SENEME
Southeastern New England Marine Educators
A regional
chapter of the National Marine Educators Association
NMEA Conference 2002
New London, Connecticut
National
Marine Educators Association
Conference 2002
The Race to Hell Gate: Estuaries to
the Abyss
NMEA 2002 – IT’S OVER!!!
A FEW CONFERENCE MEMORIES
By The NMEA 2002 Conference Steering Committee
After years of planning, our SENEME-hosted NMEA 2002 “The Race to Hell Gate: Estuaries to the Abyss” Conference has come and gone. To most of us on the Conference Committee, the week went by in a blur. We did, however, manage to remember a few highlights, which we’d like to share with our fellow SENEME members. As you’ll see, some of the memories are funny, some are sad, some are nostalgic, and some are inspirational. While a few of our remembrances may only make sense to those who attended the Conference, we hope that we can convey to everyone a bit of the spirit of the week.
From Mike O’Connor, Co-chair of the Volunteers:
When we ran out of conference books and Louise [Rader] walked to the Coast Guard Academy and was AWOL for almost 6 hours trying to copy the booklets.
From Lance Arnold, Co-chair of the Auction:
I enjoyed the way that the fireballs caught on among the
participants. It was clear to me that many of them had
never had one of them before, and it was sort of symbolic in
its own crazy way of what we are about...namely, introducing
our fellow marine educators to new and surprising
experiences. (I wonder if the fireball sales for the last
quarter went through the roof?!)
It was also pretty amazing to see that all that planning for
so long and so many hours actually paid off with an auction
that went off without a hitch...welll...not many hitches...wellll...not
too many hitches!!
From Chris Newlan who organized Tuesday’s “Sail to Mystic Seaport”:
Unfortunately, my most vivid conference memories were not of anything pleasant. They involve standing huddled around the marine radio in Mystic Seaport with other captains and friends waiting to see if a boat that I love dearly was going to founder off of Fishers Island. (Editor’s Note: Chris is referring to the Ernestina, which began taking on water after it left the NMEA Conference.)
From Julie Ainsworth, Chair of Special Events:
One of my memories, which I think really captures the essence of all the great people who are in NMEA, was of the Tuesday night event at the Seaport. It was raining for most of the evening, yet nobody complained (including the Seaport staff) or even seemed to mind that they were getting wet - even when the rain blew onto some people sitting under the tent. Instead, everyone enjoyed the beautiful historic setting, the great food (lobster!) and the wonderful music (sea chanteys). More importantly, everyone enjoyed the chance to be together, at this once-a-year national event. I think this is what makes marine educators so special: not worrying about the small details (like weather), especially when we have no control over them, and instead focusing on what's really important.
From Donna Dione, Co-chair of Programs:
My favorite memory from the Conference was getting to be the “shipped in from Australia, dead, giant” squid for Clyde Roper. A bunch of us on the Committee had an inspiring breakfast trying to figure out how the squid was going to arrive (I’m sure lack of sleep had nothing to do with our hysterical laughter!). And Clyde’s reaction to the squid’s entrance was priceless.
My funniest Programs Committee memory is of when I went out to the Tent to check on the program occurring there, and everyone was missing. I was told by a person in passing that, because of the heat, they had moved to the Post Office. I was greatly puzzled as to this since I was pretty sure the Post Office was closed. But sure enough, I found them squeezed into a corner of the Post Office, looking at slides on a wall about 3 feet in width. They had even brought chairs with them! It was at this point that our Committee realized that we had totally lost control of the Presenters!!
From Diana Payne, Co-chair of Exhibits and Chair of Evaluations:
All I can really remember about NMEA 2002 is the fact that I was student teaching at the time, and that Joe [Hage] made me feel so guilty at the auction that I had to buy Lance's[Arnold] beautiful artwork!!!!
From Lauren Rader, Co-chair of Programs:
Here are a few of my
favorites...
1. Busting out on Monday afternoon when everything was
ready to go and going for a ride with Joe Hage in his boat.
It was great to feel like we were as prepared as we could
possibly be, and all we had to do was wait for people to
arrive.
2. Listening to Clyde Roper speak...about anything!!
3. Tying up the table linens on the walls of the tent to
make it dark enough to show a slide presentation.
4. Running through the rain at the Mystic Seaport - just to
get some hors d'oeuvres and a beer!!
From Kim Standish, Co-chair of Hospitality:
Being concerned about Clyde
Roper and his wife, Ingrid, as they stood in the rain
waiting for the bus to the Seaport, only to approach them
and have Clyde give me the biggest hug and announce that
this is "one of the most fun
conferences he's ever attended!"
From Katrina Barrett, Co-chair of the Auction:
I remember the excitement and satisfaction to actually see all the months of solicitations for donations laid before us for the silent auction...it was like planning a Thanksgiving feast that was gobbled up within hours! I also especially remember the amazing teamwork of our committee throughout the event.
From Robert Rocha, the Steering Committee’s greatest supporter (he gave us chocolate, need we say more!):
I remember Donna [Dione], Amy Ferland, Lauren Rader and a couple of the volunteers scrambling during Tuesday's baking heat to find fans and extension cords in an attempt to make the tent seem less like a greenhouse and more like a classroom. Carmelina Livingston and I were scheduled for our presentation about exploration in submersibles. I wish that more of the attendees had known about the efforts of the organizers to make a sweaty situation more comfortable. They would have felt obligated to attend out of respect to their efforts. Nonetheless, Carm and I, and the six who did attend were grateful for the breeze created by the fans.
I also fondly remember the NMEA conference 'virgins' getting up on the stage to dance after the auction. They all seemed eager to be in the spotlight. The guy from Alaska was a show unto himself.
From Cathi Lepore, NMEA 2002 Conference Co-chair:
The excitement and adrenaline rush as we approached the beginning of the Conference. The weekend before, where everyone helped with “the move” – getting “Command Central” set up, signs in place, presentation rooms ready and so on. The pride and enthusiasm as we hung the NMEA Banner.
The thrill of seeing familiar faces and new members who were here for their very first NMEA Conference – anticipating their week ahead. The eagerness we all felt as we began to share our special corner of the world with others. Knowing that people left families and familiar places to spend time with us – sharing, learning, re-charging.
*The hordes of people at the Exhibits doorway, pouncing on the hors d’oeuvres
*No air conditioning on the hottest summer day.
*Explaining “The Race to Hell Gate.”
*Explaining a conference theme – or the attempt to follow one!
*Meal passes – what are those?
*The near sinking of the Ernestina
*The arrival of the giant squid to Southeastern Connecticut shores
*The perfect Avery Point Day
*Tabletop dancing at the Seaport
*Volunteers devouring lobsters in Command Central
*A cherished teapot, successfully auctioned off!
The overwhelming knowledge that our outstanding team of Conference Committee members, volunteers, families and friends were all together, putting on one of the best conferences ever! The closeness and camaraderie between us as we worked together, put out “fires,” did laps around the two campuses, dealt with no sleep and were always ready with a smile and laughter. We were always present for each other, and that feeling of support, respect, friendship and caring is like no other. Those are memories to carry with us for a long time to come.
