Portland Monthly Magazine February/March 1993

The Land Rover...Over $35,000 ■ The Jeep Grand Cherokee...Over $27,000 TheFordExplorer...Over$20,000■TheRangeRover...Over$40,000...

The word is out: Lewiston-Auburn makes good business sense.

Last year was a good year for LewistonAuburn. More than 250 new industrial jobs were created here in 1992.

We're already hard at work to make 1993 an even better year. The secret to success in Lewiston-Auburn is no secret at all. Experience has shown that this community has the right mix of ingredients for sustained growth in the manufacturing sector. a1 CITIES OF

For more information, contact:

Stephen Heavener, Executive Director

Lewiston-Auburn Economic Growth Council

37 Park Street P.O. Box 1188

Lewiston, Maine 04243-1188 (207) 784-0161

The Cultural Corridor...

NowthatMaineHistoricalSocietyisexpandingandplanningExhibition Spaces,and,acrossCongressStreet,MaineCollegeofArtismovingtorestore andoccupythePorteousBuilding,willtherefinallybeenoughattractionsinthe areatocreateatrueCulturalCorridor?StorybyScottAndreus,photographsby'Kevin LeDuc.

10

Pulitzer Prizes & The Pine Tree State.21

YouknowaboutEdwinArlingtonRobinsonandEdnaSt.VincentMillay,but howaboutPortlandnativeOwenDavis,whowonin1923forhisstill-fascinating Maine-based dramaIcebound!NHarvarddrop-out,hewroteover200plays...And howaboutJeanStaffordandRobertLowell,whosummeredinDamariscotta Mills?AndwhatofWalterPiston,theMainerwhowonthePulitzerinMusic twice—in 1943 and 1961—for hisSymphonyNo.3 andSymphonyNo.7?Storyby WilliamDavidBarry.

Wild Man Bob Elliot.25

“SounremarkablewastheyoungBobElliot,thatwhenheattendedhisown20th classreunionafewyearsback,hewasapproachedbyaformerSouthPortland HighSchoolclassmatewhogreetedhim:'Heeey,BobElliot!Whatareyoudoing here?Youonastory?’" StorybyElizabethPeavey,photosbyKevinLeDuc.

Neat Stuff At The Children’s Museum.33 YouknewtheexhibitsinthenewChildren’sMuseumwouldbegood,buta satellite?StoryandphotosbyKevinLeDuc.

BUSINESS WATCH

. . y, SouthernMaine’sguidetoBusiness,featuringFaces&Places,RealMoves,New Businesses,Briefcase,andOverheard. WrittenandcompiledbyBusinessEditorJohn Rawlings.

DEPARTMENTS

— ——

February2-21

The Baltimore Waltz byPaulaVogel directedbyGregLearning Awildtheatricalfantasy,asbroadlycomic asitiscomplexandpoignant.Altercon¬ tractingalife-threateningillness,ayoung elementaryschoolteachertravelsthrough Europeinsearchofsexualfulfillmentanda cureforherdisease,whileherbrotherbe¬ comesembroiledinamysteriousintrigue withthesinisterHarryLimeandastuffed rabbit.Amovingandinspiringpieceof theater.

Box Office 774-0465

■LETTER

MusicOfAppledore

There’sawaytocreateyourown IslandGarden withoutgettingdirt underyourfingernails.If,thatis, you’reinterestedinrecreatingthe atmosphere—and not the photosyn¬ thesis—of Celia Thaxter’s famous salonontheIslesofShoals.

First,imagineanenormoussil¬ encewhereeverythingisshoreand the mainland is 10 miles away, a stubbleoftwinkle.

Nowimagineagreenroomfullof pictureframes,thesoundofflowers growing,andthewhirofyourcom¬ pactdiscplayerclickingintoPLAY.

You see, we’ve asked Caleb Mas¬ on,authorofthenewbookTheIslesOf Shoals Remembered, unearth the names of some exact pieces of musiclightingupCelia’sartssalon duringthe1880sand1890s:

Start with Schumann’s Sonatain A-Minor,aworkwhichinspiredoneof Celia’spoems.

Next? Chopin’s Sonatas and Pre¬ ludes. “These,” says Mason, “were played by both John Knowles Paine and William Mason,” famous peren¬ nialsummervisitorstoAppledore.It wasMasonwho,asasurprise,hada grand piano brought to Appledore fromthemainland.

The island used to ring with Chopin’s FantasieImpromptu,Op.66. This was “one of Mason’s favorite pieces, which he heard Liszt play often at Weimar, Germany, at the heightofLiszt’scareer."

Beethoven’sKreutzerSonata,Liszt’s SonatainB-Minor, and William Mas¬ on’s “own salon piece,Amiti^pour Amitid,apieceLisztlikedandplayed often.”

John Knowles Paine’s IslandFan¬ tasie is “an orchestral work which Paine undoubtedly would have playedpartsofwhileatAppledore. This symphony was inspired by one ofJohnAppletonBrown’spaintings ondisplayinThaxter’sparlor.”

AlsoincludeDvorak’sHolyMount, Beethoven'sMoonlightSonata, and works by Americans such as “George Chadwick, Margaret Ruth¬ ven Lang, and Arthur Whiting, who wasaregularvisitorwithhiswifeto Appledore.’’

William Mason was so taken with Edward MacDowell’s TragicaSonata thatheplayediteverydayforan entire summer. HI

MICHAEL WATERMAN

"Waterman's paintings are notforthefaint-heartedand shallow-minded ...sometimes disturbing,alwayschallenging. with continuously new interpretations even after years of daily exposure Like all important pictures,theyaremorethesumoftheirpartsandrewardtheperceptiveviewerwithinsightsinto what it means to be human " Representedby:

■ LETTERS"

Jewell Falls

ThisisathankyoufromPortland Trailsforyourniceeditoiialinthe NovemberissiteofPortlandMonthly.I was surprised and pleased to open the magazine and see the photo¬ graph of the waterfall (which we have since named Jewell Falls) as wellastheopeningtext.

Asourvisibilityincreases,we havetobeabletorespondtomore requests for our services. We im¬ plemented a membership this past spring and will publish quarterly newsletterstokeeppeopleinformed on our progress. For information, yourreaderscanwritetousatOne IndiaStreet,Portland,ME04101or call(207)775-2411.

AlixW.Hopkins ExecutiveDirector PortlandTrails

/A Different Route

DearEditor:Youarewrongabout thefalls./discoveredthemwhenI was in second grade. I told Mum I was only going to Plusnick's for somefive-for-one-centmintjuleps.1 wasn’tsupposedtocrossCapisic.I wasn't supposed to go past the lights,orthroughthem,oranywhere nearBrighton.

ButIhadmybikewithme,so1was safe.Itwasonlyayearold,anavy blueColumbiabikewithsturdyair¬ lesssolidrubbertires—tiresthat Daddysaidwouldlastthroughany¬ thing.Sowewent.

We didn't know where we were going, but we knew when we got there.

1satandatethemintjuleps,and mybikeprotectedmefromanyscary things.Iknewitwasallmine.I wouldnevertellasoul.The Whirl¬ poolsweretherethen,too.

When1returnedhome,ItoldMum thatshecouldn’tseemebecauseI wasplayingontheothersideofthe school. Hopscotch with a kid who showed up.

Allset.1ownedthefalls.

Nobody knew. 1 went again and againuntilthatspringmyBrownie troop leader took us on a well chaperonedwalkingpicnicthere. 1haven’tgonebacksince. Iamgladthattherearespecial peopletakingcareofthatspecial place.Love,yoursisterJane.

JaneS.Smith Kennebunk

Make a Grand Investment.

Yamaha pianos and organspaydaily dividendsinmusical pleasure.

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Al Corey Music Center 99MainStreet Waterville,Me.04901 Tel.207-872-5622

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Downtown Corp.

OnbehalfoftheDowntownPort¬ landCorporation,Iwouldliketo thank you for providing us with complimentary issues of Portland Monthly each month. We have found yourmagazinehelpfulinourefforts toprovideinterestingandinforma¬ tiveinformationtoprospectivebusi¬ nesses.

Again,thankyouforsendingthese magazines to the Downtown Port¬ landCorporation.

Lynn B. Hughes President

Nice Note

Enclosedisacheckfor(agift subscription).Wealllore themaga¬ zine!

CharlotteJohnson Portland

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Lunch Monday to Sunday 11 AM to 4 PM Dinner Sun-Wed 4-10 PM. Thurs -Sat 4-11 PM

Gladly Accepted 608 Congress Street.. Portland. Maine

IN LIKE A LION

Maine’s City Magazines

Established1985 VolumeVIII.NumberI.February,March

Co lix Sargent Editor & Publisher

Nancy D. Sargent ArtDirector

Kirk Reynolds Managing Editor

Johanna Hanaburgh Copy Editor

Elizabeth Hancock Advertising

John Rawlings Advertising

John Bjork Controller, (207) 797-9267

Contributing Editor Elizabeth Peavey. Staff Photographer Francis DiFalco Graphics Production Assistant ColinS Sargent

Founders; Colin And Nancy Sargent

This magazine is printed on Maine-made paper produced by Champion International, Bucks¬ port,Maine.

Laser Cover Separations and image assembly by Champlain Color Service. (802) 658-6088. Cover printed bv Franklin Printing. (207) 778-1801.

PORTLAND Monthly Magazine is published by ColinandNancySargent.578CongressStreet, Portland. ME 0-1101. All correspondence should be addressed to 578 Congress Street, Portland, ME 01101.

AdvertisingOffice:578CongressStreet.Port¬ land. ME 04101 (207) 775-4339

Subscriptions:InsideU.S.:$20(orIyear.$32 (or2years.$10for3years.OutsideU.S:add$6.

Billing Questions If you have questions re¬ garding advertising invoicing and payments, callJohnBjork.Controller,at797-9267.

Newsstand cover date: February 'March 1993, publ.February1993.Vol.8.No.1,copyright 1993. PORTLAND Monthly Magazine is mailed atthird-classmailratesinPortland.ME04101. (ISSN: 0887-5340). Opinions expressed in ar¬ ticlesarethoseofauthorsanddonotrepresent editorial positions of PORTLAND Monthly Magazine.Responsibleonlyforthatportionof anyadvertisementwhichisprintedincorrect¬ ly.andascompensationwewillrunacorrec¬ tion in the following issue. Nothing in this issue may be reprinted in whole or in part without written permission from the publish¬ ers. Submissions welcome, but we take no responsibilityforunsolicitedmaterials.

PORTLAND Monthly Magazine is published 10 limesannuallybyColinandNancySargent.578 Congress Street. Portland, with newsstand coverdatesofWinterguide,Feb.March,April. May. Summerguide, July. Aug., September. October. November, and December.

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Whatallthesepeoplearoundthecountryhaveincommonisalittlepiece ofBucksport,Maine—heldrightintheirhands.

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Completecardiovascularcenter—lifecycles,biocy¬ cles,stairmasters,electricrowingmachine,treadmill.

■ UP FRONT BY ELIZABETH P E AVE Y ■

Swan Dive

Iam suddenly struck by an ar¬ resting bout of agoraphobia while standing in the crowded lobby of Portland Stage Com¬ pany,onewhichdrivesmeout¬ side and into the doorway of the adjacentWoody’sHourglass.

Igazethroughmyreflectionatthe near-guttedinnards:chippedpaint and sawdust, upturned tables and two-by-fours.Gradually,oneofthose movieflashbacksdissolvesandI’m

strideupCongressStreetandwatch heragreeablereflectionintheblank windowsandknowthisnightwilllast forever.

Testing The Testing

Afriendcalledtoreporthisfrus¬ tration at being unable to schedule an appointment to have the HIV/Antibody test hereinPortland.Hefirstcalled theAIDSHotlineinmidNovember.He wastoldtherewerenoopeningsuntil

untilthey’retested.Also,peoplefre¬ quentlycallthedayafterthey’vedone somethingthatmight’veputthemat risk.Ontheaverage,ittakes7-10 weeksforthesero-conversiontotake place. We recommend they wait 8-14 weekstobetested.Priortothen,it’s almostpointless."Hisgreatestcon¬ cern is ignorance about AIDS. “Our maingoaliseducationandcounsel¬ ing.Wehavetocombattheproblemat thesource.”

Touristas

Our boots and our Toyota 4Runner with Mass, plates are caked with red mud. We are studyingamapinthedeserted parkinglotoftheIndianPetro¬ glyphStateParkoutsideAlbuquerque, New Mexico.

weekslaterattheAIDSProject,buthe couldtrytheSociallyTransmittedDis¬ easeClinicatCityHall.They,too,were booked,andhewastoldtotrybackthe 3 i slippingthroughthedoorintothe Swan Dive. The marble glistens; there’saclatterofsilveranddishes; thestaffbustlesaboutinstarched whiteshirtsandbistroaprons.The joint’s hoppin’. Maybe Patrick or KarenorCarlisworking,andIwill swapaquickbitofgossipaboutwho I am eluding next door. One might nothavethepriceofanentree,but there’salwaysroomtolingeratthe baroveragiantmartiniandbeapart of the elegance. An acquaintance waves from the balcony. You know youhavedroppedontothepulseof Portland.

Thesoundofamanheavingsome¬ thingupfromhislungsdisruptsmy revery.Atmyfeet,anancientvomit stain.Iturntogo,butsomething insidecatchesmyeye.Agirlinagold lamddressswingsfromherkneeson atrapezenearthefrontwindow.The floorispackedwithrevelers.It’sNew Year’sEve,1984.Later,thatgirl,bedrapedinstreamers,herhairfilled withglitteringconfetti,andafistfulof balloons bobbing behind her, will

followingweek.Whenhedid,hewas toldtocallthefollowingweek.Hetried theAIDSHotlineagain,buttheywere nottakingappointmentsuntilthebe¬ ginningofthefirstweekbeyondthe datethatfirstfrustratedhim.

