Youdon’tsneakuponaleaf.You don’tevengetintothedishonestyof thebaitprocess.No!Youletagood, strongleafcometoyou,reelinginthe sensuousness of the whole decidu¬ ous experience while you ride on a gentlyconstructed10-speedbike,also from Beans, the folks who sell the outdoors.
I’M A LEAFER. I admitit.1 mean, being a birder was nice (I enjoyed the strongtwillpantsfromL.L Beanwiththeleatherpockets...the cocktail-partysturdinessofitall),but finally, I determined that being a birderwasultimately,well,toomeaty, andsoI’veturnedoveranew,look, don’tthesebinocularsmeananything toyou?AndnowthatIfeelsovery' stronglyaboutleaves,IfeelIhaveto tell you something. Come a little closer.Weleaferstalkverysoftly,like Walt Disney and Thoreau combined. Now,that’ssoft.No,ImeanDisneyor Thoreau. Ah, I see you smile at my little correction, but that’s OK, becauseafterall,there’sverylittle deceittobeingaleafer.
You let the exuberant, rolling colorsofareallyexcellent,primoleaf surpriseyougently,likethehalcyon siteofatruckfullofMolson’sGolden justcrestingtheroseateblushofa sunlithill,notaNewHampshirehill oraVermonthillbutarealMaineHill, bygorry,followedby'the80million touristswedreamedofindoctrinating this fall in what’s waggishly been called“Foliage-gate”-that’sright, Mainespent$150,000instateadver¬ tisingdollarsthisyeartoconvincethe Boston and New York crowd to come uphere(whilethreequartersofthe state complained about those nasty tourists)anddosomeleafing.Allfor naught. We were snubbed by the 1987 Guide To American Foliage in the Sunday New York Times Magazine.
Isettleback,lookingupatthesky', always astonished at what’s coming down.
LETTERS
Rc:TidalPowerSolutions
ToTheEditor:
Mysuggestionforthetide-millisas follows:Electricitytobeusedfor industrial purposes not requiring attendancebyworkers,suchaselec¬ trolysisofmanganeseand/orhydro¬ gen(withaby-productofoxygen).
Thisisbecausetides“waitonno man.”
BentonMacKaye,thefatherofthe AppalachianTrail,thoughtitup.He was a friend of my father’s, and 1 calledonhimwhenhewaslivingin theCosmopolitanClub,aretirement clubinD.C.
Some day, hydrogen will be an importantprimemover.
'DieEast/WestHighwaywillenable hydrogentogoWest.BillClarkthinks it should be a railroad. How about railsdownthemedianstrip?
ThequestionaskedbyBelyeawas, “Can you guarantee appreciation of work by your artists?” The correct quotewas,“Theonlywayanygallerycansuggestsuchathingisiftheartist isnolongerproducing,duetodeath orillness.”Eventhatisnoguarantee.
NoontimeConcertScries.DinosConsumtinides,violin ist,composer,anddirectoroftheUniisianaState University New Music Ensemble, performing 20th centurymusic.Monday,October26,12:30p.m.,Rcxjm 101,GibsonIkill,BowdoinCollege,Brunswick.7253253-
"PercussionParade,"akinderkonzertperformedby members of the Portland Symphony Orchestra for childrenaged3-7,takesplaceseveraltimesinOctober. Datesandlocations:Thursday,October8.Elkslodgein Saco(9,10,&11a.m.;$1.50;28-47774);Kennebunk HighSchool(9;30,10:30&11:30a.m.;$1.50;985-4343);
Jim Thorne, Pat Vilven, H. Bud Singer, Diane Shevenell, Barney Burrall Seated: Sue Lamb, Janice Drinan, Chris Jackson
Conwaywillexploretherelationbetweenvariousethi caltheoriesandthewiderangeofmi>ralissuesconfront ingAmericanbusiness.OnTuesday.CXioIkt20,John Houlihan.AssociateProfessorofBusinesslawatthe UniversityofSouthernMaine,presents“'IlieHthical ResponsibilitiesofCoqxirations."Theseriestakesplace in the Community rtx>m of the Thomas Memorial Ubrary,6ScottDy'erRoad,in(apeElizalxuh.
MapleHillGallery',367ForeSt.,Portland,andPerkins Cove,Ogunquit.“LightingInvitationalExhibit1987," featuringtheworkofRayKing,FrankGatchell,Rick Melby, Joseph Panzarella & Kenn Kushner, Peter Handler,JimMiller,AlfredGregory,KaeteBrittinShaw, Mark McDonnell, Tom Nussbaum, and many others (October15toNovember15);WearablesbySusan.Neal (throughOctober18).MondaytoSaturday,10to6;and Sundayfrom12to5.7753822.
Octoberishereandthenightlifeischang ingwiththeseason.TheBeachisgone and School is back, but the good weatherremains;betweenthestudents andtheleafwatchers,Octoberisthelastbusymonthfor awhile,atleastintheentertainmentrestaurantworld
IN THE GLORIOUS and shoescuffed years of the WorksProjectAdministra¬ tion(created1935,abol¬ ished1942),U.S.sponsor¬ shipoffineartwasinits earlystages.Inparticular,theW.PA. wastospawnagenerationofregion¬ allyaccomplishedsocialexpression¬ ists, Depression artists who were creativeenoughtofindinspiration where Franklin Delano Roosevelt directed them to find it: on the solemn and portentious walls of municipalbuildings.
In photography, Dorothea Lange documented the Dust Bowl — farm¬ ersinpainoverlossofcrops;norain. Berenice Abbott shot enormous night Mews of Manhattan — lumi¬ nous,real,frightening.ArnoldEagle addressedhimselftotheJesusofthe Lower East Side. And in Maine, all youhavetodoisdrivetoyourlocal postofficetogetatasteofwhat“The Regional School” — sometimes arch, sometimes doctrinaire, often sociallyconscious—hadinstorefor audiencesofthefuture.
IntheSouthPortlandPostOffice, aW.PA.muralbyAzaliaPierce,the second wife of Waldo Pierce (a HemingwaychuminSpain),tellsthe story' of the wreck of the British steamship Bohemian, which left Liverpool February’ 4, 1864, with 218 passengers and wound up on Alden’sRock,justtwomilessouthof TwoLightsandone-quartermileoff¬ shore at Broad Cove Rock. The Bohemian was rated “A-l” by Lloyd’s of Ixmdon, yet smashed to piecesonthecoastofMaine.Fortytwopeoplelosttheirlives,andsome
Grandmoth er put it thisway:“'HieBible saysthereisnothing wrong with money —it’stheworshipof itthatisaproblem.” Formuchofthe20thcentury,Maine seemedtobeinaworshippingmode.
Inrecentyears,thepositivepoten¬ tial of money has been seized upon by risk taking private and public leaders.Maine’sdramaticrenewalhas resultedfromthetreatmentofmoney as a dynamic tool for long-term investment.FromBettyNoyes’giftsto non-profits,toJoeBrennan’suniver¬ sityrebuildinginitiatives,tothe Gelardibrothersmanufacturingplant expansions,tertherestorationofold and the constitution of new build¬ ings,Maineisnolongersittingonits assets.
Thevalueofmoneyincreasespro ponionatelytothewisdomofitsuse. SeveralyearsagoIsawawonderful photoofasmilingMaineresident, Tom Cabot, just after he had given morethan$10milliontohiscollege. Thecaptionseemedtofitthepicture. Itwentsomethinglikethis:Making moneyisalotoffun.Spendingitis evenbetter.Savingitprovidessome pleasure,butthegreatestsatisfaction ofallcomesfromgivingittosome¬ thingyoubelievein.
"The strength of our country is derivednotsomuchfromitsmaterial wealthasfromthequalityofitsciti zens,”wrotethe93yearoldpoetand attorney Melville lane in 1972. He wentontosaythateachofusmust makeourowncontributions"nomat¬ terhowhumble,inordertomaintain thathighquality.”
Democracyisatwowaystreet.We mustinvestinourpeoplesothatthey in turn can make their own future contributions.
Today we need to put our money intomakingMaine'scitizenscompet¬ itive. Foremost that means mutual respectforeachother’spotential. Maya Angelou’s mother put it this way: “Can’t do is like Don’t care! Neitherofthemhasahome.”Trans¬ lated,thatmeantthatthereisnothing
MOVERS & SHAKERS
apersoncan’tdo,andthereshouldbe nothingahumandoesn’tcareabout. Knowledge is the new wealth of nations, so education and training must be emphasized.
