Deborah Carll Curtis
Hello, Class of 1988! Our 30th Reunion happened over a year ago but people are still sharing the good time they had visiting UMaine! Craig Berry shared that he and his friends enjoyed the alumni reception, the craft show, and tailgating for the football game! Along with Ron Farr, Christopher Boothby, Delmont Lee ‘86, and Jeff Carmichael ’89, Craig enjoyed reminiscing while having dinner! And of course, while in Maine, Craig and his wife enjoyed time visiting their relatives in Maine.
Rich Goodenough also attended the 30th Reunion at UMaine, enjoying time in the alumni tent at the tailgate party. Rich also shared that he is an active road and mountain biker, soccer player, and fisherman. He works for Kennebunk Savings Bank, helping business owners with construction projects, expansion, and buying property, and is the president of the board for the York Regional Chamber of Commerce. Rich and his wife celebrated 28 years of marriage in September and are thrilled that their two sons, Bryant ’20 and Turner ’22 both attend UMaine!
January 2019, Scott Hunnewell was promoted to plant manager for the Tennessee Valley Authority’s Sequoyah Nuclear Plant, located outside Chattanooga, TN. Scott started his career working at the Savannah River Sites K Reactor as a senior reactor operator and a shift technical advisor. In 1992 he joined the Sequoyah team as a mechanical engineer, before a short stint in construction. In 2009 Scott returned to Sequoyah where he was the nuclear steam supply systems manager, the senior manager of systems engineering, and the senior manager of design engineering. Scott then became the engineering director at the Browns Ferry Nuclear Plant outside of Huntsville, until returning once again to Sequoyah. Scott credits his days at UMaine, Ben Chapman, and his participation in the Mini Baja Car project for preparing him for his career in nuclear power.
John Ronan is again in the news as in June he became the chair of the Maine Hospital Association board of directors. John is the president of Northern Light Blue Hill Hospital and Northern Light Maine Coast Hospital in Ellsworth.
Another classmate, Patricia Minnehan Cormier, was in the news when she assumed the role of director of the Maine Forest Service in Maine. The position is also known as the state forester; she reports to the Department of Agriculture, Conservation, and Forestry Commissioner. Patricia has been a district forester for 20 years.
And finally, in May Kevin Sjoberg was inducted into the Maine Sports Legends Hall of Honors for his accomplishments and contributions to youth and sports in Maine. A graduate of Caribou High School, Kevin started in journalism in 1988 as a news and sports reporter for The Aroostook Republican and News in Caribou, only to become in 1993 the sports editor at both The Aroostook Republican and The Presque Isle Star Herald, a position he held until March 2019. Kevin has also been a sports broadcaster for more than two decades, covering high school basketball on the radio or via streaming. He has been a color commentator for local public access television and has worked for WEGP, Channel X, and WHOU. A two-time Maine Sportswriter of the Year, Kevin is now a morning host at Channel X radio in Caribou.
Wow, Class of ’88! You have been busy! For me, Deborah Carll Curtis, I continue to work at Massabesic High School, where I have been for 30 years. With both sons off to college, times change. And with this, I am putting out a plea to see if someone from the Class of ’88 is interested in writing this twice-a-year column. The Alumni Association is great about sending news your way and sometimes alumni send news too! For now, I will continue to share our news, but if interested, please reach out to abigail.zelz@maine.edu with the MAINE Alumni Magazine and she can make the arrangements. For now, if you do have news, feel free to send it my way and I will either pass it on, or if I am still writing this column, include your news in the next installment of the Class of 1988 UMaine alumni news!
Have a great winter, everyone, and of course, on that day this winter when you find yourself shivering, remember — it could be worse! You could be walking up the UMaine mall with the winds whippin’ off the Stillwater River and a wind chill warning in effect! Ahhh — the good ol’ days!