Whyshouldthisprocessbesocom¬ plicated?IcalledtheHotlinetosee what the story was. 1 speak with a helpful and concerned volunteer named Tom, who admitted that the amountofavailabletestingobviously can’tkeeppacewiththedemand.He citedlackoffundingandcertified counselors as the primary reasons. Bothclinicsbookappointmentsthree weeks in advance for two-week per¬ iods.Doesn’thefeelthislagtimemight discourage people? “Yes,” he re¬ sponds,“butthisisapiece-of-mind issue. Many of our calls are from people who engaged in unsafe prac¬ ticesinthe’80s.Theyveryoftenhave guiltfeelingswhichwillnotgoaway

Wearetouringthesouthwest.1am onachiliandcactuspilgrimage;my travellingcompanion,anativeOkie,is onanaturehunt.1foundthe“Chili CapitoloftheWorld”inHatch,N.M., wheredriedandrottingchilislitterthe ground as pine cones do in Maine forests.Route89betweenTusconand Phoenix is lousy with cactus— saguaro,barrel,jumping,catclaw, organpipe,andpricklypear.Wesawa rumblingherdofelk,deer,Gambel’s quail,coyote,stellarjays,roadrunners, and a flock of migrating sandhill cranes at dusk. We camped in the desertandoutontherange,weveered downdirtroadsandthroughmountain passes.Ifeltaboutasfar-flungasa Mainercanfeel—nothingbutopensky andendlessprairiegivingwaytorol¬ linghillsandmesasandthosebigred rockformations.Nosaltair,nopasty skin,nohurry-up,justcrackedriver¬ beds, ruddy complexions, and the slow,slowofthesouthwest.

Acarpullsintothelot.Awoman emergesinstirruppants,not-so-sensibleshoes,andbighair,approaches the truck, and asks us where we’re from. “Portland! Oooh, I just love Portland,”shesqueals.“I’mfromOld OrchardBeachandI’mdrivingtoL.A. I'msohomesick,aren’tyou?” Isthiscountryshrinking,orarewe just getting bigger? B

TheCultural Corridor

ThankstoMaineHistoricalSocietyandMaineCollege ofArt,it’sokaytodreamagain.Withclarity.

ByScottAndrews

December’s two announcements, whilenotscriptedforthestage, were nevertheless dramatic. Withinonepre-Christmasweek, two good-news bombshells hit thepapers.TwoofCongressStreet’s most conspicuous white elephants had been purchased and would soon berenovatedforuse,eachbyaMaine flagshipculturalinstitution.

The former Porteous, Mitchell & Braun department store, with five storiescontaining150,000squarefeet, hadbeenpurchasedbyMaineCollege ofArtandwouldberenovatedoverthe nextseveralyearsintotheschool’s main campus, complete with exhibi¬ tiongalleries,teachingandstudio space.

MaineHistoricalSocietyhadpur¬ chasedthebuildingwiththegarish glassandblue-grayfacadeat489Con¬ gress Street—containing 15,300

squarefeetonthreefloors—standing adjacenttoitsWadsworth-Longfellow House museum and its modest red bricklibrary/headquartersbuilding.

Observersquicklynotedthatwith Children’s Museum of Maine moving intoitsnewquartersadjacenttothe PortlandMuseumofArtthisspring, Congress Street’s economy would soon be boosted by three new major attractions.Addedtoalong-existing basethatincludesthevisualarts,per¬ forming arts, recording, publishing andahostofancillaryandsupporting businesses,theyseetheartsandartsrelatedenterprisesasthestreet’snew strongsuit.

The twin announcements seemed to confirm what some had noted for severalyears:ifCongressStreetisto re-emerge as the city’s resurgent Phoenix-from-theashes,itwillbeasa “culturalcorridor"—Maine’scenterof

thevisualandperform¬ ingarts—ratherthanas aretailcenter.

Sowhat’sallthisaboutaculturalcorridor?

The Congress Street “culturalcorridor”ex¬ tends from Longfellow Square,hometoseveral keyartsgroupsandthe modestcenterofasmall artscommunity,toMar¬ ketandMyrtleStreets, whereCityHallandits largeperformancehall squarelyfacethemighty Portland Press Herald, flagshipoftheGuyGan¬ nettpublishingempire. Totaldistanceisfive¬ eighthofamile.Bygen¬ eralagreement,thecor¬ ridorextendsrib-liketo numerous off-Congress side streets, with Free Street and Cumberland Av¬ enueastheouterlimits.

Approximately50organizations,to¬ getherwithancillarycompaniesthat directlycatertotheiractivitiesand patrons,areheadquarteredorconduct mostoftheiractivitiesonthecorridor. Most,ofcourse,arenotnew.Whatis newistherecognitionthatartsand cultureisthestreet’smajorindustry, major employer, and major draw. Not only are arts and culture a major attraction,theycontributeaunique¬ ness;itsfacilitiesandspiritarethings andqualitiesthatcan’tbereplicatedin suburbanmalls.

There’ssafetyinthisnotion.The mallshaveluredawayallthebigretail stores,butthey’llnevergetthemuse¬ ums,thelivetheaters,thelibrary,art schools, or concert halls. James Hoban, director of Portland’s Amer¬ ican Renaissance Theater, voices an opinion shared by many. “The center ofthecityiswhereit’shappening. Culturehasnoplaceinamall.”

Officialrecognitionofthepredom¬ inantroletheartsmightplaycametwo years ago, when Phil Meyer, of the city’splanningdepartment,authored “Downtown Vision,” the city’s key conceptual planning document with respecttothearts.

Downtown Vision made the first attempttoquantifytheeconomicim¬ pactoftheexistingartsorganizations. Meyer surveyed seven of the largest

organizationsin1989.Takencollec¬ tively, the seven employed 1,200 people(includingpart-timeandvol¬ unteers),spent$9.8million,anddrew 802,000patrons.Intermsofemploy¬ ment, the seven are equivalent to a Shaw’s Supermarkets or the City of Portland.

Heestimatedtheirtotaleconomic impactbyusingadirectbudgetmulti¬ plier-factor (computed by New Eng¬ landFoundationfortheArts).At$1.85 foreachdollarofdirectspending,the sevenimpactthelocaleconomytothe tuneof$18.1million.

Amazingly,neitherthecity’scultural liaison(Meyerhimself)northeDepart¬ ment of Economic Development has seenfittoupdatethesefiguresorto expand the estimates to include the neworganizations(suchasChildren’s Museum) moving in or expanding or¬ ganizations(suchasMaineCollegeof ArtorMaineHistoricalSociety).Nor havethesecond-andthird-tierorgan¬ izations(inbudgetterms)everbeen factoredintotheestimates.

The report made nine specific recommendations: 1. Create a city positionofculturalliaison.2.Establish a downtown arts development pro¬ gram.3.RenovateCityHallAuditor¬ ium.4.Re-establishtheStateTheater. 5.PromotetheCulturalCorridor.6. EstablishaPercent-for-the-Artspro¬ gram and encourage public art. 7. Encourageartists’workingspace.8. Develop a Mayor’s Arts Awards pro¬ gram. 9. Develop creative financing opportunitiesforculturalfacilities.

Beyondsomecolorfulbanners,City Hall’simpactontheprocesshasbeen minimaltodate.WhileMeyer’sreport hasbeenadoptedascitypolicy,the specific recommendations adopted thusfarhavehadlittleimpact.Full implementation recommendations are the charge of a new joint committee comprising members of the Portland ArtsAllianceandthecity.Ithasjust convened.Itsagenda:Hireaconsult¬ antanddrawupabillofspecifics, some of which could be implemented by1993’send.

The Downtown Development Pro¬ gram and creative financing recom¬ mendationsarelargelyinplace.None isspecificallydirectedtothearts.Arts organizations are welcome to apply— andcangetbettertermsthanothers throughone.

Thecityoffersthreefinancialcarrots tonewdevelopment—arts-relatedand everyone else, too. The Downtown Development Corporation has a re¬ volving loan fund amounting to $1 million.Individualprojectsmayqual¬ ifyforlong-termcapitalloansofupto $150,000atinterestratesfromthree percent(non-profits)tofivepercent (everyoneelse).

ThekeytotheDDC’slendingcon¬ ceptisleveragingprivatebankmoney. Inprojectstodate,cityeconomicde¬ velopmentdirectorVirginiaHildreth notes that six DDC loans totaling $475,000haveleveraged$4.1million in private money—creating 61 new jobsandsaving11others.

The Development Action Program canbeevokedbyCityCouncilvote.It channelscitymoneyintosignificant infrastructureprojectsinconjunction withprivatedevelopment.

TaxIncrementFinancingallowsthe proceedsfromtheincreased(incre¬ mental)propertytaxvaluationtorepay initialloans.Hildrethnotesthatfora non-taxednon-profittotakeadvan¬ tage,itwouldhavetoleaseproperty fromataxpayingownerwillingtopass onsomeofthesavings.

“Noneoftheseisgoingtomakeor breakadeal,”saysHildreth.“Butitcan beenoughofanincentivetomakea difference.It’sacarrot.”

TheMaineCollegeofArt

So how is the Maine College of Art goingtoshoehornitswayinto thisbarelystablefinancialen¬ vironment?It’sanenormousun¬ dertakingwhenyouconsiderthe scopeoftheproject.

Fivepublicartgalleries,teaching and studio space for a thousand students,andacommonheadquarters forahalf-dozennon-profitartsgroups areenvisionedintheplansunderway atMaineCollegeofArtfortheland¬ mark former Porteous, Mitchell and Braun department store on Congress Street.

Withexhibitsrangingfromthetradi¬ tionally bucolic canvases of MCA graduate Claude Montgomery to con¬ troversialcontemporaryexhibitsthat pushtheenvelopeofpublicsensibil¬ ities, MCA will soon become one of Portland’smostvisibleandmostvis¬ itedattractions.

While teaching and studio space

willfillthefourupperstories,public attentionfillfocusonthegroundlevel. Says MCA vice president Joan Fowler Smith,“We’relookingtocreateavital, energeticfirstfloor—averyactivehub wherethereislotsofpublicactivity—a placewherepeoplewillwanttocome in.”Today’sMaineCollegeofArtbe¬ gan on a much smaller scale—and stayedthatwayfornearlyacentury. Foundedin1882aspartofthePortland SocietyofArt,theschoolenjoyeda cozyslow-lanerelationshipwiththe Portland Museum of Art until 1982. Steadily creeping growth character¬ izeditsfirst90years—until25years agoitbegantosteadilyoutgrowits facilities.

Enrollmenthassextupledsinceit begangrantingbaccalaureatedegrees in1975.Thatyear,enrollmentstoodat 50.Majorgrowthbeganin1976,when it began renting space outside its elegant brown Romanesque Baxter Buildingcenter.

SeparationfromthePortlandMuse¬ umofArtoccurredin1982.Thenew namewasadoptedlastOctober.Previ¬ ouslyithadbeenknownasPortland School Art. MCA today is a major Portlandinstitution,with300full-time degree students. An additional 400 studentsareincontinuingeducation community programs, taking a rich variety of courses that encompass Asian religions, computer graphics, landscape design, and photography. Approximately150Portland-areahigh schoolstudentstakecoursesatMCA.

Excludingitsthreeundergraduate dormitories,MCAisspreadoverfive downtown buildings that include stately19th-centuryformerprivate homesaswellasthecavernousformer Calderwood commercial bakery. The library,opentothepublic,houses 18,000volumes,112periodicals,and 42,000colorslides.MCA’sbudgetis $3.9million,anditsestimatedecon¬ omicimpactis$10million.

The Porteous building is key to continuing expansion plans. MCA presidentRogerGilmorehopestoin¬ creasefull-timeenrollmentto450by theyear2000andsimilarlyincrease the community continuing education programs.“It’shittheceiling”dueto spacerestrictions,accordingtovice presidentSmith.Gilmoresaysthatthe Porteousbuildingandtheaccompan¬ ying expansion program will be the

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focus for an upcoming capital fundraising campaign with a likely $3-4 milliontarget.

Although a limited move-in could beginthisSeptember,Gilmoreantici¬ pates full conversion and occupancy by September 1994, and the funding campaign may stretch beyond that date.

Fiveartgallerieswilllikelyoccupy thegroundfloor.Thesewillinclude the school’s contemporary photo¬ graphy gallery; the Baxter Gallery, whichannuallydisplaysfiveshowsof contemporary art—with occasionally controversialout-of-townshows;plus facultyandstudentgalleriesfeaturing rotatingexhibits.Thesefourgalleries currentlyexistinoneformoranother, shoe-horned into nooks and crannies ofthecurrentbuildings.

The Baxter Gallery currently draws10,000visitorseachyear. Thestudentandfacultygalleries areseldomvisitedduetotheir out-of-the-way locations. The Montgomery gallery promises to be a popular attraction. It will honor a prominentalumnusandprovidetradi¬ tionalartisticcounterpointtothecon¬ temporarydisplays.

Born in Portland in 1911 and sum¬ mering in Georgetown, Claude Mont¬ gomerywasoneofMaine’spremierart figures for the six decades that he worked. Painting in both oils and watercolors in America and Europe, Montgomery’s work epitomizes the traditionalandenduringvaluesofa bygoneMaine.Hispaintingsarechar¬ acterized by extremely conservative treatments of traditional subjects— formal portraits, florals, sea- and shore-scapes, lighthouses, country backroads,andtimelessvillages.His homey watercolors often graced the coversofDownEastinthesixtiesand seventies.

Montgomery’s daughter, Nancy Beebe of Yarmouth, proposes to pull theexhibittogetherfromnearly900 works she has inherited. While some of Montgomery’s paintings currently adorn the private Cumberland Club, mostarenotcurrentlyexhibitedany¬ where.Sixhundredarestoredinthe club’sattic.

Thefamilyhasbeensearchingfora suitablespaceforanexhibitiongal¬ lery.LouiseMontgomery,wifeofthe artist and a well known Portland

Photo by. Bnan Book

The Race for Lighting since 1955

humanitarian in her own right, put downdepositsontwoCongressStreet propertiesbeforeherdeathlastfall— including the H.H. Hay “flatiron building”onCongressSquareseveral years ago and $20,000 earnest money (laterforfeited)onthe1ForestAvenue propertymostrecentlyoccupiedbythe NewPagodarestaurant.

After Louise Montgomery’s death, Gilmore approached daughter Beebe, an MCA board member, and suggested thatthegallerymightfitwellwiththe school’sexpansionplans.Thegallery would be a separate but cooperating entity—oneofseveral.Notingthatthe Porteousbuildingprovidesfarmore space than MCA currently requires, Gilmore hopes to attract other com¬ patiblenon-profitartsgroupstosublet space. Invited so far: Children’s Theatre of Maine, Very Special Arts Maine,andPortlandBalletCompany. Othersarebeingapproached.

Whilerenovationsareexpectedto lasttwoyears,thefirstpublicuseofthe newbuildinghasbeenscheduledthis spring.Theschool’s18thannualart auctionwilltakeplaceApril10,pre¬ cededbyaweek-longpreview.

MaineHistoricalSociety

The modest red brick building tuckedbehindthemuch-visited Wadsworth-Longfellow house on Congress Street is head¬ quartersfortheMaineHistorical Society—repository of documents and artifactsofMainehistory—thestate’s collectiveattic,sotospeak.Andthat atticisnowburstingattheroofrafters. “We’vebeencollectingfor200years, and we’ve got a very big mountain,” saysMHSexecutivedirectorElizabeth Miller.

