COA NEWS WINTER 2000 COLLEGE OF THE ATLANTIC BAR HARBOR, MAINE Of Stones and the Horizon of Love by Terry Tempest Williams AN EXCERPT FROM THE 1999 COMMENCEMENT SPEECH It is a pleasure and a privi- lege to be with you today at College of the Atlantic, to be able to honor the gradu- ating class of 1999. And what an astonish- ing class this is-such spirit and savvy and joy. I had the opportunity yesterday to spend time with some of the students, faculty and trustees and I was so moved by the depth of their enthu- siasm, intelligence and cre- ativity, their overriding commitment toward living with an "ethic of place." These qualities were powerfully conveyed through the senior projects, ranging from studies of Maine farms and the strug- gle of rural communities, to sealing in Newfoundland and the public perceptions surrounding this issue; from a study of how well human-built wetlands func- tion, to an investigation of shrines and their signifi- cance. The focus included the local-a survey of devel- opment in Bar Harbor-and the international, a water Richard Peter senior (1895-1977). A Stone Cries Out in Accusation, 1945, published in Die project in Zambia. All of Fotografie April 1960 and August 1979. This image was featured in "Recollecting a Culture: Photog- them were personal and raphy and the Evolution of a Socialist Aesthetic in East Germany, 1929-1989" in the Ethel H. Blum universal at once. Gallery, January 1-February 5, 2000. Curated by John P. Jacob '81, executive director of the Photo- The fact that each of you graphic Resource Center at Boston University, this exhibition is the first in America to examine the has had to write an essay on history of East German photography. continued on page 15 Into the Third Millennium COA News The Newsletter of By Dr. Steven K. Katona, President, College of the Atlantic College of the Atlantic Winter 1999/2000 This past July, I started my seventh year as president of College of the Atlantic. It seemed like a good time to pause and reflect on the many changes that have occurred at this small PRESIDENT college by the sea. Steven K. Katona When I first arrived as a faculty member in biology in 1972, the college had held an CHAIRMAN OF THE experimental pilot program with thirteen students the previous summer. Campus consisted BOARD OF TRUSTEES of four buildings and eighteen acres. The faculty was small: four full-time members and sev- Clyde E. Shorey, Jr. eral part-time teachers. The student body totaled thirty-two young men and women. Over the years, those numbers have swelled to twenty-two full-time faculty members and DIRECTOR OF two hundred and sixty students, fifty-six of whom graduated on June 5. The campus now has DEVELOPMENT Fran Day twenty-nine contiguous acres, two islands, an organic farm and several other properties used as biological reserves. Several of these properties made their way to the college this fiscal year. EDITOR Financially, the college has grown as well. As we head into the closing phase of the Silver Carl Little, Anniversary Endowment Campaign, nearly $15 million has been raised towards the goal of Director of Public Affairs $20 million in the year 2000. This outpouring of generosity from those who so avidly sup- ckl@ecology.coa.edu port the college is beginning to give the institution the financial stability it needs to carry on WRITERS: its mission into the next millennium. With just over a quarter of the way left to go, all looks Lyman Feero, Principal well for the campaign's successful completion. Writer and Researcher, I watch with awe as the college surpasses all expectations that its founders might have Development Office had nearly thirty years ago. In 1969, when the founding trustees first incorporated the col- Ifeero@ecology.coa.edu lege, they could hardly have foreseen the profound impact that this school would have on Rebecca Buyers-Basso '81 the town of Bar Harbor, the island of Mount Desert, the State of Maine and the world. buyers@ecology.coa.edu Even harder to foresee was the impact College of the Atlantic has had on higher educa- Sara Heifetz '01 tion. Educators from around the globe continue to applaud the college's distinctive approach to a liberal arts education. Its structure has created a whole new blueprint for COA News is published preparing students for their lives beyond the halls and classrooms of their alma mater. With twice a year and is circulat- a strong emphasis on community service and involvement, self governance and internship ed to alumni, students, par- programs, COA students leave the college with practical experiences that supplement the ents and friends of theoretical knowledge they acquired in the classroom. They then put it all to work to help College of the Atlantic. solve environmental and social problems. PRINTER This vision will carry College of the Atlantic into the third millennium as a leader in high- Downeast Printing er education. The founding principles of a school with no departmental separations, which and Graphics emphasizes the connections between different kinds of knowledge, still challenge the main- stream approach to higher learning. The college's intense focus on Human Ecology, the DESIGNER study of how humans interact with their natural, social and technological environments, has Z Studio led it to the forefront of such an education. Other schools have begun to acknowledge the power and scope of interdisciplinary education. As these schools strive to create centers for interdisciplinary learning, COA offers a shining model of how such a program can succeed. THE COLLEGE The college's successes have stimulated many generous gifts from foundations, organiza- OF THE ATLANTIC continued on next page "VISION STATEMENT" The faculty, students, trustees, staff and alumni of College of Contents the Atlantic envision a world Of Stones and the Horizon of Love where people value creativity, Faculty Profile: David Feldman p. 22 intellectual achievement, and by Terry Tempest Williams pp. 1, 15 New Courses: Salmon p. 23 the diversity of nature and Beech Hill Farm pp. 4-5 Summer Program Launched p. 25 human cultures. With respect Davis Center Dedicated p. 7 and compassion, individuals Tribute to Etta Kralovec will construct meaningful lives Stewards of Creation by William Carpenter pp. 27-29 for themselves, gain apprecia- by the Reverend Peter J. Gomes pp. 8-9 Melville Coté Honored pp. 28-29 tion for the relationships among all forms of life, and Alumni Profile: Barbarina Heyerdahl '88 by Edward Kaelber and Richard Borden safeguard the heritage of and Waldorf Education Obituaries pp. 30-32 future generations. by Rebecca Buyers-Basso '81 pp. 10-11 Gauguin in Tahiti p. 34 Rachel Carson Chair update p. 13 Earth Day 1999 p. 35 VISIT THE COLLEGE OF THE 27th Commencement pp. 16-17 The Theater Workshop's Tempest ATLANTIC WEBSITE AT Faculty Interview: Sean Todd pp. 18-19 by Lucy Bell Sellers p. 37 www.coa.edu Around Campus pp. 20-21 Photo Gallery pp. 39-40 COA NEWS 2 WINTER 1999/2000 Millennium, from page 2 tions and individual donors. This year has seen tremendous where people value creativity, intellectual achievement and growth, both in the amount of gifts received and in the over- the diversity of nature and human cultures. all asset base of the college. Gifts this year have resulted in Perhaps, one day all the world will share this vision and the acquisition of a property which abuts campus to the purpose, but in these days of ongoing tensions in the Balkans, immediate south; the construction of a new Natural History Indonesia, Russia and elsewhere, with guns in schools and Museum building; and the acquisition of two island lighthous- world-wide deterioration of the environment and natural es off the coast of Maine and the eighty-six-acre Beech Hill areas, it is painfully apparent that the world is still in need of a Farm, previously managed by two alumni of the college. college that dares to address these issues head-on. These acquisitions boost the college's overall assets, but These problems cannot be solved through one close- more importantly, they offer tremendous curricular advan- minded approach. Instead, they must be viewed through a tages as well. The new Kathryn W. Davis Center of Interna- kaleidoscope of philosophies, an understanding that goes tional and Regional Studies will help the college expand its beyond the realm of the individual. Through interdisci- global impact through studies in foreign countries. plinary education, the college is producing the next genera- The two lighthouses and outbuildings-one on Mount tion of global thinkers. Desert Rock and the other on the southern-most ten When I look ahead to the third millennium, I see College acres of Great Duck Island adjoining a 190-acre nature of the Atlantic continuing to educate world thinkers. I see reserve operated by the Nature Conservancy-were alumni taking an active role in regional and world affairs. I acquired through the Maine Lights Program. They will think of Kathy Hazard '76, an attorney for the Department serve as research stations for marine mammal and sea of Justice, Environment Division, who negotiated a settle- bird studies, as well as for investigations in botany and ment to the Hopi-Navajo land dispute; Senator Rochelle Pin- island ecology. gree '79, majority leader of the Maine State Senate, who trav- The new Natural History Museum, which will be eled to Kosovo last year as an observer; Johannah Bernstein named for George B. Dorr, the founder of Acadia J.D. '83, legal counsel to more than 1,400 non-governmental National Park, will be open organizations; Liz Cunning- to the public next spring, ham '82, seasoned political marking the first time that commentator and author; or the museum has had a space Glen Berkowitz '82, Manager of its very own. of Traffic Mitigation for the The beautiful new muse- Central Artery/Ted Williams um, designed by architect Tunnel Project in Boston. I am Stewart Brecher, has ample confident COA graduates will exhibit space to display the play increasingly large roles in museum's permanent collec- creating a better, more harmo- tions, as well as space for nious world. changing exhibitions high- As I look ahead, I see Col- lighting new aspects of lege of the Atlantic continuing Human Ecology. to provide a unique education- Beech Hill Farm is an al experience where problems extraordinarily exciting of science may find inspiration acquisition for the college. for solutions from the arts, As COA develops its cur- where physics and literature riculum in Sustainable focus on the same seemingly Agriculture and Entre- indomitable questions. I see preneurial Studies, the programs that challenge stu- farm will be invaluable in dents to think beyond socio- the design and planning of economic barriers, beyond key courses. skin color and ethnicity, It seems notable that all beyond gender and sexuality. these wonderful new addi- end of the century. In a PHOTOS: CARL LITTLE I see students getting their tions to campus come at the hands dirty in the fields of an organic farm while thinking time when individuals are about the poetry of Mary Oliv- anticipating the new millen- er. I see a school where edu- nium, COA must also look Top: Nearing completion: The new Natural History Museum will be cation continues to empha- ahead to its future. Beneath finished in April 2000, with a grand opening planned for the summer. size both theory and practice, our success lies the vision Bottom: Seven students from Fryeburg Academy in Southern helping students to form a that brought this college into Maine flew to Bar Harbor for a day of marine biology. Lauren successful union between life existence. The faculty, stu- Breault '01 (at left) and Captain Andrew Peterson (at right) took and knowledge. It is my deep- dents, trustees, staff and the students and their chaperones on a tour of Frenchman Bay est wish that students will alumni of the college aboard the college's research vessel Indigo. The trip to COA was always find inspiration in the espouse the belief that our organized by the Real World Foundation, which offers a career urgent mission of this small world can exist as a place assessment program to students at Fryeburg Academy. college by the sea. COA NEWS 3 WINTER 1999/2000 PHOTOS: CARL LITTLE Heather Albert-Knopp '99 (left) was obliged to cut cabbage and speak about College of the Atlantic simultaneously while the Martha Stewart televi- sion crew filmed her at Beech Hill Farm. The segment, which ran on September 14, led to a flood of calls in the admissions office and a writeup in The Chronicle of Higher Education. The crew also visited the college's field station on Great Duck Island. Inset: A landmark signing in the President's office: (left to right) While Director of Development Fran Day, Maine Coast Heritage Trust project man- ager David MacDonald and Barbarina and Aaron Heyerdahl look over the deed to Beech Hill, young Anders Heyerdahl distracts the other partici- pants: Heyerdahl attorney Philip Worden, President Steve Katona and COA attorney Nathaniel Fenton. College of the Atlantic Acquires Beech Hill Farm On May 6, 1999, College of the Atlantic acquired Beech Hill COA students have already begun to work at the farm, Farm in Somesville, Maine, from alumni Aaron and Barbari- under the leadership of Heather Albert-Knopp '99. Students na Heyerdahl. The property consists of five acres of farm- helped remove rocks from the spring fields and have assisted land, five acres of heirloom apple trees (some dating to the in all aspects of planting, harvesting and marketing. Civil War) and about seventy acres of woodland. Elmer Beal, Jr., faculty member in anthropology and co- "We are thrilled to be the new owners of Beech Hill owner of the Burning Tree Restaurant in Otter Creek, will Farm," said COA President Steven K. Katona. "The farm and assist the college in administering operation of the farm. A accompanying orchard and forest will be an enormous asset Beech Hill Farm Forest Management team will be led by to the campus and provide many great learning opportuni- Davis Taylor, faculty member in economics. ties for students, faculty and the wider community." With the help of the Maine Organic Farmers and President Katona noted that the acquisition of the farm Growers Association (MOFGA), the college has contracted helps to fulfill several goals of the college's strategic plan, with Lucian and Margaret Smith to manage the farm for including to build, conserve and maintain a campus that rep- two years. They will maintain the farmstand in the summer resents and serves the values of Human Ecology, the focus of and fall. studies at COA. It also will play a part in the college's "Pro- The college plans to undertake collaborative projects ductive Landscapes" initiative, which includes greening of with MOFGA. Russell Libby, president of the association, the campus. At the same time the farm will allow for greater has expressed interest in participating in educational initia- self-sufficiency for the COA community through food pro- tives that will help to advance the practice of organic agri- duction. culture. Dr. Suzanne Morse, faculty member in botany at COA, The farmstand opened to the public on July 1, 1999, and will be coordinating the academic use of Beech Hill Farm. boasted one of its most successful years. To take advantage "The farm will provide a wide range of hands-on educational of a bumper crop this past summer, the basement beneath opportunities for students and faculty," Dr. Morse said. the Visiting Artist Studio has been converted to a root cellar Courses in organic and sustainable agriculture, small busi- to store produce from the farm and the COA community ness management, forestry, horticulture and related subjects garden. will make full use of the farm and woodlands. Beech Hill Farm will continue to be a resource for local continued on next page COA NEWS 4 WINTER 1999/2000 "The Midwife for Beech Hill Farm": A Talk with Barbarina Heyerdahl '88 by Rebecca Buyers-Basso '81 Most people associate Barbarina Heyerdahl with Beech Hill Beech Hill Farm to the college this spring to continue its Farm, the organic farm in Somesville. Heyerdahl has had a operations and use its gardens and forested land for environ- longtime interest in organic farming, which blossomed while mental education. It was a generous and foresighted gift given she was a student at COA. with no regrets. "I was always interested in food and health issues," she "It feels like I was the midwife for Beech Hill Farm," recalls. "I was a member of the Sierra Club and studied agri- Heyerdahl says. She visits the farmstand with a great sense cultural issues from an environmental policy point of view. I of joy, as well as relief that she doesn't have to do the payroll did my COA internship at the Natural Resources Council of anymore! That was another phase of her life. Now she is Maine (NRCM) in Augusta where I lobbied for the protection occupied with raising her children and establishing a Wal- of farmlands from development. I listened to others advocate dorf School (see pp. 10-11). for farmland preservation due to its scenic value, its impor- "There are many phases of life," Heyerdahl says. Maybe, tance in recharging water tables, its use as wildlife habitat, but after her children are grown, she will