COA NEWS COLLEGE OF THE ATLANTIC SPRING 2001 BAR HARBOR, MAINE $20 Million Endowment Campaign Completed College of the Atlantic's $20 million Silver Anniver- sary Endowment Cam- paign, launched in the summer of 1997, has been completed. The final tally exceeded the goal by $1.6 million. Clyde Everett Shorey, Jr., Chairman of the COA Board of Trustees and Chair of the Endowment Campaign Committee, expressed delight at the result of the four-year cam- paign. "These funds will help set the college on firm footing for a bright future," he stated. Shorey paid special tribute to the college's trustees. "Not only were many of them significant contributors to the cam- paign, they also played a critical role in soliciting major gifts," he said. He also saluted College of the Atlantic President Steven K. Katona, Trustee Henry Sharpe, Jr., Chair of the Development Commit- tee, and Director of Devel- opment Fran Day for their unfailing efforts to reach the goal on time. The endowment will have a major impact on the college. In addition to the already established Rosamond Purcell, Birdwing, Endangered, Bishop Museum, Honolulu, iris jet-ink print, 1991. Newlin Chair in Botany, Courtesy of Kathleen Ewing Gallery, Washington. there will be chairs created in honor of ecologist Rachel The Dorr Museum of Natural History hosted an exhibition of photographs by Rosamond Purcell in Carson and former COA the fall. Purcell has collaborated on three books with Stephen Jay Gould. Her work has recently faculty member William H. been featured in The New Yorker and The Chronicle of Higher Education. Drury, Jr. continued on page 2 Campaign, from page 1 A variety of scholarship funds have of Beech Hill Farm, the college's organic COA been established through the endow- farm. Artworks were also part of the con- News ment campaign. The Rothschild Fund tributions. The Newsletter of will help graduate students complete This was the college's first-ever endow- College of the Atlantic their studies at COA. The Shelby Cul- ment campaign. "The completion of this lom Davis Foundation has given funds campaign represents a turning point in Spring 2001 directed toward supporting study the college's history," said President abroad. There is also a scholarship Katona. "The campaign has boosted our EDITOR fund established to honor the late confidence as well as the confidence of Carl Little, August Heckscher, a writer and public our many generous benefactors." He Director of Public Affairs servant whose life and work encom- added, "It's a terrific way for this college passed many of the values underlying to begin the new century." PRESIDENT the study of human ecology. College of the Atlantic, which was Steven K. Katona The campaign received gifts for chartered in 1969 and welcomed its first library and museum support, campus students in 1972, will celebrate its 29th CHAIRMAN OF THE BOARD OF TRUSTEES upkeep and faculty research, as well as Commencement on June 9, 2001. Cur- funds to endow continued maintenance rent enrollment stands at 265. Clyde E. Shorey, Jr. DIRECTOR OF DEVELOPMENT Fran Day WRITERS: Carl Little Rebecca Buyers-Basso, '81 Daniel Dendanto, '91 COA News is published yearly and is circulated to alumni, students, parents and friends of College of the Atlantic. DESIGNER Z StudiO PHOTO: CARL LITTLE THE COLLEGE OF THE ATLANTIC Henry Sharpe, right, and his wife, Peggy (center), stand at the center of a circle of COA staff, faculty, "VISION STATEMENT" students, trustees and friends at the celebration reception for the completion of the Silver Anniver- The faculty, students, trustees, sary Endowment Campaign. staff and alumni of College of the Atlantic envision a world where people value creativity, intellectual achievement, and Contents the diversity of nature and New Museum of Natural History p. 3 Largest Commencement Ever pp. 20-22 human cultures. With respect and compassion, individuals Trustees Elected p. 5 Catching Up with Friends pp. 23-24 will construct meaningful lives Beech Hill Farm p. 6 Alumni Profile: Elena Tuhy '90 p. 25 for themselves, gain apprecia- tion for the relationships United World Colleges Scholarship A Salute to Skip Buyers-Basso pp. 26-27 among all forms of life, and Program pp. 7-8 Distinguished Visitors pp. 27-28 safeguard the heritage of The Ketchum Page p. 9 future generations. The Caribbean and Cuba pp. 29-30 Faculty Profiles: Bonnie Tai and Ken Hill pp. 11-12 Signs of Winter p. 31 VISIT THE COLLEGE OF THE Reading Silent Spring pp. 13-14 Visual Arts at COA pp. 33-37 ATLANTIC WEBSITE AT EPA Award to COA pp. 16-17 Personnel p. 38 www.coa.edu Tributes pp. 18-19 Theater pp. 39-40 COA NEWS 2 SPRING 2001 COA Natural History Museum PHOTO: CARL LITTLE George Page (left), host of the PBS program "Nature," joined Board of Trustees chairman Clyde Everett Shorey, Jr., Mrs. Brooke Astor and COA president Steve Katona at the ribbon cutting for the college's new George B. Dorr Museum of Natural History. That's a College of the Atlantic scarf Mrs. Astor is wearing. New Natural History Museum Opens The new George B. Dorr Museum of Natural History at The Henry B. and Elizabeth A. "Sunny" Guthrie class- College of the Atlantic opened to the public in June. The room is dedicated to two special friends of the college who original headquarters of Acadia National Park was renovat- helped students of all ages appreciate natural history and ed and expanded to provide a bright new space for enjoy the beauty of the environment. The naming honors exhibits and programs. their commitment to conservation and education. The new museum building, designed by the architec- Other plaques in the museum recognize the founders, tural firm of Stewart Brecher and Associates, has state-of- directors and curators of the museum whose tireless the-art lighting for exhibits, climate-controlled rooms, a efforts led to the development of the museum and its pro- two-story exhibit area with a cathedral ceiling, a classroom, grams. A special plaque honors the memory of the late a preparation area for teachers, a touch tank with live spec- Mary R. Hamill, who loved the mountains and waters of imens and a special exhibition commemorating George Mount Desert Island. Dorr's contribution to the formation of Acadia National The museum displays interpret the natural history of Park and his conservation efforts on Mount Desert Island. Maine through a human-ecological perspective. Detailed "Renovation and expansion of the old park headquarters," dioramas created by COA students depict the plant and said President Steve Katona, "preserves a building of historic, animal life of Maine, portraying how different species cultural and educational importance not only to the island's interact with natural and human environments. many residents, but to visitors to Acadia National Park." "Our exhibits and programs transcend casual learning," Several rooms in the museum bear special dedications. says museum director Stephen Ressel. "Instead, they are The Stanley Oliver Grierson Gallery honors the late natu- designed to stimulate participants to contemplate complex ralist's lifetime dedication to educating people about ecolo- issues and to form thoughtful opinions." Among the crea- gy, the environment and natural history. A founder of the tures represented are a snapping turtle, puffins, porcu- museum studies program at COA, Grierson brought pines, deer and the rare True's beaked whale. There is also knowledge, artistry and high standards to the preparation a model of a prehistoric walking whale. of museum exhibits. COA NEWS 3 SPRING 2001 Moving Day for the Dorr Museum Above: Members of the COA Buildings and Ground crew cradle a model of ambulocetus natans, an ancient walking whale, bound for the new muse- um. Left: Student Fae Silverman touches up display cases before their delivery across campus to new museum quarters. Following President Woodrow Wilson's proclamation of a national park on Mount Desert Island on July 8, 1916, Charles Eliot, president of Harvard University, called a meeting in the Building of Arts in Bar Harbor to celebrate the announcement. During this gathering, George B. Dorr, often called the Father of Acadia National Park, spoke the following words: But I trust it will be recognized that what we have now achieved is a beginning only and that our needs are many. We have entered on an important work; we have succeeded until the Nation itself has taken cognizance of it and joined with us for its advancement; let us not stop short of its fulfil- ment in essential points. We need more land, much more, that we may include all points of special interest and beauty in our tract and good approaches to it. The areas now adjoining it that are fertile in wild life-excep- tional forest tracts, wild orchid meadows and natural wild-flower areas of other type, the pools haunt- ed by water-loving birds, and the deep, well-wooded and well-watered valleys that lie between the mountains-are necessary to include in order to make the Park what it should be, a sanctuary and protecting home for the whole region's plant and animal life, and for the birds that ask its hospitality upon their long migrations. Make it this, and naturalists will seek it from the whole world over, and from it other men will learn to cherish similarly wild life in other places. From The Story of Acadia National Park by George B. Dorr, Acadia Publishing Company, Bar Harbor, 1997. COA NEWS 4 SPRING 2001 "Maine's Endangered Species" Opens at the Dorr The Dorr Museum celebrated the addressed in the exhibition. opening of "Plants and Animals in "Maine's Endangered Species" was Peril: Maine's Endangered Species" in in preparation for over a year and rep- January. The exhibition was a collabo- resents the efforts of several experts rative project of the Maine Depart- outside the college, including Mark ment of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife McCollough and Charlie Todd of (MDIFW), Acadia National Park and MDIFW; award-winning children's the museum. book writer Cherie Mason, who script- The exhibition, which will be on ed the exhibition; Don Cameron of view over the coming year, uses exam- the Maine Natural Areas Program; ples of lesser-known plants and ani- and Cynthia Ocel of Acadia National mals of Maine, which are either threat- Park. ened or endangered, to highlight the The exhibition employs a variety of complexity of saving species. Species display concepts and media to create include the Tomah may fly, the north- interactive, visually-oriented exhibits ern bog lemming and the variable that will appeal to both children and sedge. At the same time, the displays adults. Rick Stevenson, a 1993 gradu- celebrate Maine's unique biodiversity. ate of the college, directed students in "The exhibition is neither apocalyp- the construction of the exhibits. Visit- tic nor preachy," notes Stephen J. Res- ing faculty member Dru Colbert over- sel, director of the Dorr Museum. saw the design concept of the exhibi- Rather, it presents the viewer with tion. Cynthia Ocel joined Dianne issues or questions that need to be PHOTO: CARL LITTLE Clendaniel, education director of the addressed in order to save a species in Dorr Museum, in the creation of a a manner that takes into account the curriculum for the show. ecology and economics of the State. At the opening of "Plants and Animals in The museum received funding for Faculty members John Anderson and Peril," COA carpenter Rob Rochon was salut- the project from the Maine Outdoor Kenneth Cline and their students ed by Dorr Museum director Stephen Ressel Heritage Fund and the William helped frame the issues that are for his exceptional work on the building. Wharton Trust. New Trustees Elected Clyde E. Shorey, Jr., chairman of the Kennedy Center for the Performing College of the Atlantic Board of Arts, the Spoleto Festival, U.S.A, and Trustees, announced the election of the Phillips Collection. She has been a four new trustees. They are Mabel member of the Visiting Committee of Hobart Cabot of Cambridge, Mass., Arts and Sciences, Harvard College, and Tremont, Maine, David and Valle and is currently a member of the Gooch of Falmouth, Maine, and Daniel boards of the Center for Foreign Jour- Pierce of Dedham, Mass., and Sutton nalists and the Island Press. Island, Maine. Shorey also announced David Gooch holds an Associates that long-time trustee Susan Storey Degree in Restaurant Management Lyman of Charleston, South Carolina, from the University of New Hamp- and Great Cranberry Island has been shire. He has been president and gen- elected a Life Trustee of the college. eral manager of the Snow Squall Mabel (Muffie) Hobart Cabot is a Restaurant in South Portland, Maine, graduate of Smith College and com- since 1980. He is president of the pleted coursework toward the Masters Spring Point Historical Museum and in Political Science at Portland State serves on the board of directors of the University. During 1981-1983 she Greater Portland Chamber of Com- served as Social Secretary to the White merce. House for President and Mrs. Ronald Valle Gooch received a B.S. in ele- Reagan. She was director of corporate mentary education and an M.S. in programming for the Ford Motor exceptionality from the University of Company for ten years and currently is Southern Maine. She has taught as an Lifetime trustee Susan Storey Lyman president of MHC & Associates in elementary teacher, K-8, in the speaks with Chairman of the Board Clyde Cambridge. She has served on the Yarmouth School Department since Everett Shorey, Jr., at a luncheon in the boards of many arts and cultural orga- 1990 and is the owner of Valle Flowers. Gates Center before the college's 26th nizations, including the Museum of The Gooches' sons, David and Ira, commencement. American Folk Art, the John F. attend College of the Atlantic. continued on page 6 COA NEWS 5 SPRING 2001 Taking Care of Beech Hill Farm Left: Margaret Youngs '96 prunes an apple tree in the orchard at Beech Hill Farm. Youngs, who served as farm liaison for the college community, recently left to take a temporary position at the