing. The idea was discussed by Bob Blum GB: Anything else? and me. Bob has had many years' EK: Well, did I ever tell you about experience with the N.Y. Community one of my favorite fairy tales, the one Trust. He encouraged me to start a about the little red hen who comes to community foundation in Maine and was the barnyard to make a cake. Who among the first Director to join, and the her barnyard friends is going to plant first person to establish a fund. If the wheat?, who will harvest the wheat?, MCF has a father, it's Bob Blum. This who will thresh the wheat?, who's going was in the Fall of 1983. to make the flour?, and who's going to EK: Well, on the ond hand, we receive bake it? There are very few people from people and from corporations who around. All of a sudden the cake is have charitable aims and needs for the continued on page 10 8 COAA NEWS OF GROWTH, GRADUATIONS AND GOOD TIMES by Rebecca Buyers-Basso Coordinator of Alumni Activity One of the great attractions of older and younger COA alumni, make College of the Atlantic has always contacts that might lead to jobs and been the opportunity the school get news of the college. offers students to participate in its growth. As undergraduates we Second, the clubs will serve as a valued the input we had in shaping human resource for the college. The the college as much as the freedom admission and internship/career we found here to shape our service offices need information on education. what careers and postgraduate education we pursue. As alumni we can continue to be a part of COA's growth. We already The admission staff, Director Larry have some influence on decision- Clendenin, Counselor David Mahoney making here and myself are always looking for alumni to speak to prospective Since 1982 the College of the students about their COA experience Atlantic Association (COAA) has held and/or current job either at COA or annual meetings, kept us in touch on the road. We also welcome alumni with each other through COAA News, input in identifying high schools, organized fundraising events for the conservation organizations or other college and social events for us. groups where future COA students are likely to be found. Since 1984 two alumni have been members of the college's Board of Established alumni clubs with strong Trustees, John Biderman '77 and leadership could serve as a means of Cathy Ramsdell Sweet '78, who is creating a strong COA presence in currently the Chair of the Finance important geographical centers. Committee. They could host area students and parents, educators or high school This year alumni have increased guidance counselors for a COA their influence through my position testimonial breakfast or dinner. coordinating alumni activity with They could help, as some individuals college events, facilitating already have, with congratulating communication and helping to develop phone calls to accepted students. alumni clubs in various parts of the They could invite currently enrolled country. students to a between-term Christmas party, the idea being that an College of the Atlantic alumni are organized and informed alumni group coming together now in such exotic with a strong sense of connection places as New York City, Boston and with the college would help Portland, Maine to socialize, tremendously with student exchange ideas and offer their recruitment and retention. services to the admission and internship/career services offices I have heard from over 100 alumni at COA. since August, many of whom indicated they want to join an alumni club in The purpose of forming alumni clubs their area. Leaders have been is twofold. First, clubs will help identified in Boston, Portland and New us stay in touch with each other, York City. That leaves plenty of maintain friendships, get to know territory. If you are interested in taking on a leadership role write or call me at the college. COAA NEWS 9 KAELBER continued State of Maine. We then take these we're in the process of starting a fund monies and establish charitable funds. aimed just at Piscatiquis County. And And then we distribute from the income another for Aroostook and Washington. So of those funds to non-profit that the needs in those areas are organizations throughout the state. This attended to. During the next year, I year we've distributed about $280,000 to also hope that we can get one started schools, social welfare agencies, for Waldo County, whichis the poorest hospitals, health centers, and the like. county of the state. GB: What are some specific examples? GB: What else about the Foundation do EK: The first grant we made was to the you find appealing? Eastern Maine Medical Center. They have EK: This is pretty general, but I think a dialysis kidney program with 32 it's pretty important. Maine, like any patients. For financial reasons, they other large geographic area in any part could no longer provide free food to of the world, has its cities and towns. these people. About half the patients And there's a tendency for them to be needed some support, so we agreed to very parochial. Each community is put some up for the food if the EMMC thinking of its own interest. But would continue to provide the dialysis wouldn't it be fun if you had a treatment. foundation for Maine that drew its GB: How about another? directors from across the state, from a EK: We made a grant to a church in variety of backgrounds and geographical Scarborough where they have a daycare areas, and if this foundation had a program for the elderly infirmed. The bundle of money in the center of the idea of the program was that alot of table, and in that way provide a reason these people are living with their for this group of people from around children. And while everything is fine, the state to get together from tiem to things might be better if they and time -- we meet every other month -- their children could have times away to think broadly about the needs of from one another. So the program lets Maine and how one might help out and the young families go shopping, to the try and pull the state together. I movies, etc. think that's beginning to happen. GB: Don't some of the state social GB: Going back to the College, we all agencies remember the terrible fire that EK: Sure, we're brokers. We know some destroyed the old Kaelber Hall and the other public and private foundations Thorndike Library in 1983. Do you with whom we work closely. If we see a remember May 29, 1982 when what was need too large for ourselves to handle, called the 'main'' building on campus then we go to these others and say was renamed Kaelber Hall in your honor? here's something we think needs support. EK: Sure. How about you put some in if we get GB: I'll always remember the bronze some more over here and put some in plaque attached to the building that ourselves? What I'm doing is saying, day. It said ''Kaelber Hall, dedicated look, Maine needs a bigger base of to the first President of College of charitable capital. And if you're the Atlantic'' and then had a quote of interested in Maine, and you want to yours 'the omens are good''. The omens see the money well-handled, and you may be good, but whereas that plaque want to get the most bang