Here are a few items from the Muskie Archives and Special Collections Library and elsewhere on campus — and beyond.

Ode to a Hot Dog

In 1938, while on a “splurge” with Wilson House friends at Jimmy’s Diner in downtown Auburn, the late Muriel Swicker ’42 penned this ode on a napkin about the delights of a 30-cent hotdog.

Swicker, who passed away in 2008, placed the napkin in her freshman-year scrapbook, where we found it recently after the scrapbook was donated to �ֲ���ý.

“Ode to a Hotdog,” from a freshman-year scrapbook of Muriel Swicker ’42.

Ode to a Hotdog

Oh Jimmy Jimmy Jimmy
Oh, luscious cytoplasm
We sink our teeth
in thy cell walls

Ever on thee spread
Shovelfuls of goooo
Oh crispy greasy cloak
Draped upon thy sides.
Yum — My God!

Below, listen to one of Muriel’s �ֲ���ý chums, the late Virginia Day Hayden ’42, recite the poem (from memory!) in 2012 at Reunion:

A postcard view of Jimmy’s Diner at 150 Minot Ave. in Auburn, probably from the early 1960s. The location most recently has been home to a trading post.

Skull Session

This sketch of a cat skull by Cecelia Christensen, Class of 1919, is displayed in the lobby of Carnegie Science Hall.

Past and present, “students grapple with the spatial component of knowledge,” says Don Dearborn, chair of the biology department. “Transforming something you see, or know to exist, into another form, whether a drawing or a computer image, is a powerful tool for learning.”

Riders Up

In the 1930s, riding was among the many offerings of the Women’s Athletic Association. The �ֲ���ý women’s athletics motto — “a sport for every girl and every girl in a sport” — reflected the national reaction to the era’s professionalized and exclusive sports culture.

The older gentleman at left likely worked for the stable that provided the horses for this �ֲ���ý excursion. (Photo courtesy of the Muskie Archives and Special Collections Library)

Pete’s Prize

Meredith “Pete” Burrill, Class of 1925, won the Garcelon Cup for hurdles in 1922. Then Burrill took another leap forward, becoming a .

Muskie Archives and Special Collections Library

The print version of the spring issue of �ֲ���ý Magazine has been out for a couple weeks now, and here’s a digital version in case your pet bobcat ate yours. Bad cat!

Back issues of �ֲ���ý Magazine are available, too.

Of his life work, Maine photographer George W. French, Class of 1908, once said, “I hope to leave a sort of monument to…preserving in pictures the dignity and charm of everyday folks and their ways of life.”

Besides chronicling everyday Maine life, French was also marketing it.

As the official photographer for the Maine Development Commission, then responsible for promoting Maine’s economic and recreational potential, French was among the first to visually interpret the Maine slogan “Vacationland.”

Here’s a selection of images that begins to describe the monument left by George French.

From much later in French's career, 1955, an unidentified couple strikes a pose on an Ogunquit, Maine, beach. (George French / Collections of the Maine Historical Society, )

An undated photo of three men sorting lobsters. (George French photo / Maine State Archives)

An undated photo of two men standing next to a horse and buggy in Farmington inspecting what might be a basket of potatoes. (George French photo / Maine State Archives)

From 1945, a haying operation in Houlton. (George French photo / Maine State Archives)

From 1944, a lumber mill in Hiram. (George French photo / Maine State Archives)

A version of this photo story appeared in the Summer 1996 issue of �ֲ���ý Magazine. Except where noted, these images are from the George French Collection of the .

This month’s items:

$11.5 million Catalyst Fund will support ‘transformational change’ at �ֲ���ý College

A gift of $11.5 million from current and past members of the �ֲ���ý College Board of Trustees will empower the college to strengthen core academic programs and “position �ֲ���ý to embrace transformational change,” says �ֲ���ý President Clayton Spencer.

�ֲ���ý a Fulbright ‘top producer’ again. What’s the secret of our success?

