Rabies clinic benefits food pantry

Area dog and cat owners are invited to participate in Vassalboro Food Pantry’s annual rabies clinic from noon to 1 p.m. on Saturday, November 10, at the food pantry located at 679 Main St.

This annual event is one of the pantry’s important fundraisers, allowing the pantry to purchase critical food and hygiene items for community members in need. Rabies vaccine for dogs and cats will be administered by Windsor Veterinary Clinic for a $15 fee per animal. New this year, nail trims will be offered for $10 for qualifying animals. Animals that are aggressive or typically require sedation for nail trims will not be serviced. Animals must be leashed or in carriers. Dog licenses will also be available.

For more information, call 873-7375 and leave message, or email vassalborofsp@gmail.com.

Legal Notices, Week of November 8, 2018

STATE OF MAINE
SOMERSET, ss.

STEPHEN A. STAPLES, Plaintiff,
V.
CHRISTOPHER B. JOHNSON, Defendant.

DISTRICT COURT
LOCATION: SKOWHEGAN
CIVIL ACTION
DOCKET NO: RE-2018-065

ORDER PERMITTING
SERVICE BY
PUBLICATION
M.R. CIV. P. 4(g)

TITLE TO REAL ESTATE IS INVOLVED

TAX MAP S03, PLAN 2, LOT 32
CARRYING PLACE TOWNSHIP
BOOK 793, PAGE 361

A Complaint has been filed with the Court against Defendant CHRISTOPHER B. JOHNSON, which requires personal service in accordance with Rule 4(d) of the Maine Rules of Civil Procedure.

Upon motion, the Court hereby ORDERS:

That service cannot be made upon CHRISTOPHER B. JOHNSON in any of the usual manners prescribed by Rule 4 despite the due diligence of the Plaintiff. Service shall therefore be made upon CHRISTOPHER B. JOHNSON and all those who claim or may claim by, through, or under CHRISTOPHER B. JOHNSON by publishing this Order once a week for three (3) successive weeks in a newspaper of general circulation in the County of Somerset, the county in which the property at issue in the Complaint is located.

The first publication shall be made within twenty (20) days after this order is issued. Service by publication shall be complete on the twenty-first (21st) day after the first publication.

The publication shall read:

Plaintiff seeks a judgment in Skowhegan District Court against CHRISTOPHER B. JOHNSON to quiet the title of certain property now owned by Stephen A. Staples as a result of adverse possession, said property being located at TAX MAP S03, PLAN 2, LOT 32, CARRYING PLACE TOWNSHIP

The property at issue in the Complaint consists of the property described in the deed recorded at Book 793, Page 361 at the Somerset County Registry of Deeds.

A copy of the complaint to quiet title may be obtained from Plaintiff’s attorney at the address and number below.

If you wish to oppose this lawsuit, you or your attorney MUST PREPARE AND SERVE A WRITTEN ANSWER to the complaint WITHIN TWENTY (20) DAYS after service is completed by the foregoing method.

You or your attorney must serve your answer by delivering a copy of it in person or by mail to the Plaintiff’s attorney, Bryan B. Ward, of the firm of O’Donnell Lee, 112 Silver Street, Waterville, Maine. You or your attorney must also file the original of your answer with the Court by mailing it to the following address: Skowhegan District Court, 47 Court Street, Skowhegan, Maine, before or within a reasonable time after it is served.

IMPORTANT WARNING: IF YOU FAIL TO SERVE AN ANSWER WITHIN THE TIME STATED ABOVE OR IF, AFTER YOU ANSWER, YOU FAIL TO APPEAR AT ANY TIME THE COURT NOTIFIES YOU TO DO SO, A JUDGMENT BY DEFAULT MAY BE ENTERED AGAINST YOU IN YOUR ABSENCE FOR THE RELIEF DEMANDED IN THE COMPLAINT. IF YOU INTEND TO OPPOSE THIS LAWSUIT, DO NOT FAIL TO ANSWER WITHIN THE REQUIRED TIME.

IF YOU BELIEVE THE PLAINTIFF IS NOT ENTITLED TO ALL OR PART OF THE CLAIM SET FORTH IN THE COMPLAINT OR IF YOU BELIEVE YOU HAVE A CLAIM OF YOUR OWN AGAINST THE PLAINTIFF, YOU SHOULD TALK TO A LAWYER. IF YOU FEEL YOU CANNOT AFFORD TO PAY A FEE TO A LAWYER, YOU MAY ASK THE COURT FOR INFORMATION AS TO PLACES WHERE YOU MAY SEEK LEGAL ASSISTANCE.

Dated: 10/26/2018
/s/ The Honorable Thomas Nale, Judge, District Court
Plaintiff’s Attorney: Bryan B. Ward, O’Donnell and Lee
112 Silver Street
Waterville, Maine 04901
Telephone: (207) 872-0112
(11/22)

I’M JUST CURIOUS: T-shirt sayings and confessions

by Debbie Walker

I was not going to do anymore of the T-shirt sayings, honestly I didn’t think there could be anymore out there. Wrong! A couple of them are my all-time favorites. Hope you find a favorite, so far that seems to have be this one: “Training your wife is like trying to baptize your cat!” Let’s see if any of these make you smile.

