In remembrance of our classmate: Dr. James F. Doughty ‘68G, ’82 C.A.S., superintendent of the Bangor schools from 1987 to 2000, passed away in March 2022. During his administration, he instituted programs that created rising graduation rates and improved test scores. The James F. Doughty Middle School in Bangor was named in his honor.
It was good to hear from our classmate H. Roy Kaplan, Ph.D., who earned a master’s degree in sociology from the University of Maine in ’68. He was an instructor of sociology that year and continued to earn his doctorate in sociology at the University of Massachusetts in 1970. From 1989 to 2004 he served as the executive director of The National Conference of Christians and Jews, for the Tampa Bay region. He has taught as a professor of sociology for over 40 years at the State University of New York at Buffalo, the Florida Institute of Technology, and the University of South Florida, Tampa. His book, American Indians at the Margins: Racist Stereotypes and Their Impact on Native Peoples, was published recently. His contact information is hrkaplan@live.com.
We received this reminiscence from Stephen Harvey ’74G: “I have fond memories of the dean, faculty, and administrative staff at the ed building. Not living on campus, I had to park in the lot by the river. It was a long, cold ride coming from Hampden to Orono in my Volkswagen. Occasionally I would find a “secret” place on campus until security found me and put a warning under my wiper. Blessings to all.”
- Allan Butterfield visited the Orono campus in September to give the Distinguished Science Lecture about his research on Alzheimer’s disease. Allan is associate vice president for research for centers and institutes and for research priority areas at the University of Kentucky. He also teaches biological chemistry. His research changed the paradigm for understanding the pathogenesis and progression of Alzheimer’s disease to include oxidative damage as a key factor.
As your column writer, I have a summer experience to share: My husband and I held a picnic in our front yard. Our road, the Ludlow Road, which is in Aroostook County, is part of the Appalachian Trail. Just as our picnic began, we looked toward the road to see a hiker passing by. Tom (from Oklahoma) joined us for lunch and told us all about his trek. He started hiking along the International Appalachian Trail in December 2021 in Florida, had climbed Mt. Katahdin a few days earlier, and was headed to the end of the trail, which is in Newfoundland. Since I am somewhat of an expert about the Appalachian Trail, having written a story about it during spring of this year, “Drone-Girl, Hansel and Gretel and the Appalachian Trail” (https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Part-2-Drone-Girl-Hansel-and-Gretel-and-the-Appalachian-Trail-7691028), I was absolutely astounded to meet a real-live-person who had taken on the challenging feat of hiking the trail.
I will close my column with a recent bit of enlightenment. A few years ago, while attending our 50th class Reunion, just prior to delving into the banquet, our group broke into song with a rendition of the “Stein Song.” As I sang along, I recalled how I felt the first time I sang the “Stein Song,” which was in 1964 when I was an undergraduate. When I came to the words, ”let every loyal Maine man sing” and “to the girls who will love us someday,” I felt an odd sense of exclusion, or a bit of an identity crisis, since I was a woman singing these words. Interestingly, most of my classmates used those very lyrics during our 50th Reunion, which prompted me to have a conversation with Dr. Philip B. Edelman, the current director of the school of performing arts, where I learned that the original lyrics were changed during the late ’90s to “let every loyal Maine fan sing” and “to the ones who will love us someday.” I am proud that my alma mater has been receptive to the importance of inclusion.
To “the college of our hearts always!”
Classmates, please stay in touch through my email address: Bejuwi@aol.com.