Chewonki Founda- tion Farm in Wiscasset, Maine. Below: Martha Stewart Television returned to Beech Hill Farm last year to film a second feature for her acclaimed program. Ms. Stewart also donated her winnings from a recent appearance on a celebrity edition of Jeopardy! to the college. Here she visits with Maggie and Lucian Smith, managers of Beech Hill Farm. STAND PHOTO: CARL LITTLE PHOTO: CARL LITTLE BACKGROUND PHOTO: NICHELLE HOOPER New Trustees, from page 5 A graduate of Harvard College, and Harvard. He is a member of the of Radcliffe College. As a COA trustee, Daniel Pierce has worked his entire Dedham, Mass., town meeting. she co-chaired the Planned Giving career at Scudder, Stevens & Clark, a "With their backgrounds in the Committee and served on Develop- leading investment management firm. arts, finance and education, the new ment and Public Affairs, Finance and In 1991, he became chairman of the board members bring great strength the Committee on Trustees. She firm. Today, he is advisory managing and talents, which will help shape the played a key role in encouraging the director of Scudder Kemper Invest- future of this institution," said chair- college to endow an academic chair in ments, which was formed in 1998. He man Shorey. honor of pioneering ecologist Rachel also is a director of the Fiduciary Trust Susan Storey Lyman joined the Carson as part of COA's Silver Company and of Tom's of Maine. board of trustees in 1990. She is the Anniversary Endowment Campaign. Pierce has been a trustee/director of a former president of the Massachusetts "Sue Lyman has been a superb number of educational, medical and Society for the Prevention of Cruelty trustee," said COA president Steven K. other charitable organizations, includ- to Children, vice president of the Day Katona. "We celebrate her for ing the New England Aquarium, Care and Child Development Council strengthening the college in countless WGBH, Brigham & Women's Hospital of America and chair of the Trustees ways during the past ten years." COA NEWS 6 SPRING 2001 Davis Family Supports United World College Scholars Program PHOTO: PETE TRAVERS, BAR HARBOR TIMES Director of Admissions Sarah Ketchum (left) joined COA President Steven K. Katona (second from right), members of the Davis family and a United World College representative at the Davis Center for International and Regional Studies to discuss a multimillion-dollar scholarship program for international students. From left: Ketchum; Philip Geier, president of the United World Colleges; Kathryn Davis, for whom the Davis Center is named; President Katona; and Shelby Collum Davis. A major new scholarship program announced last spring- It is an open-ended, multi-year, multi-million- the Davis United World College Scholars program-will pay dollar commitment to cover tuition, room, board and tuition and other expenses for scores of qualified students expenses for as many UWC graduates as gain admis- from all over the world who gain admission to five presti- sion to the five schools and demonstrate financial gious U.S. colleges. The Shelby need. "It's a gift without a ceiling," said Philip O. M.C. Davis family has pledged to Geier, president of the United World College in New pay 100 percent of the demon- " Building on Mexico; strated financial need, including international Since the preponderance of UWC graduates are relief from loans and campus or from foreign countries, the scholarships address a summer jobs, for all graduates of diversity through neglected niche in the financial aid sector insofar as the United World College international students wishing to attend U.S. institu- (UWC) movement who matricu- education at an tions vie for very limited financial aid resources; late at College of the Atlantic, Colby, Middlebury and Welles- influential age is It is the second phase of the Davises' initiative ley Colleges and Princeton on behalf of UWC students, coming on the heels of a University. central to the $45-million gift last year that established 100 full mer- The United World Colleges possibilities for it scholarships for teenagers to attend the United are ten pre-university-level World Colleges. schools located on five conti- global harmony." nents and dedicated to promot- "I believe that recognizing and building on international ing international understanding diversity through education at an influential age is central to through education. Some 2,000 students from 16 to 19 the possibilities for global harmony in this new millenni- years old from all corners of the globe live and study togeth- um, said Shelby M.C. Davis in announcing the scholarships er at the schools in challenging academic programs that fos- to presidents of the five American institutions. ter peace and cooperation. Now they are all eligible for The scholarships will provide resources for significant Davis UWC scholarships to continue their education at the numbers of the brightest and best-prepared foreign students undergraduate institutions named. to attend some of America's top undergraduate institutions. The Davis gift is unusual in several respects: As a result, this country's future leaders will gain a more continued on page 8 COA NEWS 7 SPRING 2001 Davis, from page 7 (Left to right): Anna Wlodarcyzk, Hua Wang, Jarmila Lamacova and Bor- bala Kiss were among the many performers in the International Show held in the Gates Center auditorium in the fall. A wide PHOTO: CARL LITTLE variety of music and dance was offered to the COA community. international perspective from living and studying side by ceived as a privately funded, junior version of the famous side with individuals from different countries and different Fulbright Scholarships. cultures. The new Davis UWC Scholarships are a logical next The UWC movement was founded in 1962 to create a step that will augment important international initiatives school where youth of the world could unite to gain knowl- already under way at all five institutions of higher educa- edge and understanding of various races and cultures. tion. Davis said, "That's critical. If a college isn't thinking Queen Noor of Jordan is the current president of the internationally today, it's going to be out of business-the UWCs, and Nelson Mandela is president of the Internation- same as in the business world." al Council of UWCs. Steven K. Katona, president of College of the Atlantic, said, "The Davis family has a long-standing commitment to international service and study. This new initiative contin- ues that tradition in a unique way. The missions of the United World Colleges and College of the Atlantic have much in common. We are deeply impressed with the UWC graduates already studying here and grateful that we will have the chance to host others in the future." Located in Canada, Hong Kong, Italy, India, Norway, Singapore, Swaziland, Venezuela and Wales, as well as in the United States, the UWCs offer a unique program of aca- demic and experiential education for students from more than 100 countries. Students end their two years of study by taking the International Baccalaureate exams, which can earn credits transferable to universities and colleges world- wide. The UWC mission of promoting international coopera- PHOTO: ROB FISH tion and harmony was compelling to the Davis family because it matched the international tradition of the family and its business, said Andrew Davis, president of Davis With the international student body growing at COA, Borbala Selected Advisers L.C. and a trustee at Colby College. In Kiss from Hungary has helped to organize a series of dinners and 1998, the Davises established a full merit scholarship special presentations to introduce the college community to endowment to support 100 American teenagers to attend cultures around the world. Haan-suk Junn from South Korea United World Colleges around the world-a program con- speaks to an attentive audience in the Camp Community Lounge. COA NEWS 8 SPRING 2001 The Ketchum Page Admission Director Appointed Following a year and a half Futures program and conducted search, College of the Atlantic English as a Second Language President Steven K. Katona (ESL) and literacy tutoring. She announced the appointment of also completed the Philadelphia- Sarah Ketchum as director of Washington, D.C., AIDS ride the college's admission office. and has worked on erosion con- Ms. Ketchum replaces Steve trol projects in national parks in Thomas, now director of admis- the Yukon and Maine. sion at Colby College, and "We are incredibly fortunate interim acting director David to have Sarah Ketchum join the Mahoney, who is now associate PHOTO: NICHELLE HOOPER '02 staff at College of the Atlantic," director for financial aid at said President Katona. "She has Bates College. hit the ground running, helping Upon graduating from us to build on our enrollment Haverford College with a B.A. successes, to facilitate the United in English in 1991, Ms. World Colleges scholarships and Ketchum worked in the admis- to oversee the college's web site sion office at her alma mater. Sarah Ketchum (left) and Heather Candon '99 are all smiles at committee." Dr. Katona also not- In her eight-year tenure at the College of the Atlantic booth at last year's Common ed that Ms. Ketchum volun- Haverford, she advanced from Ground Fair in Unity, Maine. Candon is an admission teered at Beech Hill Farm over admission counselor to associ- counselor at the college. the summer in order to make a ate director of admission. connection with the island com- Duties in the latter position included recruitment and man- munity. "We are thrilled to have her aboard," he said. agement of prospective students, oversight of the alumni vol- Ms. Ketchum will be travelling and recruiting nationally unteer network, web site maintenance and training junior with an eye on continuing to add to the quality of COA's staff members. community of students. "I look forward to finding the bright, In addition to her admission activities, Ms. Ketchum has good-hearted, active students for whom the college is known, been involved with various volunteer efforts. She taught writ- while at the same time strengthening the diversity of the ing classes for high school students through the Philadelphia incoming classes." Catching Up with Carl Ketchum Many will remember with pleasure taking courses with oceanographer Carl Ketchum back in the 1980s. Rebecca Buyers-Basso '81 received the CAPA following e-mail message from the for- mer COA faculty member with news of current activities and future plans: Bobbi and Herb Belkin present Steve Katona and College of the Atlantic with four large- I continue to teach Earth Science to ninth scale Cibachrome photographic prints by Robert Glenn Ketchum. The Belkins helped graders and physics to 11-12th graders. I arrange for an exhibition of Ketchum's photographs in the the Dorr Museum of Natural am pretty active using computers in the History at College of the Atlantic this past winter. classroom, especially for the Earth Science "The Color of Winter" featured work from two different series. A group of gelatin part. While I enjoy teaching a lot, I have silver prints from the 1970s offered stark "minimalist" snowscapes from the western United decided that this will be my last year as a States. A selection of images of the Northwest Passage comprised the second group, secondary school teacher. I will retire next taken in a single season crossing of the Arctic in 1994. June and take up other activities like com- Ketchum was recently named the 2001 Outstanding Photographer of the Year by the puters and writing. North American Nature Photographers Association. He won the Sierra Club's coveted Ansel My wife and I love spending time on Adams Award for Conservation Photography and was artist-in-residence at Robert Redford's Cape Cod and we are currently enjoying Sundance Institute in Utah. "The beauty of his work is SO fine, his commitment SO complete, sailing a 25-foot sailboat (cape dory), it makes us envy his world," Redford wrote in the foreword to one of Ketchum's photogra- playing golf and doing lots of other phy books, The Legacy of Wildness. things. COA NEWS 9 SPRING 2001 "Best Food" and "Most Beautiful Campus" The 2001 edition of the Princeton categories of happy students-sec- A recipe from our acclaimed Review's The Best 331 Colleges guide ond-student activism-third-accessi- kitchen, courtesy Michael Anderson, ranks College of the Atlantic's food bility of professors-fifth-and director of food services at College the best and its campus the most smoothness of operations-13th. On of the Atlantic: beautiful in the a scale of 1-100, the college's quality nation. The col- of life and academic rating was 90. Zucchini Fritters lege also COA is no stranger to these high received rankings. In past years, the college 2 or 3 medium zucchini, grated high rat- has received best food and most 2 cups flour ings in beautiful campus honors, as well as 1 tsp salt the happiest students in the Princeton 1 tsp baking powder Review guide. pepper to taste The Princeton Review is a New 1 egg beaten York City-based educational ser- 1 cup grated Parmesan cheese vices company not affiliated with 3/4 cup milk Princeton University. The annual Combine dry ingredients. Combine egg guide surveys students at col- and milk and cheese and add to dry. leges across the country. Fold in the zucchini and fry like pan- More than 59,000 students cakes in a greased skillet. Cook immedi- filled out questionnaires last ately as zucchini will give off moisture year. and make batter watery. Hoops to Nets in Bar Harbor It's fun to play at the YMCA: Jason Day '01 dribbles across the court during a game at the Mount Desert Island YMCA. PHOTO: ROBERT FISH They're still standing: Faculty and staff and their families couldn't hold off the students in the annual soccer showdown at the Bar Harbor playing field. PHOTO: CARL LITTLE We'll get 'em next year. COA NEWS 10 SPRING 2001 Faculty Profiles Ken Hill, "Bonnie Tai stood out head and shoulders above the other applicants." Her background in educational