The New Breed
Edmund Stiles '61 is a slight, intense young man. He wears a heavy growth of beard and gestures with controlled nervousness as he talks. He speaks frankly and vividly and has a bright sense of humor. His sensitivity is that of one older than himself. He appears in every way to be a campus rebel. . . and perhaps he is. If so, he is not playing with it, or playing the role. He is rebellious for reasons that are well examined, indeed, deeply scrutinized with a rare balance of maturity and conviction. Ed Stiles is no ordinary undergraduate; he will lead no ordinary life; he is and will be no ordinary man.
Stiles' major interest is craftsmanship and design. Recently he has been in the limelight as his workmanship has begun to attract the attention of many people in and beyond Hanover. As an artist, his feelings are largely expressed within that frame of reference. He came to college five years ago and immediately disliked it. His main objection was the required curriculum of the first years. As Ed puts it: "I found things too much like high school. All the doors were closed."
Ed had few meaningful experiences and his first two years at Dartmouth were more than stormy. He did many things including joining the Ledyard Canoe Club, the Flying Club, WDCR and the NROTC. But most of his time was spent at the Student Workshop. These hours were the most precious. But there was this problem: all the important things for him were outside of the curriculum. The result was Ed's departure from the College for a trip to Europe .... to do nothing academic for one full year. The time was well spent if only in the sense that it brought out and extended his interest in designing, specifically furniture designing. In Scandinavia he fed himself on a steady diet of showrooms, designers, and factories.
Two falls ago Ed returned to Dartmouth with the misgivings of old but a "program" for himself. He became a geography major. He forced the time out of his schedule to get deeply involved in the extracurricular program at the Student Workshop. Doors suddenly began to open for him, and he has had a streak of what he calls "fantastic luck." The big factor in his favor was that the entire Hanover community was becoming more arts-minded as the Hopkins Center neared completion. Ed received one of the Marcus Heiman Awards in the Creative Arts last spring. The awards are made to promote the work in the creative arts to be carried on in the Center. Men are selected on the basis of their demonstrated promise for doing creative work. And so this term Ed is getting course credit for some of his time at the Workshop.
Yet Stiles feels that in his case things are by no means perfect and that there are large voids in his college education. However, there is one thing in Hanover that he deeply believes in . . . the Hopkins Center. He feels the College urgently needs this facility. His disappointment is that he arrived too early on this campus to find its doors open. He thinks if things go as they should, the facility will never be surpassed for the next hundred years.
Ed's home is Hanover, Pa., and before that Niagara Falls, N. Y., but all his future plans involve California. He spent last summer at Berkeley to "sample the area." He loved it. He is attracted by the climate, the people, and the way of life. His hope is that he may become a custom furniture designer, although he could possibly broaden this to include all types of designing.
Ed Stiles has already exhibited many pieces of his work through the League of New Hampshire Arts and Crafts. His furniture has attracted the attention of numerous persons and galleries, including the Museum of Arts and Crafts and the World House in New York. The doors have opened. Ed has demonstrated great ability ... he should go far.
Edward Stiles '61
