The UMaine Sports Hall of Fame has some illustrious members, from Harold Alfond to John Zollo ’49; how about Mike Bordick ’88, Cindy Blodgett ‘98, and Bill Swift ’84? Well, the Class of 2000 now has some bragging rights, with the recent announcement that Aaron Dashiell has joined their ranks. In 2000, Aaron became the first member of his family to graduate from college, and used his degree to forge a successful career as assistant director of athletics and student-athlete development at Holy Cross. During his time under Coach Jack Cosgrove ’78, ‘84G, Aaron twice earned AP All-America and first-team, all-conference accolades. “He was a very smart player and he had a gift that we call instincts,” Cosgrove recalled. Aaron now lives in Worcester, MA, with his wife, Joanne Curtis Dashiell ’01, ‘03G, a Belfast native, and their sons Theo (12) and Myles (8).
Ben Guité is no stranger to the ice at Alfond Arena, having served an important role on the 1999 championship team, and serving as assistant and then associate head coach of the Black Bears for the past eight seasons. Ben also enjoyed a successful career in the NHL, and has returned to the world of professional hockey as head coach of the ECHL’s Portland-based Maine Mariners. Equivalent to Double-A baseball, the ECHL is known for both competitive play and as a stepping stone towards the NHL.
William Post has taken the county administrator position for Sagadahoc County. He previously served as town manager in Rockport, Bowdoinham, and Waldoboro. According to Rockport Select Board Chair, Debra Hall, “Bill has been an excellent town manager during the 20 months he has been at the helm. His financial skills and wealth of experience from previous leadership positions have been invaluable to the town.”
It’s one thing to be successful, but it’s another to selflessly give back to your community, and Dan Cashman and his wife, Karen Sanborn Cashman ’02, are doing just that. The Cashmans launched their program Dirigo Reads in 2019, aiming to provide a free book per month to first-graders in participating schools around the state. The campaign gave out more than 8,000 books last year, and two dozen more schools recently joined the program! That makes 50 participating schools for the 2021-22 school year.
After her turn as a star track and field and cross-country athlete during her time at UMaine, Vanessa McGowan ’03G continues to rack up accomplishments. Vanessa earned 12 varsity letters, was inducted into the UMaine Sports Hall of Fame, and still holds the university’s 800m record. After UMaine, Vanessa went to medical school and most recently began work as a practicing physician in Sacramento, CA.
Jeff Joyce was made a shareholder of Eaton Peabody law firm at their annual shareholders meeting. As a registered patent attorney based in Portland, Jeff has authored more than 800 trademark applications, and has engaged in dozens of trademark enforcement actions in countries such as Canada, Australia, China, Brazil, and throughout Europe. According to firm president David Austin ’90, “Jeff’s Intellectual Property Practice has greatly expanded the scope and quality of services we can offer to our clients. I am confident he will continue to be an important part of our firm for years to come.”
As a newly elected member of the Maine Basketball Hall of Fame, Andy Bedard is getting the chance to look back on his many successes, from a State Championship at Mountain Valley High School in 1994, to twice being selected second-team All-New England and then a first-team All-America East pick in his senior year. According to his UMaine coach, John Giannini, “The less important part is his basketball impact, which was enormous. He spearheaded the turnaround in our Maine program, he led us to the best record and team in Maine basketball history. He was off the charts as a leader, teammate, and player. I think he’s a wonderful father, husband, and friend.”
I hope to hear from more of our Class of 2000 alumni in the coming months! Y’all have a great winter.