research, as well as her experience with other cultures and her sensitivity to issues of identity within the classroom and community, were important factors in her hiring. Ms. Tai grew up Asian American in a predominantly white community and is accustomed to transcending bound- aries. She understands the difficulties of minority and non- traditional students who experience culture shock in their transition to college. In her work in admissions and student support services at Brandeis, she focused on the retention of older students, first-generation college students, students of color and lower-income students. At Long Beach, where Ms. Tai instructed elementary and secondary school teachers, her interests remained focused on the issue of equity. For example, what happens when students who are immigrants to a community move into a new setting? The education professor believes that cross-cultural communication between teachers and stu- PHOTO: PETER TRAVERS, BAR HARBOR TIMES dents is becoming a more pervasive challenge all around the country, even in parts of Maine. "Certainly, it has always been an issue for groups who are indigenous to the area," she says. "Teachers and schools should work closely with the communities from which their students come." Thus far, Ms. Tai's adjustment to her new home in Bar Harbor has been a pleasant experience. "I see the college as a very welcoming community," she says. "People in our neighborhood have been very friendly and helpful as we have settled in." She and her husband, with their daughter Bonnie Tai settles into her office at College of the Atlantic. Camilla, drove from California to Maine along parts of the Oregon Trail, making a pilgrimage in reverse back to the College of the Atlantic Welcomes East. As she sat and talked about her travels and her ideas on education, however, Ms. Tai already seemed at home in Professor of Education her new office on the COA campus. By Clara Baker This article originally appeared in the September 7, 2000, edition of the Bar Harbor Times. When Bonnie Tai interviewed at College of the Atlantic for a position as professor of education, the selection commit- tee voiced concern that she might have difficulty moving to New COA Prof Links a small town. At the time, Ms. Tai taught in, and directed, the Masters' programs in Curriculum and Instruction at Cal- Knowledge and Virtue ifornia State University at Long Beach. She had lived and traveled in Europe, Asia and Africa. By Nancy Richards Despite the fact that Ms. Tai had neither been to Bar Harbor nor heard of COA before applying to the college, It may be academic, but that's not all there is, says Ken Hill, coming to Maine has felt, she says, like coming home. She is the director of educational studies at College of the Atlantic. happy to be back on the East Coast, closer to her roots in Dr. Hill has a wide array of academic interests, but a pri- Boston, where she grew up. Ms. Tai, who enjoys hiking and mary one is how critical thinking affects a student's overall camping, says, "Being in such a beautiful environment is a development, not just academically, but personally and big bonus. I find myself saying how lucky I am that we have morally, as well. "Critical thinkers can adjust to their circum- the opportunity to work here." stances," he says. "They are not just book-smart, and not just "We" is Ms. Tai and her husband, Dan Thomassen, an street-smart. If a student can hone his or her critical thinking independent architect and builder from Denmark whom she skills, he or she will not only do better academically but will met while serving in the Peace Corps in Africa. After teach- also do better in interpersonal relationships." ing in Africa, she returned to the U.S. to complete her mas- Dr. Hill holds doctoral and master's degrees in educa- ter's and then Ed.D. in Learning and Teaching at Harvard tional psychology and measurement from Cornell Universi- University. Her experience in administration at Brandeis ty, as well as a master's in counseling processes from Har- University and her recent work at California State University vard University and a bachelor's degree from the University attracted the attention of College of the Atlantic. of Michigan where he double-majored in psychology and According to education program director and professor communication. continued on page 12 COA NEWS 11 SPRING 2001 Profiles, from page 11 His overarching interest has been in developmental psy- about the education of their children. I've been in places chology, but he has a surprising variety of other interests as where that wasn't the case." He praises the support of the well. He has taught seminars on the effective use of technol- community and how the teachers work as a unit. "There is a ogy in the classroom, both at the secondary and post-sec- nice progression between grades, instead of an apathy ondary levels. He has additional research interests in such about what the students will be learning next or what they areas as bias in standardized intelligence tests; teen preg- already did. This is a solid system," he observes. He also nancy awareness and prevention; and disassociative states in commended the school community for being so welcoming of teacher interns from COA. A native of Michigan's upper peninsula, where snowfall often exceeds 300 inches in a given year, Dr. Hill doesn't find the winter cold in Bar Harbor all that daunting. Howev- er, he is impressed with the quality of the student body at the college. "The kids are really here because they want to be," he says. "It seems the work is more important to the students than the degree." Dr. Hill is an outdoors enthusiast, a regular at the YMCA and has a penchant for restoring old houses. He lives on Mount Desert Island with his wife, Ingrid, and their three dogs. Ingrid is a librarian and archivist at COA. This profile originally appeared in the January 6, 2000, edition of the Bar Harbor Times. Ken Hill recently oversaw the successful reaccreditation of College of the Atlantic's Educational Studies Program by the Maine Department of Education. personality. Dr. Hill has two years of clinical experience run- ning an outpatient psychiatric center in his home state of Michigan. Dr. Hill's interest in personal well-being is not limited to the human race. He also has a track record of bettering the lives of animals. He was president of the Humane Society in Maryville, Missouri, and serves on its board of directors in Bar Harbor. Among the most rewarding of Dr. Hill's accomplishments has been his work getting Northwest Mis- souri State University (NMSU) psychology students hooked up with a local animal shelter, taking the animals to nursing and group homes. "The number of adoptions increased, and the interaction with the animals was therapeutic, not only for the residents, but for the students as well," he says. At NMSU, Dr. Hill also served as a faculty sponsor of organizations such as Sigma Phi Epsilon and Women's Issues in Society and Education. And, if that weren't enough, in his free time he's a martial arts buff. Another important project has been work in preventing teen pregnancies. Dr. Hill said the number of teen pregnan- cies in one area of northwest Missouri increased more than 300 percent in two years. He was involved in sixth- and eighth-grade education, parenting and prevention pro- Still from "Hedwig Page, Seaside Librarian," a film by Nancy grams. Andrews, faculty member in video and performance art at College Dr. Hill believes that understanding the learner's psy- of the Atlantic. The film is in the collection of the Museum of chology is of paramount importance for teachers. "I'm Modern Art. Two of Andrews' films were screened at MoMA last extremely impressed with the local schools and local educa- March as part of the special "Cineprobe" series. tors," he adds. "This island community seems to really care COA NEWS 12 SPRING 2001 Marathon Reading of Rachel Carson's Silent Spring The first leg of a marathon reading of Rachel Carson's classic text Silent Spring took place at College of the Atlantic on September 13 in the The author of THE SEA AROUND US and Gates Center auditorium. Special readers, including Dr. Bev- THE EDGE OF THE SEA erly Paigen, a senior staff scientist at questions our attempt to control the the Jackson Laboratory, joined facul- natural world about us ty, staff and students in the reading. Dr. Paigen serves on the board of directors of a number of public ser- vice organizations, among them, the Citizen's Clearing House for Haz- SILENT ardous Wastes and the Love Canal Medical Trust Fund. Carson has been called "the patron saint of the environmental movement." She was a marine biolo- gist and zoologist best known for her SPRING book Silent Spring, published in 1962, which alerted the world to the dan- gers of chemical pesticides. In light of recent pesticide abuses, Silent Spring The cover of the remains relevant nearly forty years first edition of after its publication. Carson was Rachel Carson's Rachel known for her ability to present sci- Silent Spring, ence and natural history in brilliantly 1962 clear and often poetic prose. The reading was one in a series of events at College of the Atlantic serv- Carson ing to illuminate the life and work of Carson. Two years ago, the college initiated a $1 million campaign to endow the Rachel Carson Chair in Ecological Studies, which will recog- nize her contributions to science and humanity. "A Fable for Tomorrow" Larry Freund, a reporter for the of her famous work. VOA's Larry Jackson Laboratory in the Voice of America, recorded a seg- Freund reports. northeastern state of Maine, was a ment of the Silent Spring reading for /// Paigen actuality /// graduate student when Silent Spring radio broadcast. A transcript of the was first published in 1962, exposing taping follows: And now I will start with Rachel the dangers of the unregulated use Carson's own words, "A Fable for of chemical pesticides. DATE=9/21/00 Tomorrow": "There was once a town in TYPE=News Feature the heart of America where all life /// Paigen actuality /// TITLE=Environmentalist Remembered seemed to live in harmony with its sur- BYLINE=Larry Freund roundings." Many of the messages that Rachel DATELINE=New York End act /// Carson gives in this book are still very rel- INTRO: Thirty-eight years ago a evant and true today. Many of the pesti- book, called "Silent Spring," was pub- cides she talked about, even the ones that lished in the United States. It would Words from Rachel Carson's pio- have now been banned, are still present in lead to many of today's environmen- neering book "Silent Spring" read by the environment and in our bodies and tal safeguards. Scientists and aca- scientist Beverly Paigen, the first of passed along to our children in mother's demics in the northeastern state of 25 participants in the first-ever milk. Maine recently gathered to honor the marathon reading of what many con- book's author, the late Rachel Car- sider a prophetic work of non-fiction. son, by launching a marathon reading Ms. Paigen, a senior scientist at the End act /// continued on page 14 COA NEWS 13 SPRING 2001 Carson Reading, from page 13 The marathon reading of Rachel ly amiss. And it was the first time I think "It is not my contention that chemical Carson's Silent Spring took place at the that we really confronted that and saw the insecticides must never be used. I do con- College of the Atlantic, a school with scope of it. And everything that has hap- tend that we have put poisonous and bio- some 270 students at the edge of the pened since I think is resting on that logically potent chemicals indiscriminately ocean in the village of Bar Harbor, foundation. into the hands of persons largely or wholly Maine. The college, focused on, ignorant of their potentials for harm." among other things, environmental /// End actuality /// science, was founded five years after /// End actuality /// Rachel Carson's death in 1964. But /// Paigen actuality /// college president Steven Katona says she was, in effect, a partner in the "It was a spring without voices. On /// Katona actuality /// founding of the college because of the the mornings that had once throbbed with involvement with the environment the dawn chorus of robins, catbirds, doves, "Some would-be architects of our that her writing kindled. jays, wrens and scores of other bird voices, future look toward a time when it will be there was now no sound. Only silence lay possible to alter the human germ plasm by /// Katona actuality /// over the fields and woods and marsh. No design. But we may be easily doing so now witchcraft, no enemy action had silenced by inadvertance. For many chemicals by Silent Spring brought home to us, in the rebirth of new life in this stricken gradiation bring about gene mutations.' a way that had never been done before, the world. The people had done it themselves." effects of our industrial activities on /// End actuality /// wildlife and on the world. It was a very, /// End actuality /// very simple book. It really depended on the Steven Katona, president of the premise and the observation that not long The reading of Rachel Carson's College of the Atlantic, says Rachel after (pesticide) spraying had been done, a Silent Spring continued as scientist Carson was correct in everything she lot of dead birds were found. And Rachel Beverly Paigen was followed by col- wrote four decades ago in Silent Carson traced that accumulation of pesti- lege librarian Marcia Dworak. Spring, a book he calls the foundation cide through earthworms and into song- for today's understanding of the birds. And just through that simple obser- impact of pesticides and other vation, she knew that something was vast- /// Dworak actuality /// chemicals on the environment. 