The Assumption College Department of Athletics, in Worcester, Massachusetts, has announced that Kapriece Dahms, of Clinton, has earned a coveted spot on the 2017 Assumption College field hockey team. Dahms, class of 2019, is competing during the Greyhounds’ fall season.
From left to right, Lion Pam Jewett and Lion Donna Brooks. Contributed photos
Lions Pamela Jewett and Donna Brooks were honored by the Whitefield Lions Club for their commitment to new membership.
Lion Donna Brooks received the Membership Key Award for inviting and sponsoring at least two new members.
The Silver Centennial award for membership was presented to Lion Pam Jewett. The award is given to the sponsor of a new Lions member remaining in the club for 1 year and 1 day
The Whitefield Lions Club was formed in 1953, the club currently has 93 members and was recently recognized at the largest club in the state.
The Whitefield Lions sponsor the Erskine Leo club which was formed in May 2016 and boasts 47 members, making it the largest Leo Club in the state.
The Whitefield Lions Club meets the 2nd and 4th Thursday of each month at the Lions Den at 52 main St. in Coopers Mills.
Whitefield Lions Club guest night is the 4th Thursday of the month. If you would like more information on becoming a Lion or would like to attend a meeting, visit www.WhitefieldLionsClub.com, or email us: whitefieldlionsclub@gmail.com.
by Marilyn Rogers-Bull & PercyGood morning, dear friends. Don’t worry, be happy!
More Solon School News: The Solon Kids CARE (character, actions, respect, empathy) Club has begun its work in the Solon School again this fall. An affiliate of the Maine Civil Rights Team Project, it is dedicating its efforts to encouraging in the students the ideas of random acts of kindness, positive attitudes and caring for the small community.
The team advisers are Mrs. LaChance and Mrs. Stevens. Mrs. LaChance organizes activities for all of the K-2 students. Mrs. Stevens works with a team of students in grades 4-5 who will organize activities for the school. These are the members this year: Desmond Robinson, Ciara Myers-Sleeper, Ciarrah Whittemore, Cailan Priest, Allison Pinkam, Karen Baker, Ella McKinnon, Macie Plourde, William Rogers, Madyson McKenney and Alden LcLaughlin.
The Kids Care Club is already hard at work! They ran a Halloween Dime Raffle in which they raised money to be used for T-shirts and for other team activities. On November 28, some members of the group will attend the annual Civil Rights Team Conference at the University of Maine at Farmington.
Dime Raffle Winners: Sponsored by the Solon Kids Care Club were Caden Fitton for the boy’s prize, Paige Reichert for the girl’s prize, and the fifth grade for the class prize (won by Paige Reichert).
On October 20, the Solon Fire Department visited the Solon School to do presentations about fire safety in conjunction with Fire Safety Month. Firemen Todd Dixon and Richard Kelly, of the Solon Fire Department, talked to students about how to keep safe in the event of a fire. The firefighters took the students outside to show them their new fire truck and to demonstrate how fire hoses work. The firefighters brought goodie bags for the students.
Home Alone on Thanksgiving Day? Veterans? Just need a good, hearty meal? Come join us at the Community United Methodist Church for Thanksgiving dinner! No charge. Thanksgiving Day, Thursday, November 23, at the North Anson Community United Church Community Room (disabled accessible) Doors open at 10 a.m., with refresments, games and conversation. Full Thanksgiving dinner served at 2 p.m.
Limited transportation is available to the North Anson, Embden, Madison, New Portland and Solon communities. Call Betsy at 431-5860 by Tuesday, November 21, for pick up reservations, dependent on weather conditions. Sponsored by the Community United Methodist Church of north Anson/Madison Congregation.
Jen Hibbard is hosting a craft fair on November 25, from 9 a.m. until 2 p.m. This event will be held at the Embden Community Center, with a bake sale, raffles, hot foods, with over 30 tables of crafters, vendors and artisans.
Skowhegan-area merchants will be celebrating Small Business Saturday on November 25. The downtown will be hopping with all sorts of discounts and specials. Pick up your Shop Small passport at any participating merchant, have it stamped everywhere you shop, and then drop it off for a chance to win the grand prize! It’s another way for us to say “Thank You” to all you that help support locally-owned businesses.
And now for Percy’s words of wisdom in his weekly memoir: If you approach each new person you meet in a spirit of adventure, you will find yourself endlessly fascinated by the new channels of thought and experience and personality that you encounter. I do not mean simply the famous people of the world, but people from every walk and condition of life. (words by Eleanor Roosevelt)
A very Happy Thanksgiving to all of you!
