Edwin Donaldson Koons Obituary (1917

Dr. E. Donaldson Don Koons, beloved father, educator, administrator, quietly passed away Monday morning, April 9, 2012 at Thayer Unit of Maine General Hospital in the presence of family and friends. The son of Presbyterian Missionary parents, Don was born in Seoul, Korea August 23, 1917 and raised with the help of five sisters. His parents operated a school for Korean children and spent summers in a cottage on the shore of what is now North Korea. He left Korea in 1934 and attended Wooster College in Ohio, before transferring to Columbia University in New York, where he received his bachelor s, masters and doctorate degrees. 2. His graduate work brought him to the Colorado Plateau and Grand Canyon area where he became an authority in certain disciplines and later, infected his children with his love of that land. At age 90, Don finally got to raft through the Grand Canyon with family and friends, after walking thousands of miles around it during his research days. Upon completion of his studies, he worked briefly as a ranger-naturalist at the Grand Canyon and then taught geology at Carleton College in Minnesota 42- 43 until drafted into the Armed Services in late 1943. While on weekend leave he met his future wife, Elizabeth Ortquist in Ogunquit, Maine and they were married on the fly in Salt Lake City in November 1944. Trained as a radio operator, he shipped to India, flew the Hump into China and because of his Korean experiences was transferred to OSS for the remainder of the war. Following his discharge, the couple moved to Morgantown, West Virginia where he taught geology. In December 1946 he was interviewed by J. Seelye Bixler during intermission at Boston s Symphony Hall and accepted an offer to become chairman of the Geology Dept at Colby College, a position he held until his retirement, as an Emeritus Dana Professor. Arriving in Waterville Maine in January 1947, he from Seoul, Korea and his wife Betty from Manhattan New York, they jumped into life raising 4 children with the help of a huge, active circle of friends. The early family, child rearing, he would describe as like being amidst a swarm of bees. It was an idyllic time in Waterville, with a growing college, hospital and variety of manufacturing. They lived life to the fullest, from camp on East Pond in the summer to skiing in the winter and we kids, as faculty brats , had the run of the Colby campus. Colby College and his family were his life and although faculty salaries at the time were meager, as kids, our lives were enriched by the likes of Igor Sikorsky and Hyman Rickover, as they pass through our house. Dad was our personal internet and was awesome. He continued research into wave action with a specially built tank; he became the earthquake guy using the Colby Seismograph to help record and pin point earthquakes around the world. He enjoyed his students and remained friends with many throughout his life. Always proud of his students who moved on to graduate school, he communicated with many on a personal and scientific level until the present. With others he was an advisor to the fledgling Colby Outing Club and with WWII vets helped restore the Mountain Farm Ski Area in the late 40s holding Winter Carnivals in 50 and 51, a practice carried on by son John at the same location, now called Quarry Road Recreation Area. He had an insatiable thirst for knowledge and the patience to await the emergence of truth in much of his work. Equipped with good lawyer s analytical ability, he could find his way to the core of a problem in short order. This ability earned him respect at faculty meetings and served him well with his environmental work with the state, during a tumultuous time of change from the business as usual status quo. Although a newcomer to the forces of power and politics, he didn t give much ground over what he believed in and was in the thick of it from day one. Long active in efforts to improve water and air quality in Maine, Koons became a member of the Maine Water and Air Environmental Improvement Commission in 1968, serving as chair from 69 til 72. He served as a board member of the Maine D.E.P. in 1973 and as first Commissioner of the Department of Conservation in 1973-1974. Becoming an impressive controversial figure between old industry habits and the environmental movement on the other hand, he was instrumental in a number of decisions in the clean water movement, site selection and oil conveyance legislation and privately expressed delight at being co-named with the State of Maine in a lawsuit by the major oil companies in the U.S. His tenure under Governors Curtis and Longley was notable for his ability to find areas of compromise that allowed very diverse interests to find common ground and so to protect Maine s unique conservation values without locking them up. He retired from Colby in June 82 remaining active in the scientific and environmental communities. Not one to sit still, he gave of his time and energy to a growing Unity College, first as a trustee, then as Chairman of the Board of Trustees and at age 82 as interim President. He thoroughly enjoyed his involvement with the college and his experience lent stability and guidance, in a period of transition, as the college improved academic quality and focused on its strengths and mission. Dr. Koons career included being named a Fellow of the American Associations for the Advancement of Science (1951). In 1971 he was cited by the Natural Resource Council as a scientist who has combined teaching with citizenship of high order . For over 30 years Don was a trustee and Chairman of the Board of trustees of Coburn Classical Institute, Oak Grove-Coburn and continued to help after both schools closed their doors. He was also a Director of S.W.O.A.M. and committed to the philosophy of the North Maine Woods group. He enjoyed his children and grandchildren and observed the growth of nearby Kennebec Cheesery at his doorstep. With failing eye sight, among other ailments and the recent loss of his buddy, Max, he decided to move on. He is predeceased by wife Betty and daughter-in-law Susan. He is survived by his four children Robert and his wife Jan, John, Peter and wife Jean, and Linnea and husband Tom Mathews and grandchildren, Brad and wife Cindy, Matt, Linnea and husband James Morrison, Ben, and Nils. The Koons family would like to thank the individuals of Maine General, Health Reach, Hospice, who were so thoughtful and caring. It is nearly impossible to adequately thank Dee Dee, Donna and Brenda for their enduring friendship and care with our father and family. Thanks for the ride! There will be a gathering of friends and family 4-6 PM on Sunday April 15 at Riverside Farm Market Fairfield Street Oakland. A Celebration of his life will be 2:00 PM on July 29 at Lorimer Chapel at Colby College. Arrangements are by Wheeler Funeral Home and Cremation Services www.wheelerfh.com .