Maine Seniors Magazine - March 2017

MARCH 2017 • $5.95 MESENIORS.COM

Also Inside: Maine Irish Heritage Center

• Maine’s Controversial Coyotes • RV’ing Across America • Age-Friendly Communities • March is for Maple ...and more!

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NAHB 50+ Housing Council

Highland Green “Best Integration of Nature & Landscaping” 2014 International Builders’ Show

The Premier 55+ Active Adult Lifestyle Community Maine Seniors columnist Hunter Howe recently chose Highland Green as his new home!

“It became clear immediately that Highland Green is relatively younger and has more vitality. And I liked the fact that it has spread out neighborhoods, with real custom-built single family homes and not just a conglomeration of plain cottages surrounding a large assisted living facility. It truly is a 55+ Community.”

Read about the rest of Hunter’s HG adventure (along with his dog named Dash) in the latest issue of HG Lifestyle. It is available on our website or call us for your printed copy.

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Publisher's Note

PUBLISHER

David. S. Nealley

A

EDITOR IN CHIEF

t Maine Seniors Magazine we do our best to bring you inspirational stories about people who are improving our quality of life in our communities and throughout Maine. We call these folks “Prime Movers”.

Ellen L. Spooner

CREATIVE DIRECTOR

Ian J. Marquis

EDITORS

Catherine N. Zub Lois N. Nealley Mark D. Roth Clyde Tarr

CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHERS

Ian J. Marquis Victor Oboyski

SALES & DISTRIBUTION

Christine Parker George Holton Melissa Howard Jim Gorham A. Peter Legendre Roseanne Bolduc Dale Overlock Fred Connell Deborah Batting Victor Oboyski

WRITERS

Paulette Oboyski Barbara Kent Lawrence Brad Eden Clyde Tarr Dr. Len Kaye Jane Margesson LC Van Savage Fia Marquis Hunter Howe Ellen Spooner

SOCIAL MEDIA

Shane Wilson

BUSINESS OFFICE

87 Hillside Avenue, Bangor, Maine 04401 Phone: (207) 299-5358

Maine Seniors Magazine is published in the State of Maine

by Maine Seniors Magazine, L.L.C. in association with Maine Media Consulting, L.L.C. All information herein represents the views of individual writers and their understanding of the issues at hand, and may not represent the views of the Maine Seniors Magazine, its management, or editorial staff. For more information about Maine Seniors Magazine, visit www.meseniors.com.

SUBSCRIPTIONS

10 issues for $29.95 by making a check, payable to Maine Seniors Magazine.

Mail to Maine Seniors Magazine, 87 Hillside Avenue, Bangor, Maine 04401.

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1 • MAINE SENIORS

Whether you call Nelson Durgin, a volunteer, a mentor, a committee member, a General, a board member, or the Chairman of the Board… one thing is for sure, he is a Prime Mover.

Nelson exemplifies good citizenship and stewardship.

In Maine, many of our senior partners have a life time of dedication to community service, although few have committed as much time to as many organizations, and for as many years as Nelson E. Durgin,“The Chairman”.

Recently it seems that much is being said about multimedia. Regardless of the “good, bad and the ugly” of traditional and “new” media, we do have a wonderful world of media options today from which to source news and entertainment. Please read about “Mr. Radio”, Bob Bittner and his radio niche, as well as an article on Naomi Schalit with her news media niche.

On the cover we have a great picture of the Maine Irish Heritage Center, in Portland.

Needless to say, we have a lot of Irish people here in Maine. Read about Patricia McDonough Dunn, a lady who represents the virtues of the Claddagh, of love, loyalty, and friendship, and is dedicated to the celebration of our Irish heritage.

Happy St Patrick’s Day!

—David S. Nealley, Publisher

Caricature of "Irish Publisher" above and on front cover by Casey Johnson.

Contributors

Brad Eden

Paulette Oboyski

Fia Marquis

Dr. Lenard W. Kaye

Ellen L. Spooner

Ian J. Marquis

LC Van Savage

Jane Margesson

Clyde Tarr

Hunter Howe

Barbara Kent Lawrence

OUR CONTRIBUTORS HUNTER HOWE Hunter’s Maine roots run deep. He has written

LC VAN SAVAGE Elsie (aka LC) Van Savage hosted three

for the Cape Courier and penned a column called Senior Moments for the Senior News, a publication of the Southern Maine Agency on Aging.

radio and two local TV shows. LC has written three books and currently writes for The Coastal Journal and has an on-line column with the New Maine Times called LC’s Take. She loves to paint at her home in mid-coast Maine.

DR. LENARD W. KAYE Dr. Kaye is the Director and Professor for the Center on Aging at the University of Maine. He has been in the forefront of promoting and planning elder issues at the state level.

IAN J. MARQUIS Ian is an artist, designer, writer, musician, and creative director. Born and raised in the state of Maine, he lives in Portland with his wife, Fia, and their daughter, Lyric.

His latest album of music, Legacy Drivers, is available on iTunes and at www.ianmarquismusic.com.

FIA MARQUIS Fia is a food writer, recipe creator, and member of the Maine food scene. A Maine native and mother of one, she lives in Portland with her husband—Maine Seniors Magazine Creative Director Ian Marquis.

JANE MARGESSON Jane Margesson has worked for AARP for over 20 years in Pennsylvania, New Jersey and now Maine. Jane appears frequently on Maine’s television and radio news programs and is a public speaker on scam and fraud prevention.

PAULETTE OBOYSKI Paulette retired early at 45 to a farm in Washington, Maine, and edited ten fundraising cookbooks for non profits in town and cocompiled the book, Washington, Maine People and Places, for the town’s bicentennial. She now lives in Brunswick with her husband.

ELLEN L. SPOONER Ellen Spooner is a retired speech- language pathologist who lives in Brewer. Her hobbies include reading, knitting, cooking, sporting events, and traveling to the coast where she enjoys visiting lighthouses.

CLYDE TARR Clyde Tarr is a native of Maine, with roots in the state dating back to 1636. His writing has appeared in the Ellsworth America, Bangor Daily News, the Maine Sunday Telegram, Employment News, and Assisted Living Today. Clyde lives in Belfast with his wife of more than forty years, Paula.

BARBARA KENT LAWRENCE Barbara is the author of eight books including "Islands of Time" and the sequel "Ben’s Story."

She lived year-round on Mt. Desert for twenty years where she ran a real estate and construction company, earned a PhD in education, and was a policy analyst and professor in Massachusetts. In 2015 she returned to Maine, and lives in Camden with her partner, Bob.

BRAD EDEN Brad Eden is an artist, writer, and registered Maine Master Guide. He has lived in Maine for three decades, and is an avid outdoorsman and sportsman.

MARCH 2017 • 2

SENIOR POWER!

Maine Seniors Spreads the Word About SENIOR POWER!

3 • MAINE SENIORS

David Nealley, publisher of Maine Seniors Magazine proclaims that "Maine's Greatest Natural Resource" is its senior population.

SENIOR POWER!

Seen here at the Biddeford Saco Rotary Club, David shares a refreshing outlook on the value of Maine's senior population, which at Maine Seniors Magazine we call Senior Power!

MARCH 2017 • 4

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Page 7

MARCH 2017 ISSUE 1 Publisher's Note

BY DAVID S. NEALLEY

3 Contributors 7 Prime Mover: The Chairman: Nelson E. Durgin

BY ELLEN L. SPOONER

19 Prime Mover: Patricia McDonough Dunn

BY PAULETTE MCKEEVER-OBOYSKI

Page 19

27 Prime Mover: Naomi Schalit

BY BARBARA KENT LAWRENCE

35 Prime Mover: Bob Bittner

BY LC VAN SAVAGE

43 Sage Lens: Age-Friendly Communities

in Maine • BY DR. LEN KAYE

47 Health Treasures: VNA Health Home Hospice

GUEST ARTICLE

51 Just Pondering: What's Bugging You?

Page 35

BY WALDO CLARK

53 The MAINE Point: Senior Companions

BY JANE MARGESSON

55 Bridging Generations: Photo Organizing

BY JOAN CLARK

57 Residential Review: Clearview Estates

GUEST ARTICLE

61 Here, There & Everywhere: RV'ing Across

America • BY PETER & JUDY LEGENDRE

69 A Look Back: The World's Most Interesting

Page 61

Man: A Recollection • BY CLYDE TARR

71 A Trail Less Traveled: Maine's Controversial

Coyotes • BY BRAD EDEN

73 Food for Thought: March is for Maple

BY FIA MARQUIS

77 From the Porch: Aged Graciousness

BY HUNTER HOWE Page 71

MARCH 2017 • 6

PRIME MOVER • Nelson E. Durgin

7 • MAINE SENIORS

Nelson E. Durgin • PRIME MOVER

"MR. CHAIRMAN" Nelson E. Durgin

“What counts in life is not the mere fact that we have lived. It is what difference we have made to the lives of others that will determine the significance of the life we lead.” —Nelson Mandela

A

t Maine Seniors Magazine, a Prime Mover is a senior who has devoted considerable time and energy to improving the living conditions of his fellow men in their country, state and or community. Nelson Durgin has accomplished all of this and is a quintessential example of such an individual. In a

BY ELLEN L. SPOONER

world of “paying it forward”, Nelson ranks as a senior who is paid through eternity.

Nelson was born in Oxford, Maine on June 23, 1937 and grew up in the Norway area. His first involvement with service to others was when he was elected president of his 6th grade class.

Later, he graduated from Norway High School where he had been class president for three years and business manager for the school yearbook.

Following his high school graduation, Nelson moved to Bethel and began working at the Bethel Inn, where, according to Nelson, many

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PRIME MOVER • Nelson E. Durgin

young people from the area were employed during their school years. It was at the Bethel Inn that Nelson met and eventually fell in love with his future wife, Carla who worked in the dining room.

Carla laughs when she relates with a broad smile,“I was the “pickle and relish girl.”

Nelson had applied to Gorham State Teachers College but wasn’t sure that teaching was what he wanted to do with his life, so when the Bethel Inn closed for the winter in October, he went to Florida and worked at a hotel in Winter Park. Returning to Maine the following summer, he went back to work at the Inn. Sensing Nelson’s potential, however, his boss strongly encouraged him to go to college. Nelson took his advice and went on to graduate with a degree in business administration from Portland University, which ultimately merged with Gorham State Teachers College to form the University of Southern Maine.

A Committee Man: A look at the civic involvement of Nelson E. Durgin over the years

Bangor City Councilor Peter D'Errico with Durgin

• 2004-2010: United Way Senior Council, Chair 2004-2008 • 2008-Present: Member Bangor Public Health Advisory Board Chair 2009-2010 • 2001-2010: Board of Directors Bangor Nursing and Rehab, Center; Pres 2007-2009 • 2005: White House Conference on Aging, Wash. DC. representing Senator Collins • 2006-Present: Eastern Area Agency on Aging, Board of Directors. Treas 2011-2013, President 2014 to 2016 • 2008: Hammond Street Senior Center Organizing Committee Appointed by City Council • 2014-Present: Boys and Girls Club of Bangor. Board Chair 2014-2016 9 • MAINE SENIORS

• 2014-Present: Bangor Historical Society, Vice Chair 2016 Civic Affilliations: • 2010-Present: Member Bangor City Council: Chair 2012-2013 and 2014-2015 • 2012/2013 and 2014;2015: Maine Mayors Coalition • 2014-Present: Maine Municipal Association Legislative Policy Committee

Nelson E. Durgin • PRIME MOVER

Chair Durgin with City Manager Cathy Conlow, City Solicitor Norman Heitmann, in front Councilors, Nealley, Longo and Hawes

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In 1960, at the age of twenty-three, fresh out of college with degree in hand, Nelson was draft eligible and decided to enlist in the Maine Air National Guard (ANG). His father, along with several uncles, had served during World War II. Nelson enlisted in the ANG on December 5, 1960 and prepared to leave for basic training. Before leaving, however, there was something he wanted to do. He wanted to ask Carla to marry him.

