COAA News college of the atlantic association march 1987 Ed Kaelber Reflects On COA's Early Years It has been four and a half years since Ed Kaelber resigned as founding President of College of the Atlantic, took some time off, and went on to continue what he obvioiusly likes to do best -- find a good idea, attract committed, energetic people, and, as he puts it, 'help get things started up Prior to joining COA, Ed was an Associate Dean at Harvard University. In this capacity, he organized a secondary school in Nigeria. Before that, he owned and operated a lumber business in upstate New York. Intrigued with the idea of starting a small college that Honorees Betty Thorndike and Ed Kaelber as would be free to develop a fresh pictured in the February 19 issue of The Bar Harbor approach to education and operate out Times. The photo appeared in the paper alongside two of a spirit of collegiality and common special feature articles. The articles, commissioned by purpose, Ed and his wife Pat came to COAA's board of directors, have been reprinted here Bar Harbor in 1970 and began working in preparation for a benefit dinner being planned in with a handful of dedicated people. honor of Thorndike and Kaelber. Proceeds from the reception dinner/dance go directly to the Phoenix Fund for reconstruction of On the recent morning we met in his Kaelber Hall/ Thorndike Library, lost to fire in July of kitchen for some of his delicious 1983. continued on page 2 Time And Energy Are Thorndike's Gifts Grace was in all her steps. Heaven in her eye books for the library book sale, In every gesture dignity and love. Betty, as she is known to most of Milton B.K. viii, Paradise Lost the college community, exemplifies the gracious, caring woman. Together with her late husband, R. Throughout her 13-year tenure as Amory Thorndike, Betty supported the a trustee of College of the establishment of College of the Atlantic, Elizabeth F. Thorndike has Atlantic in 1969. In 1972, after given unstintingly of her time and Mr. Thorndike's death, the Thorndike energy. Whether it is chairing the family established the R. Amory executive committee of the board of Thorndike Fund for Arts and trustees, participating in a Humanities at the college. Each year presidential search, hosting a the fund purchases important books reception for a college visitor, or on art, literature, architecture, unpacking and sorting countless used continued on page 3 COAA NEWS KAELBER continued homemade pancakes -- or french dimension and Rousseau's concept that a crepes'' as he now calls them -- he true education must be self-directed. admitted that the idea was a very long What we aspired to was generating in shot. Like most things he has done, it our students a long-term commitment to was an effort many others consider to society, the environment, and the have been well worth the risk. quality of life. So we had a number of ideas. It is hard to say how much of GLEN BERKOWITZ: How was it that you it was planned for and how much of it actually became involved with College of was sort of something which just the Atlantic? happened that turned out to be really EDWARD KAELBER: I had left Harvard, good. most recently that part which took me GB: When you started COA, were you to Africa, and decided that I wanted to convinced it was going to be well stay in education. I heard through a received? friend that there were people in EK: Well, maybe this is a kind of Maine who wanted to start a college. defense, but when you start something And I said to myself, my gosh, wouldn't new you admit to yourself that that be fun. this is a very long shot. We didn't GB: 'Fun'' know whether it would work or not, I EK: Remember, it was 1970, and many mean work in the sense that we could colleges had a lot of turmoil. You could get the kinds of students in the look around and see if there was, numbers we wanted. And could we get maybe, an alternative way of doing the kinds of faculty we wanted. things that would serve some people's - GB: How about money? -- not all people's -- needs better EK: One of the things that has amused than what existed. So that was me -- thought it wasn't always funny exciting. was that in the early years of the GB: When you came up you knew that the College most people when they came to college was going to award a single visit asked where we were going to get degree in Human Ecology, right? the money to run the place. And that EK: Yes, but I'm not sure that anybody obviously was and remains a big knew what that meant, really, except in question for COA. But I had, and I the very broadest terms. It seemed to don't think it was naive, a feeling me that what we were talking about had that if you have a good idea, and it its roots in the aims of a liberal suggests an alternative to what exists, education. To recognize each individual and you can find able people to get has to have their own specialty, their behind this good idea and push it and own bit of expertise, that has to be work at it, then probably you are going put into a larger context. And it to be able to find the money. Sure, seemed to me that if you had a focus you can't be certain; it will always in environmental problems, which I think involve an element of risk. So you have by nature are broad and complex, that to like taking risks One of the things this was a wonderful new way, or that made the College go is that we centralizing theme, for organizing a attracted risk takers, in the staff, liberal education. the students, and the parents of GB: As a businessman, you'd had students. experience in developing new ventures. GB: Okay. But didn't you worry about What kind of planning went into the anything? development of COA? EK: I think we were realistic in EK: Oh, no, I wouldn't say we did an knowing that we would probably make a lot of mistakes. And we were exhaustive analysis. It is not that we tried to devise a new philosophy of realistic in knowing that if we did education, for example, rather we took make some major mistakes that would be from Whithead the idea that education the end of it. On the other hand, it should be the 'acquisition of the art seemed like a good idea to try and of the utilization of knowledge. We make this kind of college go in this coupled this basic theme with Plato's kind of area. And as I say, for awareness that education has a social whatever reason, COA attracted people of continued on page 4 2 COAA NEWS