75 Years Ago – Jan. 29, 1948
Houlton girl wins spelling bee contest – One of Houlton’s entrants, Miss Byrna Mae Porter, high school sophomore, won top honors in the upper division of the Spelling Bee sponsored by the Houlton Pioneer Times and four other newspapers in Aroostook County, at the Caribou Winter Carnival Saturday.
Miss Porter is the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. O. B. Porter who is an honor student enrolled in the college course. Miss Porter will receive as a reward for her remarkable achievement of topping a field of 20 contestants, most of them from higher school classes, a handsomely engraved Winged Victory trophy suitably engraved. The presentation will be made with the compliments of the Houlton Pioneer Times as soon as the trophy is received.
Honorably discharged – Theodore Sherman, son of Mr. and Mrs. Maynard Sherman, has received an honorable discharge from the Navy after serving 22 months. He has returned home after having a trip to California with friends and will resume his studies at the University of Maine where he was a student before entering the Navy.
50 Years Ago – Jan. 31, 1973
Roach retires after 45 years in banking – George E. Roach, executive vice president and senior trust officer for the First National Bank of Aroostook, was honored at a retirement party last Tuesday night at the Northland Hotel. Mr. Roach, who had been associated with the bank for nearly 45 years, was the guest of the officers and directors at the dinner party. His brother, Asa H. Roach, served as master of ceremonies for the evening, and a gift was presented to the honored guest by James M. Pierce, chairman of the board of the FIrst National Bank. Mr. Roach is a native of Merrill and a graduate of Ricker Classical Institute and Colby College where he received his BS degree in 1926. He joined the First National Bank of Houlton on March 15, 1928 as a bookkeeper.
Honor students announced at Island Falls – Henry Joy, principal, announces the Island Falls Senior and Junior High School honor rolls for the second quarter of the year as follows: Highest honors for sophomores to Sharon Robinson, high honors for seniors were Patricia Chambers, Craig Clukey, Kim Dunphy and Stephen Hartin. High honors for Juniors were Kathy Edwards and David York, sophomores were Onil Beaulieu, Deena Clukey, Jeff Sewell and Carl Smith. High honors for freshmen was Beth Savage, and for Grade 8 were Kevin Prescott, Linda McLellan, Stan Hartin and Joey Clukey, Sophomore honors went to Victoria Perrin.
25 Years ago – Feb. 11, 1998
Area basketball teams prepare for tourney – The Hodgdon Lady Hawks didn’t finish their season strong and dropped to the number seven seed in the Class C high school girl’s basketball heal point standings. Starting the season as underdogs in Class C, the Lady Hawks fought their way through the ranks, gaining respect from the other teams that they needed during the regular season. Katahdin Lady Cougars Coach Dick Barstow is pleasantly surprised with where his team finished in the Class C Eastern Maine schoolgirl basketball standings. The Katahdin Cougars enter the quarter final round of the Eastern Maine Class C Tournament in what the coaching staff feels is a comfortable position for the team, which holds a 12-6 record of the season. The Houlton Shiretowners season has been anything but a let down. The Shiers finished the season strong picking up six straight wins over strong opponents, such as Schenck, Fort Fairfield, Caribou, Fort Kent and Madawaska. The Southern Aroostook Warriors will play the Central Aroostook Panthers in the quarter finals. The two teams are familiar with each other, as they played twice this year, with each team winning on the other team’s home court. The Southern Aroostook Lady Warriors are no strangers to the postseason. They are the defending Eastern Maine Champions in Class D.
Heavy snow causes oil spill – This winter’s heavy snow has damaged its share of roofs, but it has also created another problem that many people are not aware of….oil spills. “We’ve had more than 88 inches of snow here in Aroostook County, which has resulted in a 40- inch snowpack,” said Carl Allen, oil and hazardous material specialist with the Maine Department of Environmental Protection. “The weight of this much snow is heavy enough to cause piping and oil filters to separate from the tanks, releasing contents.” According to Allen, 11 oil spills have occurred in the County since January 19, all due to the weight of the snow.