Physically I’m here; mentally I’m in a galaxy far away.
It’s a beautiful day. I think I’ll skip my meds and stir things up a bit.
I can’t play stupid with you. You’re too good at it.
Mister Rodgers did not adequately prepare me for the people in my neighborhood.
I had my patience tested, I’m negative.
Whew that was close, almost had to socialize.
Crazy is like diarrhea, you can only hold it in for so long.
Keep talking. I’m diagnosing you.
Once in a while someone amazing comes along. Here I am.
Daddio of the Patio
A little gray hair is a small price to pay for all this wisdom!
75 percent of my brain capacity is wasted on song lyrics.
My Bucket List: 1. Keep Breathing
Pretty sure I’m going to be one of those senior citizens who bites everyone.
PUNK: Professional Uncle No Kids
Fun Fact: Alcohol increases the size of the send button by 86 percent.
Life is too short to waste time matching socks.
Okay, so maybe there are more than a couple of new ones I really appreciated:
Hello, Yes. I’d like a refund on my body… It’s kinda defective and really expensive.
Tomorrow – A mythical land where I get all my stuff done. (Just way too true).
Okay now for my two top favorites!
I’m more confused than a chameleon in a bag of Skittles
*** Go Braless …. It will pull the wrinkles out of your face!***

The response to my column last week, about collections, certainly hit home with a lot of people. Ken, my significant other, also found out he was not alone in questioning the ‘hoarding’ possibility. I did make a reference to my having a lot of interests. So next you will probably find out more than you will need to continue to support Ken.

I have wigs!! Some I really enjoy and wear often. There are many others that I save just for wearing to school in some of the stories I ‘act out’ for the kids or for a holiday like green for St Patrick’s Day, red or pink for Valentine’s Day, etc. Some of those my mom actually bought!

I have junk jewelry, when I buy some new piece of clothing I can usually come home and pull out earrings to match. I have been collecting those for at least 50 years! (Man I am getting OLD). In the past few years I have added watches, rings, and the list goes on. I also buy it cheap to take apart and make something else for gifts. I have been known to buy earrings to paint different colors; I use nail polish for colors!

Books, as I mentioned last week, play a big part in my clutter. Books about fairies, Native American nations, kids’ books, my collection of Farmer’s Almanacs, clothes, and the list goes on, really. I am sure you are getting a clear picture and I am running out of this week’s words.

I’m just curious how much you will confess to collecting. Contact me at dwdaffy@yahoo.com with questions, comments and confessions!

REVIEW POTPOURRI – Musician: Louis Armstrong; Composer: Berlioz

Peter Catesby Peter Cates

Louis Armstrong

Early Satch
Philips 429739BE, 45 ep, extended play, Holland release. Originally 78s from 1927-1928.

Louis Armstrong

Four sides from the group known as the Louis Armstrong Hot Five are contained in this mid-’50s Dutch Philips reissue. All were recorded in Chicago; two done in May,1927 with the others in December, 1928. Several highest quality instrumentalists joined Satchmo and his second wife, pianist and singer Lil Armstrong (they duet back and forth in the classic That’s When I’ll Come Back to You).

Fatha Hines does piano turns in Chicago Breakdown and Basin Street Blues. Kid Ory’s trombone, Johnnie St. Cyr’s banjo, Don Redman’s alto sax and Baby Dodds’s and Zutty Singleton’s drums blend their unique sounds, adding to the cornet and trumpet notes that leader Armstrong mastered so thoroughly and beautifully. And the 4th track, Tight like This, is in a class of its own.

Berlioz

Harold in Italy
Violist Guenther Breitenbach with Rudolf Moralt conducting the Vienna Symphony Orchestra; Vox Pantheon 6700, mono LP, recorded 1950.

Hector Berlioz

Composer Hector Berlioz wrote this Symphony with viola obbligato for his friend, violin virtuoso and composer Niccolo Paganini. The violinist then rejected the music because it wasn’t flashy enough for him and his constant need to show off his technique. However the work has become a huge favorite since its 1834 premiere.

This oldish, antique performance and recording is very good for its time and one eloquent listening experience in its individual musicality. I bought it in 2002 for $2 at the now gone annex of the NYC Tower records at Fourth and Broadway and played it several times since then. The late Harold C. Schon­berg’s annotations are astute and engaging.

Bluebloods

Tom Selleck

I have watched the first three episodes of this show’s 8th season on Netflix, where I enjoyed the previous seven seasons immensely. Tom Selleck, as the New York City police commissioner Frank Reagan, heads a superb cast of regulars who keep the story lines moving along.

 

 

 

SOLON & BEYOND: Many craft fairs going on this time of year

Marilyn Rogers-Bull & Percyby Marilyn Rogers-Bull & Percy
grams29@tds.net
Solon, Maine 04979

Good morning my friends. Don’t worry, be happy!

Don’t forget about the Solon Congregational Craft Fair on this Saturday, November, 10, at the Solon Elementary School from 9 a.m. until 2 p.m.

Lots of these fairs going on at this time of year. There will be another one on Friday, November 9, put on by the Redington Fairview General Hospital, in Skowhegan, from 8 a.m.until 4 p.m., in the Main Lobby and the MOB (Medical Office Building lobby). There will be numerous vendors, holiday decorations, goodies, miscellaneous food items, handcrafted items: knit, crocheted, sewn, canned, painted, baked… list goes on. Jewelry, floral arrangements and more. There will be a raffle also.

The next Embden Historical Society event is scheduled for Monday, November 12, at 5:30 p.m., for a potluck meal; 6:30 p.m. business meeting and 7 p.m. Yankee Swap. Please bring a casserole or salad to pass and a $5 unisex gift wrapped and enjoy the good food, fun and fellowship. Plates, plasticware, yeast rolls, dessert and drinks will be provided.

The 2019 programs will be available to pass out at that time. Please come by to pick up yours.

The Embden Community Center will be hosting a complete Thanksgiving meal at 5 p.m., on Saturday, November 10. Donations will be welcome.

It was a sad day on Wednesday, October 31, 2018, when the doors closed at the old Solon Methodist Church as a Thrift Shop and Food Cupboard.

I went there on that day and walked in and asked Linda French, (who is my niece and knows me very well,) if I could ask one request? I could almost see her heart beating rapidly as I asked, but she calmly answered, “Yes, if you promise not to cry!” And then I followed Linda up that beautiful, ancient, old, curving stairway up to what was the worship area for many, many years…. and don’t tell Linda, but my eyes watered a bit on that trip! We stood and talked of some of our memories in that special old building. I had joined the Solon Congregational Church in that building over 60 years ago when we moved down from Flagstaff. When we moved, I had been given a letter from the Flagstaff Congregational Church, saying that I had been a member there.

