August, 1983 Nonprofit Organiz. College of the Atlantic U.S. Postage Paid CS Bar Harbor, ME 04609 Bar Harbor, Me. Permit #47 COA News COA FIRE Monday, July 25, 1983 Fire Levels Kaelber Hall Hearing of the fire, students, faculity and community members rushed to the college to help remove exhibits The wisdom of a college built of people, not bricks from the Natural History Museum and equipment from the and mortar, was never more apparent than in the science labs as those buildings were threatened. aftermath of the July 25 fire that destroyed most of the Fortunately, however, the fire was stopped in the library, library, administrative offices, and kitchen and dining and the library offices and museum received only minor facilities in Kaelber Hall. smoke and water damage. While the building still smoldered, fourteen trustees The Thorndike Library, material contained in faculty met with president Judith Swazey to assess the damage offices and the college archives were perhaps the most and plan for the future. They "unanimously and significant losses. Faculty members Craig Greene, Walter enthusiastically" voted to continue the summer programs, Litten, Steve Andersen, Paul DuBois, Bill Drury, Butch open on schedule for the fall term and establish a "phoenix Rommel, Susan Mehrtens, Sue Lerner, Carl Ketchum, Bill fund" to assist in rebuilding. Meanwhile COA librarian Carpenter, Don Cass, Harris Hyman, Anne Kozak and Marcia Dworak salvaged over 4,000 volumes, set up a Steve Katona all lost valuable research data, slide system for receiving gift books and vowed that she would collections and teaching materials. The fire was particularly have a library in place by September 15. Staff and faculty tragic for Steve Andersen who lost all of his possessions in made plans to double up in offices in the Turrets, and the a house fire a year and a half ago. Steve had just returned atmosphere began to resemble the "close quarters from a year's sabattical and had his research notes, as well camaraderie" of the early days of the college. Despite the as manuscripts for several articles and a book stored in tremendous loss, COA was back in operation by Tuesday boxes in his office. morning. There were also many things for which to be grateful. The fire whose cause is still unknown apparently The only injury reported was to a Bar Harbor firefighter began in the front corner of Kaelber Hall in the early hours who cut a tendon on his right wrist while passing materials of Monday morning. By the time it was spotted and through a broken window. He was treated at Eastern reported by a fisherman on the town pier, flames had filled Maine Medical Center and released. The college was in much of the lobby and were shooting up through the roof. the process of converting all of its financial and Firemen from Bar Harbor, Ellsworth, Northeast Harbor development office records to a computer and duplicate and Acadia National Park responded to the scene at 4:30 disks of some materials were in Portland at the time of the a.m. but were unable to contain the fire which eventually fire. The peanut butter jar emerged from the ashes with spread to the library. IOU's intact as did a fireproof safe containing student PEANUTS REMEMBER BUILDINGS MAY CRUMBLE, I HATE SAYINGS THIS BUT WISDOM IS ETERNAL LIKE THAT WISDOM AND IRONY: This piece of Peanuts &3 wisdom appeared in the July 25 edition of the Bangor Daily News. efficient facilities. As Ed Kaelber remarked when he walked into the Turrets the morning of the fire, "This is an opportunity to build the kind of facility that really meets your needs." Trustee John Dreier added that the fire had caused a groundswell of positive, enthusiastic feelings about the college and its mission. "The fire and the months to come will be a real test of our love and affection for this institution," he said. How You Can Help With each day following the fire, the list of lost items grows. Faculty remember course materials that perished, photographs and articles from the archives are gone, and valuable correspondance and records are missing. Alumni and friends of the college who have negatives and photographs, back issues of the catalog, Echo, Off the Wall, the COA News, Voices and other publications, graduation invitations and programs etc. and would be willing to donate them to the college should send them to Marion Kane, Public Relations Office. Faculty members financial records. Academic records stored in the registrar's whose offices were in Kaelber Hall would also appreciate officer were not affected. Finally, as Marcia Dworak noted receiving copies of xeroxed course materials, particularly in an all college meeting on Wednesday, there were a articles and syllabuses. number of overdue books. She added, however, that the For the immediate future the most pressing need is record of overdue books survived the fire so "we still know books for the fall term in the areas of geology, plant who you are." The library card catalog, shelf lists, taxonomy, forestry, economics, public policy, fishes and microfilms and many reference books were also salvaged. fisheries, zoology, physiology, architecture, education, A temporary library has been established in the old literature, psychology, history and writing. If you have industrial arts building opposite the elementary school in books in these areas you wish to donate, they can be sent Bar Harbor. to Marcia Dworak, COA library, Bar Harbor, Maine. The outpouring of concern and assistance from the Also needed are large pots and pans for the kitchen, surrounding communities has been overwhelming. Many serving utensils, tables and chairs, lamps, office equipment organizations which themselves survived the 1947 fire and supplies and bookshelves. called to offer the use of facilities and resources. "This Finally we will need funds for reconstruction. While area has a particular compassion for fire victims," one long the college was well insured, there will still be a time Bar Harbor resident noted. "Very few of us have considerable shortfall. A "phoenix fund" has been set up to remained untouched." receive gifts, and checks should be made payable to the Clean-up work at the fire site has already begun college. together with long range planning for new, more energy All donations are tax deductible.