for your used to hang proud on that building, charitable buck, then here's a sensible today it is hanging up on a fireplace way to do it. mantlepiece in the Turrets. GB: Did you say it has a statewide EK: Well, I don't know if I should say focus? this, but maybe to a fault I've never EK: One of the things that interests me been that high on bricks and mortar. On particularly is that when you start a the other hand, maybe we carried that foundation as we have for the State of too far when I was at COA. One of the Maine, there's a great chance that all very good things that has happened with the funds you receive -- and that the my successors is that they said this is distributions you make -- will fine and dandy to pretend we're going all take place from Bangor south to run a college and camp-out -- but to Mount Desert Island, west. So we have got to have facilities. Nothing 10 COAA NEWS KAELBER continued gawdy, but reasonable facilities. So I Kaelber Hall/Thorndike Library building. was delighted when they put up the new It ought to and has to be built. This building that's up now with the may seem old-fashioned, but that's laboratories and design space in it. really the intellectual center of any And I would place a very high priority school. And it should be. I'm delighted now on the construction of the new that my name is. on it. - Glen Berkowitz WHO'S PULLING IT ALL TOGETHER? In a volunteer organization like If you are in the Portland area COAA good leadership is essential, or moving to it and want to be otherwise, we have only the includedinalumniclubactivities, grapevine to exchange information. contact Megan. Happily, COA alumni tend to express their concern for the college and The Boston area has seen the are willing to donate their time and most alumni activity to date, with skills for its benefit. the largest concentration of COAers Megan Pennock, a 1984 graduate living there, including present COAA in the education field has board members Jean McHugh and Glen Berkowitz. volunteered to take on the leadership role for PORTLAND, Ben Haskell, also an '84 Maine's budding alumni club. graduate, who is currently workingin marine science research (see There are roughly fifty former class notes) has taken on COA students in southern Maine, and coordinating the BOSTON area alumni. about half that group got together You can contact Ben . at Jackson Gilman's apartment for a party in early December. Sara Wendt '85 is teaming up with Benoni Outerbridge '83 to keep Megan will be the connecting alumni in touch with each other in link between COA alumni in the NEW YORK CITY. Sara has recently Portland area and a central contact returned from a trip to Scotland and for the college. She has had has a new job as an admission counselor continued contact with COA through at Juilliard School of Music. Benoni is her work with Peter Corcoran, teaching school. Both are doing lots of lending support to the school's jazz and African dance. New Yorkers may developing education program. check in with them at: Megan, Ben, Sara and Benoni will be collecting input from you for alumni club activities and services. Rebecca Buyers-Basso COAA NEWS 11 THE TOURISTS William Carpenter The tourists arrive in Maine. I hear their cars stopping out on the road, then five or six faces appear in the foliage near my house. Soon, they occupy the lawn, some of them pitching tents, some staring at the sea. It is the sea they've come for, and the men climb over the ledges to the beach. As more vanish into the surf, At first, only a few go in, trousers replacements arrive. rolled up, stalking like egrets in They stay a while in their tents, the shallows, then, always holding their socks and shoes. right after supper, they walk into But their sons walk deeper, and one the sea. man I am a native of this place, I grew follows his son under the water, up here, this his hat floating away like a white is my land, this is my family home, ship. and these Soon, they all move over the beach, are the ancestral stones, over which some upright, a beautiful others scuttling across the sand tourist bends, examining the grave like crabs. of Uncle Horace. I tell her about Horace, and, in her tent, she tells me about Scarsdale, about her ex- husband and his dogs. By the time we reach the shore, the tide is high, the sea is full of hats. We are the final tourists. Gulls pick at something on the shore: a hermit crab. One gull flies up and drops it on a stone. The others eat it. She tests the water with her foot, she wades up to her waist and waves goodbye, I wave goodbye, wondering if what we felt was love, or just my fascination with the transient: women in orange tents, lost colorful tourists, whatever blossoms on the lawn and dies. Reprinted from RAIN by permission of the author. Bill McDowell 12 COAA NEWS FORUM FOR DISCUSSION Printed below are responses to our previous Forum A SENSE OF PLACE topic. In the last issue of COAA News we posed the question "Which qualities, events, or rituals celebrate and The PBS television series which ran last conjure up the 'sense of place' you inhabit?" Our thanks spring had this ambitious title, but one to the people below who responded with their thoughtful cannot get any sense of place through a cathode ray tube. Just essays. can't be done. The series was an UP THE RIVER interesting expose of one man's There is still no place I feel architectural opinions, but the more connected to emotionally than detached character of the experience the coast of Maine, especially the and the constant babble led my stretch of it between Deer Isle and finger to the off button somewhere around the sixth show. Frenchman's Bay. My career at COA gave me five wonderful long years of living in the midst of that world, There is a relationship between time and confirmed in me a bond that had and place which architecture and begun in childhood summers on buildings brush only lightly. Hancock Point. In another letter I'll sing out my love for Maine. I went to commencement this year to Here I want to share my sense of attend the COAA Annual Meeting, spurred on by the thought that it another place. was the tenth anniversary of our "first full class" of 1976. No After graduating from COA in reunion was planned - I didn't get 1977, and taking a three-year in touch with anyone - but I thought Masters Degree in Cambridge, it might be fun to go and see what Massachusetts, and then spending was going on. So I went, with an four years in suburban Philadelphia, as an assistant Minister at St. extremely loaded sense of time. Asaph's Church, Bala Cynwyd, I have now returned to the hilly, lake- Usually when I visit Isle de les studded highlands of my childhood. Monts Desert I bring a boat, and I I am Rector of Saint Paul's Church, make a point of going out into the middle of Jordan Pond: the heart of Ossining, located less than four miles from where I grew up. my pilgrimage, as it has developed. This time I brought three year old Evan, and went to commencement. Ossining is an old village, hardly a mere "suburb" of New York. continued on page 15 In fact, it is as old as New York NOTES FROM OXFORD City, part of the Dutch history of settlement along the Hudson river. (Letter