For the readers, a question: what were you doing at this time in 1965? Were you grumbling about kids these days? Trying to figure out who was going to be the seasonal employer that year? Wondering when your first kiss would happen? Squalling for mommy? Were you even born yet, or perhaps a figment of imagination in your grandparents’ or parents’ minds?
History has a way of striking the thumb with a 10-pound hammer. Let’s illuminate that vision. Here’s some of what was happening then.
In 1965, the Star City, Presque Isle, was growing and booming. Potatoes were looking good. Schools were planning on extending harvest break because of some weather issues. Sampson’s Supermarket on Main Street opened. The Harlem Globetrotters would be playing a game with local teams later in the fall. About 4,500 Canadian workers were available for harvest help, up from the 1964 numbers.
An atomic science exhibit would be coming to Presque Isle High School, complete with atomic materials, courtesy of the federal government. As of September 1965, 22 people had died in traffic accidents in Aroostook County. There would be a public hearing on the need for an Ashland-Quebec superhighway.
T-bone steaks were 69 cents on sale. Oreos were 39 cents a pound.
Sugar beets were making headway in County fields, as the Vahlsing plant in Easton was under full construction. A super crane needed to be brought in, and backers of the investment would be flying into the city on a special charter flight.
Jacqueline Cormier of Presque Isle began her ninth grade at Presque Isle High School by telephone, having been sidelined by polio. Easton was celebrating a centenary. The Northeastland Hotel was undergoing $20,000 in renovations. Lastly, patrons of the said Northeastland dining facilities were treated to the delightful, nimble fingers and voice of Danny Ladner tickling the ivory keys of the electric organ.
In 1965, 555 Main St. was one of the major health care centers outside the new A.R. Gould Hospital. An internist, a dentist, eye doctor and Presque Isle’s first fully licensed specialist pediatrician were located on the second floor.
I know something about that. My father, Dr. Horace Allison Jr. opened his office there. The medical staff at the hospital invited Dr. Allison to the area because of the growth the community was experiencing. He and his wife and twin sons arrived in July, and on Sept. 1, 1965, Presque Isle had its first pediatrician.
That building still exists today. It’s now home to several businesses, including Town Square Media.
Many great people have since grown up, lived, loved and built new treasures, all to make our world a better place. Keep growing, Star City.
Orpheus Allison is a photojournalist in The County who graduated from UMPI and earned a master of liberal arts degree from the University of North Carolina. He began his journalism career at WAGM television, worked around the U.S., and later changed careers and taught in China and Korea.