Someofthesociety’sholdingsare historicalcurios—take,forinstance, thelockofGeorgeWashington’shair. Others are unimportant letters and documents signed by very important historicalcharacters—includingkings andqueensofEnglandandSpainand

THE MANY MOODS n OF COUNTRY

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butalsothe500thanniversaryofthe expulsionoftheJewsfromSpain.MHS ownsaroyaldecree,signedbySpain’s King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella, which documents this lesser-known, never-celebratedevent.

★Captain Kidd’s treasure, reputedly buriedonCascoBay’sJewellIsland, hasintriguedandeludedgenerations ofshovel-wieldingtreasure-seekers. “X" marks the spot—and MHS owns a periodmaptothetreasure.(It’sbeen followed and the ground dug up—with thefamiliarresult.)

★No one knows who stashed a more modestbutveryrealtreasure:acollec¬ tion of 15th and 16th century gold coins and rings dug up on barren Richmond Island off Scarborough in 1855—andnowintheMHScollection.

★ Before becoming namesake for traitor,BenedictArnoldledarisky, boldly-conceived expedition against British-held Quebec. Waterborne up the Kennebec River, then trekking overlandintoCanada,themissionul¬ timatelyfailed—butbecamelegendary for its demonstration of American daring.Arnoldkeptadailydiaryofhis trialsandtribulations.MHSownsthe ArnoldExpeditiondiary.Itscontents —aswellasitsmanywaterdiscolor¬ ations—demonstrate what many of today’s canoe-campers know all too welkAMaine rivervoyage can bea very wetanduncomfortableexperience.

★Iftoday’snewsfromNorthAfricaand theMiddleEasthasthat deja-vuring, that’s because it has all happened before.In1805thisfledglingnation, recently humiliated and blackmailed bythegangsterBarbaryPrinces,called uponaPortlandfightingsailor,Com¬ modoreEdwardPreble,toleadtheU.S. Navy where the European Powers fearedtosail.Commandinghissquad¬ ron from the flagship frigate USS Constitution,Prebleridtheworldofthe BarbaryPirates.Astreetandafort today bear Preble’s name, but his triumphismostgloriouslyrecalledin the magnificent painting, “The Bom¬ bardmentofTripoli,”nowhangingin theMHSlibrary.

★Inthestate'sseafaringheyday,itwas saidthataMainemanwasmorelikely tomeethisneighboronthedocksof ShanghaithanonForeStreet.Ships’ logbooks,somebeautifullyillustrated, likethatoftheWesternContinent,recall thegloryyearsofMaine’sageofmer-

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fearedtosail.Commandinghissquad¬ ron from the flagship frigate USS Constitution,Prebleridtheworldofthe BarbaryPirates.Astreetandafort today bear Preble’s name, but his triumphismostgloriouslyrecalledin the magnificent painting, “The Bom¬ bardmentofTripoli,”nowhangingin theMHSlibrary.

★Inthestate’sseafaringheyday,itwas saidthataMainemanwasmorelikely tomeethisneighboronthedocksof ShanghaithanonForeStreet.Ships’ logbooks,somebeautifullyillustrated, likethatoftheWesternContinent,recall thegloryyearsofMaine’sageofmer¬ chantsail.

★Maine’sterribleswift-swordstruck deepintoDixieduringtheCivilWar.In 1865aUnionsoldierfromMaine,his eyesseeingthegloryofthecomingof the Lord and a vision of the dying UncleTom,physicallystrucktheiron chainsfromaNegroslave.Hekeptthe shackles as a souvenir; MHS owns themtoday.

★Other items recall sad and regret¬ tableevents.Twopaintingsdepictthe 1854burningofaBathchurchbythe virulentlyanti-CatholicKnow-Nothings. A white Ku Klux Klan hood and cape came from a Maine member in the 1920s.

★Initsfleeting10-yearexistencebe¬ ginning in 1863, the Portland Glass Company produced hundreds of thou¬ sands of pieces of handsome home crystalware.Theseplates,platters, compotes, cruets, and stemware rep¬ resent a marvelous marriage of Vic¬ torian middle-class aspirations and mid-centurymassmanufacturingprow¬ ess. MHS owns a fine collection of about100pieces.

★Architectural drawings and eleva¬ tions by John Calvin Stevens, Port¬ land’sgreatestarchitect,revealhis unerring eye for proper proportions and a subtle sense of softly stated majesty-through-modesty.

TheMaineHistoricalSocietywas foundedin1822andisthena¬ tion’sfourtholdest.Itsmission statementissuccinct:MHS“de¬ votesitsresourcestothedis¬ covery,identification,collection,pre¬ servation,andinterpretationofmater¬ ials which document the history of Maineanditspeople.”MHS’slibrary houses75,000booksplus2.5million other documents, most unpublished

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and some uncatalogued. Paintings total220;mostareneverdisplayed. About3,000mapsand1,000printsare equally unknown. Five thousand piecesareclassifiedintheJaneDoe morgue as “museum items.” These include a large collection of 19thcenturyquiltsandsamplers,American Indianartifacts,avarietyoftools,toys, anddolls,militaryuniformsandac¬ cessories, ephemera from all eras, coins,silver,andplate.Thebreadthof thecollectionencompassesitemsper¬ tainingtoawiderangeofhistorical topics: economics, finance, com¬ merce,industry,maritime,agriculture, transportation,legal,political,family, art,architecture,literature,andre¬ ligion—tonameafew.

Obviously,properlydisplayed,this collectionwillbeamajorstateattrac¬ tion.

Historian, writer, and MHS member WilliamDavidBarry,co-authorofthe historicalnovelPyrrhusVenture, hopes that the new display space might provide inspiration and impetus for otherorganizationssuchasPortland Fire Museum and Maine Charitable Mechanics Association to cooperate, gather,andexhibitotherseldom-seen Portlandartifacts.“Portlandhasgreat resources,”saysBarry.“I’dliketosee themmarshalledbetter."

The new Maine Historical building offers15,300squarefeet.The6,000 squarefeetonthegroundfloornearly tripletheareaavailableforpublic display.Near-termplanscallforrent¬ ingoutthetwoupperfloors,preferably tocompatiblenon-profitarts-related organizations.

LastyearMHShosted16,000visitors. Twelve thousand visited the Wads¬ worth-Longfellow house and the re¬ maindervisitedthelibrary,mostof theseforgeneologicalresearch.Miller refuses to speculate on the numbers thatanewmuseummightattract,butit is obvious that even as is, MHS providesamajordowntowndraw.Says Miller,“Weareconfidentwewillsee manymorepeoplethaninourpresent facility.”

Continuing our progress along thecorridor,PortlandCityHall Audtitorium is home to most events of Portland Symphony OrchestraandPortlandConcert Association as well as many others thatareindependentlyproduced.

Theproposaltorenovatethe2,240seat hall and improve its wretched acousticsandabysmalsightlinesis currentlyheldupinadisputeabout which of two competing plans should beadopted.Buttheultimateoutcome isnotindoubt.

Neither comes cheap, but Greater PortlandCARES(CitizensforAuditor¬ ium REStoration), led by Peter and Pam Plumb, has found the combina¬ tionofprivateandcitymoneytodothe job.Theauditoriumwillberenovated, whicheverplanisadopted.

A 1990 consultant’s report on the economicfeasibilityoftheprojectes¬ timated that a renovated City Hall Auditorium would host 49 percent moreevents(177versus119)thanat present.

Incontrast,theStateTheater,oneof thecorridor’slargestpotentialdraws, remainsoutofthepictureatthistime. Afterthe20-yearleasewithaporno theatercompanyexpiredthreeyears ago, new owners Nick and Lola Kampf havesoughtafreshuseforthe1929 movie house.

Tonoavail.Asrecentlyastwoyears ago,manyofPortland’sculturalsolons looked to restoring the 2,100-seat theaterasthecity’spremierelarge performancehall.Thesesamepeople havesinceshiftedsupport(andtheir considerablefund-raisingclout)tothe proposaltorenovateCityHallAuditor¬ ium.

Another recent proposal, Windham businessman Wolcott S. “Bill” Gaines’sideaofconvertingittoa750seatlarge-formatdinnertheater,fell throughforlackofthe$2.5milljon financing.

Kampfcontinuestomakesmallon¬ going cosmetic improvements and seekstherightuseforhisdarkhallof ghosts.“We’reworkingongettingthe rightmixofplayers,butnothinghas coalesced yet,” says Kampf. “We’ve comeclose,butthefishalwaysseems togetaway.”

Promotingtheculturalcorridoris one mission of Downtown Im¬ provementDistrictundernewly hiredexecutivedirectorBarbara Hager.Littlehasbeendoneto date,althoughDIDisintimatelyin¬ volvedinthejointCity-PAAcommittee mentionedabove.Hager,whoseback¬ groundincludespromotingtheartsin downtownLincoln,Nebraska,isoptim-

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isticthataneffectiveartsmarketing program can be launched this year, althoughshedeclinestodiscussde¬ tails.

The colorful Congress Street ban¬ ners,promotingthearts,arethefirst concreteexampleofthecity’spro-arts policy.Meyerassuresthatanimproved streetlightingprogramisalsowell underway. City manager Bob Ganley advocatesaskatingrinkinCongress Square,infrontoftheSonestaHotel,by all accounts a wonderful idea. He hopesthatthecommitteewillrecom¬ mendit,anticipatesapproval,andis confidentthattherinkcanbeinstalled nextwinter.TheoHoltwijk,directorof the Uptown and Company merchants’ group, would like to see a summer informationkioskinthisarea,todis¬ tribute literature and perhaps even bookticketstoconcertsandeventsin thecorridor.

APercent-for-the-Artsprogramwas enacted by ordinance several years ago.Itrequiresthatonepercentofthe costofnewconstructionorrenovation besetasideforpublicart.Itwillhave noeffectuntilbuildingconstruction picksup.

WWTT hatevertheCity-PAAcommit■ ■ / tee d° es to“encourageartist ■ worl <' n8space”willbeofinWWtenseinteresttothelocalartist ff community. The commitee may,ofcourse,choosetodonothing.

DuncanSlade’sHopper-esquepaint¬ ingsofPortlandsidewalkandstreet scenes—including many along Con¬ gressStreetitself—havemadehimone ofthecity’sbest-knownartists.He paintsinhisupper-storystudiointhe DurantBlockat536Congress.

Sladelikestheareaandenvisions severalblockswithaParisian-style trattoirambience:curbsidecafesand artistsdisplayingtheirworksonthe sidewalkinthewarmmonths.Healso notesthatthisrunscountertocurrent zoningordinances.“Ifyouwanttosee itasaLeftBanksortofthing,you’vegot tosetitupthatway—toallowartiststo sell their work on the sidewalk all summer long,” notes Slade. “From timetotime,Ihavethisfantasyof doingitmyself.”

Allowingartists’streetdisplaysis one modest proposal. Another is to encouragetheuseoftheupperfloors ofsomebuildingsforartists’studios, and, perhaps, living quarters. The

formerprocessiswellunderway.Two buildings, the Durant Block at 536 Congressandthe547buildingacross the street, already house a dozen studioseach.

Moreartists’studiosarescattered through other buildings from Long¬ fellowSquaretoMonumentSquare.To allowartistsbargain-loftlivingquar¬ tersplusstudioswouldrequirezoning changes,and,mostlikely,fire-code changes as well. But some buildings mightbesuitable.EvanRichert,whose Market Decisions firm conducted the recentdowntownretailstudy,suggests thatsomebuildings,particularlyinthe 600 block (west of Congress Square) mightbeconvertedintolow-cost“artsincubator space,” combining res¬ idencesandstudiosalongaSantaFe model.

And suppose these things all hap¬ pen, and Congress Street is trans¬ formedintosomeDownEastLeftBank or hilltop arts community—a NewWorldMontmartre?Woulditstaythat way?

WhilePortland’sartistsnearlyunan¬ imously welcome the idea of an arts community based on Congress Street, theyunanimouslyfear“gentrification”— theprocesswherethepresenceofthe pioneeringresident-artistscreatesan ambiencethatattractsawealthierbut sterilesecondgeneration,whodrive uppricesanddriveoutthepeoplewho madetheneighborhoodsattractiveto beginwith.

TheyallpointtotheOldPort.When theartistshavesuccessfullyre-colon¬ ized a neighborhood, can the devel¬ opers,bankers,lawyers,boutiquesand fernbarsbefarbehind?

PortlandvisualartistPeterHerleyis frequently seen from one end of the corridortoanother.Helivesjustoff LongfellowSquareatoneend;heruns the annual Union of Maine Visual Artists’artsaleatOneCityCenteratthe otherend;andhe’sexhibitedatTrove GalleryonHighStreet,nearthemiddle.

Likemostpeninsula-basedartists, Herley welcomes the growing prom¬ inenceoftheartsinthelifeofthe street,butcautionsthatifpastpatterns hold,gentrificationwillonceagain drive out the pioneering resident artists—likehimself.“We’veseenit happen here in the Old Port," says Herley.“PlusI’veseenithappentwice inNewYork,onceintheVillage,and

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anothertimeinSoho.Youknowthere arehardlyanyartistsleftintheVillage orSoho?NowtheyallliveinBrooklyn.”

Whilemanylooktothecitytofoster the emerging cultural corridor, few believe city action—or massive in¬ fusionsofcity-state-federalfunds— willbedecisive.Afteral1,theprocessis well underway on its own head of steam, and massive municipal re¬ developmentprojectshavebeenlarge¬ lydiscreditedinthepast25years.

James Hoban of American Reper¬ toryTheatersaysthecityneeds“not milliondollarmega-development,but some planning and encouragement.” Adds June Fitzpatrick, Portland art collectorandownerofTroveGallery, “Thingsthathappeninanaturalway haveabetterchanceofsucceeding.”

Newtheaterproductions,projects, andpromotionsillustratethispoint. ThePortlandtheatersceneisaliveand well. And much of the action lies outsidethecity’stwobigcompanies.

Two performance spaces have re¬ cently opened to mini- and micro¬ budgettheaterproducers.OakStreet Theater (formerly Garage Sound and ArtGallery)hasbeenvenueforseveral notablestagingsinthepastyear.These haveincludedPeterShaffer’smystery “Sleuth” (Port Star Productions), Roger Dutton’s one-man readings of JimMorrison’spoetry(a.k.a.Dionys¬ ian Players), and James Hoban’s as¬ tonishinglygoodrenditionsofShake¬ speare’smajorhistoryseries,“TheWar of the Roses Cycle” (American Ren¬ aissanceTheatre).

