Samantha Munro graduates cum laude from Becker College
Samantha Munro, of Waterville, graduated cum laude with a bachelor of arts degree in Veterinary Science, Pre-Veterinary Concentration from Becker College, in Worcester, Massachusetts.
New pastor at First Baptist Church, in Waterville
Moderator of First Baptist Church, Sam Goddard, has announced David A. Rodrigue as its Interim Pastor.
Rodrigue, a native of Waterville and educated in Waterville and Winslow schools, currently resides in China with his wife Valma.
Rodrigue served in the United States Marine Corps during the Vietnam Conflict. A Marine for a total of 21 years, retired with the rank of Master Gunnery Sergeant. His occupation in the Marine Corps was telecommunications and data processing. Upon retirement from the Marines, Rodrigue was employed for 26 years by Maine state government.
Rodrigue has been a youth coach at various levels of Tiger Cub, Cub Scout and Boy Scout leader, and coached wrestling in New York and Maine.
Currently a member of the China Baptist Church, he served as its chairman of the Board of Trustees, board member of Board of Deacons, and Sunday School teacher. In addition, he has been clerk for the Kennebec Baptist Association and past president of the American Baptist Churches of Maine.
Area students named to highly selective dean’s list at Colby College
Area students were recently named to the highly selective dean’s list at Colby College, in Waterville, for outstanding academic achievement during the spring semester of the 2018-19 academic year. A total of 443 Colby students – or 23 percent of the qualified student body – earned a spot on the Dean’s List last semester.
Kathryn K. Bernier, a member of the class of 2020, attended Waterville Senior High School and is the daughter of Daniel and Jennifer Bernier, of Watervillee.
Eleanor Rose M. Theriault, a member of the class of 2021, attended Erskine Academy, in South China, and is the daughter of David and Linda Theriault, of Vassalboro.
Students had to earn a semester grade point average of 3.78 or higher this spring to be included on Colby’s Dean’s List.
Area students on dean’s list at Dean College
Dean College, in Franklin, Massachusetts, has announced the local students that have earned a place on the dean’s list for the Spring 2019 semester.
Zoe Derosby, of Waterville.
Cami Dubois, of Winslow.
Joshua Veilleux, of Winslow.
Lead drills at football clinic
Pictured are Waterville and Winslow high school players who participated. (photo by Mark Huard of Central Maine Photography)
Over 40 local youth took part in a free USA Football First Down clinic offered by Winslow Youth Football and Cheerleading, and Waterville Youth Football on June 22 at Poulin Field, in Winslow. Winslow and Waterville football players led the drills while coaches spoke about the importance of school and working hard in everything you do.
Central Maine Motors makes gift to art center
Paul J. Schupf Art Center in Waterville, ME. (photo credit: Colby College)
Waterville Creates!, a nonprofit supporting and promoting high-quality, accessible arts and cultural programs and institutions in Waterville, Maine, announces a gift in the amount of $25,000 from Central Maine Motors Auto Group in support of the community capital campaign for the Paul J. Schupf Art Center.
Designed to bring together under one roof some of Waterville’s most beloved arts institutions, including the Maine Film Center, Common Street Arts, and a new gallery of the Colby Museum of Art, the Paul J. Schupf Art Center will be constructed on the current site of The Center building at 93 Main Street, directly adjacent to the Waterville Opera House and City Hall building and downtown’s central green space, Castonguay Square. Waterville Creates! and Colby College are partnering on this transformative project, which will create a distinctive hub for visual arts, performing arts, arts education, and film for children and adults. In addition to enhancing Waterville’s reputation as a destination for arts and culture, this new facility will add vitality to downtown Waterville during both the daytime and evening hours and serve as an economic driver for the region.
“Central Maine Motors Auto Group is dedicated to supporting the community of Waterville because we are Waterville – this is where we live, work and play,” says Chris Gaunce, president of Central Maine Motors. “Supporting our community means supporting the arts, especially this new art center, which will create accessible arts opportunities for people of all ages and have a huge economic impact on the city.” Central Maine Motors’ gift was pledged in support of the $2 million community capital campaign being led by Waterville Creates! as part of the overall fundraising goal of $18 million for the project.
“The impact Central Maine Motors Auto Group has on Waterville cannot be overstated – they generously fund so many community events, like our free summer concert series, Waterville Rocks!, and support programs and organizations that bring a high level of visibility to Waterville, including the Maine International Film Festival and the Waterville Opera House.”
Area residents graduate from Colby College
In an outdoor ceremony May 26, 462 degrees were awarded to members of Colby’s Class of 2019 at the College’s 198th Commencement, in Waterville. Award-winning television writer David E. Kelley told graduates to reject a career that is “not so terrible” and instead pursue what will make them truly fulfilled. Colby President David A. Greene handed a diploma to each of the graduates.
