Not only is Freeport, ME, gorgeous, but about 14 of your classmates met there last June for a mini-reunion. Class President Peter and Mary Thomas Bourque ’65, Jackie Towle Anderson and husband, Bob Anderson, Ken Beal and his wife, Helen Johnston Beal ’66, Bill Brewer and his wife, Sandy, Linda Beam Clapp, Norman French, Ellen Clapp Labbe ’92, Debbie Burr Richardson, Lloyd Weaver, and yours truly enjoyed sharing togetherness and held a brief class meeting to determine funding of our class legacy. Our class, like other classes, has a scholarship fund for providing financial support to our class’s children and others, particularly to those who are financially unable to seek a continuous study experience without financial aid. With recognition of the enormous costs of education and housing, it is hoped that if each of us can make even a small donation to the class fund, if substantial is not possible, with 900 members of the Class of ’64 still living, we could make a big difference to many people. High school used to be critical to career dreams. Now college degrees are critical.
Do you remember the “Maine Stein Song”? I learned that it has been edited to respect modern thought. “Let every loyal Maine man sing” has been converted to “Let every loyal Maine fan sing” and “To the girls who will love us some day” is now “To the ones who will love us some day.” So get it right and get up to date!
I am sure you all learned the same thing: retirement means an entire shift in your life and often finding new purpose. And hitting 80 this year was absurd, so I decided to do 60 instead. The focus is so much more expanded than the original age. So I am asking, if you have found wonderful ways to keep sunshine and purpose in your life, please share with your classmates. Even little things like phone calls can make smiles in this world.
Paul Sherburne wrote that with 20 years of retirement he is now living full-time freedom in sunny Florida with one daughter on each coast and two grandkids with each. He is doing crafts, writing (look at paulsherburne.com for bio and fascinating books), and fishing near Tampa Bay. Judy Joel Tardiff, known in her town of Raleigh, NC, as Proud Granny Judy, is celebrating the achievement of one of her grands, Madeline Underwood. Madeline has been cast (beating out 2,000 other auditioners) in Hits the Musical, which will leave for performances all over the country next spring. More info at thehitstour.com/. Until this time, Judy’s biggest brags were marrying Kenny Tardiff ’63 and being my college roommate. Sigh.
Donald Quigley just reported that he and a gathering of classmates from The County who went to Central Aroostook High School (current name) included some UMaine grads including Robert and Jackie Towle Anderson, Ray Mersereau, Dave Hitchcock ’65, ’66G, and Craig Turner. Some traveled from New York, Connecticut, and California! And some of them were celebrating their 75th anniversary of entering kindergarten together.
Peter Pullen reports: “My wife Jo Ann and I are doing well, spending six months in Lecanto, FL, and about six months in Monson, ME, at our camp on Lake Hebron. This was the 200th anniversary of Monson with many events running each month and lots of visits from family and friends, so we were never bored! I noticed in the Bangor Daily News that Jim Ferland a ’64 member had the new engineering building named for him and his wife, Eileen. A Maine Hello to all ’64ers.”
Mary Holmes Davis, who now lives in Maryland about 30 minutes from Washington, D.C., enjoys walking every day through a national park overlooking the Potomac, and looks across to where her daughter Amy lives in Alexandria, VA. Mary worked for the federal government for 38 years, after earning her master’s in Russian and Eastern European history, while her late husband sung for 20 years with the U.S. Navy Band “The Sea Chanters.”
Mary reports that her longtime UMO friends, Sheila Striar and Ann True Ladd have traveled with her to Santa Fe, Quebec City, and Colonial Williamsburg. Sheila and Ann started as teachers in Guilford, ME, then moved to Massachusetts. Sheila worked in guidance counseling, retiring as head of the guidance department of a middle school, and retired outside of Boston, where she is active in her synagogue. Ann left Massachusetts and was a juvenile probation officer for the state of Maine. She has two sons — one is also a UMO grad and the other graduated from the U.S. Air Force Academy, and after 20 years of Air Force officer-ing, now lives with his family in Kennebunk. Ann retired to Rangeley, ME, and also has a nurse daughter with four children. Mary’s Alpha /Chi Omega sorority sister, Elaine Penley Emery and husband, Norman, were both members of the ’64 class. Elaine proudly counts four generations of her family of UMO alums. Elaine was a nurse and church organist for 50 years and her husband has retired from the former Penley Brothers business.