Moneywillpurchasebuildingsand hireteachersbutnotbuythebasic skillsofreading,speaking,andwrit¬ ingtheEnglishlanguageorthegood workhabitsandelementsofcharac¬ ter,suchasreliabilityandtimeliness. For those, we need accountability throughout our educational system andapassionforexcellence.
AtarecentcourseIattended,25 people were introduced. About half ofthemwereinvolved(insomeway) withredirectingyoungpeople’slives. We are spending a phenomenal
BY RICK BARTON Chairman, MaineDemocraticParty
amount of money trying to recover fromourearliermistakesandshort comings.Resourcesshouldbedirect¬ edupfront,notafterthefact.
Acoupleofexamples:
1)OneoftheEastCoast’stoplaw enforcers said, "There are no new criminals. We never arrest anybody without a record.” That means kids gettinganearlycareerstartinlaw¬ breakingandcontinuingforyears.
2) Tire Kennebec Journal (9/8/87) reportedthattheMcKernanadminis¬ trationis"cuttingitsfinancialsupport for pregnant poor women, because demand for services has strapped stateresources.”Ratherthanasking foradditionalmoneynow,theadmi¬ nistrativedecisionwastogambleon thefuturecostsofunhealthychildren.
Ralph waldo Emerson made the point this way: “Steam is no strongertodaythanit was10(5yearsago,but itisputtobetteruse.” When we make the best use of our resources we thrive. Regarding our youth,earlyinvestmentshaveproven theirworthbysavingfuturehospital, prison,andotherinstitutionalcosts.
Like our youth our workforce is central to future competitiveness, knowledge, skill enhancement, and the attraction of value-added jobs shouldbejustasimportantasinvest¬ ments in universities and public schools.Increasedsharingofrespon sibilitiesandrewardswillpaylong¬ term dividends. Foolish gubemator ial vetoes of the minimum wage $6,968peryearfor40hoursperweek willonlypositionMaineasaneco¬ nomic backwater. Good people with skills are our greatest long term advantage.
Keeping Maine Special
The beauty of Maine’s land and watersdrawsandkeepsus.Maineisa special place and our expenditures shouldenhancethatfact.
First and foremost, we need to identifymorekeyareasofthestate Continuedonpage43
FACE
MOVERS & SHAKERS
Teddy roosevelt, campaigning in 1904 to keep the White House, became concerned about carrying New York,sohevisitedE.H. Harriman, the railroad tycoon, and HenryClayFrick,theheadofU.S. Steel,forfinancialhelp.Harriman came through with $300,000; Frick, with$100,000.
Followinghiselection,T.R.advan¬ cedhisprogramofbusinessregula¬ tion,talkingaboutthe“malefactorsof greatwealth”and“thecriminalrich.” HarrimanandFrickwerenotamused. “He got down on his knees to us,” fumedFrick.“Weboughtthesonofa bitchandthenhedidn’tstaybought.”
Anyone in Maine who expects to “buy”apoliticianwithapoliticalcon¬ tributionthesedaysisthrowinghis moneytothewind.Notonlyarepoli¬ ticians,asarule,afickle,inconsistent lot(“anhonestpoliticianisonewho, when bought, stays bought”), but withreportingregulationsandcon¬ tribution limitations and with Moneyed Maine’s own nervous habit ofplacingbetsoneveryhorseinthe race,thedaysofpurchasingpoliti¬ ciansare,withrareexceptions,over.
Thisisnottosay,ofcourse,that politicsandmoneydon’tenjoyeach other’scompany.Theydo.Buttheirs isaplayful,publicflirtation,rather than the Gothic Romance of secret trystsandwhisperingsofpublicfancy7 . (Iwritegenerally,withoutconsidera¬ tionofthenetherworldofNewYork CityanditsDemocraticmachine.)
Althoughthekeynoteofmanysuc¬ cessful campaigns is dough, money and politics are both a whole lot cleaner than they were just a few decadesago.Intheareaofcampaign financing,thetroublesomerelation¬ ship existing between them is more subtle,sophisticated,and-yes-harm¬ less.Theoriginandamountofcam¬ paignmoneyisimperfectandconsi¬ deredbysometobeopentotinker¬ ing, but then democracy itself is
BY RICHARD BENNETT ExecutiveDirector, MaineRepublicanParty
Toooften,thesetwoareas-i.e., where the money comes from, and howmuchmoneyisspent-aremis¬ takenlyconfusedordeliberatelycon¬ foundedforpoliticalends.National Democratic leaders are continually bemoaning the amount of money the RepublicanPartyisabletoraiseforits candidates, saying that the amount itselfisscandalous.Therealreason fortheirconsternationistheirinabilitytoraisealikesumforthecoffersof their own national committee. The factsofpublicrecordshowthatthe
MONEY IN MAINE
O FACE
averagecontributiontotheRepubli¬ can National Committee (RNC) is about$35.ThefigurefortheDemo¬ cratic National Committee (DNC), whichreceivesahugeportionofits
comparatively smaller budget from politicalactioncommittees(PACs), unions,corporations,andindividual largesse(likeMrs.RayKroc’srecent giftofacoolmilliondollars),is “unavailable.”
The Democrats use the smoke screen of how much money is spent tohidethetruththattheylackeither thetechnicalsophisticationor(hor¬ rors!)thepublicappealtobasetheir politicalorganizationonthesupport of average American breadwinners contributing$35.
When the RNC’s figures were releasedlastfall,outofcuriosityI calculatedtheMaineRepublicanPar¬ ty’saveragecontribution.Including all donations from PACs, corpora tions, and individuals, the Maine GOP’saveragecontributionwasonly about$38-evenIwassurprisedto learn just how much we depend on grassrootsfinancialparticipation!
ButtheRepublicanPartyhastoget the facts out. I was amused, and somewhat annoyed, by a recent edi¬ torial cartoon in the Maine Sunday Telegram,whichdepictedanelephan tine Karen Stram, chairman of the Maine GOP, sporting a halo and an angelic look and hiding a bulging money bag at her side. Chairman Stram clipped the cartoon (1 hope she’snotreadingthis)andsentitto ourfinancechairmanwiththenote: “Wishfulthinking.”
It’s difficult to see the Maine RepublicanPartyasbeholdentoBig Business on the strength of a $38 averagecontribution,butthepercep¬ tionpersists.Andit’sdifficulttocom¬ batafalseimpressionthatisrein¬ forcedbyincompletefactsandhalf truthsperpetuatedbythemediaand by Democratic leaders who would dealratherwiththequestionofhow muchmoneyisraisedandspentthan withthemorepointedissueofwhere the money comes from.
MAINE’SSENATOR George Mitchelliscurrently leadingafightinthe U.S.Senatetocleanup (again)campaignfinan cing.Hisbill,S.2,focusesontwocon¬ cerns:PACsandescalatingcampaign costs.
Mitchell and other proponents would put “voluntary” limits on spending and PAC contributions, in exchangeforpublicfinancingofconContinuedonpage43
FINANCE BANKNOTES
BY MICHAEL BERGSTEIN
Bankingusedtobeasim pieaffair,notmuchmore complicatedthanagame of Monopoly. You threw dice, bought property, developedtheoddhouse andhotel,paidtaxes.Theruleswere simple,priceswerestable,and—for theluck}'ones—therewastheocca¬ sionalfreerideontheBoardwalk.
Monopoly’s stayed the same over theyears,butthebankingindustry hasn’t.Inthelastfewyearsderegula¬ tion has opened wide the vaults of change. Cross-state acquisitions, mergersanddivestitures,burgeoning competition, and growing savvy among investors has placed new pressuresandopportunitybeforethe banking community. Here in Maine, aselsewhere,bankersarediscovering that aggressive marketing, dynamic personnelandakeenerappreciation for the needs of their customers, coupled with an active interest in publicevents,helpthemstaycompet¬ itiveandhealthywhileplayingbythe newrulesofthegame.
Maine National Bank (Bank of New England)lastDecemberacquiredthe Aroostook Trust Company of Caribou and the Dirigo Trust Company of Augusta,bringingitstotalassetsto $952 million. This spring the bank merged with The Conifer Group, placing the combined institutions among the 20 largest bank holding companiesinthenation,withassets totalling$26billion.
Maine National Bank currently operates a statewide network of 47 branchoffices,includingitsfirstnew branchinnineyears,slatedtoopenin
“Coastal Bancorp is scheduled to move into its new 12,500square-foot operations center this fall.”