He did; she said, “Yes”; and that was that. Or, as Carla puts it, “He asked me to marry him, then left town!”

Having completed basic training, Nelson was assigned to Bangor where he began fulfilling his military commitment of one weekend per month, plus fifteen days per year. At the same time his full time employment was as a salesman for a Portland (and New England wide) firm that sold building materials. Nelson covered Aroostook, Washington and Hancock Counties.

In 1962, Nelson and Carla moved to Belfast. Carla, who had graduated from Gorham State Teachers College, taught first grade MARCH 2017 • 1 0

PRIME MOVER • Nelson E. Durgin A Committee Man (continued) • 2014-Present: Maine DOT Passenger Rail Advisory Council • 2001-2010: State of Maine Civil Service Appeals Board, appointed by Gov. King and Gov Baldacci.

• 2013-2014: Legislative Tax Expenditure Committee Church activities: • I969-Present: Hammond Street Congregational Church leadership including: Moderator, Trustee, Deacon, Christian Ed., Supt. of Sunday School, Stewardship, Capital Fund Drive, Pastoral Counseling, Churchmen's League, Pastoral Search Civic organizations:

T:3.36”

YOU WORK HARD IN YOUR COMMUNITY, SO COME OUT AND PLAY.

• 1969-1970: Outstanding Local Jaycees Pres (Bangor, Jaycees) • 1970-1971: Pres. Me. JCs. Selected as 1 of Maine's 3 Outstanding Young Men (U.S. JCs) • 1980-1990: Member Bangor Kiwanis; Director 1982 - 1985 • 1984: Kiwanian of the Year, Bangor Kiwanis Club • 1995-2012: Katahdin Area Council BSA, Pres. 1999-2001, Corp. Pres. 2006-2008 • 1999-Present: Member Bangor Rotary, Director 2001-2006

• 2007: Paul Harris Fellowship Bangor Rotary (Rotary's highest individual award) • 2008: Ch. Two/ United Way To Those Who Care Award • 2008: Beal College Graduation Speaker • 2008: Beal College Nelson E. Durgin Award to outstanding Student in MH Human Svcs • 2007-2014: UMA Board of Visitors • 2009: Univ. of Maine at Augusta Distinguished Service Award • 2010-2012: UMA BOV Chairman • 2012: Bangor Region Chamber Arthur Comstock award for Professional Servtce Military Awards/Recognition 1960–1995 • 1960: Dec 5, enlisted in Maine ANG • 1963: Commissioned 2nd Lieut. Promoted 1966, 1969, 1973, 1978, 1985, 1988, 1991 • 1973: Graduate Air Command and Staff College in residence • 1977 Commander 101 st Combat Support Sqdn • 1978-1988: U.S. Air Force Academy Liaison Officer

11 • MAINE SENIORS

Augusta On-Tap Third Thursday of each month from 4-6 PM Charlamagne’s Bar and Lounge Augusta Coffee Klatsch Third Wednesday of each month from 8-10 AM Lisa’s Restaurant Bangor On-Tap Second Thursday of each month from 4:30-6:30 PM Geaghan’s Brewery Bangor Coffee Klatsch Second Friday of each month from 8-10 AM Bagel Central Portland On-Tap Third Thursday of each month from 4-6 PM RiRa Portland Coffee First Friday of each month from 8:30-10 AM AARP Maine State Ofce Waterville Lunch Bunch Third Wednesday of each month from 11 AM-1 PM Joseph’s Fireside Steakhouse York Beach Coffee Klatsch Last Monday of each month from 8-10 AM Daily Grind Café Get to know us at 207-776-6302 or aarp.org/me

T:9.92”

• 2001: Silver Beaver Award, Boy Scouts of America (Scouting's highest individual award)

Join AARP for our free monthly coffee and “On-Tap” social events all across Maine! They’re a great way to meet new people and nd out what we’re doing in your community. The rst beverage at each event is on us and friends are welcome.

Nelson E. Durgin • PRIME MOVER

"General Durgin's leadership set a

high standard in the Maine National Guard and he has continued

to be a leader and mentor in our community. He provides one of the very best examples of service to Country, State and Community."

—Brigadier General Doug Farnham Adjutant General, Maine National Guard

General Doug Farnham

until their first child, Michael, was born in 1964. (Their second child, Marjorie, was born in 1969.) Once settled in Belfast, Nelson joined and became active in the newly-chartered Junior Chamber of Commerce (Jaycees), thus his entry into community service.

Nelson was promoted to 2nd Lieutenant by the ANG in 1963 and was charged with overseeing the budget in Bangor. This was just the first of many promotions he would receive during his 35year career with the Air National Guard leading up to 1991 when he was appointed by Governor John McKernan to be Maine’s Adjutant General and Commissioner for Defense, Veterans, and Emergency Management.

Nelson and Carla with son Michael

Nelson and Carla moved to Bangor in 1967 when he became controller for the ANG . . . a full-time position. From that time to the present, Nelson became increasingly involved in civic activities and organizations, including the Multiple Handicap Center, Eastern Maine Area Agency on Aging, United Way, St. Joseph Healthcare Foundation, Community Health and Counseling Center, Boys and Girls Club of Bangor, Bangor City Council, and many others. He has forged a place for himself as a

Nelson and Carla MARCH 2017 • 1 2

PRIME MOVER • Nelson E. Durgin

A Committee Man (continued) • 1985-1988: USAF Academy Liaison Officer Commander for Maine

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• 1961-1994: Various medals and ribbons recognizing superior performance

Foster Grandparents are incomeeligible volunteers aged 55 and over who volunteer 15 to 40 hours a week with disabled, disadvantaged and developmentally delayed children in one-on-one and small group settings. Foster Grandparents are placed in sites such as schools and Head Start centers. Benefits include a stipend for hours worked, paid holidays, earned time and assistance with transportation and meals. Penquis sponsors this program in 14 Maine counties (all but York and Cumberland).

• 1988-1994: Featured Speaker at Memorial Day and Veteran's day events in Augusta, Hallowell, Gardiner, Mechanic Falls, Oxford, Bethel, Norway, Waterville.

For more information, call 207-973-3611 or 1-800-215-4942 or visit www.penquis.org

• 1983: Distinguished Graduate Nat'l. Defense Univ. Indst.

Colllege of Armed Forces.

• 1988: Brig. Gen. Ass't. Adjutant General, Air for Maine • 1991: Maj. Gen. Adjutant General & Commissioner Defense, Veterans & Emerg. Mgt. • 1995: USAF Distinguished Service Medal (Highest noncombat medal) • 1992: USAF Legion of Merit

Other Affiliations: • 1969-1980: Eastern Maine Friends Retarded Citizens, Pres & various offices • 1970-1973: Member Bangor Urban Renewal Authority • 1971-1984: Community Health& Counsel. Ctr., Pres 1975-77 • 1970-????: Member Bangor City Club • 1981-1990: Multiple Handicap Center, Penob Valley.

(Arnicus) Pres.1984-1986 • 1984-Present: Trustee St. Joseph Healthcare Foundation; Treasurer 1998-2010. Vice Chairman 2010-present.

Various committee affilliations • 1991-1999: Maine Hospital Association; Chair 1997-1998 • 1994-2004: Wings for Children/Families Board; Pres. l998-2000 • 1998-Present: Penobscot County TRIAD, Pres 2000-2002 • 2001-2010: Member Maine Civil Service Appeals Board Appointed by Gov King and Gov Baldacci

valuable board member and participant. Nelson is known for his tirelessness, fairness, intelligence, and ability to get things done and has received many awards and honors over the years. Reflecting on all of this, Nelson says,“I’ve tried to be active, in a positive way, in the community where I live. I think it’s important for the people who have the capability, to step forward and take some responsibility.”

Retiring from the military in 1995, and nearing the age of 60, Nelson found himself, for the first time in his life, without a job.

But Nelson wasn’t ready to slow down just yet. That same year he became Executive Director and Administrator of Phillips Strickland House assisted living facility and was responsible for overseeing the construction of Boyd Place, an independent living center for seniors. Nelson held this position from 1995 until his retirement in 2010.

Nelson says that he really covers “both ends of the spectrum” between his work for the Eastern Area Agency on Aging and

13 • MAINE SENIORS

Nelson E. Durgin • PRIME MOVER

"Nelson is a great civic leader, I have seen

first hand the impact his leadership has made on the Boys and Girls Club of Bangor. As chair, he has guided the Boys and Girls Club of Bangor with strength, resolve, integrity, and class. Nelson always has the needs and mission of the organization he serves front and center".

"Bangor is fortunate to have Nelson serving our community. His leadership has positively shaped the organizations he serves to the benefit of so many people".

"Nelson is a patriot and a tremendous asset

to the Bangor community and beyond."

Warren Caruso

"As an organization we are so fortunate to have Nelson's leadership and expertise as the President of the Board to help us navigate local and state issues. I have witnessed firsthand Nelson's logical and measured approach to problem solving and finding solutions that are guided by facts. As a community, we

­—Warren Caruso, Head Coach, Husson University

Dyan Walsh

benefit from the time and dedication that he gives

to numerous organizations and know that we are truly blessed that he calls the city of Bangor home."

—Dyan M. Walsh, MSW Executive Director, Eastern Area Agency on Aging

MARCH 2017 • 1 4

PRIME MOVER • Nelson E. Durgin

"Nelson Durgin hired me as the Activity Director of Phillips-Strickland House, an Assisted Living Home

Linda Nickerson

for seniors in Bangor, Maine in March of 1999.I worked with Mr. Durgin here at PSH until he retired.

I am still employed as the Activity Director at PSH and enjoy my job very much. Once in a while my name will come up at a meeting that Nelson is at or some special event, and Nelson will say, "Yes, I

hired her" with a grin!

I feel that Nelson Durgin is one of the kindest men around. He was always very active in many programs while he worked as the Executive Director/Administrator at PSH and continues to be very active with our home on various projects. I have always enjoyed working with Mr. Durgin because he cares, listens and contributes much! Nelson Durgin sincerely cares about people, and you can see that through all that he has done over the years."

—Linda M. Nickerson, Certified Activity Director, Phillips-Strickland House

Bernie LaBree

"Nelson Durgin is a special individual whom I have

had the pleasure to get to know over the past few years. On numerous occasions I would run into him at Geaghan’s Pub at breakfast on Saturday mornings with his wife, granddaughter and son. He was always very pleasant to talk and joke around with. I enjoyed each conversation. I also have the honor of working with Nelson on the St. Joseph’s Board of Trustees. His dedication, not only to the Bangor area, but also to his family, is profound. His integrity, ability to listen and investigate is very fruitful and meaningful for any of the committees of Eastern Maine on which he serves. Nelson is not afraid to ask the questions that get things done. He is an excellent role model and leader. It has been a privilege to stand beside him representing St. Joseph’s Hospital."

—Bernie LaBree, LaBree's Bakery

15 • MAINE SENIORS

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PRIME MOVER • Nelson E. Durgin

Durgin family pumpkin carving contest

the relatively-new Bangor Boys and Girls Club which provides a supervised quality afterschool program for students in Bangor. Many of these students would spend time alone as they come from single parent homes or homes where both parents work.

Governor John McKernan

proved to be a leader who brought out the best in those who served under him.

Nelson was also always there to help a colleague with any of our initiatives, and

When Nelson was asked if there was one of his accomplishments of which he was most proud, he thought for a moment, then responded, “I was pleased to serve elective office with the city during my two terms on the Council. I think it’s important for citizens to be involved.” Nelson continues to be a voice in Augusta for the citizens of Bangor through his participation on the Maine Municipal Association Legislative Policy Committee.

