This month the Alumni Association staff took part in two charitable activities to spread holiday cheer throughout the community. Staff and friends donated nonperishable food items and gently used clothing for the Black Bear Exchange, UMaine’s on-campus food pantry and clothing exchange. The mission of the Black Bear Exchange is to provide equitable resources to…
Thinking of doing some exploration and travel during 2019? Consider joining Black Bear alumni and friends for an excursion to Italy. The Alumni Association’s travel program will journey to Italy November 11-23. The trip, titled “Italian Vistas,” will explore Florence, Pisa, Siena, and more. Special activities will include wine tours, cooking classes, historic excursions, and…
Former UMaine women’s basketball coach Joanne Palombo-McCallie returned to Maine for a November game, where her nationally ranked Duke Blue Devils took on the Black Bears, coached by her former star guard Amy Vachon ‘00. Maine came within three four points of pulling off an upset, falling to Duke 66-63. The occasion brought together dozens…
A ten-day trip to Ireland in October launched the resumption of the Alumni Association’s annual alumni travel program. Partnering with Collette Travel, a national leader in alumni travel programming, 13 Black Bear alumni and friends visited many of Ireland’s most historic and stunning locales, including the breathtaking Cliffs of Moher, Ring of Kerry National Park,…
Michael Bourque ’89, president and CEO of MEMIC, received the Rudy Vallee award from the University of Maine Alumni Chapter of Southern Maine on Nov. 8th. The award was given to honor Bourque’s community involvement and enhancement of the University of Maine image. A portion of the proceeds from the event will support a scholarship…
Matt Clark ‘00 and brother-in-law Matt Grondin ‘01 took the ultimate road-trip – one that took them through all 17 Pat’s Pizza locations in 24 hours last month. What first opened as Farnsworth’s Cafe, an ice cream parlor selling ice creams and confections, became an Orono staple when owner “Pat” Farnsworth added pizza to the…
Do you know an alumnus or alumna whose professional achievements, community service, or volunteer activity on behalf of UMaine deserves recognition? Nominations are being sought for the 2019 Alumni Achievement Awards. There are eight categories of awards, the purposes, criteria, and the nomination process for which can be found here. The deadline for nominations is…
The UMaine Sports Hall of Fame inducted a 10-member class on October 5th. The induction ceremony added standouts from several sports including baseball, football, basketball, track and field, men’s ice hockey, and athletic training. The hall now totals 195 members. Inductees included John Gillette ’65, three-year letterman in basketball and baseball; Ray Jacques ’85, who…
UMaine graduate students are benefiting from the real-world experience of alumni. Lt. Col. Jon Velishka ’97 has returned to campus to help teach a graduate-level course on the potential reunification of the Korean Peninsula. Velishka, who belonged to the Army ROTC while he was a student in Orono, has a 20-plus year military career, including…
Do you know an alumnus or alumna whose professional achievements, community service, or volunteer activity on behalf of UMaine deserves recognition? The Alumni Association is seeking nominations for the 2019 Alumni Achievement Awards. There are eight categories of awards, the purposes, criteria, and the nomination process for which can be found here. The deadline for…
It’s time for Homecoming 2018! Come home! This year, the Alumni Association celebrates the Classes of 1973, 1978, 1983, 1988, 1993, 1998, 2003, 2008, and 2013. To register online, click here.
UMaine’s Advanced Structures and Composites Center showed off another of its many innovations last week: the successful testing of the “72-Hour Bridge,” a bridge system that can be built in fewer than three days and is designed to last 100 years with little or no maintenance. The project is part of the Transportation Infrastructure Durability…