Dylan Presby taking a swing during a fall game at Newbury College.
by Roland D. HalleeDylan Presby, of China, tried other sports in high school, but he settled on baseball when he realized he needed more time in the off season to work on improving his skills in baseball rather than play other sports that would not be beneficial to him.
China resident Dylan Presby
At Erskine Academy, in China, Dylan became an integral part of a baseball team that was laden with talent. There was Winkin Award finalist in pitcher Nate Howard, co-ace Noah Bonsant, and a formidable presence in hitter Cody Taylor, one of the Kennebec Valley Athletic Conference premier hitters.
According to Erskine coach Lars Jonassen, Presby took on the role to be content to give the spotlight to the other players by simply doing whatever the Eagles needed to win. Jonassen called Presby “our best player.”
Jonassen continued by saying, “He was an unsung hero, and didn’t care that he never got any recognition.”
Presby wanted his senior year to be something special. “I needed to work on my hitting, and not settle for being a decent fielder.”
The team was expected to do well during the season, with forecasts they would go deep into the playoffs.
Dylan began the year by hitting a home run in the season opener against Gardiner. That was followed by multiple multi-hit games. At that point, he knew that season would be special. They captured the regional championship when Presby responded with a bases-loaded triple in a 7-6 win over Hermon. Previously, he had gone 3-for-4 with a double, triple, and three runs batted in en route to a key victory over Waterville.
During his senior season, Presby batted .490, and went 4-2 as a pitcher with two saves. His regular position is second base, although he did fill in playing center field.
Prior to that season, Dylan played for the Maine Lightning in the Elite Baseball League and prepared himself to play at a higher level. “ That really helped me get my swing down, get my mechanics ready for my senior year, and I felt like that really helped me out to start the season.”
For his accomplishment at Erskine, Presby was named the Kennebec Journal’s Baseball Player of the Year, an accolade that, it is believed, has never been given to a China resident before.
Dylan Presby, center, with parents, Dave, left, and Michelle, of China.
But, that was high school. He has now moved on to a higher level of competition. He has taken his baseball skills to Newbury College, in Brookline, Massachusetts, a Division III school that plays in the New England Collegiate Conference (NECC).
The 18-year-old freshman reflected on his high school experience and his coach, explaining that Jonassen kept drilling into Presby the importance of staying focused with the task at hand. And Presby attributes the way he plays with the persistence of his coach.
But, in college, he found more of the same, and then some. “The major changes between high school and college is how in-depth the college coaches critique your every move. I felt I was learning something new every day even though I have been playing ball ever since I can remember.”
His goal was to go to college and enjoy the experience. “Being on the baseball team only makes the experience better,” he said. He chose Newbury College because of the small school environment and the location of the campus.
According to Newbury College head coach Kraig Kupiec, “Dylan is doing great here at Newbury and, as a freshman, is fighting for playing time in a very congested and competitive outfield.” When the regular season begins in the spring, Dylan will be wearing #7 on the varsity roster for the Nighthawks.
Last season, Newbury College finished fifth in the conference with a 7-11 record, and 18-18-1 overall.
Dylan credits his parents for playing a huge role in his development as a baseball player. “My dad was able to drill commitment in my head ever since I was younger. There was no excuse to miss practice. No excuse on why I can’t put extra swings off the tee. My dad was able to contribute to my maturing as a man, as I grew to understand my priorities.”
What about mom? “Mom helped me better myself every practice and every game because she is my number one fan and I always wanted to make her smile when I played.”
His love of baseball started at a young age. He played Little League in China since T-ball and was an all-star from ages 9-12 years old.
Outside of baseball, Dylan has realized that life outside of China, Maine, is much different, especially now that he is going to school in Massachusetts. “China is a small town where everyone knows everyone. I always like that because I love running into old friends.”
So what’s next for Dylan?
“I am not expecting to play baseball after college, but you never know what is held in the future.” He is majoring in sports management and communications.
Dylan is the son of David and Michelle Presby, of China.
The colors are presented during the Veterans Day parade in Waterville on November 11.
Below, Waterville Police Deputy Chief William Bonney with his son, Chase. Photos by Mark Huard, owner Central Maine Photography
Examples of early vacuum tubes. (Image credit: Wikimedia Commons)
ERIC’S TECH TALKThe pace of technological advancement has a speed limit and we’re about to slam right into it.
