By G. Rickey Welch, Dean of Arts and Sciences
I, like many in the UMBC family, have reveled in the recent cover profile on the UMBC homepage, featuring the UMBC Crew. Their greatest fan and most vivacious cheerleader is their faculty sponsor, Lou Cantori from the Department of Political Science. Working with Lou, I've had the pleasure of providing some modest support to help sustain this club activity on campus. And I've been invited to sit in an honorary position on the coach's skiff at one of their 5 a.m. practice sessions -- yes, that's a.m. not p.m.!
Our Provost, Art Johnson, has been championing the cause of student engagement as a core value at UMBC, and the campus leadership is wrestling with this important issue at moment. Lest we lose sight, student engagement outside the classroom is just as essential as the intramural teaching-and-learning endeavor, as we strive to create a compleat education at the Honors University (I prefer the Old English form of the word). The noble enterprise of education should seek to expand both the mind and the spirit of the human being, and we as educators should instill in our students the worth of avocation as well as vocation. Each of us amongst the UMBC faculty and staff bring to the fore our own forms of avocation, under the guise of hobbies, crafts, recreations and pleasures in life.
An activity dear to me is fishing (I like the more esoteric term "angling"). I did not learn fishing from a college teacher, nor was it imparted to me by my parents; I rarely went fishing in my childhood. I discovered fishing through my son, John -- a self-taught aficionado. I learned from him, first and foremost, that fishing is not about catching fish; it is about the artistry, romance, and serenity of communion with Nature. We elevated fishing to a high form: preferring fly-fishing (the most naturalistic technique), tying our own flies to mimic the ambient insect foodstuff, and, most often, returning the fish gently to the water -- after a "kiss" and a "thank-you" for the sport. (Yes, on occasion we would keep the fish for some gastronomic treat!)
Notably, John taught me always to be on the lookout for the Kingfisher; for, he told me, this bird is recognized in the angling lore as the omen of calm waters and good fishing. I smiled upon hearing this, as I knew of the Kingfisher from Greek fable -- where it is a symbol of days of peace and tranquility and is known by the Greek word Halcyon. I am often wont to refer to that 17th-century classic, The Compleat Angler, by Izaak Walton, wherein it is betold: "You are assured, though there be ignorant men (sic) of another belief, that Angling is an Art… and that this is truth is demonstrated by the fruits of that pleasant labour which you enjoy, when you purpose to give rest to your mind, and divest yourself of your more serious business, and… dedicate a day or two to this recreation."
My association with the UMBC Crew and my affinity with fishing came to a nexus not long ago. In the spring of last year, Lou Cantori and the Crew presented me with one of their waterproof logo parkas (and very honored I felt!). The timing was propitious, as I would be getting married in May in England and heading to the cool, rainy climes of the Scottish Highlands for the honeymoon…. Well, there I was with my wife, Jo, sporting my new UMBC parka in the most well-known watery backdrop in Scotland, Loch Ness, angling the depths on a fishing boat skippered by John Northcote -- a cheerful Scotsman who had given up his vocation as an engineer to pursue his avocation. Our excursion was almost at the end when suddenly something "big" took hold of my line. After 15-20 minutes of struggle (yes, anglers exaggerate!), I brought in a rather uncommon catch in those waters -- a 13-pound Atlantic King Salmon. As well as a beautiful fish species, this salmon presents a real culinary delight. We promptly took it to our hotel in Invergarry, where the skillful (and wide-eyed) chef prepared 16 steaks from the catch. Jo and I enjoyed two fresh steaks that evening in the hotel restaurant and took the remaining steaks (frozen) back to her family in Lancashire….
You must be wondering, did we see the famous Loch Ness "monster"? No, alas, we didn't. Back at the local Public House after our fishing venture, while enjoying some celebratory refreshment with the good Captain Northcote, I asked him (with a mixture of caution and whim) if he thought that the "monster" is really there. He got very serious for a moment, looked me squarely in the eye, and replied, "I know it is; I've seen it." Then, more refreshment….. Halcyon Days, indeed.