go back to school and I was surprised that no one ever mentioned the importance get a nursing degree. She thinks she would enjoy being a of growing food!" school nurse. With her Waldorf background, Heyerdahl is Heyerdahl soon learned that that was because 95 percent undaunted by the challenge. of Maine's food comes from west of the Mississippi. That statistic frightened her because she had studied the rise and fall of other civilizations and she knew that one of the root causes of decline is the degradation of natural resources, especially farmland. That internship experience was very influential in Heyer- dahl's life. Although she did not become a lobbyist (she dis- covered she wasn't cut out for spending that many hours a week indoors), she did become a proponent of farmland preservation. When she inherited some money from her grandfather, Heyerdahl invested in farmland. She felt that developing an PHOTO: MARGARET YOUNGS ,96 organic farm was one direct manifestation of human ecology. For ten years she worked to establish a harmonious relation- ship with the land. She also employed many people and pre- A shaggy cattle story: Heather is one of six Scottish High- served a disappearing rural way of life. land steer that have taken up residency at Beech Hill Farm Barbarina and her husband, Aaron Heyerdahl, donated this winter. Beech Hill Farm, from page 4 schools, hosting teachers and their students who wish to of development through the donation of a permanent conser- learn how a farm works, to make cider and pick and carve vation easement to the Maine Coast Heritage Trust (MCHT), pumpkins in the autumn. The COA Educational Studies Pro- the statewide non-profit conservation organization dedicated gram hopes to enhance such opportunities for schoolchil- to protecting land that defines Maine's distinctive landscape. dren as part of its teacher-training activities. The easement restrictions are now part of the land, Beech Hill Farm was founded by Barbarina Heyerdahl in binding COA and any other future owner. "Protection of Mt. Desert Island's remaining open agricultural lands is one the summer of 1988, following her graduation from College of the Trust's primary goals," said David MacDonald, project of the Atlantic. Working with experienced farmers Kevin manager at MCHT's Northeast Harbor field office, who Ernst and John Navazio, Heyerdahl had developed the busi- assisted the Heyerdahls in creating the conservation ease- ness plan for the farm as her senior project at COA. The ment. President Katona expressed the college's eagerness to excellent farm land on Beech Hill Road led to the farm's participate in the preservation and productive utilization of retail stand and wholesale business quickly becoming major valuable farm and forest land on the island. suppliers of organic produce for island residents and sum- President Katona also explained that the farm will add mer visitors. to the distinctiveness of the college and its appeal to poten- The business has been in operation for eleven years and tial students. "College of the Atlantic now has one of the the Smiths plan to continue in the tradition established by most remarkable suites of educational venues for students the founders, as well as by the most recent farm managers, anywhere," he stated. In addition to its campus on French- Christopher and Kimberly Blanchard, who have returned to man Bay and its proximity to Acadia National Park, the col- Iowa to farm. lege has study sites on two lighthouse islands, Great Duck Prior to the transfer of the farm to COA, the Heyerdahls and Mt. Desert Rock. acted to ensure that the prime agricultural soils and scenic The college plans to establish an endowment fund to sup- open space treasured by the public would always remain free port the educational objectives of Beech Hill Farm. COA NEWS 5 WINTER 1999/2000 College of the Atlantic featured in Templeton Guide College of the Atlantic has been recognized for lead- involvement of institutional leaders; impact on students, ership in the field of student character development in faculty, campus and community; integration into the core The Templeton Guide to Colleges that Encourage Character curriculum or academic study; longevity; external awards Development, a guidebook recently released nationwide. and recognition; and assessment. College of the Atlantic Designed for students, parents and educators who is the only Maine institution represented in the guide. believe that character matters, The Templeton Guide con- Established in 1987, the John Templeton Foundation tains profiles of 405 exemplary college programs in ten works closely with educators, scientists, theologians, med- categories. ical professionals and other scholars throughout the College of the Atlantic is profiled in the Civic Educa- world to support more than 100 programs serving three tion Programs section for its innovative governance sys- chief purposes: to encourage character development in tem. In keeping with the central ideas of community and schools and colleges; to encourage an appreciation for responsibility, the college governs itself through a combi- the benefits of freedom; and to stimulate serious and sci- nation of participatory and representative democracy. entific research on the relationship between spirituality Students serve on college committees and moderate the and health. The Foundation's College and Character Ini- All College Meeting. tiative supports national programs that offer meaningful "The Templeton Guide identifies colleges that encour- opportunities for college students to learn about, reflect age students to understand the importance of personal upon and practice the virtues of personal and civic and civic responsibility," said Arthur J. Schwartz, Ed.E., responsibility. director of Character Development Programs at the Tem- The Foundation has created a College and Character pleton Foundation. The programs were chosen through a website-www.collegeandcharacter.org-that provides highly selective process that considered clarity of vision information on the initiative. and statement of purpose; institutional resources; College Launches New Identity Series Last year, the college initiated what will be an ongoing series of presentations called "Identity Studies." Already, this exciting initiative has featured special talks on ethnic, gender, religious, polit- ical, racial and other kinds of identities studied in, and connect- ed to, human ecology through a variety of fields, including anthro- pology, psychology, theology, lit- erature and political science. Guest speakers have included Sue Davies, from the Bangor The- ological Seminary, discussing fem- inist theology; Sandy Grande, a professor of Native American ethnography and anthropology at Colby College, who spoke on deconstructing the myth of the PHOTO: CARL LITTLE ecologically-noble savage; Aviva Rahmani, an environmental activist/artist, talking on ecology and art; Christa Little-Siebold, a Sylvia Cloud, elder from the Bad River Objibway Nation, spoke to students in the Ph.D. candidate at Tulane, who Sea Fox seminar room as part of a World History course co-taught by Karen Wal- discussed the politics of ethnic dron, faculty member in literature, and Gray Cox, faculty member in political eco- identity in Eastern Guatemala; nomics and history. Cloud was joined by Joseph Campbell, an elder from the Spirit and Carolyn Todd, discussing Lake Dakota Nation. "Identity Issues in Children: Working in Schools in Canada and Maine." COA NEWS 6 WINTER 1999/2000 Davis Center Dedicated In a ceremony held on the College of the Atlantic cam- The naming of the Kathryn W. Davis Center of Inter- pus on Saturday, July 31, President Steven K. Katona and national and Regional Studies honors Mrs. Davis's life- Board of Trustees Chairman Clyde E. Shorey, Jr. presid- time of dedication to international affairs and to higher ed over the dedication of the Kathryn W. Davis Center of education. Mrs. Davis, who received a doctorate in politi- International and Regional Studies. cal science from the University of Geneva, is a distin- A $1-million grant from the Shelby Cullom Davis Foun- guished writer and lecturer on foreign affairs, drawing dation enabled College of the Atlantic to purchase adjoin- on personal experience gained during extensive interna- ing property comprising three acres and three buildings. tional travel. In higher education, she has served as a The eight-room main cottage houses the Davis Center of trustee of Wellesley College and a member of the Board International and Regional Studies. The Foundation has of Governors of Harvard University. donated an additional $550,000 to support scholarships Mrs. Davis received the National Institute for Social for College of the Atlantic students to study abroad. Science's Gold Medal for Distinguished Service to Humanity; the Claire Booth Luce Medal from the Her- itage Foundation; and a Life Accomplishment Award from International House, among other honors. She is a longtime resident of Northeast Harbor. The center, Mrs. Davis said, will be instrumental in "helping students of this college become friends with international students from colleges around the world. Young people can come together to love what we love and protect-the environment and natural resources." The Davis Center will provide a place for decision makers to come together and to work collaboratively, said land use faculty member Isabel Mancinelli. "We have PHOTO: PETE TRAVERS a good international track record," she said, "and having the center here will provide more opportunities to work collaboratively on a regional level." Calling the day a momentous one in the life of the col- lege, President Steve Katona paid tribute to Mrs. Davis, a Joining College of the Atlantic President Steven Katona, at rear, champion of education and international studies. "The and COA board chairman Clyde E. Shorey, Jr., at right, were, Kathryn W. Davis Center celebrates a lifetime of dedica- from left, Shelby Collom Davis, Kathryn Davis, for whom the tion to education and international studies." building is named, and Gale Davis. College of the Atlantic at Home and Abroad The overall goal of regional studies at College of the and watersheds, and most recently conducting a compre- Atlantic is to foster integrated, enlightened management hensive analysis of the Union River watershed. and development planning to enhance resource conserva- The Davis Center provides much-needed space for tion and sustainability within Maine and its waters. The College of the Atlantic's faculty and students pursuing college is working cooperatively toward the protection, collaborative studies on both a regional and international remediation and stewardship of the waters and water- scale. The International Exchange Program, International sheds of Hancock County. Studies Program, Society for Human Ecology, Center for As a founder and leader of the statewide ECO/ECO Applied Human Ecology (CAHE), Island Research Center (economics and ecology) Civic Forum, the college plays and GIS Laboratory share space in the new center. an important role in collaborative approaches to futures The college's curriculum devotes substantial attention planning, especially through risk analysis activities of the to Latin America, including term-long field study courses Maine Environmental Priorities Project and the Maine in Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula. Related activities have tak- Smart Growth Forum. en place in Uruguay, El Salvador and Brazil. Through research on campus and at field stations on The college also maintains an exchange program with two newly-acquired lighthouse islands, Great Duck Island Palacky University in the Czech Republic. International and Mt. Desert Rock, the college is contributing to state students currently comprise eight percent of COA's and federal management and conservation plans for enrollment. Rebecca White '98, recently traveled to the whales, seals, seabirds and other important marine Czech Republic following up on the senior project she resources. completed last year, a study of artists working in repres- Regional projects have included producing GIS (Geo- sive regimes. Her senior project focused on Czech artists graphical Information Systems) maps for island towns working during the Velvet Revolution. COA NEWS 7 WINTER 1999/2000 Stewards of Creation: Theological Reflections on Ecological Obligations by The Reverend Peter J. Gomes Excerpted from the 1999 Champlain Society Distinguished Lec- There are many religious people who would define ture delivered by Reverend Gomes on July 28, 1999, in the themselves as anti-ecology, anti-environment and anti- Thomas S. Gates, Jr. Community Center. Named for French nature because nature must be held in check, must be explorer Samuel de Champlain, The Champlain Society was subdued and controlled, and it is an inhibition against the founded in 1988 by College of the Atlantic trustees Edward McC. biblical command to subdue and to dominate. Since there Blair and Alice Eno to honor those donors who give major gifts to is a text in the Bible for everybody, and a text against any- the college's annual fund. thing that anybody wants to use, one of the most heinous abuses of this sort of textual harassment, if you will, is the invocation of the creation story against the stewardship of creation itself. The other side of this argument is, in a way, increas- ingly made not by biblical scholars or religious people, more's the pity, but by institutions such as this. Through a combination of humanistic understanding, scientific inquiry and a sense of the appropriate modesty in the face of the enormous complexity of the created environ- ment, this school embraces the notion not of dominion of the created order, but of stewardship of it, harnessing as an act of reverence and as an act of responsible steward- ship the resources that have been entrusted into our hands. In a strange sort of way, man is removed from the cen- ter of the universal creative experience and placed in the appropriate place by the stewardship paradigm of cre- ation, as responsible at the end for all that has been creat- ed before. What this is meant to do, then, is to create what the philosopher and theologian Matthew Fox calls "a sense of reverence." "Reverence," Fox states, "is one's response to an awe- some experience." The response of the average, normal, sentient human being to the universe is not, "Boy, this is PHOTO: CARL LITTLE out there ready for me to take over, to run and to manip- ulate," but is what is called, in the language of the theolo- gian, the "Ah!" of things, or better still, the "awe" of things, the sense of standing amazed in the presence of an enormity and an immensity which may be as physically The Reverend John Gomes delivered an animated talk as this year's small and tiny as a crustacean, or as enormous as the Champlain Society Distinguished Lecturer. His address was later whale jawbones near the entrance to this college. aired on the program "Speaking in Maine" on Maine Public Radio. The natural response is not one of exploitation, it is one of reverence and awe. It has struck me as a non-scien- The relationship between human beings and the environ- tist, a non-specialist and somebody not particularly well- ment is fundamentally religious. For the time being this tuned in the ecological and environmental curricula world is the only one we have, and how we manage our which flourish here, that those ecological and environ- stewardship of the earth is as much an expression of faith mental concerns are at their heart fundamentally reli- as it is of policy or science or service. The consideration gious, fundamentally theological, and perhaps preserve a of these matters, however, is far too important to be left purity. I would argue that the stewardship motif as to the religious alone. Stewardship, not merely survival, is opposed to the dominion motif describes perfectly well truly an ecumenical adventure, and a spiritual one at that. what has been going on in this place so successfully and It strikes me that when one talks about the whole ques- noteworthily since 1969 tion of the environment and our relationship to it, the We've all been glutted with talk about the millennium religious tradition out of which I come, the Christian tra- in recent days, and it will only get worse before it gets bet- dition, has had at its core, as part of its fundamental iden- ter. If I thought that the end of the world really was com- tity, the whole notion of the relationships that exist ing and would bring an end to all of this millennium talk, among creatures, creation and the Creator. Genesis is an there would be a certain sense of perverse relief on my ecological book, if you will, and if you take it from that part. I, alas, am going to believe that on January 1, in the point of view, our ecological problems are as old as our year 2000, the clock will be advanced forward and the ability to describe them and write about them whole thing will start up again: another thousand-year COA NEWS 8 WINTER 1999/2000 cycle of anticipation and frustration, disappointment and logical framework which is precious and dear and essential prediction. to so many of us. This reminds me of when Ralph Waldo Emerson