FaLL 2017 Vol. 89 No. 1 M a g a z i n e Hidden iN iceland At tHe coNflueNce of tHe polAr oceAN gyres, tHe eArtH spills its secrets contents fall BowdoinM a g a z i n e Bowdoin Seen Volume 89, Number 1 features Fall 2017 Magazine Staff Editor 10 Audubon’s Bowdoin Connection Matthew J. O’Donnell By Peter B. LogAn ’75 Of the many rare books housed in the George J. Mitchell Director of Editorial Services Scott C. Schaiberger ’95 Department of Special Collections & Archives on the third floor of the Hawthorne-Longfellow Library, one stands alone as an Executive Editor outsized treasure. Alison M. Bennie Design Charles Pollock 16 “Moneyball” for Movies Badgerhound Design By Deepak Singh • PhotographS By Webb Chappell How does Legendary Entertainment decide what movies to Contributors James Caton make, how to market them, and when to release them? The Douglas Cook secret is with data analyst Matt Marolda ’96 and his team of 10 John R. Cross ’76 researchers, who have “gone Hollywood” with number crunching. Leanne Dech Rebecca Goldfine Scott W. Hood 20 Solving an earth-Sized Puzzle Micki Manheimer By Abby MCBriDe • IlluStrAtionS AnD PhotoS By Abby MCBriDe Megan Morouse Additional PhotoS By Wilder niCholson ’16 16 Tom Porter Hidden in the epic Icelandic landscape is an equally epic story Melissa Wells just waiting to be unearthed, and twenty Bowdoin students Photographs by: can’t wait to get to the bottom of it. Bob Handelman, Fred Field, Tristan Spinski, Michele Stapleton, and the Bowdoin College 26 the Value of Being uncomfortable Archives. By MAriAh Rawding ’18 • PhotographS By triStAn SPinSki On the cover: Sun Voyager (Sólfar) by the Senior Mariah Rawding sat down with Dean for Academic late Icelandic sculptor Jón Gunnar Árnason, who intended the sculpture, as it floats on the Affairs Elizabeth McCormack for a conversation that ranged 20 outskirts of Reykjavík, to convey the promise of from community, LIGO, and the importance of the liberal arts, exploration, hopes and dreams, progress, and to the surprise of cherry pie. freedom. Photo by Wilder Nicholson ’16. BOWDOIN MAGAZINE (ISSN, 0895-2604) 32 Bowdoin Alumni gift guide is published three times a year by Bowdoin College, 4104 College Station, Brunswick, CompiLeD By LiSA WeSeL Maine, 04011. Printed by J.S. McCarthy, Is your holiday shopping list longer than your idea list? Here Augusta, Maine. Sent free of charge to all are some creative, useful, inspired gifts brought to you by 26 Bowdoin alumni, parents of current and recent Bowdoin entrepreneurs. undergraduates, members of the senior class, faculty and staff, and members of the Association of Bowdoin Friends. Lily Bailey ’18 and emma greenberg ’18 contemplate the universe on the Opinions expressed in this magazine are those dock at Kent island in the Bay of fundy. they spent nine weeks there last of the authors. summer conducting field research—onl each’s storm petrels and tree growth Departments Please send address changes, ideas, or letters and soil regeneration on the island, respectively—under the guidance of patricia to the editor to the address above or by email to Jones, the recently appointed director of the Kent island scientifics tation. 2 Mailbox 61 Weddings [email protected]. Send class news 3 Almanac 64 Deaths 32 to [email protected] or to the address 40 Class News 65 Whispering Pines above. Advertising inquiries? Email maga- [email protected]. Photo by Fred Field BoWDOIN | fAll 2017 [email protected] 1 Bowdoin Bowdoin Mailbox Bowdoin Floating Lantern “The Roux Center, A Lantern for Leadership,” describes the of Bowdoin Magazine that “The BCMA’s Mellon fellowship Almanac outstanding addition to Bowdoin’s architectural inventory. had its origins in the early 1990s, when it began as a grant- While many schools still cling to bricks and ivy, Bowdoin, funded, one-year, post-baccalaureate internship.” That is, in A Digest of cAMpus, AluMNi, AND geNerAl college MiscellANy since President Coles, has embraced the times with great fact, precisely the arrangement under which I, and many who élan. The environment is a timely field of both hysteria preceded and followed me, served as curatorial interns at the and serious inquiry and a multidisciplinary approach is BCMA well before that time. promising. Missing in the presentation, however, was a James E. Nicholson ’73 Whittier field complex gets Historic Makeover description of the siting, the building’s own environment. For The first phase of renovations to Whittier Field and Magee- olive green” on window sashes, windows, and door frames, and most buildings, the spaces around them are often the greatest Samuelson Track were completed in time for the football team’s “pale orange yellow (light beige)” on the wood panels. opportunity to enrich, or not, the environment. As described, CORReCTiOnS: home opener on September 23. Plans