“Just as he has demonstrated through the many contributions he has made to so many in Bangor over the years since he served in my Administration, Nelson

It makes one wonder how Nelson has managed to dedicate so much time to his community and state, while serving his country competently and devotedly.

Fortunately, along the way he had the love and stalwart support of Carla, his wife of 55 years, who ably kept the home fires burning . . . and dinner warm. Nelson says, “She provided so much support for me, it’s incredible.”

Mayor, or in the multitude of other community activities he has been engaged in. Maine and Bangor are truly the beneficiaries

Thank you, Nelson and Carla. Your neighbors in the Bangor area, the State of Maine, and beyond are grateful for your many sacrifices and multitudinous contributions that have and will continue to enhance our quality of life.

MSM

“Nelson was one of my best Cabinet appointments. As Maine Adjutant General, he

he was someone who cared about all of those he worked with regardless of their position.

has always been driven by the desire to make a difference, whether on the City Council, as

of Nelson’s commitment to public service.”

—John McKernan

17 • MAINE SENIORS

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PRIME MOVER • Patricia McDonough Dunn

Pat Dunn in Her Law Office Library

Photos by Victor Oboyski and Maine Irish Heritage Center

Patricia

BY PAULETTE MCKEEVER-OBOYSKI

McDonough Dunn Patricia (Pat) McDonough Dunn’s life is the story of the Irish in Maine.

P

at is a woman who is dedicated to her Maine community.

She is devoted to both her Irish heritage and her legal profession. She is the Chair of the Maine Irish Heritage Center and has been a law director for the past 30 years at the legal firm of Jensen, Baird, Gardner and Henry. Both organizations are located in Portland, Maine—close to where she was born and raised.

19 • MAINE SENIORS

IRISH ROOTS

Many of the Irish who immigrated to the Portland area of Maine came from County Galway, Ireland. Pat’s roots in Ireland trace back to all four of her grandparents who were born in Connemara, County Galway. Her grandfathers knew each other in Ireland before they moved to Portland. In fact, her two grandfathers were both from the same island of Inishlacken, off the town of Roundstone. They immigrated to Portland’s Irish community around the turn of the 20th century.

Pat still has relatives in Ireland and has visited them several times.

She related that when she visits Galway, she notices that everyone

Patricia McDonough Dunn • PRIME MOVER

looks like many of the people in Portland. Through the Maine Irish Heritage Center’s (MIHC) Gaeltacht Irish DNA Project, Pat has accumulated one of the largest lists in the project of her relatives in Ireland and Maine.

FAMILY

Pat was born in Portland, Maine on September 26, 1951. Her parents were John and Dorothy (Greene) McDonough. Her parents lived on Munjoy Hill and then moved to South Portland right after Pat was born. Her grandfather McDonough was a longshoreman on the docks in Maine. Her father worked as a longshoreman for a short period of time after he graduated from high school. He served in the Navy during WWII and upon return from the Navy, spent his working career at the Post Office. She has two younger sisters, Margaret Sirois and Jeanne Peine. Pat lives in Scarborough on Pine Point Beach. Her three stepchildren, Tracy,

Many of the Irish who immigrated to Portland came from County Galway, Ireland—like Pat, whose

grandparents were all born there.

Aerial drone view of MIHC MARCH 2017 • 2 0

PRIME MOVER • Patricia McDonough Dunn

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Alison and Wendy all live out of state but they come to visit during the summer, along with Pat’s six step-grandchildren, to enjoy the beach with Pat. Dan Murphy, who lives in Maine, is Pat’s first cousin. He said, “When Pat and I get together, we talk about our family. We both still have relatives in Ireland. Our grandparents were fluent in the Irish Gaelic language. Pat helps our family track our relatives in

The Catholic Foundation of Maine administers over 112 endowments that support Catholic ministries in the State of Maine. If you wish to give to any of them or open your own in memory of a loved one, or for a special purpose, please contact the Foundation in confidence. Charitable gift annuities, gifts of life insurance, stocks, proceeds from a retirement account, and real estate may also be given to the endowments as well as outright bequests. For more information, please call Elizabeth Badger, Executive Director, at (207) 321-7820 or email elizabeth.badger@portlanddiocese.org.

207.321.7820 www.catholicfoundationmaine.org Ireland through the MIHC DNA Project. MIHC is a repository of Irish culture in Maine and their DNA tracking program has the most extensive list of Irish in Maine. Together, we noticed that Portland is very similar to Galway, Ireland. Both coastal areas look similar and have their occupational roots in fishing and agriculture, except that Galway does not have the bitterly cold winters like Maine does.”

EDUCATION AND WORK HISTORY

Pat graduated from the University of Maine, Phi Beta Kappa, and received her law degree from the University of Maine School of Law in 1976. She began her career as an Assistant Attorney General under Attorney General Joe Brennan. She was a Trustee of the Maine State Retirement System and was the Commissioner of Labor for the last two years of Joe Brennan’s term as Governor of Maine. She also helped work on Senator George Mitchell’s election campaigns.

In 1986, after ten years of working in the public sector, Pat joined the law firm of Jensen, Baird, Gardner and Henry—the same firm in which Senator George Mitchell practiced law near the beginning 21 • MAINE SENIORS

Patricia McDonough Dunn • PRIME MOVER

Senator George Mitchell and Governor Joe Brennan at MIHC

“Pat is a very competent skilled leader and she is the perfect person to lead MIHC.” —MARY MCALENEY of his legal career. She specializes in employment, administrative and municipal law. Pat represents municipalities in the Portland vicinity with issues such as labor, employment and zoning. She enjoys the variety of work.

Natalie Burns, a legal director with the firm since 1998, affirms,“Pat is the kind of person who is always there when you need help. She has volunteered for a variety of organizations over the years. She is really generous with her time, especially right now with the Maine

Irish Heritage Center and the Cancer Community Center but she has volunteered for numerous non-profits in the past as well.”

MAINE IRISH HERITAGE CENTER

Long-time friend, Mary McAleney’s Irish family roots in Maine date back to the 1800’s. She has been a good personal and professional friend of Pat since 1977, when she was working for the Maine State Employees Association and Pat was working for the Attorney General’s office. McAleney was Senator George Mitchell’s Chief of Staff and is the Immediate Past Chair of the Maine Irish Heritage Center.

McAleney states,“The original purpose of MIHC was to preserve the building that once housed St. Dominic’s Church, which was a center of worship for the Irish Catholic community in the Portland area. This was accomplished due to the sheer dedication MARCH 2017 • 2 2

PRIME MOVER • Patricia McDonough Dunn

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of hundreds of volunteers such as Patricia McDonough Dunn, founder Vinny O’Malley and the City of Portland. For many years, Pat volunteered to be the lawyer for MIHC.” “The important thing about Pat is that she is a very competent skilled leader and she is the perfect person to lead MIHC right now.” McAleney continues, “Pat and Vinny together make a great combination of leaders for the organization. Pat has gotten her whole extended family and her network of friends to participate in the center’s activities. In the last year, the center has had an amazing growth of programs, attractions, a very successful fundraising campaign and a great amount of visibility in the community.

MIHC BRIEF HISTORY AND MISSION

Located in the West End of Portland, St. Dominic’s, the third oldest Catholic Church in the state and the home to the largest Irish Catholic parish north of Boston, was closed and deconsecrated by the Catholic Diocese in 1997. The building was purchased by the City of Portland and then gifted to the Irish American Club and Friends of St. Dominic’s. In 2003, the building officially became The Maine Irish Heritage Center. It is a center for all things Irish in Maine as well as a community center.

THE MAINE IRISH HERITAGE CENTER’S MISSION IS:

•

To protect, preserve and restore the historic landmark that was formerly St. Dominic’s Church, a hub of early Irish Community in Maine;

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Patricia McDonough Dunn • PRIME MOVER Vinny O'Malley and Pat Dunn at MIHC Entrance

•

To provide a meeting place for Maine’s diverse communities to share their cultural experience through education, programs and community events; and

•

To house Maine’s Irish Genealogical Center, Museum, Archives and Library, preserving the story of Irish history in Maine.

Some of the groups that hold activities at the center include: Irish American Club of Maine, Claddagh Mhor Pipe Band, Burns Sisters Irish Dance, Ancient Order of Hibernians, Maine Gaeltacht DNA project, Birth Roots, Portland Hurling Club, Baxter Academy, Victoria Mansion, Alcoholics Anonymous (AA), Portland Writers Group, Hopkins House, Wayside Food Services, Amistad, and Window Dressers.

CLADDAGH AWARD

In the last year, the center has had

an amazing growth of programs,

attractions, a very successful fundraising campaign and a great amount of visibility in the community.

The MIHC website states that, “Every year MIHC honors a prominent member of the Irish community in a celebratory evening of food, speeches, music and good cheer. The Claddagh—a beloved symbol to people of Irish descent—represents the ideals of friendship, love and loyalty.

The award recognizes a St. Dominic person who has devoted Stained Glass at MIHC his or her life to serving our community and state and who has made us all proud of our Irish heritage.”

Past Recipients of the Claddagh Award include Jim Wellehan, Sara J. Burns, Governor Joseph E. Brennan, Senate President Gerard P. Conley, Sr., activist and community leader Cynthia Murray Beliveau, philanthropist Moira Hastings Fuller, TD Bank President William J. Ryan, Professor Michael

Carlene Stillson Dance Group also at the MIHC Celtic Fair MARCH 2017 • 2 4

PRIME MOVER • Patricia McDonough Dunn Maine Irish Heritage Activities for the months of March & April 2017 • March 4: Irish Soda Bread Contest • March 11: Irish American Club of Maine's Annual Saint Patrick's Dinner (Irish Person of the year awarded.)

Reception to follow at MIHC. • March 12: Saint Patrick's Parade Commercial Street begins at 11:00 AM • March 17: Open House at MIHC and Neighborhood Saint Patrick's Day Flag Raising • March 24: Concert: The Irish Descendants 7:30 PM • April 2: Concert: Fiddleheads Benefit Concert 2:00 PM • April 5: Concert: Mick Flavin & John Hogan 8:00 PM • April 15: Irish sculptor, Betty Cameron Maguire will be doing an installment of her exhibition,“The Forgotten Heroines of the Easter Rising” For more information, visit MIHC’s website at www.maineirish.com, or find the Center on Facebook at www.facebook.com/MaineIrishHeritageCenter/ MIHC Irish Famine Commemoration May 2009

Pat Dunn and Mary McAleney at the St. Patrick's Day Parade 25 • MAINE SENIORS

Patricia McDonough Dunn • PRIME MOVER

We help you stay accessible Connolly and the architect of the Northern Ireland peace process, Senator George J. Mitchell.

About 16% of Maine’s population can trace their heritage back to Ireland. Although, on St. Patrick’s Day, March 17th, it seems that everyone becomes Irish.

Thank you to Patricia McDonough Dunn and the Maine Irish Heritage Center volunteers for preserving your beautiful historical landmark building, keeping the Maine Irish heritage alive and for welcoming all Mainers to become a part of your active community center all year long.

Go raibh maith agat! ("Thank you," in Irish— Pronounced, GUR-uh MY-uh gut) MSM

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PRIME MOVER MEDIA • Naomi Schalit

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NAOMI

Schalit

Do you miss Walter Cronkite? I do. In this age of spinning, Tweeting, Snapchatting, and even faking news, I’ve longed for a voice untainted by ego, ideology or politics.

I

think I’ve just found it at the Maine Center for Public Interest Reporting and in the journalism of Naomi Schalit. The Center’s unofficial motto—without fear or favor—draws its reporters into telling tough, complex stories, which serve Maine well. It’s news researched and reported in-depth: news the way it should be.