was It seems to me that the work of this college is fully in informed that on October 31, 1834, the world would come league with these high, and I might further add, holy ambi- to a fiery, sharp and swift end. There were thousands of peo- tions. We look to you, strangely and wonderfully, for that ple, many of whom were here in the State of Maine, I might sense of reverence, that sense of awe, and that sense of say, who awaited the coming Judgment Day. Someone asked responsibility which, together with the marvelous technical Emerson what he thought about the approaching end of the and scientific skills at your command, will help us as we world, and he intoned, "I do not have time for the end of the make our way into a new world. It will have to happen without me." I say "Amen" to millennium of steward- Emerson on that particular point. "This school ship of creation. We cannot, however, dismiss the potency of the For the time being metaphor, which talks about the end of creation, because it embraces the this world is the only one has provided, unfortunately, like the dominion theory, an we have, and how we excuse to ignore responsibility for the created order and the notion not of manage our stewardship environment. People, particularly Christian end-timers with of the earth is as much a low doctrine of creation, if you will, devalue the environ- dominion of the an expression of faith as ment, regarding it as merely a set piece, a stage, a setting for it is of policy or science the final consuming drama-the fire next time. created order, or service. The consider- Why worry about the yellow-bellied sap-sucker? Why wor- ation of these matters, ry about the fisheries fished out at George's Bank? Why wor- but of however, is far too ry about the environment and the ecology, when it is all important to be left to going to go up in smoke anyway when Jesus comes and we stewardship the religious alone. go to meet him in the air, the rapture, as we are swept up by Stewardship, not merely a great upward current into heaven, and we look back and of it " survival, is truly an ecu- we see all of this being consumed and destroyed like a very menical adventure, and a bad Stephen Spielberg movie. spiritual one at that. I am What is called for, it seems to me, is the recovery of a delighted to observe that it is alive and well here at the Col- sense of proportion. It is possible, and it is desirable, in my lege of the Atlantic. opinion, for religious people in general and for Christian people in particular, to hold both to the doctrine of creation The Reverend Professor Peter John Gomes is Plummer Professor of and the doctrine of the end at the same time, while main- Christian Morals and Pusey Minister in the Memorial Church in taining as the expression of those convictions the sense of Harvard University. Widely regarded as one of America's most dis- responsible stewardship of the universe. tinguished preachers, Professor Gomes has fulfilled preaching and In our recovery of a sense of proportion, we have been lecturing engagements throughout this country and the British able to invoke a sense of responsibility for the ecological Isles. Named Clergy of the Year in 1998 by Religion in American and environmental world in which we find ourselves, and to Life, Professor Gomes participated in the presidential inaugura- do so on sound theological grounds. tions of Ronald Reagan and George Bush. He is the author of two In the words of President John Fitzgerald Kennedy at his best-selling books, The Good Book: Reading the Bible with inauguration in 1961, "On earth, God's work must truly be Mind and Heart (1996) and Sermons: Biblical Wisdom for our own." That is an environmentalist's charter. That is a Daily Living. Born in Boston and a graduate of Bates College text and a footnote for people who want to take seriously and Harvard Divinity School, Professor Gomes holds nine hon- their responsibility as stewards, and to do so within the theo- orary degrees. During his visit to College of the Atlantic to discuss writing the music for an opera based on Rachel Carson's Silent Spring, award-winning composer Henry Mollicone present- ed a recital of his works for piano and voice in the Gates Community Center auditorium. The recital consisted of a series of short works based on poems by Robert Herrick, Walter de la Mare, Emily Dickinson and Robert Frost. Molli- cone was joined by Caitlyn Harvey, a junior at College of the Atlantic, who was soloist. Mollicone also visited Dan Granholm's orchestra class at the Mount Desert Island Regional High School. PHOTO: CASSIE ANDERSON COA NEWS 9 WINTER 1999/2000 ALUMNI PROFILE Waldorf Education: "Human Ecology for the Under-18 Set" By Rebecca Buyers-Basso '81 W education is some- lar body of knowledge or thing that Barbarina Heyer- set of skills. Consequently, dahl '88 feels passionately Heyerdahl says Waldorf about, as passionately as she educators talk about teach- feels about human ecology ing hearts, hands and and organic farming. A prod- minds. uct of Waldorf education her- In Waldorf schools, stu- self, Heyerdahl is well pre- dents learn handwork, pared to act on her passions. including knitting, crochet- She has others excited about ing, sewing, pattern-making, the Waldorf education philos- shirt-making, basket-weav- ophy and has mobilized like- ing and bookbinding. These minded citizens to start a skills may seem anachronis- tic for children who will school in Bar Harbor. come of age in the 21st cen- A determination to master tury when it is easier and skills that are difficult, to perse- less expensive to buy ready- vere without getting discour- made clothes and manufac- aged, and to view one's capabil- tured goods. However, in ities without limitation are hall- learning and mastering marks of Waldorf education. these skills, children devel- Heyerdahl would like to see op fine motor skills, learn a these qualities passed on to the systematic way to complete next generation. That is why a task, exercise their aes- she and other Waldorf propo- thetic sense of design and nents, including Julianna proportion, and develop Lichatz '90, founded Chick- perseverance by practice adee Tree, a fledgling Waldorf and repetition. School on Mount Desert Island PHOTO: POLLY BRANCH Heyerdahl believes chil- offering preschool, kinder- dren also develop their self- garten and first grade classes. esteem by saying, "With my Sarah Beukema '95 teaches the own hands I have made first grade. something useful or some- Waldorf education was thing beautiful." developed at the close of the Emma Ressel and Anna Coplon, Chickadee Tree students, enjoy a First World War, when Rudolf field trip to Beech Hill Farm to pick apples and press cider. Cultivating Competence, Steiner, a German philosopher Confidence and Cooperation and educator, voiced his concern about changing the structure The curriculum takes a gradual yet thorough approach to of the economic, political and cultural order to help Europe teaching reading, with the emphasis in the early years on social- rebuild and to prevent war in the future. In 1919, Steiner izing and play. First graders spend the entire year just learning designed a course of study, hired teachers and opened the first the letters of the alphabet. As each letter is introduced, the chil- Waldorf School. dren are told stories about a character that resembles that let- Steiner's school was different from other German schools ter, so the symbol has a context. at that time. It was co-educational, open to everyone, for free The students practice writing letters with their whole arm, or very low tuition. The teachers, rather than the state, deter- exercising gross motor skill or walk the shape of the letter on mined the curriculum. The twin goals of that first school, and the floor, exercising kinesthetic awareness before learning to of Waldorf education in general, were to help each individual write them on paper with a pencil, which requires small motor child reach his or her fullest potential and to cultivate students' skill. Reading is taught in earnest starting in second grade after the basics have been mastered. concern for the community and the world. In Waldorf schools, teachers quietly praise children who do Teaching Hearts, Hands and Minds a good job easily, but they encourage students to work diligent- "The Waldorf curriculum is very thoughtful," Heyerdahl ly in areas that challenge them. Teachers expect all the children observes. "It is a developmental curriculum, teaching knowl- to develop proficiency in art, music and crafts. Drawing is used edge and skills that are age-appropriate. It is also broad-based, not only to teach children to express what is inside them, but delving into the arts, sciences, history, literature and practical also to help them build a bridge to the world. skills for subject matter." "In order to sketch that tall spruce tree," Heyerdahl Waldorf education is holistic, designed to educate the whole explains, "I must study it closely and learn to appreciate its col- person. Steiner believed that developing these human capaci- or, form and proportions. By drawing the tree, I learn more about it." ties in children was more important than teaching any particu- COA NEWS 10 WINTER 1999/2000 Music is also an important part of the curriculum. Starting in fourth grade, Waldorf students learn to play an instrument and play together in an orchestra. Everyone plays an instru- ment, whether they have innate talent for it or not. This gives them the experience of working hard at something and the sat- isfaction of succeeding. By being a participant in the orchestra, students also learn to work in a group for a com- mon goal. Waldorf classes are typically small and stay together from first through eighth grade. Students have a chance to really get to know their peers' strengths and weaknesses, and are taught to encourage one another, rather than to compete. Heyerdahl recalls with pride her class celebrating when a boy who had always struggled with math aced an algebra exam. Information in Context In most schools, science is taught by subject matter. Stu- dents learn about what has been discovered in the physical sciences, biology or astronomy, for example. By contrast, in Waldorf schools, science is taught in the context of scientists' lives, through biography, in order to place their discoveries in history. Social studies are also taught this way, with many opportu- nities for students to connect what they are learning in books to artwork, physical movement, music and other subjects. This practice of putting information in context helps children retain what they learn and also emphasizes the inter-relatedness of knowledge. "Waldorf education is human ecology for the under-18 set," jokes Heyerdahl, who finds many parallels between the two educational philosophies. Sophie Heyerdahl helps Patty Kelley plant marigolds at the Low-Tech Environment Chickadee Tree School's annual Children' Fair. There is a marked absence of computers in Waldorf schools. Waldorf educators prefer to teach using simpler tools, starting in Chickadee Tree teacher Sarah Beukema, a 1995 COA graduate, first grade by celebrating the human hand. They look at special- Olivia Richmond and Emily Puglisi help out at the fair. ization in the animal world (eagle wings, whale tails) and then explore the capability of human hands when coupled with the human brain. By the time computers are introduced in eighth grade or high school, students know enough about tools to appreciate their capabilities. Preparation for Social Change Heyerdahl, who has studied at the Rudolf Steiner Institute, credits Waldorf education with developing her own compe- tence and confidence. Because she has learned to tackle chal- lenges and work hard, persevere and understand problems in context, she is better prepared to face the problems of today without becoming overwhelmed or discouraged by them. For instance, when she looks at the situation in Kosovo, she asks herself, what are the historical roots of the problem? How was the seedbed planted for Milosovic? What can we do to change the conditions that caused this most recent war? Coupled with a sense of competence/empowerment, she feels something can be done about the situation. Heyerdahl has a lot of faith in the human spirit. She and her husband, Aaron '87, want to foster that same optimism in their three children, Carl, Sophie and Anders. Rebecca Buyers-Basso works in COA's Development Office and was recently hired as the college's new Alumni Relations Manager. She is a 1981 COA graduate and also holds a degree in journalism from Carleton University, Ottawa, Canada. She resides in Bar Har- bor with her husband, Skip, daughter, Marisa, 13, horse, Leo, and PHOTOS: POLLY BRANCH four cats. COA NEWS 11 WINTER 1999/2000 ALUMNI PROFILE Kim Robertson: Artist and Marine Mammalogist Kim Robertson '88 is a ments of the hump- noted wildlife artist Official First Day Cover 30p 35p backs found in the with a particular inter- Southern Ocean. est in marine mammals Following gradua- and seabirds. 28SEP 1998 tion, Robertson While a student at Robertson was active in tourism became a Research 40p College of the Atlantic Associate of College of the Atlantic, a position Allied Whale. She was which she still holds. an expert in photo- During winters, she identification of fin whales. She served as a Kind Regards I worked as a naturalist Nov for Abercrombie and SOUTH GEORGIA naturalist for local & the South Sandwich Islands Rohota 1998 Kent Cruises, and led whale-watching vessels trips to Antarctica, the and, later, as director Arctic and many of Mt. Desert Rock Robertson drew the penguins for this first day cover. Envelope courtesy island and mainland Edward McC. Blair Marine Research Sta- locations throughout tion, conducting studies on the population dynamics of the world. She is expert in small boat navigation and has finback and humpback whales in the Gulf of Maine. many years of experience in every ocean. According to Steve Katona, founder of Allied Whale, As a tour leader, Robertson has enlisted many tourists, Robertson is also"a terrific artist." She did much of the scientists and other naturalists to contribute photographs artwork for Allied Whale. She is also a photographer; her to the whale catalogs. She has also contributed financially photos of fin whales and other creatures remain among to that project through her artwork. She illustrates nauti- the best in the center's collection. She maintained the cal charts with animals seen on the expeditions and then Antarctic Humpback Catalog for a number of years and auctions them to the passengers on the trips. The pro- has contributed many photographs to it. Begun in 1986, ceeds are donated to COA by Abercrombie and Kent to this catalog documents the size, distribution and move- support maintenance of the humpback catalog. Watson Fellow to Study Falcons Around the World Erin Gott '99 of Kennebunkport, Maine, was awarded a Thomas J. Watson Fellowship. Gott is one of 60 graduat- ing college seniors to receive this prestigious study fel- lowship, chosen from 49 of America's top liberal arts colleges. Gott is spending his Watson wanderjahr studying fal- conry around the world. His itinerary includes Southern Africa, Europe, Arabia, Central Asia and Japan. The fel- lowship comes with a $22,000 grant to support travel for the year. "Falconry's social and philosophical aspects provide a fascinating window onto cultures and the relationships of humans with nature," Gott wrote in his proposal. In each country he will explore historic and modern cultural rela- tionships between falconers and their environment. Gott has been involved with falcons since he was 13. He com- pleted a COA internship with the National Avian Research Center, a conservation organization run by the United Arab Emirates' Royal Family. Watson Fellows are chosen in a two-step process that requires nomination 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. College of the Atlantic has had 19 Watson fellows since seniors began applying in 1983. The Watson Fellowship Program was begun by the children of Thomas J. Watson, Sr., the founder of IBM, Erin Gott took this photograph of falconer and falcon during his and his wife to honor their parents' long-standing inter- stay in Kyrgyszstan in 1998. est in education and world affairs. COA NEWS 12 WINTER 1999/2000 The Rachel Carson Chair: An Update College of the Atlantic is in the pro- National Storytelling Association cess of establishing the Rachel Carson honored him with its Circle of Excel- Chair in Ecological Studies to recog- lence Award for his pioneering nize in perpetuity her revolutionary efforts to revive the art of storytelling contributions to ecological thought. in America. To date, the college has raised nearly Also this fall, in recognition of forty percent of the $1 million need- Carson's longtime passion for the sea, the Blum Gallery mounted "Mar- ed to fund the chair. When fully itime Cosmologies: Recent Sculp- funded, the chair will be held by a sci- tures by Ana Flores." Cuban-born entist and teacher working in service Flores calls her recent sculptures "my to people and the environment. concrete poems on life by the sea." Over the past year and a half the She uses materials, including