Independent producers have also found the defunct Bookland in the ghost-like Maine Savings Plaza hos¬ pitableforqualityon-the-cheapshows. Budgetproductionssuchas“Gertrude Stein and Companion” and last month’s original Billy Bemis play, “PostMortem,”demonstratetheliveli¬ nessofthearea’ssmallercompanies. Whiletheirfinancialcloutisminimal and their attendence numbers are small,theselow-budgettheatergroups havetraditionallywieldedaninfluence grosslydisproportionatetotheirnum¬ bers.

Some won’t agree that anything worthwhile at all is happening. Tom Crotty,ownerofFrostGullyGalleryat Chestnut and Congress, remains pro¬ foundlyskepticalandpessimistic.His

EdnaSt.VincentMillay

PulitzerPrizes

&ThePineTreeState

ByWilliamDavidBarry

SoonafterProfessorLaurelThat¬ cherUlrichwonthe1991Pulitzer PrizeinHistory,forherexcellent, Maine-based book, AMidwife's Tale, it seemed a good idea to exploreourState’sconnectiontothe famous award. The results prove im¬ pressive,eventhoughitisbynomeans certainthatallwinnerswithdown-east claims have been netted. Pulitzers havegonetoMaineresidentssome21 times,twomoreprizeshonoredlocal subjects,andMainersclaimedthevery firstPulitzersinBiography(1917)and Poetry(1922).

Firstawardedin1917,thehonors were the brain-child of publisher, philanthropist,andBarHarborsum¬ merresidentJosephPulitzer(18471911). A native of Hungary, Joseph fought his way to the peak of the American newspaper business, earn¬ ing the dubious title of “Father of Yellow Journalism.” Plagued by ill health, he travelled often and dis¬

covered Bar Harbor in 1893. The following year he bought the great estate“Chatwould,"fromwhereheran hisempireinthesummerandfall.

Joseph’slongingforimmortalityled himtoannouncethegiftof$2million to found a school of journalism at ColumbiaUniversityalongwithannual prizesinJournalismandLetters.The Pharaohs themselves might envy his masterstroke.InshortorderthePul¬ itzersjoinedtheNobelPrizesasthe twoliteraryawardsbestknowntothe American public, though the cash awardleftbyJosephwasfarsmaller. Theselectionofwinners,underthe aegisofColumbia,remainssotightly wrappedinmysterythatitinspiredJ. Douglas Bates’s wonderful 1991 exposd.Evenwitherrorsofchoiceandof omission,however,theawardsarestill thenation’smostprestigious.

ThePulitzerswerefirstpresentedin 1917,andthechoiceinBiographywas JuliaWardHowe,1819-1910,byLauraE.

Richards, Maude Howe Elliott, and FlorenceHoweHall.Thisstill-read¬ ablevolume,bythedaughtersofthe Mrs. Howe, was the kind of whole¬ some,constructivestudythatwould have pleased Mr. Pulitzer. Laura Richards(1850-1943),theleadauthor, livedinthefamous“YellowHouse”at Gardiner, Maine, and was widely knownforherpopularchildren’swork CaptainJanuary'(1891).

ForLaura’sfriendBoothTarking¬ ton(1869-1946),whobuilthis opulent summer home, “Sea¬ wood,” at Kennebunkport in 1917, the award carried more weight. Tarkington, the last major proponentofAmericanRealism,gar¬ neredthePrizeinFictionforTheMap nificentAmbersons (1919) and Alice Adams (1922). In November of the latteryearawriterfor Ladies Home Journalstated:“Thereisnodoubtinthe mindsofthosecompetenttojudgethat Tarkingtonnowranksastheforemost American writer. As modern writing goesheisuniqueinthathisworkhas bothfineliterarydistinctionandis cleanandsane.”Infact,thoughhis workcontinuedtosellcommercially (Tarkington was the highest-paid authorofhisday),subsequentcritics wereincreasinglylesstolerantwithhis “old-fashionedrealism.”InMaine,the genteelnovelistremainedverypopular withthelocals,andheusedKenne¬ bunkport as the setting for Mirthful Haven (1930)andMary'sNeck(1932).

The 1920s brought a plethora of PulitzerstoMaine.Fittingly,thefirst native to be so honored was Edwin ArlingtonRobinson(1869-1935),ar¬ guablyourfinestpoet.In1922the Pulitzer Board decided to award a prizeforPoetry,andtheselectionof Robinson’s collected works brought immediatelustertothenewcategory. He would be honored again, for The ManWhoDiedTwicein1925,andTristram in 1928. Only Robinson’s New Hamp¬ shirecontemporary,RobertFrost,won thePoetryPrizemoreoften.

Robinson, whom critic Edmond Wilsontermed“thepoetofre¬ gretsandfailures”and“thelast, andprobablythegreatest,ofthe lineofNewEnglandpoets,”was born at Head Tide and grew up in Gardiner.Hislifewasonepainstaking struggleforrecognition,closetowhat thepublicoftenimaginesapoet’slot

tobe.Robinson’sfatherdied,forcing EdwintoleaveHarvard.Thenthefam¬ ilyfortunecollapsed.Hisfirstbook wasprintedjustwhenhismotherdied, and life in New York was hand to' mouthuntilthefirstPulitzerbrought histalenttotheworld’sattention.The thousand-dollarstipendmadepossi¬ bleatriptoEurope.Hisgreatfriend and mentor, throughout, was Laura Richards,whothoughtofEdwinasan adopted son and whose upbeat spirit servedasacounterpointtohisdarker thoughts.Still,itwasthosethoughts thatcreatedthemythicTilburyTown with such memorable inhabitants as Miniver Cheevy, Richard Cory, and John Evereldown.

Rockland’sEdnaSt.VincentMillay (1892-1950) became the secondpersontowinthePoetry Prize,in1923.Itishardto imaginetwomoredifferent,yet thoroughlygifted,poetsthanRobinson andMillay.Thelatterexplodedonthe scenein1917,a19-year-oldgraduate ofVassarwithanextraordinaryfirst volume,RenascenceandOtherPoems. Her fresh, flashing images and superb craftsmanshipwonpopularandcriti¬ cal acclaim and made her spokes¬ personforhergeneration.Millaywas anoutgoingpublicfigure,joiningthe Provincetown Players and living a bohemian life in Greenwich Village andEurope.ThePulitzercametoher for TheBalladoftheHarp-Weaverto¬ getherwithAFeivFigsFromThistles and eightpoemspublishedtheyearprev¬ ious.“Well,if1dienow,Ishallbe immortal,”Vincenttoldafriend.She was proud that women were being recognizedandpleasedbythe$1,000. Still,sheneveragainwonthePrizeand in 1938 wondered if it were not for politicalormoralconcerns.Afterall, she noted, "Robert Frost and E. A. Robinsonseemedtobetakingturnsat receivingityearafteryear.”In1933the poet and her husband bought Ragged Island in Casco Bay where they sum¬ mereduntilherdeathin1950.

The’20salsobroughttheonlyPul¬ itzer ever awarded a Mainer in the Drama category. Though now largely forgotten, Owen Davis (1874-1956) wasanativeofPortlandwhogrewup inBangor.AHarvarddrop-out,Davis wrotethefirstofover200playsin1899. Probablythemostprolificandwell playedplaywrightinAmericanhistory, 22• PortlandMonthlyMagazine•Februai

Davis breezed along with popular melodramas until he came under the influence of Booth Tarkington and EugeneO’Neill,andtriedhishandat serious drama. Davis was astonished when, one day in 1923, he got the followingphonecallfromafriend: “Listen,sweetheart,whodoyouthink copsthePulitzerPrizethisyear?You’d never guess—neither would I—a guy toldme—it’syou.”

Indeed,Davis’sstill-fascinating play, Icebound, won the award in 1923.SetintheJordanhomestead inVeazie,Maine,theplayoffersa remarkablecastofcharactersand isnotedforitssurenessofnon-folksy dialogue.Oneishardpressedtorecall abetterplaywithaMainesetting.After winningthePulitzer,Daviswaselected totheNationalInstituteofArtsand LettersandthePulitzercommittee.In 1931heretiredtoacottagenearLake¬ wood, America’s oldest summer thea¬ ter,fromwherehisdramasofthe’30s and’40swerelaunched.Anativehad returned.

The last Mainer to win a Pulitzer priortoWorldWarIIwasBrunswick’s Robert Peter Tristram Coffin (18921955),forhiscollectionofpoems, StrangeHoliness,in1935.Agraduateof Bowdoin and Rhodes Scholar, Coffin became Bowdoin’s Franklin Pierce Professorin1934.Thoughhewrotetoo much, and though his positive, cel¬ ebratoryoutlookranagainstthepre¬ vailingcriticalwindsoftheera,Coffin remains a far better poet than most academics believe. Frost, who spoke forhimatthePulitzerpresentation,felt thatCoffinmight“standaheadtaller thanIinpoetry,”andthoughthatwas nottobe,suchworksas“Lanterninthe Snow”remaintimelessintheirbeauty.

NowriterofCoffin’sstaturewasever moreawareofMaine’sliteraryriches, ortheirspecialplaceinthenational scene.InKennebec,CradleofAmericans (1937), Coffin surveyed the scene, drawingtogetherallMaine’sPulitzer recipients except Tarkington and Davis.Helaudesthechildren’sverseof LauraRichards,whowasstilllivingat Gardiner,andpraisesMillayforhaving "takenthemesfromalltheworldfor herlyrics,whichreadasiftheyhad alwaysbeenwritten,butthepithofher musicisthecleanstrengthofMaine.” Coffin’sgreatherowasdealtwith,too: “Robinson, believer in man and wor¬

shiperoflife,wasamanthwartedand discouraged by our progress without progression in these modern times.” Hissimple,insightfulaccoladetoRob¬ insonwas,“Itissomethingtohavehad the greatest Kennebec and Maine author as a contemporary.” Though Coffin’snationalreputationbeganto fade,hispopularityasapoetremained highinMaine.Indeed,Coffindiedin harnessin1955,abouttogiveatalkat Portland’sWestbrookJuniorCollege.

The decade of the ’40s witnessed another spate of Maine-bound Pul¬ itzers, though the winners were a diverselotwhoseworkhadlittletodo withMainespecifically.Thefirsttobe so honored was Ola Elizabeth Win¬ slow(1885-1977),anativeofMissouri and distinguished professor of Eng¬ lish, who spent summers in a Sheepscott,Mainefarmhouse.HerPrizein Biography was given in 1941 for JonathanEdwards,1703-1758. Her in¬ troductiongivesspecialthankstothe UniversityofMaineandwaswrittenat Orono. Dr. Winslow died at Damar¬ iscottaintheautumnof1977.

Anothersummerresident,Professor Samuel Eliot Morison (1887-1976), claimed a Pulitzer in 1947 for his Admiral of the Ocean Sea: A Life of ChristopherColumbus Though Columbus neversightedthecoastofMaine,Capt. JohnPaulJones,thesubjectofMor¬ ison’s 1960 Pulitzer-winning bi¬ ography,oversawtheconstructionof the Ranger on our shore. A native Bostonian,thehistoriansummeredat NortheastHarborandin1960wroteThe StoryofMountDesertIsland

Two more Pulitzers arrived in 1947.JamesPhinneyBaxterIII (1893-1975),aPortlandnative servingasPresidentofWilliams College, was selected for his history, ScientistsAgainstTime. This excellentstudyisthefirstaccountof therushtobuildtheatombombduring WorldWarII.ThesecondPulitzer,this oneinPoetry,alsousheredinthePost¬ War era and what some observers predicted would be “The Age of Lowell.”Thoughthepredictionwasa bitstrong,RobertLowell(1917-1977) was a major poet and a tremendous influence. His first Pulitzer was claimed byLordWeary’sCastle, asecond forTheDolphinin1974.

In 1945 Lowell and his wife, the fiction writer Jean Stafford (1915-

KennethRobertsathomeatKennebunkport'sRockyPasture 1979),boughtahouseinDamariscotta Mills,Maine.Itwassupposedtobea pressure-freeenvironmentbutproved a mecca for friends, colleagues and hangers-on,andtensionbetweenStaf¬ fordandLowellthatendedindivorce in1948.Onewouldhavetocallthisa damagingrelationship,ifitwerenot fortheextraordinaryliteraryproduc¬ tionthatitgenerated.Lowellproduced his longest poem, TheMillsofthe Kavanaghs(1951),setinandinspired bythevillageandhisfailedmarriage. Forherpart,Staffordproducesseveral exquisiteessaysandshortstorieson the same theme and about the same

fordwouldneveragaintakeupresi¬ dence in Maine, while Lowell would latersummerinahouseatCastine, continuingtoderiveinspirationfrom thecoastanditsinhabitants.

essentialmalcontent.BorninKenne¬ bunk, he was America’s highest-paid magazinewriterbeforeBoothTarking¬ ton encouraged him toward fiction. Feelingthathisworkwasignoredby thePulitzercommittee,hevehemently attackedthatbodyasgoingagainstthe intentofitsfounder.Whenitlooked like OliverWisweU mightwinin1940, Robertsplannedtorejecttheaward. Time apparently softened the flinty author,whoacceptedthecitationwith good grace, two months before his death.

In1966,RichardEberhardt(b.1904) tookthePulitzerforhisCollectedPoems. Muchofthepoet’sworktakesdirect inspiration from Maine, for he has summered many years at his family's cottage,“Undercliff,”nearCapeRos¬ ier.Also,Eberhardtwasthefirstser¬ ious influence on young Robert Lowell,servingasaninstructoratSt. Mark’s School in Massachusetts. In lateryears,thisfriendshipgrew,and LowellvisitedhisfriendinMaine. Eberhardt’s Maine Poems was pub¬ lishedin1989.

OnenaturalforthePrizewasEB. White (1899-1985), who with hiswifeKatharine,movedintoa North Brooklin, Maine farm¬ house in 1933 and kept up a steadyliteraryproductionthroughout hislongcareer.InsteadofaPrize,he receivedaSpecialCitationin1978as partoftheJournalismandArtsaward. “1guessthey’retryingtocatchupon things,”wrotetheauthorofCharlotte's Webb.“Theythinktimeisrunningout.”

