Anne Dearstyne Ketchen
anneketchen@comcast.net
facebook.com/groups/UMaineClass1972/
I am saddened to open with the death of Russ Martin in late April.
Russ was the longtime vice president and president of the Class of ’72 as well as president of the Kennebec Valley Alumni Chapter. He worked in the Augusta area for years before moving to Bath, where he was a part owner and principal in Pine Tree Engineering, a civil and environmental engineering firm.
Classmates responded to news of Russ’s death with unanimous praise and phrases like this one: “He was indeed a loyal Maine alum and a dedicated class president and will be missed.”
There weren’t any clippings this time, and I used up all my what-I’ve-been-doing-during-the-pandemic news plus tidbits from friends’ emails, etc. in the last issue. I was reminiscing about March 17 in Orono. More specifically about places like Pat’s, Gambino’s, and the Rock. And the green beer they used to serve. And how the weather was often the worst of spring — dreary raw weather, sometimes with some sleety precip thrown in. Ring any bells?
And now I’ll make a plea for you to send me some news. You may think that if you aren’t doing anything noteworthy, it’s not worth writing me. But most of us have not been doing anything especially interesting for the past year! So please, drop me a line and tell me what you learned about yourself during the pandemic, how you spent your time, if you accomplished anything you wouldn’t have done otherwise. Or just let me know any news you’d like to share with classmates.