washed- college has sponsored a number of up lobster traps, that she has collect- events to highlight Carson's legacy. ed on the shores of Nova Scotia and This past summer award-winning Rhode Island where she lives. These actress Kaiulani Lee gave a repeat works were funded in part by a Visu- performance of A Sense of Wonder, a al Arts Grant awarded through the one-woman play based on the life and University of Rhode Island in 1998. works of Rachel Carson. Written by To complement her exhibition, Flo- Lee, the play has been touring the res facilitated the creation of a collab- United States for the past ten years to orative outdoor art piece, "The Phan- great acclaim. tom Sea." Also in July, the Natural History Flores is currently being featured Museum hosted a talk by Frank Gra- in the exhibition "New Identities: Ana Flores' sculpture Maritime Cosmolo- ham, Jr., naturalist, Audubon editor Latin American Artists in New Eng- gies: The Swimmer, mixed mediums, and award-winning author. His talk, land" at the New Britain Museum of 1999, was displayed in the Ethel H. Blum "Rachel Carson: The Artist as Scien- American Art. She is the founder of tist," was standing room only in the Gallery in October. the Arts Consortium, a teaching and McCormick Lecture Hall. Dr. John arts advocacy organization in South Anderson, faculty member in zoology County Rhode Island. at COA, introduced him. Finally, in October, Carson's biog- "Art and science are often seen as rapher, Linda Lear presented a slide Below: Internationally-acclaimed storyteller two different ways of looking at the talk "Rachel Carson: Woman of the Jay O'Callahan joins another eminent teller world around us," said Graham. "In Century." According to Dr. Lear, Car- of tales, Sherry Geyelin, on the porch of Rachel Carson, these two approaches son changed the way we view the nat- the Gates Center. O'Callahan gave a rivet- to reality came together at a very ear- ural world. "She is a scientist and ing performance of "The Spirit of the Great ly age, so that it would be difficult to ecologist whose wisdom can lead us Auk" over Parents Weekend at the college. separate their intertwined strands in into the next century," she said. measuring her final achievements." Trained as a political historian, Dr. Graham has written widely on con- Lear has been working and teaching servation and the natural world. He in the field of environmental history has been a field editor for Audubon since 1984; she is currently a research since 1968. Among his publications professor of environmental history at are Since Silent Spring, The Audubon George Washington University. She Ark: A History of the National Audubon began work on a life of Carson in GATES CENTER Society and, with his wife, Ada Gra- 1989. She served as historical consul- BLUM GALLERY ham, Kate Furbish and the Flora of tant to PBS for the documentary Maine. "Rachel Carson's Silent Spring." Dr. In the fall the college hosted mas- Lear edited Lost Woods: The Discovered ter storyteller Jay O'Callahan, who Writings of Rachel Carson and wrote performed The Spirit of the Great Auk, the biography Rachel Carson: Witness a story inspired by the real-life for Nature. In 1993, Dr. Lear was odyssey of one man's four-month named a senior fellow at the Smithso- kayak journey following the path of nian Institution. The next year she the now-extinct bird. This acclaimed was appointed a Beinecke Fellow at story is a dramatic metaphor for the Yale University. relationships between humans and The college plans to continue to the earth. host events in honor of Rachel Car- A regular voice on National Pub- son. For information on the cam- lic Radio, O'Callahan has performed paign to endow a chair in her name, his stories around the world, from please contact the Development Lincoln Center in New York to the Office at the college. PHOTOS: CARL LITTLE Abbey Theatre in Dublin. The COA NEWS 13 WINTER 1999/2000 College of the Atlantic Elects New Trustees Clyde E. Shorey, Jr., chairman of the a recent capital campaign. College of the Atlantic Board of Danielson is a graduate of Hollins Trustees, has announced the election College and the Inchbald School of of two new trustees. They are Samuel Design in London, England. She has Shaw of Southwest Harbor and Bar- worked for several design companies bara Danielson of Northeast Harbor. in Miami, and has been a member of Shaw received a BA from Hartwick the board of the Miami City Ballet, the College and a Master of Fine Arts Vizcaya Art Museum and the National degree from the Rhode Island School Down Syndrome Society. Danielson of Design. His jewelry has been fea- currently serves on the European Mas- tured in a range of publications, includ- ters Committee at the Art Institute of ing Ornament, Metalsmith, New York Chicago and the board of the Wom- Times Magazine and Lapidary Journal. en's Health Center of the Mount He founded Shaw Contemporary Jew- Desert Island Hospital. elry in Northeast Harbor in 1983 to "Since social and environmental showcase his work and that of other PHOTO: CARL LITTLE problems have aesthetic, ethical and artists from across the country; he also cultural dimensions," said COA presi- exhibits fine art. dent Steven K. Katona, "the arts and Shaw serves on the board of direc- humanities must be equal partners tors of the Society of North American with the sciences in a human ecological Trustee Samuel Shaw attended the col- Goldsmiths and is former president of education." With their backgrounds in lege's 27th Commencement. Over his the Maine Crafts Association and the the arts, the new board members "will shoulder is a tree created for Heather Mt. Desert Chamber of Commerce. As help shape this interdisciplinary Candon '99's musical production of Dr. treasurer of the Southwest Harbor exchange," Katona said. Seuss's The Lorax. Public Library, he played a key role in The Council of Advisors The Council of Advisors held its third implement that plan, have been influ- annual meeting on July 8, 1999. Advi- ential. For example, Board of Trustees sors toured the campus and then met Chairman Clyde E. Shorey, Jr., notes to discuss current renovations, con- that the Council's responses helped struction and future development at guide the college to include socially- College of the Atlantic. Their opinions directed investments within the endow- and suggestions will be considered as ment fund. Over half of the endow- the college develops a strategic plan ment's equity holdings are now invest- for campus facilities and infrastructure ed in the Domini Social Investment during the coming year. Fund or in companies held by that The Council of Advisors was fund. founded in 1997 at the suggestion of The Council has also made valuable Trustee Maurine Rothschild, who is suggestions regarding the advances in currently its chair. Trustee Polly Mor- the curriculum, design of the academic genstern serves as vice-chair. The coun- calendar, marketing of the college and cil consists of leaders from higher edu- bolstering of the Educational Studies cation, business, the arts, publishing Program. and many other fields. Each advisor Several Council members have tak- brings his or her perspective and en on new responsibilities by becom- expertise to the council, offering per- ing trustees. Similarly, several trustees sonal and professional advice to the who have finished their terms on the President and to the Board. The Coun- Board have maintained association cil also serves as an independent with the college through membership sounding-board to assist in the evalua- Robert and Maurine Rothschild relate on the Council. tion of the college's progress and initia- their experiences as collectors on the By lending their names and reputa- tives. occasion of the exhibition "Degas to tions to the institution, members of the Discussions during the Council's Delaunay: Masterworks from the Robert & Council of Advisors are expressing previous meetings, which focused on Maurine Rothschild Family Collection" their confidence in the college and the strategic plan for academic pro- mounted by the Cornell Fine Arts Muse- thereby enhancing its future. grams and subsequent initiatives to um at Rollins College. COA NEWS 14 WINTER 1999/2000 Stones, from page 1 "human ecology" to graduate is a signal to all of us that you I was so moved by it, I tore it out and pinned it to the bul- are leaving College of the Atlantic with a sense of compas- letin board above my desk. It's a little gem. sionate intelligence for this beautiful, broken world we live in. If only this was a requirement for all graduating seniors THE CONVERSATION OF STONES in this country, I believe the political and spiritual life of The conversation of stones is serene this nation would be different. and calm, has polished surfaces What I hear at College of the Atlantic is that there is no and few empty silences, is concerned separation between our bodies and the bodies of the Earth, often with water between our minds and the minds of all living organisms and with formal elements. on the Earth. We are made of the same stuff. Our intimacy Stones do not yield, but will with the natural world is in direct proportion to our intima- lean harmoniously, one cy with each other. And so each student pursues an individ- to the other, are sociable ualized curriculum of empathy. and fond of company. The poet Kenneth Patchen writes, "And the horizon of Left alone, they are content to meditate, love was the morning of the eighth day." Perhaps this grad- usually on the possession of solid virtues. uation can be viewed as "the seventh day," if we expand this metaphor of Creation in the Judeo-Christian tradition. Remember the land. Love the land with verbs as your Your formal education from kindergarten through college is now complete. Call it six very long days. The seventh day companions. We are the land. Wild hearts, wild minds. See, feel, question, explore, experience, walk, dance, run, is a day of rest, a day of joy. I hope you can take some time off to savor what you have play, eat, love, learn, dare, taste, touch, smell, listen, accomplished, to simply breathe in and out all you argue, speak, write, read, have absorbed and all that draw, provoke, emote, scream, cry, kneel, pray, pray has absorbed you. This is often, bow, rise, stand, look, the gift of transition and it is found in solitude, even in sing, embrace the questions, the serenity of stones. HOPE be wary of answers, create, cajole, confront, confound, I pick up stones and on walk backwards, walk forward, my desk are stones that circle, hide, seek, say no, say have grounded my passion. yes, embrace, follow your These stones have inspired heart, trust your heart, engage me by their weight, their gravity, their beauty to keep PHOTO: CARL LITTLE love again and again on this beautiful, broken world. my eyes on the "horizon of I leave you with the words love," the place I choose to of Phoebe Milliken, a summer walk toward, the place resident of Mount Desert and where I want to give myself Beth Nixon '99 and members of "The Possible Leap Puppet Cre- away. ations" perform at the home of Jane Pearce on Green Island. For a friend of College of the her senior project, Nixon organized a puppet theater. She and Atlantic: "What might we cre- Call it play. A stone from the Tetons, 1974, granite, her company performed "The Possible Beast," a rustic puppet ate together?" epic, over graduation weekend. Terry Tempest Williams, Com- Happy graduation. my first job as a naturalist at mencement guest speaker, subsequently commissioned Nixon the Teton Science School. A Courage to you. and friends to perform at the "Fire and Grit" environmental con- stone from the Navajo ference in West Virginia. "The COA contingency was absolutely Terry Tempest Williams is the Reservation, when I was spectacular today at the conference, I mean 'over the top' won- author of several books, including teaching at Montezuma derful," Williams reported by e-mail. "I'm not kidding you when I Refuge-An Unnatural History Creek Elementary School, say they were the high point, the point of nourishment and joy." of Family and Place (1991), 1984. Nixon's troupe has performed at the Common Ground Fair, An Unspoken Hunger-Sto- Call it my apprentice- the BeatJam music festival, the Summer Festival of the Arts and ries from the Field (1994), ship. A stone from the Bar Harbor's Fourth of July parade. Nixon completed internships Desert Quartet-An Erotic Mojave Desert, 1988, lime- with the Bread and Puppet Theater in Vermont and the Red Moon Theater in Chicago. Landscape (1995) and Leap- stone, it sizzles the tongue, A Traveler in the Garden of the Nevada Test Site, the Delights (2000). A recipient of year after my mother died from cancer and I discovered we the National Wildlife Federation's National Conservation Award are "hibakusha," explosion-affected people. for Special Achievement, Williams was recently named to the Call it joyful and sorrowful work. A stone from Deer Rachel Carson Institute's Honor Roll. She received "The Spirit of Creek Canyon in the new Grand Staircase-Escalante Nation- the West" award given by the Mountain-Plains Bookselling Asso- al Monument, 1996. ciation for literary achievement in 1999. Call it the path of "Earthly Delights." A stone in my Williams has served as naturalist-in-residence at the Utah hand, this conversation with stones. Museum of Natural History and is currently the Shirley Sutton The following poem by Leslie Norris was printed in a Thomas Visiting Professor of English at the University of Utah. program at the Cathedral of the Madeline in Salt Lake City. COA NEWS 15 WINTER 1999/2000 27th Commencement Celebrated Honors, tears, tributes photos by Blair Currier '02 In a commencement address that paid personal tribute to the class of 1999, Terry Tempest Williams, the acclaimed author and environmental activist, called upon the gradu- ating seniors to "trust your heart, and engage love again and again on this beautiful, broken world." Williams, who spent several days on campus before the June 5th graduation, saluted many of the seniors she had met, mentioning specific senior projects and quoting from human ecology essays. "Their faith and vision and imagi- nation bring me to a greater understanding of what human ecology means as it is evolving here at this extraor- dinary college," she said. She presented each senior with a special "diploma" consisting of a piece of stone, birch bark and mussel shell tied together by a red thread. The college awarded 56 Bachelor of Arts degrees in human ecology. Williams received an honorary Masters of Philosophy degree in Human Ecology. In his citation for the degree, President Steven K. Katona paid tribute to Williams' spirit, which, like that of Rachel Carson, joins a "remarkable eye for the natural world with an urgent sense of responsibility to preserve what surrounds us." Cit- ing her writings, including the classic Refuge, Katona called Williams a "human ecologist of the highest magni- tude." Presiding over the exercises, Clyde E. Shorey, Jr., (Left to right): Heather Alpert-Knopp, Hannah Fogg and Heather Can- don offer some acappella toward the end of the graduation ceremony. Below: The class of '99 gathers on the lawn in front of the Kathryn W. Davis Center for a group picture. COA NEWS 16 WINTER 1999/2000 of Terry Tempest Williams takes to the podium to deliver her com- mencement address. Top right: Chairman of the Board Clyde E. Shorey, Jr. and President Steve Katona study their scripts in the Thomas S. Gates, Jr. Commu- nity Center auditorium. Right: Commencement speaker Terry Tempest Williams and Erin Chalmers '99, who introduced her, listen attentively at the recep- tion in the Newlin Gardens following graduation. chairman of the college's board of trustees, encouraged and burst forth into the world." graduating seniors to practice compassion and respect in Faculty presented senior prizes to Laurel Harris, who their lives. "A guiding principle of Human Ecology is toler- was given the Center for Applied Human Ecology Award; ance for others," he said. Courtney Vashro, who was awarded the William H. Drury, In his commencement address, President Katona Jr. Prize; and Justin Huston, who received the Daniel H. spoke of the importance of community and diversity. He Kane Award. Michelle Peake, Edwin Munoz and Luke also paid tribute to faculty and staff who have left this Wagner shared the International Studies Award. Todd year, including education professor John Stiles, who will West '00 received the Alumni Merit Scholarship, present- be the new principal at the Brooklin, Maine, Elementary ed by Victoria Savage '88. School; Director of Educational Studies Etta Kralovec, Two new prizes were added this year. The Edward J. who has taught at COA for 11 years and will be director of Meade Jr. Prize for outstanding work in education, named teacher training for the Job Corps in Bucksport, Maine; for the former program director of the Ford Foundation and Administrative Dean Melville Coté, whose relationship and COA trustee, went to Jacob Eichenlaub. The August with COA has spanned thirty years. Coté and his wife, Pol- Heckscher Scholarship, recognizing academic excellence ly, who has taught art courses at the college, are moving to in public policy, government or the arts, was