“When you have talented teacher-scholars mentoring very bright, internationally oriented students, you get great results in the fellowship arena,” says Matt Auer, dean of the faculty and vice president for acacemic affairs.

‘What Does the Bobcat Say’ parody video ‘might be the best one’ out there

You can do a parody of a viral video, “but you damn well better do a fantastic job,” says one social media expert. So, did �ֲ���ý succeed?

�ֲ���ý debate soars into top five in U.S.

“�ֲ���ý debate is this wonderful balance between being really open and friendly — a community of friends — while having a competitive edge,” says Taylor Blackburn ’15 of Atherton, Calif., the 10th-ranked varsity speaker in the country.

Dean of Students Tedd Goundie to step down at end of 2013–14 academic year

Goundie, with a decade of service at �ֲ���ý, has been praised by President Clayton Spencer for “impeccable integrity in all that he undertakes.”

Slide Show: This Month at �ֲ���ý College

A selection of images from the month of October at �ֲ���ý.

Students take charge as inaugural CBB Patrick Dempsey Challenge goes to �ֲ���ý

Led by Hillary Throckmorton ’15 of Bangor, Maine, �ֲ���ý wins a CBB Challenge during the two-day Dempsey Challenge cancer fundraiser in Lewiston.

Video: Katahdin is the goal, camaraderie the result

Every pre-orientation outdoor trip has those defining moments when, for six first-year students who’ve never met one another, “it clicks, and everyone feels comfortable.”

�ֲ���ý in the News

The Harvard media note President Clayton Spencer’s return to Cambridge for the anniversary of a Harvard summer academy she helped start. Public radio’s Marketplace heads Down East to visit Raye’s Mustard, the 110-year-old family business of Kevin Ray ’83. Rosamond Toomey ’33 gets attention from the Hartford Courant for turning 103. And the Sarasota Herald-Tribune looks at tennis player Tim Berg ’14, a cancer survivor back home in Florida competing in a tournament fundraiser hosted by Dick Vitale.

Members of the Class of 2017 arrived for their outdoor AESOP trips on Monday, Aug. 26, and began classes on Wednesday, Sept. 4. In between, they…well, take a look for yourself! — Jay Burns, �ֲ���ý Magazine editor

1. Monday, Aug. 26, 9:04 a.m.

AESOP trip leaders do triple duty. (1) They lead trips. (2) They help students move their stuff into residences. (3) And for frazzled families arriving from far and near, AESOPers offer a chill, friendly greeting. Here, Gunnar Manchester ’15 of Rehoboth, Mass., and Emile Kaldany ’16 of Washington, D.C., help out. (Phyllis Graber Jensen/�ֲ���ý College)

2. Monday, Aug. 26, 9:40 a.m.

Charlotte Koudijs Taverna ’86 helps her son, Willem ’17, move into Rand Hall. Thirty-five students in the Class of 2017 have a parent who is a �ֲ���ý alumnus or alumna. The youngest alumni parents are George Stewart ’87 of Concord, Mass., and Erik ’87 and Susanne Morrison Jarnryd ’87 of Concord, Mass., while the 2017 cohort’s senior member is Dirk Visser ’74 of Wezembeek-Oppem, Belgium. We think the socks in the crate below, meanwhile, come from TJ Maxx. (Phyllis Graber Jensen/�ֲ���ý College)

3. Monday, Aug. 26, 9:56 a.m.

Parents spend years getting our children to make their own bed. Then the first thing we do when arriving at �ֲ���ý? Help our children make their beds. Here, Akira Townes ’17 of Timonium, Md., and her mother, Ardinia, make her bed in Parker Hall. (Phyllis Graber Jensen/�ֲ���ý College.)