27 • MAINE SENIORS

BY BARBARA KENT LAWRENCE

Naomi Schalit has negotiated complex turns herself. While studying at Princeton University, she helped catalogue the archives of the ACLU, which were housed there, and handled original papers written by luminaries including Eleanor Roosevelt, Reinhold Neibuhr and Roger Baldwin.“It began my love affair with documents,” she says. After graduating from Princeton, where she was editor of the literature and arts magazine, she moved to San Francisco hoping to work in publishing, but avoid being a coffee go-fer like friends in the New York publishing world.

Unfortunately, there were no such jobs in San Francisco, but fortunately she met Adam Hochschild, a founder of Mother

Naomi Schalit • PRIME MOVER MEDIA

“I loved working four to five days a week at MPBN—adapting my schedule to accommodate my kids’ schedules. It’s different

Raised in New England, Naomi missed its deep roots, small towns and close communities.“In California the past was absent. In New England the past anchors us. We’re connected to what came before and want to preserve it for those who will come after us.” Naomi and her first husband bought a house in Alna, Maine where they enjoyed several summers, but also realized they wanted to raise their children in a small community, not Marin County. In 1996 they moved year-round to Maine, where Naomi has lived ever since.

Jones, who, along with others, urged her to consider journalism.

Following his advice, she studied at Berkeley’s Graduate School of Journalism, and was hired as a reporter by the San Jose Mercury News after a summer internship. Naomi loved the excitement of deadlines, being paid to research and write, but when she married and had children, it became harder to be a crusading reporter. For the next 10 years, she freelanced for national magazines including Parenting, Garden Design, and American Journalism Review.

When her children were six and seven, Naomi joined The Maine Times. She worked on issues relating to local agriculture, as she had done in California. “We were looking at the vanguard of the local food movement in Maine. I loved it.” The Maine Times, however, was struggling financially, and closed when Naomi turned forty. She had also been doing commentary for Maine Public Broadcasting (MPBN), and when Naomi left the newspaper, she asked to intern for MPBN. She already was an experienced reporter, but radio is a very different medium from print, and she had a lot to learn. At MPBN, she covered stories about the environment, agriculture

in radio than in print."

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and the history Maine was losing, interviewing older lobstermen, farmers who still used oxen, and many others. Angus King was governor, and Naomi also enjoyed writing about the workings of government and the State House.

“I loved working four to five days a week at MPBN—adapting my schedule to accommodate my kids’ schedules. It’s different in radio than in print. You either make the deadline, or you don’t. The story goes on the air, or it doesn’t. Either way you go home afterwards.”

Naomi still yearned, however, to work in greater depth than was possible even at MPBN and after five years, she left journalism temporarily to become Executive Director of Maine Rivers.

Suddenly she was lobbying for changes in policy, which was an extraordinary opportunity to learn how the other side of government works. Her mentor Clinton B. (Bill) Townsend, Chairman of the Board, was a longtime conservationist who taught her the tough lessons of politics. "What lessons?" I asked.

“Well, if you’re going to kill the king; kill the king,” she remembers.

Top: Naomi at age 7, on her first trip to Maine Left: A story Naomi did about eating locally in Maine for the Maine Times in 1996 Bottom: Naomi with her husband John Christie

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“In other words—if you are going to take someone or something on, you’ve got to be well-armed and make your case.”

Naomi had always wanted to edit an Opinion Page, and when she returned to journalism in 2006, working at the Kennebec Journal and The Morning Sentinel, she got the chance. Experienced publisher John Christie wanted her to edit the Opinion Page, but to use her skills as a reporter in doing so. Combining investigative reporting with writing editorials was an unusual assignment, but John insisted their editorial opinions be grounded in deep investigation. In a long and award-winning career covering politics, John had learned,“Neither party has a lock on virtue”, and believed that “being ideological doesn’t solve problems.” It is a principle that always guides their work.

Schalit getting award from Peter Taggerty

“Neither party has a lock on virtue, and being ideological doesn’t solve problems.” This principle always guides their work.

Schalit: "What do I like doing as much as being a reporter (maybe more)? Cooking."

Together John and Naomi created an award-winning Op Ed page offering fact-based reports that helped communities understand problems. They invited community members to write columns, thus ensuring that diverse voices were featured on the opinion MARCH 2017 • 3 0

PRIME MOVER MEDIA • Naomi Schalit

Left: Naomi interviewing her husband, John, for a video about a story he had written about Governor LePage. Right: Naomi being interviewed on WERU

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pages.“Our goal was to create the liveliest editorial page in the state, and possibly New England, by challenging orthodoxy, and being unpredictable.” Many readers agreed they succeeded as did judges of the national Society of Professional Journalists, which in 2007 awarded them for a seven-part investigative series Naomi wrote on hunger in Maine: For I was Hungry.

Naomi enjoyed three and a half years at the Kennebec Journal, but left after the paper was sold in 2009. During that time, Naomi and John, whose previous marriages had ended in divorce, discovered they had more in common than a love of reporting and fact-based analysis. They had fallen in love with each other, and they married in 2010.

John planned to retire after the papers’ sale and start an investigative news service focusing on state government. Naomi still wanted to work at a “regular” job. As an experienced and award-winning reporter, she commanded a good salary, but newspapers were struggling and cutting staff. Though her primary interest was in reporting on state government, Naomi accepted the job of executive Director of the Maine Coalition to End Domestic Violence, a subject

Naomi Schalit • PRIME MOVER MEDIA

“When someone asks when we have news meetings, we tell them our entire lives are a news meeting. We have other interests, but reporting is my life." she knows about from her own childhood experience, and had written about previously.

Naomi and John planned a delayed honeymoon and vacation before she started her new job, but instead of lolling on a beach in the Caribbean or wining and dining their way through Provence, they went to Washington, DC to visit historical sites and museums including the Newseum, (newseum.org) that celebrates journalism. As

500% rise in single parenthood fueling family poverty in Maine

BY NAOMI SCHALIT • OCTOBER 26, 2016 In one of the most in-depth series that the Maine Center for Public Interest Reporting has ever published, Senior Reporter Naomi Schalit discovers and calls attention to a dramatic change in the Maine family—a 500 percent increase in the proportion of children born to single parents in the last 43 years. Nearly half of all births in the state are now to mothers who are not married.

Because most of those single parents can’t afford to raise a child— or two or three children—they are destined to live in poverty. And when children are raised in that kind of poverty and deprivation, their brains are literally harmed, setting the stage for a lifetime of negative effects, according to the experts interviewed by Schalit.” © MAINE CENTER FOR PUBLIC INTEREST REPORTING pinetreewatchdog.org

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PRIME MOVER MEDIA • Naomi Schalit

Maine is also fortunate; we have voices we can trust to report on important issues without

distortion of fear or favor.

Naomi read the inscription carved above the entrance, she began to cry.“Congress shall make no law …abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press.” She knew then she had to go back to doing what she loved so deeply: reporting.

John and Naomi spent many hours at their kitchen table creating the Maine Center for Public Interest Reporting. By founding the Center, they became part of a national movement of now more than 100 non-profit investigative news organizations pledged to report fairly and in depth. Many donors, including newspapers, now help fund the Center, but the first year Naomi and John weren’t paid. They believed then and now that individual support is vital if the Center is to thrive, and they work hard at raising funds.

They have realized their initial goal. Naomi says,“We work without fear or favor to investigate the operations of our government. We are unfettered by any ideology or sympathy. We are‘equal opportunity’ offenders! When people ask how we can be objective—or say there is no such thing as objective journalism—I tell them: skepticism is my job. We are trained to be objective. We welcome diverse opinion. We listen.”

“When someone asks when we have news meetings, we tell them our entire lives are a news meeting. Sure we have other interests: gardening, cooking, reading literature, playing golf, but reporting is my life, eighty hour weeks, seven days a week—I’m really lucky to just be a reporter.” Maine is also fortunate; we have voices we can trust to report on important issues without distortion of fear or favor: Naomi Schalit and the Maine Center for Public Interest Reporting.

MSM

The News Media Today PUBLISHER'S PERSPECTIVE It seems appropriate to share that Maine Seniors Magazine does not consider itself news media and yet, I do recognize that the premise of this article does apply to all media.

Traditional network news and newspapers are not what they once were. Okay, we know that the drama in selling the weather and the car accident has been with us a long time. Yes,“yellow journalism” has been around since the days of William Randolph Hearst and Joseph Pulitzer, as they competed against one another in New York City. The expression “what bleeds, leads” is alive and well. This has been popularly known for years and most of us understand and reluctantly accept this aspect of traditional news media.

Although, even when we hear about the storm of the century, we should seek multiple sources of information before we make quick judgments.

In the past several years, we have noticed more and more political bias, by the traditional news media. It has been this blatant political bias of mainstream media which has fueled the growth and popularity of talk radio and cable television news stations. Also, developments in technology have furthered the revolution of available sources of information.

These days, folks can see or hear for themselves exactly what was said or took place on YouTube, or through direct communication from a politician or organization. To some extent, technology has become a check and balance for the mainstream media.

In the hypercompetitive multimedia world of news, many rush to get the “scoop” on the story and then feel a “need” to sensationalize the story as much as possible. The lack of research and fact checking, combined with the obvious political biases, have led to the lowest trust factor ratings for traditional news media in recorded history.

The good news is that given the numerous sources of information today, we all have the opportunity to search out the truth.

—David S. Nealley, Publisher

33 • MAINE SENIORS

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PRIME MOVER MEDIA • Bob Bittner

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"Mr. Radio"

BY LC VAN SAVAGE

There is a man amongst us, and we all know him.

Everybody knows his name. Not everyone has seen him, but we’ve all heard his deep, silky, sexy voice.

H

is name is Bob Bittner and he is the owner/operator and only star of The Memories Station. Yes, “station,” as in radio! Not “channel.” It is WJTO-AM 730/98.3 in Bath, and the music he plays for mid-coast and southern Maine is “our” music, the tunes written, recorded and performed roughly between 1937 and 1979, in other words, the great music, and incidentally folks, the best.

Sponsors & Volunteers to more than 25 area nonprofits nhdlaw.com • Portland (207) 774-7000 • Lewiston (207) 777-5200 35 • MAINE SENIORS

Today, Bob Bittner is the proud owner of WJIB 740 & 101.3 Cambridge, Mass, WJTO 730 & 98.3 Bath, WJYE 1280 Gardiner-Augusta, WLAM 1470 Lewiston-Auburn & WLVP

Bob Bittner • PRIME MOVER MEDIA

Bob was born in Washington, DC in 1949. Little did his parents know that their bouncing baby boy had a yearning within that had to do with music.

Bob doing high school daily announcements thru the PA system in 1966.

870 Gorham/Portland, but the one this writer listens to and does everything by every day all day long is WJTO from Bath.

Most Mainers of a certain vintage and even many younger ones can’t imagine our days without hearing Bittner’s familiar, comforting musical selections, hearing his weather forecasts and announcements of local goings-on, his trenchant observations, and best of all his funny and homey narratives.

But getting to becoming the owner of all these radio stations took a while, and a long and winding journey. Bob was born in Washington, DC in 1949. Little did his parents know that their bouncing baby boy had a yearning within that had to do with music.

But they would learn because his journey began early on, and their first clue was when in 1959, Bob started to play any song he heard on his parents’ piano without any sheet music. They then pushed and prodded him to learn instruments: piano, clarinet, saxophone, guitar and bassoon. Why so many? Because, Bob essentially failed at grasping any of them. After all, rigorous music lessons teaching only ‘scales’ for way too long was not inspiring to Bob. Yes, he did play in high school concerts and the marching band. But Bob’s interest really was more aimed at playing existing recordings to people, one of the functions of radio!

