Kay Sawyer Hannah
The Class of 1960 Scholarship for the 2018-2019 academic year was awarded to sophomores Courtney Reddish of Canton, MA, and Drew St. Jean of Stillwater. Courtney is majoring in communication sciences and disorders and is the granddaughter of the late Elaine Higgins Reddish ’72G, who worked as a teacher in the Mt. Desert Island school system. Drew is majoring in electrical engineering. Our class received a letter of appreciation from the Office of Student Financial Aid for its continued commitment and generous support of scholarship assistance.
A Lifetime Achievement Award was presented from the Houlton Rotary Club to Bob Anderson in June 2018 with many members of his family and friends attending. Following his degree in agriculture and engineering, Bob joined the F.A. Peabody Company in Houlton and in 1967 took its reins when it had 10 employees. It now has 92, and nine offices around Maine. Besides being a member of the Masonic Lodge, the Shriners, and the Houlton Lodge of Elks, he was on the boards of the Maine Public Service for 20 years and the Katahdin Trust Company for over 30 years. Instrumental in the creation of the Houlton Regional Health Services Foundation, Riverfront Park, and Gateway Crossing Bridge, he is currently involved with the Putnam House and he continues being credited with making Houlton a better place to live.
Cal Thomas ’68G, a former Maine Public Broadcasting executive, has followed the release of his 2015 book, A Stradivari Affair, with the series’ second spy thriller entitled Decoy, found at Amazon and select bookstores. Following a career in NYC of financing international TV productions, Cal started co-writing travel articles and later novels, in which he draws upon his military intelligence experience and being an executive producer of international programs for such networks as PBS, BBC, and NHK. Laurel Hoyt Blaney of Santa Cruz, CA, and Meg Thompson Villarreal ’61 attended his book reading and signing in October.
Fred Varricchio and his wife, Claudette, of Wakefield, RI, enjoyed their 10-day trip to Cuba. In January they again made their three-week trip to Vallarta, Mexico. Fred tells us that Joanie Philbrook Miller and husband, Bill, of Bedford, MA, spent more time at their summer home in the Rockland area last summer. Joanie keeps in touch with Jan Hourin Adams of Auburn, MA, who is reportedly fine and especially enjoys her grandchildren.
My husband, Pete Hannah ’59, and I enjoyed a mini-reunion with Gail Rae Carter and Art ’61 and Debbie Arnold Parlin at the Bradley Inn, near Pemaquid Point, in October. Sadly, a few months later on February 17 the Parlins suffered the sudden accidental loss of their daughter, Wendy Kiritsy.
In late October our daughter and grandson made a trip with Pete and me to Montreal and north to MorinHeights, both places where the Hannah family had lived until they moved to the states when Pete was 12.We took lots of photos and even found some woodcarvings made by his family at the Morin Heights Historical Association. In the past year as members and past presidents of the Old Bristol Historical Society, we’ve been involved with the development of a historic local saw mill for future public access. It was recently purchased by the Damariscotta River Association and leased to the society.
My cousin Tade Osier Cross tells me she plans to drive from North Carolina with her dog and cat to her home in New Harbor this summer providing she finds someone to ride with her. She is especially looking forward to it because she missed last summer.
Class president Ace Conroe in several trips to Orono has had the honor of being able to meet with the new president, the new athletic director, Jeff Mills ’82 of the UMaine Foundation, John Diamond ’77, ’89G of the Alumni Association, the editor of The Campus, and the Commanding Officer of ROTC, as well as several academic department heads. In October Ace enthusiastically attended the UMaine Hall of Fame induction ceremony honoring Will Spencer ’61, among others, as he was on the same undefeated mile relay team.
Please don’t hesitate to send me your news, classmates, as we are all interested in YOU!