Presque Isle area From our Files – Week of April 19, 2021

3 years ago

75 Years Ago –  April 18, 1946

President of the Bar Association  — At an annual meeting of the Aroostook County Bar Association held at the CourtHouse in Houlton, the following officers were elected: Carl A. Welck, President; W. Scott Brown, Vice president; James C. Madigan, Treasurer; Albert P. Putnam, Secretary.

An Executive Committee was elected, consisting of the following: Thomas V. Doherty, Seth T. Campbell, Ralph K. Wood, David Solman and Roland A.   Page. George B. Barnes, Fred N. Beck and A. F. Cook were elected members of the Grievance Committee.

Junior High pingpong tourney winner — The Junior High pingpong tournament held the attention of the younger set at the Rec. Center. Eight boys competed for the title. In the final game, Charles Squires won over Robert Thibodeau. Squires was given a pass to the Opera House and a pint of ice cream for proving his skill. Thibodeau also received a pint of the ice cream.

Douglas Dingwall entered business with father — Douglas Dingwall became affiliated with his father, M. S. W. Dingwall, as treasurer of the insurance firm of Dingwall Co. Inc. Mr.Dingwall had been employed as a photogrammetric engineer by the Corps of Engineers at Wright Field, Dayton, Ohio. His work consisted of developing and improving new methods and equipment for making topographic maps from aerial photographs. He also had charge of the calibration of precision aerial mapping cameras.

50 Years Ago –  April 21, 1971

Mrs. Yoders awarded a citation — MaryAnn Yoders, a former Presque Isle resident, was presented with “Citation for Outstanding Achievement and Sustained Level of Superior Performance Award,” Tuesday, April 13, by the General Services Administration of Boston, Massachusetts. Presenting the award for Albert Gammal Jr., regional administrator of the General Services Administration, was Norman E. Davey, chief of the communications division from Mrs. Yoders’ regional office in Boston. Mrs. Yoders was the communications supervisor of the Federal Telecommunications System in the Federal Building, Bangor, and resided in East Corinth with her daughter and mother, Mrs. Della MacDonald, also formerly of Presque Isle. 

Spanish winner — Miss Celeste Keefe, a former resident of Presque Isle and the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. James K. Keefe, was the first-place winner in the fourth- and fifth-year division of the State Spanish Speaking Contest. This contest was sponsored by the Garcia Lorca Chapter AATSP and was held at Colby College on April 10 in Waterville. Miss Keefe was a senior at Waterville High and was amond 90 students who were accepted under the Early Decision Plan at Colby College. Thirty-eight of these students were members of the National Honor Society, of which Miss Keefe was a member. There were 25 students from Maine accepted under the Early Decision Plan.

25 Years Ago –  April 17, 1996

Chelewski received the award — Farm Credit of Maine announced that Ray Chelewski was the winner of its Distinguished Service Award. The award is given annually to a person the Farm Credit of Maine board thinks has contributed significantly to the local agricultural industry. Chelewski, who ran the Presque Isle Regional Technology Center’s vocational agriculture program, said he had seen the program grow from 28 students in 1990, its first year under Chelewski’s management, to about 170 students. Program facilities included two greenhouses, several large aquariums for raising trout and other fish, and over 35 acres of farmland. Chelewski asked his students to raise crops, work with farm financial plans, and solve marketing problems.

Six County men graduated from police academy — Six Aroostook County men were among the 43 newly inducted troopers of the Maine State Police at a graduation ceremony at the Augusta Civic Center. The new state troopers received their badges following 23 weeks of study at the Maine Criminal Justice Academy in Waterville. With the addition of the new troopers, Maine’s state police force was up to 319 members. Among those graduating from the class were Steven Stubbs, 26, of Caribou; Darrin P. Crane, 23, of Island Falls; Corey A. Hafford, 29, of Fort Kent; Clifford H. Peterson, 22, of New Sweden; Troy A. Gardiner, 27, of Washburn; and Mark M. Sperrey, 28, also of Washburn. Addressing the graduates, Gov. Angus King announced the planned expansion of the Maine State Police Crime Laboratory to include a DNA testing facility.