4. Monday, Aug. 26, 4:07 p.m.

Yep, this is the �ֲ���ý face that first-year students saw as they were “ambushed” at the Keigwin Amphitheater by student leaders of this year’s outdoor trips. The face belongs to Sean Enos ’14 of Lynnfield, Mass., and he and his fellow leaders are about to lob water balloons at unsuspecting first-years. (Mike Bradley/�ֲ���ý College)

5. Monday, Aug. 26, 4:10 p.m.

The watery ambush sets the tone — expect unexpected fun — as AESOP coordinators, backed by their costumed comrades, explain what’s next to the assembled first-years. (Mike Bradley/�ֲ���ý College)

6. Tuesday, Aug. 27, 2:17 p.m.

Before the first tackle is made, ball booted or mile run, first-year and upperclass athletes do fitness testing. Here, football linebacker Sam Freeman ’16 of Newton, Mass., does the heavy lifting as head coach Mark Harriman watches and talks with defensive lineman Nate Friesth ’17 of Munford, Tenn. (Marc Glass/�ֲ���ý College)

7. Tuesday, Aug. 27, 6:53 p.m.

No matter where the Class of 2017 went on this year’s 48 outdoor trips around Maine and New Hampshire, they all saw the same great sunset on their first night together. Trip leader Sam Myers ’16 of Riverton, Wyo., watches the sunset at a campground just northeast of Maine’s Mount Desert Island. (Phyllis Graber Jensen/�ֲ���ý College)

8. Wednesday, Aug. 28, 10:29 a.m.

People say college is a place where it’s safe to make mistakes. Sometimes that’s true. But here trip co-leader Bobby Lankin ’15 of West Hartford, Conn., has no room for error as he watches thunderstorms approach his troupe, one of two “Baxter Bushwackers” trips, on the Hamlin Ridge trail in Baxter State Park. A few minutes later, Lankin and co-leader Sophie Pellegrini of Potomac, Md., decide to turn back to avoid getting caught above the tree line during the storm. (Mike Bradley/�ֲ���ý College)

9. Wednesday, Aug. 28, 2:51 p.m.

Two first-years contemplate doorknob installation on their trip to work on a Habitat for Humanity project in Lamoine for a young family of four, including a daughter with a severe neurological disorder. “You’re bonding over this great project that is helping to build new lives for people, not only new houses. I think it’s just kind of perfect,” says trip leader Abby Knudsen ’16 of New York City. Pictured are Gynweth Williams ’17 of Newbury, Vt., and Misha Copeland ’17 of Spicewood, Texas. (Phyllis Graber Jensen/�ֲ���ý College)

10. Wednesday, Aug. 28, 12:06 p.m.

Charlie don’t surf. But Joe Lawton ’17 of New York City does — now — and here he rides his very first wave, cheered by trip leader Peter Cowan ’14 of Bethel, Maine. (Marc Glass/�ֲ���ý College)

11. Wednesday, Aug. 28, 1:54 p.m.

The fog rolls in off the 59-degree ocean at Popham Beach as three students, with surfing clearly on their minds, head out. Pictured are Sadie James ’17 of Avon, Maine; Maddy Ekey ’17 of Bozeman, Mont.; and Sarah Holmes ’17 of Cumberland Center, Maine. (Marc Glass/�ֲ���ý College)

12. Thursday, Aug. 29, 2:42 p.m.

The aforementioned Baxter Bushwackers break into the clear a day after their close call with a thunderstorm, reaching the summit of Mount Katahdin. Grace Huang ’17 of Flagstaff, Ariz., is at left; Bobby Lankin at right. (Mike Bradley/�ֲ���ý College)

13. Friday, Aug. 30, 2:16 p.m.

Back on campus, the Baxter Bushwackers exchange phone numbers. For reasons of safety and security, each dorm room still has a telephone. But if you call a dorm phone and leave a voice message for a student, don’t expect a return call. The light might blink for months. Just sayin’. (Mike Bradley/�ֲ���ý College)

14. Saturday, Aug. 31, 4:35 p.m.

At the final gathering before parents depart campus, Sarah Harrison tears up as she looks at her son, Raymond ’17. She, her husband, Bill, and Raymond were listening to President Spencer describe leaving her own children at college. This is what Sarah says she was thinking: “He’s our only child, and I think President Spencer captured exactly how I was feeling as a parent. I’m so proud. I want this for him so much. It’s what we’ve been working for, hoping for, dreaming for his whole life. But it’s really hard to let him go.” (Phyllis Graber Jensen/�ֲ���ý College)