2000 Jake (left) and Nicholas Ressel, twin sons of Steve and Karen Ressell (left and right), get acquainted with the Katona twins, David (left) and Nick (right), at last summer's Lobster Quadrille. Both sets of twins have the same birthday, June 23, and were delivered by the same doctor in the same hospital. COA NEWS 14 SPRING 2001 COA Senior Wins Watson Fellowship To Study Piercing Cultures Around The World College of the Atlantic student Noah temporary teenage and young adult temporary phenomenon," Krell wrote Krell of Hiram, Maine, has been body-piercing subcultures around the in his Watson proposal. He will com- awarded a Thomas J. Watson Fellow- world. His itinerary includes England, bine his fascination with piercings with ship. Krell is one of 60 graduating col- Japan, South Africa and New Zealand. his passion for photography. He com- The fellowship comes with a $22,000 pleted a COA internship with the lege seniors to receive this prestigious grant to support travel for the year. Maine Photographic Workshop in study fellowship, chosen from 50 of "If there are universal reasons why Rockport, Maine, in 1999 and has stud- America's selective private liberal arts people pierce themselves, which tran- ied photography at the college with colleges and universities. scend cultural institutions within each Dee Peppe, Douglas Barkey and Nancy Krell will spend his Watson wander- society, I want to learn about them to Andrews. jahr studying and photographing con- gain a better understanding of this con- Watson Fellows are chosen in a two-step process that requires nomina- tion from a participating college, fol- lowed by a national competition. This year more than 1,000 students applied to the first round of the selection. "We look for bright, creative, independently minded individuals who have the per- sonality and drive to become leaders," says Tori Haring-Smith, executive director of the Watson Fellowship Pro- gram and a former Watson Fellow. College of the Atlantic has had 20 Wat- son fellows since seniors began apply- ing in 1983. The Watson Fellowship Program was created in 1968 by the children of Thomas J. Watson, Sr., the founder of IBM, and his wife, Jeannette K. Wat- son, to honor their parents' long- standing interest in education and world affairs. The foundation selects Watson Fellows based on each nomi- nee's character, academic record, lead- Noah Krell, Kristen Fauteux, Awaking, black-and-white photograph, 1999. This image ership potential, willingness to delve appeared in "Emergence," an exhibition of Krell's photographs in the Thorndike Library into another culture and the personal in April 2000. Many of the photos in the show focused on the honesty of facial expres- sions on individuals upon waking up, before they have time to don their "daily mask." significance of the proposed project. The foundation continues to believe "Morning, and the process of waking up, are two of the most enchanting and that the investment in Watson Fellows whimsical experiences that each day has to offer," says Krell. "During that moment peo- ple are beautifully real: all puffy-eyed with tousled hair, with few, if any, pretensions or is an effective contribution to the glob- manners." al community. Two great storytellers in one room: Brazilian-born mime and storyteller Antonio Rocha smiles on stage after his electrifying performance of "Jungle Tales and Other Works" in the Gates Center in October. In the foreground, another marvelous storyteller Ashley Bryan, who has also performed at COA, speaks with Tommy and Etel Thomas. Rocha is the latest in a series of master storytellers to perform at College of the Atlantic in the fall. Past performers have included Jay O'Callahan, Carmen Deedy and Donald Davis. On September 7, 2001, the college will present PHOTO: CARL LITTLE Charlotte Blake Alston. COA NEWS 15 SPRING 2001 Grants Support Allied Whale Marine Mammal Stranding Program Grants from the Bernice Barbour Foundation and an anonymous fund have been awarded to Allied Whale at Col- lege of the Atlantic to support its Marine Mammal Strand- ing Network. The $10,000 grant from the Barbour Foundation and the additional $25,000 grant have made it possible for Allied Whale to purchase a truck and associated accessories and equipment for use in responding to seal strandings along the coast of Maine. "The vehicle has already significantly improved the opera- tion of the stranding program," said Dr. Sean Todd, director of Allied Whale. "The truck has enabled the team to respond more efficiently and effectively to calls, thereby increasing our ability to save these remarkable creatures." Allied Whale is the only Maine organization holding a A check for $25,000 was hand-delivered to President Katona by National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) permit to respond Cherie Mason, children's book author and an outspoken to reports of stranded marine mammals. The response area advocate for animal welfare. covers from mid-coast Maine to the Canadian border. Current- ly, Allied Whale responds to about forty seal strandings a year, of harbor seals throughout autumn and of harp and hooded plus a number of porpoise, dolphin and whale strandings. seals during winter," College of the Atlantic President Steven Actions taken by the stranding team can vary from assessment Katona explained. "We could not have helped those animals and tagging, removal for rehabilitation and release, or, in cases without these gifts," he said. of animal suffering, euthanasia. Allied Whale works in collabo- The Barbour Foundation was established in 1986 by the ration with Boston's New England Aquarium, which organizes late Bernice Wall Barbour. Through her entire life, she devot- responses from mid-coast Maine through Massachusetts. "The ed much of her thought, energy and resources toward mak- truck has been in steady use as students respond to strandings ing the lives of animals happier and healthier. College of the Atlantic Receives New England EPA Environmental Award Last spring, the New England Office of Through its Eco/Eco (Economy/ logues of whale sightings to respond- the U.S. Environmental Protection Ecology) Civic Forum, the college has ing to seal strandings. Agency selected College of the Atlantic helped facilitate state-wide discussions The college's Natural History to receive an Environmental Merit on sprawl, smart growth, "greenways" Museum educates several thousand Award in recognition of its exceptional and the effects of global climate visitors each year about the flora and work and commitment to the environ- change in Maine. The college has also fauna of Mount Desert Island. Out- ment in 1999. The annual award rec- committed itself to a long-term study reach programs include Summer Field ognizes outstanding environmental of the Union River watershed. Studies for Children and Whales-on- advocates who have made significant The college's Geographic Informa- Wheels, an interactive program that contributions toward preserving and tion Systems laboratory assists local has been taken up by other environ- protecting natural resources. The nomi- towns in planning their futures using mental educators in New England. nation text follows. cutting edge mapping technologies. College of the Atlantic also plays a Land use management classes have major role in raising the conscious- Since its founding in 1969, College of helped towns envision their futures. ness of downeast Maine through the the Atlantic has made the environ- COA students actively seek to many talks, lectures and slide shows it ment a key focus of its innovative edu- improve the environment in Maine. sponsors. The range of offerings is cational programs. The college has From hosting the annual Earth Day broad, from environmental art to a played a key role in reshaping Maine celebration to cleaning up a local discussion series on genetically modi- environmental history, from the brook (for five years running), they fied food. state's trail-blazing returnable-contain- are inspired stewards. The proof of COA's success lies in er law to the latest debates about The college has also been on the its alumni, who have taken leadership clearcutting in the North Woods. In forefront of marine research through roles in the environmental movement recognition of its efforts, the editors Allied Whale, the marine mammal in Maine and elsewhere. One example of Down East Magazine presented the research center headquartered at the among many: Chellie Pingree '79, college with its 1997 Environmental college. Allied Whale's work ranges Maine senate majority leader, has Award. from maintaining international cata- been outspoken in her support of the continued on page 17 COA NEWS 16 SPRING 2001 Award, from page 16 Land for Maine's Future program and other important environmental initia- tives. COA embraces collaboration. Pro- jects have been jointly undertaken with Acadia National Park, Downeast Audubon Society, the Maine Depart- ment of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife, Maine Coast Heritage Trust, Green- peace and local schools. College of the Atlantic is commit- ted to articulating the environmental issues facing Mount Desert Island, Maine, the nation and the world. Right: President Rolland inc. Katona joins College Rolland Groupe inc. of the Atlantic Group PAPER purchasing agent Lyn TCF Berzinis (second from TCP right) in showing off t-shirts presented to them by Archie Beaton and Kellie Germond, representatives of the Chlorine-Free Products Association. Beaton and Germond visited the college following COA's announcement of a new initiative to purchase only chlorine-free paper. ::: me PHOTOS: CARL LITTLE COA students and faculty conduct water quality tests at the Coal Creek Watershed Festival in Tennessee. The class also participated in a river cleanup as part of the festival. The field trip south was part of the course "Rivers: Ecology, Conservation and Recreation" co-taught by Ken Cline, Helen Hess and Don Cass. The group set out to explore the nature of rivers from several perspectives: biological, chemical, hydrological, historical, legal, social and recreational. Director of Development Fran Day helped arranged the trip to Tennessee. COA NEWS 17 SPRING 2001 Tributes John Pierrepont The college is sad to report the death of John Pierrepont, a wonderful painter who showed his watercolors on two occasions in the Blum Gallery. He died at his home in Manhattan on January 10 at age 84. "He was a gentleman of the first order," said COA president Steve Katona. A graduate of Yale, Pierrepont served in the Navy during World War II. After the war he joined the investment firm of Delafield and Delafield, and later became a limited partner of Tucker, Anthony and R.L. Day until retiring in 1989 to manage his private investments. During the summers "Jackie," as he was fondly known, and his wife, Nancy, came to their home in Northeast Har- bor, where they enjoyed picnicking on PHOTOS: CARL LITTLE the outer islands and enjoying the beau- ty of Acadia National Park. Lawence Hadley Lawrence Hadley, who served as a COA trustee from 1980-1985, died on Satur- day, September 23, in Bar Harbor at age 79. While on the Board of Trustees, Hadley was an active member of the Building and Grounds and Finance Committees. "His hard-nosed guidance helped the college through some diffi- cult years," said President Steve Katona. Hadley was active in a number of civic organizations in Bar Harbor, and his connections with local people, business- es and organizations helped the college a great deal. Hadley's distinguished career with the National Park Service also came in handy. He began his career as a ranger Clockwise from top: Four of the seven artists featured in "The Art of the Garden" had their pic- in Shenandoah National Park, Yellow- ture taken at the opening for the show in the Ethel H. Blum Gallery in July. They are John stone and elsewhere. He then served as Pierrepont, Beverly Hallam, Emily Bracale and David Little. The other featured artists were superintendent of White Sands National Henry Finkelstein, Bonnie Lucas and Ashley Bryan (one of the latter's landscapes hangs in the Monument, Central Capital Parks in background). Washington D.C., Yosemite National The college notes the passing of Robert J. Lurtsema (1931-2000), longtime host of "Morn- Park and Cape Cod National Seashore. ing Pro Musica" on public radio. In August 1993, Lurtsema (on stage) came to College of Hadley is survived by his wife of 53 the Atlantic to narrate a remarkable open air performance of Francis Poulenc's Babar. years, Mary Helen, and their children Scott, Lucinda and Stephen, and their Gordon Longsworth '91 (left), director of the college's Geographic Information Systems (G.I.S.) families. For many years Scott Hadley lab, joins lan McHarg (center) and COA founding trustee Father James Gower in the Newlin was the summer caretaker of the col- Gardens. Longsworth studied with McHarg in graduate school at the University of lege's Newlin Garden; he also beautified Pennsylvania. the campus by preparing and tending the lovely arrangements of flowers in Chester, Pennsylvania. 