In 1962, Santa brought him a tape recorder for Christmas. He taped all his favorite songs from WABC in New York City, from his northern New Jersey home, never once buying a record then or in his entire career. Bob’s parents saw that he loved listening to the radio and in particular to hit songs. They watched their son grow to be very tall and more enamored by the genre as he grew older and they heard the term “DJ” a lot. Disc Jockey. It was what Bob would become, only perhaps at a higher level than the garden variety DJ. Bob Bittner would become a man who owned radio stations—more than a few.

MARCH 2017 • 3 6

PRIME MOVER MEDIA • Bob Bittner

was a great career-start. Later, Bob became the full-time on-air, sales and program director at Rochester’s WVOR-FM which featured oldies and simultaneously found DJ work at a dance spot in nearby Brockport, NY, a hopping college town.

Bob’s journey to his current West Bath, Maine home and WJTO began in 1963 when his parents and brother Mark summered at Five Islands where Bob marveled (and continues to marvel) at Maine’s boundless beauty. He was hooked early on but it would be many more years until he moved here for good.

Bob Bittner moved through the sixties on his journey following his developing dream, to his permanent career, constantly listening to “as many far away AM radio stations as possible,” often getting unrelated jobs but always having the “DJ thing” in his mind. Also, very interested in and gifted at photography, Bob took beautiful photos along the way but it was the music, always the music that drove him, and eventually his dreams began to take shape when he managed to get a few on-the-air snippets, on the then-renowned WMCA, New York City in 1965 & 1966.

Eventually Bob graduated in 1971 from the Rochester Institute of Technology, majoring in Graphic Arts, Printing and Photography, minoring in Journalism, all pursuits compatible with his future plans. He did odd jobs such as being a newspaper photographer and writer while still working toward his radio goals. He realized his interests/upcoming career choice (radio) was relatively unstable as he received such mild warnings from his parents, so his plan was to have his hands in several professions. During his fourth year in college, he was spinning “Woodstock Music” and doing sales on WCMF-FM in Rochester, New York (NY), not his “fave”, but it 37 • MAINE SENIORS

Bittner then decided to add a business on his own and DJ’d for weddings which was a good gig, until a new path called to him—Puerto Rico. WHOA in San Juan needed an entire music system to be set up. He went. Two years later, he returned to the continental United States, called by Boston’s WBOS-FM“Disco 93”, where he got an on-air job. He only lasted 9 months there because it was all disco and disco, not Bob’s thing, was still a ticket to the big city. Alas, disco had taken a quick and steep dive in popularity.

Bob Bittner • PRIME MOVER MEDIA

These plates represent the first 9 years of Maine automobile registrations: 1905 through 1913.

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MARCH 2017 • 3 8

PRIME MOVER MEDIA • Bob Bittner

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1979, the first year Bob became a New Englander.

It should be mentioned that along this winding, busy journey toward his dream, Bob Bittner began a collection of license plates the likes of which people don’t normally see in even two lifetimes.

Many of the walls of his West Bath homestead are covered with them, colorful shining jewels, almost all of which have world-wide stories to tell. He goes to swap meets, he hosts them in West Bath, his collection is enormous. It is an endlessly fascinating hobby which absorbs Bob when he isn’t paying attention to the music plans that are always in his head. And it should be noted that his photography skills kept improving and that many of his best works come from his multiple forays to the Caribbean in search of the elusive license plates. Back in the 70’s through the 90’s, he returned home with crates of them. For five years in the 80’s, he was hired by the Automobile License Plate Collectors Association to be the editor and publisher of their bi-monthly magazine.

Having moved to Needham, Massachusetts (MA) in 1980, Bob continued to find the work he loved—and it sometimes had to do with“oldies” music (as station manager, sales and on-air at Newton,

Bob Bittner • PRIME MOVER MEDIA

Along this winding, busy journey

toward his dream, Bob Bittner began a collection of license plates the likes of which people don’t normally see in even two lifetimes.

Mass’s WNTN and later at WXKS [“Music of Your Life”] in Medford), Bob did not yet know that “oldies” music would be his favorite and signature genre.

However, Bob did a stint of country music too, returning to WBOS-FM and WDLW for part-time on-air work, and loved that too. In fact, Bob Bittner loves or at least respects most music styles, even disco, if selections are spaced far apart! The station addresses at which he worked piled up, but what was missing? Something.

It’s been said that behind every successful man is a great woman.

In Bittner’s case, he took it a step further. In 1988, he met a great Ukrainian woman of his same age, named Raisa of Newton, Mass.

She was and still is beautiful, with a magnificent head of hair to make anyone jealous, a huge smile and a figure for which most women would kill.

The couple, later to be married, had much in common, including a love of life and most especially a love for each other. Back in the 70’s through 90’s Raisa was a successful and busy architectural designer, creating working drawings for renovations at Mass General Hospital and the Needham Sheraton, to name a couple.

Realizing that radio was becoming automated and undependable for career-building, Bob began a singles dances business, renting out hotel ballrooms along Route 128 around Boston, and then produced personal ads booklets to help promote the dances and friendships between men and women of dating age. Bob and Raisa were working at jobs they loved and making a good living. The

MARCH 2017 • 4 0

PRIME MOVER MEDIA • Bob Bittner

In 1991, Bob took a shot at his lifelong dream and was the high bidder for the then WLVG station at 740 on the dial in Cambridge. personal ads magazine venture was successful until the Boston Globe also saw the lucre to be made in the mainstream personal ads business, and that ended Bittner’s publishing enterprise nine years later.

During this time, Bob began to take Raisa on visits to see his beloved coastal Maine, the place he remembered, the beautiful state he never forgot. He was pleased to see that she loved it too.

In 1991, Bob took a shot at his lifelong dream and was the high 41 • MAINE SENIORS

bidder for the then WLVG station at 740 on the dial in Cambridge offered up by the U. S. Bankruptcy Court in Boston. Raisa was the first to hear the good news by phone, ten minutes later. It was happening! It was all good from then on. Bob changed the call letters to “WJIB” in 1992, and two years later also bought WKBR in Manchester, New Hampshire, then WNEB in Worcester, MA, eventually selling the latter two. And in March 1997, he took ownership of the station we all now know and love, Bath’s WJTO. “This one, I’ll keep forever”, Bob says.

Raisa used her architectural skills to redesign Bob’s small home standing on the piece of land adjacent to that which has the WJTO tower and studios. They live with two dogs they adore in their now beautiful home with a sublimely gorgeous view of an ocean inlet.

Bob has purchased even more stations he carefully tends, and has collected even more license plates, and he with Raisa is, as they say, most happily living the dream.

MSM

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AGE-FRIENDLY Communities in Maine

BY DR. LEN KAYE

Something extraordinary is happening in more and more towns across the state—something that bodes extremely well for Maine’s citizens as we grow older.

I

’m referring to the “age friendly” movement: a concerted effort by certain cities and towns to transform themselves and make themselves places where people of all ages, perhaps especially older adults, can feel safe, connected, and a genuine part of the lifeblood of the communities that they call home.

Bangor is one of Maine's 27 cities and towns that have taken steps to ensure they are livable communities where eight key dimensions of the community infrastructure are responsive to the needs of older adults (and, by definition, the needs of younger citizens

43 • MAINE SENIORS

as well). Those “domains of livability” are: 1) outdoor spaces and buildings; 2) transportation; 3) housing; 4) social participation; 5) respect and social inclusion; 6) civic participation and employment; 7) communication and information; and 8) community and health services.

I’m proud to say that Maine has more towns than any other state in the U.S. whose city and town councils have announced they are committed to becoming age friendly communities according to

I’m proud to say that Maine has more towns than any other state in the U.S. whose city and town councils have announced they are committed to becoming age friendly communities. the criteria that AARP and the World Health Organization have established for such communities. In doing so, these towns will be counted among more than 1,000 communities in 20 nations around the world that are participating because they want to be great places for people of all ages.

Bangor is one of Maine’s 27 towns that has accepted the challenge and the University of Maine Center on Aging has recently conducted a series of community discussions with over 100 citizens from the Bangor area for the City of Bangor to better understand what the city does well and where improvements may be warranted when it comes to making the community livable. The findings are illuminating and, I believe, are probably reasonably reflective of the grades that many towns across the state might receive from their residents on the eight different domains of livability listed above.

In Bangor, high grades were scored in terms of the quality and accessibility of Bangor’s outdoor recreational spaces including the waterfront, parks, and other recreational areas. Citizens who we spoke to were equally positive about the ample supply of cultural, dining, and entertainment options and they felt they are treated with respect and given an opportunity to be included in community life. High grades were given as well to the wealth of volunteer opportunities waiting for those who want to give back to their community. And, a great amount of praise was voiced for the range and quality of medical and community services available in the region.

On the other hand, those we spoke to identified several areas that they thought needed infrastructure improvement including: 1) sidewalks in many sections of the city that are in need of repair; 2) some public facilities that could benefit from accessibility improvements; 3) a public transportation system needing

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to consider operating on the weekend and in the evening; 4) limitations in easily accessible parking, especially in the downtown area; 5) the limited supply of affordable housing and concerns about maintaining older housing stock; 6) the lack of a single “go to” source for timely information about local services and events; and 7) the high turnover rate among physicians and other medical professionals.

Those we talked to were asked to offer their “big ideas” if cost was no object. On many of their wish lists was a senior center that would offer a full menu of services and programs for residents and be welcoming to younger people as well. They also expressed a strong preference for an integrated community and health service center that would offer a comprehensive range of social and health services under one roof.

As I said, I firmly believe that areas needing the most attention in Bangor are no different from those that would likely be identified in most other cities and towns in Maine and in the majority of towns and communities in other largely rural states across America. As usual, limited resources keep the “big ideas” and even the “not so big ideas” from seeing the light of day as quickly as we might like.

Yet, the age friendly movement is clearly alive and well. Towns that didn’t even have the needs of their older citizens on their radar screens five and ten years ago are now beginning to mobilize and take action. And that is a very good thing. We will have to wait and see whether we succeed in moving further down the road toward being a state that fully embraces its elders and creates communities where people can grow old feeling safe and fully connected.

Want to learn more about the age friendly community movement?

Check it out at aarp.org/livable-communities/network-age-friendlycommunities/info-2014/an-introduction.html.

MSM

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Making a Difference in the End

BY CHRISTINE TURNER, RN MA CHPN CHPCA In today's society we spend very little time thinking about how things will end. We prepare for college, getting married, having children and that next great job, but most of us don’t give the end of our life another thought.

W

hen people ask me what I do for work, and I tell them I’m a hospice nurse, I am instantly met with “how sad” or “I could never do that!” I want to ask, “You could never be with someone during one of the most important journeys of their life?” This is someone’s capstone project. This is their struggle as they ponder if their life had meaning or explore just why they were put on this earth anyway.

There are very few things we can be sure of in life. The fact that we will all be on this earth for a finite number of days is one of them. Yet few of us will think about how we want our death to go.

Most people say they want to die at home, yet approximately 60% 47 • MAINE SENIORS

Photos by Renee Roy Photography

of Americans die in hospitals each year. Most people have never been through this experience before. How do you know what to expect? Is this normal? Do you want to spend your final days in the hospital with loud noise and bright lights? Some folks do like all the pomp and circumstance. Or does being at home with your dogs and grandkids in bed with you sound more like your cup of tea? Everyone has a different vision. In this country we are fortunate enough to be able to choose, to have a say in how we live out final days.

Hospice is specialized care provided wherever you call home.

Hospice is not just for the final hours, although we’ll be there for you then, too. Hospice is about living. When you have a life-limiting disease, whether cancer or some other affliction, hospice gives you more. Hospice gives you comfort so you can enjoy the people you love. Hospice can help you find your way to mend old fences and find forgiveness. Hospice can journey with you, be with you and guide you and your family through the process. Hospice might even be able to help you finish that last item on your bucket list.

Hospice is specialized care provided wherever you call home.

Hospice is not just for the final hours, although we’ll be there for you then, too. Hospice is about living.