And now for Percy’s memoir, (he died two years ago today):

Remember what’s Most Important…

It’s not having everything go right; it’s facing whatever goes wrong.
It’s not being without fear; it’s having the determination to go on in spite of it.
What is most important is not where you stand, but the direction you’re going in.
It’s more than never having bad moments; it’s knowing you are always bigger than the moment.
It’s believing you have already been given everything you need to handle life.
It’s not being able to rid the world of all its injustices; it’s being able to rise above them.
It’s the belief in your heart that there will always be more than bad in the world.
Remember to live just this one day and not add tomorrow’s troubles to today’s load.
Remember that every day ends and brings a new tomorrow full of exciting new things.
Love what you do, do the best you can, and always remember how much you are loved.

(words by Vickie M. Worsham.)

Vassalboro revised lease sent to historical society

by Mary Grow

Vassalboro selectmen took care, at least temporarily, of one of the three repeat issues on their Nov. 1 agenda.

The two board members present voted to send a revised draft of the town’s lease agreement with the Vassalboro Historical Society for the former East Vassalboro schoolhouse to the Historical Society, with a request for approval or suggested changes by the end of the year.

The agreement deals with what costs the town pays and what the Historical Society pays and the way the annual town allotment to the society is handled. The revisions are intended to clarify respective responsibilities and make it easier for the Society to budget.

Board Chairman Lauchlin Titus and member John Melrose discussed updated information on converting to LED streetlights and concluded the situation is still evolving, so a decision should be postponed.

At Melrose’s suggestion they tabled without discussion a revised draft description of the town police officer’s duties, which Melrose said he could not accept and assumed Titus could, creating a tie vote.

Their other decisions were to close the town office Monday, Dec. 24, as well as Christmas Day, and to schedule selectmen’s meetings for Nov. 15, Dec. 6 and Dec. 20. The transfer station will be open as usual the weekend before Christmas.

The future of emergency services dispatching generated a long discussion with Police Chief Mark Brown, Vassalboro First Responders member Peter Allen and resident Frank Hatch, who works for the Kennebec County Sheriff’s Office.

Currently several dispatch centers serve the Central Maine area, using two different systems. The systems have two parts, a public safety answering point (PSAP) that receives emergency calls and the dispatch center or centers, like the state’s Regional Communications Center (RCC) in Augusta, the sheriff’s office and the Waterville Police Department, to which PSAP employees forward the calls. The dispatch center in turn calls the appropriate law enforcement or medical service.

Vassalboro firefighter Mike Vashon thinks Maine needs to get its act together. New Hampshire has one system for the entire state, plus a backup system, he said.

Changes are impending at the state level. Towns will have a chance, and some might need, to contract with a different service, in or outside Kennebec County. Several people at the Vassalboro meeting think any change is likely to increase costs.

The state’s deadline for changes is June 30, 2019. Vassalboro is all set through the current fiscal year, which ends that day.

Selectmen agreed to invite Kennebec County Sheriff Ken Mason and RCC Director Cliff Wells to their Nov. 15 meeting to continue the discussion.

Two local World War II Navy veterans remember

Left, Albert Boynton, of Whitefield, during his WWII Navy service. Right, Boynton, at 92 years of age. (Contributed photos)

by Jeani Marquis

Seventy-three years ago, two local men took part in some of the most intense conflicts of World War II that took place within months of each other and brought U.S. troops closer to mainland Japan.

Albert R. Boynton, from Whitefield, was only 17 years old at the time and had enlisted in the Navy with his father’s permission. He turned 18 by the time he arrived at boot camp at Sampson, New York. After training, Boynton was assigned to the USS Goodhue APA-107. Their mission was to transport Marines, armaments, equipment and food and medical supplies to strategically located islands.

Carl J. Stenholm, of China, during World War II. (Contributed photo)

Carl J. Stenholm, of China, also a new naval recruit of 18 years of age, was assigned to the USS Hyman DD-732, a destroyer newly tooled from Bath Iron Works, in Maine. Their mission was to protect the transport vessels, destroy enemy aircraft and provide the gunfire to protect the Marines as they landed on the beaches.

By early February 1945, hundreds of ships were gathered from the Atlantic and Pacific theaters for long-range battle plans to strategically take over islands close to Mainland Japan. The Hyman and Goodhue were assigned to this complex offensive.

On D-Day February 19, 1945, the naval invasion surrounded the island of Iwo Jima. The USS Hyman was positioned close to shore, so close that Marines could be seen moving forward on land with flame-throwers. There would be no more practice drills for the 370-member crew on the Hyman. Standing dead in the water, their guns bombarded the shores clearing the way for the Marines fighting yard by yard on rough, unsheltered terrain.

By February 22, all but the western side of Iwo Jima had been silenced and the Marines were anxious to take Mount Suribachi that night. The Hyman was volunteered to provide the searchlight illumination for the Marine’s climb, knowing it would make their vessel an easy target. A close call by an enemy shell reminded the crew this was a night they would not forget. Through the dark, The Hyman’s 5-inch and 40-caliber guns were carefully coordinated over ship-to-shore radio to provide accurate coverage for the Marines.

At 0700, February 23, the Hyman was ordered to hold fire and the Marines would take the remainder of the hill by small armaments. Stenholm and his crew-mates didn’t realize at the time they would be witnessing history. Three hours after the Hyman was ordered to cease fire, the sounds from Marines’ gunfire and grenades on top of the hill also went silent. At 1020, a flag was raised by a small band of Marines indicating that Suribachi was ours. This event was the iconic flag raising of Iwo Jima.

