Cleaves named 2008 Limestone Citizen of theYear

16 years ago
By Natalie Bazinet
Staff Writer

    LIMESTONE — On Feb. 26, Gary Cleaves of Winthrop was named 2008 Citizen of the Year in Limestone. “It's a great honor to be named person of the year,” Cleaves said, “I’m not sure that I did all that much, but it's thrilling to be recognized.”

ImageAroostook Republican photo/Natalie Bazinet
    Jane Griffeth presented the 2008 Citizen of the Year award to Gary Cleaves while his wife, Martha, looks on.

    “Gary Cleaves is the epitome of Citizen of the Year,” wrote Chamber of Commerce director, Geri Martin in her speech which was delivered by Jane Griffeth. “He always remains positive in his support of the Chamber and of local businesses.”
    According to Martin, Cleaves and his brother were instrumental in bringing the Maine Military Authority to the Loring Commerce Center, and Cleaves has been dedicated to the survival of the Limestone Chamber of Commerce for years.
    Convincing congressional leaders that the MMA was a worthwhile undertaking was quite an endeavor in itself, but the Cleaves brothers were able to make it a reality through hard work and perseverance. Gary’s brother, Art, gave a brief speech highlighting the effort that went into the creation of the MMA.
    “It was really difficult to get the right people convinced that a military rebuild facility could be here in Aroostook County,” he said, “Gary spent hours at night, probably with Martha, [his wife] at the kitchen table putting paperwork together, and I’m talking about weeks of extra work that he wasn’t paid for,” Art Cleaves added. “The National Guard Bureau loved the plan; they took it and ran with it, except they didn’t have Maine in their sights at all.”
    Not only did Aroostook County benefit from Cleaves’ perseverance with the MMA, his commitment to the Chamber of Commerce is also commendable. There was a point in time when the nominating committee of the Limestone Chamber of Commerce lacked a nomination for the office president, a position Cleaves had already served multiple times. Instead of letting the chamber fold or stand still, Cleaves offered to take the presidency again for the town of Limestone.
    “The town of Limestone has certainly benefited greatly from his contributions,” Martin wrote.
    “Being named citizen of the year highlights the accomplishments of that individual and the volunteer work that they’ve done for the community,” said Jane Griffeth with the Limestone Chamber of Commerce, which co-sponsored the event with the Limestone Rotary Club. “So many things in a small community like Limestone have to be done by volunteers.”
    Cleaves, who was the strongest nomination for citizen of the year out of about six nominations, plans on retiring in November of this year.