from Johanna Bernstein to It is the only village in this part all of us.) of Westchester County which is significantly black, with strong Just received COA News and wanted to Hispanic, Portugese, and Italian quickly respond (spot the split communities as well. The Roman infinitive!) to your call for Alumni Catholic parishes, all four of them, News, as follows: are by far the largest churches in town, though by a quirk of history Ever in search of my definitive man we have four Episcopal Churches as in tweeds I have decided to do the well, St. Paul's being the oldest, 3rd year of my Canadian law degree founded in 1832. On Easter Sunday, at Oxford University. It has far 1865, following the Good Friday superseded all my expectations from assassination of President Lincoln, the immense beauty of the Gothic the Rector of St. Paul's, who was a Architecture (my favorite library southerner by background, refused to contains no books newer than 400 years cloak the church in black, and half old and where I sit, I face original the congregation walked out on him Luther manuscripts) to bicycling thru continued on page 16 COAA NEWS 13 UP THE RIVER continued and formed the second oldest My parents still live in their Episcopal Church in Ossining. old stucco house which was once a horse and carriage barn, in nearby Ossining is a river town. From Chappaqua. They have become members the vantage point of a boat in mid- of my parish, and Marge and I see river, you can see the village as them often. My father and I have you cannot from any other recently begun to collaborate on a perspective, and it is beautiful. book. My brother Peter and his Suzy The Church spires and major village and their three children live just a buildings look as if they were few minutes away. Two of my three designed to be seen from the river, sisters live in Manhattan, and come as they may well have been back in out "to the country" often to the days when the river was a major unwind. My brother, Michael, is a highway for these towns. junior in the local high school. Increasingly toady the hilltops and open spaces are being turned into I love this place. Despite the giant condominium complexes in line overdevelopment, the increasingly with the phenomenal real estate crowded roads, the disappearing explosion that has centered upon New countryside, there is still a lot of York and Boston in the past five beauty left. The hills themselves years, as the sunbelt has stagnated. protect us from the kind of "total (The same speculative boom has, of development" which you can see in course, struck Maine with a large sections of New Jersey and vengeance as well, especially in the Long Island. The old roads wind Portland-Brunswick area, but all up through hilly, still-difficult-to- and down the coast as well, and in conquer woodlands. And then there the Western Mountains and Lake are the parks. Perhaps ten sizable Districts). parks lie within a short drive, each several hundred acres in size. I If you look south of the take our dog, Piper, to one of them Ossining village center, from your every day and climb with her to the boat on The Hudson, your eye top of a hill from which I can suddenly catches the sprawling imagine the way things used to look riverside "campus" of Sing Sing in old New York. Then, there is the Prison. It is still by far the most Croton Reservoir system, with its widely known element of Ossining's immense protected watershed. While reputation, responsible for the those lands are off-limits to all expression "being sent up the but licensed fisherman, still the river". thousands of acres can be seen as one drives along the back roads, My position as Rector of St. alongside the beautiful lakes. Paul's Church places me in a distinct relationship to the Margie's and my yearning for village. I am often asked to speak Maine grew to immense proportions at public ocassions, to "invoke", or three winters ago and in August, "bless", or "benedict" or just plain 1985 after a two year search we were talk. The chief of police is a able to find a piece of property for member of my parish, and serves as a sale on Swans Island, just prior to chalice bearer at my altar. My the real estate boom out there. We parishioners are at least 1/2 or 2/3 now own our own large tract of made up of people who work locally: coastal wilderness in one of the plumbers, heater-repairmen, roofers, most remote coves on the island. It teachers, highway workers, firemen, was the most exciting decision salesmen, shopkeepers, artisans. A Margie and I had made since we number work for the giant IBM plant, decided to get married in 1982. just down the road in Yorktown. So, at the moment I feel very continued on page 15 14 COAA NEWS UP THE RIVER continued lucky. We like where we live. It is our 10th Reunion Year, and feels like home, and it is close to wouldn't it be great if we all could my family. Our first child has just reassemble at the college to been born, Jessie Wilson Kunhardt, celebrate it! Scott Kraus and I and she is adorable. We keep our were recently talking, and we would ties to Maine, through friendships like to help put the reunion which go on, through vacation together. I think it would be very visits, and through links to the important to see one another, after College, and to such groups as the the first decade. Island Institute, and The Nature Conservancy. One day we definitely Greetings and best wishes to plan to return to live in Maine. each of you! Before I close this letter, I Philip B. Kunhardt, III want to say a word to my old Class of 1977 classmates of 1977 (and 1976). It A SENSE OF PLACE continued the long fast roadways we had laid Going to commencement, I found down the day before. As we drove, I myself leaving as Gordon Bok started found myself envying the people singing (Evan asleep on my mowing their lawns, frying flesh on shoulder), un-calm, un-centered, their barbecues, all in their places fighting back tears. I found that with bright cheerful faces. I the sense of time roared at me so wanted, ached, to be home mowing my loudly that I couldn't hear; own lawn - which is crazy. Tell me couldn't even see the green hills of again, you want to be home mowing Mount Desert. I couldn't visit. I the lawn rather than climbing St. Savieur? couldn't dash through and gather the delights as I have from time to time in the past ten years. A few days later, the strange pain has abated. But no, I don't want to What happened? Does sense of place VISIT a place I love so much: I depend on the companions one brings? want to be there, live there, walk Can boats and children be compared on the hills and drift on the water as "companions"? No, the sense of long enough so I can get the time skewed me round. For some ambience, the SENSE OF PLACE I used reason the same number of years as I to know. have fingers seemed important. Digital logic, indeed. But Soon we were returning to Rhode But I have to live this life, too. Island (and Mommy!), gathering-in Bruce Bender GRADUATION 1986 Anyone who would like a reprint of a slide of most of the graduating class of 1986, please contact Suzi Lerner. The price will depend on the number of people interested in purchasing reprints. Write: Suzi