On March 26, 1926, closer to Mainland Japan, the USS Goodhue arrived at Keramo Retto to put ashore troops and equipment for the upcoming invasion of Okinawa. Unfortunately, while returning to sea, the Goodhue underwent heavy air attack on the evening of April 2. The two anti-aircraft guns successfully defended the vessel from Kamikaze attack from the starboard. They were not as lucky with the attack heading dead ahead. The enemy aircraft hit the mast killing crew in the stern as it fell. Exploding bombs from the plane caused further casualties and fire aboard the vessel.

Boynton remembers hearing an announcement from the PA system, “Damage Control report to Shaft Alley,” and he knew they would be checking for leaks. He said he was very worried “he’d be going for a swim” and checked his life saving gear. Worrying would have to wait for later. Boynton was immediately sent to stretcher duty. The attack killed 27 and wounded 117. A makeshift morgue was set up in a hallway, an unsettling sight for young men’s first experience of death. Boynton vividly remembers taking a moment that night with his good friend Harry Hawkins, from Missouri, to pray. In the morning, they anchored into a calm bay with other damaged vessels. Following repairs, the Goodhue rejoined her squadron on April 10 to resume her transport duties at Okinawa.

The battles of Iwo Jima and Okinawa saw heavy casualties on both sides and were victories for the U.S. forces leading to the end of the war. Both men came home safe, yet still mourn the shipmates they lost along the journey. The memories and emotions of war run deep even after 73 years.

This Veterans Day, as you thank men and women for their service, take a moment to ask them to share their stories.

Like it was yesterday

Les Ames’ military awards displayed on the wall of his South China home. Next to the Purple Heart awarded for his World War II injury is the shrapnel responsible for the wound. (Photo by Isabelle Markley)

by Isabelle Markley

Seventy-seven years after World War II, Leslie (Les) D. Ames is sitting in the living room of his South China home recalling the December 7, 1941, radio broadcast that changed his life.

“I can remember that day as clear as yesterday. I was still in high school. You knew things weren’t ever going to be the same,” he said. Pearl Harbor had just been bombed and President Franklin D. Roosevelt declared war on Japan. “A few of my classmates left right after the announcement,” he said.

His draft notice arrived on his 18th birthday, February 18, 1943, but three deferrals allowed him to graduate from high school before reporting for service in the Army. He enlisted June 22, 1943, at Fort Devens, Massachusetts, and reported to Camp Croft, South Carolina, for 17 weeks of Infantry Basic training.

Four weeks into basic training, he was accepted into the Air Corps Flying Cadet program in Lynchburg, Virginia. “The Air Force had more planes than pilots,” Les recalled. In March 1944, his flight training came to an end when he received a telegram from General “Hap” Arnold, commanding general U.S. Army Air Force, saying, “You are further relieved from Air Force training for the convenience of the government.”

There were too many pilots and infantry divisions were needed for the escalating ground war in Europe. Assigned to the 78th Infantry Division, attached to the 310th Infantry Battalion, October 1944, found him on a Liberty ship headed to England and spending a month in the English coastal resort town of Bournemouth, practicing amphibious landings in preparation for a beach landing at Le Havre, France.

Heading north through France, Belgium and into Germany toward Aachen, he told of traveling on mud roads and along hedgerows so thick a tank would stand on end when it tried to penetrate the dense growth along the road. He spoke of the constant cold, of having no shelter from the winter weather, of K-rations instead of hot meals and of the increasing incidents of trench foot that made walking painful and difficult for the soldiers.

Wounded on January 7, 1945, when a piece of metal shrapnel went through his right arm severing bones, nerves and tendons before lodging between two of his right ribs, he was evacuated from the battlefield through France to England and eventually back to Fort Devens, where he had joined the army two years before. Thirteen months after his injury, a surgical team from Walter Reed Hospital reconstructed his right arm. “It (the surgery) was very successful, although it left me with my right arm 3/4 of an inch shorter than the left which plays heck with my golf game,” he said. After medical discharge in August 1946 he attended the University of Maine under the veteran rehabilitation program graduating with a degree in mechanical engineering.

His medals for service during World War II’s Ardennes, Rhineland and Germany Campaigns include the Purple Heart, the Bronze star and the Combat Infantryman Badge. Displayed in the same shadow frame is the piece of shrapnel that ended his battlefield experience.

Col. Steve Ball, of Windsor: Military man with a mission of peace

Col. Steve Ball wears a hat with the crossed flags of the United States and Vietnam, a memento of his time as the U.S. Defense Attaché to the country. (Photo by Eric Austin)

by Eric W. Austin

“I went to college with no intention of joining the military,” retired Army Colonel Steve Ball, a 27-year veteran of the armed forces, tells me at the start of our interview.

We’re sitting at the kitchen table of the old farmhouse in Windsor where Ball lives with his wife of 43 years, Allane. Morning light is streaming through the sliding glass doors leading out to the back patio and a blustery but beautiful fall day. The Windsor farmhouse has been in Allane’s family going back four generations.

“I needed money,” Col. Ball admits with a nostalgic chuckle. He is a silver-haired, distinguished gentleman who reminds me of Hannibal from that old television show, The A-Team. “I was working as a bartender,” he says. “I made pizzas at Pat’s. I scooped ice cream at the Student Union. I went to class and I worked. And I was really tired of that.”

So, at the end of his sophomore year at the University of Maine at Orono, Ball joined the school’s ROTC program and spent the summer attending basic training. It would be the start of a nearly three-decade career that took him from Germany to Vietnam and even to a pivotal post at the Pentagon.

As we speak, a common thread becomes clear to me. Although Mr. Ball is a military man through and through, most of his missions – at least those of most importance to him – were missions of healing rather than conflict.