shared by Provincetown, Massachusetts. Melinda Magleby and Travis Hussey, both juniors. The late Student perspectives, which take the place of tradition- Mr. Heckscher, an esteemed journalist, writer and public al valedictorian addresses, were given this year by seniors servant, made his summer home in Seal Harbor. Beth Joann Sigler, Beth Nixon, Rachel Biggar and Steven Math- Straus of Somesville, a close friend, presented the award. er. "I hope that we are people who will not give up on With all the graduates on stage, Joann Sigler and class- goals just because they show up cloaked as impossible mate Ben Lord made a special tribute to literature profes- dreams," Sigler said. Nixon congratulated her classmates sor Karen Waldron, who was made an honorary member on having sharpened their egg teeth at COA. "It is the egg of the class of 1999. tooth," she said, "that enables the bird to break the shell COA NEWS 17 WINTER 1999/2000 FACULTY INTERVIEW "These Are Just Amazing Creatures" An Interview with Sean Todd PHOTO: PETER TRAVERS Sean Todd, marine mammalogist and director of Allied Whale, catches a breather in his office at COA. Sean Todd, professor of marine biology in London, in Great Britain, which is a ST: No, both my parents are artists. My and director of Allied Whale at College of long, long way away from here. father was a very well known musician the Atlantic, was interviewed last spring by EL: Have you always loved the ocean? and he met my mother while they were Emily Little as part of a unit on the sea ST: Oh yeah. I used to have these spe- both working for the BBC orchestra. cial field trips when I was six years old My dad was a pianist and my mum was taught by Kirstie Dunbar-Kari at the to go and see Grandma, who was more involved in the administrative Mount Desert Elementary School. The fol- about 50 miles away, which, in Britain, side of things, fixing up gigs for them, lowing is an excerpt from that conversa- is a big deal. In Britain, everything is organizing their tours and what have tion, which took place in the public affairs instantly available to you because we're you. My mum gave it up to raise myself office at COA. so densely populated and you don't and my sister. have to go somewhere special, like And my sister Angelique also went Sean Todd: Born first of August, Bangor, to get something, you just go into science. She does the exact same 1965, Leo, marine biologist. How's down the road. So to go 50 miles is a thing I do, only with gorillas, which is that for an intro? Pleased to meet you. big deal. kind of bizarre. She's out in Africa Emily Little: What do you do at Col- So it was a big adventure for a six- right now and there's like a four-week lege of the Atlantic? year-old. And I' d go to stay with delay period in communication, so I'm ST: First and foremost, I am a teacher Grandma, and Grandma used to live not exactly sure what she's doing, but here, specializing in biology, specifical- by the sea, and she always had this you can probably bet she's up to her ly marine biology, and, even more huge fascination with the sea, and she knees in swamp and leeches and all specifically than that, marine mammal sort of passed it on to me. That's why kinds of things. science. I also direct the research I'm here; ever since I was five or six EL: Do research and teaching some- group, Allied Whale, which works with years old, I've been fascinated with the times conflict with one another? marine mammals. ocean. ST: They do, absolutely. The only thing EL: Where were you born? EL: Was there a science background in that resolves the conflict for me is that ST: I was born in Paddington Hospital, your family? my particular work, which is very sea- COA NEWS 18 WINTER 1999/2000 sonal work-I can only be out on the may be somewhere around the 10,500 And he invited me over to dinner water when there are whales around- mark in the North Atlantic alone, and he cooked me whale, and it was happens generally when I don't have to which is about two-thirds of their carry- the most disgusting thing in my life. teach. So I can teach during the rest of ing capacity for the ocean, which is The first bite was sort of, "Well, okay, the year, but the summer is pretty very good. They've rebounded from that's whale," and the second bite was, much dedicated to research. whaling wonderfully. "You know, I really don't like this," And the neat thing about this col- The minkes seem to be doing real- and then the third bite, "I need to use lege is that they're quite supportive of ly well, the finbacks are recovering. the washroom right now and I need to that. If I can bring some of the stu- The blue whales are pretty suspect, get rid of this thing in my mouth, it's dents along with me as I do research, we're not quite sure about them. The horrible." It's like a very very fishy oily then all the better, because I'm giving northern rights probably only have liver, very strong, very aromatic. them the experience that they will around a 100 years to live and then During the war the Germans need when they go to grad school. they're gone. There are only three hun- bombed all the cows. There were EL: What kind of research do you do? dred of them left, and the problem ration problems in Britain, and one ST: It really depends upon what I'm when you get to that small a popula- way around it was to get whale meat. interested in at the time. I've really tion is that every single whale that gets And my father said that they ate it all jumped back and forth. The challenge taken out makes a difference. And the time. The joke of the time was, you of whale science is trying to come up we've already had one killed this year know, the famous song, "We Will Meet with neat ways to answer questions that from a boat strike and that's quite Again." Well, in Britain it was "Whale in a terrestrial setting, say with ele- common. So far, more whales are meat again." Sorry. My father will be phant, lion or gorilla, would be quite being taken out of the population than proud of me for that pun, he was a real simple to do. And that means that you they can give birth to compensate for. punster. really have to branch into some fields The other problem with the right EL: Do you still have the same kind of that you've never really thought about. wonder going out to encounter these For example, I once got very inter- creatures? Does this ever wear off? ested in whale heartbeats. If you look ST: I lost it for a bit. The reason I lost at the EKG signal, it's not just a "If I can bring some it was because I became a scientist. I straightforward spike, there's some very interesting things that happen of the students along became nothing but a hardcore scien- tist for a couple of years, and every before and after the spike that have to do with the way the human heart with me as I do time I photographed an animal I was photographing it because I wanted to beats. And the question was, "Do those identify the animal, and every time I kinds of things happen in whales as research, then all the biopsied the animal it was because I they do in humans?" wanted a piece of skin for my Ph.D. That question would be quite easy better, because I'm thesis. At the end of my sixth year I to ask of a land animal, but a marine suddenly realized, "I've got no good mammal? - that's tough. It involved giving them the general photographs of whales. going out to our local hardware store They're all photo-identification shots and buying a plumber's helper, ripping experience that they or scientific dissection shots," and I off the suction cup and putting the suddenly thought, "I've not been electrode into that. We worked with a will need when they appreciating these animals at all." halter monitor company. Halter moni- To get it back, I started taking on tors are put on people after they've go to grad school." interpretation jobs for ecotourism. It had a heart attack; they record your allowed me to re-experience the ani- heart rate for 24 hours to make sure mals and I suddenly realized, "These you settle down. are just amazing creatures." Given We got one of those. I had to people's fascination with dinosaurs- reprogram that device-I've never pro- whales is that when you get down to and we're never ever going to see any- grammed a computer in my life- that few animals there's very little thing as big as a dinosaur, ever again, because a whale heart beat is extremely genetic variability in that pool, and in our lifetime-this is the closest loud compared to a human heart beat. that's very important to survivorship. we're going to get to them. You're I had to learn how to reamplify the sig- Right now, those 300 animals are only seeing these huge creatures operating nal and how to waterproof the entire represented by three separate matrilin- in the ocean and they're clearly think- thing. Then I had to figure out a way eal lines. In other words, not so long ing creatures just like we are, but to put it on the animal, and that ago three whales gave rise to that they're sixty feet long and just the involved all kinds of cross-disciplinary entire stock of 300, so there's very little sheer scope of that, the scale, never stuff. For a couple of months I became genetic information. So the right whale ceases to amaze me. more of a medical technician than a is probably not going to be around, And now I do actively take time biologist. And that was a really interest- not the northern rights anyway. out, I say, "Okay, I'm just going to ing turn for me. It's cross-discipline EL: Have you ever eaten whale? enjoy them today, I'm not going to do stuff, which COA loves. ST: I was so heavily conservation-ori- any science, I'm just going to be with EL: How do you think whales are ented when I first came to grad school, them and enjoy them." I think it's very going to do in this next century? I just abhorred the whole thought of important because it keeps the motiva- ST: It depends which species. The eating the stuff. My graduate advisor tion going, it keeps you wanting to do humpbacks are doing okay. We've just said, "If you're going to study these something about this species, keeps come out of a study, which I was guys, you're going to eat them at least you wanting to conserve them. involved in, that suggests that there once, so that you know what it's like." COA NEWS 19 WINTER 1999/2000 Students in the spring course "Plants in the Campus Landscape" help botany faculty member Craig Greene unpack nursery stock. Over one hundred trees and shrubs were planted, adding significant diversity to the teaching collection of the campus- wide arboretum. Among the new plants are orna- mental cherries adjacent to Blair-Tyson dormitory, a flowering shrub collection below the Farrand Gar- dens and an assortment of nut trees and Asian maples bordering the north lawn. Student Sarah Landry organized this display in the Thorndike Library in recognition of Banned Books Week. The college also co- hosted a reading from banned books with Exercise vour ad... Amnesty International and the Maine Writ- ers and Publishers Alliance. Faculty, staff and students read from a range of works. The event was emceed by poet and litera- ture faculty member William Carpenter. 1 Taking the French- man plunge: This year's Bar Island Swim boasted the largest turn-out ever, as 70- plus students, faculty and staff took to the chilly waters of Frenchman Bay. That's Lucy Bell Sellers, Theater Workshop director, in the row- boat at right, one of several escorts. Sculptor Dan Falt appears to be proposing to artist Marian Olin as painter Jeanne Perkins looks on in amusement. The Blum Gallery presented "A Tribute to Wingspread: Aurelia Brown, Marian Olin and Adele Seronde" in July. Anatomy as art/art as anatomy: This fanci- ful skeleton, the creation of student Sara Wilson, could be found in the Arts and Sciences Building, part of a display of projects created in John Anderson's Functional Vertebrate Anatomy course. COA NEWS 20 WINTER 1999/2000 Around Campus Never a dull moment at College of the Atlantic PHOTOS BY CARL LITTLE Autumn days: A group of stu- dents enjoy a game of soccer on the central lawn. The col- lege's two soccer teams, the Gentlemen Black Flies and the Lady Swarm, took to the field this fall, with matches against the University of Maine at Rahvi Barnum and Abraham Furth are Presque Isle and Fort Kent, interviewed by Rhonda Erskine of WABI-TV Maine Maritime Academy, and Channel 5 upon completion of a coast-to- Husson, Bates and Unity Col- coast bicycle ride to raise awareness of leges. The teams were domestic violence. The two Cony High coached by Doug Barkey, School graduates raised over $27,000 for graphic arts instructor, and the Family Violence Project. That's Jeff Rebecca Buyers-Basso '81, Miller '92, president of the Maine Bicycle director of alumni affairs. Association, helping out with the shoot. From this angle, the college's research vessel Indigo tied to the COA pier looks about as big as the Queen Elizabeth II anchored in the distance. Betcha my stroller can out- run yours: Stephen Ressel, director of the Natural His- tory Museum, and Doug Barkey, graphics lab director, roll out their young ones on a sunny spring day. David Einhorn (seated on desk) leads a discussion of Steven Spiel- berg's movie Schindler's List with Mount Desert High School students in the Blum Gallery as part of a special Holocaust studies program held at College of the Atlantic. COA NEWS 21 WINTER 1999/2000 FACULTY PROFILE COA Professor Links Science with Society by Sarah Heifetz '00 With the addition of a full-time math and physics professor last fall, College of the Atlantic's math curriculum expanded far beyond complex equa- tions. As well as teaching standard cal- culus and physics courses, new COA faculty member David Feldman is approaching science classes from a different angle. "I was attracted to College of the Atlantic for a lot of reasons," Dr. Feldman notes. "I liked the interdis- ciplinary nature of the school and the opportunity to think creatively about the curriculum." In the spring Dr. Feldman taught a course of his own design, "Making the Bomb," which sought to bridge the gap between the sciences and the humanities. Through comprehensive study of the atomic bomb, students learned how science and culture are interwoven in history. While many students who enrolled in the course were "science people," Dr. Feldman designed the course to be accessible to even the least science- minded. "The class encouraged peo- ple to think critically about science," PHOTO: LUANNE TIMMERMAN In learning about the Dr. David Feldman discusses vectors with third-year student Lauren Breault. history of the atomic are still relevant today. ing," he reports, "and I also really For the current generation of enjoy interacting with students on bomb, students college students the course struck an lots of different levels." unexpected chord. "I didn't realize Prior to his arrival at the college, encountered many how many students would have Dr. Feldman attended graduate grandparents who fought in World school at University of California, social and ethical War II," Dr. Feldman said. Several Davis, and did his doctoral research class members used family experi- at the Santa Fe Institute in New Mex- questions, many of ences in designing their final pro- ico. Before graduate school he jects. One student interviewed his taught high school math and physics which are still grandfather who served in the war, in Tennessee. and another compiled a collection of Life in Bar Harbor has allowed relevant today. writings from letters his grandfather Dr. Feldman to pursue academic sent to his grandmother from over- challenges, but it has also provided seas. time for ultimate frisbee, bird-watch- Dr. Feldman enjoyed the oppor- ing and hiking. "I really enjoy what I tunity the course provided to utilize do," he said, "and I'm excited about he said. "It's really exciting to read pieces of different educational theo- doing it here." about all the great minds and scientif- ries in his teaching. "What does ic developments, but it's also disturb- someone broadly educated need to This article originally appeared in the ing because there are so many ques- know?" he asked himself in planning Bar Harbor Times. Sarah Heifetz '00 tions left unanswered." In learning this course. completed an internship with this award- about the history of the atomic bomb, Since coming to COA, Dr. Feld- winning paper last year and continues students encountered many social man had been impressed by the level to write for it. and ethical questions, many of which of class discussion. "I love the teach- COA NEWS 22 WINTER 1999/2000 NEW COURSES AT COA Salmon The ongoing debate and controversy regarding the sta- tus and fate of Atlantic salmon inspired a new course offering this past spring. "Salmon: North Atlantic Fish- eries from Historical and Policy Perspectives" was taught by Kenneth Cline, faculty member in environmental law, and Todd Little-Siebold, history faculty member. The course used the contemporary plight of Atlantic salmon as point of entry into the complex history of the environments they have inhabited. Part environmental history, policy crash course and human ecological explo- ration, "Salmon" attempted to look at the web of ecolog- ical relationships that emanate outwards