1986) the Landscape Architecture and the courtyard. Often referred to as "the father of Regional Planning Department in the Earth Day," Scottish-born McHarg was Graduate School of Fine Arts. He was lan McHarg the author of the seminal Design with the recipient of numerous awards and College of the Atlantic mourns the pass- Nature, 1969, and co-author of To Heal honors, including a National Medal of ing of Ian McHarg, 80, distinguished the Earth, 1998. He was professor emeri- Art and the 2000 Japan Prize in city landscape architect, regional planner tus at the University of Pennsylvania planning. and educator. He died on March 5 in where he co-founded and chaired (1955- The college awarded McHarg an COA NEWS 18 SPRING 2001 Tributes honorary Master of Philosophy Degree For most of us, David needs no words of in Human Ecology at its 26th com- introduction. He was a tireless champion for mencement in 1998. the environment and for the things that many of us hold most dear. He was a big fan David Brower of College of the Atlantic and he would David Brower, a leader in the American always ask me when we were going to develop environmental movement, died of can- branch campuses in all 50 states. He spoke cer at his home Berkeley in November at at COA on a couple of occasions. age 88. According to the San Francisco David inspired me to get involved in the Examiner, Brower's legacy includes "nine environmental movement years ago, and I national parks and seashores, a Grand PHOTO: EARL BRECHLIN got to work with him closely through the Sier- Canyon free of dams, the Wilderness ra Club. Although I haven't seen David Act and a generation of environmental much in recent years, I still consider him a Warren Hill and Louis Rabineau at College activists around the world for whom he friend and will miss his vision and enthusi- of the Atlantic, August 1991. was a mentor and a role model." asm. The earth has lost one of its true cham- In an e-mail to the campus communi- Donald Meiklejohn pions and it will be hard to fill his boots. ty, Kenneth Cline, faculty member in Donald Meiklejohn, an educator, died environmental law, wrote the following on February 22, 2001 in Syracuse, New tribute: Warren Gardiner Hill York, of complications from a stroke. Warren Gardiner Hill was, in the words He was 91 years old. of COA President Emeritus Louis Professor Meiklejohn was born in Rabineau, "an educator for all seasons." Providence, Rhode Island in 1909. He President Rabineau conducted an oral graduated from Harvard University in history of Hill, who began his distin- 1936. His long and distinguished teach- guished career in education in the Isles- ing career included service at Dartmouth ford School on Little Cranberry Island. College and the College of William and He went on to become president of Mary before he served in U.S. Army Trenton State College, Maine Commis- Intelligence during World War II. sioner of Education, executive director From 1946 until 1963, he was a of the Education Commission of the member of the faculty at the University States and the Chancellor of the Con- of Chicago. From 1963 to his retire- PHOTO: CARL LITTLE necticut Commission on Higher Educa- ment in 1975, he taught at Syracuse Uni- tion. Rabineau once described Hill as "a versity. In the fall semesters from 1986 New England farm kid who learned early to 1994, he taught at College of the to enjoy fiddling and story-telling, and to Atlantic, with an emphasis on political value hard work and the support of par- and constitutional philosophy. His first David Brower addresses a standing-room- ents, brothers, wife and children." Hill love as an educator was teaching, and only audience of admirers in the Gates Cen- died at his winter home in Punta Gorda, generations of students found inspira- ter auditorium in fall 1993. Florida, in March 2000. He was 81. tion in his classes. Left: Faculty, staff, students and trustees gathered for the planting of a sycamore in memory of Ellen Katona, mother of President Steve Katona. Below: Donald Meiklejohn prepares to process in the inauguration of COA President Steve Katona in 1993. He is joined by faculty members Alesia Maltz and Richard Borden. PHOTO: CARL LITTLE PHOTO: CARL LITTLE COA NEWS 19 SPRING 2001 COA's Largest Commencement Ever Clockwise from top center: Most of the class of 2000 gathers in the Newlin Gardens before processing to the North Lawn. Ardrianna French '01 assists James Russell Wiggins to the commencement ceremony. Zach Soares '00 entertains the commencement audience with 'The Ballad of Don's Shop 'n Save." Soares crafted the guitar he is playing. Who's the bearded guy with the hat? Utah Philipps joins the commencement procession to the ceremony under a tent on the North Lawn of campus. Trustees Linda Lewis and Polly Morgenstern keep in step with the anarchist and folk singer. Morgenstern is the mother of Michael '00 and Julia, who is currently enrolled at COA. A pause in the diplomas: Ann Helfrich '00 was recognized by President Steve Katona as the college's 1000th graduate. COA NEWS 20 SPRING 2001 The largest graduating class in College of the Atlantic's history-86 undergraduates and two graduate students-heard some fine ramblings from folksinger and self- proclaimed anarchist Utah Phillips at the 28th commencement held on campus on Saturday afternoon, June 3. The college also recognized its 1000th graduate and conferred an honorary degree on journal- ist James Russell Wiggins. Around 1,500 parents, friends, faculty, staff, trustees and "Think alumni attended the ceremony. With a ponytail and beard Phillips, before "The Golden Voice of the Southwest," who is known for his labor activism, pre- you act, sented an improvised and entertaining address in which he encouraged graduates but please to embrace curiosity and memory, practice do act." method and pursue life with a profound love of play. He also saluted the power of stories. Abraham An avid punster, Phillips referred to adults as "blown-ups" and hoped that the Noe-Hayes '00 graduates would find a profession where they would pick up the phone and "call in well." Sporting a Stetson in the processional, the speaker con- cluded his remarks by advising his captive audience, "Never wear a hat that has more charac- ter than you." Journalist James Russell Wig- gins, editor of the Ellsworth American, was given an hon- orary Master of Philosophy in Human Ecology degree. COA founding president Edward Kaelber offered anecdotes relat- ed to Wiggins' response to the college in the early years when he served as a trustee. Also rem- iniscing was Philip Geyelin, a COA trustee, who worked with Wiggins at the Washington Post when the latter was executive editor there. He read a congratulatory telegram from Post chair- man Katherine Graham, who wrote, "I always thought deep down that Russ Wig- gins was a philosopher, SO I am particular- ly pleased that he is to be formally PHOTOS: BLAIR CURRIER ordained by the College of the Atlantic." In accepting the degree, his ninth, Wiggins noted that an earlier version of continued on page 22 COA NEWS 21 SPRING 2001 Beth Thomas, a former Martin Dibner fellow, and Baron Poets on Campus Wormser, Poet Laureate of Maine, read from their work at College of the Atlantic in January. Thomas dedicated the poem "To a Note on a Lilac Bush" to the late Charlie Hesse, former director of development and public affairs at COA. To a Note on a Lilac Bush Do you mind if I take this bloom, should I say harvest, should I inquire at all, dear note in hasty hand- "Do not pick"? Do you mind a gentle allowance of one branch or two, would three be okay, should I inquire at all dear hand in haste scratched on a paper plate, hung with purple yarn PHOTO: TAMMY PACKIE'97 at hazardous corner, litter and letter? So many habits to curb- stealing blooms and I have stolen bulbs for table and yard. Book-signing in Gates. Pulitzer Prize-winning poet Galway Kin- Look at me bending in, winnowed in the limbs, nell signs one of his books for Mount Desert Island High hands swimming in School student Jennifer O'Donnell following his reading in to break September at COA. Kinnell is a former MacArthur Fellow and a long dreamless winter- has been State Poet of Vermont. In 1982 his Selected Poems Do you mind if I take among thousands, won the Pulitzer Prize and the American Book Award. Cur- who would know, rently, he is Erich Maria Remarque Professor of Creative Writ- ing at New York University. Marion Stocking, editor of The dear note hung (hastily) Beloit Poetry Journal and an adjunct faculty member at COA, between old stems and unrequited dark? introduced the poet. -Beth Thomas Commencement, from page 21 COA's vision could be found in a bill introduced in the Vir- ing the conferring of the B.A. in Human Ecology degrees, the ginia Legislature in 1779 by Thomas Jefferson that called for 1000th graduate, Ann Helfrich, was recognized. She is the "the more general diffusion of knowledge." Mr. Wiggins was second member of her family to attend COA. escorted onto the stage by a granddaughter, Jennifer Schroth, Toward the end of the ceremony the seniors honored the a 1984 graduate of COA. college's buildings and grounds crew and two members of the This year's senior perspectives were given by Jaime Duval, kitchen staff. Commencement ended with a spirited rendition Judith Lamb, Abraham Noe-Hayes and Kirk Torregrossa, by six seniors of the Indigo Girls' "Closer to Fine," with guitar members of the class of 2000. Noe-Hayes recounted a parable accompaniment, and "Ode to Don's," a tribute to Don's Shop of "the three little human ecologists," the moral of which was 'n' Save, sung by Zachary Soares '00. The West Eden High- "Think before you act, but please do act." Lamb and Torre- landers added a touch of Scotland to the recessional. grossa offered humorous accounts of COA days, while Duval The week before commencement special student prizes highlighted her experiences with Allied Whale, the college's were awarded. Travis Hussey received the Drury prize for marine mammal research center. exemplary work in natural history; Sara Wilson, the Kane Clyde E. Shorey, COA board of trustees chairman, and award for excellence in studies on conservation and environ- president Steven Katona presided over the ceremony. Citing mental law; Melinda Magleby, the Meade Educational Studies Thomas L. Friedman, foreign affairs editor of the New York Award; Tanya Higgins, the Center for Applied Human Ecolo- Times, Shorey encouraged the graduates to "think as global- gy Award for achievement in studies of policy and planning; ists and not as particularists." Katona saluted the graduating and Melissa Blue Sky, Maria West Sosa and Beth Ann White, seniors on their contributions to the college, including their the International Studies Award. Two scholarships were also participation in the planning of COA's first-ever endowment presented. The Heckscher Award in government and the arts campaign. went to Ardrianna French and Adam Dau, of the class of Two Master of Philosophy in Human Ecology degrees 2002; and the Rothschild Scholarship in education went to were conferred, to Abby Kidder and Rachel Coughtry. Dur- Sarah Hubert '01. COA NEWS 22 SPRING 2001 Catching Up With Friends By Rebecca Buyers-Basso '81 Seldon "Ari" Bernstein, former COA trustee and scientific researcher at the Jackson Laboratory, now has a small psy- chotherapy practice in Surry, Maine, and also has become a successful portrait painter. Ari started painting in 1980 at the tender age of 55 and discovered he had a talent that he never imagined. He encour- ages others to take up something new at any age. Norah D. Davis, widow of former COA faculty member Dick Davis, has been man- aging a multimillion dollar contract with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to inform the public about global warm- ing. With a small team of writers and graphic artists, she produces brochures, magazine articles, fact sheets, CD-ROMs, videos, annual reports, conference reports, exhibit booths, speeches, newslet- Seldon Bernstein (second from right) is seated with (left to right) Edward Kaelber, Alida ters and a website: www.epa.gov/global- Camp, James Russell Wiggins and Elizabeth Russell at a gathering at the college in the warming. early years. Norah writes: "The consulting compa- greenhouse gas emissions). What's best, France and Northern British Columbia ny that has the EPA contract on global we practice what we preach environmen- and has also gone on a few Elderhostel warming is ICF Consulting, a young, tally more than any other place that I've trips to parts of the U.S. she hadn't known aggressive and environmentally commit- worked-except COA, of course." before. "There's not nearly enough time ted company of 750 scientists, communi- to do everything I'd like," she reports, cators, and what-all. Founded 30 years Carolyn Dow, director of public affairs at "but it's fun trying." ago, we have the largest contingent of con- COA from 1987 to1991, earned a Master sultants working on climate change in the of Fine Arts degree from the Maine Col- Author Lucy Honig, former COA regis- nation (nearly 200, including the analysts lege of Art in Portland in May 2000. She trar, has published her second book, The who produced the U.S. inventory of was one of the first ten students to com- Truly Needy and Other Stories, a collection plete the rigorous new program of study. of short stories that won the 1999 Drue Her final project was a multi-media instal- Heinz Literature Prize and has been met lation dealing with the issue of alcoholism. with critical acclaim. She also recently showed one of her pieces Educator and author Robert Coles, in the Union of Maine Visual Arts exhibi- who once spoke at a COA commence- tion, "Show Me Your Fish," in the Blum ment, said of Honig's work that it "pos- Gallery at COA. sesses a startling, unnerving moral energy; Carolyn has bought a big rambling it is work that tells us a good deal about who we are." house in Portland and is looking forward to moving in this fall. She reports being Honig's stories have appeared in two O. Henry Prize story collections, and in very content with her life as an artist and Best American Short Stories. For many years mother of two grown sons and two step- children. she juggled writing with work that ranged from farming in the Maine woods to Wife of William Drury, Jr., beloved COA teaching English to immigrants in Brook- faculty member, Mary Drury has been lyn. Since 1995 she has taught in the grad- PHOTO: CARL LITTLE spending summers on Green's Island, "a uate program in International Health at Boston University's School of Public prime delight especially as all of my grand- Health. children are nearby." Cribbage, she reports, has replaced Go Fish and "the Marion Kane, director of public affairs at The Reverend William Booth, faculty oldest lot are fledged." In Bar Harbor, a COA in 1983, retired from the Maine Com- associate at College of the Atlantic, tends major project was supporting the comple- munity Foundation in December 1999 after his vegetables in the community garden. tion of her husband's book Chance and 17 years of service. She is now Executive Composer Henry Mollicone will use Rev. Change, which appeared in 1998. Mary Director of the Barr Foundation, formerly Booth's songs to create