Lerner c/o COA Grad Picture '86 College of the Atlantic Bar Harbor, Maine 04609 COAA NEWS 15 NOTES FROM OXFORD continued pastoral English countryside (a activity will consist of singing in favorite Sunday afternoon pastime - but our college choir - perhaps a more oh how one must be careful to avoid the civilized endeavor for the winter cars who stop for no one) to the musical term. After fall term ended (6 wealth, to exposure to some of the December) I took part in an finest legal minds in the common law Oxford/Cambridge Ski Trip to Val world to one of my favorite d'Isere in the French Alps! We endeavors - rowing! Yes, yours skied our little hearts out for 2 truly actually rowed on one of our weeks. The Alps are staggeringly rower's 8-boats. We had 3 early beautiful especially from on top of morning practices/week - which meant the glaciers, with the sun out in rising at 6:15 a.m. (an hour I full force and a mogul field all to hitherto refused to recognize) ourselves. Perhaps one of the most jogging to our boat house, rowing glorious experiences I have ever for 1 hour then jogging back for had. I hope to die in the arms of a 8:30 breakfast. I must admit - Frenchman after having consumed a watching the sun rise on the Thames seven course epicurean feast with of often mitigated the trauma of rising course a sublime bottle of at such an ungodly hour. Chateauneuf du Pape, 1982. So I'll die weighing in at 350 pounds and When not trying to keep afloat on with no liver - but I'll die a happy the Thames I get to London every woman. weekend to see old friends, the theatre, more concerts and generally I'm here in Montreal for the to recharge my batteries. Oxford holidays but return to England 5 often seems to me like a world that January and shall remain there until remains unto itself - unaffected by la fin du Juin. I of course would the passing of time. The pace of welcome any COA alumni with open London is so very different, so arms who needed a place to crash frenetic so wild and crazy, so overseas. All in all I am having a alive! My life is balanced out as it wonderful year, I've met some superb should be by my weekly sojourns to people and I am fully indulging all the musical capital of the Western my loves in terms of music, travel, world. In fact in Oxford I manage the European countryside. I send my to get to concerts once or twice a love to all! I miss COA; it and its week. And this next term, instead inhabitants are often in my of rowing, my main extra-curricular thoughts. Eastern European Photography In The U.S.A. (Letter from John Jacobs, December Budapest. When I returned in 11, 1986) October, I visited the same countries, with the exception of Yugoslavia and the addition of the I've just returned from my Soviet Union. At that time I second trip to Eastern Europe. The curated an exhibition of young first was from April - June, and I Hungarian photographers, again at visited artist friends in the Liget Galeria. Yugoslavia, Hungary, Czechoslovakia, East Germany and Poland. I was I've been working with artists fortunate to receive a travel grant from Eastern Europe since early from the Soros Foundation in NYC to 1983. I'm hoping to receive a large cover my travel expenses, and to grant to print a book of the work enable me to curate an exhibition of that I've collected since then. But photography by Eastern European in the meantime I've been working artists at the Lige Galeria in continued on page 17 16 COAA NEWS PHOTOGRAPHY continued Artist hard to assemble the best work by Yes, I've gone the way of many the artists I consider most college graduates: I've changed my interesting for an exhibition to be mind. Only those people who had to held at the List Visual Art Center listen to me spew on for almost ten at MIT, open from January 17th to years about how I was gonna be the mid-April. It will be a very good best Secretary of the Interior this exhibition, and will be held in country ever had, about how I was conjunction with an exhibition of gonna use the system to change the works by Krzysztof Wodiczko, a systems, about how much politics Polish artist whose work involves meant to me, even the internal, public slide projections. He is an confused and convoluted politics of artist whom I admire very much, so COA, will be surprised to hear me it's good to be working with him. say, finally, that politics (word substituted) stink. There will be a catalog, and I've just finished writing a thirty Probably alot of other people page essay for it on East European will wonder why it took me so long life and culture, so I'm not really to come around to that awareness. eager to write it all again here. But I do hope that you and everyone It's not actually that politics interested will be able to see the stink, it's that I had no more show. The printed matter, with an energy to give to proving to myself accompanying essay by art historian that politics can work for the good Lynn Zelevansky, will provide a of the people. At the end of my solid background for understanding college career, I had actually the work. Anyway, let me know what managed to prove to myself that I you think of it. I'll be making wasn't sure I was so interested in some sort of public presentation, the good of the people, that there like a talk/walk through the were few good people to do things exhibition sometime on the 17th. for and that I would rather You can get information at (617) concentrate my energy on the few 253-4400. good or truly needy people I actually knew. A later exhibition of photographs by a Polish woman A noble and totally egocentric artist, Anna Bohdziewicz, will be way to think, but ten years of held at the Photographic Resource altruism is enough for any human Center at Boston University from being. March 13th to April 11th. Anna's work is extremely strong, and So I'm a painter now, and the documents the history of Poland from only person that won't be surprised 1982 to the present. Then in April is Ernie McMullen and maybe Butch, I'll present a guest lecture at the who has never liked politics and annual conference of the Society for always gave me grief about mine. Photographic Education in San Diego. Holy crow. So I'm a painter now, and I work in NYC and I missed the 1980s arts Sometime in there Deb and I are scene here and that's great. going to take a vacation. It will be the first time we'll have had to So I'm a painter now and the New ourselves since our honeymoon, York Times sunday magazine says that nearly three years ago. We're there is no real bohemia left in NYC looking forward to seven days of anymore and that's great because heat, exotic food and desolation. maybe all of the trendy artists that That's about the way I imagine the magazine is trying to fill the heaven. continued on page 18 COAA NEWS 17 ARTIST continued PRESERVING bohemia vacuum with will go away and by Caitilyn Allen take their trendy art and clothes and hairstyles with them and we, the untrendy, unvisible, poor (how can a Hasten the harvest the hard frosts person expect to spend hundreds of come dollars a month on clothes and be granted the title bohem?) will crawl now gather every sweetness to me: out of hiding. Because it's too take in lips nipples