Ron Beard

In the early 1970’s Ron Beard invited founding COA President Ed Kaelber to speak at UMaine, and invited Ed and his wife to dinner with President Win Libby and his wife. Ron served spaghetti!

Over the decades, Ron has been an integral part of the COA community, leading Outdoor Orientation Program (OOPs) trips on the Allagash river with Ted Kauffman for 30 years, teaching a wide range of community development courses, and serving as a COA trustee for the past 20 years, much of that as the secretary of the board. And it has been a family affair as Ron’s daughter Alana, whose mom is former registrar Judy Allen, graduated from COA in 2003. 

“It is rare and satisfying to be able to engage with the good people of a good institution over most of a lifetime. So many different ways to be involved, so many meaningful relationships, supporting so many experiments in how humans engage meaningfully with the world around them. I have also watched the vision of the founders—Les Brewer, Father Jim Gower, and Ed Kaelber—become reality, with COA contributing in significant ways to the community life and the economy of Mount Desert Island and the surrounding area.”

“Including COA in my will aligns with the values I try to live day to day. I intend my small contribution to flow with the contribution of others, helping these experiments continue.”