a song cycle for continues to sing with Acadia Choral Soci- known as the Hostetter Foundation, a pri- an opera based on the life and work of ety and her church choir. She has been vate, Boston-based family foundation with ecologist Rachel Carson. able to visit her "far-flung sisters" in assets of approximately $1 billion. continued on page 24 COA NEWS 23 SPRING 2001 Catching Up, from page 23 Pam Parvin, M.Ed. LCPC, the college's cook for twenty years and founder of COA's academic advising system, has her own private psychotherapy practice. After graduating from COA she earned her master's degree in Counselor Education at the University of Maine, Orono, and is now a licensed clinical professional coun- selor. She works one day a week as a guid- ance counselor at Conners Emerson School and maintains a private practice. Pam shares office space in Bar Harbor with Lori Alley, MSW, LCSW, who used to work in the registrar's office at COA. Lori earned her master's degree in Social Work from UMO in 1994 and works as a licensed clinical social worker. She was married in Las Vegas in 1997. No kids, but Lori's Siberian husky, "Ray," works with her in the office, cheering up depressed clients and helping with intimacy issues. Lori's background is in family and play therapy. Pam and Lori treat both adults and Carolyn Dow, Broken Trust, mixed media, including one hundred broken wine glasses on children and report that they really enjoy a mirrored table top, 1998-2000. According to the artist, the piece "emerged out of person- al memory, speaking of the devastating effects of alcoholism on individuals and families." working with COA students. Their experi- ences as advisors while employed at the college motivated each to pursue careers in counseling. In Wilderness Was the Amplification of Life There was a substantial College of the Atlantic contingent at the Despite Thoreau's celebration of the wild in people, litera- annual meeting of the Society for Human Ecology, held in Jackson ture and some farmers' fields, his greatest enthusiasm was for Hole, Wyoming, in October. Several students, faculty members places that had been left to themselves. Both the Chinese and Richard Borden, John Visvader, Gray Cox, Isabel Mancinelli, Davis the Transcendentalists needed to immerse themselves in the Taylor and John Anderson, and COA trustee Donald Straus attend- kind of Dz Ran, or "self-so," that exists far from the dwellings ed. SHE XII will be held at Michigan State University in April 2002. of humans. It wasn't uncommon for educated Chinese, in mid- What follows is an excerpt from a paper delivered by faculty mem- life, to spend their years of retirement in Thoreau-like simplis- ber in philosophy John Visvader titled "Practicing the Wild: The Role tic hermitages. In wilderness was the magnification of the of Wilderness in a Technological Society": spontaneous, in wilderness was the amplification of life. In a Chinese garden one must mold oneself to the thing pre- sent. There are many crooked paths and awkward stones and difficult bridges to traverse. The rational mind's desires for repetitive symmetries are constantly frustrated. There are degrees of wildness to be encountered: some areas are left impenetrable. These gardens were used to learn what naturalness and wildness meant, to find these things in oneself and then discov- er and promulgate them everywhere. Viewing the garden was like being made to look at nature through a specially construct- ed picture frame so that a certain sensitivity could be learned, and then removing the frame so that the same thing could be COLONIALIZATION seen everywhere without the help of the frame. The limits of such gardens were achieved by some Taoist monasteries in which the garden, which may have been contin- PHOTO: CARL LITTLE uously cultivated for hundreds of years, differed so little from the wilderness that the insensitive visitor would pass through it Around Columbus Day, COA students used masks and signs in without realizing its existence. But of course the garden, as nat- a skit relating colonialization to modern day globalization. They ural and wild as it might be, was only an introduction to nature performed the political piece at All College Meeting in the and one's own deeper nature. Gates Center auditorium. COA NEWS 24 SPRING 2001 Alumni Profile Elena Tuhy '90, Prosecutor By Rebecca Buyers-Basso '81 Elena Tuhy matriculated at College Prosecuting Domestic won't take responsibility for their of the Atlantic in her freshman year, Violence Offenders actions, and those who help others directly following graduation from Tuhy's case load includes domestic avoid their responsibility. high school. She took a variety of "As I think about it more, a lot of violence cases. Too often the victims classes that first year, one of which of domestic violence are intimidated our victims are more afraid of being influenced the direction of her aca- alone than they are of another beat- by their abusers and drop the charges demic and professional career. The ing," Tuhy notes. "For too many of after the initial report. With the help of victim advocates, however, Tuhy them, being physically and emotion- course, "Voluntary Simplicity," has been able to convince victims that ally abused becomes a way of life- taught by Dr. Richard Borden, chal- not a healthy way of life, but one that lenged Tuhy's assumptions and got it is worth the risk to testify. at least holds some degree of security her asking questions about how the "Once victims testify," she says, for them." She is determined to con- world works. "they are safe for the most part. tinue to file criminal charges against The following summer Tuhy read Tuhy sees a low rate of retaliation in Newark, for which she credits avail- abusers in the hope that maybe the a novel by Richard Bach and was next time the victim ("It is usually a inspired by the heroine, whose legal she, but not always," says Tuhy) will knowledge helped her get an injunc- follow through with the charges. tion against a logging company and "When we can convince a victim save a stand of trees. The story moti- to come in and testify, and then get a vated her to study law. Fourteen conviction, I feel like I'm really doing years later, Tuhy is a practicing attor- some good," she concludes. ney who gains satisfaction from her work as a criminal prosecutor. On-going Love Affair Asking Different Questions Tuhy's passions include an ongoing love affair with her alma mater. As While "Voluntary Simplicity" was her an undergraduate and just after her favorite course, Tuhy feels that it was graduation, she worked as an assis- the sum of her experiences as an tant in the college's Public Affairs undergraduate at COA that formed Office. When Director Carolyn Dow the person she is today. She learned resigned to pursue an art career, she how to live on her own for the first stepped in and ran the office for a time and how to be a member of a year and a half before leaving for law communal household while living in school in July of 1992. Carl Little, Ryle House. She admits that she arrived on campus thinking she different questions. "They encouraged me to think," PHOTO: VANESSA STALNAKER COA's public affairs director for the past eight years, recalls that Tuhy left already had all the answers, but her him a very well-organized office. college professors taught her to ask As an alumna Tuhy is a faithful donor, annual visitor to campus and currently serves as the editor of The she recalls. "I thought about what I Peregrine, COA's alumni news maga- wanted to do and how I wanted to Justice served: Elena Tuhy, assistant zine. "To me," she wrote recently to live my life, what was important to director of law, Newark, Ohio. college friends, "the bottom line is me. The teachers challenged my that the money (annual fund contri- assumptions and made me face able shelters for victims of domestic butions) goes to help the institution reality." violence and a responsive police that nurtured and taught us to nur- After a short stint as a visiting force that is not afraid to respond to ture and teach others in a world that student at Earlham College during calls and make arrests. For most needs the human ecological perspec- her junior year, Tuhy returned to offenders, she says, the arrest and tive more than ever. This is what we COA to graduate in 1990. She went subsequent jail time serve as a wake as alumni can do to give back to the on, as planned, to study law at Cleve- up call; they realize they have gone place that had such an impact on our land-Marshall College of Law in Ohio too far. In addition, all convicted lives." where she earned her J.D. in 1995. offenders must receive counseling, Tuhy also has a passion for the She has been practicing law for over which Tuhy believes reduces the coast of Maine. She has been study- five years, currently working as an number of repeat offenses, helping ing for, and recently sat for, the Assistant Director of Law for the City to break the cycle of abuse. Maine Bar Exam. Asked where she of Newark, Ohio, prosecuting crimi- "But sometimes it feels like we sees herself ten years from now, she nal misdemeanors within the city are on a treadmill," she concedes. visualizes herself raising children and (pop. 45,000) and in rural parts of The most frustrating part of her job, devising ways to survive Maine surrounding Licking County. she says, is dealing with people who winters. COA NEWS 25 SPRING 2001 A Salute to Skip Buyers-Basso By Daniel Dendanto '91 Skip Buyers- Basso works on the model for a white-sided dolphin in the taxidermy laboratory at PHOTO: CARL LITTLE College of the Atlantic. INGREDIENTS: exhibits, study skins and other projects created in the 1 whole animal, frozen (mammal or fowl, preferably road kill) practicum are useful end products in themselves, although 5 - 10 cups salt the experience of creating them is perhaps the more tangi- 3 6 quarts boiling water ble aspect of human ecology in action. 1 dash of Borax From the time specimens are collected, mostly from 1 sharp scalpel unfortunate road kills, the many hours spent preparing an 1 spoon, or similar scraping tool exhibit facilitates an exploration of anatomy, sculpture, natu- 100 straight pins (more if needed) ral history, interpretation, chemistry and problem solving. 1 needle Where did COA find an individual capable of guiding stu- 1 spool of thread dents through such a multi-disciplinary exercise? In the excelsior and twine to taste ranks of her own alumni. Skip came to COA as a student, with experience in draft- A recipe common to woodsmen, taxidermists and furriers, ing and an interest in architecture. He discovered his talent but when prepared at College of the Atlantic, under the tute- for taxidermy and museum preparation while taking the lage of Skip Buyers-Basso, these ingredients provide a practi- Museum Practicum from the late Stan Greirson. cal means of self discovery and a powerful tool for the inter- Skip's new interest took him on an unexpected path-to disciplinary study of human ecology. Canada. After COA, he apprenticed in Ottawa and later Now that Skip has moved on from his position at College went on to work for museums in Saint Andrews and Saint of the Atlantic to pursue other ambitions, it is appropriate to Stephens, New Brunswick. Eventually his path led back to reflect upon his impact on the school. Mount Desert Island where he has spent the past thirteen Few students come to COA seeking training in how to years serving as a teacher, advisor and friend to students, curate a museum, or hoping to apprentice in taxidermy, yet and a valuable member of the COA community. In addi- many have left with valuable experiences and skills gained tion, he has maintained a private taxidermy and museum through participation in Skip's Museum Practicum class. consultation practice. Some individuals have even changed their career plans com- During Skip's tenure, his practicum dramatically expand- pletely, heading down a road they discovered during the ed the exhibits of COA's Museum of Natural History and class. Of course, not all practicum students have become outreach education programs. As the museum's curator, he museum curators or educators; their paths are as varied as was responsible for the annual expansion and contraction of the students themselves. the museum facility in the Turrets, balancing the need for Skip's curriculum and techniques encompass all aspects increased museum size in summer with campus space limita- of COA's distinctive educational philosophy. Moving beyond tions during the academic year. This annual transformation liberal arts to an integrated, multi-discipline genre, firmly of Turrets' first floor was made possible by Skip's innovative rooted in the "hands-on" (and up-to-the-elbows) approach, approach to exhibit design and display case construction. the practicum forces the intersection of science, design, Skip was instrumental in the establishment of the muse- math, art, education, conservation and responsible use. The um's advisory board and the design of the new museum continued on page 28 COA NEWS 26 SPRING 2001 Distinguished Visitors Jane Goodall Biographer Speaks On Primates Dr. Dale Peterson, the biographer of Jane Goodall, presented a slide talk titled "Writing, Meeting and Eating Apes" in the McCormick Lecture Hall at COA in March. In his talk, Dr. Peterson described his vision of pri- mate worlds and considered what it means to come face to face, eye to eye, with a creature who shares in common with us 98.4 percent of his genetic material. Dr. Peterson also previewed some of his current work on the prob- lem of people eating apes-a practice PHOTO: CARL LITTLE that has become commercialized to the point that all three African ape species (chimpanzees, bonobos and Not too close there, Lou. Legendary Maine meteorologist and "Made in Maine" host Lou gorillas) could very easily disappear McNally considers the weather in a painting by James Buttersworth featured in the exhi- within our life times. bition "Under Sail: Marine Art from Private Collections" in