thighs eyes trendy to say at a party that I am a with bottomless hunger knows winter painter. People respond "Oh, how already. wonderful," and they think that I Knows that memory is poor preserving have a closet full of London fashion and six dozen jars of your smiles and an electric coffeemaker. put down cellar to keep safe in the dark So I am a painter and I am will film over and fade to clarity. involved in a new kind of politics: the politics of trend. And those Fade to the ache of pleasure remembered in dreams: people at the party can take their coffeemakers and move to Australia upon waking we know briefly that the whole round truth of it is or Detroit because I have a closet full of clothes I bought in 1978 and somewhere in mind, I don't like coffee and they cannot layered away like eggs kept in straw. visualize my struggle to make the painting work and I don't feel as if Kept even from ourselves they would really care to know. so that we are hollow with hunger, and flimsy. Everything that went before in us, '84 Anna Hurwitz but insubstantial and swift as your kiss. NEWS NEWS NEWS NEWS NEWS NEWS NEWS NEWS NEWS N Class Notes CLASS NOTES BY BARBARA SASSAMAN Abbie Goodyear married John Allgood Barbara went to Harvard this fall on the first day of summer. It was to start working on her masters in a COA reunion of modest proportion landscape architecture. Katie's and immodest fun. Joy Knowlton was been traveling around Mexico Abby's maid of honor. Barbara collecting photographs for a book Boardman, Katie Van Dine, Edwin that she's helping put together. Giesler, Jack McAndrews, Dee Kimball, Also she has plans for a sailing George Bennington, John & Deb trip down the coast of Europe soon. Jacobs, Vincent Descoust, Regina (Kate, did you notice that I didn't Grabrovac, Steve Demers, Sass, mention it?) Edwin what are Pancho, Matt Gerald, Muffir, Chris you doing? I never asked. It was Vincenty, Lisa Burton, Bone, Brian nice to see both you and Philip Buckley, Vicki Nichols, Mitch though. Carter. All attended the festivities and here's what they' re Jack has changed jobs and is now now up to: working for something called the 18 COAA NEWS MORE NEWS MORE NEWS MORE NEWS MORE NEWS MORE IN ORDER OF APPEARANCE Design Alliance in (or about) Portland. They've even let him have '74 Sarah (Jennison) McLellan was his own drafting board. Dee sold married October 26 to Russell his ocean kayaking business. He'd McLellan and they have settled in pointed out too many whales to too the Vermont hills. Russell is a many tourists and decided he'd had realtor and Sarah is pursuing music enough. He worked as a carpenter in and writing. Daughter Esther is Portland for a time and has recently almost 9 years old and enjoying the returned to Maryland. third grade. Elmer has been busy. He opened for '75 Barbara Dole Acosta reports a Jerry Jeff Walker at Geddy's in June very busy year. On September 25th and Different Shoes has been playing she gave birth to a beautiful baby all around the state. If you girl, Margarita Dole Acosta. She haven't bought their album, send $ has also begun a new position to Elmer and he'll mail you one. teaching English and basic skills to Central American junior high school Roc and Helen Caivano have put their students. She and her husband house on MDI up for sale if you know Francisco have a new apartment in of any interested buyers. They've Washington, D.C. bought the house they've been renting in Philadelphia. Roc was '75 Ellen Seh has just moved to the swamped with work this spring and Bay Area from New York. was turning into the bear we all remember and love. Fortunately a '76 Susan George (Lyons) Applegate neighbor of theirs has a house in got her Virginia and New York Switzerland that they borrowed for teacher certifications last year. three weeks last summer. Now she teaches 5th grade in Brick, N.Y. Ann Fitt moved from Colorado back to New Haven, Connecticut last '76 Fred Davis writes that he would December. She's now working for an be glad to share his fond memories architect there. She's working and positive experiences at COA with toward being the office renderer. prospective students. He has been working in energy conservation for Sarah Hinckley completed her masters 10 years. Fred founded the Fred at the University of Washington in Davis Corporation in 1981 in Boston the spring. Her thesis was entitled which is one of the regions experts "Spawning Dynamics and Fecundity of in lighting-energy retrofitting. Walleye Pollock (Theragra Chalcogramma) in the Eastern Bering '77 Ann Fitt is doing draughting and Sea". She's now out in Seattle rendering in New Haven, CT. doing research on pollock for the National Marine Fisheries. '77 Alexandra and '78 Garrett Conover are still heading trips and Anna and Paul married on May 30. teaching outdoor skills at Anna graduated May 31 and went to Northwoods Ways. Interested? China June 1st. Contact them at: Sass' brother and sister-in-law have Dover-Foxcroft, ME money up and she's helping to build them a house on her Strawberry Hill property in Bar Harbor. Sass is now working '77 David Foote is studying for Roc Caivano as well as Bacon and evolutionary genetics at the Dohna drafting and supervising. University of California, Davis and COAA NEWS 19 MORE NEWS MORE NEWS MORE NEWS MORE NEWS MORE doing his field work in Hawaii, '78 Becca Harber presently lives in studying the Hawaiian fruit fly. the countryside and has been learning herbal medicine, sharing '78 Caroline Norden, who had been outdoor activities with youth, working for Plymouth County writing, studying karate and other Wildlands Trust doing master plans healing and community building for their preserves, started in activities. northwest Connecticut in November as '78 Visiting student Christine executive director of the Steep Rock Donovan has left her position as Association and the Roxbury Land Energy Director at the Maine Audubon Trust. Both are land preservation, Society to move to Vermont where she non-profit organizations. She can operates her own energy and be reached c/o Steep Rock Assoc. environmental counseling firm. Wash, CT. '78 Sally Swisher Wetzel, husband '78 Andrea Allen Treimel is studying Jeff and son Benjamin have recently dental hygiene, with one year moved to Peekskill, N.Y. where they remaining. Her husband Steve and are living in and refurbishing a she are living in "a wonderful house built in the 1890's. jungley spot" in the middle of St. Louis where they plan to help in '79 Rodd Pemble was married to Janie developing a spiritual community. Hauschild, of Victoria, TX in June 1985. They just moved from the '78 Holly Devaul and Scott Marion Great Smoky Mountains National Park were married in October of 1984 and and jobs as environmental educators, have spent the past few years to Chattanooga, where Rodd is working on various field biology teaching high school biology. projects. bald eagles in Arizona, bald eagles in Maine. At present Holly has begun work as a '79 Aaron (Jimmy) Shamberg works as Master's student at UMO in the a landscape architect and Wildlife Department. Scott is contractor, MCA University of program director of Seafarers Colorado in Denver. "I am an active Expeditions. member