Hi, all! So many exciting things happened on campus this past year. The Ferland Education and Engineering Design Center opened for the fall 2022 semester. This building has gorgeous space for our engineering students and is an attractive recruiting tool for prospective students. The Advanced Structures and Composite Center printed a 3-D building. It is a sweet small house and worth a visit next time you’re on campus. The men’s ice hockey, basketball, and baseball teams enjoyed their best seasons in years. Check out campus next time you are in the area!
As I noted in my last column, my husband and I went to Slovakia in October. We had a fabulous trip, traveling to Bratislava, Trnava, Namestovo, and the High Tatras Mountains. It is a lovely country, and the Slovakians are friendly and very proud of their homeland. We also visited Vienna and Prague for a couple of days — both beautiful, vibrant cities. We had a great trip!
I heard from Troy Harrison, who has spent 28 years as a technical sales manager for BP Castrol. He lives in Rye Beach, NH, with his wife, Robyne. They enjoy time with their children and grandchildren, who are spread across the country. Troy and Robyne enjoy time at the beach, biking along the Maine-New Hampshire seacoast, vacationing in the Dominican Republic and Bar Harbor, and hiking and skiing in the White Mountains.
I’ve also communicated with Mike Saucier, who was one of my accounting buddies at UMaine. He and his wife have been married for nine years and live in Colorado with their two dogs. They enjoy traveling, hiking, boating, skiing, and music concerts. Mike has worked for Oracle for over 28 years in various product development roles in Denver. He is currently in a product strategy role supporting the Oracle Cloud products. Prior to that, he worked for United Technologies as a plant accountant and controller, working in Connecticut and South Carolina.
Peter Gore has joined Maine Street Solutions as a senior government relations specialist. For the past 28 years, Peter was at the Maine State Chamber of Commerce, initially as a senior governmental affairs specialist, and most recently as the executive vice president for advocacy and government relations. In that role, he represented more than 5,000 business members before the Maine Legislature, the Office of the Governor, and the public regarding workers compensation law, labor/management issues, healthcare and health insurance, and economic development topics.
Allen Insurance and Financial has named Peter Williams as senior vice president for commercial lines. Peter has been with Allen since 1990 and previously served as a company vice president and commercial lines producer and is known for his work with some of Maine and New England’s largest and most complex insurance risks. Allen is Maine’s largest employee-owned independent insurance and financial services agency.
President Biden has appointed Donald Soctomah as an alternate commission member of the Roosevelt Campobello International Park Commission. Donald has worked with the US Forest Service and the Passamaquoddy Forestry Department. He was elected to the Maine Legislature for eight years, serving as the Passamaquoddy Legislative Representative, and is currently working as the tribal historic preservation officer with the Passamaquoddy Tribe. He is the author of a children’s book titled Remember Me, which tells the story of a young Franklin Roosevelt and Passamaquoddy Chief Tomah Joseph on Campobello Island.
Congratulations to Gina Ferazzi, who won Photographer of the Year at the Press Photographers Association of Greater Los Angeles. Gina, a photojournalist for the Los Angeles Times, created a powerful storytelling photo essay “End of Roe vs. Wade.” You can see her photos at: tinyurl.com/dkjue8s5.
Patrick Dunn started a new job last fall as the senior director of Global Disaster Recovery for Broadridge Financial in Windsor, CA. He is involved in the Windsor Rotary Club and is the president of the San Francisco Bay Chapter of the Association of Continuity Professionals.
I am watching the hockey playoffs between Seattle and Dallas, and Todd Bjorkstrand’s ’86 son, Oliver, plays for the Seattle Kraken!
Thank you for all the notes and emails! As I say in each issue, many of our classmates read the alumni magazine — please send along your news!