Over the years I’ve taken care of hundreds of folks and supervised staff who’ve cared for thousands more. Each is a person that matters, each with his or her own story. Someone’s mother, daughter, sister, spouse, grandparent, father, brother, aunt, uncle or cousin. All people are loved by someone. Important to someone. They are dancers, and rocket scientists, writers, aviators, nurses, doctors and artists. They are fighter pilots and Marines who served on Iwo Jima.

They are people just like you and me. While it is sad for their lives to come to an end, it is an honor and a privilege to walk with them MARCH 2017 • 4 8

on their final journey home. Hospice doesn’t make it easy, but we do make it easier.

Susan was a woman we cared for in an inpatient hospice where I once worked. She had a limited prognosis and had come from a local hospital for pain control. Each day we increased her pain medication and each day she had still more pain. The team met with her and her son to try and get to the bottom of what was causing this pain. It was the mother/son relationship that was broken and she was feeling it physically. Years of hurt feelings poured out of both of them. The team facilitated conversations and helped them make amends. When her son finally agreed that she could come and live with him for her final days, her pain became manageable and the staff was able to decrease her pain medication significantly. Hospice is care of the whole person and helps with the physical, emotional and spiritual sides of our human being.

In the end, hospice will make a difference—the difference between pain and comfort, between anger and forgiveness, between pride and humility, between living with angst and dying well. In the end, hospice will be there for you and your family. We are experts on the journey. We are physicians and nurses, chaplains and social workers, home health aides, and yes, volunteers, human and canine alike.

One day at a time, we will help you live out your final days on this earth. We will walk beside you, lend an ear to listen, a shoulder to cry on or expertise on how to manage pain or other symptoms.

After all, it is all about human connection. Let hospice connect with you, until your very last breath.

MSM Christine Turner, RN MA CHPN CHPCA serves as the Director of Hospice and Palliative Care Programs for VNA Home Health Hospice. She can be reached at turnerc@emhs.org or 207-780-8624.

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49 • MAINE SENIORS

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what's

BUGGING you?

BY WALDO CLARK

Life’s tough. To compound matters, daily indignities happen that annoy the heck out of us.

T

hese little irritants, a perpetual parade of pet peeves, play on our patience and paralyze our well-being. Whoopi Goldberg said,“I don’t have pet peeves, I have kennels of irritation.”

When confronted by them, we feel irked, exasperated, bewildered, and testy. Admit it, don’t you sometimes feel like Archie Bunker, sapped into submission by all things annoying? Remember his reactions, the raised eye and the head cock gesture.

So, what gets your goat? What makes your blood boil? I’ll open up my lunch pail of irritants—no doubt, we share many of these same insufferable life landmines.

How about leaf blowers (I can rake faster) and chainsaws creating all that noise pollution? Make it stop!

How about telemarketers, bank tellers, and grocery store clerks, among others, who ask, “How are you today?” Don’t ask, it’s only Monday morning.

How about companies promoting their service? Don’t you get the warm fuzzies when you hear,“We’ll make you feel like family.” Gee

51 • MAINE SENIORS

whiz, another family, just what I wanted. Come on, aren’t most families dysfunctional? All I want is good service, not a hug.

How about scheduling a delivery? A company representative says the truck will arrive between nine and twelve on Tuesday. That day, you get the expected call, “We’re running late.” They show up at 1:30 PM. Never fails. Day ruined.

Now I’m no snob but when dining out and emptying my wallet at posh Chez Pierre, I’d like a bit of formality. You know, the waiter approaches and twists his hand in a rhythmic panache-like movement like Bobby Short did when playing the piano. “Good evening, I’m Hobson and I’ll be serving you tonight.” More often,

So, what gets your goat?

What makes your blood boil?

I’ll open up my lunch pail of irritants—no doubt, we share many of these same insufferable life landmines.

I cringe when the waiter says,“How are you guys?” If you’re eating at Bubba’s Barbeque, that’s OK. Oh, don’t forget to ask Hobson for a bottle of Chateau Cheapo marked way up to $37.

How about all those invites that never happen? “We’ll have you up to the camp sometime.” Yeah right.

How about the dentist office? Your head’s banging the floor, feet stuck in the ceiling tiles. The drill does that Z z z z z thing. You’re gagging, drooling, slurping, and spitting blood. Pain pricks make your eyes bulge. Ouch. Your hair’s plastered to the side of your head.

Then, the dentist smiles and inquires, “How ya doing?” I usually have 50 nasty retorts planned but I can only mumble incoherently.

When upright, I stumble to the front desk, complimentary ditty bag full of floss and toothpaste in hand, and sign up to do it all over again. Huh?

two bottles of wine.” Hmm. You’re bringing everything but the entrée. Why not go out to Chez Pierre and avoid the Boringhams?

How about the politician who utters all those monotonous, mindnumbing sound bites and boasts,“I’m going to fight for you?” That’s the only promise he keeps—he goes to Washington and fights with everyone. Pass the pepper spray.

How about those eye-popping death brochures? “Premier Above Ground Cemetery—complete package for two—only $8275.”

Seriously? Sounds like a travel brochure enticing you with a first-class room overlooking a pristine forest at a spiffy resort in Switzerland.

French author Jules Renard wrote, “Look for the ridiculous in everything and you will find it.”

Silly as it sounds, I’m off to the seclusion of southeast Montana to work on my new book, “Revenge, Survival Tips for the Truly Annoyed.”

MSM

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Speaking of the dentist, don’t you love it when she says,“Raise your arm if you feel anything.” Nice touch. But can you imagine your surgeon saying that? Try this, beforehand, demand one more shot and avoid the suffering.

How about tuning in to a highly-anticipated Patriots game? You spend the next three plus hours watching commercials, feeling like an idiot, until you rush out and buy a bag of Pringles.

How about your significant other informing you that Bert and Bertha Boringham have invited you to dinner on Saturday? “I’m responsible for the salad and dessert—you’re responsible for the

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MARCH 2017 • 5 2

Tackling Loneliness with

Senior Companions With all of the surveys to come across my desk over the years, one of the most consistent themes concerns what we now call "aging in place".

T

he simple truth is that people want to stay in their own homes and in their own communities for as long as possible.

This is very understandable. The comfort of familiarity can become ever more important to us as we age. As a child, I remember how disorienting it was to “fit in” at a new school or in a new neighborhood. Adjusting to completely new surroundings as an older adult must be even more intimidating.

Sometimes there are minor changes one can make to help an older person remain in their own home as they age. Improvements to the physical space such as the installation of grab bars or an access ramp, for example, can make a huge difference. Often, though, the missing piece is real, human contact. Especially in a state like Maine, many older adults live alone in rural communities and may not 53 • MAINE SENIORS

BY JANE MARGESSON

have relatives living nearby. Loneliness in older adults can lead to serious symptoms which can negatively impact their health and overall well-being.

That’s where wonderful programs like the University of Maine Senior Companion Program come in. Managed through the University’s Center on Aging, the Senior Companion Program (SCP) matches vulnerable older adults with dedicated, active individuals age 55 and older who will visit them regularly. All SCP volunteers offer 15 or more hours per week and the companionship they provide varies depending on the needs and desires of the individuals they serve. Activities might include taking a walk or going shopping, reading together or simply having a nice chat.

One SCP volunteer, Maureen, was assigned to a client whose husband had recently died. Maureen’s client had been his primary caregiver and after losing him to a long, terminal illness, the client said she felt that her life had little purpose. “This particular client has no family in this area and she felt completely alone,” Maureen says. “With consistent compassion and understanding, I have

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vulnerable older adults with dedicated, active individuals age 55 and older who will visit them regularly.

been able to help my client connect again to the world around her. She has made great progress spiritually, emotionally and with socialization. As a Senior Companion, I am always at hand for comfort and support, or simply just to listen."

The program has grown remarkably over the years. In 2015 alone, SCP volunteers made over 23,000 visits to 373 clients in the 14 counties they serve (Opportunity Alliance offers similar programs in Cumberland and York counties).

Through their tireless efforts, volunteer companions can also provide respite services to family caregivers. “Our program helps older or isolated adults maximize, maintain, or regain their independence, but we can also serve as a resource for family caregivers who simply need a break” says Cindy Work, SCP Coordinator in Penobscot County.“We offer a unique opportunity to become involved with people at home where they often need help the most.”

Volunteer programs like the SCP exemplify the notion that communities can work together to improve the lives of residents of all ages. Our thanks to these spirited volunteers who make it possible for Maine’s older residents to remain in their own homes where we know they want to be.

MSM If you would like to find out more about the SCP program, call the State Office at 262-7929 or visit www.umaine.edu/seniorcompanion. For more information about caregiver resources available in Maine, send an email to me@aarp.org for a free guide.

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HEALTH TREASURES

Photo

ORGANIZING

BY JOAN CLARK Our family photos are in a state of disorder! One of my resolutions for 2017 is to organize and preserve our printed photos for our family and future generations.

M

y Dad, Waldo, and I have developed a plan to complete this task once and for all. Dad knows all the names and dates of the earlier snapshots (I hope!) and together we can decide what to do with the whole collection.

Here are some organizational methods that we will use: Dad and I will gather all our photos and put them in my workroom.

We will set our goals to help us accomplish this herculean task.

We will start slowly and take our time. It took a long time to accumulate these photos so we will work on this task a few designated days per week until we have sorted, catalogued, and digitized all the photos. We estimate that this may take at least one month.

Important tools:

 Notepad – to record Dad’s stories for a future memoir  Cotton gloves for handling the photos  Dental floss to help remove photos from magnetic albums  Sticky notes for sorting  Photo safe pencils for dating and identification on back of photos  Boxes for sorting and storage

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55 • MAINE SENIORS

It takes years to accumulate photos—so be sure to set aside enough time (at least a month) to organize them all.  Digital scanner

Photo by: Chris Pinchbeck

It’s never too early to start planning.

 Thumbdrives for digital storage of photos  Albums for the favorite photos  Frames for the extra special photos We will sort the photos and throw out the duplicates. We will not discard any questionable photos immediately. We will put them aside and review them at a later date. In a few months if we still think that they are not keepers, we will throw them out.

After we have organized all of the photos, I plan to give my Dad a digital frame as a gift – maybe for Father’s Day! MSM

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RESIDENTIAL REVIEW

ClearView Estates

Individual homeownership with the conveniences of condominiums As my wife and I got older, we were less than enthusiastic about the more physical aspects of maintaining our home in Maine. Snow removal and lawn care were getting too difficult.

vegetable gardens, if you choose. You can have a dog, if you like.

And, there are few restrictions.

Now let’s do something about Maine life we don’t like as we get older.

Snow removal and lawn care is taken care of by others. Propane to heat the homes is purchased as a group in larger quantities to keep the cost low.

H

We decided a planned unit development (PUD) would meet those needs. The rural aspect and individuality could be maintained while consolidating infrastructure.

We decided to keep the things we liked about owning a home in Maine—the rural atmosphere, ample space for privacy, flower and

Homeowners design the home that is right for their individual needs with Showcase Homes in Brewer assisting with every step, from the design to the day you take possession. The great thing

owever, when we thought about leaving, as many older Mainers do, for an easier lifestyle, we could not find another state we really wanted to move to. Maine has been our home. So we decided to create a lifestyle that other baby boomers might also be interested in.

57 • MAINE SENIORS

RESIDENTIAL REVIEW

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Maine Seniors Magazine is chockfull of the stories, photos, moments and memories that you love— and it's only $29.95 for 10 issues!

To start getting your favorite magazine right at your front door, mail your check (payable to Maine Seniors Magazine) to 87 Hillside Ave, Bangor, ME 04401.

Don't delay—subscribe today!

MARCH 2017 • 5 8

RESIDENTIAL REVIEW

Your home, your way Over the past 10 years ClearView Estates has developed a unique atmosphere community centered on leisure living.

