Hello,
As I write this column, we are in “Fool’s Spring” in Minnesota. I think Mainers know exactly what that means. Second winter is on its way!
Signing Off — After 13 years, Rich Kimball ‘97G signed off on WZON, Bangor, for the final time in December ‘24. He spent 13 years on the air as “Downtown with Rich Kimball.”
Stephen King ’70, ’87 Hon. L.H.D., former owner of The Zone Corporation, sold off the WZON, WKIT, WZLO portions after 41 years.
According to WABI-TV, Rich “takes pride in knowing he was able to contribute to the legacy of a place he grew up listening to.”
Rich has signed off, but he is still doing what he loves. Look for “Downtown with Rich Kimball” in podcast form and on Facebook.
Small Town Values = Big Time Success
John Mellencamp, Rock God, sang this in his 1985 hit, “Small Town”:
“No, I cannot forget from where it is I come from,
I cannot forget the people who love me.
Yeah, I can be myself here in this small town
And people let me be just what I want to be”
Apparently, Michael Bourque thinks the same way. When he was interviewed by MaineBiz about what he learned growing up in a small town, Ashland, ME, he said,
“Ashland … taught me to pitch in. Everyone was involved in the community. There weren’t many of us so we had to be a part of everything. My mom served on the library board of trustees and was director of the rec department, and my dad was on the planning board, parish council, and volunteer fire department. It’s what you did. I can clearly trace my own willingness to be active in my community to Ashland, ME.”
Michael brings his small town work ethic as chief executive officer to MEMIC, a workers’ compensation insurance specialist company, with corporate headquarters in Portland, ME.
Put Me in Coach — Scott Atherley ‘91G, UMaine women’s soccer coach, has agreed to a five-year contract extension through the 2028 season.
The former player and soccer captain at UMaine said, “I am grateful for the opportunity to continue to lead the women’s soccer program at a place that holds a special place in my heart.”
And in other legacy news, Scott will have the opportunity to coach his daughter, Teagan, at UMaine next fall. She is an All-Class A North Region midfielder at Bangor High School. How cool is that?
Weino’s Wisdom — In case you are interested in the “International Hockey Life of U.S. Defenseman Eric Weinrich,” you will find considerable commentary in the book Global Goals, by Andy DeRoche. From Rumford, ME, to North Yarmouth Academy, to the University of Maine Black Bears, to the 1988 Olympics, to the Utica Devils, to the New Jersey Devils, then Chicago, Montreal, Philadelphia, St. Louis, and player-coach for the Portland Pirates — it is no surprise that Eric Weinrich was inducted into the Maine Sports Hall of Fame in 2015. Read about his career in the context of the Cold War regarding US relations with the USSR when Eric was a cultural ambassador who befriended Soviet players such as Alexei Kasatonov.