“I was accepted, and that’s when I panicked.”
Dale was taking classes at a regional university and doing radio play-by-play for Bowdoin hockey. The announcer doing the color commentary was a Bowdoin grad who relentlessly pestered Dale to transfer to Bowdoin. He made a deal that if Bowdoin rejected Dale, he’d repay his application fee. But if he got in, Dale had to enroll.
“I was accepted, and that’s when I panicked. I couldn’t afford to go. I went to the admissions office and said, ‘I’ve made a terrible mistake.’ But Walter Moulton looked me in the eye and quietly told me, ‘We wouldn’t have let you in if we weren’t going to let you stay.’”
DALE ARNOLD '79
Emmy Award-winning Boston Bruins host for NESN and WEEI Sports Talk Radio
On campus, Professor Barbara Kaster took him under her wing. “She worked with me independently to give me as close to a communications curriculum as Bowdoin was able to give me.” He narrated her documentary film on MacMillan—Green Seas, White Ice—and produced the musical soundtrack and audio.
Coach Sid Watson knew Dale’s financial situation and offered to let him ride on the bus with the team rather than drive to the away games.
“I could study on the bus. That simple act made all the difference.” Being at Bowdoin allowed Dale to continue covering the games. “The Maine Mariners heard me on the radio, and when I graduated, they hired me.”
In 2003, when Dale’s son, Taylor, enrolled at Bowdoin, Dale was proud in a few different ways.
“There are people out there who are poised to do great things.
You can change their world just by giving someone a chance.”
“Taylor was a much better student—his name is on the wall of the mathematics department! I was happy to pay the tab for his time there, because the College had been so good to me. I am forever indebted to Bowdoin for the opportunity to earn a world-class education.”
The From Here campaign is raising $200 million for financial aid, to fulfill a promise to generations of future Bowdoin students: that family income will never be a barrier to a Bowdoin education, and a Bowdoin experience.