Over 25 class members attended our 55th Reunion in September with other Senior Alumni. There were dinners, lunches, tours, a gathering with the provost and president, as well as entertainment, dinner at Pat’s, and more. The big finale was the Maine football game where the Bears trounced Stony Brook with a final score of 56-28.
During our class meeting it was decided to add contributions from our class funds to two existing scholarship funds, the David Rittenhouse Class of 1968 Scholarship, and the Carli Burke Memorial Scholarship Fund.
The distribution for the Rittenhouse Scholarship, academic year 1923-24, is $1,428 to recipient Meredyth Waters, a junior from Trumbull, CT, majoring in political science and the grandchild of Carol Smith Austin ’81G. The Carli Burke Memorial Scholarship recipient for the academic year 2023 – 2024 is Liam Swift, a junior majoring in social work from Bucksport, ME.
Our class appreciates the service of our class officers and the roles they played in planning the Reunion. This includes president, Tony Filauro; vice president, Shirley McCarthy; secretary, Donna Porter Erikson; treasurer, Gordon “Eric” Erikson; and fundraising chair, William Horner. Donna Porter Erikson and Beckie Joncas Bourque gave updates concerning their roles with the Senior Alumni.
Penny Robinson Blaisdell wrote how much she enjoyed catching up with fellow Phi Mu sorority sisters Donna Porter Erikson, Beckie Joncas Bourque, and Peggie Basso Hoffman (whom she had not seen in 55 years!). It was like time had never passed.
“We all agreed that we need to have a grand 60th Reunion in 2028 but members of the class are encouraged to have informal gatherings in their respective locations, if possible, in the interim years. There are also some thoughts of trying to have a reunion in midcoast Maine next year,” she wrote.
And thank you to Ashley Twombly ’10, ’12G, Steve Rideout, and the numerous others it took to create a successful Reunion. A memorial tribute to Suzanne Kay Hart was given in the Treat Room of the Buchanan Alumni House, acknowledging Suzanne’s commitment to the UMaine Alumni Association where she has been greatly missed but will be well-remembered for her willingness to give of her time and generosity.
We enjoyed hearing from Kenneth Leach, who is now retired from United Technologies Pratt and Whitney. He and his wife, Barbara Leach, a 1968 graduate of Springfield College, reside in Tolland, CT.
We are always delighted to hear from our classmates, so please stay in touch.