of the Denver Jewish Community. My wife's name is Shoshana and we have four children: '78 Nina Gormley and Jonathon Masha age 8, Shlayma age 3, Benzion Gormley bought a house in Salisbury age 2 and Shalva age 7 months." Cove. '78 Eugene Lesser has graduated from medical school and is presently '80 Keith Patrie is the serving a 1-year rotating internship projectionist at the Nickelodean in at Kennedy Memorial Hospital, Portland and plays the dulcimer. He Stratford, N.J. Significant other, and his wife Ellen Lukingbeal bought Jennifer Starr, is a doctoral a home recently in South Portland. candidate at the Wharton School of Business, University of Pennsylvania. '80 Regina Grabrovac has started her '78 Cathy Ramsdell-Sweet is in the own organic produce delivery process of selling her Hagen-Daas company in Blue Hill, growing small franchise and is studying to become amounts of alfalfa sprouts for various a CPA. markets. She is doing some work through a MOFGA (Maine Organic Farmers) funded 20 COAA NEWS NEWS MORE NEWS MORE NEWS MORE NEWS MORE NEWS project and linked with this, Regina graphic design on the side as well is Assistant Project Manager for the as sundry artwork (personally Agricultural Viability Acts' motivated). Washington/Hancock project. "We are assessing the needs of growers in '80 Richard Griffin reports he is the two-county region and will married to Cynthia and has three submit a final report to the children: Lucas (7), Francis (4), Department of Agriculture with hopes Leslie (1). He earned his Master of of developing programs that more Architecture from Clemson University, closely match the needs of growers Clemson, S.C., and is now employed in this region.' she writes. Regina at Lindentree Corp. Hamilton, MA - is also waitressing in Blue Hill at Architects and Builders. Pie in the Sky, doing some odd jobs; '80 Visiting student Pam Bolton carpentry and others. She is also started the second year of her buying a house in Surry on the North Masters in public health with a Bend Road and invites COAer's to concentration in international please visit! maternal and child health. Part of the program is a six-month field '80 Ann H. Patterson Sawyer and her placement which she is fulfilling in husband Jeff are busy bringing up baby Washington, D.C. at the Pan American Benjamin in Bass Harbor. Ann is Health Organization (part of WHO). also studying two sign language courses at MDI H.S. '80 Jean Hoekwater Gordon gave birth to a '80 Judy Marklein Schenk entered son, Ian, on January 24, 1987. She plans a graduate school this fall, full six-month leave of absence from her job as time, and is working on a master of a naturalist in northern Maine. science degree in management. She and her husband Christopher spent the first five weeks of summer '80 Ruth Hill is editing the Nature climbing Mt. McKinley in Alaska, Conservancy's newsletter, a position which was quite an adventure and she has held for a year. challenge. They have no children to announce but rather four kittens and '80 David Chiappetta is enrolled in a proud mommy cat!! the Masters Program of the University of Connecticut's '80 Claire Verdier is living with Agricultural School. He is studying husband Joseph and l1-month-old baby soils in the plant science Cassandre in France, after spending department and plans to go into the two years in the Peace Corps as a field of agronomy (field-crop nurse in Central African Republic. production and soil management). '80 Marc Madore has moved from '80 Lynn Hurwich is completing her Northeast Harbor (after 11 years!) law degree at the University of to Turner, ME where he is California, Berkeley and plans to "continuing the work of carpentry pursue international law. She and the joys of fatherhood". hosted Steve Katona and family while they were in CA in December. '80 Susan Freed is working in a 52- person architectural firm in New '80 Bryan Wyatt has begun a new job Mexico. The firm works all over the as Housing and Community Development Western United States. She reports Analyst for the City of Boston. that she does mostly architectural work but is trying to get into '81 Wendy L. Van Dyke "Since I was interior design. She also does last in touch with COA, I've taken a COAA NEWS 21 EWS MORE NEWS MORE NEWS MORE NEWS MORE NH new teaching position. Currently Whale this year. She taught a I'm teaching 3rd and 4th grade course in ecology and natural science in the Cambridge School history at COA in the fall. Museum Program, a private program '81/'83 Becky and Skip Buyers-Basso out of the Harvard Museum of have both been employed by COA. Comparative Zoology that takes a Becky works in the admission office and "hands on" science approach into the is coordinating alumni activity and Cambridge public schools. I'm also Skip is teaching the museum preparation teaching science workshops for the practicum and is curator of the Natural Girl Scouts and Campfire Council History Museum. Their daughter, Marisa, kids at the Boston Museum of celebrates her first birthday this Science. On weekends, the kids stay month. overnight in the museum, attending workshops and live animal '81 Bob May writes from Seattle that demonstrations, while enjoying the he enjoys that part of the country, run of the museum. Never a dull and it is feeling more like home. moment " He has begun his third year of Naturopathic Medical School. '81 Alice Levey is marketing self- driving pressure water pumps, '81 Marjorie Lau Mabie is living on building stage sets (including the Martha's Vineyard and has set up a big staircase at the Olympics), practice as an acupuncturist. She organizing tours (she's in Hong was married to Billy Mabie May 25, Kong) and plans to go back to South 1985. Billy runs a tugboat, which America for her graduate school brings barges of gravel and oil to thesis (anthropology, San Francisco and from the vineyard. She says she State). misses Mt. Desert. '81 Victoria Collins is presently a '81 Beth Allman Trowbridge is Senior at Rhode Island School of enrolled in a new program called Design majoring in Sculpture. Over Teachers for Rural Alaska. The one- the summer she attended Skowhegan year certification program consists School of Painting and Sculpture on of a semester of course work and a a scholarship. Her daughter, semester student teaching which she Meagan, who is eight now and almost will do in Eek in the Kuskokwim as tall as Vicki, loves school. Delta Mouth in Southwest Alaska. They hope to return to Maine at the Eek is a village of about 300 Yupik end of the school year. eskimos. Beth will be certified in secondary education and have begun a masters in cross-cultural education '81 Ben Walters writes that he by program's end. Her husband passed the bar exam last summer and Charlie works for the Department of is currently working for the city Fish and Game in the summer and attorney's office in Portland. helps take care of their 17 sled dogs in winter. Beth and Charlie '81 Delia Steiger Taylor and husband are expecting their first child in Frank Taylor have been living on an late May. They write they are island off the coast of Alaska, enjoying the interior of Alaska for Frank being an Alaskan bush pilot. another winter. "The snow is