the Blum Gallery. McNally During the last fifteen years, Dr. taught a two-week course on meteorology at COA last summer. Peterson has produced an important series of books about primates. He has Visions of Caliban with the world's fore- Currently, Dr. Peterson is writing the traveled around the world, locating liv- most primatologist, Dr. Jane Goodall, biography of Jane Goodall and finish- ing and often endangered primates in and Demonic Males: Apes and the Origins ing a book titled Eating Apes for the the tropical forests of South America, of Human Violence with Harvard University of California Press. He Africa and Asia. He coauthored anthropologist Richard Wrangham. teaches writing at Tufts University. Director of Idaho EXIT Fish and Game Discusses "A Sustainable Future" Rodney Sando, director of the Idaho Department of Fish and Game, spoke on "A Sustainable Future: Where Do We Go From Here?" in the McCormick Lecture Hall during his residency at COA last winter. Sando, who taught two courses in sustainable resource manage- ment at the college, discussed the con- PHOTO: NANCY MCCORMICK cept of a sustainable future in America. "It is possible to create a dynamic bal- ance of environmental protection and economic development," Sando said. He is committed to the premise that PHOTO: CARL LITTLE "our grandchildren should inherit all of Nina Monfredo of Seal Harbor was a the opportunities that we have to enjoy guest violinist at an Arcady Music Festival Rodney Sando addresses one of his the great outdoors." concert last March in the Gates Center sustainable resource management The talk was sponsored by the col- auditorium. Nina is a sixth grader at the classes at College of the Atlantic. lege's Center for Applied Human Mt. Desert Elementary School in Ecology. Northeast Harbor and a winner of the 1999 Arcady Youth Competition. continued on page 28 COA NEWS 27 SPRING 2001 Visitors, from page 27 Geddes on the "Architect's Task" Robert Geddes, former dean of the Princeton University School of Archi- tecture, presented a talk on "The Architect's Task: Six Degrees of Con- nection" in the Gates Center auditori- um last spring. He and his colleagues, Mark and Anne Demshak, have been working with the COA community for the past year on developing a new campus plan. In 1979, Geddes received the high- est professional honor of the Ameri- can Institute of Architects, the Archi- tectural Firm Award, for "distin- guished architecture in educational facilities, public buildings, and urban planning projects that has shown a PHOTO: ROBERT FISH consistent regard for design quality, respect for the environment, and Robert Geddes explains "six degrees of connection" during his talk in the Gates Center social concern." auditorium. Helen Fremont, author of After Long Silence: A Memoir, was a guest speak- er at COA last April. Here she joins founding COA Presi- dent Edward Kaelber (cen- ter), his wife, Anne Sewall, Borbala Kiss '01 and her friend C. Gary Lloyd outside Kaelber Hall. Fremont visited faculty member in literature Visiting professor Carlotta Mazzoldi from the University Susan Lerner's class to talk of Padova discusses her research with COA faculty Dr. about her experience of dis- Chris Petersen (center) and Dr. Todd Little-Siebold in the covering that her parents Davis Center for International and Regional Studies. Dr. were Jewish holocaust sur- Mazzoldi visited College of the Atlantic for ten days in vivors who had converted to May to work with Dr. Petersen on fish behavioral They co-authored a paper that was published in The PHOTO:CARL LITTLE Catholicism after the war, research that she has conducted in the Venice Lagoon. the subject of her memoir. Journal of Experimental Zoology last year and are work- ing on another manuscript. Skip, from page 26 facility. His part in the museum's transformation is consider- fondly remember practicum potlucks, a "road-kill café" of able, and will punctuate his legacy. bear, moose, deer, duck, raccoon, rabbit and whatever else Skip's technical prowess and dedicated service, however, could be found in the freezer. are only part of the story. Much more important is the man- Skip led us through new experiences, new ways to ner in which he interacted with those around him, teaching, explore our environmentalism and, of course, new cuisine. advising, or just plain listening in order to encourage growth In case you were curious about what he is doing with himself and achievement in each of his students. I am reminded of these days, he continues his passion for cooking as a profes- my own experience in the practicum where Skip's unique sional chef at a private residence here on Mount Desert teaching style not only helped me to realize my abilities as a Island. I wonder if he tells his clients what's in the stew? preparator, but also fostered personal growth in the areas of self-confidence, humility and interpersonal skills. Above all, Skip will be fondly remembered for his likable Dan Dendanto '91 is currently working on a Ph.D. in biology at the nature. He is easy to approach, easy to talk to, generous with University of Maine. His research on the genetic ecology of finback his time, frank in his opinion and pleasant to be around. whales in the Gulf of Maine is an extension of studies he began as His students and advisees agree they could relate to Skip in an undergraduate with Allied Whale. Dendanto and his wife, ways they could not with other COA faculty. They will also Megan Smith '90, live in Seal Cove, Maine, with their two sons. COA NEWS 28 SPRING 2001 A Caribbean Adventure PHOTO: JOHN ANDERSON Nancy Lokocz takes a turn at the wheel of Spirit of Massachusetts somewhere in the Sir Francis Drake Channel during "Human Ecology in the Caribbean." During winter break this past December, sixteen hardy Sebastian Junger," said Dr. Anderson, "in general students students and alumni accompanied COA faculty members and faculty had an excellent opportunity to encounter and John Anderson and Isabel Mancinelli on a voyage of explo- study exotic habitats and to see similarities with our own ration from Puerto Rico through the U.S. and British Vir- lovely Mt. Desert Island." High points of the trip included gin Islands as part of a course on regional planning and snorkeling with tropical fish at Virgin Gorda, exploring the island ecology. "While some aspects of the course had an Reef Trail in St. John National Park and visiting the rain uncomfortable resemblance to books by Patrick O'Brien or forest on the summit of Mount Sage on Tortola. College of the Atlantic in Cuba A small group of COA students and staff got a rare, in seminars on the Cuban economy, rural develpment close-up look at the little-understood nation of Cuba last and the environment, politics and participation. year. The Cuban field trip augmented the college's winter The focus of the trip was specifically the role of term international program in Merida, Mexico, on the organic agriculture in Cuba and, more generally, on the Yucatan peninsula. political, economic and cultural context of the social The overall aim of the Yucatan experience is to pre- changes taking place there now. The group worked pare students to work independently on human ecology through the University of Havana. Staff there provided a projects in Latin America-for internships, senior pro- series of orientation lectures and discussions. jects, future coursework and job and research activities The trip came at an historic time. Mass protests con- after graduation. cerning the Elian Gonzalez case were going on through- The Cuba trip took place Februay 9-20, 2000, imme- out the stay, both in the streets and in the media. diately before the students began their independent, two- week final project in Mexico. During the tour, the group This text is excerpted from an article by Nancy Richards that visited the capital city of Havana and the coastal town of appeared in the Bar Harbor Times issue of June 22, 2000. Cienfuegos. They toured organic farms and participated COA NEWS 29 SPRING 2001 From a Cuba Journal By Serra Benson '01 Feburary 15, 2000 Today, on our four and a half hour bus trip back to La Habana, we let on as many hitchhikers as we could. We had rented a huge tour bus, which we hardly filled, SO there were plenty of extra seats. The woman sitting next to me was on her way to visit her sister in the city. Hardly anyone has cars here, so hitchhiking is a common means of transportation. When we got back to the city, we had a lecure at the Uni- versity of Havana on the subject of rural development, the environment and agriculture. The professor had a back- ground in popular education and works in the campo with a government program, which is trying to encourage bottom up communication and dialogue between agronomists and farm workers. She was so enthusiastic and dedicated that I was moved to tears. I was thinking about where I live in California and all the migrant farm workers who harvest strawberries. I know Serra Benson '01 (right) speaks with two Cuban farmers dur- our government would never encourage that kind of dia- ing a visit to the Caribbean island. logue with migrant farm workers, who are in no way respect- Inside the apartment, the feeling of community was ed or valued as they are in Cuba. By the end of the lecture, incredible. Everyone had their doors open and was hanging I was sobbing, but I managed to tell the professor how much out with neighbors like they were one big family. Peter was I appreciated her talk. visiting his neighbor and I sat and chatted for a while in her On the way back to the hotel we walked through a resi- apartment. dential neighborhood and met two men playing checkers on Since I have been in this country, all of my misconcep- the front steps of their apartment block. I asked to take their tions about Cuba, mostly created by the U.S. media, have picture for my photography assignment, which they said been completely turned around. The people I have met would be fine. They were very friendly, and when I told here are proud, confident and well educated. It certainly is them I was from California, they told me to go upstairs and not a perfect life, but they are finding many creative solu- ask for Peter, who had lived in L.A. for six years. tions to deal with the various problems they face. From the Yucatan to Frenchman Bay: Francisco May at COA Francisco May from the Universidad de Quintana Roo in Mexico makes a point at the blackboard during a class at College of the Atlantic. During his residency last winter, Professor May led an informal discussion on "Identity, Education and Institutions: Musings of a Human Ecologist." The talk was PHOTO: PETE TRAVERS sponsored by the college's Identity Studies Group. COA NEWS 30 SPRING 2001 Signs of Move over Tom Hanks: Students in Stephen Ressel's "Winter Ecology" course demon- Winter strate traditional methods for start- ing a fire. Only natural materials that can be easily collected during the winter were used to start the flame. The demo took place in the Left: No bus today: Last summer Newlin Garden. College of the Atlantic signed on to be a stop on the route of the Island Explorer, a free bus Wisland transportation service on Mount explorer Desert Island sponsored by BUS Friends of Acadia. Island visitors STOP and residents can now get off by the Dorr Museum of Natural History and visit the Blum Gallery, Gates Center, Thorndike Library and other places of interest on the COA campus. PHOTOS: CARL LITTLE Above: Taking a pulse: COA students attended a week- long first responder rescue course over the spring break. Left: These small red flags Snowed on a Grecian urn? No, it's actually a garden vessel pro- appeared outside the Tur- duced by Lunaform of West Sullivan, Maine. Three Lunaform ves- rets last year, a sign of the sels were featured in "The Art of the Garden*" exhibition in the renovation going on inside Blum Gallery in July. the landmark building. COA NEWS 31 SPRING 2001 On the Waterfront Clockwise from top: Alana Beard, a sophomore, retrieves a boat for the sail- ing class this past fall at College of the Atlantic. Fun in the sun: The Summer Field Studies program for children marked its 16th year at College of the Atlantic with a wealth of exciting activities, including explo- ration of the intertidal zone. The program is directed by the Dorr Museum of Natural History at COA. Last one in is a...? The largest contingent ever of brave students, faculty and staff took the plunge during the annual Bar Island Swim, a part of orientation week in the fall. Anyone who wants to learn how to sail say "Aye, aye, Captain!" Ted Koffman, director of government rela- tions, introduces the COA sailing program to a group of students on the pier. PHOTOS: CARL LITTLE COA NEWS 32 SPRING 2001 Installation shot of "The Abstract Edge" exhibition in the Ethel H. Blum Gallery. The show last June featured paintings by Alison Hildreth and Nancy McCormick and sculpture by Emilie Brzezinski. Painter Nikolai Fox '00 enter- tains guests at Visual the opening of "Under Sail: Marine Art from Private Arts Collections" in the Blum Gallery in August. Those at are canvases by Kensett, Silva and Jacobsen on the wall COA behind him. Father Paul Plante (left), pastor of the St. John's Parish in Winslow, Maine, displayed a selection of his pastels in the show "The Eyes of Birds" in the Thorndike Library last spring. For the last six or so years, Father Plante has focused his artistic attention on creating striking images of the eyes of numerous bird species, from chickadees to owls. In conjunction with the show, the college sponsored a community con- test to identify all the birds in the show. Gabriel Willow '01 (right) was the winner. COA NEWS 33 SPRING 2001 PHOTO: CARL LITTLE Above: Elizabeth Malaska, a sophomore at College of the Atlantic, is dwarfed by two of the large canvases featured in her one-person Blum Gallery exhibition, "I am a painter." Malaska has been painting seriously for over five years, studying in Rome, Italy, Portland and Oregon, and at Bard College and College of the