Stiles shines at Awards ceremony

Author: Rachel Durfee

When the College awarded its annual Citizens' Medal at the end of 2005, Al Stiles was among the most notable recipients. Stiles' extensive list of volunteer activities includes work with the Green Mountain Club, Catamount Trail Association, United States Forest Service and Middlebury Area Land Trust. More than a dozen local organizations can boast Stiles as a board member. Other notable endeavors include starting the Middlebury Tree Nursery behind the Middlebury police station, as well as building area homes for Habitat for Humanity and serving in various capacities for local chapters of the Red Cross and United Way.

After 30 years as a Middlebury resident, Stiles shows no signs of slowing down. On a recent walk through Wright Park, Stiles was struck by the idea of creating some ski and hiking trails. A board member of Middlebury Area Land Trust, he was able to develop a ski area in the woods and add five miles of hiking trails in the past two years. When asked who and how he recruited for help Stiles replied, "Basically I do it myself. I say to myself, it's a nice day, it's bitterly cold, I'm going to go out there in the woods and do it."

Born in Washington D.C. in 1929, Stiles grew up in North New Jersey, where he later became a schoolteacher. Just after serving in the military, Stiles took a spontaneous ski vacation to Vermont, where he met his wife, Barbara, through a mutual friend. The two eventually moved to New Haven, Conn. where Stiles switched his career to data processing.

He retired early due to health problems, and he and his wife began looking for an "out of the city type of place" to retire. They looked at Burlington and Hanover but ended up deciding on Middlebury. They found it to be a uniquely harmonious fusion of residential areas and farmland. Stiles says that living in Middlebury is great because "you can't tell a lawyer from a doctor from a farmer from a shopkeeper…it's a nice blend."

Although retired, Stiles was not content to sit back on his heels. He wanted to keep busy and says he has always been "very interested in helping out other people." He began with Al's Odd Jobs, a little self-run handyman company: "I'd help little old ladies screw in light bulbs or just do whatever they needed." Says Stiles, "I know a little bit about a lot of different things," so he puts his broad knowledge to use and learns new things along the way. Following his interest in forestry, Stiles talked to the local county forester soon after moving to Middlebury and became involved with the maple sugar industry, stringing pipelines in January and February and then monitoring and repairing them as needed.

When interviewed, Stiles was most enthusiastic about past projects with the Maritime Museum in Bason Harbor in Ferrisburg, Vt. alongside Lake Champlain. When museum head Art Cohen decided to build a life-size replica of the USS Philadelphia, Stiles jumped at the opportunity to help out. He wanted to hone his skills with a new tool, an adz, similar to an axe but with the plate turned sideways in order to smooth out timber rather than chop it up. Though he didn't become an adz expert, Stiles completed the project successfully and since then he has gone on to build several seaworthy crafts, such as a 15-pound canoe and a 16-foot sea kayak.

Stiles has enjoyed a pleasant but distanced relationship with the College. He applauds the College for its efforts towards improving and maintaining the surrounding natural environment. In particular, Stiles enjoys collaborating with the Mountain Club to organize trail maintenance trips on the Long Trail and its access routes. "When you get 20 young people out, it can be quite positive, but if you only get three you can't do much," says Stiles.

When you consider Stiles' resume, which also includes past volunteer work at Porter Hospital, on the Middlebury Volunteer Ambulance Service, as a reading mentor and math and science assistant in local junior high schools, among other positions, one wonders if he ever sits back and relaxes. When asked what he does in his free time Stiles responds happily, "This is what I do with my free time!" One of the most advantageous aspects to volunteering according to Stiles is that it allows him to be flexible and create his own schedule. But, adds Stiles, "I think the best thing [about volunteering] is that it allows me to meet very different people."

Interacting with community members from all walks of life has thrown stereotypes out the window for Stiles, who says if he has learned anything it is that you cannot judge people purely from the outside. When asked to sum up his experience as an exemplary community member and volunteer Stiles pauses for a moment before answering sincerely, "I've enjoyed my life in Middlebury because I can volunteer and do things for other people. It's just fantastic, being able to have the time to indulge myself in helping others."