When I saw the list of the Edeiken award winners recently I was very surprised to see our nominee wasn’t a recipient. How can that be I thought. He’s done so much, for so many, for so long, in and out of the kite world! That’s just wrong, I thought.
As the program director at Blue Hill Observatory Science Center our nominee was using kites to teach STEM before stem was even recognized in the educational world. Blue Hill is the country’s oldest meteorological observatory, with continuous record keeping since 1885. Blue Hill, a National Historical Landmark, was the first location to use kites to lift equipment into the atmosphere on August 4, 1894. Today, kite making continues to be an integral part of Blue Hill’s programing thanks to our nominee Don McCasland.
Don is not only a remarkable ambassador for the kite world, he’s also a bridge. A bridge between the past, present, and future, a bridge built by kite passion and dedication. As former owner of ‘Kites of Boston’ Don has a true appreciation for the variety of kites and how that diversity enriches the kite world. He effortlessly and continuously combines kite history and science while educating future kite enthusiasts. Don is also president of KONE, Kites Over New England. He’s the humble and even keeled leader who keeps the peace in the local club while always promoting AKA. And anyone who has a local club knows how valuable that can be. Don does more for kiting then we’ll ever know, he authored the original AKA publication ‘Kites in the Classroom’ and pioneered the AKA’s educational outreach. He randomly gives the waitress a kite after telling her about them. He gives countless kite making workshops in the community that we’ll never know about.
Our nominee is an AKA veteran who not only talks the talk, but more importantly he walks the walk. It’s well past time to let him know that we’ve noticed and appreciate his contribution and present him with the 2016 Edeiken Award.
Thank You. Nominated by: Meg Albers, Kathy Goodwind, Archie Stewart, Ralph Reed