15. Sunday, Sept. 1, 7:43 p.m.

In the spring, getting seniors to go wild for their Senior Week photo can be a frustrating task. But first-years still aim to please. Here, the 502 members of the Class of 2017 (don’t worry, we counted them all) show their zeal for a class photo in the Gomes Chapel. Above the students are seven banners representing major religions plus an eighth showing the planet Earth, symbolizing the world’s humanity. (Phyllis Graber Jensen/�ֲ���ý College)

16. Tuesday, Sept. 3, 4 p.m.

Heading to Convocation, Associate Professor of English Sanford Freedman has his gown over his shoulder and hood in hand, symbols of his engagement with the life of the mind. He stops to talk with landscape architect Bill Bergevin, himself outfitted in garb reflecting his own engagement with the life of campus flora. (Phyllis Graber Jensen/�ֲ���ý College)

17. Tuesday, Sept. 3, 4:53 p.m.

The hand that’s taking notes about President Spencer’s Convocation address is not a reporter’s but a first-year’s. The note-taking student calls out Spencer’s suggestion to “live your life from the inside out,” meaning get to know yourself. And “get your hand dirty” — try different things and don’t assume life is a straight line. (Phyllis Graber Jensen/�ֲ���ý College)

18. Tuesday, Sept. 3, 5:46 p.m.

Convocation asks the community to look ahead together. Afterward, at a memorial service, the community takes a look back together. As members of the football team watch, head coach Mark Harriman pours water from Lake Andrews on a newly planted tree honoring �ֲ���ý people who died in the previous year. The list includes Troy Pappas ’16, a freshman on Harriman’s team last year, who died on Oct. 5, 2012, from injuries suffered in a fall down a stairwell in Parker Hall. (Mike Bradley/�ֲ���ý College)

19. Tuesday, Sept. 3, 9:12 p.m.

Men’s soccer was the first Bobcat team to hit the field this fall, and here Jonathan Lin ’15 (left) of Natick, Mass., and Ethan Kass ’14 of New York City celebrate Lin’s goal during the team’s 2-0 victory over Maine Maritime. (Mike Bradley/�ֲ���ý College)

20. Wednesday, Sept. 4, 2:51 p.m.

Suddenly it was time to hit the library, where the computer workstations on the main floor have been dramatically rearranged to reflect what these students do with ease: carry on multiple conversations, work alone or in groups and get the work done. (Phyllis Graber Jensen/�ֲ���ý College)

21. Friday, Sept. 6, 9:40 p.m.

They used to light bonfires on Mount David to celebrate this and that. Fireworks over campus (silhouetting Hathorn’s bell tower) do the trick, too, in this case celebrating the opening of the new academic year. This photo was taken by Associate Professor of Mathematics Shepley “Chip” Ross.

This month’s items:

�ֲ���ý welcomes the Class of 2017

The Class of 2017 gets its official welcome on Sept. 3 at Convocation, the ceremonial opening the new college year. Check out a few stats and facts about the new class.

Student summer research and work, from the Arctic to Chile (and at �ֲ���ý, too)

Here’s a set of Q-and-A stories with �ֲ���ý students whose summer endeavors took them around the world. They share the lessons they learned along the way, including the big difference between �ֲ���ý and the real world: meetings.

Dining Services earns third star for ‘green’ dining, joining just five other schools in category

How far is the journey from here to a star? For �ֲ���ý Dining Services and its quest for a third star for sustainable best practices, the answer to Irving Berlin’s musical question is 65 steps.

�ֲ���ý athletics debuts redesigned website, new content management system

A redesigned website for �ֲ���ý athletics promises better and quicker delivery of what sports fans want: scores and schedules, statistics and roster information, and game stories and video.