from this species, which has been in decline. Students explored the legal and policy issues sur- rounding the salmon's status in the United States while looking at the Canadian and European experience. They were asked to explore the history of salmon in the North Atlantic as a window into the region's complicat- ed environmental past. They explored the impact of milling operations, timber harvesting, sea fisheries, marine mammal populations levels and many more fac- tors on salmon. The course was very timely, thanks to the current debate within federal and state agencies about whether the Maine Atlantic salmon deserves protection under the Endangered Species Act. During the course, the most active players at the Federal, State and local levels talked to the class about salmon and their future. The visitors ranged from Edward Baum, the top Atlantic salmon authority in Maine, to Paul Nickerson, the U.S. PHOTOS: TODD LITTLE-SIEBOLD Kenneth Cline (in hat), faculty member in environmental law, and students prepare to weigh salmon smolts. Fish and Wildlife Service's endangered species expert. The class visited sites in the region and beyond, including salmon hatcheries and the offices of river advocacy groups. The highlight of the course was a visit to New Brunswick to visit the Atlantic Salmon Federa- tion's Conservation Centre just outside of St. Andrews. Faculty and students worked with Dr. Fred Whoriskey, a world-renowned salmon biologist and the ASF's Vice President for Research and Environment, on a number of ongoing research projects. The class visited fish-counting facilities on the Magudavic River, spent three days doing basic research on salmon smolts headed out to sea and constructed a weir on the Bogabec River to see if salmon use it to spawn. They helped study the Bay of Fundy salmon, whose plight is even worse than that of Maine's stock. In many Bay of Fundy rivers salmon are virtually extinct. The class also wrote a basic guide to the biology, his- tory and policy issues touching on Maine Atlantic salmon. The booklet will serve as a sort of "citizen's guide" to the issues which Maine faces in the next years College of the Atlantic students take scale samples for genetic regarding the protection of the Atlantic salmon. study of Bay of Fundy salmon. COA NEWS 23 WINTER 1999/2000 The Ethics of Environmental Decision-Making by Abby Kidder, M.Phil. '00 The graduate program at College of the Atlantic is a small, cre- It was there that I had something of a revelation. I ative program that awards the degree of Master of Philosophy in began to see that every significant environmental problem Human Ecology. The college's M.Phil. program is based on the has, at its base, an ethical lapse of some sort. Somewhere a English system whereby recent graduates are allowed to work with bad decision was made, or a decision was ignored altogeth- mentors to expand studies beyond formal undergraduate educa- er, resulting in environmental deterioration. tion. The program provides a distinctive opportunity for highly It became clearer and clearer that environmental prob- motivated and self-directed students to focus on interdisciplinary lems aren't just about biodiversity loss, global warming and topics. The program strives to maintain a high quality of research population explosions. They're about what people value and to create a community of scholars to stimulate both faculty and how they make decisions. and undergraduates. Graduate study blends practical experience At the heart of all these issues is the fact that we have with philosophical and theoretical viewpoints embodied in diverse lived in a values-neutral culture for too long. Everywhere I academic fields and allows students to integrate technical knowl- began to recognize the ethical dimension of environmental edge with social concerns. The late William Drury was the first problems-and that while many people think of them as director of the graduate program. Dr. Craig Greene, Newlin Pro- right-versus-wrong issues, most of the really tough prob- fessor of Botany, is the current dean of graduate studies. lems can only be addressed successfully through a more refined right-versus-right framework. All of us face ethical issues every day. Sometimes they're a It became obvious that it was time to tie my many inter- straightforward moral lure of the right-versus-wrong sort, ests together. I would continue with my studies of environ- begging us to do what's wrong even when we know what's mental education and perhaps even some marine ecology, right. but driving these studies would be the tools of ethical deci- Sometimes, however, there are genuine ethical dilem- sion-making developed by the Institute for Global Ethics. mas of the right-versus-right sort. Should I tell the truth Having clearly outlined my new direction and interest, I about my friend's eating disorder to save her life, or keep left Florida to find a program better suited for this kind of my promise to her and stay quiet? Should I spend my mon- study. College of the Atlantic has offered me room to ey on enlightening travel now, or save it for college later? develop this study and explore ways of implementing ethi- Should I report the person who illegally kills wildlife or let cal decision-making into environmental and experiential it go since they need food? education. In such dilemmas, there are right answers on both sides. The first few chapters of an environmental ethics cur- It is right to be loyal and it is right to be honest. It is right riculum for experiential educators has been mapped out, to consider the long term and it is right to consider the and some of the lessons have been piloted with COA stu- short term. Justice is as right as mercy, and valuing the indi- dents. Seeing the process in action and looking down the vidual is as right as valuing the community. Most often we road at the work still to be done, I can't help but believe cannot do both. A choice has to be made between core val- that ethical decision-making is the most progressive form ues that we hold deeply but that may be deeply in conflict. of environmental activism. When I graduated from Principia College in Elsah, Illi- nois in 1994, I went to work with the Institute for Global Kidder is developing a curriculum in environmental ethics. Ethics in Camden, Maine, where I learned and worked with She is the first recipient of a Rothschild Fellowship in Gradu- this process of ethical decision-making. After working in ate Studies. This fellowship program was established this year the education department at the Institute for a couple of by Maurine Rothschild, vice chair of the COA Board of years, I decided to continue my education in marine ecolo- Trustees, and her husband, Robert Rothschild, a member of gy and environmental education at Florida Institute of the college's Council of Advisors and Investment Committee. Technology in 1996. Anne Mary Meyers and Dominic Stanelescu were among the students to par- ticipate in the college's first- ever summer undergradu- ate program. Here they study a fledgling storm petrel on Great Duck Island. The new program was featured in a Christian Science Monitor article in PHOTO: CHANDREYEE MITRA August. COA NEWS 24 WINTER 1999/2000 Summer Program Launched For the past fifteen years, Col- nical manuals. The final third lege of the Atlantic has offered of the class was spent on the courses for high school teach- COA campus to process col- ers from schools throughout lections and confirm identifi- the United States during the cations at the college's summer months as training for herbarium. re-certification. For the first "Island Life" explored the time in the college's history, sig- historical and current inter- nificant strides towards a year- pretations of island biogeog- round academic calendar were raphy and the interplay made this past summer. Two between natural and human courses designed primarily for history and human ecology. college undergraduates were The class was taught in the offered. field, with a home base on This new initiative will allow the college's field station on students to take full advantage Great Duck Island, the R/V of the college's new facilities, Indigo and the college's field both on and off campus, and to campus at Indian Point. focus on seasonal topics best The first half of the addressed during summer. course focused on Great These topics include economic Duck Island and its immedi- and environmental analyses of ate surroundings, learning tourism; fisheries and other sea- and applying theoretical sonal activities; and reproduc- approaches to island land- tive ecology of important plants scapes, with extensive read- and animals. The courses for ings. The second half of the this summer were "The Flora of course moved further into Great Duck Island," taught by the field, exploring a variety Dr. Craig Greene, Newlin Chair of islands in eastern Maine, in Botany, and "Island Life," and relating observations to with Dr. John Anderson, faculty theoretical predictions. member in zoology. It is hoped that this pilot Students in "The Flora of PHOTO: CHANDREYEE MITRA program will grow into a rich Great Duck Island" conducted and rewarding summer term a floristic inventory of this two- at College of the Atlantic. hundred-plus-acre island. The Three storm petrel chicks find their way among the rocks of This initial step was support- class lived on the island for the Great Duck Island. Note the fashionable ankle bracelets. ed by a two-year grant of first two-thirds of the course in $100,000 from the Davis order to conduct field surveys and update earlier flora Educational Foundation of Falmouth, Maine. inventories of the island, which documented two hundred If you have questions about the program, please contact and five species of vascular plants. Students learned collect- Helen Hess, Director of the COA Summer Pilot Program, ing and identification methods using field guides and tech- at 288-5015. from "A Gull Paradise" by Henry Van Dyke Great and Little Duck Islands lie about ten miles off shore from Seal Harbor. Their name suggests that they were once the haunt of various kinds of sea-fowl. But the ducks have been almost, if not quite, extermi- nated; and the herring gulls would probably have gone the same way, but for the exertions of the Audubon Society, which have resulted in the reservation of the islands as a breeding-ground under governmental pro- tection. It has taken a long time to awaken the American people to the fact that the wild and beautiful creatures of earth and air and sea are a precious part of the common inheritance, and that their needless and heedless destruction, by pot-hunters or plume-hunters or silly shooters who are not happy unless they are destroying something, is a crime against the commonwealth which must be punished or prevented. The people are not yet wide awake, but they are beginning to get their eyes open; and the State of Maine, which was once the Butchers' Happy Hunting Ground, is now a leader in the enactment and enforcement of good game laws. -This text originally appeared in Days Off and Other Digressions, New York, Charles Scribner's Sons, 1907 COA NEWS 25 WINTER 1999/2000 Classroom Visitors Every term special guests and visiting professors add to the classroom mix at College of the Atlantic. Here are a few visitors from last spring. Top left: Visiting professor Pavel Novacek, left, joined visiting student Petr Slezar, center, in speaking about life in the Czech Republic. Novacek, who is director of the Center for Inter- disciplinary Studies at Palacky University, taught two courses at COA last spring: "Environmental and Development Issues in Eastern Europe and the Czech/Slovak Republic" and "Sustainable Development and Global Governance." Karen Waldron (back to camera), faculty member in lit- erature, and John Visvader, right, philosophy faculty member, took part in the discussion. Top right: Evan Eisenberg (seated), author of The Ecology of Eden, was a guest lecturer in Reverend James Gower's "Cosmos, Community, Communion" course last spring. His book explores the way suburbia, arcadia, Eden, American frontierism and other images of earthly paradise resonate across the millennia and define man's complex and ambivalent rela- tionship to the natural world. Eisenberg also gave a talk in the McCormick Lecture Hall and attended faculty tea. Right: Printmaker and visiting faculty member Siri Beckman (second from left) joins students for a final critique of their projects in the Visit- ing Artists Studio at COA. Beckman taught "Book Arts," a studio course focusing on book structures. Students learned how books are put together by making their own blank books based on historical types, including Coptic and PHOTOS: CARL LITTLE Japanese. COA NEWS 26 WINTER 1999/2000 Etta Kravolec: Liberation through Learning by William Carpenter It's hard to write about Etta In the COA faculty tra- Kralovec in the past tense. dition, Etta reached out- She was, is and will continue side her own discipline to to be a powerful, indepen- connect with other teach- dent voice in the intellectual ers and styles of thought. evolution of College of the As a team-teacher, despite Atlantic. the strength of her posi- Etta came to COA twelve tions, she was a gracious years ago, bringing a vision and tolerant collaborator. of education as social Every other year Etta change. This vision not only and I would re-fight the transformed the college's Culture Wars in "Text and education program, it Theory." Although we vio- helped clarify the institu- lently disagreed on every tion's overall identity and single point, she constantly social purpose. She taught demonstrated to our stu- and practiced an active dents that the purpose of human ecology dedicated to argument is not the tri- the project of liberation umph of one side or the through learning. other, but the illumination As our leading postmod- of the subject at hand. ernist, Etta brought to human With Etta gone from that ecology the relentless intensity course it's going to be like of postmodern critique. Like America losing the Soviet the Wife of Bath in her Union-without the old favorite Chaucer tale, she enemy how are we sup- loved to deconstruct the posed to know who we façades of tradition and really are? authority, and expose the As well as serving as truth-then remind us that statesman and leader of there is no truth and move on. the education program, Throughout the 1990s, Etta was a legendary teach- Etta profoundly influenced er both in and out of the the development of the col- classroom. Her office lege by holding both an out- always had a waiting line of sider's critical perspective devoted advisees. A and an insider's power to get lunchtime advising meet- things done. She lived in the present; she never let herself PHOTO: REBECCA POLLOCK 01 ing with Etta could change a student's life. She taught or anyone else rest on their her last class this spring- prior attainments. She was "Learning Theory" -in a uncompromising in her series of classrooms, each insistence on honesty and bigger than the previous openness in the governance one, until the class had A wall of books as back up: Etta Kralovec discusses education in her of the school. office in the Turrets. grown to the point where Etta was not only a parti- only Gates auditorium san, but a skilled negotiator could hold it. I used to walk and emissary to the outside world. Her diplomacy with the across the balcony of the Gates Center to my office and Maine State educational system brought COA's irreverent pause for a moment because the scene had the appearance radicalism into mutually profitable harmony with bureau- of a religious cult. What I heard in Etta's classroom was cratic demands. As a result, our idealistic graduates have not a guru dispensing knowledge to disciples, but a discus- been able to survive and thrive in the real world. sion among equals as to how the gift of teaching can be Thanks to Etta's efforts, tactfully building on her prede- used to achieve a better world. cessor Peter Corcoran's breakthroughs, the state has come In the past year, Etta has found a national arena in to recognize and respect the unique qualities of COA's which to practice her style of applied social critique. She approach to education. In accomplishing this, she was not co-authored, with John Buell, a book denouncing the vol- just promoting our program, but subtly changing the ume of homework heaped on American highschoolers. bureaucracy itself. Informal and approachable as she was When this book comes out, kids will be pulling down the around campus, she was impeccable in cultivating respect old Civil War statues and erecting Etta Kralovec figures in among state administrators for our process and vision. continued on page 29 COA NEWS 27 WINTER 1999/2000 A Salute to Melville Coté by Edward Kaelber, President Emeritus PHOTO: TED JACOBS The early years: Mel Coté and Sam Eliot hold a meeting in the old Kaelber Hall. Mel Coté joined the College of the Atlantic staff in June name it." He played a major part in planning the curriculum 1970. There really wasn't all that much to join, as it was a col- and in deciding who of the many applicants for faculty posi- lege in name only. There was a dedicated band of trustees. tions the college