Special to The Star-Herald
PRESQUE ISLE – The Mustangs, a Presque Isle High School band from 1969, will hold its 40th reunion Friday, July 31 at the Knights of Columbus Hall in Presque Isle from 8-11 p.m. and dedicate the proceeds to a favorite fan and cancer survivor.
There will be a charge and donations are welcome.
Phil Sirois, drummer and spokesman for the group, said funds derived from admission and donations will go for medical costs achieved by Annegaye (Woods) Ellis of Houlton and Phoenix.
“Annie will make every attempt to be present for the concert,” said Sirois.
The group, besides Sirois, of Portland, is composed of Rod Thompson of Presque Isle, Don Jandreau of Florida and Lewiston, and Wendell Hudson of Castle Hill. All three are guitar players. The band regrouped a year ago and performed at the Presque Isle Snowmobile Club.
After attending Gallaudet University in Washington, D.C., Ellis achieved the title of Professional American Sign Language Interpreter and works with several colleges and hospitals.
Jandreau has retired after 30 years as a telephone company fiber optics technician. He plays guitar during Maine summers with a band known as “Loose Connection.” He and his wife spend much time riding their Harley Davidson motorcycles and own homes in Maine and Florida. As a “handyman,” Jandreau maintains the properties.
Thompson holds a bachelor’s degree in music composition from Berkeley College of Music and a master’s degree in business administration from the University of Miami. He is employed by the Northern Maine Development Commission as the center director of the Maine Small Business Development Center.
Thompson is musical director and keyboardist for the Latin Jazz combo “Martha Meets Mambo.” He has appeared in a number of local musicals including as Daddy Warbucks in “Annie,” Marcellus Washburn in “The Music Man” and is currently cast as the King in “The King and I.”
Sirois is a national award-winning filmmaker, videographer and photographer. His work has appeared in a number of television specials including work with mountain gorillas and former President George Bush.
Sirois has a creative eye and a sixth sense for wildlife drama. He uses these skills, along with his extensive experience with the mountain gorilla, when he speaks with children and adults. His audience spans a wide gamut of age and interests in his presentations at schools.
Hudson, although retired, is very active in the Aroostook County musical scene with appearances at churches, historical societies, the Northern Maine Fair and the Maine Potato Blossom Festival with his own unique style of gospel singing.
Photo courtesy of Voscar, The Maine Photographer
THE MUSTANGS, a Presque Isle High School band from 1969, will hold its 40th reunion concert Friday, July 31 at the Knights of Columbus Hall in Presque Isle from 8-11 p.m. and dedicate the proceeds to a favorite fan and cancer survivor, Annegaye (Woods) Ellis of Houlton and Phoenix. In this 1969 photo taken at a performance at Echo Lake, band members, from left: Don Jandreau (guitar) and Phil Sirois (drums) perform in front of a crowd teenagers including Connie (Reynolds) Bubar and her brother, Stephen. Other Mustang members not shown in the photo include Rod Thompson and Wendell Hudson.
Photo courtesy of Voscar, The Maine Photographer
ANNEGAYE (WOODS) ELLIS, of Houlton and Phoenix, will be the beneficiary of a fund-raising concert by the Mustangs, a Presque Isle High School band from 1969. The Mustangs will hold its 40th reunion concert Friday, July 31 at the Knights of Columbus Hall in Presque Isle from 8-11 p.m. and dedicate the proceeds to Ellis, a cancer survivor.