The1950sbroughtasinglePulitzer, andthatwasa“SpecialCitation"rather than a Prize. It honored Kenneth Roberts (1885-1957), the country’s leadinghistoricalnovelistandquint

ThelastPulitzerofthe’40shonored RocklandnativeWalterPiston(18941976),oneofAmerica’sgreatmusi¬ cians.MusicwasnotaPrizecategory until1943.PistonwonforhisSymphony No.Jandagainin1961[orSymphonyNo 7.Pistonwasbrilliant,butneverpro¬ lific.Thus,ithasbeennotedthatonequarter of Piston’s symphonies won Pulitzers.Hislastwork,aconcerto, wasdedicatedtothePortlandString place.Indeed,“ACountryLoveStory” and “Polite Conversation” were in¬ cluded in TheCollectedStoriesofJean Stafford, which received a muchmeritedPulitzerin1970.Atthetimeof theirdivorcebothmovedaway.StafQuartet.

Anotherdeservingcandidateforthe PulitzerwaspoetLouiseBogan(18971970),borninLivermoreFalls,Maine. However, in 1986 she entered the scenenotasaPrizewinner,butasthe subjectofElizabethFrank’sbiography, LouiseBogan:APortrait

ThemostrecentwinnerofthePul¬ itzer Prize was bom in Idaho and teaches at the University of New Hampshire.LikeFrank’sbiographyof Bogan,UlrichdealswithaMainesub¬ jectinherdelightful,alwaysreadable book,AMidwife'sTale:TheLifeofMartha BallardBasedonHerDiary,17851812. Onlyrarelyhaslocalhistorybeenso effectively employed to give us an understandingofhowthenationde¬ veloped.Itstandsdeservinglyalong¬ sidethescoreofMaine-relatedPulitzer Prizesearnedsince1917.

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Wild Man BobElliot

Here’soneguywhohaditall—andturnedhisbackonit.

ByElizabethPeavey

BobElliot,thepersona,isateller ofstories.Inhiscurrentvocation asfeaturereporterforWCSH-TV hereinPortlandhetellstales abouttheoddball,thequirky, andtheobscurepeopleandplacesof Maine. Anything is open game for Elliot,whocreditshissuccessto“liv¬ ingwiththeblindersoff.”Everythingis potentialmaterial,everypersonhasa storytotell.Elliotsays,“I’minterested initall.”

BobElliot,theguy,hashisownstory totell;hisjustmayhaveafewmore details and name dropping than the potato farmers, fishermen, and car dealersheinterviews.Afterall,Bob ElliotsawPareebeforehechoselife backonthefarm.

FromtheTVstationwherewemeet, hesquiresmeacrossCongressSquare totheSandDollarCafeattheSonesta Hotel.There’ssomethingrakishand

dandifiedaboutElliotcladinafedora, topcoat,pressedshirt,andtrousers— nothingliketheslobheportraysonhis weeklyfeature“Bob’sBasement.”He’s abigguytoo—6’4”and200+pounds— buthemoveswiththecoolassurance ofself-satisfactionandconfidence.

TheSandDollarCafeisheadywith thearomaofanearlyexpiredbreakfast buffet: eggs and bacon and sausage that have lain too long in chafing dishes. The coffee comes and keeps comingthroughour2-plushourinter¬ view.BobElliotloveshiscoffee,scoffs athealthwarnings,boastsa30or40 gallonperday(orsomethinglikethat) consumption.

Elliot’slifehasastorybookaura about it—the small town kid who broke into the big leagues, began ridingthecrest,decidedtothrowitin, andreturnedhome.Askastorytellera questionand,justifiably,you’llbecast

back to the beginning. “Mercy Hos¬ pital,”istheresponseIgetwhenIask himabouttheearlyyears.Fastforward abit,Bob.Youth.

“Most of my early memories are sports-related,"Elliotsaysasheleans back,crossinghislegs.He’sayouthful 42(althoughhelamentsthathecan’t getupanddownthebasketballcourt likeheusedto),butthere’ssomething salty and crusty about him—like an agedseacaptainoranagingwarrioras he casts back into memory. You can almosthearthecampfirecrackle.“The things1mostclearlyrememberarethat firstuniform,makingtheteam,win¬ ningthechampionship.”Thisisall

Sounremarkablewasthe youngBobElliot,that whenheattendedhisown 20thclassreunionafew yearsback,hewas approachedbyaformer SouthPortlandHigh Schoolclassmatewho greetedhim:“Heeey,Bob Elliot!Whatareyou doinghere?Youona

Hwellandgood,butnotverymeaty.One hopesforachildhoodincident,aplay¬ groundbullywhoknockslittleBobby Elliotonhisbackandpullshishair, whilevisionsofretributionforminhis mind:“Justyouwait,MarjorieGrackle. OnedayI’mgoingtobeabignetwork reporterandhuntyoudown.Justtryto runforpublicoffice.Justtry.”

Nosuchluck.BobElliot,whogrew upinSouthPortland,CapeElizabeth andWinthrop,wasarun-of-the-mill kid—bright,butanunderachiever,a C-ishstudent,shy,scaredofgirls.So unremarkable was the young Bob Elliot,thatwhenheattendedhisown 20thclassreunionafewyearsback,he wasapproachedbyaformerclassmate whogreetedhim:“Heeey,BobElliot! What are you doing here? You on a story?”Elliotlaughs.Thisisobviously story?'

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afavoriteofhis.“Bythestandardsof the '90s, my parents would probably havehadmeintherapy.Iscoredwell ontestsbutdidn’tdowellinschool—I was too preoccupied with sports. Today, they might panic, put me through all sorts of psychological testing,butbackinthe’50sand’60s, theydidtheonlythingtheyknewhow to do. They kept me moving down the track.”

Elliotappliedtoonlyoneschool,the UniversityofMaineatOrono,andwas rejected.HewassenttoKent’sHill prep school, where he says, “Things startedtoclick.Ibecameastraight-A student.” There he found a mentor, Carl Lindholm, who, in addition to beinghisbasketballcoach,instilledin Elliotaloveofliterature.FromKent’s Hill,ElliotenrolledatMiddleburyCol¬ legeinVermont.Hegraduatedin1973 withaB.A.inEnglishLiterature.

ndthen,”Elliotsays,“itwas

just like the movie ‘The /B Graduate.’Icamehometo Maine and lounged around X JL fortwomonths,baskingin thegloryofbeingaMiddleburygrad¬ uatewithoutmuchthoughtastowhat would happen next. Then one day my fatherapproachedmeandsaid,‘Son, there’ssomethingcalledwork.’”Elliot smirks.“Yousee,1wasnevercareerdriven.Noneofuswere.Backinthose days we were operating under the assumptionthatallyouhadtodowas gotocollege,studyhard,getadegree, andtherestwouldtakecareofitself.It didn’t.Itwasanextremelydifficult transitionfromstudyingliteratureat Middleburytohittingtherealworld.It wasn'tanythingliketheytoldus.We were learning all these wonderful thingsthathadnothingtodowiththe outsideworld.Canyouseemesitting inajobinterviewexplainingMelville’s umbilical-cordtheoryoflife?Itjust didn’tmeanarat’sass.”

ThoughnoonetookElliotasideand whisperedtheword“Plastics”inhis earatthistenderage,hisfather,atire salesman,didsetupaseriesofinter¬ views for him. Soon Bob Elliot was sellingautopartsaroundtheBoston area.Thatlastedaboutayearanda half.Elliotholdshishandsuponeither sideofhishead."See,Iwasalltail pipesandmufflersandpistonringson thissideofmybrain,andonthisside Thoreauwasstillfloatingaround,and1

was,like,‘Idon’tgetit.’Itwastheonly time in my life I ever had any dif¬ ferenceswithmyfather.We’vealways been friends and buddies through it all.Icamehomeandsaid:‘Dad,you’ve beenatiresalemanfor25years.Did you grow up having a love of rubber goods?’Andhejustlookedatmeand said,‘Youdon’tgetit,doyou?’AndI guess I didn’t. These were people coming out of the Depression and WorldWarII.Yougotajob.It’smoney. You get what enjoyment you can from thatjob.Myfatherlovedthebusiness. Maybe I might’ve too, if I had been different.Isupposetheycouldsayto menowthatI’monlytellingstories. Well,toeachhisown.”

Ct_

“See,Iwasalltailpipes andmufflersandpiston ringsonthissideofmy brain,andonthisside Thoreauwasstillfloating around,andIwas,like, ‘Idon’tgetit.’”

wElliot’snextstepwastoenrollin graduate school at B.U. and get his master’sinBroadcastJournalism.He claimsheB.S.’edandliedhiswayinto theprogram,andfurtherclaims(chil¬ dren,coveryourears)that’sthebest thing you can do on a resumd or an interview.Whenhestarted,hestillhad nogreatplan,can’tevenrecallwhyhe chosebroadcasting.“Butthentheball startedrolling.Iwasenthralledwith picturesandthestoriesyoucouldtell withthem.AndIwasgoodatit.”He waxescareercounselorforamoment: ‘‘Inordertobesuccessfulandhappy, you have to find something you like andsomethingyou’regoodat.Iknowit sounds simple” — (and he doesomitoneimportantfactor:thatis, thatyoucanmakealivingatit)—“but therearepeoplewhoaregoodatjobs theydon’tlike,andtherearepeople whoarebangingtheirheadstogetinto somethingthey’renotgoodat.I’mone oftheluckypeople.Ifoundboth.”(Or allthree,heshouldsay.)

Indeed, there is an element of a

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charmedlifeintheBobElliotstory.He acknowledges that he got a lot of breaksthatmostpeopleneverget,but backsthatupwithapersonaldeter¬ minationtosucceed.Whiletherewere smalldisappointmentsalongtheway, heboaststhereisnothinghehasever worked for that he hasn’t achieved. Uponcompletionofhismaster’s,his trektowardanetworkpositionbegan. ft_ AllI’ddowerestories aboutdeadpeople.Iwas stationedinHoustonand coveredthesouthwest. Everystory)Idid,Tom Brokawwouldsay, ‘Twentypeoplearedead tonight.Robert(someP.R. guydecidedRobert soundedmore distinguished)Elliothas thestory.’AndthereI’d be,standinginthe middleofacornfield outsideofTulsa interviewingFarmer Jones,who’dsay,‘The tornadosoundedlikea freighttrain.’Afterfour years,itgotold”

w“Istartedoutasaproductionassis¬ tantatWCBBinBoston.Afterayearor so,Iwenttothenewsdirectorandsaid thatIwantedtobeareporter.Iwas laughedoutofhisoffice."Elliothitthe roadandlandedajobinLittleRockas an investigative reporter for a CBS affiliate,justaboutthetimeyoungBill Clintonwasbeingsworninasgover¬ nor.Fromthere,hemovedtoDallasas apoliticalreporter.“Thoseweretwo veryinterestingandrewardingperiods ofmylife.InDallasatthetime,theoil was pumping and the money was flowing.Someofthedealsthatwere cutwouldmakeJ.R.Ewingblush.”He alsohadhisfirstbigjournalisticcoup

while in Little Rock. He snuck into CumminsPrisondisguisedasalawyer. Itseemsa31-year-oldinmatehaddied of a heart ailment, but word from insidewasthathehadbeenstrangled byaguard.

“1 ended up having the body ex¬ humed,”herecounts.“Therewasabig investigation,atrial,alawsuit,andthe ultimaterevampingoftheprisonsys¬ tem. Clinton and the Feds were in¬ volved.Thatwasthestorythatgotme toDallas.”

Andthen,inMay1983,thethingBob Elliot wanted more than anything in the world happened: He landed a job as a network correspondent for NBC news.“Iwasontopoftheworld.1 camebacktomyofficeinDallaswitha case of champagne, and the corks startedflying.1hadmadeittothetop.”

Y ow, if this was a made-for-TV movie,thiswouldbethepoint where Elliot would develop a Ring Ding addiction or per¬ manently lose his voice or throw away his career for a woman. Nothingsodramaticoccurred,butthe realityfactordidsetin.Whilethere wereplentyofchallengingandexotic assignments—jettingtoEurope;being the first on the scene at the 1985 earthquake in Mexico City; covering the war in Nicaragua; interviewing DavidCrosbyafterhegotoutofprison; seeingRickyNelson’splanegodown— whatElliotmostclearlyrecallsisthe monotony:

“Iwasflyingallthetime.Another rental car. Another bad restaurant— ‘Hi,mynameisMaurice.Helpyourself tothesaladbar.Letmetellyouabout ourspecials.'I’dsleepwiththeYellow Pages next to my bed so I’d know where I was when 1 woke up. I could neverhaveanormalsociallifeora serious relationship. 1 never knew whereI’dbefromoneweektothenext. AndallI’ddowerestoriesaboutdead people.IwasstationedinHoustonand coveredthesouthwest.Everystory1 did, Tom Brokaw would say, ‘Twenty peoplearedeadtonight.Robert(some P.R.guydecidedRobertsoundedmore distinguished)Elliothasthestory.’ AndthereI’dbe,standinginthemiddle ofacornfieldoutsideofTulsainter¬ viewingFarmerJones,who’dsay,‘The tornedosoundedlikeafreighttrain.’ Afterfouryears,itgotold.”

Here one says, ‘Hold the phone,

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Bob.Weordinaryfolkdon’tlikenews correspondentsandrockstarsandpol¬ iticos belly-achin’ about how tough theygotit,howroughlifeisonthe road.Youdugyourtrench,nowliein it.’

But Elliot’s disenchantment ex¬ tendedbeyond“hottowel,sir?”anda mintonhispillow.“IguessIalways thought—idealistically—coming from the’60sgeneration,thatjournalism wasanoblething,itwasthe‘informed citizen,’thepeople’srighttoknow. Andthere1was,atthetop,andallIwas doingwasstoriesaboutplanecrashes and tornados and floods and famines and wars. I’d send New York good featureideas,humanintereststories, and they’d respond: ‘No thanks. There’sabuscrashdowninElDorado. Three people are dead, seven have been taken hostage. That’s what we want.That’snews.’Ijustgottiredof that.Ithinkpeople,ingeneral,aretired ofittoo.We’rebombardedbyit,over andover.Thefollow-ups.Thefollow¬ upstothefollow-ups.it’soverkill—no punintended.Ijustdon’tthinkit’swhat peoplewant.”Hereflectsamoment.“I wasattheJohnsonSpaceCenterwhen thespaceshuttleblewup.Itwasmy job to go around and interview the widows, stick a microphone in their faces and ask them what they were feeling,andmoreimportant,ifthey’d appearontheTodayShowthefollow¬ ing morning. And then there was the time1wasinCampLejeune,aMarine trainingcampinNorthCarolina,when 235MarineswerekilledinBeruit.A photographerandIfollowedtwoMar¬ ineofficersaroundastheyknockedon doors to tell people their sons or husbandsweredead.They’dgoinand allwe’dhearwasthescreaming.And there we’d be standing on the lawn withourequipmentaskingourselves, ‘Whatarewedonghere?’1don’tblame people for hating the media. The peoplewhoareremovedfromthefront line,sittinginofficespushingbuttons— it’seasyforthemtosaythattheywant aninterview.Andwhatareyougoingto do? Say no? Have a nervous break¬ down?Youhavetodoit,becauseit’s yourjob.”Elliotpauses.“MaybeI’ve seen too much, but it was very dis¬ appointingtohaveworkedsohardto gettowhereyouwanttobe,andthen bedisillusionedbyitall.”