would select. He took on such tasks as shov- And the college, while owning no property, was given the eling snow in the winter, taking care of minor repairs to the use of a beautiful building on the shore of Frenchman Bay. building and starting the vegetable garden. When Mel arrived, COA had no faculty or students and Perhaps most important was Mel's success in finding and very little money. It was not recognized as a college by the persuading young people of intelligence, imagination, State of Maine. Three employees preceded him: Millard humor, discipline and courage to join us as students. His Dority, who, as a parttime employee, was the "buildings and effectiveness as COA's first Director of Admissions was the grounds department"; Ann Peach, who started as a volun- key to the college's early success. teer and did whatever had to be done; and myself, trying to And finally an observation of a more personal nature. figure out with the help of others what COA might actually Mel's judgment about ideas and people is absolutely A-one, become. yet frequently he puts forth his thoughts sotto voce. Some of us Mel and I had gotten to know one another in the mid- pick up on these thoughts, repeat them in a louder voice and 1960s when I was working at Harvard. He was doing his doc- then accept the credit for wisdom. However, plagiarism of his toral studies in counseling psychology. Then, for a year and a ideas never seemed to bother him. It was the thought itself, half, in 1968-'69, we worked together helping to develop and and not the credit for its origin, that concerned him. run a school in Nigeria. If College of the Atlantic was going to get off the ground, Edward Kaelber served as COA's first President from 1970 to and then move on to become a first-rate college, it had to 1982. Upon leaving the college, he co-founded the Maine Commu- attract people who had imagination coupled with discipline; nity Foundation and is now a freelance consultant. Kaelber served idealism coupled with realism-and a sense of humor. These as Associate Dean of the Faculty and a Lecturer on Education at people also had to be risk-takers. Mel Coté exactly fit the bill. Harvard Graduate School of Education. He and his wife, Anne, Until September 1972, when the college commenced with live in Bar Harbor. a class of 32 students, Mel's role fell into the category of "you COA NEWS 28 WINTER 1999/2000 To Lead with the Heart: A Further Tribute to Mel Coté by Richard J. Borden When I came to the college capacity to restore himself in January 1979 Mel Coté and bounce back. had already gone to Prince- Another wonderful side of ton. I didn't meet Mel until Mel is that he is incapable of several years later, but his holding a grudge. I have nev- presence was felt through the er seen him be spiteful or pet- stories of his accomplish- ty. Moreover, in the ten years ments in the early years of we have worked together- the college. day in and day out-we have After five years at Prince- never had a serious disagree- ton Mel went on to become ment. The reason is simple: vice-president at Notre Dame deep down, Mel is a kind per- College. This was about the son who has no need to com- time that Louis Rabineau pete or to seek credit. came to College of the Mel has also made an enor- Atlantic as our third presi- mous contribution to the dent and when I got my first Society for Human Ecology, taste of administrative work serving as Executive Director serving as college provost. for the past six years. He has In 1986 I resigned from helped to move the organiza- that position to help start the Mel and Polly Coté are given a sugar-rich send-off in the Great Hall of tion ahead on all fronts: Society for Human Ecology the Turrets. The next week they left Mount Desert Island for their establishing its legal status as (SHE). Steve Katona, then a new home in Provincetown, Massachusetts. a non-profit organization, faculty member in biology, helping to achieve a stable took up the provost position, which he filled for several membership, preparing successful international meetings years. It was during this time that Mel returned to COA as and bringing the society's journal-Human Ecology Review-to Director of Institutional Research. new standards of quality. I imagine that many people at When Steve decided to return to Allied Whale, and my COA aren't aware how highly Mel is regarded throughout role as president of SHE was concluding, President Rabineau the international human ecology network for quiet leader- was looking for help again. So a new arrangement was ship and careful follow through. worked out: there would be two deans, one to manage the Mel and Polly's home has always been a warm and wel- budgetary and personnel side of things, the other to oversee come setting for visitors and close friends, bringing new and the academic program. Mel and I have been yoked in this old colleagues together, welcoming international visitors, cel- team ever since. ebrating holidays, building friendships. All of us who have Many people don't know it, but Mel is much more than shared their table know how much they love the college and just an Ivy League academic. He was also a Marine (e.g., boot how much both of them have given to its success. camp, parachute certification, etc.), as well as a distinguished It is a great gift to be able to lead with the heart and not football player, in both high school and college. the ego-and Mel and Polly's hearts have been a treasure for We made a good team. My approach was to try to figure this community. I hope that all the love they have given ways to minimize conflicts, to be cautious, but for Mel, it was flows back to their new life in Provincetown and that they much simpler. His attitude was that sometimes problems will continue to be friends of the college for many, many simply arise. When this happens you can't avoid them or years to come. back away; you let them take their course, then pick up the Academic Dean Richard Borden has taught psychology at College of pieces, get back in position and carry on. This core fortitude the Atlantic for twenty years. He is former president of the Society on his part has always impressed me. I admire his bottomless for Human Ecology. Kravolec, from page 23 the public square. deeply proud of her as a star graduate who will carry the Etta is keenly aware of the dual mandate of human message to a widening audience. The COA faculty will ecology: first figure it out, then spread the word. She has miss both her brilliant collaboration and the unflinching already conducted the first COA mission to Africa, under scrutiny of her critique, which, over the past dozen years, the auspices of the Fulbright Foundation. Next spring have done so much to make us what we are. she'll be promulgating her ideas in the world of book tours and talk shows when Clearing the Kitchen Table: Homework A founding faculty member at COA, William Carpenter is the and the American Dream comes out. In her new position author of three books of poetry and a novel, A Keeper of Sheep. with the Job Corps she'll be training teachers for direct He just spent a sabbatical finishing up another novel, Wooden involvement in social change. Nickel. He lives in Stockton Springs with the writer Donna Gold Although in one sense we mourn the departure of a and their son, Daniel, 9. devoted teacher and stimulating colleague, we are also COA NEWS 29 WINTER 1999/2000 Obituaries Robert E. Blum Life Trustee and Human Ecologist The college community was sad- dened to hear of the death of Life Trustee Robert E. Blum. Blum died on October 22, 1999, at the age of 100, at his home in Lakeville, Con- necticut. Blum joined the Board of Trustees in 1973 and was elected Life Trustee in 1985. He was award- ed an Honorary Bachelor of Arts in Human Ecology degree in 1992. Blum and his wife of 63 years, artist Ethel Halsey Blum, who died in 1991, PHOTO: MEL COTÉ and for whom the college's art gallery is named, were among the college's Robert Blum (center, in jacket and tie) is joined by COA staff and friends on the balcony most devoted friends. The family of the Thorndike Library in the summer of 1990. From left to right: President Louis maintained a summer residence on Rabineau, trustee John Kauffmann, library staff Sandra Modeen and Marcia Dorr, Mr. Mt. Desert Island from 1936 until Blum, Tammy Crossman '92, Christopher Topham, Lucy Bell Sellers, Katherine Topham 1996. and trustee Peter Sellers. President Katona called Blum humor." Katona remembered him one of the college's most generous In his professional life, Blum and enthusiastic supporters. "He as a deeply compassionate man, was a civic leader, businessman and was a thoroughly delightful human always eager to help the communi- advisor to several New York mayors ties in which he lived and worked. being-warm, wise and full of good continued on page 31 Horseshoe Bench Dedicated to Mike and Nettie Garber Renovations were completed this summer to the granite horseshoe bench on the lawn just south of the Turrets. Built from the same granite as The Turrets, the bench was constructed in 1895 and was part of the summer cottage's original landscaping. Overlooking the strait between the mainland and Bar Island with views of Frenchman Bay, this scenic respite slipped into disrepair over the years, but a restoration effort has returned the bench to its original majesty. On July 20, 1999, the bench was dedicated to the memory of Mike and Nettie Garber, early benefactors of College of the Atlantic and former owners of the Bar Harbor Inn. Mr. Garber was instru- mental in the college's acquisition of its main campus. He was a member of the real estate syndicate "Whitecaps" along with Charles Sawyer, Jr., of Southwest Harbor, Goodie Wiseman of Bangor and Leslie Brewer of Bar Harbor. The syndicate owned the Oblate Semi- nary and Turrets, and made these facilities available to the college for a lease of one dollar per year for the first five years. The proper- ty was then sold to the college for far less than its commercial value. The dedication ceremony was organized by Mr. Sawyer, a long- time friend and business associate of the Garbers, with arrange- ments coordinated by Mr. Brewer. Guests in attendance included former Louisiana Senator Russell Long and his wife, Carolyn; mem- PHOTO: CARL LITTLE bers of the Long family; Goodie Wiseman; former employees of the Bar Harbor Inn, Mrs. Genevieve Minutolo and Mrs. Grace Rosa; and former business associates of Mr. Garber. "Except for the kindness, generosity and foresight of Mike Garber and his partners, College of the Atlantic might never have obtained its extraordinary campus," said President Katona at the dedication. The newly restored horseshoe-shaped bench "This beautiful bench adds to the pleasure of remembering Mike bears a plaque honoring Mike and Nettie and Nettie." Garber. COA NEWS 30 WINTER 1999/2000 Robert E. Suminsby quently assisted in the purchase of chased the Knowles Company. He significant wilderness areas for con- served on the board of selectmen of COA Trustee servation. He served for ten years on the Town of Mount Desert and was a College of the Atlantic announces the board of Land for Maine's board member for the Mount Desert with sadness the passing of one of its Future and he was an advisor to the Island Regional High School. He was great friends, trustee Robert E. Sum- Maine Coast Heritage Trust and to also a scoutmaster and received the insby, who died on Saturday, Octo- the Nature Conservancy. Silver Beaver Award for his work ber 2, at the age of 67. Suminsby was born on Septem- with the Boy Scouts. Suminsby joined the Board of ber 14, 1932, in Otter Creek, Maine. The college mourns the passing of Trustees in 1985 and served as a He graduated from Gilman High one its most skilled advisors, a gen- member of the Finance, Audit and School in Northeast Harbor in 1950 tleman and public servant of the first Buildings and Grounds Committees. and from the University of Maine in order. "College of the Atlantic benefitted 1958. In 1972 he and his wife pur- substantially from Bob's skills in finance, and from his insights regarding buildings and property," said President Steven K. Katona. His opinion that the college should acquire the former Gardner proper- ty, now the Kathryn W. Davis Center of International and Regional Stud- ies, played a key part in convincing the trustees to proceed with that project last spring. COA president emeritus Louis Rabineau said that Suminsby's com- mitment to the environment made him a model for students at the col- lege. He and his wife, Kathryn, led several outdoor orientation trips to introduce incoming students to the beauty of Maine's rivers and woods. Suminsby loved Maine's woods and waters. A Registered Maine Guide, he regularly hiked and canoed throughout the state. He worked to ensure that others in the PHOTO: FRANK BUTLER future would be able to enjoy Maine's splendid natural resources by using his real estate expertise to Robert Suminsby played a key role in the planning of campus buildings at College of the help preserve Maine's wildlands and Atlantic. Here he joined President Louis Rabineau (center) and fellow trustees (left to right) waters. He was one of the early con- Cathy Ramsdell, John Kauffmann (standing), Donald Straus, Edward Blair, Alida Camp, sultants in developing the idea of Leslie Brewer (standing) and Neva Goodwin to review plans for the Thomas S. Gates, Jr. conservation easements and he fre- Community Center. Blum, from page 30 and governors. He served as vice Lincoln Center for the Performing Nassau, which administers over 300 president and secretary of Abraham Arts, serving as its treasurer from acres of national parks and protect- and Straus, Inc., and also as a direc- 1956 to 1963. ed areas. He is often regarded as tor and vice-president of Federated Appointed to the Arts Commis- the founder of the environmental Department Stores. sion of the City of New York in 1960, movement in the Bahamas. He also Blum's civic services included Blum served as its president from was instrumental in organizing the membership on the governing com- 1967 to 1970. He was a trustee of the Berkshire-Taconic Community mittees of the Brooklyn Museum, American Museum of Natural Histo- Foundation, in Lakeville, Connecti- Brooklyn Botanical Garden, Brook- ry and the New York Zoological Soci- cut, and the Maine Community lyn Academy of Music and the ety. He also served on the governing Foundation in Ellsworth. Brooklyn Childrens' Museum. He body of the New York Community The college community joins the was a member of the executive com- Trust. Blum family in mourning the death mittee of the New York World's Blum's contributions to other of this distinguished businessman, Fair, 1964-'65, and played an impor- communities included founding the benefactor and great friend. tant role in the development of the Bahamas National Trust, based in COA NEWS 31 WINTER 1999/2000 Charles R. Tyson tory was dedicated in 1995 to honor Life Trustee and celebrate all that the Tysons have done for College of the Atlantic. One of College of the Atlantic's very Born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania special friends, Life Trustee Charles in 1914, Tyson was the son of Carroll R. Tyson, died on July 27, 1999. He Sargent Tyson Jr., a prominent artist, was 85. He and his wife, Barbara, and Helen Roebling Tyson. His great- lived in Ambler, Pennsylvania, and great-grandfather, John A. Roebling, were long time summer residents of founded Roebling's Sons Company, Somesville. which was responsible for designing "It is hard to overestimate the role and building the Brooklyn Bridge. that Charlie played in the colleg's his- After attending Princeton Univer- tory," said President Katona. Tyson sity, Tyson joined Roebling's Sons joined the Board of Trustees in 1974. Company, eventually becoming presi- Throughout the succeeding 25 years, dent in 1944, at age 30. When the he and Barbara numbered among the company became a wholly owned college's most generous and enthusi- subsidiary of the Colorado Fuel & astic supporters. After the disastrous Iron Corporation in 1953, he was Kaelber Hall fire in 1983, Tyson led elected executive vice president. In the Phoenix Fund to help the college 1959, he was elected executive vice- recover. He and Barbara were also president of The Penn Mutual Life PHOTO: CARL LITTLE lead donors to the Gates Community Insurance Company, having served as Center campaign. a trustee of that firm since 1949. He Charles Tyson (third from right, in hard- Tyson was elected Life Trustee in was elected president in 1961 and hat) joins Chairman of the Board Clyde 1989. He was awarded an honorary chairman of the board in 1971. E. Shorey, Jr. and COA trustees, faculty B.A. in Human Ecology at the 1990 The college extends its sincerest con- and students at the groundbreaking commencement ceremony. The dolences to the Tyson family. Charles for the Blair-Tyson dormitory in Octo- Tyson wing of the Blair-Tyson Dormi- Tyson will be sorely missed. ber 1994. A Salute to John H. Chafee In July 1996 Senator John Chafee, Republican senator from Rhode Island, presented the Champlain Society's Distinguished Lecture at College of the Atlantic. The college salutes this late great champion of the environment. As chairman