Our classmate Bob Clark reports that he and his high school sweetheart-now-wife, Sandy, are planning to celebrate their 58th wedding anniversary in Las Vegas, if this challenging world we are now in allows. Their life has given them three wonderful children and nine grands, who all visit them Down East in Grand Lake during the summer and at Bradenton, FL, during spring break. Their oldest is headed to Iowa State University for his master’s in aerospace engineering — fascinating career with the U.S. back in space. Wonder if he has Elon Musk’s phone number. Such different career possibilities than we faced at the beginning of the ’60s. He confesses they are still Pat’s Pizza customers every time they have a chance — not everything changes!
We will all mourn the loss of Nancy Barnes Hill, a ’64 grad in sociology who then earned her master’s in social work, followed by her Juris Doctorate in 1976. She was a scion of the U.S. Dept. of Veterans Affairs for over 25 years. Respecting the historical focus of her New England upbringing, she was a member of the D.A.R. and the Mayflower Society and was an adjunct professor at the University of South Carolina College of Social Work and Florida State’s College of Social Work. She lectured in several foreign countries. Nancy was living in Mt. Pleasant, SC, and a member of our Class of ’64 Executive Committee with intentions of increasing the scholarship fund. Might be a great way to remember her, if you choose. Peter Bourque at peterbourque@myfairpoint.net can tell you how to do that.
A Class of ’65 UMO alumnus contacted me about organizing a University of Maine group in San Diego. I only have one person on my list beside myself in SoCal, so if you are here from ANY UMaine class, please let me know so we can group with you, when we can group safely. The experts talk about people of our age being more susceptible to the virus, but I figure they did not trek to classes in minus 12 degrees in a skirt, before pants were allowed! We are strong! Being a San Diegan, but a New Englander by my early years, I was fascinated to learn that the first-ever San Diego newspaper was issued 170 years ago, published by a tall then-30-year-old Yankee. He was a native of Calais, ME, who after voyaging to Liverpool and back as second mate on one of his father’s Calais vessels, joined a newspaper in Boston. In 1848, he, John Judson Ames, went to Baton Rouge, LA, and started a Whig paper during Gen. Zachary Taylor’s campaign for the presidency. The story of his sinking boat with all his expensive printing equipment off Baton Rouge, and then losing the second supply in San Francisco during the big fire, exhibits his typical Yankee determination and grit.
I absolutely need your stories for our next column. Please call, write, or email me; I am always eager to hear about the extraordinary people who were smart enough to choose the University of Maine.
Oh! Our major league baseball team, the San Diego Padres, is featuring an announcer who graduated not long ago from UMaine! As a pro baseball player, Mark Sweeney ’91 ranks second in career pinch hits with 175 and first in career pinch hit runs batted in with 102. Every touch is so savored.
Let me know your news, I am all ready!