But all that would come later. Now, the year is 1975. The Vietnam War has ended only a few months earlier, and feelings are still raw – both here in the United States and abroad. “Everybody had a bad taste in their mouth about the military,” he recalls. “The Vietnam War was not a popular event by any stretch. It divided the country in many ways.” He pauses, lost in thought for a moment. “It was the first time in my life that we had begun to really question the government,” he says. “The government – and the actions of the government – were no longer just accepted as right. And people began to really wonder.” He gives a wave of his hands, as if to encompass all of it. “So, I was drawn into all that. All that was a part of my formative years. That’s what defined me in many ways.”

America may have been reeling in the aftermath of the Vietnam War, but young Steve Ball was still very busy growing up. The same year he joined the ROTC, he married his high-school sweetheart and switched his college major from Forestry to History.

Two years later, he graduated from the University of Maine at Orono as an ROTC Distinguished Military Graduate.

His first military assignment was to a war-divided West Germany, as a communications officer. “It was a hard time,” he says. “We were at the height of the Cold War. The Soviet Union was amassed across what they called the ‘Fulda Gap,’ across the Iron Curtain, with their string of tanks. And we were on the other side of the Iron Curtain with our tanks. And we were a part of all that. I was very much a Cold War-soldier at that point.”

But by 1980, Ball had paid back his school loans and was ready to retreat from military life. He filed the papers to resign his commission and headed up to meet his brigade commander, Colonel Thurman D. Rogers, for an exit interview. “I took a jeep and I went up from Karlsruhe, Germany,” he says, “and drove up the Autobahn and went to Mannheim with my little packet, all dressed in my uniform, to go interview with [Col. Rogers] about this idea that I was going to get out.”

The meeting went well, but on the drive back to Karlsruhe, young Steve Ball changed his mind. Maybe it was because Colonel Rogers had pulled out a folder of his own resignation letters, written over the years. Maybe it was because Steve knew there was still work to be done. In any case, he tucked his resignation letter away and got ready for his next assignment.

From Germany, Ball was sent to train reserve troops at Fort Douglas in Utah, and then up to Fort Lewis in Washington where he joined the 1st Special Forces Group, a division of the military specializing in the Asia Pacific.

At this point, his career took a purposeful turn when he was selected to be part of the Army’s Foreign Area Officer (FAO) training program. This was a program spearheaded by General Colin Powell, then Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Powell had also been profoundly affected by his experience in Vietnam, and recognized the need for the U.S. military to better understand the lands and cultures where it was engaged.

“This was learned from Vietnam,” Ball explains. “The military needed to better understand the populations, the governments, the peoples – the areas that we’re in. We can fight wars – tactics, offense, defense – those are pretty well-taught military skillsets. People know how to do that. But what we found in Vietnam is that, when you don’t understand the population, if you don’t know the politics, when you don’t know what’s going on, you’re really hamstrung; you really aren’t as effective.

“We were trying to improve our war-fighting capability by understanding these areas,” he says. “So, I became a Southeast Asia FAO.”

It was the beginning of the second stage of his military career, and Asia would become a passion that stayed with him long after his time in the armed forces had ended.

The Army sent him to the Defense Language Institute (DLI), headquartered in Monterey, California. After a year of intensive proficiency training in the Indonesian language at the DLI, he left for a graduate program in Asian Studies at Cornell University in Ithaca, New York, where he also studied economic and political history. From there he was sent to be the U.S. student at the Malaysian Armed Forces Staff College in Kuala Lumpur, joining more than 16 other countries with representation at the college.

“I enjoyed the international-ness of it,” he says of his time in Malaysia. “Understanding other countries and their perspectives of the world, and really, their perspectives of the United States.

“The [Vietnam] War was over, but there was still a legacy – there was still a history that the U.S. was very much a part of, and it was, for many, a tortured history. It wasn’t a pleasant, fondly remembered [history]. It wasn’t like the Greatest Generation; it wasn’t like World War II. I really enjoyed understanding that from a foreign perspective.”

Ball stayed 18-months at the Malaysian Armed Forces Staff College, spending the last six months of that assignment traveling across Southeast Asia, visiting every country but Cambodia, which was still closed to foreigners, and Vietnam, which would not open up diplomatic relations with the United States until 1995.

“So, I came back from that assignment,” Ball says with a nostalgic glint in his eye, “having been wowed – my whole outlook on the world had been opened up.”

Steve Ball, now a major, was then assigned to the 7th Special Forces Group as the unit’s signal officer. After his tour with Special Forces, Ball transferred to the 18th Airborne Corps to serve as the battalion operations officer, and in 1994 he was sent to Haiti as a part of Operation Uphold Democracy, a mission to remove the military dictatorship which had seized control of the country from the elected president.

The assignment to Haiti was a combat mission, but Ball saw very little combat there. Mostly, what he saw was suffering. “I remember,” he tells me, “we were in the aircraft and we all had our flak-vests and we were all ready to go…we were all ‘locked and cocked’, ready for [combat]…and they dropped the tailgate to the plane, and we went out…and it was just a bunch of very poor, and desperate, crying and hungry people. It was a really difficult mission simply because of the amount of suffering going on.”

Following Haiti, now promoted to lieutenant colonel, Ball was selected as the battalion commander for the 78th Signal Battalion, stationed in Camp Zama, Japan. “It was wonderful,” he recalls. “We lived in Asia and we got immersed in the culture and the people – it was a wonderful tour.”

After Japan, in 1999, Ball was assigned to the PIMBS Desk at the Pentagon, where he served as a political-military policy advisor on Southeast Asia. (PIMBS stands for the Philippines, Indonesia, Malaysia, Brunei, and Singapore.)

Only a month before he arrived for his new job at the Pentagon, conflict erupted in the tiny nation of East Timor, an island located just south of Indonesia. East Timor had been colonized by Portugal in the 16th Century, but was invaded by Indonesia in 1975, just days after declaring its independence. Now, with the help of the United States and the United Nations, it was reasserting its independence once again.

