ETHEL GLADYS SKEANS

CLIFFORD DEER ISLE – Ethel Gladys Skeans Clifford died Friday, Dec. 9, 2005, at her home on King Row in Deer Isle. She was born Jan. 18, 1928, in Brooklyn, N.Y., the daughter of Frank and Cecelia Thorne Skeans. She is survived by her husband of 55 years, Stanley; her children, Leslie and his wife, Elizabeth, of Pittsfield, Mass., Stuart and his wife, Susan, of Savannah, Ga.; her grandchildren, Catherine, Amy and Grace; and her beloved cat, Tansy. She is also survived by her brothers, Frank, Donald, Richard; her sister, Shirley Alex; and a very special niece, Kyra Alex of Stonington. Ethel and Stanley, an artist, came to Maine in 1950 and lived in Stonington and on Eagle Island. They moved permanently to Maine in 1966. From 1967 to 1987, she was closely involved in all aspects of Haystack operations. As the school’s first administrative assistant, she was responsible for initiating many of Haystack’s guidelines on policy, and actively participating in the student application and scholarship review processes. In recognition of her deep personal commitment to Haystack and to her impact on its development as one of this country’s foremost centers for education in the crafts, the Haystack board of directors voted in 1986 to honor her contributions by establishing the Ethel Skeans Clifford Scholarship Fund. When announcing the scholarship, Director Francis Merritt said the following: “Ethel Clifford’s contribution to Haystack merits a conspicuous place in the record, but not merely as an entry relating to her past achievements and influence. Beyond the record, the vitality of her spirit will remain as an instantaneous presence each time the school’s phone rings, or the mailman leaves off the daily pouch; each time an inquiring applicant, turned new enrollee, steps into the office at the head of the Haystack stairway to join the legion of Ethel’s Haystack family, and surely as each summer participant leaves fulfilled, to link with other Haystack hands around the world. The beam of Ethel’s personal animation, courage, generosity and trust in the formation of trustee attitudes and support, the style and substance of administration policy, the morale and loyalty of thousands of alumni, and the relationship between Haystack and the Deer Isle community – these things will enlighten the Haystack process and embellish its efficacy for many years to come. “For many years she was a proofreader for the Island Advantages. For 25 years she was a dedicated ballot clerk for the Town of Deer Isle and a loyal member of the Deer Isle Democratic Committee. She was a 20-year Red Cross blood donor and, since 1980, she has been a volunteer reader at the Island Nursing Home. In recent years, she has served as secretary/treasurer of Mount Adams Cemetery. Ethel was a founding member and honorary director of the Maine Crafts Association. In 1986, she served on the Percent for Art Advisory Selection Committee, coordinated by the Maine Arts Commission. Her interest in art has prevailed throughout her life, and an involvement in craft education has been of paramount importance. After her retirement from Haystack, she became a premier basketmaker, making decorative pine-needle baskets sold at the Blue Heron Gallery in Deer Isle and the Island Artisans Gallery in Bar Harbor. She had exhibited in a number of important basket shows throughout New England and her work has been reproduced in many catalogs and books on fine basketry. There will be a graveside committal in the spring in the family lot at Mount Adams Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, please send donations to the Ethel Skeans Clifford Scholarship Fund, Haystack Mountain School of Crafts, Deer Isle, ME 04627.