Page 8 - The Bell Tower - Summer/Fall 2015

feature story
The longest running UMFK employee reflects on her time at the University
Last October when hysteria over an unlikely Ebola outbreak was scaring the bejeebers out of some local residents, shaking the nation, influencing elections, and drawing unwanted atten- tion to the small, Northern Maine town of Fort Kent, a river of calm and no-nonsense attitude flowed from a little desk outside of the office of the president at the University of Maine at Fort Kent. That desk belonged to Naomi Nicolas, administrative assistant to the last eight University presidents.
In a 2015 interview, Naomi, who retired in May after 46 years on the job, recalled an incident that occurred during the Ebola hub- bub.
At the time, reporters and camera crews were invading Fort Kent like a swarm of nosy and relentless locusts. A reporter from one of the major television news networks charged into her office one day demanding she provide him with a press release. Naomi explained to the reporter there was no press release that day, but the man insisted there was.
Naomi explained further that, as the assistant to the president, any press release would have come through her; and she had not released any news that day. The reporter continued to insist she provide him with the press release, because he knew it existed, since he heard it on the news while sitting at Rock’s Diner.
“Well. We both know how accurate the news usually is,” responded Naomi. For those who know Naomi, a veteran of aca- demic politics and eldest sister and caregiver for a family of 16 children, this particular response would have been plenty of warn- ing to the reporter that he should back off. Unfortunately, the reporter insisted once more that she produce the imaginary press release.
“You know, I think I know who can help you. Follow me.” And off she went, charging down the hall at a speed that left the report- er scrambling to keep up with her.
“Do you always walk this fast?” he said, jogging behind her.
“What’s the matter? You can’t keep up?”
Naomi stopped at a conference room where University President Hess was con- ducting a meeting, and knocked on the door. When the president stuck his head out,
Naomi said, “Please explain to this man that I am not a liar.” And then she turned on her heel and marched back to her office.
Five minutes later, a much more polite and chastened reporter was at her desk. “I got the point. I’m sorry.”
Confidence of that caliber only comes after years of experience earning the trust of powerful people. Naomi Nicolas began col- lecting that trust in 1969 when she started working at UMFK for her first of eight presi- dents.
“I’ve been lucky,” recalls the compact woman, elegantly dressed in a sweater with a simple crucifix around her neck. For a woman who dropped out of high school in her sophomore year, she might be quite right about being lucky; yet Naomi is certainly a person with an undeniable human spark to live life on her own terms.
When she was 15, Naomi had to drop out
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