The first electronic, programmable, digital computer was designed in 1944 by British telephone engineer Tommy Flowers, while working in London at the Post Office Research Station. Named the Colossus, it was built as part of the Allies’ wartime code-breaking efforts.
The Colossus didn’t get its name from being easy to carry around. Computers communicate using binary code, with each 0 or 1 represented by a switch that is either open or closed, on or off. In 1944, before the invention of the silicon chip that powers most computers today, this was accomplished using vacuum-tube technology. A vacuum tube is a small, vacuum-sealed, glass chamber which serves as a switch to control the flow of electrons through it. Looking much like a complicated light-bulb, vacuum tubes were difficult to manufacture, bulky and highly fragile.
Engineers were immediately presented with a major problem. The more switches a computer has, the faster it is and the larger the calculations it can handle. But each switch is an individual glass tube, and each must be wired to every other switch on the switchboard. This means that a computer with 2,400 switches, like the Colossus, would need 2,400 individual wires connecting each switch to every other, or a total of almost six million wires. As additional switches are added, the complexity of the connections between components increases exponentially.
This became known as the ‘tyranny of numbers’ problem, and because of it, for the first two decades after the Colossus was introduced, it looked as though computer technology would forever be out of reach of the average consumer.
Then two engineers, working separately in California and Texas, discovered a solution. In 1959, Jack Kilby, working at Texas Instruments, submitted his design for an integrated circuit to the US patent office. A few months later, Robert Noyce, founder of the influential Fairchild Semiconductor research center in Palo Alto, California, submitted his own patent. Although they each approached the problem differently, it was the combination of their ideas that resulted in the microchip we’re familiar with today.
The advantages of this new idea, to print microscopic transistors on a wafer of semi-conducting silicon, were immediately obvious. It was cheap, could be mass produced, and most importantly, it’s performance was scalable: as our miniaturization technology improved, we were able to pack more transistors (switches) onto the same chip of silicon. A chip with a higher number of transistors resulted in a more powerful computer, which allowed us to further refine our fabrication process. This self-fed cycle of progress is what has fueled our technological advancements for the last 60 years.
Gordon Moore, who, along with Robert Noyce, later founded the microchip company Intel, was the first to understand this predictable escalation in computer speed and performance. In a paper he published in 1965, Moore observed that the number of components we could print on an integrated circuit was doubling every year. Ten years later the pace had slowed somewhat and he revised his estimate to doubling every two years. Nicknamed “Moore’s Law,” it’s a prediction that has remained relatively accurate ever since.
This is why every new iphone is faster, smaller, and more powerful than the one from the year before. In 1944, the Colossus was built with 2,400 binary vacuum tubes. Today the chip in your smart phone possesses something in the neighborhood of seven billion transistors. That’s the power of the exponential growth we’ve experienced for more than half a century.
But this trend of rapid progress is about to come to an end. In order to squeeze seven billion components onto a tiny wafer of silicone, we’ve had to make everything really small. Like, incomprehensibly small. Components are only a few nanometers wide, with less than a dozen nanometers between them. For some comparison, a sheet of paper is about 100,000 nanometers thick. We are designing components so small that they will soon be only a few atoms across. At that point electrons begin to bleed from one transistor into another, because of a quantum effect called ‘quantum tunneling,’ and a switch that can’t be reliably turned off is no switch at all.
Experts differ on how soon the average consumer will begin to feel the effects of this limitation, but most predict we have less than a decade to find a solution or the technological progress we’ve been experiencing will grind to a stop.
What technology is likely to replace the silicon chip? That is exactly the question companies like IBM, Intel, and even NASA are racing to answer.
IBM is working on a project that aims to replace silicon transistors with ones made of carbon nanotubes. The change in materials would allow manufacturers to reduce the space between transistors from 14 nanometers to just three, allowing us to cram even more transistors onto a single chip before running into the electron-bleed effect we are hitting with silicon.
Another idea with enormous potential, the quantum computer, was first proposed back in 1968, but has only recently become a reality. Whereas the binary nature of our current digital technology only allows for a switch to be in two distinct positions, on or off, the status of switches in a quantum computer are determined by the superpositional states of a quantum particle, which, because of the weirdness of quantum mechanics, can be in the positions of on, off or both – simultaneously! The information contained in one quantum switch is called a ‘qubit,’ as opposed to the binary ‘bit’ of today’s digital computers.