• All homes have full basements with access through an oversized two-car garage to save interior square footage.

• This is a friendly neighborhood where one can have all the privacy they want or visit when they want.

• Many of our neighbors have visited our community and got ideas for their new home, before they chose to build.

• The residents at ClearView Estates are very proud of their homes and allow folks to visit and share design ideas.

ClearView Estates provides me

the independence to live in my own home free from many of the burdens

of outdoor maintenance. I feel part of a safe and caring community. — ­ M.W.

about working with Showcase Homes is the personal hands on expertise they provide to develop a unique custom home fit for you.

The homes are Maine built, energy efficient and can withstand all the weather our state offers.

ClearView Estates is a small neighborly community of twenty plus homes located in the greater Bangor area in the town of Hermon.

It is close to shopping, entertainment and medical facilities. This lifestyle is like a stepping stone between home ownership and a retirement community.

Great homes, great neighbors and a perfect location to everything that is important.

MSM

59 • MAINE SENIORS

RESIDENTIAL REVIEW

Give MSM a call at 207-299-5358 to find out how you can tell your story to our readers in your very own Guest Article.

MARCH 2017 • 6 0

HERE, THERE & EVERYWHERE

Judy and RPod at Devil's Tower National Monument, WY

RV-ing Across

america

BY PETER & JUDY LEGENDRE

Two years ago, we satisfied a case of “camper envy” and a yen for a carefree life on the road by buying a gently used R Pod camper.

T

his was the result of many conversations with our friends Phil and Deb and hearing about their life on their boat and in their camper. We are no longer stuck in one place. Our first trip was a weekend to Acadia National Park and Sea Wall campground. Sea Wall is "off the grid", which means no electric or

61 • MAINE SENIORS

water hookups...you are on your own. That's when we discovered that we had a defective battery, and therefore, no power. We quickly learned that rv-ing is a continuous learning experience, and you meet many friendly, helpful people along the way to help you through the process. Soon, we had replaced the battery with two new, heavy-duty marine batteries, installed LED lights, and made other updates and renovations to transform our 18-foot trailer into a comfortable, reliable home.

A six-week trip the next spring helped us gain more valuable experience. We explored the eastern seaboard as far south as

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A six-week trip the next spring helped us gain valuable experience. We loved the life and the people that we met. northern Florida, and headed west to Fort Pickens National Park in Pensacola. We loved the life and the people that we met. We also discovered that national parks and Army Corps parks were great places to stay, especially with the discount earned through our lifetime National Park Senior passes. Also, our little Pod was a people magnet; no one could understand how two people could live in something that was about eighteen feet in length. I should mention that living in a small camper means that you really need Native American memorial at Little Bighorn National Park, MT

MARCH 2017 • 6 2

HERE, THERE & EVERYWHERE

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63 • MAINE SENIORS

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to spend a lot of time outside doing something...hiking, reading, walking, looking at the scenery and visiting points of interest.

Before heading home through Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina, Virginia, etc., we were already talking about our next goal, to head west and visit many of the national parks in that region.

Shortly after, however, we were lucky to obtain tickets to the 2016 Masters Tournament. So, we headed back to Georgia in April for that event, parking our Pod at the Strom Thurmond Army Corps campground outside Augusta, and friends in North Carolina and Maryland on the return trip.

THE BIG TRIP!

We left for a two to three-month journey on the 100th anniversary of the National Park Service. We visited Niagara Falls, Little Bighorn, Los Alamos, a farm stand that sold the best ever cantaloupe, met many fascinating people and tasted new foods.

HERE, THERE & EVERYWHERE

Folks we met helped us understand

the history of the West. Then there were the two Scottish ladies we met at Yellowstone, who were "old friends" by the time we saw them the next day.

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We met Arthur Short Bull, a Lakota artist in residence at the Crazy Horse Monument in South Dakota. Arthur spoke of his ancestors and how one of them had fought Major Marcus Reno's troops at Little Bighorn. He also mentioned wanting to meet Stephen King some day.

Other folks we met helped us understand more about the history of the West. Then there were the two Scottish ladies we met at Yellowstone, who were "old friends" by the time we saw them the next day. We met a niece in Prescott, Arizona, who took us kayaking. We spent two days in Manhattan, Kansas, where Judy was born when her father served at Fort Riley. We met many helpful

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MARCH 2017 • 6 4

HERE, THERE & EVERYWHERE

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Arthur Short Bull, an artist who paints native American scenes, stands before a representation of the finished Crazy Horse sculpture.

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65 • MAINE SENIORS

Korczak Ziolkowski was the American designer and sculptor, who, at the request of Chief Henry Standing Bear of the Lakota, began blasting in the Black Hills in 1948.Today, his children continue to work on the sculpture.

HERE, THERE & EVERYWHERE

Biltmore Estate in Asheville, NC

Twentieth Maine Memorial at Gettysburg National Military Park, PA

In all, we traveled 8,765 miles, visited ten national parks, many

national monuments and refuges, several state and local parks, and many private attractions. people in this really upward bound, college city who helped her learn more about her birthplace. And, there were the many forms of wildlife which we saw in the parks and out, huge vistas, long,

really long highways, lakes, rivers that meander through meadows, fires on mountains, wind farms, beautiful flowers. This country of ours is huge! Every day was different with some more memorable than others, but every day was special in some way.

In all, we traveled 8,765 miles, visited ten national parks, many national monuments and refuges, several state and local parks, and many private attractions (e.g., the Biltmore Estate in Asheville, North Carolina), before returning.

We had planned our two-month adventure to be a bit longer, as we wanted to return to the Outer Banks of North Carolina, in addition to visiting Savannah

The Great Smoky Mountains National Park, NC side MARCH 2017 • 6 6

HERE, THERE & EVERYWHERE

This country of ours is huge! Every

day was different with some more memorable than others, but every

day was special in some way.

and Skidaway Island State Park again. But Hurricane Matthew, named after our grandson, changed our plans. Instead, we turned North in Asheville and headed to Gettysburg, Pennsylvania for a couple days. We needed to put a face on that battle and see areas we had missed on our last trip there. We bought a DVD set, took the self guided tour and walked many of the historically significant sights.

The Pod is now cleaned out and put up for the winter, waiting for its next adventure!

MSM Judy & Peter at Arches National Park, outside of Moab, UT

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67 • MAINE SENIORS

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PRIME A LookMOVER Back... • Nelson E. Durgin

The World's Most Interesting Man: a recollection

BY CLYDE TARR

2 Cool 2 B 4 Gotten —Lucinda Williams Gary was the most popular kid in class—hell, he was the most popular kid in school, even as a freshman. He was mature, worldly, did all the cool stuff before anyone else did it.

H

e smoked, at a time when the health risks weren’t yet well known, and it was cool. He drank beer, at a time when the health risks were well known, but hey, we were seventeen, and it was cool anyway. He got his driver’s license when we were only sophomores, and I was still riding my not-so-cool bicycle. Then he promptly bought a motorcycle, and began driving that to school. I was so not cool.

I could envy him, but I could not dislike him. Nobody disliked Gary, he was too likable. Guys liked him; he was a “man’s man”, with that motorcycle and cigarette butt hanging from his mouth like James Dean. Girls liked him; he was a "girl’s man", with that motorcycle and cigarette butt hanging from his mouth like James Dean. Both sexes swarmed around him to catch every word of his latest adventure. Gary was the World’s Most Interesting Man, before there was a World’s Most Interesting Man. Hell, Gary was the World’s Most Interesting Man before he was a man. He was President of his class; President of Student Council; President of the Debate Club; President of the National Honor Society; you get it.

69 • MAINE SENIORS

As high school seniors, we were bussed to a mandatory retreat, held by the Brothers of Christian Instruction, those clerics who ran our Catholic high school with an iron hand. We were supposed to reflect on our lives, ponder our future, I guess. We went to confession, then met in the dormitory to discuss the next Big Step. Gary held forth with several of his admirers. He allowed that he confessed to the priest—he didn’t know if it was a sin or not, but figured he’d throw it out there—that he drank beer. “Why do you drink beer?” asked the priest. “Because I like it,” answered the urbane Gary. We all looked at each other, smiled knowingly, and nodded in agreement.

Apparently, the priest did, too, because he told Gary that was the best reason to drink beer.

Then we graduated; friends parted ways and went off to college, to work, or into the military. They made new friends and lost contact with the old. They married, started careers and families, and began their new, adult lives. I was surprised one day, a few years later, to

Nelson E. Durgin • PRIME MOVER A Look Back...

Nobody disliked Gary, he was too

likable. He was a “man’s man”, with that motorcycle and cigarette butt hanging from his mouth like

James Dean.

run into Gary and learn that he lived in my area—we both ended up 150 miles away from our home town. He had a wife, a kid, a job as manager for a large moving and storage company. I had a wife, two kids, a job as a social worker. We were both quite ordinary, I thought. What happened to the World’s Most Interesting Man? Soon enough, our alumni held the class’s 20th high school reunion.

My wife and I went with our old friend Roger and his significant other. Most everybody thought of it as a formal affair, so the guys

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wore jackets and ties, and the gals, dresses and pumps or heels. We walked into the hall and there was Gary, the center of attention once more, looking tan and casual in his wildly-flowered Hawaiian shirt and open-toed sandals. He was bearded now, still smoking and still cool. I wondered if he’d arrived on his motorcycle. We sat at our table and watched as Gary enthralled the crowd around him.

It was like old times. As the night wore on, I realized that some things hadn’t changed. The jocks were still jocks, the brains were still brains, and the outcasts and misfits—well, we were still that.

And Gary was still, well, Gary, at least for that night.

Time passes. Our fiftieth reunion will be here even faster than the twentieth one was. I saw Gary’s obituary in the paper some years ago now. It was oddly brief. He left a wife and a son. No mention of his status as the World’s Most Interesting Man at the age of fifteen.

I expect the reunion will be a lot tamer without him there, in his sandals, to regale us, without his hearty laughter bouncing off the walls, without his motorcycle and that cigarette butt hanging from his mouth like James Dean.

MSM

www.dltchealthcare.com MARCH 2017 • 7 0

A Trail Less Traveled

MAINE’S

Controversial

COYOTES

STORY AND ARTWORK BY BRAD EDEN

Coyotes are both respected and persecuted in Maine.

But these clever survivalists are here to stay, like it or not.

A

coyote trots through the Maine woods, across beaver flowages and through shadowy conifer forests. It silently pads onto the ice of a small pond to investigate a recent deer kill, but whatever morsels remaining have been picked over by the ever-present crows. It keeps moving.

It’s early March, and the woods are bony and cold. A fine snowfall sifts down, lightly covering the traveling nomad’s thick winter coat.

The coyote continues its ground-eating march, only pausing to nose under clumps of grass poking through the crusted snow. Suddenly it stops, cocks an ear and springs upward, pouncing into the snow with its front paws. Its sharp nose disappears and re-emerges with a mouse struggling in its jaws. A quick shake and a flip and the rodent

71 • MAINE SENIORS

is gone. This small blessing is hardly enough to fill its stomach and the coyote continues on.

Year round, but especially during the winter, we are subject to coyotes raising a ruckus all around our house. Hearing a pack of coyotes on the prowl is both exhilarating and deeply disturbing, in a primal sense. The sounds make you shiver and pull the throw tighter around your shoulders, like a caveman hunkered down in his cave. It’s readily apparent when the pack has taken down a deer, and you instinctively cringe at the sound. This is worrisome for

Hearing a pack of coyotes on the prowl is both exhilarating and deeply disturbing, in a primal sense.

A Trail Less Traveled

The eastern coyote is an opportunist

and will readily scavenge for any food it can find, but subsists mainly on rodents, grouse, turkeys, squirrels, hares, deer, and unfortunately our

livestock and our cats and dogs.

us since we walk our dogs on trails out back on a daily basis, and one is a King Charles Cavalier spaniel that is no bigger than a snowshoe hare.

