Spring 2021
UNION.EDU/ADIRONDACK
WILDERNESS WATERWAYS&U
Volume 17
FROM THE
DIRECTOR Spring has finally arrived, and we hope you are (safely) enjoying the great outdoors. We are working to plan a gradual reopening of the Kelly Center and the Adirondack Research Library, but are not quite there yet. Stay tuned for the official plans. Meanwhile, continue to use and enjoy our online content, including the “Drawn from Nature” exhibit of student work from three decades of the interdisciplinary course, “The Illustrated Organism.” As I write this, we are in the midst of our three-part series “Conversations Around Social Justice in the Adirondacks.” In case you missed any of them, the recordings will be posted on our website. The first event featured Alice Green and Brenda Valentine on the subject, “The Lived Experience.” With moderators Becky Cortez, professor of mechanical engineering, and environmental science major Alyssa Harrynanan ‘22, Alice and Brenda discussed their stories of living Black lives in the Adirondacks. The second conversation on “Diversity in Plain Sight” was moderated by Donathan Brown, assistant vice president for faculty diversity and recruitment at Rochester Institute of Technology, and environmental science major Maryam Ramjohn ‘23. Kelly Metzger, an LGBTQ activist; Neil Patterson, a citizen of the Tuscarora Nation and professor at SUNY ESF; and Amy Godine, a writer on Adirondack ethnic and social history, discussed the diversity that exists but often goes hidden or ignored. The final conversation will feature Nicky Hilton-Patterson, director of the Adirondack Diversity Initiative, and Aaron Mair, an environmental justice movement pioneer and 57th national president of the Sierra Club. Nicky and Aaron’s topic is “The Color of COVID in the Adirondacks.” Moderated by Deidre Hill Butler, professor of sociology, Nicky and Aaron’s conversation explores vaccine reticence and the history of medical exploitation/experimentation on BIPOC communities. Together these make an important contribution to the status of social justice, not only in the Adirondacks, but more broadly. We hope they will lead to further consideration of these ideas. We are at work on our programming for the 2021-22 academic year, and look forward to resuming in-person events. Our success with online events during the pandemic made us realize their value to our various audiences, and we look forward to continuing to provide remote access alongside our in-person events. We hope you are healthy and look forward to seeing you soon. Doug Klein FACULTY DIRECTOR, KELLY ADIRONDACK CENTER
WILDERNESS WATERWAYS&U CURRENT ONLINE EXHIBITION
Co-taught been taugh the Kelly A Nemett an It also incl opening w
Kelly Ennis Babic, Pumpkinseed Sunf ish
DRAWN FROM NATURE
THE ILLUSTRATED ORGANISM THE ILLUSTRATED ORGANISM BY M A RG I E A M O D EO
WILDERNESS WATERWAYS&U
Volume 17
Spring 2021
“In 1990, during his tenure review, Professor of Visual Arts, Walter Hatke, described an unforgettable high school physiology class in which he and the other students made exacting illustrations of specimens and wrote about them. Fascinated by this creative combination of art and science, Professor of Biology, Carl George, one of the tenure committee members, declared that Union should have such a course.” –Prof. Walter Hatke
Rachel Strader, Belted Kingfisher
t by professors George and Hatke, “The Illustrated Organism” debuted in 1991. It has ht by other faculty members since, remaining popular among students. This winter, Adirondack Center collaborated with professors Walter Hatke, Peter Tobiessen, Laini nd Nicole Theodosiou to curate an online exhibition of works created for this course. ludes descriptions of course modules and overarching themes. The online exhibition was recorded and is available on the Kelly Adirondack Center site as well.
Jason Tucciarone, Dragonfly UNION.EDU/ADIRONDACK
D
Jill Foster Cozzy, Dandelions
“In 2017, Developmental Biology Professor, Nicole Theodosiou, and Drawing and Painting Professor, Laini Nemett, led a new iteration of the course that explored cell identity and the evolution of form. In their ‘Micro/Macro’ project, students learned about tonal value and composition to create observational drawings of plant dermal cells. They made their own slides of plants from Jackson’s Garden and realistically documented the abstract forms as viewed under the microscope. For another lab, students fertilized sea urchin eggs and documented the one week process of embryonic development with graphite and watercolor.” – Prof. Laini Nemett
“LOOK DEEP INTO NATURE AND YOU WILL UNDERSTAND EVERYTHING BETTER.” – ALBERT EINSTEIN
Clare Stone, Norway Spruce
Spring 2021
WILDERNESS WATERWAYS&U
Volume 17
The Kelly Adirondack Center is deeply indebted to Professor Walter Hatke for the inception, development, and implementation of this exhibition. We would also like to thank professors Carl George, Peter Tobiessen, Laini Nemett and Nicole Theodosiou for the support and contributions that made it possible.
UNION.EDU/ADIRONDACK
Jill Foster Cozzy, Beaver Skull
BRINGING IT ALL BACK HOME:
CRANE MOUNTAIN AND JEANNE ROBERT FOSTER When most people think of the Adirondacks, they tend to associate it with the High Peaks. While they certainly deserve attention, there are other mountains that loom larger still in the mythos of the North Country. The one I want to focus on is Crane Mountain. Crane Mountain was the site for the cabin homes of two very important environmental activists, Paul Schaefer and Howard Zahniser. It is still a popular day-hike that is widely used year-round. But to me its most fascinating character will always be Jeanne Robert Foster. Jeanne was born Julie Elizabeth Oliver in 1879, before New York’s Forest Preserve existed. Johnsburg was a backwoods town, where people carved out a meager livelihood from the earth around them. While her mother, Lucia, was pregnant with Jeanne, she sat for long hours staring out onto Crane Mountain. In this way she set up a lifelong connection with the mountain for her daughter. When Jeanne was still a child, money was tight, and she was one more mouth to feed at home. She was sent to live with the Francis Putnam family at the base of Crane Mountain. In addition to helping Francis Putnam remember his sermons, she began a modest business of guiding tourists up Panther and Crane mountains for 25 cents. On the relationship between Jeanne and the mountain, Richard Londraville writes: “Crane was a particularly important mountain for Jeanne. It symbolized the spiritual power and freedom that she wanted, even as a child. The mountain was a being with whom she could share her hopes and dreams…even beyond her own death, Jeanne felt that she would still be alive in the intelligence that moves in Crane.” Though Jeanne went on to become a famous woman in her time and travelled widely, she always managed to return to Crane Mountain. Both to visit friends and family, and even for its health-giving properties in an attempt to help save the ailing John Quinn in 1923. Crane Mountain was even a topic of conversation that helped acquaint her with Paul Schaefer. She wrote to him in 1969: “I would walk secretly and lean against the mountain, sometimes facing it and putting my hands out either side. There seemed to be a strong force passing through me, so untamed, wild and beautiful that there are no words for it. But I know this force remained with me, helped me manage my difficult life…” No matter how many archives I go through at the Adirondack Research Library, I am continually astounded by the fact that Crane Mountain is the one thread that seems to connect them all. I’ve selected some Crane related-items from the Jeanne Robert Foster papers (ARL-037) to share; I hope you’ll enjoy them. And if you find yourself sick of being stuck at home, remember, Crane Mountain is just a short drive away. Matthew Golebiewski ADIRONDACK RESEARCH LIBRARY PROJECT ARCHIVIST
Faculty Director of the Kelly Adirondack Center
Kelly Adirondack Center Coordinator
Doug Klein
Margie Amodeo
897 Saint David’s Lane Niskayuna, NY 12309
Contact us at the Center by emailing: kellycenter@union.edu
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THE KELLY ADIRONDACK CENTER AT UNION COLLEGE