On September 7th, 40 of our classmates and friends gathered at the Schoodic Institute for our fabulous 60th pre-Reunion. This quiet campus in the more remote part of Acadia is home to many conferences, workshops, school field trips, and retreats. If you haven’t visited the Schoodic Peninsula on a trip to Acadia, plan to the next time you are in the area. It is beautiful. Its quiet space gave us all a wonderful chance to reconnect.
Our time together began with a welcome reception on Wednesday evening before our banquet. Eli Karter and Don Ouellette led us in a short remembrance of the more than 125 classmates that have passed away since our 55th. This was a special moment to honor friendships and recognize how fleeting time is for all of us.
During dinner that evening we held a short business meeting to elect officers and board members. President Millie Stewart, VP Larry Libby, and I have agreed to continue our roles for the next five years. Eli Karter has taken on the treasurer’s position. Appointed to the executive board were class agent Gary Cran, Senior Alumni reps Mary Shorey and Ann Adjutant, class web manager Don Ouellette, and Sue Billings, board member at large.
We were delighted to have as our dinner guests, Tom Peaco ’88, president of the Alumni Association, and Dee Gardner ’89 from the UMaine Foundation. Dee has been our guide and connection to the Foundation over the last two years as we worked to raise funds for our ’62 Val Beck Sterritt Scholarship. She announced that we not only met our goal of raising the principal to $100,000, but exceeded it. Dee extended her thanks to all of you for your support!
Tom Peaco also recognized our class fundraising success as well as our class spirit. Tom’s main reason for being with us that evening was to present the Block M Award to Larry and Lois Murdock Libby ’63. Tom cited the couple’s loyalty to UMaine, especially their establishment of the Libby Lecture Series. In 2016, Larry and Lois presented the university with a gift to establish a yearly collaborative event between the College of Liberal Arts and College of Natural Sciences. Recent lectures have focused on water quality, air pollution, sustainable forests, and climate change. We all congratulate Larry and Lois on their well-deserved honor!