The eastern coyote, or Canid Latrans, is here to stay in Maine. At an average weight of 35-50 lbs they are considerably larger than those found further south and west. Their size, some believe, is because they may have interbred with wolves on their migration from Canada eighty years ago. The eastern coyote is an opportunist and will readily scavenge for any food it can find, but subsists mainly on rodents, grouse, turkeys, squirrels, hares, deer, and unfortunately, our livestock and our cats and dogs. Predation on deer, however, is the most controversial issue burdening the coyote. Deer kill during severe winters can be a gruesome affair, to which anyone who has ventured into an established deeryard can attest. There have been state-run snaring programs in the past, in areas where deer herds were down. But those ended in response to the federal listing of the Canada lynx on the Endangered Species list. The concern was that the lynx could be inadvertently snared along with other nontargeted species.

Studies have shown that bounties, with snaring, trapping, and hunting have little effect in controlling overall coyote populations.

These adaptive creatures have a built-in biological mechanism that enables them to react to any increase in mortality humans impose on them with larger litters or more litters per year. Some calculate that, in order to make any inroads in controlling coyote densities, 75% of the coyote population would have to be suppressed. With an estimated statewide population that fluctuates between 12,00020,000 coyotes, that’s hardly possible. That’s not to say culling programs in particularly hard hit areas of coyote predation on deer can’t help a struggling deer herd. But the costs of such programs are

high, and with the opposition from animal rights groups, I don’t see it happening anytime soon.

What can those of us in rural Maine do when coyotes get too close for comfort? Coyote hunting or predator hunting with the use of hand-held and electronic calls is becoming increasingly popular in Maine. Maine hunters are starting to fill the void between fall deer seasons and spring turkey season by taking up vigils on field and pond edges, attempting to coax a coyote into range with bait and calls. Outside of the thrill of the hunt, a lush pelt can result. This is not necessarily a management tool, but it can send a message to resident coyotes to be wary of humans.

I choose to live in a place where I hear the howl of coyotes at night.

I’ve been awoken at night by the uproar of my laying hens being attacked, and a few of our pets have come up missing over the years.

Yet I try to remember that these predators are driven by instinct, not malice. They are worthy of a grudging respect and should be treated as the clever survivors they are, until they get too close for comfort.

MSM

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Maple

MARCH is for

BY FIA MARQUIS

March is the month when spring finally begins to seem possible again, when temperatures have already begun to climb out of the range of bitter and frigid, and the world begins—slowly, at first—to come back to life.

O

ne of the first sure signs of spring in Maine is the taps and lines connecting sugar maples along the roadside on farms across the state, collecting sap to be boiled down into syrup, which will be used to adorn stacks of pancakes for the rest of the year, as well as being made into a number of other, equally delicious products. Maple is probably my favorite flavor, somehow earthy and sweet and just a touch smoky at the same time, and it tastes like the end of winter.

Nearly every March for the last thirty-four years, since the inception of Maine Maple Sunday, I have visited a farm that produces maple syrup, to breathe in the sweet steam rolling off the vats of boiling sap and sample the goods fresh from the source. (Sometimes, we

73 • MAINE SENIORS

visit more than one farm in the same day!) When I was a child, there was nothing my father liked better than a good excuse to take a long, Sunday drive in the country, and there were few reasons more weighty in my young mind than free ice cream with maple syrup on it, which most farms sample out to their many visitors.

It became a family tradition, one which I have made sure to carry forward now that I have a family of my own.

The popularity of Maine Maple Sunday has grown so great that many farms celebrate it all weekend, just to accommodate the demand. If you plan to visit a farm this year, be sure to bundle up; it’s often sunny but quite brisk, and there have been times when it’s been drizzly and brisk, which is not a fun combination, as you’ll likely be standing in line for a while, whether it’s to belly-up to the pancake breakfasts many farms offer, to purchase maple syrup and other tastry treats, or to walk through the sugar shack, where the magic happens right before your eyes—or, rather, under your nose.

Most people think of maple syrup only as a breakfast condiment,

The popularity of Maine Maple Sunday has grown so great that many farms celebrate it all weekend,

just to accommodate the demand.

but with a little creativity, it can be so much more. Even just whipping it into a creamy spread can elevate it from waffle drizzle to the better half of an amazing peanut butter sandwich, and it can be used to sweeten almost any food. Additionally, maple syrup has a lower glycemic index than sugar, and even honey, which makes it a more desirable choice for someone trying to control their blood sugar through diet. It’s also rich with minerals; a quarter of a cup, just four tablespoons, contains one hundred percent of your daily requirement of manganese, thirty-seven percent of riboflavin, eighteen percent of zinc, seven percent of magnesium, and five percent of calcium and potassium.

Nutkin Knoll Farm in Newburgh

I don’t use it for the potential health benefits, though. I use it because I love it. There is always a half-gallon jug of maple syrup from a local farm in the back of my refrigerator, and I’m always finding ways to incorporate it into meals. Sometimes even I am surprised by its versatility; I can and do use it in breakfasts, lunches, dinners and desserts, year round, but perhaps just a little bit more in March, if only so I can make room for my next jug.

MSM

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MARCH 2017 • 7 4

Featured Recipes MAPLE PUDDING INGREDIENTS:  5 c. whole milk  2/3 c. cornstarch  1 1/2 c. maple syrup  2 tbsp. butter  1 tsp. vanilla extract  1/2 tsp. salt DIRECTIONS:

MAPLE-BRAISED CHICKEN

1. In a bowl, whisk together two cups whole milk and cornstarch until smooth.

INGREDIENTS:

2. In 3-quart saucepan, heat three cups whole milk, maple syrup, butter, vanilla extract, and salt to boiling on high, stirring occasionally.

 4-6 boneless, skinless chicken thighs (trimmed)  1 medium or 2 small onions, sliced thinly  1/4 cup soy sauce  1/4 cup maple sugar  2 tablespoons yellow mustard  2 tablespoons sriracha  Water to cover DIRECTIONS: 1. In a large pan on the stove, place onion slices and arrange the chicken thighs on top.

2. Add soy sauce, sugar, mustard and sriracha, cover with water, place a lid on the pan, and turn the burner on high.

3. Bring to a boil and lower to medium. Simmer 45 minutes or until chicken is fork-tender and liquid has formed a thin sauce.

4. Serve on white or brown rice, with a ladle or two of sauce on top.

75 • MAINE SENIORS

3. Reduce to a simmer and whisk in the cornstarch mixture; cook 2 minutes, whisking constantly, until the mixture thickens.

4. Pour into custard cups or parfait glasses; if you don't like pudding 'skin,' remember to press a piece of plastic wrap to the surface of each.

5. Refrigerate until cold and serve with whipped cream.

Serves 8-12.

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FROM THE PORCH

AGED

Graciousness

BY HUNTER HOWE

With so much turmoil in the world, many believe we’re losing a basic principle of society, civility.

S

amuel Johnson wrote,“When once the forms of civility are violated, there remains little hope of return to kindness or decency.”

As a young boy, I traveled with my family to my grandparent’s house in the coastal village of Jonesport. I viewed the people and the town through the lens of a vacationer, protected by age and excitement. Here, I experienced hard-working folks, friendly and engaging. And I heard those wonderful words over and over, “Yes, deah.”

I felt no stress back then, an advantage of youth.

I’m sure, as we all do, that the Jonesporters had their troubles, that they surely engaged in grating discourse at times. Yet, years later, 77 • MAINE SENIORS

one poignant memory remains unchanged, that I’d experienced an overwhelming feeling, that a strong sense of civility existed in that small village.

I’ve also experienced the same feeling up in the County, particularly in the Fort Kent area. No doubt, many readers could share similar feelings they’ve had in other areas of Maine. More important, I’d like to think that thousands of first-time vacationers return again, not just for the incomparable beauty of our state, not just for the lobsters, potatoes, blueberries, whoopie pies, and ployes, not just for the uncommon kindness found here, but for something much deeper, to wrap themselves around the badge of civility that many Mainers proudly wear.

I’ve grown older. I can no longer lie in the hammock on my grandparents side porch reading the Hardy Boys, or watch my grandfather row his skiff to shore after a long day of lobstering, or greet my grandmother tired from packing sardines at the bustling factory that anchored the town.

FROM THE PORCH

It’s heavy, all that weight.

I desire a less complicated life.

But, it’s hard to do, surrounded by so many people on edge, their daily emotional life teetering

on the brink of anger and frustration.

Now, after a life of ups and downs, I want less conflict in my life and I wonder if other Maine Seniors feel the same, especially if they’ve reached their late sixties and beyond. I guess it’s a welcome natural evolution of age, a built-in defense mechanism of sorts.

Conflict erodes my sense of well-being faster than it used to. I desire a less complicated life. But, it’s hard to do, surrounded by so many people on edge, their daily emotional life teetering on the brink of anger and frustration, ready to unleash a riptide of financial, health, social, and political worries.

Jeff Jacoby, a Boston Globe columnist, in a piece titled “I choose not to be offended, and you should too,” wrote that we’re “a society that thrives on taking offense.”

Nowadays, seems it doesn’t take much to set folks off. They offend easily. With too much inner rampage and frayed nerves, they snap, find fault, utter snide remarks, rant and rave, and demand an instant apology, the tendency to go right to the old jugular.

Some disturbing, these verbal fisticuffs create a toxic environment, a cultural fender-bender complete with bursts of bellyaching blather resulting in bluster bedlam.

It reminds me of a western movie where two frazzled, pistol-toting cowpokes charge way past any semblance of talking things out; they blow through the saloon’s swinging doors and face off in the dusty street, the stakes high—one lives, one dies.

Hey, maybe we need Calm Down Decaf marches throughout our nation to stomp down on all that gruesome growling.

MARCH 2017 • 7 8

FROM THE PORCH

Over the last year, I’ve read many articles relating to this subject.

I even discovered that there’s an Institute for Civility in Government.

I smiled—good luck with that. However, its homepage does say, “Civility is about more than just politeness, although politeness is a necessary first step. It is about disagreeing without disrespect, seeking common ground as a starting point for dialogue without differences, listening past one’s preconceptions, and teaching others to do the same.”

Many of the articles I read discussed the action-reaction relationship in conflict situations, suggesting that we can control our reactions to verbal aggressiveness. The overriding theme in all these articles was this: Is all this nastiness, this self-imposed conflict worth it in the grand scheme of things? Is it worth it to get all bothered by so many little insignificant bothersome details of everyday life?

These pieces implore us to stay reasonable and take the long view, that we need to stop and ask ourselves, will this problem matter a year from now, or even tomorrow? Probably not.

A wise woman once told me,“Know how to avoid someone getting your goat—don’t have a goat.” You see, we have a choice on how we behave. Most of the time, the best course is just to let it go.

The tea kettle blows steam. It’s up to each of us to turn the burner to a controlled simmer.

Psychiatrist Elisa Ely, a Boston Globe contributor, caught my attention with this phrase, “Aged Graciousness.” I like that. It’s appropriate, it's soft, it steers us away from self-inflicting pain, it

79 • MAINE SENIORS

provides direction, a way of coping and a way of walking. At this time of our lives, it’s liberating.

I’d like to think many regard Maine as a refuge from the harshness of the world, partly due to its backbone of civility, perhaps an underlying tenet of our state slogan,“Maine: The Way Life Should Be.” It’s a good thought to have.

Maine Seniors, I know that our inherent wisdom serves to contribute to the overall civility in our great state. Want evidence?

Just browse through each edition of Maine Seniors Magazine— you’ll see it loud and clear.

MSM

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Read about the rest of Hunter’s HG adventure (along with his dog named Dash) in the latest issue of HG Lifestyle. It is available on our website or call us for your printed copy.

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