Atlantic. "Through my figurative paint- ings, I am trying to understand who I am and where I am," she states. "Art is invaluable; it is the voice of the subconscious, which tran- scends time and place. I consider art essential to our survival." Left: George DeWolfe, Whale Skull, black-and- white photograph, 2000. An adjunct faculty member, DeWolfe has taught photography at College of the Atlantic on several occasions over the past years. His photographs have appeared in a wide range of publications, including the Journal of Friends of Acadia. COA NEWS 34 SPRING 2001 Whitney Oppersdorff, COA, collage 1999. Lincolnville, Maine, painter Oppersdorff showed a group of her collages in the "Chart Art" show in the Ethel H. Blum Gallery last year. More recently, her work was featured in "Common Ground: AMPRICA'S Uncommon Views" at the Center for College of the Atlantic in Maine Contemporary Art/Maine Coast Artists in Rockport. Baskin, Leonard (1922-2000). Embattled Youth, 1978. Original etching on vélin d'Arches paper. This signed print by master artist and sculptor Leonard Baskin was given to the college by Estelle Unger in 1992. The college boasts a small, but choice permanent collection. Thanks to a chal- lenge grant from the Joan Whitney and Charles Shipman Payson Charitable Foundation, the college purchased an art storage unit. The "ModuPanel Kit," manufactured by Biblio- Design Ltd., provides 576 square feet of storage. PHOTO: PETE TRAVERS COA NEWS 35 SPRING 2001 Eco-Art: Another Vision By Susan Lerner Susan Lerner stands amidst her own example of eco-art, A Geomancer's Temple of the Crow, assembled at Beech Hill Farm last August. The piece was part of the "Scarecrow/Higher Elevations" exhibition organized by Nancy Manter and Casey Mallinckrodt. Lerner's piece was made of wood, moss, trees and grass. The college is organizing another outdoor show at the farm for this coming summer, "Scarecrow/Genetic Mutations." Please contact Bonnie Gilfillan at COA for an application (207-288-5015). Is it really possible to merge art and science? Or are the two dent population to the art of eco-art. permanently separate, sky and terra firma, forever meeting What did they do? Workshops in designing projects, at the horizon, forever distinct? evening slide shows and roundtable discussions with arts and There are actually people out there who devote them- science faculty filled the five days and nights. One group selves to the marriage-artists who do science, scientists who worked together to create a design to recycle gray water do art-or at least have friends who do. Some of these people from the Turrets, using the fountain in the formal garden have claimed a new territory, calling their genre Environ- behind the building, envisioning a moss sculpture, which mental Art, also known as ecological art, or eco-art for short. would cleanse the water and make it suitable for use in the Practitioners of this genre aim to address problems in the garden. Students and faculty collaborated with sculptor Jack- environment, draw attention to them and possibly even solve ie Brookner, who has used moss fountains in her work, and them, by using the eclectic tools available to the contempo- Heike Strelow, who is curating an international eco-art show rary artist, and by collaborating with scientists and policy on water. makers. Another project incorporated Rahmani's redesign of the Where better to practice this art than at College of the campus using Geographic Information Systems maps of wild Atlantic, the place where all differences are reconciled life kills related to migration patterns on Mount Desert through the philosophy of Human Ecology? I became inter- Island. Rahmani has "redesigned" the city of Portland using ested in the field and began to work with a committee to the same principle: What if we could recreate our infrastruc- locate artists and plan the event. One of the first things we ture so that we could live in harmony with wildlife, not cre- did was create a website-www.coa.edu/ecoart-to join in dis- ate a collision course with it. cussion with eco-artists around the world and to give artists Susan Steinman, Ruth Wallen and Erica Fielder made an idea of what COA was about and what kinds of projects photocopies of the idealized images of our island landscape would be feasible. that appear on postcards and placed the pages on the win- The eco-artists who had been selected convened in New dows in the cafeteria, re-framing our view of the world. They York City, just as the first blizzard of the winter caused all provided materials for students to design postcards, which airports to be closed. Susan Steinman, Ruth Wallen and took a more critical view of the landscape, revealing its frag- Erica Fielder from California, Jackie Brookner from New ile and stressed nature. York City and Heike Strelow from Frankfurt, Germany, The event drew not only COA students, faculty and snagged the last car big enough to hold them all and their staff, but also college trustees and townspeople who baggage and crept through the northeastward-trending became involved in the dialogue. While human ecology is storm for 17 hours to arrive a day late at COA, weary, but always inclusive, it is often hard to work in a truly interdisci- ready to begin their five-day residency. These artists joined plinary way. Eco-art addresses exactly that issue. It provides Aviva Rahmani from Vinalhaven and Carolyn Eyler from another vision of how to approach complex issues in our Gorham to embark on a mission of introducing the resi- environment. COA NEWS 36 SPRING 2001 A Tribute to George Daniell In anticipation of artist George Daniell's 90th birthday in May 2001, the Thorndike Library at College of the Atlantic mounted an exhibition of his oil paintings, watercolors and pho- tographs in January. The works in the show, borrowed from private collections, included a group of watercolors, among them, an early self-portrait, a rendering of the artist's mother on her death bed and Jonah inside the whale. There were images of Sorrento and Ischia in Italy and a delightful rendering of flirtatious playing cards. More than half the show came from the artist's personal collec- tion and had never been on public dis- play before. Photographs of John Marin, Geor- gia O'Keeffe, Berenice Abbott, Sophia Lauren and Audrey Hepburn were also on view, along with two prints from Daniell's 1938 Grand Manan fisherman series. His photographs appeared in national magazines, including Life, Time, Scribner's and Coronet, and were featured in several landmark exhibi- tions, most notably Edward Steichen's "Then and Now" show at the Museum of Modern Art in 1960. George Daniell's Brothers on the Hudson, a black-and-white photograph from 1936, was included in his exhibition at COA. PHOTO: COURTESY THE ARTIST Photographer Bill McDowell '80 (right) returned to campus on the occasion of an EXIT exhibition of his work "Banner of Light: The Lily Dale Photographs" in the Ethel H. Blum Gallery. Here he explains his work to students in Douglas Barkey's "Advanced Photography" course. Spiritualists, mediums and spirit guides have been living and practicing in Lily Dale, New York, since 1879, when the community was founded as the official retreat for followers of Spiritualism, a loosely organized religion based primarily upon a belief in the psychic ability to communicate with spirits of the dead. In a fascinating body of work McDowell explores, on a symbolic level, the psychic phenomena and mystical experiences of Lily Dale's 150 current residents. The photographs have previously been shown at the Olin Art Gallery at Kenyon College and the Menschel Photogra- phy Gallery at Syracuse University and in the Triennial of Photography at the Deich- torhallen Museum in Hamburg, Germany. McDowell earned a B.A. in human ecology from COA and an MFA in photogra- phy from Rochester Institute of Technology. He is associate professor in the depart- ment of art at Texas A&M University in Commerce. COA NEWS 37 SPRING 2001 Personnel ICU KOFFMAN Ted KOFFMAN MAI MAINE KOFFMAN FOR MAINE MAINE Te HOUSE AN KOFFN AINE OUSE Top, left: Our new legislator: Ted Koffman. COA staff and friends of the candidate, including Donna McFarland (left) and Karen Anderson (right), joined Koffman in the Fourth of July parade in Bar Harbor. Our fearless director of government rela- tions and summer programs has wasted little time in making his presence felt in Augusta. He may be a freshman (D-Bar Harbor), but he has already found a seat for himself on the Natural Resources Committee and has had a bill passed. "He walks wide-eyed through the halls of the Statehouse," wrote a Maine Times reporter, "a one-man crusader for smart growth always ready for a challenge." Top, right: A wedding at College of the Atlantic: Bruce Hazam '92 and Atsuko Watabe '93 tied the knot at COA a few years ago. Now they are both working for the admissions office as, respectively, Associate Director of Financial Aid/Admissions Counselor and International Student Coordinator. Hazam replaced Mary Dyer, who is now running the loan program at the University of Maine at Orono. PHOTO: CARL LITTLE Left: Clair Bradstreet (center) with the Business Office team: left to right: Shari Kraljic, Cherie Ford (now receptionist for the college, replacing Judy Lawson), Patri- cia Pinkham and Melissa Cook. Susan Dobrowski now handles Accounts Receiv- able/Student Payroll. Melissa Cook, a Bar Harbor native, has been named con- Economic Geography from Middlebury, an M.A. in Geogra- troller, replacing Clair Bradstreet, who resigned in January. phy and Environmental Planning from the University of Ver- Ms. Cook holds a B.S. in Business Administration from mont and an M.B.A. from Rollins. Bryant College in Smithfield, Rhode Island. Prior to coming to COA, Ms. Cook worked for Harold MacQuinn Inc. of Anna Murphy is executive secretary to President Steven Hancock. She also served as chief financial officer at St. Katona, taking the place of Mabel Paszyc, who left the college Andrews Hospital in Boothbay Harbor from 1990 to 1996. last year. Mrs. Murphy previously worked at Foxrun Travel in Bar Harbor, at Mount Desert Island Hospital and for Jonathan Ehrlich has been appointed director of finance and Lufthansa Airlines. She earned a B.A. from the University of Massachusetts at Boston and an M.A. in German at Tufts administration, replacing Melville Coté, who retired last year. Prior to College of the Atlantic, Mr. Ehrlich was business University. She taught intermediate German at St. Anselm's manager at Ransom Everglades School in Miami, Florida. He College in Manchester, New Hampshire. also served as chief financial officer at Embry-Riddle Aero- nautical University in Prescott, Arizona, and as director of Traci Remick '94 joined the staff at COA last winter. She is business at Rollins College. He holds a B.A. in Business and certification officer in the educational studies program. COA NEWS 38 SPRING 2001 R eens to PHOTO: PETE TRAVERS In one of many rehearsals, students perform Inherit the Wind on the Gates Center stage. In the COA production, female and male actors alternated playing the roles of the two firebrand attorneys, William Jennings Bryan and Clarence Darrow. "Inherit the Wind" Performed College of the Atlantic's Theater Workshop, under the that it enjoys to this day. direction of Lucy Bell Sellers, presented Inherit the Wind "Inherit the Wind remains an enthralling courtroom by Jerome Lawrence and Robert E. Lee in the Gates Cen- drama with fascinating characters and a timeless theme," ter auditorium in November. Ms. Sellers said. "Inherit the Wind is generally known as 'the play about The principal actors were drawn from the ranks of the Monkey Trial," says Sellers. the Theatre Workshop, with several main parts double The play is based on the Scopes Trial of 1925 when a cast. COA faculty, including John Anderson, Craig young teacher was tried and convicted of teaching the Greene, Chris Petersen and Helen Hess, appear as distin- banned theory of Darwinism in a Tennessee school. With guished scientists. President Steve Katona and trustee three-time presidential candidate William Jennings Bryan James Gower also had parts. The set, constructed by stu- leading the prosecution and noted criminal lawyer Clarence dent Drake Windsor, was painted by arts faculty member Darrow conducting the defense, the case gained a notoriety Ernie McMullen and his students. COA NEWS 39 SPRING 2001 Alexandra Lincoln '00 and her moth- er, Bar Harbor Times arts editor Nan Lincoln, played the roles of PHOTO: PETE TRAVERS, BAR HARBOR TIMES mother and daughter, Thelma and Jesse Cates, in a production of the Pulitzer Prize- winning drama, 'Night, Mother, in the Gates Center in May. Night, Mother Staged For her senior project at College of the Atlantic, Alexan- possible, which meant creating a living room and work- dra Lincoln produced, directed and co-starred in Marcia ing kitchen on the Gates Center stage. Norman's play 'Night, Mother. Ms. Lincoln cast her real "Everything about this drama is intimate, intense and mother, Nan Lincoln, to play the role of her mother in literal," says Ms. Lincoln. "So when Jesse's mama makes the two-woman drama. cocoa, she really makes it." "I had originally planned to perform the play in a real She was able to enlist the help of former Mount home," says Ms. Lincoln, "but we couldn't find a space Desert Island High School set designer Joe Lewis to that would accommodate a fair-sized audience as well as design and build their set. Ms. Lincoln had a feature part the two rooms the play is set in." in the college's Theater Workshop production of Tom She felt it was important that the set be as realistic as Stoppard's Arcadia two years ago. COA NEWS Nonprofit Organization College of the Atlantic U.S. POSTAGE PAID 105 Eden Street Bar Harbor, ME Bar Harbor, Maine 04609 Permit #47 207 288-5015 ADDRESS CORRECTION REQUESTED Due to circumstances beyond our control, this issue of COA News is being sent out late. We will resume our previous schedule of three issues a year beginning in August 2001.