North Windham this month.
Underthelatestmergerandwith implementation of the new ‘Yankee 24" automatic teller machine (ATM) network,MaineNationalBankInstacardholderswillbeabletobankat hundredsof24-hourtellermachines throughout New England. In addi¬ tion,MaineNationalBankhasrecent¬ ly introduced “Choice Checking,” newfullservicecheckingfeaturing nomonthlyfees,percheckcharges, or minimum balance requirements, allfor$25peryear.
Maine National Bank remains activeinsponsoringpublicevents, including “Coping With Success,” a series of programs presented along with Greater Portland Landmarks, examining the effects of growth on Portland. The bank has sponsored “Sunday Events” with the Maine Audubon Society; the Bangor Sym¬ phony; a concert with big band legend Woody Herman; and the Fifth Annual Cary Medical Center Benefit GolfTournament,atCaribou.
Last spring Maine National Bank appointed two new directors to its board, Donald F. Collins and Theo¬ doreB.Tomquist,bothofCaribou. Conifer Chief Executive Officer KennethJ.McAllraith,whowillbea DirectoroftheBankofNewEngland Coq^oration,says,“Ourphilosophyis tokeepdecision-makingandservice deliverylocal.We’llbedependingon our people in the community banks to know what their customers need andwhattheyexpectofus.”
Innovativemarketingandresultsoriented advertising have become a
kindoftrademarkofNorstarBank. Recently, at the Broderson Awards given by the Advertising Club of Greater Portland for work done in Maine,Norstarreceivedfivehonors fortelevisionadvertising.Thebank’s agency,RogerWilliamsAdvertising andPublicRelationsofPortland,has earned accolades in the industry, includinganational‘TellyAward”for theNorstartelevisionspotdepictinga boatbuilder who has moved back to Maine.
The ad campaign for “Winner” accounts(full-servicecheckingwith myriadotherservicesavailablefor$5 permonth),wasfeaturedintheBank MarketingAssociation’sAd Trendsas anoutstandingexampleoftheeffec¬ tiveuseofpremiums.Ad Trendsana lyzes300newspapersdailytocritique bankadvertising.
RSTAR BANCORP, the parent company based inNewYork,isa$10.6bi1lionmultibankfinan¬ cial sendees company composedofsevenmem¬ ber banks in New York State and Maine.Norstar’slocalbusinessand staff have increased to the point wherethebankiseasilvfillingitsnew
SouthPortland,ME(207)775-6105OrInMaine1-800-492-0753 Boston.MA(617)236-2100Chelmsford,MA(617)250-0288 Danvers, MA (617)777-7770 Wakefield. MA (617)246-3915 Walpole,MA(617)660-1045Natick,MA(617)655-8811 Norwell, MA (617)871-0601 West BridRewater, MA (617)697-5400 Lowell.MA(617)454-7111Salem.NII(603)898-5574
iceventssponsoredbyJ thebank,Norstarheldanexportings seminar last fall to help educate bilitiesinthestateforinternational^ trade.” *
TheOneBancorp,Maine’sfirst$1 TXI seminar last fall to help educateMainebusinessesinterestedinexplor-S ingtheinternationalexportmarket.^ “Norstarisinterestedinexporting,”c MM commentedvicepresidentRonI^ver.J “Wealsowanttohelpdeveloppossi-s • state headquarters in Portland’s One 3 CityCenter ..3 Among publ billionbankinginstitution,isthe holding company for Maine Savings-, Bank,a127-year-oldMaineinstitution with28officesthroughoutthestate.It3 presidesasthestate’sleadingresi-] dential,mortgage,educational,con-) struction,andcommercialrealestateg -—, lender. i ■ A year and a half ago, The One ‘’Bancorpfiledanofferingof$40mil53lioninconvertiblesubordinatedde-? debentures due in the year 2011. = According to Robert R. Masterton,; presidentandCEO,theproceedsoff ZlZ theofferingareintendedtobeused। forgeneralcorporateputposes,in-' 2 chiding the financing of possible. .j^-1 futureacquisitions.
Masterton is committed to the, growth of the Maine and New Eng- 2“*" land economy, and believes the' w movement of jobs and people from L —1BostonandRoute128acrossourstate■ L4lineisjustbeginning.Loandemands,., deposits,anddailytransactionsare* up,thelitmuspaperofavitalecon-2 omy.
-friAmongthenewservicesofferedbyMaineSavingsBankinthepastyear! mb arereducedratesforstudentloansI SgBand a new money-management ac-d countcalled“SystemOne,”designed £^to consolidate deposit, loan, andg brokerageservicesintoone“super”) account.Thisgivesthebank’scusto-* mersmorecontrol,flexibility,and information in their finances. {
inessmagazine rated The One Ban¬ jul corpMaine’slargestcommercialbank asrankedbyassets.
^***~ Casco Northern Bank chairman and
* Last November,New England Bus- _ Z~ the role of the bank as one of com-/ munityfather,notonlytohelpmain-* bK tainthequalityofgrowthinPortlandg butalsotoreachouttothepeopleat“ large in the area, hear theirs problems and help as he can. He-11 trumpets special concern for thee futureofPortland.Thissummerata< regular “Eggs ‘N Issues” breakfast
meeting, sponsored by the Portland i Chamber of Commerce, Daigle iden.*tifiedthreecategoriesbywhichmost peopledefinetheirqualityoflife: ^economic conditions, amenities, and environmentalissues.
_“Today,” Daigle said, “recent pub■p^licopinionpollsindicatethatless ^^than 30 percent of the multiple responses are weighted toward economicfactorsindefiningthequality oflife,while33percentrestonenvir-onmentalconsiderationsand37per¬ centontheamenities...Thereissudgj^.denly an approximately equal drive --^towardeconomicsatisfaction,envir' onmental pleasures, and the ameni7-Citiesoflife.”
In the past, economic factors 41 weighed much more heavily in peopie’s perception of the meaning of —— life, and this new balance shows the TT-V trendtowardenvironmentalsensitiviL.-’tiesmaybestartingtoeclipsethe sheerdriveforwealth,regardlessof Jthecosttoourland,air,andourdes,cendents,whowillinherittheearthin theconditionweleaveit.
Daigleishelpingorganizeongoing
discussions between Chamber off! cials,universities,andfinancialinsti¬ tutions,allpointedtowardfostering responsiblegrowthinPortlandandin Maine.
Casco Northern Bank has earned high marks in the community by sponsoringcorporateartshows,stage and musical performances, and in¬ formative seminars, in addition to offeringspecialfloodloansandRed Crosscontributionstohelpdefraythe damagesincurredinlastspring’sfloods.
Two years ago, Sun Savings and LoanAssociationofPortlandwasac¬ quiredbyHomeOwnersFederalSav¬ ingsandLoanAssociationofBoston, thefirstsuchS&Lacquisitionforthe parentcorporation.Thistransaction resultedinsignificantcontributions of funds to Sun by Home Owners and theFSLIC,makingSunMaine’slargest savingsandloanassociation,aswell as one of Maine’s top mortgage companies.
InMayofthisyearSunSavingsand Loan introduced an innovative home loan program to help ease consumer worries about rising and uncertain
mortgagerates.Calledthe“Converti¬ ble,"theloanisaone-yearadjustable^ rate mortgage (ARM) that carries an >
optiontoconverttoafixedrateatany timeafterthefirstyear,uptotheend ofthefifthyearoftheloanterm.His¬ torically,convertiblemortgageshad muchstrictertimeframesinwhich theoptioncouldbeexercised. This consumer-oriented mortgage program permits the home buyer to avoidlockingintoahigherfixedrate. AswithanyARM,theinitialrateonthe Convertibleislowerthanprevailing fixed-ratemortgages.Thelowerrate dramatically reduces monthly pay¬ mentsandtheincomelevelrequired toqualifyforamortgage.Thereal innovationwithSun’sconvertibleis
flexibility.HelenByrnes,SunExecu-
tiveVicePresidentandChiefOperat— ingOfficer,explains,“Withinthe four-year time frame, any day the (interest)rateshitalevelthehome owneriscomfortablewith,theycan!■. converttothatrateforthelifeofthezloan...Overtheyears,we’veintro. ducedmanydifferentkindsofmortgagesormortgagefeaturestorespond
HENEVER A NEW Asian restaurantopensintown itistemptingtostart making comparisons. It is also easier to be tempt¬ edthantodiscoverthoseaesthetic points distinguishing the newcomer fromalltheothers.Thesimilarities
Que REVIEW
Meare often more remarkable than the differences,asAsianf<xx.lisservedup inPortlandatleast.
