James School Board members retire

      PRESQUE ISLE, Maine – Way back in the mid-80s a local well-known judge undertook the enormous task of reconditioning and rebuilding a local historical site, the James School, once a one-room schoolhouse on the Niles Road in Presque Isle.
      To accomplish this task, Judge Julian Turner had a powerfully persuasive manner of asking one and all to volunteer their time, materials and labor to the cause. The James School had fallen into extreme disrepair after many years of disuse. This was an enormous project which dozens of local people and businesses all collaborated on between 1985 and 1987.
The Board of Directors of the James School was created to oversee the use and maintenance of the school as a museum and meeting place.
Three of the volunteers who worked on the restoration of the school and also as directors on the board have recently retired from the board. Gladys Gooding remembers going out on Saturday mornings with her lunch in a cooler to work with other volunteers to scrape layers of old paint from the original wainscoting.  In the following years she was a member of the Board of Directors until the end of 2006.
Myron and Pauline Gartley were also early volunteers in rebuilding the school.
As Polly would say, ”When Julian asked you to do something, you didn’t say ‘No.’”
Polly served as treasurer of the board for years. She and Myron both served as board members until the end of 2006. Both the Gartleys remember all the years of selling raffle tickets  for items that Judge Turner would receive from businesses and private individuals. All the proceeds went to materials or towards the endowment fund for  the school.
Gladys, Polly and Myron gave many hours of time and effort to the school over more than two decades.  The board honored them with a framed photo of the school. The photo will, no doubt, bring back memories and hours of discussions.