of the Environment and Public Works Committee, he played an all-important role in creating key legislation, including the Clean Air Act of 1990. The title of Senator Chafee's talk at COA was "Global Environmental Challenges of the Twenty-First Century." His concluding remarks might serve as a ral- lying cry for the new millenium: As we approach the twenty-first century, we must continue our efforts to solve our national problems. We must strength- en our laws, make more inducements available in order to encourage compliance, put our financial resources where they will accomplish the most good, foster greater recycling and reduce our currently wasteful consumption. We must also deal with the tough problems caused by toxic chemicals in the air, water and land, and lead the way in reducing our out- put of CO2 with its potential greenhouse effects. At the same time, we must be more active on the international scene, espe- cially in our efforts to reduce and eventually stabilize the world's population growth. Yes, we must act locally and care for our nation's land, but we must act globally, too. We are all on this one planet together. COA NEWS 32 WINTER 1999/2000 A Few Farewells College of the Atlantic bade a fond farewell to librarian Sandra Modeen in August at the annual staff party. Mod- een was presented with a print by Cranberry Island artist Wini Smart. Modeen started working in the library in 1978. "San- dra's departure means losing a treasured friend from my daily working life," said Marcia Dworak, Director of the Thorndike Library. "For all of us, it means losing a warm, friendly and dedicated colleague." Dworak credits Mod- een with playing a key role in rebuilding the Thorndike Library collection in the years following the devastating fire of 1983. Ingrid Hill has replaced Modeen. Hill has a B.A. from Bridgewater State College. For the last five years, she has worked as a Library Assistant at Northwest Missouri State University. The College also said good-bye to Mabel Paszyc, who served as President Katona's secretary for six years. Paszyc plans to spend more time with her husband, who works in PHOTO: CARL LITTLE New York. President Katona has a new executive secretary, Anna Murphy, who previously worked at Foxrun Travel in Bar Harbor, at Mount Desert Island Hospital and for Lufthansa Airlines. Murphy holds a B.A. from the Univer- sity of Massachusetts at Boston, where she majored in Ger- man. She received her M.A. in German at Tufts University, then taught intermediate German for a year at St. Anselm's College in Manchester, New Hampshire. Finally, students, faculty and staff said so long to educa- tion faculty member John Stiles, who taught his final class in the spring before assuming the position of principal at the Brooklin Elementary School in Brooklin, Maine. Top left: Library Director Marcia Dworak and President PHOTO: ELIZABETH MILLER 'OO Steven K. Katona join Sandra Modeen (center) on the bal- cony of the Thorndike Library for a farewell photo. Center: Mabel Paszyc enjoys a sunny moment on the shore of Frenchman Bay. Bottom: John Stiles (center, in white) teaches an al fresco class on the lawn between the Turrets and Kaelber Hall. PHOTO: CARL LITTLE COA NEWS 33 WINTER 1999/2000 Gauguin in Tahiti "From Paradise to Eden: Gauguin in Tahiti," an exhibition of 28 works on paper by the great 19th-century French painter, opened in the Ethel H. Blum Gallery on August 11. The exhibition included Tahitian landscapes, including a watercolor painted on a fan; several sheets from Gauguin's sketchbooks; works in watercolor and in pen, ink and wash; and a range of prints, including woodcuts, a lithograph, monotypes and a zincograph. A friend of the French Impression- ists and Symbolists, Paul Gauguin (1848-1903) is considered a founding PHOTO: CARL LITTLE father of modern art, known for his employment of flat planes and bright, non-naturalistic color. He first visited the island of Tahiti in June 1891. Struck by the beauty of the place and its inhab- itants, he settled there and lived much of the remainder of his life in the South Pacific, in Tahiti and the Marquesas Islands, creating some of his most memorable work. His life was trans- formed into fiction in W. Somerset Maugham's novel The Moon and Six- pence. The title of the exhibition is some- thing of a play on place names. The town of Bar Harbor was once called Eden, and College of the Atlantic is located on Eden Street. Thus, in a man- ner of speaking, Gauguin's images of one paradise wound up, through the good graces of a major benefactor of the college, in Eden, Maine. In addition to the Gauguin pieces, the exhibition featured several panoramic photographs of Tahiti as it looks today, taken by Art Institute of Chicago research curator Peter Zegers. Wall texts featured excerpts from Gau- guin's journals and letters. In the text for the exhibition cata- logue, Zegers and Douglas Druick, Prince Trust Curator of Prints and Drawings and Searle Curator of Euro- pean Painting at the Art Institute of Chicago, noted that the artist's works on paper "allow us to understand two crucial aspects of the legacy that Gau- PHOTOS: PETER TRAVERS guin left to visual culture: his innovative forms and experimental techniques; and his positing of a new relationship Top: Faculty member in art and art history JoAnne Carpenter (at left, gesturing) brought between the artist, nature and culture." her watercolor class to see the Gauguin exhibition in early September. Suzanne Folds McCullagh, Curator of Earlier Prints and Drawings at the Center: left to right: Trustee Henry Sharpe, who portrayed Gauguin during gala festivi- Art Institute of Chicago, gave a slide ties, talks Tahiti with board chairman Clyde E. Shorey, Jr. and founding president talk titled "The Worm in the Apple: Edward Kaelber in the Blum Gallery. Signs of Trouble in Gauguin's Par- adise." Bottom: The head table at the Gauguin gala had a great time. Left to right: Grant McCullagh, trustee Edward McC. Blair, Tamatha Blair and Edward Blair III, and John Pier- repont enjoy the evening. COA NEWS 34 WINTER 1999/2000 Earth Day 1999 Led by Dylan Turner '01, students, faculty and staff planned a full schedule of events for this year's celebration of Earth Day on April 22. High- lights of the morning activities included working on a trail with Friends of Acadia, basket-making, tree-planting on campus and making clay okarinas, small flute-like instruments. In the afternoon a community festival and potluck picnic lunch took place in the Newlin Gar- dens (with a prize for the best dessert). Students offered information on watershed issues, clean tampons, the Cassini probe to Saturn and human rights in Tibet. Storyteller Jackson Gillman '78, aka the "Stand- Up Chameleon," performed an Earth-related pro- gram that raised everyone's awareness of the plan- et. His performance was followed by an afternoon of hands-on workshops, including tie-dying shirts and composting, and activities for kids, among them, paper-making. Top left: Joseph Kiernan (in helmet) leads a group of stu- dents along the Acadian Ridge Trail. Under the auspices of Friends of Acadia, ten students spent much of Earth Day making improvements to this new hiking route. The volunteer trail workers placed stepping stones along the new trail to help hikers cross wet areas. The 4,700-foot Acadian Ridge Trail corridor is located off Norway Drive in Bar Harbor. Top right: Students, faculty and COA community kids gather around a stream table built by Laurel Harris '99. The table demonstrates the patterns of erosion caused by flowing water. Right: Students hold an impromptu meeting in a geodesic dome made from recycled newspaper. The PHOTOS: CARL LITTLE dome creation was organized by Stephen Mather '99. The Martha Stewart Shoot A few touch-ups before we start filming: Eve Hornstein, associate producer at Martha Stewart Tele- vision, applies makeup to Linda Funk, botanical artist, and Steve Katona, COA President, during the shooting of a segment on the college in July. PHOTOS: CARL LITTLE COA NEWS 35 WINTER 1999/2000 Sara Wilson '00 and Summer Field Studies student Steven Coston admire some marigolds on a field trip to the Butterfly Gardens in Southwest Harbor. The Sum- mer Field Studies program celebrated its 15th anniver- Olifoingui sary this year. Participants in this popu- lar program visit forests, ponds, tidepools and other field sites to explore and learn about the ecology of Mount Desert Island. Offer- ings this past season included "Marine Mammals of Maine," "Environmental Theater Workshop" and "Art and Nature." To receive registration PHOTO: DAVID GOOCH application for summer 2000, please contact COA's Natural History Museum at 207 288- 5395. Signs of Summer Every summer signs appear on campus, announcing cultural events and signaling a change in season and activities. Here are a few from 1999. Right: Proceed with caution: While the bridge leading to Ryles and Sea Fox was undergoing repair, pedestrians were directed to the Peach path. Peach House was named for Ann Peach, one of the college's first employees and former director of the business office. OUT PLEASE USE PEACH PATH Below: The Arcady Music Festival held their annual series of summer con- certs in the Thomas S. Gates, Jr. Community Center. Arcady also utilizes the space for its winter presentations. Below right: Summer means the flourishing of the community garden near the north end of campus. Just remember to close the gate after 5p.m. PLEASE CLOSE THE GATE AFTER 5m THANKS Arcady PHOTOS: CARL LITTLE FESTIVAL COA NEWS 36 WINTER 1999/2000 PHOTO: CARL LITTLE Max Woodfin played Caliban in The Tempest to rave reviews. He and fellow actors presented a preview of the play at an All College Meeting. Shakespeare's The Tempest College of the Atlantic's Theater Workshop, under the direction nor of Virginia, Sir Thomas Gates, went aground. The rest of Lucy Bell Sellers, presented William Shakespeare's The Tem- of the fleet got "safely home," presuming the Sea Venture pest in the Thomas S. Gates, Jr. Community Center auditorium gone for good. A year later, Gates and his company turned in November. As is customary, the principal actors were drawn up safely in Virginia, having constructed boats for the jour- from the ranks of the Theater Workshop. They included ney. Since the portrait of another Thomas Gates, for Gabrielle Kilponen as Prospero; Emily Clark as Miranda; whom the COA hall is named, hangs where our Tempest Cassie Anderson as Trinculo; Maria Skorobogatov as Stephano; will take place, we cannot help but feel a link between our Nathan DiGiovanni as Antonio; Elizabeth O'Leary as Sebas- shipwreck and that of the Sea Venture. tian; Max Woodfin as Caliban; and Alexandra Millner as Our Tempest echoes a shipwreck even closer to home Ariel. and not as long ago. In 1740, a ship from Ireland, the The play included seven songs. Compositions by John Coop- Grand Design, whose "fraughting souls" included not a few er, faculty member in music, were played by students Dena aristocratic passengers, was stranded in a storm on Long Adams (clarinet) and Katrina Martin (French horn). Senior Ledge, off Mount Desert Island. The wreck was "nigh Nikolai Fox designed the set. Dancers were choreographed by shore" and everyone made it to land, only to be confront- alum David Lamon '91, COA's education studies assistant. ed with exposure and starvation. However, thanks to some Another alum, Ann Bohrer '95, once again masterminded the helpful Native Americans, a remnant of the group made it costumes. The college's new performance arts faculty member to Warren, where some of the women remarried and pro- Nancy Andrews contributed four dog masks. Senior Bridie duced descendants thriving to this day. It's the Tempest sto- Farmer directed the lighting. ry all over again, without the magic. The Tempest creates a fascinating tension between, on The Theater Workshop's Tempest the one hand, the fantastic and the literary and, on the By Lucy Bell Sellers, Director other, the real. The classical pastoral tradition had long been exploring the theoretical relationship between nature COA's production of The Tempest focused on the island and art, between the simple life and the life of civilization. itself, a place of magic and renewal. We sought to connect The notion of the Golden Age is an old one. The discovery the setting of the shipwreck with our own Mount Desert of the Americas embodied these old notions with a new Island, another place of magic and renewal. Shakespeare's reality. What really happens when the Old World encoun- isle is geographically ambiguous, belonging at once to the ters the New? Whose values are more noble? Mediterranean and to the New World. The playwright's Emphasizing the physical reality of Prospero's island allusion to the "still vexed Bermoothes" is only one piece has helped us to see some of the play's conflicts in terms of evidence that he was staging his sea storm, at least in of the present. For many, Mt. Desert Island has its own part, in Bermuda. magic. We, too, have natives and people from away. What, In 1609, Bermuda was the site of a notorious ship- we ask ourselves, is the pathway to the Golden Age? wreck in which the Sea Venture, carrying the future gover- COA NEWS 37 WINTER 1999/2000 Top: Pat Humphreys and Rebecca Melius get into the swing of things dur- ing a dance performance in the Gates Center. Visiting faculty member Shelly Phelan, a research scientist at the Jack- son Laboratory and a jazz dance instruc- GO tor, taught the course GO Center: Three drummers take to the floor of the Gates Center auditorium as part of an Afro-Caribbean drum and dance jam called "Dance Africanus" organized by Portland, Maine-based per- cussionist Michael Wingfield. Below: For her senior project Heather Candon '99 (far left) wrote, directed and produced a musical based on the Dr. Seuss story, The Lorax. Here, she joins fellow students Jacquie Ramos, Eden Luz and Rickie Bogle in a rehearsal of the song "You Need A Thneed." The reviewer for the Bar Harbor Times called It Happened the production "magnificent." Candon, who is considering taking the show on in the Gates the road, has joined the COA staff as an admissions counselor. Community PHOTOS: CASSIE ANDERSON Center THREED TEALLY really TEALLY really REALLY REALLY REALLY REALLY REALLY REALLY THNEEDS YOU Want one! thneeds really THNEEDS! PHOTO: PETR SLEZAR COA NEWS 38 WINTER 1999/2000 Photo Gallery Each year, the Ethel H. Blum Gallery and the Thorndike Library feature exhibitions of photography. Here is a sam- pling of some of the shows from the past year. Top: Rose Marasco, The Trenton Grange, black-and-white photograph, 1999. "Ritual and Community: The Maine Grange," an exhibition of black-and-white and color photographs by Rose Maras- CO, was mounted in the Thorndike Library. The exhibition, which was first shown at the Farnsworth Art Museum in 1992, grew out of Marasco's desire "to address changes in the role of the individual and the ways in which we form communities." She photographed some 100 of the 300 still-standing Grange halls around the state. "Ritual and Community" was featured in Lucy Lippard's ground-break- ing book The Lure of the Local (1997). Top left: Michelle Peake, Mother Preparing Daughter for Festival, Hocaba, Mexico, color photograph 1999. Photographs of Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula by Michelle Peake were displayed in the Blum Gallery in May. Peake spent the winter of 1999 in the Maya village of Hocaba. In her work, she strived to create a body of photographs "that represents the people of the community and explores their cultural identity." Peake's images are a culmination of her studies at COA and the Massachusetts College of Art. Bottom: Paul Davis, Self-Portrait, black-and-white photo- graph, 1999. Davis's senior project, a photoessay titled "Humans and Earth," explored the connections between the human form and elements of nature. This image was included in "A Study of Place," an exhibition of photographs by Davis and Scott Barden, 1999 graduates, in the Blum Gallery. The show also featured Barden's exquisite handmade pic- ture frames, made with a variety of woods and construc- tion techniques. Both photographers utilize the "zone sys- tem," which they learned from George DeWolfe, adjunct professor of photography at COA. COA NEWS 39 WINTER 1999/2000 Luke Wagner, Bemba Boy on Trans- port, Mporokoso, Zambia, black-and- white photograph, 1998. Wagner's photographs of Zambia's Northern Province were displayed in the Ethel H. Blum Gallery in May. For his COA internship, Wagner worked in Northern Zambia with the Mporokoso District Health Services as water wells progress coordinator for the Dutch donor organi- zation SIMAVI. Wagner traveled extensively through- out Northern Zambia where he was able to observe and photograph the rural life of Central Africa. "My work is a photo- journal of my experience in the develop- ing world," the photographer explains, "an experience which deeply moved me and has had a strong impact on my life." Luke's brother, Isaac Wagner '96, served in the Peace Corps in the same region of Zambia. Wagner studied photography with College of the Atlantic's graphic design faculty member Douglas Barkey. 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