for a second $3.5-million phase for the project call for the Roux Center appears to float in the Pines. In fact, I think, • The Roux Center feature in our last edition failed to point The initial $4.5-million stage has included replacing the grass the construction of a one-story building to house locker, training, it adjoins the Moulton and Smith Unions at the edge of the out David and Barbara Roux’s substantial connection to field with artificial turf, and adding lights, seating, a press box, and equipment rooms and public restrooms. The support build- campus but that context is missing. and an expanded eight-lane track, a requirement for hosting ing will enable the football and men’s lacrosse teams to practice the College. They are the parents of Margot ’14; David is championship meets. The renovation also included a restoration at Whittier Field, relieving stress on Farley Field House and John Campbell ’52 a trustee; and his father, Donald, and brother, James, were of the original footprint of Hubbard Grandstand by removing Pickard fields and making these facilities more available during members of the Class of ’55 and ’81, respectively. Ed: While the article noted that the Roux Center will “trans- bleachers that were added over the years. the fall and spring seasons. It will also free up locker-room space form the corner of College Street and Harpswell Road,” • In the Weddings section of our last issue we incorrectly Over the summer, the athletic complex—consisting of the at Watson Arena and Pickard Field House during season overlaps field, the grandstand, and the Class of 1903 Memorial Gate— for more than half of Bowdoin’s student-athletes. additional site information may have been useful. For more listed the class year for Becky Wei Piper ’07. We apologize was listed on the National Register of Historic Places. As part The total cost of the project will be funded entirely through for the error. details, visit bowdo.in/roux-center. of the process, the College hired Sutherland Conservation & private donations. “We are grateful for the support of alumni, • In the Tech Trek feature of our last issue, we incorrectly Consulting to provide paint forensics and determine the origi- parents, and friends of the College for the first phase of the an austin Mistake listed Philip Schiller P’17’s business title. He is the senior nal colors of the ironwork, columns, windows, and trim and to project,” said Ashmead White Director of Athletics Tim Ryan. An interesting story on “Data Infusion” and, in particular, vice president of worldwide marketing at Apple. match those colors for the repainting. Sutherland’s detective work “Without their generosity, the renovation of Whittier Field, the discussion about digital humanities. However, as one concluded that the original 1904 finish scheme consisted of “dark Magee-Samuelson Track, and the Hubbard Grandstand would educated in the “regular” humanities, I was frustrated to olive green” railings, roof trusses, and columns, “light grayish not have been possible.” see that no one had caught the incorrect reference to “Jane (Clockwise from top left) Austin.” As my father taught me (in England), Austin is a car Phase one of the renovated company, Austen is the author. Send Us Mail! Whittier Field complex. A 1904 photo of Christine Holden Hubbard Grandstand at congratulations to John Campbell ’52, its dedication. Deborah Foote ’83, James nicholson ’73, A magnified cross-section Fellowship Timeline William Page ’60, and Michael Wood ’64 of the paint layers on who answered our call for feedback in our the grandstand columns. In the catalog for the exhibit, Images of New World Natives The report concluded [1974], I concluded the introduction with the following: “I last issue and will each receive a l.l. Bean that “the columns were would like to thank the Mellon Foundation for its humani- for Bowdoin Boat & tote! Due to space con- repainted various shades of green four times after ties grant to Bowdoin, which enabled me to study as a straints, not all of their letters appear here, the original dark olive Curatorial Intern at the Bowdoin College Museum of Art for but you can read more online at bowdoin. green. The columns were then repainted gray three the 1973–74 academic year and organize this show.” It was edu/magazine. times and since then they therefore a surprise to read in the Spring/Summer 2017 issue have been repainted white three times.” Olympic Gold Medalist and Magee-Samuelson Track namesake Joan Benoit Samuelson ’79 joined student, alumni, faculty, staff, and local community runners for a ceremonial first lap on the new track on September 27, organized by Bowdoin facebook.com/bowdoin @bowdoincollege bowdoincollege bowdoindailysun.com volunteer assistant track coach Jerry LeVasseur, himself a national age- Photos by Fred Field group champion runner.