The Fogler Legacy Award is awarded annually to a family with multiple generations of Black Bear graduates who have been actively engaged in volunteer service on behalf of UMaine, their community, and/or their respective professions. This family’s connection to the University spans across four generations, with members of the Morrison family leveraging their University of…

Fogler Legacy Award The Stimpson family was honored with the Fogler Legacy Award in recognition of four generations of distinguished University of Maine graduates. Family members have had careers in veterinary medicine and higher education, law, and other fields.    Click here to return to the 2021 Alumni Award Winners.  

For the recipients of the Fogler Legacy Award, the Davee family, attending the University of Maine has been a strong family tradition for generations. Along the way, mistakes and successes have also been part of the learning process. Robert “Bob” L. Davee ’59 chuckles as he recalls working with his father around 1945 to install…

The question was one Michael Bourque ’89 expected, but hadn’t heard in some time. “Fresh mushrooms, or canned?” the waitress at Pat’s Pizza asked, evoking a chuckle during a recent visit to his old Orono stomping grounds. “If I’m here, it has to be canned mushrooms,” Bourque said, sending the server on her way, smiling.…

When I arrived at the University of Maine at age 21, I fully expected it to kick-start a long career in academia. I wanted to use my time in UMaine’s Department of English to catapult myself into a career of teaching, critically reading, and molding minds. I was lucky enough to enter UMaine as a…

Helping scientific entrepreneurs break into the business of biotechnology Jean Praderio George ’80 didn’t know exactly what her career path would be when she enrolled at the University of Maine as an undergraduate, but she knew her passion — science. “It just enthralled me to study any of the life sciences. I always knew I was…

United States diplomat Pamela Murphy White ’71, former ambassador to Haiti and The Gambia, received an honorary doctorate and delivered the Commencement address at the University of Maine on May 14. During her 45-year career in public service, White led programs that improved the health, education, and economic wellbeing of people around the world, particularly…

Lawrence Bender’s own story reads something like a Hollywood screenplay: a young man from the Bronx decides to pursue a practical career at a distant university. He is drawn to the arts while in college and struggles through dance-related injuries for several years before moving to Hollywood. After some small gigs, he teams up with a then unknown screenwriter. When they combine forces, the rest is history: both men launch prominent careers, produce dozens of films, and garner critical acclaim. The catch is, Bender’s story is real and he began his education and incredible success story right here at the University of Maine.