really They anticipate another change of beginning to fall finally (Nov.) and address in the not-too-distant the skiing and dog mushing have been future. Dede is in Arizona for the good." winter. '81 Bev Agler is compiling the '81 Peter Stevick and Nancy Finback Whale Catalogue for Allied Gunnlaugsson were wed September 6 in 22 COAA NEWS MORE NEWS MORE NEWS MORE NEWS MORE NEWS M Rockport and have since been to '82 Jay Groesbeck is back on Mount Scotland for two weeks "enjoying the Desert Island after a season in heather season, along with a Florida with his wife Ivy. He sampling of whiskey, woolens and wildlife", Peter writes. Nancy writes: "Since I got out of school, I met Ivan, a Bolivian 'exporter'! continues her position at Earthwatch We made a few fast transactions, and as expedition coordinator. Peter has recently taught three sessions voila! Now my accountant handles of a course in whale ecology, and all my investments, mostly in South also worked with the Manomet Bird Africa and Chile, Libyan oil, etc. Observatory on their Marine Observer I'm bucking for a seat on the board Program. at United Technologies, and recently I sold half interest in EXXON to COA in exchange for them taking me off '81 Nancy Dewey and husband their alumni list." Michael Wood are busy building their home and raising daughter Megan who '82 Pam Fisher wrote that she is a is now two. Nancy reports a horsebroker and trainer, and that productive summer (gardens and she was getting married September farmers market) and that they are 13th to John DelGiuelice. They hope now looking forward to spring. to move to New England in three years. Pam says "hi" to everyone. '81 Jean McHugh has been living in She still watches whales off her Boston for the last two years after parents' boat whenever she gets the a three year Peace Corps tour. She chance. is finishing an MBA degree at Boston University and thoroughly enjoying '82 George Bennington is working city life. full-time as a commercial photographer for Peter Macomber in '82 Darshan Brach says she loves Portland, ME. That pays the bills getting news of COA and that she so that he can continue to make hopes to move back to New England beautiful books. He has two books someday soon. She is a second year of poetry, a broadside and a short law student at the University of fable of coyote love in various Oregon, specializing in stages of production. environmental law. She requested to have her address printed so old '83 Bethany Aranow is in the process friends can get in touch: of completing an internship at the 810 East 37th Avenue Stillwater Montessori School in Old Eugene, OR 97405 Town, after which she will be a certified "directress" in a Montessori class for 3 to 6-year- '82 Andrew Freeman is doing his olds. thesis at MIT this year. '83 Gayle Peartree is now in the '82 Raymond Wirth began work in graduate program at Dartmouth and is September toward his M.A. in working on various research projects teaching English. He is undertaking in plant ecology. One of the a ten-month program at Teachers projects is looking at the effects College, Columbia University. of acid rain on balsam fir and red spruce. Gayle's son Rory is eight '82 Jane Winchell graciously and years old and learning about gratefully turned over her role of computers, natural processes and Class Correspondent Coordinator to writing. Becky Buyers-Basso this fall. She is busy studying!! '83 Justine Logan Quella is applying COAA NEWS 23 MORE NEWS MORE NEWS MORE NEWS MORE NEWS M to Antioch New England's Graduate '83 Betsy Wisch graduated from School in the Environmental Lesley College with an M.A. in Administration Program. counseling psychology. She began a new job on September 3rd at '83 Katrin Hyman has been living and Cambridge Family and Children's working in Cameroon with the Peace Service, designing a clinical Corps and has been teaching English program for adolescents. "It's in a secondary school. Katrin exciting and challenging for me", reports she has been there a year she writes, "I love Cambridge. I and a half and likes it so well she have a wonderful group of friends, will be staying (with dog Ben) a and have been dancing regularly, as third year. well as biking and swimming." '83 Angie Wassel has recently begun '83 Jill Cowie began a Master of a new job with the Pennsylvania Park Social Work program at Boston System as a park naturalist. She's University this fall. responsible for public education programs for schools, organizations and visitors. '83 Johannah Bernstein writes that she is going to do her third year of '83 Richard Lilly has received his law at Oxford, is enjoying the B.A. in American and English medieval scholarly ambience, cream Literature from George Washington teas, rowing, rain, and the beautiful University and is currently taking English countryside. She sends her love to the opportunity to work as a "tout le monde" and "looks forward carpenter before continuing on to a to those wonderful newsletters" (see graduate program. He says his her letter this issue.) desire is to enter a program in American Studies and perhaps end up '83 Brian Buckley has broken away working for an environmental group. from the pack and started his own carpentry business with the help of '83 Suzanne Bohan is currently his brother Keith. Brian and Vicki attending law school at Colorado took a trip to the British Isles University, Boulder. last winter after which Brian went on to Switzerland to visit his '83 Peter Wayne is very busy during grandmother. his first year at Harvard, doing his graduate studies. '84 David Rosenmiller is living '83 Andrew Goldstein writes from (believe it or not) in Manhattan Atlanta, Georgia where he has opened with his earplugs, telephone (June 1) an office for nutritional answering machine and 76 block counseling and massage therapy. His subway commute. Uptown he is daughter Alana is seven wonderful working on an elderly housing years old. Significant other is development/open space preservation Olive, an artist and cat lover (dog plan for a farm in Pennsylvania. lover, fish " " "). Downtown he is studying dance. He does have a relatively "quiet" '83 Pamela Cobb writes that she is apartment with trees in back. If living, dancing and surviving in you are in the city, get in touch. Boston. Her daughter Jan is 3 1/2 years old and is attending pre- school. Pam is working in '84 Trey McPherson III is working restaurants although she is moving toward a Ph.D. in molecular biology towards broadening her working life at Vanderbilt University. He is away from food service and closer to focusing on fundamental biological people. problems on the cellular, 24 COAA NEWS MORE NEWS MORE NEWS MORE NEWS MORE NEWS M subcellular and molecular levels. '84 James Powell entered U-Mass He is also working as a teaching Amherst this fall after running his assistant. own company for two years in telecommunications "in the real '84 Than James is coordinating world." computer lab resources for the 6th, 7th and 8th graders at Essex Middle '84 Jeff Rothal is working in the School in Vermont. He teaches library at the University of appropriate use of computers in Colorado, Boulder and is planning to various subject areas as well