At their Quantum Artificial Intelligence Laboratory (QuAIL) in Silicon Valley, NASA, in partnership with Google Research and a coalition of 105 colleges and universities, has built the D-Wave 2X, a second-generation, 1,097-qubit quantum computer. Although it’s difficult to do a direct qubit-to-bit comparison because they are so fundamentally different, Google Research has released some data on its performance. They timed how long it takes the D-Wave 2X to do certain high-level calculations and compared the timings with those of a modern, silicon-based computer doing the same calculations. According to their published results, the D-Wave 2X is 100 million times faster than the computer on which you are currently reading this.
Whatever technology eventually replaces the silicon chip, it will be orders of magnitude better, faster and more powerful than what we have today, and it will have an unimaginable impact on the fields of computing, space exploration and artificial intelligence – not to mention the ways in which it will transform our ordinary, everyday lives.
Welcome to the beginning of the computer age, all over again.
WHITEFIELD––Armand Gene Thompson, 70, of Whitefield, known as “Pop,” “Pepe,” and “Phil” to his family and friends, passed away on Tuesday, October 24, 2017, following a brief and courageous battle with cancer. He was born on July 30, 1947, in Clinton, Massachusetts, to Lucille and Armand Houle.
He spent 40 years growing up, working, and raising a family in Massachusetts. When he was 12, he became the proud big brother to his sister Debbie.
Phil joined the Army in 1967 and went to Korea, where he worked in a dental clinic and nurtured a lifelong passion for teeth and the medical field. When he returned stateside, he worked in a book bindery, and later Fort Devens.
In 1972, he met the love of his life and best friend, Darlene. In 1974, they married and raised two boys. They moved to Whitefield in 1987 to be nearer to family. Phil worked at Togus V.A. for 30 years.
Phil enjoyed working in his yard, building flower gardens, listening to records, hosting dinner parties, creating art, and spending time with his family.
Most of all, he was a deeply spiritual man.
Phil was predeceased by his parents, Lucille and Armand Houle; and his stepfather, Robert Thompson.
He is survived by his wife, Darlene; his sons, Jesse and Silas and their wives Junko and Jenny; his grandchildren, Donovan and Theodore; his sister Deborah Matthews and her husband David; his niece and nephew, Desiree and David; as well as many members of his extended family.
Memorial donations may be made at the Kingdom Hall, 8 Cross Hill Road, Augusta.
FAIRFIELD––Elizabeth E. Fisher, 74, passed away on Wednesday, October 25, 2017, at her home, in Fairfield. She was born on October 15, 1943, in Waterville, the daughter of Elwood and Evelyn Folsom.
Elizabeth worked at a chicken plant, a shoe shop and the Cascade Woolen Mill, in Oakland.
She loved to crochet and go shopping. Some of Elizabeth’s other hobbies included putting together the family tree, spending time with her granddaughter and scrapbooking. Elizabeth made several family scrapbooks. She also enjoyed watching Hallmark Christmas movies, as Christmas was her favorite holiday. Elizabeth prayed daily.
Elizabeth is survived by her husband, William Fisher, of Fairfield; her three children, Scott Fisher, of Waterville, William Kelly and Amanda Kelley, of Fairfield; granddaughter Adrianna Fisher, of Waterville; sister Diane Mushero, of Fairfield and many more family members.
An online guestbook may be signed and memories shared at www.lawrybrothers.com.
WINDSOR––John Wesley Witham, 40, of Windsor, passed away unexpectedly in his sleep on Saturday, November 4, 2017. He was born February 11, 1977, in Boothbay, to Belinda Howes Trundy and George Witham.
John grew up in New Harbor. He enjoyed spending time with his family and friends, going to the local car races, sailing, and fishing. In his spare time he liked to read. He had many different jobs in his life–he loved working at the Seagull Restaurant in New Harbor and loved to cook.
John was predeceased by his mother, Belinda Howes Trundy and father George Witham.
John is survived by step-father, Don Howes; wife, Michelle Witham; sons, Wesley Witham and Cole Witham, from a previous relationship; son John Witham Jr. and his two children; sister, Deride Albert; brothers, Timothy Pendergast and Virgil Cray; brothers-in-law; sisters-in-law; aunts; uncles; nieces; nephews; and cousins.
Memories and condolences may be shared at www.directcremationofmaine.com.