Yetsomeoftheserestaurantsare bonanzas while others seem to be marking time. Wdix? Is it because certainchefsarebetterabletobring usthespecializedanduniquecharac¬ teroftheirnativecuisine,trueand unchanged?Morelikely,Asianrestaur¬ antsaresuccessfulinPortlandbe¬ causetheyareastutelymanagedand well-locatedandespeciallybecause they are able to adapt an exotic cuisinetraditionallypracticedwith thriftandrestrainttotheheftyAmerCongress Street’s New Vietnamese Restaurant icanappetite.
InmostAsiancooking,forinstance, meatorseafoodistreatedasagarnish ratherthanasthecenterpiecearound whichtorallythelesservictuals,but inAmericaitisnotverysoundrestaur antsensetoskimpontheflesh.Itis equally unwise to spare the syrup, whichiswhymuchofthefoodserved bytheserestaurantsissentforaswim in the sauceboat just before being brought to the table. The latest newcomertoPortland'ssmallcompli¬ ment of Asian restaurants refrains from many of those practices which would make it unmistakably Asian zXmerican.
Que Me — pronounced Way Mee (r): “The Mother Country" — is a Vietnamese restaurant which adver tisesitsfareashomecooking,and while1cannotsaywithauthoritythat itscuisineisauthentic,Idounder standthattherearecertaincharacter¬
istics of good cooking which cross culturallines.‘Homecooking'hasthe sameconnotationinmanylanguages, andasexpressedatQue-Me,itdes cribes food which is simple, straightforward, tasty, and inexpensive.
Thisdoesnotmeanthatthefoodis artless.Adistinguishingqualityofa goodcookishisabilitytoassurethe dinerthatthefoodisstrictlyfresh. Not by lifting the burden of age chemicallyorbytheuseofdisguises, butbystartingwithfreshingredients andrestraininghimselffrominterfer ing with them. This is apparent in Que-Me’s Bean Sprout Sour Soup, a cleanvegetablebrothrefreshednot only with the crunch of crisp bean sproutsbutalsowiththeflavorof cilantroandthenuanceofaddingthe ricevinegaratthelastmomentsothat itdoesn’tdeteriorateundertoomuch heat. Or in the Vietnamese Fresh
SpringRolls,notfriedbutlightly steamed, invoking the season with cilantroandfreshbasilbecausethey areservedcool,atroomtemperature. OurwaiterinformedusthatQueMe’s Vietnamese customers favored thericevermicellidishes,andsowe ordered BeefWith Lemon Grass. This dishisnotonlyconsistentwiththe protein-as-gamishprinciplebutalso withabalanceofseasonings(aseries of surprises rather than a heavy’ blend)andastylethatmakeonedish complement another rather than repeatit.TheHarvestFish,forexam¬ ple — flaked haddock served in a tomato based red sauce — would be aflatcontrastofcourse-grainedfish andtartsauceiftheonionswerenot treatedwiththesamelighthand,still crunchyandcoaxedintotheirsweet nessandnofurther.
Byfarthebestdishwetriedwas Que-Me’s Wine Roast Chicken With
Vietnamese Sauce. Like many of the sauces,thisoneisonthesweetside, butitisservedinsmallamountsand soactsasafoiltothechicken,which is flavored with cherry wine and roasted, then sauteed, but remains surprisinglymoist.
Allofthedisheswetriedwerenot as successful. The Tofu With Mush¬ rooms could have been crisper (it was the only dish overwhelmed with sauce), and the pu pu platter of appetizersisafifty-fiftyprospectat best.Butoverallthefoodisverygood. No buckets of sauce. No fat lady portions,butveryreasonableprices. Que-Me has much to recommend it. DennisGilbert,agraduateofColby’College,isan accomplishedwriterandchef.Overthelast10yearshe hasworkedasachefinmanyrestaurantsinMaine, includingTheVinyard,andwrittenformanyNewEnglandmagazines,includingYankeeHehasalso workedontheTime/LIFE"GreatMealsinMinutes" seriesasacontributingwriterfortheFrenchProvincial cuisinechapters.
There'saglitchintheoffice.The new employee has been assignedtoanofficethatdoesn't fit.Perhapshe’sleft-handed... verytallorveryshort.Andthere's noplaceforhiscomputer.
George DuBoeuf — Good bou quet,lightbodiedwithmediumfruit. Good with cheese or mild dishes. Availablewidely,includingPortland WineandCheese.Price:$6-$7.
Jacques Depagneux The newest Beaujolaisproduceravailableinthis market.Raspberryinthenose,lightin thebody,veryfruity.Price:About$6, featuredatAlberta’sRestaurant.
The next six wines were from the 1985vintage,whichinallinstances produced a more forceful wine but not necessarily the more fragrant Beaujolais which most consumers expect.
TheBeaujolaisof1985tastedasfol¬ lows: Jacques Depagneux — Brilliant in color,luscious,gcxxlaftertaste.Around $6atPortlandWineandCheese.
Prosper Maufoux-From a very' strong Beaujolais producer. Fullbodied,herbalaromas.Ilikedthis onealot!Around$7.
RapiteareFreres—Verydistinct from the others tasted. Somewhat closedinbouquetandtaste.Onlyat WhipandSpoon,$5.95.
Louis latour, “Chameroy” — A Beaujolaisagedinwood,apparently. Pleasant.$6$7.
At the corner of Middle & Exchange Streets, Portland, Maine775-7993.
j “As for pronunciation; the Benoit name, I di know how the founder, H., pronounced it, but ’ when his son Henri was asked, he asked the asker if that big city out in Michigan should be pro¬ nounced DETWAH!”
Arthur benoit provedtobeoneof themostenterpris¬ ing young men of his generation, who were part of the substantial emigration from Canada to south¬ ernMaineandMassachusettsinthe late19thcentury.'Iliemovement was stimulated by growing indus¬ trialactivitiesinPortland,Bidde¬ ford, Boston, kiwrence, and Fall River. Quebecois were deeply concerned;theyfearedconsequent weakeningoftheirFrenchheritage andafailuretomaintaintheircul¬ tureinaforeignenvironment—an issue termed “survivance.” But Franco-Americans proved adept at holdingtotheirprinciples,religious and social, while blending into their adopted surroundings. With pride,industry,andresourceful¬
ness,theymadesignificantcontribu¬ tions.
Arthurwasoneofthesixsurviv¬ ingchildrenofCharlesandEmelie Clement Benoit, who moved their family to Biddeford from St. Domi nique,P.Q.,in1877.BenoitSr.wasa blacksmith, as was his first son, Albert. According to the custom of theday,malechildrenwereexpect¬ edtocontributetothefamilywel¬ fare.Arthurwenttoworkinatextile millatage11.
Much of the work force in the mills was made up of boys aged 10 to16,andworkinghourswere6a.m. to6p.m.Untilthosesethourswere established,thecustomhadbeenfor thosetobethehoursduringwinter months only. Beginning in March, the day ended when the sun went down, and the change was heralded withaSOcalled Continued
;
'
“blowing out party” as city lights wereturnedout.InSeptember,con¬ versely, there was a “lighting-up party.” These affairs were wont to lastthroughoutthenightuntilwork time the following morning. If the sun was shining at 8 p.m. in mid¬ summer, it must have been a long day for man and boy. But Arthur’s day had already been stretched by hisattendingnightschooltolearn English.
Themixtureofambitionandhard work surfaced early in Arthur. In 1881 he secured a position in the • clothing store of C. H. Webber in Saco as a part-time clerk evenings afteraday’sworkinthecottonmill.
' While clerking for Webber, Arthur hadprintedabusinesscardinFrench - specifying the evenings he would beworking.Heinvitedhisfriends, . particularly Franco-Americans, to . visit. So many showed up that he wasabletoleavethemillandwork fulltimeforMr.Webber.
•
. With his energy and productive salesmanship, he was put in charge of the C. H. Webber store in West¬ brook. In 1889 he married Anna Brodeur;thefollowingyear,withno debtand$30inthebank,hegavehis note for $500 to his employer and ■•becamehispartner.Threeyearslater heboughtouthispartner.Thisnew Benoit-Webber Company was the . • first link in the Benoit chain. By 1894:atage29,A.H.wasofftothe races.