as go to graduate school to study programming and word processing. biology. Jeff attended the American Than is also working towards a Cetacean Society Symposium in Masters of Education at the Monterey, CA where he saw Steve University of Vermont. Katona. '84 Megan Pennock teaches math and '84 Vicki Nichols is taking graduate science to second and third graders level courses in addition to at the Soule School in South directing COA's Natural History Freeport. Museum. This fall she took "Designing Your Environmental '84 Ben Haskell is in the Boston Curriculum" at the University of area as a research assistant with Maine and in January studied NURP (National Undersea Research "Environmental Institution Program), which supports marine Management" at the University of science in New England and the Great Delaware. Vicki plans to continue Lakes. He is busy coordinating teaching field study programs to summer research cruises using children and elderhostelers in the submersibles and assisting in summer. research projects as a diver. '84 Matt Hare wrote the business '84 Peter Thompson is very busy office from Fairbanks, Alaska. He working at Green Lake Fish Hatchery says a job working on bowhead whale in Ellsworth. He has bought land in surveys brought him there and he is Franklin and is building on it. staying in order to take courses in the spring toward entry into a '84 Scott Durkee reports that he and Master's program at the University Liz are completing construction on a of Alaska, Fairbanks. "Don't let me house for his parents and are fool you into thinking this tentatively planning to join the relocation is a hardship though - I Peace Corps and go to Nepal. He would take these physical and says they are still looking forward natural environs over D.C. in any to settling in Southern Vermont on a season (excepting cherry blossom and nice piece of land and raising the Fourth of July). next generation. '85 Martha Peabody is earning a '84 Kirsten Backstrom writes that Masters of Museum Science at Texas she is living in a log cabin on an Technical University. island off Washington state. She is nearing completion of her first '85 Steve Millett is sailing and novel which will possibly be working on his estate in Rhode published within the next year. She Island. He is an active supporter is also busy with her business of COA's Natural History Museum. "Temperwork Baskets", making baskets and sculpting, and is active in the '85 Christopher Hamilton writes that lesbian-feminist community working his life has quite a few changes against violence against women. lately. "I was married to Patti COAA NEWS 25 NEWS NEWS NEWS NEWS NEWS NEWS NEWS NEWS NEWS N Munsey of Sudbury, MA on August 16th with anti-nuclear measures that of this year. We had a small appeared on Oregon's ballot in Quaker-style wedding at her home November and also works on a 10 acre town church in Sudbury. We quickly organic vegetable farm. ran off into the deep woods of downeast Maine for a week of loon '85 Paul Grabhorn's business, watching and canoeing - and sleeping Meeting Technology, is satisfying in our new double hammock. Upon clients such as Apple computer and returning to Sudbury we overloaded John Hancock Mutual Life Insurance our new Ford Escort Wagon (can you Company. Paul and another former believe it - we bought a station COA student are partners in the wagon!) and moved to Ann Arbor, business which uses computers and Michigan where I am studying for my electronic aids to make meetings run Master's in Natural Resource Policy more efficiently. and Planning under Dr. William Staff." He adds that COA people are '86 Tenia Bannick is living and welcome to stop by and visit. He'll working in Bass Harbor as a free- be living in the computer room of lance design consultant. She the School of Natural Resources most reports being off to a good start of the time. and looks forward to becoming even busier. Her son Ramie just had his '85 Diana Cohn reports that she is eighth birthday, and daughter Tanya, living in the big apple teaching 18, has returned to Kentucky after "city" kids after teaching at the visiting this summer. Bay School in Blue Hill. She is teaching the second grade at the '86 Barclay McCurdy is currently on Little Red Schoolhouse in Greenwich an adventure traveling around the Village. U.S. backcountry, living in different wilderness areas and '85/'83 Sara Wendt and Benoni rockclimbing. Outerbridge write that they are definitely interested in getting '86 Mike Meyerheim and Judith involved with alumni and helping out Nathanson were married December 29, with admissions work in the NYC area. 1986 in Isreal. Mazel Tov! '85 Karen Wennlund has been active - Compiled by Rebecca Buyers-Basso From Chicago Tribune Sunday, Dec. 14 POTATO-LIKE INCA PLANTS OFFER FOOD HOPE FOR MOUNTAIN FOLK Potato-like plants oultivated by the King reported in the journal Garden Incas 2,000 years ago in the Andes show that people native to the area use the promise as a food crop in mountainous tubers in stews, soups and salads and areas of the world today. prefer the vegetables because of their Steven King, a botanist at the New brilliant colors. York Botanical Garden's Institute of The plants also are rich in Economic Botany, reported in a science medicinal folklore that may have a journal recently that the Andean tuber basis in fact, King said. Further plants have been all but replaced by studies of the tubers have shown they Western crops. contain antibiotic and diuretic But he said a study of the properties. vegetables, known locally as ooa, maca King said the plants should grow and ulluou, showed they are loaded with well in mountainous areas all over the protein. The ulluou alone has 60 world. He said people in mountain percent more protein than found in regions often suffer nutritionally potatoes and twice as much as found in because it is difficult to grow food rice. staples in high altitudes. Steve King is a four-year COA early graduate now a Phd. candidate on a fellowship at New York's Botonical Garden. 26 COAA NEWS Here are some old photos found in 1- COA's archives. Can you identify all these folks? COAA NEWS 27 The College of the Atlantic COD Alumni Association Is Pleased To Announce College of the Atlantic Association A Bar Harbor, ME 04609 TESTIMONIAL DINNER in honor of EDWARD G. KAELBER. APRIL 11th, 1987 FOUNDING PRESIDENT Reception, Dinner, Dancing & 6 p.m. to 11 p.m. ELIZABETH F. THORNDIKE, COA TRUSTEE Memorial Hall Harvard University To Benefit Cambridge, Massachusetts THE PHOENIX FUND CAMPAIGN Your attendance will contribute to the success of this special occasion. Single ticket $ 50.00 $ Sponsor $ 250.00 (2 tickets) $ Patron $ 500.00 (4 tickets) $ Benefactor $1,000.00 (table of 8) $ Please make all checks payable to the Phoenix Fund Campaign. All contributions will support the Phoenix Fund and are tax deductible. Send your check to COAA BENEFIT DINNER, College of the Atlantic, Bar Harbor, Maine, 04609. For further information contact Gary Friedmann (207) 288-5015. I would like to support COA student(s) to attend to the Benefit Dinner for $50 each $ Enclosed is my additional contribution to support the Phoenix Fund Campaign $ Check enclosed for total of $