WHITEFIELD––Donald Wilson Trussell Jr., 72, of Whitefield, passed away Monday, November 6, 2017, at the Augusta Rehab Center, Augusta. He was born February 3, 1945, a son of the late Donald Sr., and Emily L(Emerson) Trussell.
He graduated from Gardiner Area High School, class of 1964.
He was a Connecticut resident from 1967 to 1998 when he returned to Maine. He was a retired mechanic and an avid drag racer for many years. He enjoyed fishing and hunting, and restoring a 1950 International Harvester truck. Donnie was a member of Gassah Guys Racing Club, and a tech guy at Winterport Dragway for many years.
Donnie is survived by daughters, Dawn Donnelly and husband Michael, of Durham, Connecticut, and Vicki Bird and husband Michael, of Deland, Florida; grandchildren, Marisa Doyon, Lauren Donnelly, and Zachary Bird; siblings, Joan Marston, of Gardiner, Nancy Jewett and husband Curtis, of Pittston, Louise Yeaton and husband Francis, of Richmond, Stephen Trussell and wife Debbie, Brian Trussell and wife Lucille, and Wayne Trussell and wife Kathy, all of Pittston; several nieces, nephews, aunts and uncles.
FAIRFIELD––Donald LaCroix, 83, passed away Tuesday, November 7, 2017, at MaineGeneral Hospital, in Augusta, following an illness. Donald was born on July 1, 1935, in Waterville, to Cyril and Yvonne LaCroix.
Donald attended St. Francis de Sales Catholic school and shortly after graduation he joined the U.S. Air Force. He was very proud of the time he spent in the Air Force.
He married Edna Thompson on August 22, 1959, and they shared many happy moments. They lived in Fairfield where Don was a member of the Fairfield Grover-Hinckley American Legion. Don loved his work as a mechanic and worked at Woodbury Motors, Firestone Garage, and at Al’s Sunoco. He did have to take an early retirement due to health issues.
Don was predeceased by his parents; a brother Larry, from Waterville, a twin brother Ronald, from Texas, a sister Rene Whittish, from Waterville, and his wife Edna.
Don is survived by his daughter Evelyn Knights, of Fairfield, and his son Kevin and his wife Janet, and their three daughters Tamika, Kaitlin, and Chantelle LaCroix, all from Solon; and several nieces, nephews and cousins.
Don was very proud of his three granddaughters and loved spending time with them.
He enjoyed putting puzzles together, family outings and family BBQ’s, just to name a few things.
OAKLAND––Roland Gerald Paquet, 78, passed away on Wednesday, November 8, 2017, at Mount St. Joseph Residence and Rehabilitation, in Waterville. Roland was born February 17, 1939, in Bath, to Zenon Michel Paquet and Alice Antoinette Croteau Paquet.
He had patiently endured many physical hardships and challenges over the past six years, and in the process continued to touch many lived for good.
He attended St. John Catholic School, in Winslow, graduated from high school in Brunswick, and served in the Army National Guard for nine years.
He worked in the grocery business and for Bath iron Works, and later managed the delicatessens for what is now the Hannaford chain of supermarkets. He retired from Kraft General Foods, now Kraft/Heinz, after being a top sales representative and merchandiser for that company for many years. He made many strong friendships along the way, and was well-liked everywhere he went.
Roland was a member of Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. He and his wife, Kelly, also served an 18-month mission for the church in Minnesota and Canada––the Canada Winnipeg Mission.
Roland was quick to see the humor in any situation, or even to create it. He saw every stranger as a potential friend and it was easy for him to talk with anyone. Roland taught money management skills at no cost to anyone who asked. He was wise, creative, and practical, and many skills. He was handy, and willing to tackle building or fixing almost anything, and put his skills to work many times to help others or to beautify his family’s home. He enjoyed any chance to play games with friends, eat good food, take rides to the coast, go to the movies, to the country fairs, and to visit friends and family, and even to visit people he had just met. He often went with the missionaries in the area to teach and help other people. He enjoyed learning and reading from the scriptures,k and loved to share what he knew to be true.
Roland was predeceased by his granddaughter, Meghan Passey.
He is survived by his wife of nearly 27 years, Kelly Maureen Abbott Paquet; his sister, Diane Kachmar and her husband Jack; his brother, Robert Paquet and his wife Cyndi; Roland’s children, Louis Paquet, James Paquet, Julie Passey, Dona Guertler, Kristin Jones, Holly Adams, Amy Paquet, and Alaina Hastings, and their spouses and children; and his stepchildren, Kristi Morgan Whiting, Kevin Morgan, Cameron Morgan, and Colin Morgan, and their spouses and children.