Hewas,-inhisway,anaturalscho¬ lar.Themillshadbeenaschoolto him as much as the night school he had attended. Every experience was anopportunitytolearn.Inthefash¬ ionofitinerantsalesmenofthe19th century he would occasionally load his wares into his horse-drawn wagon along with his son Henri and maketheroundsindieoutlyingdis¬ tricts.Henrirecalledhisfatherstop ping under big trees to stencil Benoitadvertisementsonthebark.
A.H.establishedearlyapolicyof expansion with continued quality andservice,believingthat“truesuc¬ cess is always mutual." He moved the Westbrook store from Bridge StreettoMainStreetand,twoyears ; later, acquired the Dunn Clothing k Store in Biddeford. The store had f‘ ’ \ been managed by A. H.’s brother Charles, but when Charles left to enterbusinessforhimself,JohnJ.
> . Dunn, Jr. was made manager. Like A. H., Dunn had been a weaver in the
; ‘
mills.Hebecamealeadingcitizenof Biddeford,beingelectedcitytreas¬ urerfourtimes.Hewasontheboard of education for several years and onthecitycouncilfortwo.Itwas saidthathebelongedtoeverymen’s organizationintown.
By1898thefatherofthreesons, A.H.continuedtobuild.TheBenoitMutty Company was established in Bangor, where he now moved his family.Nexttojointhefoldwasthe Bangor Hat and Cap Company, wholesale jobbers, and a store in Lawrence,Massachusetts.Subsequent developments included the forma¬ tion of the Swan-Russell Company ofBoston,anoutgrowthoftheBan¬ gor Hat and Cap Company and the new home office of the Benoit Sys¬ tem stores, and the family move to the Boston suburb of Malden.
A.H.stressedtheimportanceof employing reliable personnel. “A young man must be a good mer¬ chant.Sellingisacompetitivepro¬ position. We provide training and werewardthemostproficient.”He employed reliable and ready re¬ sources: sons, brothers, nephews, formermillhandswiththequality ofwhoseworkhewasfamiliar,and employees of companies acquired. Joseph Bourassa, for example, had beenaweaverinthemillsbeforehis employment with the BenoibDunn Company. He became a member of thelegislatureandin1910wasmade manager of the Benoit-Bourassa Company in New Bedford, Massa¬ chusetts. This store he managed mostsuccessfullyuntilhisuntimely death from influenza during the rampaging epidemic of 1918. which . tookoverahalfmillionlivesinthe U.S.alone.
The Benoit-Blanchard Company ofMaldenwasinoperationin1911, and when the Benoit-McShane G>m pany absorbed Benoit Blanchard in 1914. Mr. Blanchard became man¬ ager of a new Benoit-Blanchard storeinFramingham,Massachusetts.
InMay,1915,whileenroutetothe WestCoastaboardthe20thCentury Limited.A.H.sentatelegramtohis sonHenriinMaldenstatingthat“if thedealgoesthrough,you’llhaveto go to Portland, Maine with me next Monday." The deal went through.
The Frank M. Low Company of Por¬ tland, to be managed by Henri, becamethecrownjewelofthelarg¬ est men’s clothing organization in thestateandthehomeofthefirm’s
executive offices. A. H. wrote to HenriinJanuary,1916:”1wishIhad the time and money. I would have fasthorses,goodautos,andhavea good time. I would give you a good timealso.However,1amsatisfiedto have good health and good boys and watchthemdowell.”Implicitinthis generous sentiment is the message tokeepthebusinessinhighgear.A further statement does more than suggest:”Wemustgetalongduring the months of January, February, Marchwithoutanetloss.”Portland’s wintermonthsmightverywellhave beenslowerthanotherseasons;but echoes of war were becoming loud er, and businesses might feel pinched. In June, 1917 the first American troops were in Europe. A yearlatertherewereamillionAmer¬ icantroopsthere,includingseveral Benoits.Henriwasalieutenantin theinfantryandatoprecruiterfor the Millikin Regiment — Maine’s own. Eugene was a lieutenant in artillery.Athirdbrother,Robert,was inradiooperationsintheNavy.All were in active service overseas. Henri resumed management of the Portlandstoreafterthewarand,in 1919, married Katherine Walsh, nieceoftheBishopofPortland,who performed the ceremony. Ways of success had become familiar to Henri.AtMaldenHighSchoolhehad beenanall-statefootballplayer.At BriggsandStrattonCollegeinBos¬ tonhestarredinbasketball,base¬ ball,wrestling.Hisnaturalskills, hard work, and dedication became directed to his management respon¬ sibilities,andthestoreprospered.It wascitedthattherewere“twoPor¬ tland monuments” —Benoit’s being oneofthem.Sincetheearlydaysin Saco,A.H.Benoithadopenedstores in Westbrook, Bangor, Malden, Bid deford,Lewiston,kiwrence,Bruns¬ wick, New Bedford, Framingham, Portland; but he was not loath to discontinue a marginal operation. 'Foo,hehadalwaysbeenactivein civicandreligiouscausesandever readytocontributetimeandeffort toworthyactivities.Heservedasa directoroftheFeiswayCo-operative Bank of Boston and was a member of the Malden Rotary Club, the KnightsofColumbus,andtheElks. In1922,realizingthathishealthwas lessthanithadbeenandwishingto devote more time to traveling with hiswifeandtendinghisrosegarden, heturnedactivecontrolofthecom¬
panyovertohisthreeoldestsons.In alettertoHenriin1924hestatedthat he’d been doing too much traveling too fast —Palestine, Jerusalem, Egypt,Italy-anItaly“thatwasvery prosperousunderMussolini,though thecostoflivinghadincreasedfive timesbecauseofhightaxes.”A.H. diedinDecemberofthatyear,prop¬ erly eulogized as “an exceptional manandakindlyfriend.”
The Boston banks, however, began calling in loans because of theiruncertaintyofthefirm’sfuture. ButHenriandhisbrothersandother managerial personnel proved more than equal to the confrontation. Theyre-establishedcredit,arranged a new mortgage, moved their busi¬ ness from Boston banks to Portland banks, settled all claims upon the Founder’s estate, sold some stores andkeptonlythosewithconfirmed
operatingefficiency,andmergedall stores into the A. H. Benoit Com¬ pany.
WithHenriatthehelm,thePor¬ tlandstorebecameoneofthelargest men’s apparel stores in New Eng¬ land,smartandmetropolitan,offer¬ ing goods only of high quality chosen from suppliers’ representa¬ tivesincompetition,selectinglead¬ ing styles from leading merchants and receiving discounts for large orders paid for in cash. Benoit’s believed that by accepting only a smallprofit,thestorecouldgivecus¬ tomersbetterclothesforlessmoney —aneffectiveadvertisingthemeas well as a dependable merchandising practice.
Benoit’s prospered through the 1920s, but a major crisis for the nationfollowedthemarketcrashof 1929-Theconsequentdepressionhit bottomin1932;recoverywassmall, painful, and slow for seven more years.Butwhilemanybusinesseson Congress Street and throughout the nation were forced to close their doors, Benoit’s squeaked through the bad days, even though sales shrank 40 percent. The banks were provenjustifiedinkeepingfaithin thefirm.Storescontinuinginopera¬ tion were limited to Maine. Henri wenttoCaliforniatostudythemany new techniques being used in the fashionable,successfulstoresthere. Efficiency increased as managers economized,andtheratioofprofit to dollar sales increased to three timeswhatithadbeenprecedingthe depression.
FranklinDelanoRoosevelt,elect¬ edpresidentin1932,institutedmany radical changes in the economy by way of fighting our way out of the depression. One of the steps taken was named the National Recovery Administration — the famed NRA. Henri was appointed by FDR as a member of the State Board of the NRA to serve under the aegis of Chief Administrator Hugh S. John¬ son. Also in 1933 he was commissi¬ onedacolonelonGov.Braun’sstaff along with Rudy Vallee and Gene Tunney.Hislistsofawardstestifyto hisnationalandlocalcivic-minded¬ ness.
HeservedaschairmanofthePor¬ tland Community Chest and had been one of its founders. He was chairmanoftheFirstBirthdayBall for President Roosevelt (now the March of Dimes Campaign), chair-
man of the Port and Chapter of the U.S.O.,andamemberofthewartime OfficeofPriceAdministration.Since those alphabet soup days of FDR, NRA, OPA, USO, WPA, CCC, and oth¬ ers,thestockpothasneverstopped simmering.
