It’s almost April as I write this in my lake house with the sun pouring in and the wind gusting to 35 mph! The lake is still frozen but signs of what lies beneath are opening along the shoreline and coves. Our resident eagles spent a great deal of time this winter preparing their nursery and at least one egg was laid March 13th with hopes that there will be two eaglets. Last year, one of the eaglets didn’t survive and “Junior” was a noisy and demanding baby. Our dock and boat go in on April 21st. You can be sure we wear jackets on our first cruise!
So what’s happening with our classmates?
Elaine Legendre Burr brought us up to date. She’s living in Texas and recently retired after 42 years as a law firm administrator.
It seems there is news about Dave Halligan ‘79G in every MAINE Alumni Magazine! This time we are giving him a shout-out to his record of 500 coaching wins in soccer and more than 600 in basketball. With 44 years of coaching under his belt, it’s safe to say this Falmouth coach is a legend. The Portland Press Herald featured Dave after his 500th team win in soccer. He’s the first coach in Maine history to achieve this mark. He is truly loved and admired by present and past players. Congratulations, coach!*
The School of Forest Resources honored distinguished alumni in a ceremony last October. Ken Laustsen was the 2021 honoree. He worked as Maine’s forest biometrician for the Maine Forest Service for more than 20 years until his retirement in 2021. Among his achievements, Ken was an active member of the Society of American Foresters. He was named an SAF Fellow in 2008 for his contributions to the forestry profession and was the recipient of the USFS Director’s Award for Excellence in 2001. He previously worked for Great Northern Paper and Asplundh. He earned a B.S. and M.S. in forestry in ’74 and ’10, respectively.
David Townsend ’81 Ph.D. was awarded the 2022 Visionary Award from the Gulf of Maine Council on the Marine Environment. The award recognizes innovation, creativity, and commitment to protecting the marine environment. The ceremony was held in Portland last July. His distinguished career includes a textbook on oceanography and marine biology, more than 100 research articles, reviews, and publications, and numerous grants and contracts for research projects. In 2001, he earned the College of Natural Sciences, Forestry, and Agriculture Outstanding Teacher Award and in 2006 was named the Distinguished Maine Professor, UMaine’s most prestigious faculty award.
*(Just a note: My Brewer Witches defeated Falmouth for the 2022-23 Class A basketball championship and the coveted Gold Ball! So proud of my high school.)
That’s all the news. Feel free to email me with any updates. We really do want to hear from you! Have a great summer!