In the diversity of his service to the public, to his beloved outdoors, and to our society's outcasts, Michael Reeves Deland speaks to the values of this great school by living them. We salute to the imperial power of his leadership, his service to the community, and the example of his life and its continuing fruitfulness of purpose and achievement.

A graduate of the Class of 1959, Mike Deland served as student council president, hockey team captain, baseball and football team member, and The Nobleman literary editor. Mike is remembered as a dependable and loyal friend with a mischievous sense of humor directed at faculty and students alike.

Mike graduated in 1963 from Harvard, where he continued his life-long interest in outdoor sports, particularly sailing. His love for the sea led Mike to the Navy. While serving off the coast of Vietnam, Ensign Deland received orders to report to temporary duty off the coast of Newport, Rhode Island, on board the 1964 America's Cup contender, "Nefertiti."

Following his honorable discharge as a lieutenant Ug) in 1965, Mike entered Boston College Law School. After graduation he served as campaign manager for a state congressional election and then as a special assistant to the president of the University of Massachusetts, a position he held until 1971.

Fortunately for New England, Mike answered a call from within to combine his desire to work in public services with his love for the outdoors. In 1971, he joined the Environmental Protection Agency's regional enforcement division as a staff counsel. For five years, Mike was a leader in the fight to restore New England's air, waters and lands to the pristine beauty of centuries past.

Mike's work at the EPA was interrupted for seven years while he served as environmental

counsel for Environmental Research and Technology, Inc. Then in 1983, he was appointed Regional Director of the EPA to "restore the public trust in the Agency" -- a trust, which many felt, had been abused by the gradual encroachment of politics on the Agency. Mike has accomplished far more than merely restoring the public trust. He has received numerous honors, included the Massachusetts Audubon Society Award for Exceptional Action on Behalf of the Environment, the New England Environmental Network Leadership Award for Outstanding Contribution to New England Environmental Leadership, and several EPA citations.

He has stood his ground with tenacity in the face of a few powerful economic and political opponents in order to protect this region's birthright of clean waters, air, and sensitive ecological systems.

Mike's active professional life is dwarfed only by his energetic pursuit of life outside the office. An avid swimmer and sailor despite and sometimes painful physical condition, Mike and his wife Jane won the national Shields Class sailing championships in 1980 and placed second in 1982, Sailing remains an integral part of the Deland family's time together.

Finally, Mike exhibits that quality called "volunteerism." It is yet another facet of his zest for life and irrepressible urge to be useful, to help with the problems of others. In the inner city, Mike has worked with The Third Nail to combat drug abuse and served on the board of Low Cost Housing, Inc., to provide affordable housing to low income families. Mike has also served on the vestry of Trinity Church in Boston. At Harvard, he is class agent and was president of the Association of Class Secretaries. At Nobles, he was on the Board of Trustees (1978-1982) and served as chairman of the Castle Renovation Committee.

In Mike Deland, Nobles celebrates a man whose lifetime of service to the community is still blooming and benefiting us all. The words of President Woodrow Wilson are appropriate:

"Nothing but what you volunteer has the essence of life, the

I spring of pleasure in it. These are the things you do because

you want to do them, the things your spirit has chosen for its satisfaction

We honor Mike Deland for he has the "essenceof life" within him and gives to us the "springs of pleasure" in the continuing inspirational example of his life.