Tributes to retiring faculty of 2013: Baker, Hayward, Kuritz, Shulman, Thomas

Ever wonder what professors say about each other behind closed doors? Nice things, it turns out. We’ve posted a set of remarks by �ֲ���ý professors, delivered at the final faculty meeting of the year in May, in tribute to colleagues who retired.

Racing to protect water supply, Auburn Water District is buoyed by �ֲ���ý collaboration

Lake Auburn, Lewiston-Auburn’s water supply, delivered a shock last September when more than 200 trout turned up dead in its waters. The incident prompted a new �ֲ���ý-community collaboration to monitor lake conditions.

Soderberg ’00 and López-Carr ’93 selected to elite NAS symposium for best and brightest young scientists

When the National Academy of Sciences scoured the land for 35 of the best and brightest young minds, not one �ֲ���ý graduate made the cut — not one, that is, but two alumni.

Crystal Ann Williams named associate vice president and chief diversity officer

Williams brings extensive experience and passion to “the task of reclaiming and refashioning for the present [our] commitment to inclusion,” says President Clayton Spencer.

Video: Archaeologist Bruce Bourque tells a story about the prehistoric Red Paint People

Complementing a feature in the Summer issue of �ֲ���ý Magazine, this short video features Bourque talking about the Red Paint People, an ancient culture that lived along the Maine coast, then suddenly disappeared.

�ֲ���ý in the News

President Clayton Spencer comments on the Obama plan to tie federal financial aid to a scorecard of college cost and value. Gabe Clark ’02 tells the Bangor Daily News that Maine is poised to market its grass-fed beef to a wider audience. And ESPNW features former Nordic skier Kaitlyn McElroy ’07, who switched to kayaking after a debilitating training accident.

Please join in the �ֲ���ý Fund

The newly minted graduates of the Class of 2013 are in, with 92 percent class participation. Also in is the venerable Doris Whipple ’34, age 99 and going strong as the pianist for the singing of the Alma Mater at Reunion. President Clayton Spencer is in. If you haven’t given yet this year, please consider joining the �ֲ���ý Fund by midnight Sunday, June 30. If you have given, �ֲ���ý thanks you!

Reunion 2013 coverage: words, photos, video

Stories, photographs and video from Reunion 2013.

Audio Slide Show: ‘Mentoring and Learning’

Kim Sullivan ’13 discusses her commitment to Lewiston, to the downtown Tree Street Youth Center she co-founded and to helping Lewiston’s youth aspire to college.

End-of-season kudos, laurels and bon mots for �ֲ���ý athletics

In the last athletics event of 2012-13, �ֲ���ý women take second place at the NCAA Rowing Championships. Known to generations of Bobcats, coach Bob Flynn wins a distinctive award reserved for assistant coaches who “exhibit the integrity and dedication to the game of college baseball.” And the men’s cross country and track programs finish the year ranked fourth in the nation.

Audio Slide Show: ‘Committed and Dashing’

Mikey Arsnow ’14, a member of the Deansmen, explains the dynamic within �ֲ���ý’ oldest all-male a cappella group.

Hathorn Hall’s columns get stripped down and freshened up

Got some house painting to do this summer? So does �ֲ���ý. And where better to begin than at the beginning, with the college’s oldest building, Hathorn Hall (1857), and the 60 layers of paint on Hathorn’s signature columns.

Revealed: Who coined the distinctive �ֲ���ý cheer ‘Great day to be a Bobcat’?

Part cheer, part exultation, “Great day to be a Bobcat!” is heard loud and clear when the going is good (or great) for the garnet faithful. But who coined the phrase?

�ֲ���ý in the News

The Maine media recall the late Philip Isaacson ’47, a revered champion of the arts, leading Lewiston citizen and mentor to lawyers and artists alike who died June 20. Caroline Baumann ’87 gains wide notice with her appointment as director of the Smithsonian’s Cooper-Hewitt. And the Los Angeles Times profiles Allison Mann ’08, head researcher who upholds Mad Men‘s reputation for authenticity.

