When I received the contact list for our class from the alumni office, there were several college friends I had never kept in touch with. One was Julia Nutting from Castine. I had the clearest memory of us walking across the old part of the campus, carrying our books, and laughing about something as we made our way back to our dorm.
Her married name is Julia Nutting Green. There was no email address listed, so I tried the phone number. It was no longer in service. Her address was in Alabama, so I decided to write her a letter. I sent her my phone number and email address, hoping she would respond.
A few days later I received this email: “What a treat! I saw your name on the envelope and was flooded with memories.”
“Never thought I’d wind up in south Alabama, but here we are,” she wrote. “Grits, peanuts growing in the field, and a lot of y’all; it’s all interesting.”
Turns out she and her husband, Tom A. Green ’68, have been married for 53 years and have two daughters. They were active-duty army for 30 years, moved 20 times, and spent six years in Germany, which they loved. Their younger daughter is a host on QVC, so she “gets to see her” quite often.
Cathy Barrett ’70G was another good friend I met when my family moved to Portland my junior year in high school. I met Cathy soon after I enrolled at Deering. I had seen her a few times over the years, once on Long Island (Maine, that is, in Portland Harbor) and another time at an apartment when she and her husband, Charles Lane ’60, invited me to dinner.
I first tried her email, but it bounced back. Recognizing that the first three numbers of her phone number was probably a Portland land line, I called, and Charles answered. Remarkably, when I said my name was Paula, “an old friend from Deering,” he surprised me by remembering that he and Cathy had invited me to dinner many years ago at their South Portland apartment.
Cathy retired from teaching 19 years ago after a 25-year career that took her to Longfellow, Nathan Clifford, and Lyseth, all Portland schools. Her husband is retired after his career as an attorney. Their son, Michael, followed in his father’s footsteps, working for Preti Flaherty and living in the town of Damariscotta.
A few years ago, a 10-day trip to Ireland and Scotland with daughter Megan, her husband, and two grandchildren had a scary ending when Cathy came down with Covid. Fortunately, Megan, a nurse practitioner, got her into Mercy Hospital as soon as they returned. Their most recent travels have been on river boat cruises in Europe, which they absolutely loved — one on the Seine, and another on the Danube.
Patty Cochrane still lives in Bangor, where she was a teacher for 35 years. Not ready to slow down after she retired, she went to work for the Maine Tourism Association at a visitor information booth in Hermon, telling people about the great state of Maine.
Asked if there were any questions that surprised her, she said one woman “from away” told her she wanted to get some lobster, but “she didn’t want to touch it.” Patty advised that she could go to a restaurant that serves “lazy lobster,” without having to handle it or crack open the shell.
She also had a recent health scare, a fall which she is now recovering from, with help from an instructor who teaches resistance therapy.
Cheri English Day is enjoying her retired but very busy life in Green Valley, AZ, where her husband, Steve Day, is a widely known artist for his paintings of landscapes in the southwest.
Cheri was a computer programmer analyst for Lockheed Martin for 25 years, with moves to Arkansas, Texas, Wyoming, and Denver before landing in Green Valley, where she is president of a 350-member HOA (Homeowners Association). She and husband, Steve, enjoy occasional trips to art exhibits in the area and volunteer for a number of organizations, including the Animal League.
They’re planning a trip to Maine this summer to see Cheri’s brother, Wes English ’57, a retired physician, who is opening a “music barn” in Bridgton.
Last of all, I would like to thank Kathryn Olmstead for her wonderful article about Don Carrigan ’74 in the last issue of the alumni magazine. I saw Don frequently in Lincoln County when I was a reporter and editor of the Wiscasset Newspaper. I had no idea he was in the Class of ’74. I repeat what Pat Callaghan said about him: “He is one of the most trusted and respected reporters ever to hit the airwaves in Maine.”
And, if you, like me, start wondering where some of your old Maine friends are, send me an email. I’ll work with the Alumni Association and try to help you find them.