Lots going on here for our class column! We celebrated our 35th Reunion on campus during the weekend of October 13-15 and now we’ve settled in for another New England winter.
After 40 years of coaching high school basketball and other sports including soccer and tennis, Peter Murray G has decided to call it a career (basketball). Peter has been the head coach of Dexter Regional High School basketball team for the past 30 years and recorded over 300 wins. He led his teams to two Class C state title game appearances, one in 2005 and one in 2022. This past season, Dexter went 16-2 in the regular season and lost to Fort Kent in the Class C North semifinals. Peter also spent 31 years as the girls soccer coach and will continue this season and possibly 2024 as well. Peter also reports he believes he’s coached the tennis team for 32 or 33 years. He says he most enjoyed coaching and getting to know so many great people across the state throughout his career.
Thank you, Peter, for sharing your experience over the years and having a positive impact on many young athletes and students in the classroom! Enjoy your time off!
The Maine Center for Entrepreneurs has appointed three new members to its board of directors, including Doug DeAngelis (electrical engineering) of Haverhill, MA. Doug is the founder, past president, and chief technology officer of Lynx System Developers and Isolynx LLC. After UMaine he earned a master’s in computer science and electrical engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. While at UMaine, Doug was a member of the cross country, indoor, and outdoor track teams, where he was a standout runner in all. Doug remains active in land trust and land conservation organizations throughout northern New England. In fact, recently Doug joined another non-profit board, American Friends of Canadian Conservation. Doug’s wife, Shay, recently retired after more than 20 years of teaching art and arts integration, which will allow her to focus on her own art and take private students. Their son, Manny, is in his senior year at Phillips Academy Andover.
James Fay (landscape horticulture) — As covered in MaineBiz magazine in July 2023, The Maine Manufacturing Extension Partnership has promoted its operations manager to president. Jim Fay succeeded retiring president Larry Robinson and assumed management responsibilities in November. Jim has served with Maine MEP as a senior project manager and then as its operations manager since 2018. He brought over two decades of experience working at leading manufacturers, including the plant manager for DR Power Equipment in Winooski, VT, and as the site leader at the Owens Corning facility in Brunswick. “Since joining the organization as a senior project manager in 2018, Jim has assisted Maine MEP clients in achieving more than $100 million in investments, cost savings, and revenue growth. He has an extensive knowledge of Maine’s manufacturing sector and a proven track record of success” said Kristine Logan, board chair. Congratulations on your appointment, Jim!
You may remember Lisa Park Laflin (art) reported in the summer 2022 class news that she was retiring from her previous position at United Way. She is back in the spotlight again. Lisa is the former executive director for United Way of the Tri-Valley Area and has begun her new chapter in life as the owner of Wears and Wares, a consignment shop in Farmington. Lisa opened this new store in February 2023. It is located at 413 Wilton Road in Farmington, ME. She reports it is the only consignment shop in the area — the closest consignment shop is located in Waterville. Lisa has a lot of great ideas she plans to employ including allowing the proceeds of consignment sales items to be donated to local organizations, and working closely with the University of Maine Farmington with a “professional closet,” which will provide professional clothing for low-income students who need clothes for job interviews and other career opportunities. Lisa reports, “I support local small businesses; I believe we are a state that has a huge proportion of small businesses, and we have to realize they are the backbone of our local economy and they are our neighbors.” Congratulations, Lisa, on your new endeavor and all your future successes!