War days of the early 1940s caused scarcities in many areas of living:food,cigarettes,gasoline,clo¬ thing,andothers.Storeshelveswere lightly stocked in those days when thefashionableclothingwascolored olive drab and went by the name of Government Issue. Henri’s oldest son,Arthur,wenttowar,asdidhis cousin Andre and another Benoit employee, James B. Longley, later governor of Maine.
Benoit’s forged its way through thosechallengingdays,andthestore served the country by having a booth where War Bonds and Sav¬ ings Stamps sold at Benoits raised over$1millionforthewareffortin thedayswhenadollarwasasignifi¬ cant amount of money.
ThecontributionsofHenriBenoit were recognized, and the recogni¬ tiondeserved:fromPresidentRoose¬ velt,AttorneyGeneralFrancisBid¬ dle,SecretaryoftheTreasuryHenry Morgenthau, Jr., President Truman, Governor Muskie -and from many othersources.Hewasadirectorof the Federal Home Loan Bank of Bos¬ ton and served a term as chairman. Hewasfor20yearsanadvocatefor acoliseumforPortlandandchair¬ man of its citizens committee. He wastheorganizerandfirstpresident of Downtown Park and Shop, Inc., providing free parking for patrons of downtown stores.
Succeeding Henri, who died in 1976atage84,washisoldestson, ArthurHenriBenoitII.Followinghis graduation from Bowdoin, his mar¬ riagetoJudithPaysonSnowin1944, andserviceintheNavyasanofficer inabombdisposalunitinthePacific Theater,hebecamefirstvicepresi¬ dentofBenoit’sin1946andpresi¬ dentin1966.ThethirdheadofA.H. Benoit Company, Arthur practiced the philosophy of his father and grandfather both in merchandising andincivicaffairs.
ArthurwasadirectoroftheMaine Savings Bank, the Maine Bonding Company, and the Federal Savings and Loan Association, a corporator of Maine Medical Center, and a generous supporter of St. Joseph’s College. He was an aide to Gov.
The Coast Guard Reserve has a limited number of openings for people with boat-handling experience, mechanical backgrounds, lawenforcementandadministrativebackgrounds.Opportunitiesare alsoavailableinotherspecialties.Ifyouareinterestedinservingwith the U.S. Coast Guard Reserve call 1-800-622-8606 for your free informationkit.
MuskieandatrusteeoftheUniver¬ sityofMaine—citedbythechancel¬ lorasoneofthegreatestfriendsthe university ever had. He was also instrumentalindevelopingtheUni¬ versityofSouthernMaine.Adevout churchman, he was chairman of the CatholicCharitiesCampaign.In1973 heandhisfatherwerecorecipients oftheKiwanisClub’sAwardfordis¬ tinguishedservicetotheCityofPor¬ tland and were cited for having “watchedandurgedthepaceofPor¬ tland for 50 years; their work has madePortlandabetterplace.”
LouisJ.Benoit,Arthur’sbrother, became president of the firm in 1975, and today he, as his three predecessorsdid,facesaneracalling for change and development. A. H. foundedandexpanded;Henriculti¬ vatedandrefined;Arthurledthrough thechangingsocietiesofthe1960s and early 1970s. Wars, depression, recessions were weathered. Now LouisisleadingthePortlandstoreto a new location, one where the dis¬ playarea will be expanded and con¬ centrated in ways which will com¬ plementefficientlythenewsetting. Allotheroperationswillbecentered inaseparatelocation.Thestorein the Maine Mall will be tripled in space to meet the demands of the timesandthemarket,andthestores in Brunswick, Auburn, and Bangor willbewellservedbythedistribu¬ tionre-organization.
A.H.thefounderwasadescend¬ ant of the coureurs des bois, the hardystockthat,huntingandtrap¬ ping, ran the wilderness of 18thcentury Canada. His father was not only a blacksmith (read “ironwork¬ er,”notmerely“horse-shoer”)and, inhislateryears,afarmer,butalso oneoftheearlyminersofthe19th century. His mother’s people num beredscholarsandholdersofimpor¬ tantpositionsintheCanadiangovern¬ ment. Interestingly, A. H. was a member and trustee of The Ancient Order of Foresters — a link to his heritage.
“Family” has always been a key word among Benoits. A. H. had brothers Charles and Clement to help;HenrihadEugene,Robert,and Oscar; the next generation had Arthurandlouis.But “family” also included employees. Paul Hanly, for example, was an officerofthefirmwithA.H.Today, PaulHanly,Jr.servesthecompany.
Heis“family”too—asareothers.
Benoit men were and are well educated. They have been athletic, someofthemcelebritiesinfootball, wrestling, and swimming (Henri and Eugene once swam from Peaks IslandtoCushingIslandin19min¬ utes).Arthurwasonthefootballand swimming teams at Bowdoin and was an expert skier. Many Benoits have been expert skiers. They are doers as well as appreciators and includeartists,writers,musicians, singers.
Benoit women have been equally prominentintheiraccomplishments. SharonBenoit,forinstance,isacity councilor in South Portland and a formerstaterepresentative.Benoit women have also been athletically active.Tennis,golf,skiing,aerobics, jogging, and running are some of their interests — with Joan Benoit Samuelson shining as a worldfamous Olympic champion. Drama, music, and art have been on-going concerns since their days at WaynfleteSchool—educationspringboard for Benoit women.
In-lawshaveaddedtothelistof notables.Dr.DanielHanley,husband ofMarieBenoit,wasanoutstanding scholar-athleteatBowdoin,anation¬ allyrecognizedauthorityonathletic injuriesandanexecutivedirectorof the Maine Medical Association. Dr. John Gibbons, husband of Kathe¬ rineBenoit,waschiefofthedepart¬ mentofRadiologyandNuclearMed¬ icine at Maine Medical Center. Arthur’s wife, Judith Payson Snow Benoit, wrote the words to the highly popular “State of Maine Song” (“Grand state of Maine, proudly we sing...”), composed by herfather.
The following generation numbers distinguished career men and womeninmanyareas:education(2), privatebusiness(3),insurance(2), law(2),banking(5),medicine(4), hospital administration, clothing manufacturing,art,politics.Severalof thesamegenerationarecurrentlyin college.
A.H.,amanofstrongfaithandhigh character,heldthatthemoreoneput intoaproject,themoreheandothers wouldbenefit.Familytraitsobtain. His progeny have followed suit. Events are met with courage and determination; it has never been unusualforaBenoittoexcel.
Another interesting branch of the Benoit family tree is the Oscar Benoits, also high achievers and respected members of the New England community.
As an example, Sharon Benoit, a SouthPortlandCityCouncillor,was aStateRepresentative(D)forDis¬ trict32(SouthPortland/CapeEliza¬ beth) during the years 1976-1984. Shewasresponsibleforsignificant legislation,particularlybillsthat provideddisabilitybenefitsforwho are disabled due to pregnancy and clarifyinglawsonjointcustody,mak¬ ingitpossibleformentomoreeasily acquire joint custody of a child throughthecourts.
Her brother Larry Benoit, has beenarespectedpoliticalfieldrep, having worked for Sen. Muskie, Kyros,andnowSen.Mitchell. JeffBenoitistheowner/president of Oscar Benoit on Congress, oper¬ atedbyhissideofthefamily(Oscar andHenrihadafrigidsplitbefore World War II, thawing only decades later,thatprecipitatedthemoveup thestreet).
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to the market. But this one really standsoutastherightproductforthe times."'Hieonetimefeeforconvert ingthemongagefromanadjustable toafixedrateis$750.
Sun’sconvertiblemortgageprogram has been tremendously successful, garneringnationalattentionbothon theNBCTodayShowandintheWall StreetJournal.
Citibank Maine, held by parent company CitiCoip of New York, is oneofthesmallerbanksinsouthern Maine, with 85 employees at four ' branches.Theyrankfourthinmarket shareofmortgagefinance;50to60 percentofthemortgagestheywrite areAdjustableRateMortgages.Cit iBankMainehasestablishedagood recordforprovidingmortgagesquick¬ ly,asdemonstratedbytheirMortgage Power Program, which encourages referralsbyrealtors,inadditionto productivedocumenttracking,per¬ mittingCitibanktoapprove90per¬ centoftheirmortgagesin10daysor less,withmostclosingswithin30 days.
Consumer banking is Citibank’s second main activity in Maine, and they provide full service checking andbusinessaccounts,readycredit andhomeequityservices.CitiCorp’s philosophy is based on the impor¬ tanceofprovidingexemplary'sendee to each customer, and Citibank Maine’smeasureofserviceandspeed of processing has earned them the highestcustomer-satisfactionrating ofalltheCitibanksinthecounty.