Steve Ball became instrumental in the United States’ diplomatic efforts which would ultimately, in 2002, lead to the country becoming the first new sovereign state of the 21st Century. For his part in those efforts, Ball was named the Pentagon Officer of the Year.

Then, later that year, Ball was nominated to be the U.S. Defense Attaché to the newly re-opened Socialist Republic of Viet Nam.

But, before he took up that post, Ball was assigned to the Army’s academic fellowship at Georgetown University. For a year, he immersed himself in academia, teaching a class, writing papers, and living the life of an academic.

Following that, and in preparation for his new post in Vietnam, Ball headed back to the Defense Language Institute, this time DLI-East in Washington, DC, for a crash course in the Vietnamese language.

Finally, in 2002, Ball – now a full colonel – headed to Hanoi and the country that had so defined his childhood. He went there filled with trepidation. “Having been in Southeast Asia and understanding that America was seen through the lens of the Vietnam War for many people,” he remembers, “I went there thinking I would get badgered and beat up as one of the former aggressors of this country.”

But his apprehension was unfounded and the people of Vietnam welcomed Steve and his wife, Allane, with open arms. The couple spent three years in the country, Steve serving as one of the three top advisors to the American ambassador, and Allane putting her degree in International Affairs to work at the American Embassy.

Two events stick out in Ball’s mind from his time at the American Embassy in Vietnam. The first occurred in 2003, when Colonel Ball escorted Vietnam Defense Minister Phạm Văn Trà on a visit to Washington, DC, to meet General Colin Powell, then Secretary of State.

The second occurred on the occasion of the first U.S. Navy ship to visit Saigon (now Ho Chi Minh City) since the end of the war in 1975. It was a tricky situation. The Vietnamese government wanted to show China that they had a strong ally in the United States, but at the same time were worried about the appearance of a U.S. war ship in the port city after the tortured tensions of the past.

“They were trying to manage the fact that they’re forming a relationship with someone that had caused so much damage in their lives. How do you do this in a way that allows you to maintain your respect as the government, and does not heighten tensions with your nemesis, China? They finally said – reluctantly – ‘yes, you can do it, but we’re going to minimize the fanfare. We’ll just a take a few pictures for China, put it in the newspaper, and then you can go.’”

It didn’t quite go according to plan – but in a good way. “The word had gotten out,” Ball says, grinning at the memory. “When the ship pulled up Saigon River and came into view of the city, from the windows of buildings and shops facing the pier drop American flags, Vietnamese flags – people are cheering and whistling; car horns are honking. The Vietnamese went absolutely bonkers!

“It was a fascinating tribute to the people and the effort at getting past the war. The Vietnamese were desperately ready to move on,” Ball explains, still smiling. “Carrying around the baggage of an old enemy wasn’t useful to them and they had already figured that out.”

Colonel Ball would remain in Vietnam until his retirement from the military in 2005, but his time spent there would leave a permanent impression. “That assignment was the best assignment that I ever had,” he tells me. “I got the chance to really understand and work with a foreign country that had previously been an enemy. This country that had a mythological importance to so many Americans, we had now gotten to the point where we were talking about having a working and solid relationship that was meaningful for both of us, and I was proud to be a part of that.”

In 2006, Steve and Allane returned to Maine where Steve started teaching history at Erskine Academy, but Vietnam wasn’t quite done with him yet. A few years into his retirement, he received a call out-of-the-blue from a nonprofit NGO (non-governmental organization) that was interested in hiring him for a new mission to the Quang Tri province of Vietnam, along the old North/South DMZ, one of the most war-ravaged areas of the country.

“They wanted to build a school for blind and visually impaired children,” Ball says. He spent the next two years on the project. “And it’s still operating today,” he says proudly.

And Vietnam was still not done with him. Not long after completion of the school, he received another call, from another nonprofit with a new mission. “They wanted me to be the country director for a group that assists countries in dealing with unexploded bombs,” he says.

This was a major problem in Vietnam, lasting decades after the end of the war. “Twenty percent of the country was contaminated with unexploded bombs. There was more tonnage of bombs dropped in Vietnam than in all of Europe during World War II, and about ten percent of them failed to explode. There were landmines and bombs that remained in the ground,” he explains, “that farmers had to live with and work around, and they were injuring people almost every day.” He pauses, looking thoughtful. “People don’t realize how devastated and how blown apart – metaphorically and actually – Vietnam had been, and still was.”

Although he never fought in the Vietnam War, Steve Ball would be an essential part of the healing process in the years following that dreadful conflict. It taught him a lot about what it means to be American.

“What we do in America matters in the world,” he says. “People listen; people pay attention to what America does and what America says. They aren’t listening like that for every country – but for us, they are. And I think that appreciation was astounding to me. The rest of the world is listening, and watching.”

Obituaries, Week of November 8, 2018

HORACE M. CRAWFORD SR.

ALBION – Horace Maynard Crawford Sr. (Jughead), 82, passed away unexpectedly on Saturday, October 20, 2018. He was born on June 3, 1936, the son of Edgar Crawford and Ruby Parkhurst Crawford.

He grew up on the family farm in Albion.

He met Katherine Stevens, of Belgrade, they married September 7, 1953. and were happily married for 28 years, until her death in 1981.

Jughead enjoyed driving truck for Blue Rock industries for 37 years until his retirement. He enjoyed spending his time tinkering on cars, loved to go dancing and spending time with his family. After retirement he made trips to the casinos in Maine. For 25 years he was the chief of parking at the East Benton Fiddlers Convention.

He was predeceased by his parents, Edgar and Ruby Crawford; wife, Katherine, and brother, Curtis.