ThewaitresscomesbywithElliot’s

Bobandhistrife,Jenniferlawson.37,acreativedirectoratLL.Bean. 15thcupofcoffee.Myeyesarevi¬ bratinginmysockets.Ideclinearefill.

“So,1wasonvacation,havinglunch withLouColbyandJeffMarks,andon a whim I talked about coming to the station.Therewerenonewsopenings, but they were in the market for a featurereporter.I’dneverdonefea¬ turesbefore,butwedecidedtothink aboutit.Iaskedmyself,‘Whatthehell am1doing,runningallovertheworld, what’sthepointofitall?There’sgotto beabetterway.I’veprovedthepoint.I madeittothebigleagues.Nowlet's moveon.’”BobElliotstartedatWCSH inSeptemberof1986,andhe’snever takenhisfootoffthegas. ecameonthesceneaswhathe terms “a wildman.” Feature storiesbackthen,herecounts, meant covering a duck carver upinWiscasset.Hedecidedto turnthenotionaroundandcreditshis stationforallowinghimthecreative freedomtodoso.“WhatIdoiswalka tightrope,” he says. “When you’re

tryingtobefunny,it’sdangerous.Ifit’s notfunny,thenit’sstupid.Butfeatures aremuchmoregratifyingthanthefront line.You’retellingstories.You’re

recognizedisthatpeoplecommenton thestoriesI’vedoneandIknowthey’re listening. Sure, I was reaching 20 millionpeoplewithnetworknews,but theywereinNebraska.”

Elliotsaysthathenever“shutsoff,” thathe’salwaysonthelookoutforhis nextstory.“ThatdrivesJennifer,my wife, crazy. We’ll be walking some¬ whereandthenextthingshe’llknow, I’menthralledinconversationwitha hotdogvendororascallopdiver.”

Bob Elliot met his wife, Jennifer Lawson,37,acreativedirectoratL.L. Bean,onAugust3,1991.Itwasablind datearrangedthroughhisfamily.Elliot wasreluctant,buthefinallywrotehera letter.Shehadneverheardofhim."But wemet,andthreedateslaterweboth knewthiswasit.Itsurprisedusboth.I neverthoughtIwouldmarry.”Hehas thecontentedlookofmanwhohasjust finished a meal. Surely there was a glitch, a heartbreak along the way. Here’saguywhohaditall,turnedhis back on it all, and got more in the bargain,aguywholoveshisjob,loves hiswife,isbestbuddieswithhisdad. Notrauma,noinjuredchildwithin. Just a long string of success and achievement. Not bad for an under¬ achiever.

Sure,Iwasreaching20 millionpeoplewith networknews,butthey wereinNebraska.

takingpeoplesomewhere.Idon’tmiss being the messenger of death.” His ideas come from always keeping his eyes open, from always listening. Some of his best stories have come from people who approach him on the street,aBigFishintrusionhenotonly doesn’t seem to mind, but also wel¬ comes. “What 1 like about being

“There’snothinginmylifeIwould change,” he states, but then recon¬ siders. He grows somber. “My mother diedin1985ofcancer.Wewerevery close,andthere’saterribleacheinmy heart.Theyhadchalkedherupinthe ‘win’columnbecauseshelivedforfive years after she had been diagnosed— butiftheyevercomeaftermewiththat chemo stuff, they’ll have to tie me down.Someday1thinkthey’lllookonit like we do leeching. Whatever the answeris,itain’tthat...destroying everythingalongwiththecancerand then hoping you’ll be able to come back.Shehadnoqualityoflife—she

wasabeautifulwoman,acovergirlfor Vogue and McCall's'' The dark cloud passesslowly.“Peoplearesurprised that I’m a serious guy. The TV Bob Elliot is a character. When I make speeches, they keep waiting for the funnypart.1oncemadeaspeechabout cancer and people were walking out. Whatdidtheywant,jokes?"

BobElliot,seriousguy,spendshis timenowconcoctingstorieswithhis “partnerincrime,"photographerSteve Phillips.Hisluxuriantlynormalnineto-fiveweeksarehigh-pitched,frantic. IfEllioteverwatchestheclock,it’sto wish for one more hour, one more interview,onemoreshot.It’snotun¬ commonforhimtorunfinaleditsona storyminutesbeforeairtime.

Andwhenthingsgettoocrazy,you might find him floating around on CascoBayinhis20-foot1986Galaxy,a crafthiswifeterms“astinkpot,”or retracingthestepsofhisyouthinCape Elizabeth,standingatthecrestofa smallhillonOldFortRoadwherethe trainingwheelsfirstcameoff,where withonesmallpushfromhisdad,he wasoffandrunning.“And,”concludes Elliot,“1neverlookedback.”

WWTTell, he evidently looked back 1V / momentarily, long enough to ■■/unearthjustonemoredetail.It WW was a couple days after the ff interview. I stopped by the stationtopickupavideo,“TheBestof Bob’sBasement."Initwasanoteanda photocopyofaI960clippingwiththe headline:“Boy,10,SavesLifeofGirl, 3."Ihopethisisajoke.Itisn’t.Cripes, he even had a heart ailment when it happened. No, on top of everything else,BobbyElliotwasachildhero.In the note he confesses that he never tellsanyoneabouttheincident.The lastlineoftheclippingreads:Mrs. Avard, after getting her soaking daughterhome,sentanenvelopecon¬ tainingadollarbilltoBobbyforhis heroism.‘Icouldn’ttakeit,’Bobbysaid, Tmaboyscout.’”

Forcommentary',theBobElliotof today has dashed off, in his giant, Murrow-sizedcoruscules,“Clippingis accurate,exceptIneversaid'Ican’t takeit.’Lyingpress!”

TheBaker TheButcher

NeatStuff

ThenewexhibitscomingtotheChildren’sMuseumare bound to impress.

ApreviewoftheChildren’sMu¬ seum?Sure.Withopeningday plannedforthisJuneatits new142FreeStreetlocation beside the Portland Museum ofArt,anewworldisrisingfromthe chaoticpilesofwood,pipes,plastic covers,dustytablesaws,andpaintstainedpropaneheatersthatblastlife intocarpenters’freezingfingers.

Exhibits are taking shape amid highanticipation.

Amongthoseconfirmedare:afullsized,authenticMainelobsterboat withanoperatingwinchandsetof traps and buoys that children can raiseandlower.

TheAstroLab,aplanetariumthat seatstwenty.

A Communications Balcony where studentswillelectronicallyoperatea

ByKevinLeDuc

suspendedsatellite,communicating withitandmovingitscontrolsur¬ faces.

ASpaceShuttlewhichextendsout oftheAstroLab,outfittedwithalife¬ sizedcockpitandallitsinstruments.

Ashoretidalpool,wherekidscan touch everything from quahogs to starfish.

Afossilwalldepictingthehistory oftheearthfromtheProtozoicerato thepresent.

AScienceBar(wedidn’task!),fullsized Fire Engine, Computer Room, EditingRoom,andfullVideoCenter equipped with cameras, monitors, andanaudience.

A Meteorology Center where stormsaretrappedinaMuseumdata base and saved so that young ex¬ plorerscanreviewanymajorstorm

andretraceitscourse.

Kidscanshopatthegrocerystore, visitabankteller,makerealpaperat the print-making shop, or search beneaththeearthforvaluablegems inastalagmitecave.

Itmatisn’tcoolenough,therewill beahugeperiscopemirrorthatex¬ tends out through the roof of the building.Onceseatedinthecontrol chairyoucanturntheperiscope360 degrees and focus the lens on any landmarkthecityofPortlandoffers.

Our only wish: that the museum winsaspotasadownlinkresearch stationtoletchildrenparticipatein thediscoveryoftheoceanflooras partofDr.RobertBallard’s“Jason Program,”amiracleoffiberoptics. With 30 sites already nationwide, there isn’t one yet in Maine... H

■BUSINESS NEWS AROUND PORTLAND"

BusinessWyicu

Faces&Places

At Maine Cellular, Merry Shaw has been promoted to customer service manager. She has held the titleofcustomerservicesupervisor forthepast2years,andshehasbeen withthecompanyforthepast4years. Ms.ShawresidesinCapeElizabeth.

Earle Noyes & Sons recentlyan¬ nounced that Richard Bisson has joinedtheorganizationasvicepres¬ ident of operations. For 8 years previouslyhewaswithBissonMov¬ ing and Storage, which his family soldin1989.BissonattendedColby College and graduated from USM.

TylerNelson, formerlyvicepres¬ identofGroupOperationsforCom¬ panionLife,hasjoined Paypower Benefits inasimilarcapacity.Nel¬ son, who has over 20 years of ex¬ perience in the employee benefits field,willberesponsibleforunder¬ writing,administration,andproduct development.Nelsonisagraduateof NorthwesternUniversitywithade¬ greeinBusinessAdministration.

Joseph F. McHugh has been named

amortgageloanofficerfor KeyCorp MortgageInc. McHugh, who will be

TylerNelson Joseph McHugh

responsible for generating home mortgage loans throughout Cumber¬ landCounty,willbelocatedatthe KeyCorpMortgageLoanCenteratthe JetportPlaza,425WesternAvenue,in Portland.Hebringsover12yearsof mortgagebankingexperiencetothe firm.McHughliveswithhiswifein CapeElizabeth.

RichardFortin hasbecomeaprin¬ cipalofthefirm Tewhey Associates ofSouthPortland.Fortinhasbeen employed with the firm since 1989 andpreviouslyheldthepositionof seniorhydrogeologist.Inhisfour yearswiththefirm,hehasplanned anddirectedgroundwaterstudiesat over 50 sites in New England. A certifiedgeologistinMaine,Fortin has a B.S. from the University of Maine and a M.S. from Boston Uni¬ versity.HeisaresidentofNorth Yarmouth.

On January 1, Ronald Demers be¬ camepresidentof Gorham Savings Bank. Demers has been with the bank since 1979 and for the past severalyearshasbeenexecutivevice presidentandtreasurer.Heisthe eleventhpresidentofthis125-yearoldsavingsbank.

Print Media recently announced that Bruce Robinson has been promoted to sales manager/customer service. He joined the com¬ panyinJuneof1992.AlsoatPrint Media: MaryWhittier hasjoinedthe companyasasales,customerservice representative,and Brenda Cocchio

has joined Print Media as a cameratechnician.

RemstarInternational recently announced a number of new ap¬ pointments: Suzanne Knight is the company’s new director of planning,reporting,andcommuni¬ cations; Barbara Schneider has been promoted to marketing director; Tom Meader has been promoted to product advocate for the company’s industrial productline;and Carol Doyon isthenewproductadvocatefor theofficeproductline.

Briefcase

Hewins/Carlson Travel Net¬ work hasbegunservingthecor¬ porate travel account of ABB Environmental Services, Inc., and will service the company’s estimated $1.2 million in air travelforitsEastCoastlocations. Hewins Travel, the exclusive MaineaffiliateofCarlsonTravel Network, was selected to meet specific requirements of ABB, headquarteredinPortland.

UNUM and Colonial Compan¬ ies,Inc., theindustryleaderin payroll marketing, announced recentlythattheyhaveentered into a merger agreement. Under this agreement, UNUM will ex¬ change .731 shares of its com¬ mon stock for each share of outstanding Colonial Class A andClassBstock.Atthecurrent UNUM stock price, the transac¬ tionwillhaveavalueofapprox¬ imately$570million.

Peoples Heritage Bank has announced a record level of $322 million in home mortgage lendingforCY92.Theymadea totalof4,504mortgageloansin 1992, compared to 3,000 loans totalling$183millionin1991.

Corridor

Continuedfrom page 20

reasoningisblunt.Culturalcorridor, artcenterornot—nomatterwhatthe cosmeticsandatmospherics,Maineis incapableofsupportingseriousvisual artists.“Thereisnotaseriousaud¬ ienceforthevisualartsinMaine,” insiststhiscrustydeanofPortland’s currentartdealers.“Peopleconfuse thefactthatMaineishometogreat artistswithsomeunfoundedbeliefthat thereisanaudienceandamarketfor these artists in Maine. There is no market in Maine. Before anybody can begintothinkofa‘culturalcorridor'or ‘artcenter,’wehavetohaveanaud¬ ienceandamarket.Otherwiseit’sjust whistlingDixie.”

WhyishetendingshoponCongress Street?Cheaprents,saysCrotty.“I’m notherebecauseit’sthelocationI want.”

Nordoeseverybodyagreethatmas¬ sive redevelopment—even if downscaled to nineties thinking—isn't needed. Portland realtor Christy Pachios envisions a “Downeast Mar¬ ketplace,”arevivedupscale(“Bloom¬ ingdales,Nieman-Marcus,Lord&Tay¬ lor,”suggestsPachios)retailcenter. Keytohisvisionisasecond-story enclosed walkway extending nearly a mile in a rough circle that encom¬ passes much of the former shopping districtsonCongressandFreeStreets. Single-level parking would be con¬ structedaboveexistingground-level parking lots along Cumberland Av¬ enue. Pachios is vague about where the money would come from but makesitclearthatcity,state,and federaldollarswoulddrivetheproject initially.SaysPachios,“ThePortland Renewal Authority is in existence today,butnobodyisoperatingit.”

Whilebig-timegovernmentdollars, even if wanted, seem beyond reach, aretheregion’sprivateresourcesade¬ quate,particularlyforthestreet’stwo majorprojects?

Maine College of Art and Maine Historical Society clearly command deep support in the community, but willtheybothbediggingtoodeeply, toofast,intoPortland’slimitednumber ofdeeppocketsatthesametime?

MCA president Roger Gilmore has outlined MCA’s goals: $3-4 million. MHSisn’tsayingmuch,but$1-2mil-

Rosewood Place

ByMarkMickalide

Rosewood Place is a new res¬ taurant in Brunswick occu¬ pying the space previously held by the estimable 22 Lincoln. As one might ex¬ pect from a place that color-coordinates the butter and salad dressingtotherose-coloreddecor andpromotesitselfas“finefoods andblythespirits,”themenuisa bit rococo. It is peppered with terms such as “avec fleur” and “fantasia,”andtheornateprepar¬ ationshavefruits,flowers,nuts, andberriesfiguringprominently.