In this issue:

Check out the Commencement livestream on Sunday morning

The livestream of Commencement begins at 9:30 a.m. Sunday, and the ceremony itself starts at 10. We’ve also added a Commencement Week tumblr. Also check out the honorary degree recipients.

Ten (count ’em!) Fulbright grant recipients emerge from Class of 2013

Known as a top producer of students receiving prestigious Fulbright U.S. Student Grants, �ֲ���ý this month will graduate 10 such students, a record number for the college.

Matthew Auer, Indiana University honors dean, named vice president for academic affairs and dean of the faculty

A leading scholar and globally engaged expert in the arenas of environmental policy, energy policy, sustainable development and foreign aid, Matthew Auer comes to �ֲ���ý from Indiana University, where he is dean of the Hutton Honors College and professor of public and environmental affairs. He becomes vice president for academic affairs and dean of the faculty at �ֲ���ý on July 1.

599 ways �ֲ���ý alumni made May 15 a Great Day to Be a Bobcat

The question was this: Would 555 alumni donors respond to the call to make their annual �ֲ���ý Fund gifts on May 15? Well, it was never really a question. Zooming past the goal, 599 alumni made gifts. The influx pushed overall alumni participation up 3 points in one day, to 37 percent. The end-of-year goal is 55 percent by June 30.

Video: Pringle ’98 and Gottwald ’98 fuse hip hop and modern dance in a Shakespeare adaptation

This Short Term, choreographer and dancer Erin Gottwald ’98 joined rapper, writer, actor and director Postell Pringle ’98 in creating a multidisciplinary adaptation of Shakespeare’s “Twelfth Night” that �ֲ���ý students performed for Lewiston-Auburn schoolchildren.

Trustee Chair Emeritus E. Robert Kinney ’39 dies at 96

E. Robert Kinney ’39, LL.D. ’85, who entered the food industry by canning crabmeat in his Maine home en route to becoming CEO of General Mills, died May 2. A �ֲ���ý trustee for 27 years, including 17 as chair, he was considered a creative entrepreneur and model corporate leader who, when appointed CEO of General Mills in 1973, was praised for his “good, gutsy Maine business sense” by his predecessor.

Senior thesis Q-and-A: The 1950s debate over Androscoggin River pollution

“Senior thesis sits in my mind as a project that will never actually be mine to take on,” admits first-year Hannah Albertine. But then she met senior Taryn O’Connell, and “I found myself staring directly at the very thing that had appeared so theoretical and scary to me: a big, black three-ring binder.” Inside the binder: O’Connell’s exploration of a citizen vs. business debate about Androscoggin River pollution in the 1950s.

MOOC master speaks at �ֲ���ý

Al Filreis was named a “Ten Tech Innovator” by The Chronicle of Higher Education for his belief that massively open online courses (MOOCs) can bring the humanities to the masses. But it’s more than a belief, as he told the �ֲ���ý faculty recently. He seems to have done it.

�ֲ���ý in the News

Don’t feel bad. Scientific American quotes psychologist Jonathan Adler ’00, who says that negative feelings play a positive role in our well-being. Actor John Ambrosino ’01 talks with the LGBT-focused Boston Spirit Magazine about his lead role in On the Town. On campus, Darby Ray, director of the Harward Center for Community Partnerships, describes for the Sun Journal a �ֲ���ý course that found a home in a local elementary school.

When Andrew Cyr ’96 founded Manhattan-based Metropolis Ensemble seven years ago, a goal was to attract nontraditional classical audiences and give young classical music composers a chance to be heard.

So far, it’s worked out well, of the Maine Sunday Telegram.

In April, a composer Cyr championed won a Juno Award, the Canadian equivalent of a Grammy.

Composer Vivian Fung won Classical Composition of the Year for her violin concerto, which Cyr recorded with the Metropolis Ensemble and released last fall on the Naxon label imprint Canadian Classics.

Video of the 2011 world premiere of Vivian Fung’s Violin Concerto, performed by violinist Kristin Lee and the Metropolis Ensemble, with Cyr conducting.