He is survived by daughter, Deborah and Ed Prosienski, of Florida, son, Horace Crawford Jr. and Virginia, of Albion; grandchildren, John Daly, of Brunswick, Lance Day, of Massachusetts, Melissa and Rodney-Smart, of Benton, Horace T. Crawford and financé Michelle Kramer, of Waterville; great-grandchildren, Dakota Crawford, Cameron Daly, Rodney Smart II, and Thomas Crawford; sisters, Elizabeth and Billy Fletcher, and Priscilla Bailey, and companion, Mirna Pomerelia.

Per Horace’s request, there are no visiting hours or funeral.

JOHN M FOSTER SR.

VASSALBORO – John M. Foster, Sr., 76, of Vassalboro died Tuesday, October 23, 2018, at his home. He was born in Augusta, April 11, 1942, the son of Albert Burleigh, Sr. and Eva (Merrill) Foster.

He became a truck driver at an early age and worked both short and long haul. In his spare time, he enjoyed boating on his cabin cruiser. He did some drag racing as a young man and loved his dogs. John was known as a loving, dedicated husband, father and jokester with a heart of gold and was a great provider and caretaker for his family.

Mr. Foster was predeceased by his wife, Winifred Foster; his daughters, Paula Norton and Eva Foster; his brother, Albert B. Foster, Jr. and a sister, Priscilla Beaulieu.

He is survived by his sons, Darrell Foster and his wife, Dawn, of Augusta and John M. Foster, Jr., of New York; his daughter, Tara Ann Foster, of New York; his sister, Barbara Sprague, of Sidney; his long-time companion, Sandy Esancy; his grandchildren, Larry Porter, Jennifer Glenn, Vincent Foster and Amethyst Foster; his great-grandchildren,Evan and Annabelle Foster; his ten step-grandchildren; as well as many nieces, nephews and cousins.

Arrangements are in the care of Knowlton and Hewins Funeral Home, One Church Street, Augusta.

Memories, condolences, photos and videos may be shared with the family on the obituary page of our website at www.familyfirstfuneralhomes.com.

FORD N. POWELL

WHITEFIELD – Ford Nelson Powell, 76, of Whitefield, died Tuesday, October 23, 2018. He was born April 25, 1942.

He loved spending time with and helping friends. He loved his parents, Carl Milliken and Dorothy Marston Powell, of Washington. He loved his career work in Human Services, where he accomplished much.

Ford’s ability to envision started early and continued throughout his career. He initiated and developed programs Maine did not have. In 1972 he set up the Food Stamp Program for Maine, as its first manager. In 1979 he implemented Maine’s Medicaid Program as its first director. In 1985 he developed Maine’s Third Party Liability Program, recovery that earned recognition as the top national program for seven yearss running, bringing the national conference to Maine by regaining $16 million in misspent Medicaid funds and cost-avoiding $30 million annually. He consulted privately after retiring.

Ford grew up on Stickney coroner, in Washington, without inside plumbing and with food and family insecurity. He found that running fast and being quick were critical defenses in facing neighborhood bullies. Washington’s Walker Scholarship funded his study at UMO. Raking and hauling wild blueberries, DOT road and bridge work, Farmingdale recreation supervisor, unsuccessful mechanical work with his father, and Donnelley Publishing, in Connecticut, provided early life exposure.

Retirement meant Ford could putter––drive tractor, fell trees for firewood, build encircling stone walls, act as a “road commissioner” on his mile-long driveway, and enjoy pool, poker. and travel with family and old friends: Mike, John, Jim, and Andy,

Perhaps his early life experiences made him the generous person who opened his home to many in need––Crystal, Donnie, Aunt Gladys, Sharon and Haley, Cathy, and his parents. Although his dream of playing for the Red Sox didn’t materialize, Ford, and pals, Dick Turner and Jim Tukey, instilled competitive drive in many Augusta Babe Ruth baseball players over many seasons.

Surviving are his wife of 46 years, Judy; and sisters Dale Brann and husband Doug and Wendy Carr, all of Washington, and Beth Dumas and husband Philip, of Davenport, Florida; nephews, niece and extended family.

Arrangements are in the care of Staples Funeral Home and Cremation Care, 53 Brunswick Avenue, Gardiner.

LAWRENCE A. DRAKE

BENTON – Lawrence Aubrey Drake, 76, passed away on Monday, October 29, 2018. He was born on April 28, 1942, in Fort Kent.

Lawrence was one of 20 children born to Stanley E. and Eunice (Hatt) Drake. He graduated from Fort Kent Community High School and then attended New Brunswick Bible Institute, Victoria, New Brunswick, Canada, where he met his wife of 55 years, the former Sharon Manson.

Jobs were scarce in the early ‘60s, but, he managed to get employment at W.T. Grant, in Connecticut, selling and installing above ground pools. He later sold life insurance. Back in Maine, he worked at Maine Central Railroad as a blacksmith’s helper. When the railroad eliminated his job, he went to work doing deliveries for Little Debbie and Arnold Bread. He also made appliance deliveries for Sears. Upon retirement, he had more time to devote to church ministries at Clinton Baptist Church. Lawrence loved his church family, teaching Sunday school, singing in the choir, ushering, and always helping where he could.

He loved the outdoors, especially the glories of Aroostook County where he was born and raised. Hunting and fishing with his sons and grandsons always filled him with so much pride and joy.

Lawrence is survived by his wife, Sharon (Manson) Drake; sons, James and wife Tami, Jordan and wife Denise; daughter, Jillene Graves and husband Daren; four brothers, five sisters and their spouses; many grandchildren, great grandchildren, nieces, nephews.

He was predeceased by his parents, Stanley and Eunice Drake; his eldest daughter, Julie Drake Cobb; two of his six brothers; and eight of his 13 sisters.

A memorial service will be held Saturday, November 17, 2018, at 1 p.m., followed by a potluck luncheon at the Clinton Baptist Church, 10 Spring Street, Clinton.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in Lawrence’s memory to Clinton Baptist Church, Van Ministries, P.O. Box 1, Clinton, Me. 04927.

