“Leaves are beginning to drop onto the Stillwater River. Each day many of us at the university cross the bridge over that river on our way to work or class. Often I am late and dashing, and the view offers a moment’s stillness and a stunning glimpse of serenity.” This is how Elizabeth Morris began one of her “Riverside Reflections,” a series of short musings which she wrote during her time as the campus minister from 1990–93.
Inside the Wilson Center, the multifaith center on College Avenue, there are scrapbooks full of the building’s storied history. Inside, many are photos of Elizabeth Morris, smiling alongside students and Orono residents. There are also photos of the outdoor garden that were dedicated to Elizabeth after her tragic passing in a car accident.
“When I started here a year ago,” recounts Victoria Volker, the Wilson Center Director, “the space had languished. You couldn’t really walk through it and I thought that the space should look alive as people enter the building.” Eventually, repair became renewal and ideas for an inviting space took root amongst the Wilson Center staff.
“The prospect of helping the community felt wonderful and as we began, it was shocking how many people came out of the woodwork to help,” said Volker of the cleanup process. She spoke of how local gardeners and landscapers made donations and volunteered their expertise, which supported the project financially. Passing neighbors simply thanked the staff for what they were doing.
The Wilson Center has always been a community-facing organization. They are host to events almost every day of the week, notably their Dinner and Dialogue, which offers free food and critical conversation on spirituality every Thursday from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. The third space in front of the building is an attempt to reach out into the community. Instead of an email or word-of-mouth transfer of information, the physical space itself acts as an invitation.
“I hope that it gives a place for people to linger after our events as well,” Volker smiled, “a space to breathe and be.” Above all else, Volker wished to continue the vision and attitudes that Elizabeth had embodied in her time at the university. With benches and chairs for comfort, lush greenery, games for social activity and a space of already concentrated community, Volker sees great potential in the new project.
“As we started working, a chicken showed up who we’ve called Elizabeth,” joked Volker. Any and all are welcome at the developing third space outside of the Wilson Center, just keep an eye out if you are crossing the road.
It can feel intimidating to enter into a new space— a new habit— that involves other people. The uncomfortable steps that we take towards the kind of world that we want to live in and the support that we show for the things which we want to see are what make a community truly powerful. As Elizabeth Morris said, “We human beings have the marvelous capacity for transformation, both individually and as a community.”