Our meal got off to a curious startbytherevelationthatthreeof the seven appetizers were not being offered. Salmon was being substituted in a fourth, and the halibut,veal,andlobsterentrees were not available. The curious thingbeingwewerethefirstparty on a Saturday night. However, of the remaining appetizers we chose Lobster and Black Truffle Terrine ($6.95) and Smoked Tuna Boyasian ($5.95).TheTerrine was a flavorless fish mousse encasing a bit of lobster. The sauce con¬ sistedofagreen-flecked,lightly whipped cream that had separ¬ ated,makingitverygreasyonthe palate.Asawhole,thedish’slack of flavor and its disconcerting texturesrendereditinedible,and we were graciously not charged. The Smoked Tuna Boyasian con¬ sistedofapuffpastryshellfilled with flakes of smoked salmon, chunks of artichokes and mush¬ rooms and moistened with a fruity and very sweet cream sauce. The sweetness notwithstanding, this dishwasquitetasty.

ForentreeswechoseFiletMig¬ non Berges ($14.95) and Salmon and Chanterelles ($16.95). Other selections included duck, scal¬

lops, chicken breast, and lamb. The steak was served medium rare as ordered, but the sun-dried tomato sauce was just two pieces of sun-dried tomato perched on top. The salmon was moist, but button mushrooms had been sub¬

stituted for the more exotic and expensivechanterelles.Athinand essentially flavor-free maltese saucecoveredtheplate.

Thereisarespectablewinelist.

Fordessertwechosetheflour¬ lesschocolattorte($3.95)andlet the carrot cake and strawberry cheesecakegountried.Thetorte had a good dark chocolate flavor butcrumbledintoruinsunderthe pressureofthefork.

Whiletheservicestaffwasex¬ tremely friendly, what was coming out of the kitchen bordered on contempt for the dining public. Being only a few months old is hardly an excuse for not having readily available ingredients, downgrading the dishes with omissions and substitutions with¬ out notice, and overlooking de¬ tailssuchasservingricethetex¬ ture of jawbreakers since it had been scraped from the bottom of thepanandprovidingbreadthatI felthadn’tbeencookedenoughto beserved.

Portland's only Wholesale & Retail Pasta Source - a unique Old Port Experience Choose one of our 6 home¬ made sauces to comple¬ mentourfinefreshpastas.

THEATER

Mad Horse Theater Company, 955-F Forest Avenue,continuesthe'92/'93seasonwith SetterDays through February28. Inthedead ofwinterRayandArnie,unemployed,watch TVhuddledaroundtheheatinggrateintheir dismalhouse.Faye,Ray’swife,isonherway homefromherwaitressingjob.Thetownmill hascloseddownandleftthepeopledesolate. Fayeisplanningtosellthecar,theTV,and anythingelseofvaluethathasn'talreadygone. Whenasuccessfulguyblowsintotownand buysRay'scar,everyoneisimpressed.Rayand Arniejoinhimindefraudinginsuranceclaims. Then Betrayal, April1 through April18, HouseofBlueLeaves, May20 through June 20. MadHorsealsocontinuesits’92/’93 seasonChildren'sTheater:Matilda, fromthe bookbyRoaldDahlthrough February21; The PrinceandthePauper,fromthestorybyMark Twain April 17th—25th; Kidplays,ourfirst annualyoungplaywrightsfestival, coming next summer. 797-3338.

Portland Players, 420 Cottage Road, So. Portlandcontinuesits1992/93seasonwith LendMeaTenor, March19 through April3; and FunnyGirl, May 28 through June 19. Ticketsare$13,openingnightS10.Season ticketsare$35-$50. Call799-7337forfurther information.

PortlandStageCompany,P.O.Box1458,Port¬ land.continuesthecom|xiny's19thseason withTheBaltimoreWaltzthrough February 21, byObieaward-winningplaywrightPaula Vogel.Thisisawildtheatricalfantasy,as broadlycomicasitiscomplexandpoignant. Aftercontractingalife-threateningillness,a young elementary school teacher travels throughEuropeinsearchofsexualfulfillment andacureforherdiseasewhileherbrotheris embroiledinamysteriousintrigue.In The

MysteryofIrmaVepp,playing March2-21, “A Penny Dreadful," is inspired lunacy blendingVictorianmelodramaandHollywood horror,filledwithwerewolvesandmummies, passion and scandal, Egyptian tombs and foggyheaths. BordersofLoyalty, a world premierplaybyMichaelHenryBrown,isa fiery, uncompromising work by one of America’smoststimulatingandintelligent newvoices.Alex,apromisingblackactor, must choose between loyalty to his young blackmanager,Mercedes,oranewcareerwith a powerful Jewish agent. An incendiary exploration of racism, anti-semitism and anger. March30-April18. 774-0465.

TheLyricTheater,176SawyerStreet,So. Portland,04106presentsthemusical Baby through February28. 767-3949.

CityTheaterAssociates.Inc.,205MaineStreet, Biddefordpresentstheblockbustermusical Gypsy on weekends April 22-May 9. 282-0849.

BatesCollege,Lewiston,04240,presentsGoin' aBuffalo, African-American playwright Ed Bullins’ dramatic examination of lives betrayedbydrugsanddreamsattheSchaeffer theater March5-7, and 12-14. 786-6161.

TheVintageRepertoryCompany,attheCafe No, 20 Danforth Street, presents ALittle Gentleman, March 3-31, and TheFifteen Minute Hamlet and The Actor's Nightmare April14-May12. 8p.m.772-8114.

DANCE

ThePortlandConcertAssociation,withadmin¬ istrativeofficeson262CumberlandAvenue, presentsthePittsburghBalletTheater, Feb¬ ruary23 at7:30p.m.atCityHall.772-8630or 1-800-639-2707.

Hood

LA.Arts,234LisbonStreet,Lewiston,presents the Limon Dance Company at Lewiston JuniorHigh, March27, 8p.m.

BowdoinCollege,Brunswick,04011,presents InternationalFolkDancing, an evening of teachinganddancingofline,circle,and couple dances from Eastern Europe, the Balkans,Israel,Turkey,andScotland. April7 and21.7:30p.m.attheMainLounge,Moulton Union.729-12555or729-9843.

MUSIC

The Portland Concert Association, 262 CumberlandAve.,Portland.,04101,presents the New York City Opera National Company performing CarmenFebruary 18, 7:30 p.m. Then soprano Dawn Llpshaw performs March 13 at 8:00. The Emerson String QuartetwithMenachemPressler,piano,plays April1, at7:30. The Rebirth Brass Band presents its own version of New Orleans blendedwithrap,reggaeandavant-gardejazz onApril22,at7:30.PortlandCityHall.7728630orI-800-639-2707.

PortlandSymphonyOrchestra.30MyrtleStreet, Portland 04101 presents the PSO French Hornsinaclassicalconcert March 2. March 7 Joseph and Lawrence Golanarefeaturedin acandlelightconcert; March 23 the Choral ArtSocietypresentsaclassicalconcert;and March 28 mandolinistChistopher Mooreis featuredinacandlelightconcert.773-8191.

SwedenborgianChurch,302StevensAvenue, Portland. Through May 31 attendNightofthe Magic Drum, aneclecticeveningofdrum¬ ming,singing,chanting,anddancewillbe meetingfirstThursdayofeverymonthat7p.m. Bringdrums,shakers,bells,rattles,andother instrumentsformakingsacredsoundsand/or bringreadings,stories,songs,andmeditations

. ROLEX

AS TIME PASSES, ROLEX ENDURES

ToensurethattheRolextimepiece youweartodaycontinuestofunction accuratelythroughmanytomorrows, Rolexhascreatedthepressure-proof Oystercasetoprovidemaximum protectionagainsttheelements.Picturedhere: theRolexDatejustandLadyDatOjust,eachpressure¬ proofto330ft.;andtheSubmarinerDate,pressure-proof to1000feet.Availablein18kt.gold,stainlesssteel,ora combinationofsteelandgold,theseelegantRolex timepiecesareatestimonytotheenduringSwisstradition offinewatchmaking.

OnlyatyourOfficialRolexJeweler.

JDostie

toshare.$5donationatthedoor.Forinfor¬ mation,call799-9269.

Bowdoin College, Brunswick. On Sunday, March 7, at7:30p.m.thereisaconcert featuringMaria Bachmann, violin; and Jon Klibonoff,piano. Programincludesworksby Beethoven,Schubert,SebastianCurrier,and GeorgeRochberg.KresgeAuditorium,Visual ArtsCenter.Admissionis$10public,$8senior citizens,freewithBowdoinI.D.Ticketsavail¬ ableattheinformationdesk.MoultonUnion, from8:45a.m.to4:45p.m.,Mondaythrough Friday.

UniversityofMaine,Farmington.OnMarch4, duringaFacultyForumcalled“WildNights, WildNights!”PhilipCarlsendiscusses"Row¬ inginEden,"hiscompositionforthePortland Symphony Orchestra. 12:30 p.m., Seminar Room,OlsenStudentCenter.Free.Opentothe public.Formoreinformation,callGailLange, 778-7115.

BatesCollege.OlinArtsCenterConcertHall,

LISTINGS

Lewiston.Guestviolinist JanetPackerwill performon Friday,February26, accompan¬ iedbypianistDonBermanperformingclassi¬ calworks.OnSunday,March14,at3p.m., therewillbeaconcertfocussingonthepiano impromptus of Schubert and Chopin per¬ formedbyBatesartist-in-residenceFrank GlazerandhisprotegeDuncanCummings,a seniormusicmajoratBates,withcommentary byassociateprofessorofmusicJamesParakilas.Free.OnFriday,March19-21,at8p.m.;2. p.m.Sunday,theBatesCollegeOrchestra, underthedirectionofMarionR.Andersonof theBatesmusicfaculty,willperformapro¬ gramofworksbyVivaldi,Bach,Bizet,and Dvorak.Free.

BowdoinCollege,Brunswick,04011,presents theAnacapa String Quartet,residentstring quartet,theUniversityofCalifornia,Santa Barbara.ProgramsincludemusicbyHaydn, Mozart,GeorgeCrumb,andanewworkbythe winner of the Maine Composers Forum com¬ petition. February26 and February28. atthe KresgeAuditorium,VisualArtsCenter.729-1555.

GALLERIES

The Portland Museum of Art, 7 Congress Square,Portland,Maine. Ongoing: The Im¬ pressionistsandOtherMasters-,ArtistsYou Love;TheScottM.BlackCollection;Vin¬ cent'sJourney.775-6148.

Maine Maritime Museum, 243 Washington Street,Bath,04530Shipwreck!anexhibitof paintings,artifactsandphotographs,many newly donated to the MMM or on loan from otherinstitutions,usedtoexplorethecaseof vanishedships,daringrescuesatsea,booty andplunderfromsalvageandcurrentissuesof stewardshipandethicsthatflavormodern-day recoveryoperations.Theroleofunderwater archaeologyinsolvingmysteriesofmaritime historywillbeexploredthroughartifactsfrom theRevolutionaryWarprivateerDefence,and therewillbeasectionontheU.S.Lifesaving Service.Theexhibitwillalsohighlighttwoim¬ portantMaine“shipwrecks"—theclippership SnowSquallandthetwoWiscassetSchooners, theHesperandLutherLittle. Opening Feb¬ ruary3through1993.443-1316. Bay Club can offer you a healthy lifestyle to last a lifetime.

Marianneisoneofour receptionistshereatBay Club.Youcanusuallyfind Marianne behind the font deskwithawelcomingsmile ontheweekends.Duringthe weeksheisbusyfinishingup her degree at USM and makingtimefortheactivities sheloves. "Ireallyenjoyworking' atBayClub,itfivesmea chancetomeetalotofvery interestingpeople."

StopbytheBayClub andmeetthepeople thatmakethisaspecial placetoworkoutand discoverwhyBayClub wasselectedasthe "Best ofPortland."by Casco BayWeekly.

Specialoffer: TryBayClubfor 6weeksat$59.00 (Exp. 3/31/93)

Continuedfrom page 38 lionisaconservativelikelynumber.

And they’re not alone. The Chil¬ dren’sMuseumisinthefinalstagesof a$2.5millioncapitalcampaign.Great¬ erPortlandCARESwillsoonbegoing deep to the tune of over $2 million whenitpullsallstopstorestoreCity HallAuditorium.PortlandStageismid¬ waythrougha$500,000deficitwipe¬ outcampaign.Twostart-ups,Portland Trails and Maine Narrow Gauge Rail Road Museum, are just launching major fund-raising efforts. Gulf of Maine Aquarium looms on the horizon aswell,hopingsoontoenterthefundraisingfray.

Concerns are privately voiced by longtimeMHSinsidersaboutthesoci¬ ety’sfund-raisingabilities.Ithashistor¬ ically been poor of purse—the im¬ pecuniouscousinofthenation’shistor¬ icalsocieties.ExecutivedirectorEliz¬ abeth Miller denies rumors that the societywouldliquidateaportionofits collectioninordertohousetherest.

“Absolutelynotunderanycircum¬ stances,” says Miller, adding, “You wouldn’tbelievethethingsI’veheard intheeightyearsI’vebeenhere.”

MHSpresidentDavidC.Boyersays cautiously,“Wefeelthatwithourmem¬ bership,corporatesupport,andstature inthecommunity,raisingfundswill notbeaninsurmountableobstacle.”

M ▼ o one believes that the arts W alonearecapableofreviving W CongressStreet.Holtwijkand ■ Richert both stress that the X 1 street’seconomyshouldremain basedonitscurrentfourmainstays:an office-basedmarket,particularlyon the Monument Square end, specialty retailstores,residential-andneigh¬ borhood-basedretail,particularlyin theCascoStreettoLongfellowSquare subsection,andtheemergingattrac¬ tionofthearts.“Ittakesalotofpieces tomakeadowntowntick,”saysHolt¬ wijk.“Youneedstrengthinallfour categories.”Mostobserverstakeenor¬ mous encouragement from Maine Col¬ legeofArtandMaineHistoricalSoci¬ ety’srecentcommitments.JuneFitz¬ patrickhasbeenobservingCongress Streetfor28years.“Before,thefeeling was pretty down,” she muses. “Now thingsareturningaround—there’sa feelingofgreatpotential.Isn’tthenews justwonderful!”