Agoodcorporatecitizen,Citibank Maine has sponsored two annual shows of the Portland Stage Com¬ pany,paidfortheinstallationofan infraredsoundsystemforthehearingimpairedinthePortlandCityHall, bought a Meals-On-Wheels wagon for
FINANCE
South Portland, and refurbished a much-neededchildren'swaitingroom in the Cumberland County Court¬ house.
This spring Coastal Savings Bank (Coastal Bancorp of Maine) merged withtheSuffieldFinancialCorpora¬ tion of Connecticut, creating com¬ binedassetsof$550million.Coastal isscheduledtomoveintotheirnew 12,500square-footOperationsCenter attheWestbrookIndustrialParkthis autumn.
In1986,priortothemerger,Coas¬ tal Bancorp posted a 30-percent increaseinnetincome—upto$1.9 million—over1985.Assetsgrewfive percent,from$189.1millionto$197.9 million,andearningspersharerose from$1.29in1985to$1.45in1986.
loans in the state. Their consumer lendingrose119percentin1986over 1985,totalling$176.9million.During 1986, Peoples Heritage implemented “Cashline,”thefirstbanktelephone call-inloanprograminMaine.
KeyBankofMaine(KeyCorp)uses thepolarbearasitscorporatesymbol, mirroring the company’s reputation ofresiliencyandadaptabilityinthe North. Following a “snowbelt stra¬ tegy,”KeyCorphasconcentratedits resourcesinthecitiesandsmaller communities of the northern tier, thus avoiding overcrowded market¬ places and a single-industry loan exposure.KeyCorpservesmarketsin 11statescoast-to-coastthroughmore than 440 offices, and Key Bank of Maine’sinclusionintheorganization placesitwithinthecompany’stotal assetsof$9-1billion,asreportedin 1986.
ProliferationOfMortgage Companies
In1984therewerefewerthanadozenmortgagecom¬ paniesdoingbusinessinthePortlandregion,accordingto HarryGiddingeoftheBureauofConsumerCreditProtec¬ tion.Todaythereareover20.Thedropininterestrates was the major factor heralding the growth of mortgage companiesinMaine,saysMarkWalker,AssistantDirector oftheMaineBankersAssociation.“Lastyearwasthebusiest yearonrecordinMaine,”hecomments,“bothinnumber ofmortgageswrittenandthetotalamountloaned.”
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PlansareafootforPeoplesHeritage Bank to merge with United Savers Bancorp of New Hampshire. By August of this year People’s total assetsreached$1.5billion,andthey reporteda51.8-percentsecondquar¬ terearningsincreaseoverthesame quarterin1986.Whencombinedwith UnitedSavers,thenewcompanywill becomethelargestbankinginstitu¬ tion headquartered in northern New England, with combined assets of $2.5billion.
PeoplesHeritagecontinuestobe one of the leading originators of single-family residential mortgage
KeyBankofMainemadenewsthis year by losing a landmark multi¬ milliondollarlawsuittoMainerace¬ trackownerandentrepreneurJoseph Riccioverallegationsthebankcutoff his credit due to unfounded rumors thatMr.RiccimaintainedtieswithLa CosaNostra.
This sampling of banks and some oftheiractivitiesinMainedemon¬ strates the diversity of programs offered,keyedtothedemandsofthe marketplace and the accelerating velocityofchangesinourlifestyles. There’smoreinformationavailableat individualinstitutions,soselectyour bankbasedonyourpersonalneeds... anddon'tforgettocollect$200asyou pass GO!
COMPETITIVE ROWING inthiscountryislittle morethan130yearsold, butwhenthesportmat¬ uredintheyearsfollow¬ ingtheCivilWar,Por¬ tland was ready to take a place among other top rowing cities like NewYork,Boston,Pittsburgh,Det¬ roit,andToronto.
Portlanders had had their first look at rowing competition before the Civil War, when the annual Fourth of July celebration in 1857 scheduled a rowing regatta among the usual events like a balloon ascension, the annual Strawberry Festival(usingConnecticutstraw¬ berries that year), and the grand fireworksdisplay.Theregattawas
thehitoftheday,particularlythe competition among the swift little “funnies,”thefragilescullingshells whose outriggers and long sweeps transformed them into water-spider look-alikes.Theracesalsosparked interest among the local young men andthebettingfraternity,settingthe stage for competitive rowing few otherareaswouldmatchinthenext
generation.
It was a young apprentice boat builder,WalterBrown,wholedPort¬ landintochampionshiprowinghis¬ tory. Brown had manned the stroke oar on a club crew which won the six-oarraceagainstthebestinthe Eastatthe1866CharlesRiverRegatta inBoston.RecognizingBrown’sabil¬ ityandbackinghimwithawinner¬ take-allpurseof$2,000,aPortland delegationenticedtheunsuspecting single-scull champion of the time, Joshua Ward, into a three-mile championship race along the Por¬ tland waterfronton September 18th.
Interestintheracewasfeltasfar south as New York City, increasing astheracedayapproached.“Toward noon, the day before the race,” reported a Portland newspaper, “Gothamites and Hubites were add¬ edtothelistoflatearrivalsinto town.”Theyhadnotbeensettledin thePrebleHouseonCongressStreet 10minutes,itwassaid,beforethey werepaidfriendlyandfrequentvis¬ itsbyBrownbackers,resulting“in lively betting odds of 3-2 on both sides.”Ontheafternoonoftherace, thousands of fans crowded every available spot along the shore and wharves and hundreds more crowd¬ edintoallkindsofcraftintheinner harbortowatchtheaction,billedas “TheRaceoftheCentury.”Therace would be rowed over a three-mile, one-turn course from the old Por¬ tland Bridge to the Great Eastern wharf at the foot of the Eastern Promenade.
“...theywerepaid friendlyandfre¬ quent visits by Brown backers, resulting‘inlively bettingoddsof3-2 onbothsides.’”
It was a close race. Brown was fasteratthestart,onlytohaveWard cuttheleadtoinchesgoingintothe turn. But Brown was faster around thestakeboat,hangingontoaslim 4-second lead in 22 minutes and 30 seconds,goodtimeovertheslightly roughcourse.Withthevictory,Poriland’s Walter Brown became the
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new “Champ ion Sculler of Amer¬ ica,”opentoanyandallchallenges forthecrown.
After defending his crown three times, Brown abruptly gave up his American Championship in 1868. He had been accused of offering to throwarace,andafterdenyingthe accusation and soundly defeating his opponent, Brown announced his retirement from competition. The Portland champion returned home tobuildboats,latermovingtoBos¬ ton and to a new shop, building mahogany racing shells along the CharlesRiver.
Two other Portland rowers gave up their championship double scul¬ lingtitle,butforadifferentreason. World champions Will O’Connell and Johnny Buckley, after a busy reign of two years, retired from competition because no other team could find the necessary financial backingtomountachallengetothe unbeaten Irishmen.
Inonebigyear,1882,O’Connell and Buckley won the double scull eventagainstthenation’stopopposi¬ tion in the Union Boat Club’s July Regatta on the Charles. In August, the Portlanders won the doubles at theNationalAssociationofAmateur Oarsmen competition in Detroit. Threedayslater,alsoinDetroit,they beat the same opposition in the Northwestern Regatta. And a week later, the twosome added the Cana¬ dianARAtitletotheirwinlist,racing againstCanada’sbestinToronto.
IN 1883, the pair of Port landersbeganarepeatof their performance of the year before, winning on the Charles and taking a second victory home from Toronto. The last race they ever entered was scheduled for the National Regatta in Newark, New Jersey. When the only other double scull team entered failed to show, O’Connell and Buckley were named world champions for the last time andallowedtorowthecoursealone to the plaudits of the huge crowd watching.
According to Frank Menke’s All Sports Record Book, O’Connell and Buckley retired unbeaten, possess¬ orsoftheworldmarkof8:16forthe mileandahalf,arecordwhichstill standsbecauseofalaterchangein
doublescullracedistance.
OthertopscullersfromPortland alsodidwellinworld-classcompeti¬ tion during the post-Civil War period. In 1873, the local team of Matt and Moses O’Brien, Tim Twigg, and Jim Conwell won the world four-oared championship. In 1885, Portland’sPeterConleypairedwith Toronto’sCharlesCourtneytoseta world three-mile record for double scullers. But none was able to win morelastingfamethanFredPlaisted, a Saccarappa (Westbrook), Maine, native. Plaisted is the only Maine rower listed in Hickok’s Who Was Who in American Sports. The Maine man qualified on the basis of his Americansinglescullchampionship, histrainingofcollegecrewsinboth Maine (Bowdoin) and in England, and his knowledge of the sport gainedoverhislonglife.