OAKLAND––O’Neil Earl Carpenter, 88, died at home on Friday, November 10, 2017.
O’Neil was the eldest son of the late Arthur and Violette (Lachance) Carpenter. Neil, as he was known to family and friends, was born October 20, 1929, in Waterville, the week of the great stock market crash. This historic event shaped his hard working character and strong fiscal accountability. Yet he never hesitated to support his church, favorite children’s charities and family when needed.
Neil attended local area schools and was a member of St. Joseph’s class of 1945. He enlisted in the Army and served in Europe during World War II.
In his early years he worked for his father’s construction business, A. J. Carpenter & Sons, building many area homes. After leaving his father’s business he worked for more than 45 years for Logan & Sons, a Portland-based painting contractor. Logan & Sons was a generational family owned and operated company. Neil was their generational family employee.
Over the years he worked alongside his brothers, all of his sons, grandsons, nephews, even his second wife. It was a regular family affair.
Neil was not big in stature but was large in life. He was known for his charming personality, storytelling, and sense of humor. In his earlier years, he enjoyed getting together with his family to listen to his sister Marlene sing or going out to “Uncle Don’s camp,” having a few beers and playing horseshoes. He enjoyed his son Timmy’s singing and playing guitar and discussing all things sports with his youngest son Jason, especially watching the Patriots play and enjoying a shot of cognac. The collection of old wheat pennies, change in old bottles and the endless supply of silver or gold dollars was handed out to all kinds at Christmas.
Neil was predeceased by his parents; brothers, Donald and Raymond; his sons Robert, William Timothy and Jason O’Neil; and his first wife, Lillian (White).
He is survived by his daughters, Jacqueline Sweigart and husband Chuck, Violet White-Carpenter, of Oakland, and Jodi Jones and husband Will, of Vassalboro; sons, James O’Neil, of Waterville, Peter Boudreau and wife Jennifer, of Oakland, David Boudreau and his wife Jessica; exwife Judith Westman, of Lewiston; brothers, Arthur (Biz), of Fairfield, Alfred and Danny, of Waterville; sisters, Marlene Wincapaw, of Clinton, and Diana Nadeau and husband Ronald, of Oakland; ten grandchildren; 13 great-grandchildren; and many nieces, nephews, and cousins.
Please visit www.veilleuxfuneralhome.com to view a video collage of Neil’s life and to share condolences, memories and tributes with his family.
SOMERVILLE––Andrew LeRoy Hisler Sr., 85, passed away at Maine Medical Center, Portland, on Thursday, November 16, 2017. Andy was born December 4, 1931, in Somerville, to parents Randolph and Eleanor Falconi Hisler.
He proudly served in the Army in the Korean War. As a young man he was gainfully employed by Lipmans Poultry, Hillcrest Poultry, Tank & Culvert, Lee Brothers Construction, and retired from BM Clarks.
Andy loved his family, riding on his tractor, and doing various odd jobs. He always enjoyed visiting with family and friends, going out to eat with his wife Joyce, and exploring the back roads of Maine. In his later years, he enjoyed camping in Jackman.
Andy was predeceased by his parents; wife Marilyn Hawes; second wife of 40 years Arlene (Tina) Light Hisler; two brothers, Stanley Hisler and Leon Routh; two sister, Beatrice Routh and Mary Cobb; a step-son, Melvin Light, and son-in-law, Dana Chase.
Andy is survived by his wife, Joyce, of 24 years; his children, Marilyn Crochere and husband Joey, of Chelsea, Joan Patrick and husband Mark, of Ohio, Randolph Hisler and wife, Colleen, of China, Andrew Hisler and wife Janice, of Somerville, Leon Hisler and companion Paula, of Somerville, and Bernice Chase and companion, Al, of East Winthrop; his step-children, Travis Deblois and wife Berdina, of Winthrop, Pete DeBlois and companion Wendy, of Winthrop, Patsy Hatch, of Dixfield, Gene Hatch, of Winthrop, Dorothy St. Hilalire and husband Kevin, of Winthrop; six grandchildren; 12 step-grandchildren; and 12 great-grandchildren.
There will be a graveside service on Saturday, November 25, 2017, at Sand Hill Cemetery in Somerville at 1 p.m.