ABeautifulBeginning

Longknownfordistinctivedesignsandhandcraftedexcellence,ArtCarvedweddingrings havebeencreatingmemorablebeginningsforover139years.

Now,Day’sJewelersoffersanextensivecollectionofArtCarvedweddingrings. Timelessclassics,exquisitelyhandcraftedwithabeautythatlastsalifetimeandwithdiesecurity ofknowingyourpurchaseisbackedbytheDay’spromiseofguaranteedsatisfaction.

ComeseeournewlyexpandedBridaljewelrydepartmentfeaturingournewlineofArtCarvedweddingrings

YOU’VE SEEN OUR SWEATERS AND KNIT¬ WEAR ON THE COVERS OF ELLE AND GLAMOUR AT BERGDORF GOODMAN, NEIMAN MARCUS, I. MAGNIN. YOU’VE SEEN OUR COMPANY FEATURED IN DOWN EAST ANDON MADE IN MAINE. NOW YOU CAN PURCHASE OUR QUALITY APPAREL HERE IN MAINE AT OUR COMPANY STORES IN BAR HARBOR. CAMDEN. HALLOWELL AND PORTLAND

BAR HARBOR 110 MAIN STREET (RE-OPEN APRIL) .

CAMDEN 11 ELM STREET / MONDAY - SATURDAY 10-5

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PORTLAND 2 PORTLAND SQ (463 FORE ST)/MON - SAT 10-5:30/THURS 71 9 EXTENDED HOLIDAY HOURS IN ALL STORES

Autwm. Shaw’s Plaza/U aterville • 106 Main Si/U'estbrook • 857 Main Si (Maine Turnpike, Exit 8. to Business Rte 25, Folbw to Downtown Westbrook.)

#185DairyFarmwith330acresofbeautifulfarmland.Over160 acresofnicewood.Fourlovelypondsonpremises.Houseinexcel¬ lentconditionandlocatedinShermanStation,Maine.$225,000.00

#418Newerloghomeon8acreswithspectacularpanoramicviews, locatedinShermanMills.Pineinterior,stonehearthinlivingroom, andcoveredporch.Immaculatecondition,largebam.$99,900.00.

PerrinRd.,P.O.Box420 Sherman Mills, Maine 04776 (207)365-4300 (207)463-2127

I860 COLONIAL

CHARM on 20+/acreswithamenities galore, 9roomhome inexcellentcondi¬ tion,4bedrooms,2 baths, pumpkin pineandoakfloor¬ ing,kitchenwithatlanticcookstove,fixingroomwithbrickfireplace. Enclosedporch,greenhouse+++2bedroomincomeapartment,with separateFLIAheat,30x35heatedworkshopwithfieldstonefireplace, 50x70bam,fruittrees,ingroundpooland1160+/-roadfrontage.A rarefind.$189,900.

SHIPMASTER'S RETREAT.Aturnof thecenturyclassic Mainelodgeoffer¬ ingexpansiveviews fromallsides.Sited onthepointofa2+/ -acreparcelwith 350'+/-frontage,themainhouseboastsatop-of-the-Iinegourmet kitchen,a55'longliving/diningnximwithsparklingstonefireplace, 2newbathrooms,5bedrooms,a20x24cedarlakesidedeckandaninLawapartmentfunctionalbutinneedofupdating.Thistrulyunique pieceofMaineLakefrontcanbeyoursfor$399,900.

Cape Elizabeth SUNDAYS 1-3 p.m.

New condominium homes. Phase II open. Several floor plans to choose from. 28x34 fullconcretefoundation.Each home offers the following amenities: 3 to 4 bedrooms, 2 fullbaths,FHWoilheat,fire¬ place option, fully appointed kitchenwithenergy-savingap¬ pliances. attached 1-car gar¬ age. Hurry, it’s too good to miss. Prices starling at $139,900. For further details about standard

please stop by or call GORDON HOLMES.

Here's an Executive Class three-bedroom, 2.5-bathhomein a great Wind¬ ham neighbor¬ hood. This house is ex¬ ceptionally cheery and bright, cozy yetopen,andin better than 1newconditionthroughout.Fullatticwithtongueandgroovewoodfloor.25’x14’pressure-treateddeck. Sitedforsolarorientation,tightlywrapped,andbuiltwithitsown“heatsink.”Itgetsenormousheatgain inthewintermonthsandhasanenviablylowfuelbill.Alsohasafirst-rateoil-firedforced-baseboard hot-water system. $179,900

Cumberland Windy Knolls—ComeandSeetheLast5of11 Fieldsandwooded5acrelotsinabeautifulareaoffields,farms,andsubstantial i homes near The Center and Yarmouth. The lots are well proportioned and jprovidewellspacedsites.Theminimumhousesizeis2,500SF.Youcankeep twohorses.Ifyouareplanningasignificantinvestmentinahome,thisisagreat ।placetomakeit.Buildingpackagesavailable.

Falmouth—Fox Run

SeveralMoreLotshaverecentlysoldinthisareaof33lots.The2,(XX)SFhomes builthereandvariedandattractive.Thelotshave2to5acresandinteresting ; terrain and woods. You can see for miles and miles over Falmouth and Cumberlandfromlot*3.Thelotsarepricedfrom$50,000to$55,000.

Fox Run Building Package. Abuilderofmanylovelyhomeswillbuilda3-plus bedroom. 2,100 SF modem, open, hip-roof Colonial-style home featuring hardwoodfloors,jacuzzi,andfireplaceonyourchoiceamong7lotsfor$239,000 ;(includes:home,lot,sitework,well,septic.)

SEIJERS:Ifyouwanttoseeyourpropertypromotedandsold,callme! SCOTT KERR, 781-4300 H: 829-5912

THORN'S HEAD

Beauty,privacyandserenitycharacterizethisenchantingproperty ontheshoreoftheKennebecRiverinBATH.Thepropertyincludes a3bedroomhomewithextensivedecks,ledgegardenand180 degreewaterviews,adockingfacility,and1.7AC/withover400’ of river frontage.$269,500. CallPaulClarkfordetails.

MORTONREALESTATE

298MAINESTREET

BRUNSWICK,MAINE04011

TEL:207-729-1863

Hi—

My name is Steve Hilton,ownerofSte¬ phenHiltonPainting. Ihavebeenapaint¬ ingcontractorinthe GreaterPortlandarea for18years.

You may have seen us working over the years at Woodford’s Congregational, St. Luke’s Cathedral, Rowe Ford, One City Center,thePatagoniaStoreinFreeport,oranyoneof hundredsofresidences.

Ourattentiontodetail,promptness,andreasonable pricesaresomeofthereasonswehavebeensuccessful forsolong.Soifyouneedafull-servicepainting contractorwhodoessheetrockandplasterwork...

Wharfcat,LongWharf,Portland,Maine.

Photo by Rhonda Farnham.

FerryVillage Landing

SouthPortland

$164,900-$174,900

GINN-MARVIN REAL

P.O.Box940,Portland,Maine04104

(207)761-2131 FAX (207)761-9208

DAVENPORT BY THE SEA

Old Orchard Beach

$79,900-$89,900

• 1400- 1800 sq. ft.

• 2/3 bedrooms

• 1 1/2 baths

• Easy commute to Portland

• Fireplace

FrontingdirectlyonPortlandHarboraffordingbreathtakingviewsofthe ocean and the Portland skyline. Unsurpassed quality of construction, design and finish work is highly evident throughout each of the two remaining 2 bedroom, 2 1/2 bath residences. 'Hie parking garage, servicedbyanelevatorandtwostairwells,providestwospacesperunit.

A few of the numerous amenities include Sie-matic European kitchen cabinets;fireplace;skylights;fullysprinklered;extremeenergyeffi¬ ciency; whirlpool tub.and aviewthatissecondtonone.

Parker Head Peninsula

Phippsburg

Startingat$150,()()()

Fivetotenacrehomesiteswithwaterfrontageatthemouthofthe

KennebecRivernearBath.'Hieselotsofferspectacular viewsofthe KennebecandtheAtlantic!Lessthananhour'sdrivefromPortland InternationalJetport.Establishedneighborhoodofqualityhomes.

KENNEBEC SHORES

Woolwich

$125,0(X)

5+ acre lots located on the Kennebec just across from Bath. CountrysettingoffofRte.127withover200ft.ofshorefrontage.

Easy walk to beach Low maintenance fee Skylights Garage Owner financing

Averyspeciallocation-20minutesfromPortlandandtheMaineMall - overlooking an enormous wildlife sanctuary - These attractively designed condominium units make a perfect vacation home or very affordableyearroundresidence.

RYAN FARMS Saco

AffordableHousingStartingat$84,900

Minutes from schools, downtown Saco and Exit 5, this neighborhood ofqualityaffordablehomesfeaturesundergroundutilities,publicwater and sewer, playground, ample open space and much more

TheVillageat

Boothbay Harbor Startingat$129,900

Whetheryoumeasurebycostpersquarefoot,qualityofconstructionor qualityofviews-theseluxuriouscondominiumhomeswillexceedyour expectations.Eachoftheeightremaining1800-2100sq.ft.unitsfeature oilfiredhotwaterbaseboardheat,energyefficientglass,superinsula¬ tion,attachedgarageandmore!Oneofthebestvaluesonthemarketand locatedinoneofthepremierboatingareasontheeastcoast.

AllWeNeed

NewFictionByLindaMooreSpencer

LL 1 11 we need to begin A againisourlives.”

/■ I’m standing in a book¬ ie store,betweenlives.It’s X JL thesortofbookstorefor people who read. I’m leaf¬ ing through TheVolcanoLover,ARo¬ mance, a hardcover, and these words pop off the page, sound down the narrow aisle in a voice thatsoundsforalltheworldlike Grace,mymother.1lookaroundto seewho’sheard,butthetwoyoung men, the one grey woman, go on browsing,reading,fighting,orcon¬ versing with the mothers in their heads.

‘‘All we need to begin again is ourlives.”

Islamthebookshut.Iwouldn’t take it as a gift. I move to the children’ssection.Ialwaysendup there.Twosix-year-oldboysmater¬ ializefromunderneathachair,and the smaller of the two, singlehanded, hefts the swivel rack of picture books and makes it six or sevenstepsbeforeitcrashes.“In fifteen years, it won’t make any difference,’Isaytohim(Grace’s voice again) and step across the slippery books. His mother takes

thetimetoscowlatmebeforeshe goes for him. And he turns on the taperecorderinhisheadtogetthe wordsexacttoplaybackfiftyyears from now in some bookstore that hasn’tbeendesignedyet.

An owner type and his assistant move to right the rack and gather up the books and set the coffin nails.Athirdclerkremainsatthe computer, punching in the twelve¬ wordtitlesforawomaninaleather cape.She’sreadingfromaprinted list, and all the books she wants have something to do with peace and rage and rebirth and refor¬ estation.(Trytellingherallshe needstobeginagainisherlife.Try tellinghershecouldflywithoutthe cape.Trytellingherittakestwo weekstogetthebooksshewants.)

I’m in the fiction section now, where I belong. The man beside me makesanoisethatwouldbeinter¬ estingifitwerenotintentional.

I can never think of anything 1 want to look for when I’m in the place that has it. Today the only thing 1 can remember to consider is a catalytic converter, maybe a newradiator.I’llknowbetterinan hour. Car repairs were why, as I remember, marriage held so much appealinthefirstplace.

Paperbacks by authors 1 have never heard of are $11.95. How much do bookstore clerks get paid?Mylastjob,Imade$8,000a year, and paperbacks sold for $1.50, $1.95 for bestsellers. All thingsbeingequal,theyounggirl atthedeskisdownfor$80,000.

1pickupStaying OnAlonebyAlice B.Toklas.What’sitdoinginfiction.

There’s a nice loud crashing glass and metal sound out on the street.We,allofus,movetothe frontwindowslikesomanywilling secondgradersinafiredrill.Ilike it when people do things all to¬ getherasagroup.I’mfeelinglikeI am the only person in the world who’sfallen(orbeenpushed)into acreviceinherliferightnow.

It’s plate glass, large jagged pieces on the sidewalk and the

TheAllagashisourbreakthroughinthesearchforacozy, compacthideawaythatoffersspaciousliving.Insidethiscomplete MainePineLogHomePackageisakitchen,bathroom,living room,downstairsbedroomandawonderfulloftwithawindow. Howdidwedoit?Getintouchwithusandwe’llshowyou.Many othermodels,too.

by Hammond Lumber Company

■ FICTION"

bench and on the street. The splintering would have been worthseeing,buthardlyanyone insidethestoreseemsinterest¬ ed.Theyliketoseethingswritten down.

turn around and there’s a new Richard Jury. 1 love thosebooks;they’reallthe same.1’11buyit.Igotolook forsomethingelse.Aslong asI’mopeningmywallet,Imight aswellemptyit.

A woman’s coming by at one o’clocktodaytogivemeanask¬ ingpriceforthehouse.Idon’t wantanaskingprice.1don’twant muchofwhat1ambeingoffered thesedays.

1pickupabookoftear-out postcards with photographs of runningwater,cascades,streams, waterfalls,kitchentaps.I’llbuy that,too.IthinkI’mcomingup onthepartofmylifewhereI’llbe sendingalotofpostcards,and signingupforthings,andbaking. Well,maybenotbaking.

IputtheRichardJuryandthe waterfallsdownonthecounter. Thewomanwiththeleathercape is probably three bookstores awaybynow;themotherandher son,therearranger,aresome¬ whereeatingsomething,ifIdon't miss my guess. The young man who makes noises has moved intothetravelsection.

Theclerkfollowsmygaze.

“He’s there every day,” she says.“Thatcomesto$13.50."

“1didn’tknowthatyouwere openeveryday,"Isay.

/ / h, yes.” She smiles III 1 and hands me my I I change. I stuff the ■ ■ small bag in my XZ purse. “We’re open everyday.”

“Butnotonholidays,”Isay. “Not on Christmas, or Thanks¬ giving.”

Butshe’sturnedawaytoface thesmall,blue-lightedscreen. She’stellingthecomputersome¬ thingwithherfingers. I

'Oneofthethings I'velearnedafter ten years and twenty-two fine Iartreproductions isthatitisnot fpossibleto achieve an excellent reproduction withoutthefinest <high-qualitycolor F • ■ 'separationsthat Champlain Color hasConsistently provided us.1

Edward

on Champlain Color

Empty Rooms, olkyd on panel, 1984, 34*x 24

Stillness, oltyd on panel, 1989, 27’x 31

Dream Dancing, olkyd on panel, 1990, 31 'x 33"

All artwork 1991, Edward Gordon, P.O. Box 337, Walpole, NH 03608

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