Join us on August 5th when craftsman Michael Olivette will give an illustrated presentation on his modern reproduction of an Adirondack guideboat. Michael will also talk about the history of guideboats and guiding in the Adirondacks.
Michael Olivette is a self-taught woodworker and has been building various "things" out of wood for nearly 35 years. He started making furniture in his kitchen while in graduate school at Syracuse University. He has built both traditional and rustic furniture and also built – with local resident Pete Habla – a timber-frame cabin here in Bleecker. In 2000, after three years of research and hundreds of hours of shop time, Michael completed his first guideboat, putting all his woodworking skills to the test. Not long after completing the boat, he co-authored with John Michne, Building an Adirondack Guideboat: Woodstrip Reproductions of the Virginia (Nicholas Burns Publishing, 2005). Michael and partner Craig Tryon operated Adirondack Wilderness Experiences Guide Service, from 1991-2006. A 20-year member (1987-2007) of the New York State Outdoor Guides Association, Michael also served for many years as the organization's treasurer, vice president and ethics committee chair.
A social psychologist by training, Michael received his doctorate from Syracuse University in 1984. A professor and administrator at Syracuse University for nearly 17 years (1990-2006), Michael joined the University of Scranton in 2007 as an associate dean. He currently serves as Dean of the Division of Natural and Health Sciences at SUNY Westchester Community College in Valhalla, NY and lives with his wife Dawn in New York City. Michael and Dawn will move to Dutchess county next year where he will – finally – resume boatbuilding!
Bleecker Historical Society 