Memorial contributions may be made to Kennebec Valley Humane Society, 20 Pet Haven Lane, Augusta ME 04330.
ODWAY SIMMONS, 79, of Nobleboro, passed away on Saturday, October 14, 2017. Locally, he is survived by a sister, Cathreine Rolerson, of Jefferson.
ANNE M. SIMMONS, 78, of Augusta, passed away on Monday, October 16, 2017, at Alfond CVenter for Health, in Augusta, following a brief illness. Locally, she is survived by a daughter, Dawn Teed and husband David, of Vassalboro.
SUSAN M. LEEMAN, 94, of Freedom, passed away on Thursday, October 26, 2017, at Oak Grove Center, in Waterville. She graduated from Walker High School, in Liberty, class of 1941. Locally, she is survived by her daughter Beverlee J. Tibbetts, of Jefferson, and son and his wife Gary and Sharon Leeman, of Palermo; six grandchildren; several great-grandchildren and great-great-grandchildren; her brother-in-law, Bruce Leeman, of Palermo, sister-in-law Esther Mathieson, of Montville, and a large number of nieces and nephews.
RAYMOND ROBITAILLE JR., 55, of Skowhegan, passed away on Wednesday, November 1, 2017, at MaineGeneral Medical Center, following a long and courageous battle with cancer. Locally, he is survived by a daughter,Amber Sellers, of Oakland, and siblings Billy Bragg, of Fairfield, Stacy Bragg, of Waterville, and Liza Holt, of Unity.
FLORIENCE P. KENNEDY, 93, of Farmington, passed away on Wednesday, November 8, 2017, at her home. Locally, she is survived by a brother, William Bell,of Benton.
Parents and students should be advised of several changes to Erskine Academy’s school calendar due to excessive storm days. First trimester will now end on Wednesday, November 29, and second trimester will begin on Thursday, November 30. Friday, December 22, is now scheduled as an Early Release day with dismissal at 11:30 a.m. Lastly, Thursday, March 15, will now be a full day of school and Friday, March 16, will be an Early Release day with dismissal at 11:30 a.m. Any additional school cancellations will be reviewed to determine if further make up days will be required.
The Erskine Academy class of 2020 is hosting a Parents Night, Saturday, December 2, from 4 – 8:30 p.m. Students, advisors, and parent volunteers will be on hand to offer activities for children ages 4 and up and dinner will be provided. Parents may drop off their children in the Erskine gym lobby and costs are $20 for the first child and $10 for siblings. Please contact advisor Jen Tibbetts at jtibbetts@erskine247.com with any questions.
The regional service centers that were a bad idea two months ago are now a good idea, Vassalboro School Board members learned at their Nov. 14 meeting.
In September, past and future AOS (Alternative Organizational Structure) #92 Superintendent Eric Haley told board members superintendents had been advised not to rush into the new state-sponsored organizations, then called School Management and Leadership Centers, because state plans were so indefinite.
In November, AOS #92 Finance Director Paula Pooler said the centers appear desirable.
She told Vassalboro board members the regional centers would be potential revenue centers. A school employee is allowed to head a service center, she said.
By April 15, potential service center personnel are supposed to have drafted interlocal agreements, documents similar to the agreement that created AOS #92. The agreements would specify a minimum of two services a center would offer; AOS #92 provides more than two services to the current member towns (Vassalboro, Waterville and Winslow), creating the potential for more income as a service center.
If Waterville were to become a service center, Pooler said, the AOS would have to dissolve. In Vassalboro, dissolution would require a town vote, which Pooler said could be scheduled in February or March 2018. Under a service center arrangement, participating school units would have their own school boards and superintendents. The AOS board would become a regional board with representatives from member towns. Pooler said a facilitator has been hired with a state grant to advise and assist.
Vassalboro board Chairman Kevin Levasseur said after hearing the revised service center plan, “Paula and I looked at each other and said, ‘Where’s the downside?’ ”
In other business, board members agreed by consensus that Vassalboro Community School will be in session Friday, Dec. 22. The calendar change could not be formally approved because it was not noticed in advance on the November agenda, but Principal Dianna Gram said she needed to notify parents before the next meeting, scheduled for Tuesday evening, Dec. 19.
Haley, who retired at the end of October with the understanding the AOS board will rehire him after the state-required 30 days of unemployment, attended the Nov. 14 meeting and the executive-session discussion of salaries that followed.