Regina C. McCombs
229 Enfield Road
Lincoln, ME 04457
(207) 794-2897
regm35@gmail.com
facebook.com/groups/UMaineClass1979/
I tried to think of some interesting way to start this article. No luck! So here goes the news, which is more interesting than anything I could come up with —
Wheels of Wisdom: Life Lessons for the Restless Spirit by long-distance cyclists Tim and Debbie Bishop of Thompson’s Station, TN, continues to collect awards.
The Next Generation Indie Book Awards named it the winner in the Christian Nonfiction genre and a finalist in Inspirational Nonfiction. The Independent Publishers Book Awards selected the devotional for a bronze medal in the Adult Nonfiction Personal E-book category. It also earned a bronze medal in the 2018 Illumination Awards.
Wheels of Wisdom captures 52 “aha moments” from the Bishops’ bicycling adventures across America when they were first-time newlyweds at the age of 52. In 2013, they released Two Are Better: Midlife Newlyweds Bicycle Coast to Coast.
Phil Bryce is responsible for 92 state parks as the director of the Division of Parks and Recreation of New Hampshire. Phil is a Chicago native who studied forestry at UMaine. From 1997 to 2008 he directed the state’s Division of Forests and Lands. He has been in his current position since 2011 and runs a division with four bureaus, a $300 million operating budget, and 1,100 employees. Phil has suggested some hidden New Hampshire park gems: Wadleigh, Chesterfield Gorge, Kingston, Wentworth, Forest Lake, the rental cabins at Coleman State Park, and camping at Mount Sunapee. He didn’t want to share for fear that the people who appreciated these areas would be mad at him but I couldn’t resist sharing either!
A recent celebration honored Louise “Robin” Alden on her retirement from a 45-year career as a fisheries journalist and activist. Robin was the executive director of the Stonington, ME, non-profit Maine Center for Coastal Fisheries. This organization works to protect ocean resources through the collective action of fishermen and their communities, supported by science and working in combination with regulatory authorities at all levels. For 20 years she was the publisher and editor of Commercial Fisheries, a regional trade newspaper that she founded in 1973. She also co-founded the Maine Fisherman’s Forum and was commissioner of Maine’s Department of Marine Fisheries from 1995 to 1997. She is also the founding partner of the Downeast Fisheries Partnership. Robin received the prestigious Peter Benchley “Hero of the Sea” Award in 2017, which recognizes “outstanding achievement across many sectors of society leading to the protection of our ocean, coasts, and the communities that depend on them.”
Nancy Targett, Ph.D. stepped down as provost and vice president for academic affairs for the University of New Hampshire last May. Nancy is a nationally recognized expert on ocean issues. She previously served as dean of the College of Earth, Ocean, and Environment at the University of Delaware, director of the Delaware Sea Grant College Program, and acting president of the University of Delaware.
CES, a Maine-based firm of engineers, environmental scientists, and land surveyors, has added Curt Bartram to its Brewer office as a senior mechanical engineer and project manager. Curt previously owned his own engineering firm and has 30 years of experience in mechanical, electrical, and plumbing design with a specialty in energy-efficiency system design.
For more than three decades Gerry Monteux, who went by the name of Bill Patrick, was a TV sports anchor who covered Major League Baseball, football, hockey, and the Olympics for ESPN and NBC, among other networks. Five years ago life-changing events caused a change in direction for Gerry. He decided to return to his camp on the coast of Maine and turned his photographic hobby into a profession. He has opened the Monteux Gallery in Ellsworth, ME, to share and sell his nature photography. You can see his work at: https://www.monteuxgallery.com/.
I have had a request (thank you, Dale Phillips) that we do something interesting and/or exciting for our 40th Reunion, which is coming up next year! I know it is hard to believe and time does fly. If you have an idea or a suggestion for an activity please send it to me. I will send it on to our class officers and reunion committee. Hopefully, many of us can make our way to Orono for a fun event to celebrate this milestone.