Emily H. Goulette, of Oakland, who majored in Government, attended Messalonskee High School, in Oakland, and is the daughter of Greg Goulette, of Waterville, and Kelly Smith of Oakland.
Adam C. Zarfos, of Waterville, who majored in American Studies, attended Waterville Senior High School and is the son of Donald Zarfos and Elizabeth Schiller, of Waterville, and Karen Kurtz, of Waterville.
MaineGeneral receives “A” safety grade
MaineGeneral Medical Center has received the top grade of “A” in the recently released Spring 2019 Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grades. MaineGeneral also earned a 2019 Women’s Choice Award as one of America’s 100 Best Hospitals for Patient Experience, according to MaineGeneral Health President and CEO Chuck Hays.
The “A” grade from The Leapfrog Group is the hospital’s third top grade in the past five Leapfrog grading reports. The Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grade uses national performance measures from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), the Leapfrog Hospital Survey and other supplemental data sources to establish a single letter grade representing a hospital’s overall performance in keeping patients safe from preventable harm and medical errors.
“All MaineGeneral employees strive to give patients the best experience,” Hays said. “We’ve made great strides and will continue to seek to provide the highest level of care, safety and experience.”
MaineGeneral was the only hospital in Maine to receive the 2019 Women’s Choice Award® as one of America’s 100 Best Hospitals for Patient Experience. The Women’s Choice Award reviews the performance of more than 5,000 hospitals based on what matters most to women when selecting a hospital for herself and her family. Hospitals are rated the best in the nation for patient experience, meaning they excel in the patient’s willingness to recommend, doctor communications, staff help, cleanliness, providing recovery information, explanation of medications, communication by nurses and peacefulness of room at night. The Women’s Choice Award reporting is completely objective and uniform.
The hospital also earned a 2019 Women’s Choice Award® for America’s Best Hospitals for Cancer Care and for America’s Best Hospitals for Orthopedics.
Hays also announced that MaineGeneral is a recipient of the Healthgrades 2019 Outstanding Patient Experience Award, which is given to the top 10 percent of hospitals in the nation for patient satisfaction. MaineGeneral was also named with five-star ratings by Healthgrades for outcomes “Better than Expected” in Treatment of Heart Attack, Treatment of Pneumonia, Treatment of Pancreatitis, Treatment of Sepsis and Treatment of Pulmonary Embolism.
“We know when you need quality health care, you want to receive it right here in the Kennebec Valley,” Hays said. “Most of the health care services you and your family will need in a lifetime are found here in our region of the state. Our MaineGeneral team is part of the community and we take great pride in providing high-quality health services to our community members.”
Full results for each award program can be found at:
Healthgrades: http://www.healthgrades.com
Leapfrog: http://www.hospitalsafetygrade.org
Women’s Choice: https://www.womenschoiceaward.com/best-hospitals/.
Cal Ripken baseball opener
It was opening day for Cal Ripken baseball at Purnell Wrigley Field, in Waterville, on May 4, as Ken Walsh, left, and Fran Purnell greet the players. (Photos by Mark Huard, owner Central Maine Photography)
Theresa Gagne celebrates 100th birthday with family
Theresa Gagne, right, with a granddaughter, Carrie Landry Peterson, celebrated her 100th birthday on April 19, at Eric’s Restaurant, in Waterville. (photo by Missy Brown of Central Maine Photography)
by Mark Huard
Irma Richard and Andrew Wilson gave birth to their daughter Theresa on April 18, 1919, in Brunswick. Theresa was one of 11 children. She and her sister, Yvette Griffin, age 98, are the only two remaining. Theresa continued to live in Brunswick until moving to Waterville when she married the love of her life, Emile Gagne, on October 3, 1942. Emile and Theresa have three children, six grandchildren and four great-grandchildren. Joan (George) Meier, of Oakland, Lorraine Landry, of Waterville, and Bob Gagne,and wife Patti, of Waterville. Michael Meier and Debbie Meier, both of Oakland, Carrie (Nick) Peterson, of South Carolina, Mindy Landry, of Waterville, Randi Burns, of Waterville, and Renee and Chris Slaney, of Benton.
Theresa Gagne poses next to her birthday cake. (photo by Missy Brown of Central Maine Photography)
Emile and Theresa celebrated their 69th wedding anniversary just a few months before Emile passed away at the age of 90. Throughout the years, Theresa worked in several mills before retiring in 1977 at Bates Manufacturing, in Augusta. Theresa enjoyed several hobbies such as needlepoint, working with stained glass, quilting and jewelry making. Theresa still enjoys gardening, cooking, entertaining and spending time with family and friends. Theresa continues to live on her own without any assistance and even renewed her driver’s license for another five years.
On Friday April 19, the family hosted a surprise party for family and friends at Eric’s Restaurant, on College Ave., in Waterville.