Ever Grateful

I want to let you know how much I appreciated the depth of Scott Hood’s thoughtful reporting as he interviewed Clayton Rose for this winter’s Bowdoin Magazine. That was quite a “portrait” he painted. As a ’91 alumna, I came away ever grateful for Clayton’s leadership at the College during such unprecedented times. In fact, I just wrote to our son’s head of school (an independent K-9 school) and shared Clayton’s comments on his leadership during COVID, specifically related to providing honesty, transparency, hope, and “a way home.” Our school head just had to write another letter reassuring the community—in the wake of the Nashville school shootings—and I felt Clayton’s perspective was spot-on as we continue to navigate the impermanence of certainty. Warm wishes from western Massachusetts.

Sira Berté ’91

Too Many Abrams

On the final page of the most recent Bowdoin alumni magazine (Winter 2023), you claim the elevation of Mount Abram (of the Mount Abram Ski Area) in Greenwood is 4,050 feet. Oh, if it were only so, but you are mistaken. That is the elevation of Mount Abraham (sometimes called Abram) in Kingfield, and it is definitely NOT ski-able (except, I suppose, by someone crazy enough to find a way to the trailhead in winter, hike up those 4,000+ feet, and ski the snowfields above the tree line). The much tamer Mt. Abram in Greenwood is a gentle 1,990 feet. Clearly a skier (or a hiker) did not proofread your copy. I am both.

Ruth Wyman Neagle ’76

Correction

In the Spring/Summer 2022 issue, we listed the death date for Daniel S. Hayes ’81 as February 3, 2022. The correct date is February 4, 2022.

SEND US YOUR NEWS!

If there isn’t a class news entry for a class year, it’s because we didn’t receive any submissions for that year. We want to hear from you, and so do your classmates! Email classnews@bowdoin.edu or fill out a class news form on our website, bowdoin.edu/magazine.

Magazine Staff

Editor

Alison Bennie

Designer and Art Director

Melissa Wells

Managing Editor

Leanne Dech

Senior Editor

Doug Cook

Design Consultant 2Communiqué

Editorial Consultant

Laura J. Cole

Contributors

Jim Caton

John Cross

Cheryl Della Pietra

Rebecca Goldfine

Scott Hood

Janie Porche

Tom Porter

On the Cover: Illustration by Harriet Lee-Merrion

BOWDOIN MAGAZINE (ISSN: 0895-2604) is published three times a year by Bowdoin College, 4104 College Station, Brunswick, Maine, 04011. Printed by Penmor Lithographers, Lewiston, Maine. Sent free of charge to all Bowdoin alumni, parents of current and recent undergraduates, members of the senior class, faculty and staff, and members of the Association of Bowdoin Friends.

Opinions expressed in this magazine are those of the authors.

Please send address changes, ideas, or letters to the editor to the address above or by email to bowdoineditor@bowdoin.edu. Send class news to classnews@bowdoin.edu or to the address above.

Ready Player

I was drawn to Bowdoin by a few things: the campus and its integration into Brunswick, it feeling like home while being close to my real home in Boston, and a chance to play baseball as a Polar Bear—at least for my junior and senior years.

I and so many student-athletes lost playing time during the pandemic. I missed out on playing in both my senior year of high school and my first year of college. It was an extremely challenging time both as a student and an athlete.

I’ve always enjoyed spending time with my friends and teammates in my spare time. They really help to provide a break from the stresses of academics—I’m studying computer science and math in the hopes of becoming a software engineer, and I’m currently a teaching assistant. I’m so glad to have the social part of my life back; my favorite Bowdoin memories are easily nightly dinners with my baseball teammates at Thorne.

When I’m not in class, at practice, or hanging out with my teammates, you can likely find me officiating hockey games, which is something I got involved in during high school for the same reason that most people start their first jobs: to make some money. I figured having played hockey growing up and for Boston College High School, it would be a good way to stay in touch with a game I love and keep skating. Now that I’m no longer playing on a team myself, it’s nice to do the next best thing and be a ref. I started out officiating pee-wee games and moved surprisingly quickly into working Division I. Oddly enough, as I continue to mature as an official, I’ve discovered that I love the sport even more and want to continue to pursue it.

You could say that the pandemic forced me to get creative in learning remotely and training away from my team and campus. That was important for me because I always want to be improving myself—as an athlete, a student, and a person.

For more from this interview, visit bowdoin.edu/magazine.

Life

Tree Tops

After nearly two years of work, Bowdoin’s sustainability team has achieved its long-held mission: to certify the College as an official Tree Campus with the Arbor Day Foundation’s higher education program. Sustainability fellow Maya Chandar Kouba ’23 collaborated with the Office of Sustainability and Bowdoin arborist Shawn

Gepfert to realize the goal. To be certified, Bowdoin had to meet five major criteria, including forming an advisory committee to oversee campus trees, developing a tree-care plan, and organizing a service-learning project. Every Tree Campus plan also needs updated goals and targets. Sustainability director Keisha Payson said the main objective for the first year is to hire a student—Dylan Petrillo ’26— to create a tree inventory of the entire campus. He’ll present his tree data at the end of the summer.