Friends, I must report to you that we have temporarily slipped our main mooring.
Our dear colleague, mentor, and guiding light, Bart Cadbury, died of cancer April 6 at his home in Hanover, New Hampshire.
Those of you who have been associated with the Audubon Camp in Maine know of his lasting influence on Hog Island and the Audubon program since the 1950s, when he served as marine life instructor and camp director for 10 years, and through the ensuing decades thereafter. For nearly three-quarters of this camp’s long history, Bart Cadbury occupied center stage in the evolution of this island and its mission, and he did so with steadfastness and loyalty, great humor and wit, and profound wisdom and experience.
Indeed, the “Friends of Hog Island” would not exist today without the foresight and devotion of Bart and Virginia Cadbury, and the entire Cadbury family, to the life of this place. When it seemed that there might no longer be a place for the Audubon Camp in Maine within the Audubon cause, it was Bart and Ginny Cadbury who spoke eloquently of the continuing need for a Hog Island in American conservation.
They continue to point the way, with great clarity of vision, for the rest of us to follow.
There will be many opportunities in the future to remark on the legacy of Bart Cadbury. The Cadbury family plans its own services in Philadelphia and in Maine, both in June; Bart’s passing was also marked in Hanover earlier this month with a gathering of family and close friends. We will pass along details, as appropriate.
But I can think of no greater testimonial to the impact of Bart Cadbury’s life on Hog Island than our own FOHI gathering this June, as we embark on yet another week of annual devotion to the Audubon Camp in Maine, through our commitment of time and talents to this island he so loved.
While, with Bart’s passing, we may have temporily slipped our mooring, in no sense are we adrift.
Please send us your memories of Bart Cadbury so we can post an online memorial.