Arrangements under the direction and care of Dan & Scott’s Cremation & Funeral Service, 445 Waterville Road, Skowhegan, ME 04976.

LLOYD A. YORK JR.

OAKLAND – On Tuesday, October 23, 2018, Lloyd Allen York, Jr., 49, passed away unexpectedly in his home. Lloyd was born on December 12, 1968, in Waterville, to Lloyd York, Sr. and Pamela Chartrand.

He married Lisa York (Cyr), on September 25, 1999. He had three daughters, Rebekah Cyr, Sonya Webb (Cyr), and Alexis York.

His naturally caring and giving nature made him an excellent listener and an amazing friend to everyone who knew him. He was an exceptional husband and father and a proud grandfather. He loved going to NASCAR races with friends, was an avid New York Giants fan, and avid coin collector, as well as an animal lover.

He was predeceased by his father Lloyd York, Sr. and four uncles.

He is survived by his wife, Lisa York; mother, Pamela Chartrand; grandmother, Laura Stevens; sister, Julie York; stepmother, Brenda York; three daughters; two grandchildren; many aunts, uncles, and cousins.

A celebration of life will be held at a later
date.

In lieu of flowers and to honor Lloyd’s love of all animals, donations may be made to the Humane Society Waterville Area.

DAVID S. JACKSON JR.

SOUTH CHINA – David Stanley Jackson Jr., 49, passed away unexpectedly Friday, October 26, 2018, doing what he loved the most, helping his family. David was born to Marjorie and David Jackson Sr., in Augusta, on June 13, 1969.

David could always be counted on when you needed help with a fixer upper, a DJ for your special event, creating a website, or fixing your computer. This was true of his character regardless of whether you could pay for the work or not.

David was a graduate of Gardiner Area High School, class of 1987. While a student, he enjoyed singing in chorus and was the president of the Audio Visual Club for four years. In those younger years, he also enjoyed spending time with his grandparents at their camp on Rangeley Lake.

David always had a passion for playing good music. In the 1980s, he began his own successful DJ-ing business, DJ Productions, and right up to the time of his death David was still doing gigs, as well as providing sound and lighting equipment for local live bands. David worked for several different companies over the years but was the happiest when he worked for himself. He studied for many years and became a communications expert, and an expert in graphic arts and desktop publishing. He was an Adobe Illustrator Teacher and enjoyed mastering all of the Adobe Products. David made anything from flyers for mailings, restaurant menus, place-mats, commercials, and signs. He enjoyed building and working on his and his sister’s house.

He loved following in his father’s footsteps installing plumbing and heating and electrical systems. He was a member of the Sons of the American Legion. He loved to cook and spending time with family. He was also an avid lover of animals.

David is survived by his partner, Shad Harris; his father David Jackson, Sr., of Vassalboro; his mother Marge Chaplin and husband Merle, of Augusta; two sisters, Kim St. Amand and husband Rick, of Vassalboro, and their children Benjamin and Timothy Farnsworth, Sharon Jackson-Jasper and wife Tina and their children, Elatia Gregoire, Ceejai Easler, and Keloun Mann; his only brother, Todd Jackson, of Augusta, and his two children, Joshua Folsom and Raylee Jackson.

There will be no public funeral, however a Celebration of Life will be announced for a later date.

Arrangements are under the care of Staples Funeral and Cremation Services, 53 Brunswick Avenue, Gardiner.

Condolences, memories and photos may be shared with the family on the obituary page of the Staples Funeral Home website: familyfirstfuneralhomes.com.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made toward cremation expenses to: Sharon Jackson-Jasper, P.O. Box 163, East Winthrop ME 04343.

OTHERS DEPARTED

BEVERLY A. PREBLE, 78, of Waterville, passed away on Friday, October 5, 2018, at Lakewood Continuing Care Center, in Waterville. Locally, she is survived by a son, Brett Hoskins and wife Kelley, of Vassalboro, and a daughter, Penny Bard and husband David, of Oakland.

KENNETH E. WILLIAMSON, 70, of Fort Pierce, Florida, passed away on Monday, October 8, 2018, following a unexpected illness. Locally, he is survived by daughters Wendy Lee and husband Wayne, of China, and Laurie Roeske and husband Donald, of Clinton; sisters Della Foss and Shiela Bourget, of Clinton, Rose Jenness, of Vassalboro, and Sylvia Glidden, of Waterville.

HELEN B. FURROW, 97, of Sidney, passed away on Monday, October 8, 2018. Locally, she is survived by grandchildren Dan Parsons and wife Bonnie of Unity Plantation, Ronnie Furrow and partner Lisa Keay, of South China, Wendy Furrow Cross and husband Peter, of Sidney, and Theresa Parsons, of Unity.

CECIL R. PORTER, 86, formerly of Brooks, passed away on Tuesday, October 16, 2018, at a Waterville hospital. Locally, he is survived by his children Vicki Rogers and husband Scott, of Unity, and Eric Pofrter and wife Jan, of Oakland.

AVERILL P. McDONALD, 95, of Randolph, passed away on Wednesday, October 24, 2018, at Avita, of Brunswick. Locally, she is survived by a niece, Marj Morisette, of Vassalboro.

MICHA P. TAYLOR, 41, formerly of China Village, passed away on Wednesday, October 24, 2018, in Auburn. A celebration of life will be held on Sat., November 17, at 11 a.m., at the China Baptist Church, in China Village.

HARRY W. DIXON JR., 95, of Skowhegan, passed away on Sunday, October 28, 2018, at the Cedar Ridge Nursing Home, in Skowhegan. Locally, he is survived by a daughter-in-law, Gwyn Dixon, of Whitefield.

CORRINE B. BREAULT, 90, of Madison, passed away on Wednesday, October 31, 2018, at Redington-Fairview General Hospital, in Skowhegan. Locally, she is survived by a nephew, Earl Blanchard and wife Kathy, of Windsor.