Thursday, May 10, 2007
Photo courtesy University of New England
Timothy Gutmann, right, used a ramp and a ball to teach a calculus lesson last fall. "He was one of those engaging, very fun professors," said a UNE spokeswoman.
Seth Harkness/Staff Writer
Sgt. Rick LaFlamme of the Maine Marine Patrol said the two kayakers may have been hit by a large wave on Tuesday night in the area around Wood Island, which can be treacherous.
By SETH HARKNESS
Staff Writer
BIDDEFORD - The body of a University of New England math professor whose kayak capsized in rough surf near Biddeford Pool Tuesday night was found floating about eight miles offshore on Wednesday afternoon.
Timothy Gutmann, 40, went paddling with Brandon Andrusic of Biddeford, a graduate admissions counselor at UNE, around 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday. Andrusic later told authorities that the two lost sight of each other about an hour later, after a large wave overturned their kayaks near Wood Island, about half a mile from Biddeford Pool.
Andrusic righted his kayak and got to the uninhabited island, where he spent the night because of exhaustion and seas that were running as high as 5 feet, according to the U.S. Coast Guard. The search for Gutmann began almost 12 hours after his boat tipped over, when Andrusic paddled to shore and walked into F.O. Goldthwaite's store shortly before 7 a.m. to report his friend missing.
Searchers initially hoped that Gutmann might have crawled out of the 44-degree water and found refuge on an island or the shore. But a few hours into the multiagency search, they found Gutmann's overturned kayak and a broken paddle drifting about four miles offshore.
About 1:30 p.m., Marine Patrol officers aboard the 46-foot Challenge found Gutmann's body eight miles off Wood Island, according to Marine Patrol Maj. John Fetterman.
Both kayakers were equipped with life jackets and strobe lights. Andrusic also wore a dry suit and Gutmann wore a short wet suit.
Even in a wet suit, someone floating in the frigid ocean water would be expected to survive for about one hour and 15 minutes, said Marine Patrol officer Daryen Granata.
Gutmann, who earned his Ph.D. in mathematical education from the University of New Hampshire, lived in Durham, N.H., and had been an assistant professor at UNE since 2002. He was a summa cum laude graduate of Bowdoin College who was known for his teaching ability, his love of animals and his amateur photography.
"He was one of those engaging, very fun professors that everyone wished they had," said university spokeswoman Danielle Valaitis, who recalled watching Gutmann use a ramp and a ball to teach a calculus lesson.
In a written statement, the chair of the UNE math department, Susan Gray, said Gutmann was a passionate and dedicated teacher who tried to help students understand the relevance of math in their daily lives.
"He was extremely creative as an educator, a scholar, and a skilled photographer," she said. "He contributed a great deal to our academic programs, and we now have a huge void."
Both Gutmann and Andrusic had years of kayaking experience and their gear was appropriate for cold-water paddling, according to Marine Patrol Sgt. Rick LaFlamme.
He said the currents around Wood Island can be treacherous and the kayakers may have been hit by a wave much bigger than the surrounding sea conditions. A small craft advisory was posted Tuesday night, with winds of as much as 22 knots.
The search for Gutmann involved rescue workers from Biddeford and Saco as well as the Coast Guard and Marine Patrol. Six boats and two aircraft were used in the effort.
Andrusic, 40, could not be reached at his home in Biddeford Pool on Wednesday. Andrusic is also a photographer who, like Gutmann, has an extensive gallery of his work on the Web. Gutmann's photos are primarily shots of birds and wildflowers.
Gutmann's research interests reflected his concern about finding better ways to teach math. His dissertation examined the socialization of new faculty members in a mathematics department.
In other research projects, he examined how being tutors shaped students' feelings about math and themselves as learners of math.
Besides his academic interests, Gutmann had a great fondness for animals, particularly his German shepherd, Red, which he adopted from the New Hampshire Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. Gutmann volunteered with the group throughout his time in graduate school and after he became a professor, walking dogs, cleaning kennels and designing the group's Web site.
Staff Writer Seth Harkness can be contacted at 282-8225 or at:
Reader comments
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to those of you who feel the need to fill your dull lives with CSI influenced HOO-HA about people you do not know... get a life!
have a little class. have a little compassion. think before you speak!
i have known tim since kindergarten, and i can assure you that he and his friend were well prepared for their excursion and that drugs, alcohol or foul play were in no way a factor. tim was a gifted and remarkable human being. he was surrounded by good people who knew they were blessed to have him as a friend. he was simply out enjoying nature with his dear friend and the unpredictable and relentless forces of mother nature took him. that is all. leave his friend alone to mourn in peace. my heart goes out to his folks, his little sister and to all who knew him. he will be missed.report abuse
Who would have thought a recreational paddle would end up like this?report abuse
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