...“he defeated the 1920 Olympic single and double sculling goldmedal winner, 50-yearold John B. Kelly, father of the late actress¬ princess, Grace Kelly.”
As a 17-year-old merchant mar¬ iner,Plaistedwonhisfirstprofes¬ sional race in 1866 in Hong Kong, China,andwonhislastproraceat the age of 74, when he defeated former world champion Jim TenEyck ina$3,000winner-take-allracein Saratoga, New York. According to Hickok,Plaistedwonhislastraceat the age of 89 when he defeated the 1920 Olympic single and double scullinggold-medalwinner,50-yearoldJohnB.Kelly,fatherofthelate actress-princess,GraceKelly.
THERE'S NO QUESTION that I am asked more often, nor one that I wouldratherhearless, than“What’shot?"Wiry? Because1knowthatmyanswernever failstodisappointinvestorsonthe huntforaquickkillinginthemarket. For some reason, my narrow-minded, dogged devotion to quality' stocks lackstheexcitementthatbuying,say, stockinazippyTexasS&Lprovides. Nomatterthatawellknowndullard likeDigitalEquipmenthasreturned only 75 percent to investors since January'1,orthatExxonisupmore than38percentwitha2for-1split completed last September, or even thatalocalsleeperlikeHannaford hasenjoyedajumpofbetterthan53
HOT STOCKS
percenttodate.Theplainandsimple truthisthatqualityis,alwayshas been,andalwayswillbewhat’shotin themarket.Betteryet,sittinginablue chipwhenthemarket’snothotisalot more comfy than the bumpy ride downinlesser-knownissues.
WiththeexceptionofLouisRuckeyser’s elves on Wall Street Week, there aren’t many market watchers willingtosticktheirnecksoutandtry topredictexactlywheretheDowis headednext.Whilethereappearance of the infamous Hemline Theory has sometradersrejoicingoverthereturn of the miniskirt for more than one reason,itseemsunrestrainedoptim¬ ismoverthedirectionwe’regoingis unwise.Allthefavorableconditions thatfueledtheDow’sfire—confi¬ denceinourpoliticalandbusiness climate,fallinginterestrates,and lowerinflation—justaren’tholding up. Consensus says the market has furthertogo;what’smostdisturbing isthatconsensusisusuallywrong.
Atpresstime,theDowjonesIndus¬ trialAveragesitsmorethan120points offitshigh,butstill35percentahead fortheyear.Withtempersflaringin the Persian Gulf and economists warningofhigherinflation,itmaybe timetoturnourattentiontowhat’s hotinoilstocksagain.Othergood buys?I’vebeenhotonwell-runutili¬ tiesformonths,especiallyoneswith littleornonucleardependency'and favorablerateenvironments—Allegh¬ eny Power comes to mind. If you’re looking for opportunity closer to home,youmayfaceabitofawait.
Whileblue-chipinvestorscounttheir blessings,shareholdersofmanylocal stockshavealotlesstobethankful for.Thebest(andjustaboutonly) deal in town came recently when Shaw’s Supermarkets sold out to J. Sainsbury for $30 a share — a 60percentreturnforthoseluckyenough to have picked up Shaw’s on the offering.
Inotherlocalissues,UNUMcame back from midsummer lows on news ofcorporatebelttightening,local bankissuescontinuedtodriftside¬ waysamidstinterest-rateuncertain¬ ties, and Maxaxam’s announced move of company headquarters from MarcoIslandtoDetroitsenthopeful buyers back into ownership of that stock. BY
Hawthome-IxjngfellowLibrary,BowdoinCollege, Brunswick.NamedforNathaniel1lawthomeandHenry WadsworthLongfellowoftheClassof1825,thelibraryis thehomeof710,000volumesandhasbeenexpanded withanundergroundconnectortoHubbardHall,the college'slibraryfrom1903to1965.Thespecialcollec¬ tionssuiteonthethirdfltx)rcontainsBowdoin’srare books,manuscripts,androomfortheiruse.Anexhibit areaislocatedonthesecondfloor.Onexhibition:Bricks and Benefactors: The Campus from 1822 to 2000 (throughOctober).MondaytoFriday,8:30to5. 7253280.
The Wilhelm Reich Museum. Rangely, Maine. The museum,amassivestonestructuredubbed"Orgonon” byReich,reflectsthelifeandworkofthecontroversial andrenownedpsychiatristandnaturalscientist.Astu dentofFreud.Reich’sinvestigationsintothenatureof energyfunctionsinthehumanbodyledhimintounex¬ ploredareasofresearchandtothediscovery’ofa demonstrablephysicalenergyinalllivingsubstances andintheatmosphere.Hecalledthisphysycalenergy “orgone,"andhisresearchledhimtostudyitsrelation shiptocancer,humansexuality,weatherpatterns,and nuclearenergy.ThemuseumisopeninSeptemberon Sundays.1to5;themuseumbookstoreprovidesaccess toallofReich'spublishedworks.8643443-
BARTON —DEM.
anddefinewhatwewant.Wilderness, islands,urbanparks,andbeachesall contribute. This is not an “us and them”issue,nota“havesvs.havenots,”butratherapublicsharingof whatisuniquelyMaine.Moneyspent here like our upcoming $40 million statewide bond issue or the estab¬ lishmentofBaxterStateParkinan earliertime,willbearmanyreturns.
Ifwecandefineourgoals,thenthe growing frustration of reacting to developmentalpressureswilldimin¬ ish. Once again, Governor McKernan shouldbeinthemiddleofthisdia¬ logue,notjustacasualspectator. Sometimes“whenyougoinsearchof honey, you must expect to be stung bybees.”ThefutureofMaine’snatu¬ ralresourcesrequiresactive,involved leadership-andmoney.
Issuessuchascumulativeimpact zoning,infrastructureenhancement, andenergyconservationareallapart ofkeepingMainespecial.Aswelook at our state we might do well to remember Gandhi’s words: “Earth provides enough for everyman’s need,butnotforeveryman’sgreed.”
gressionalcampaigns.Unfortunately, the focus on PACs and arbitrary spendinglimitsismisplaced,ineffec¬ tual,andpossiblyinjurioustothe democratic process. The reason, again,isthatthebilldealswiththe issue of how much is spent, while inadequatelyaddressingtheproblem of where the money comes from.
Consider the following and make up your own mind:
*PACsarenotnecessarilyaprob¬ lem.In1986,theyprovidedjustafifth ofthemoneyraisedforU.S.Senate campaigns and a third of the funds contributed to House efforts. Each
PACislegallylimitedtocontributing only $5,000 per campaign. Frank Sorauf,apoliticalscientistattheUni versityofMinnesota,hasfoundthe average PAC contribution to House racesin1984waslessthanone-third of one percent of the average con gressman’stotalreceipts.Otherrepu¬ tableacademicstudiessolidlyestab¬ lishthatPACcontributionshavelittle influenceonthevotescastbytheir beneficiariesinCongress.Further¬ more, the large number of PACs (about 4200), each working at diverse, confrontational purposes, helpsdilutetheirpower.’PACsmay bealegitimate,usefulmechanismto regulateparticipation.AsProf.Larry Sabato,oftheUniversityofVirginia, wrote recently in the Washington Post:“Astrongdefenseofthelegiti¬ macyofPACandinterest-groupcam¬ paign activity can easily be made. Vigorously competing interests of greatvariety,afterall,areonesignifi¬ cant indicator of a thriving demo cracy.AndifnothingelsePACsarea usefulvehiclefordisclosureofthe interest-group money which has always reached campaigns-and which willalwaysfindapoliticaloutletina freesociety.”
’Puttingarbitrarycapsoncampaign costscouldseverelyinjurepolitical competition.Lowercapsaresaidto disadvantagechallengerswhoneedto reachacertainthresholdofexpense togainsufficientexposuretoover¬ come incumbent advantages of frankedmailandfreepublicityand federalstaff.
’Unseen loopholes in S.2 could undermineitsintent.The1984presi¬ dential election, for example, was' publicly financed with an expendi¬ ture limitation, but in 1984 labor unionsspent$10millionintheprim¬ arycampaignand$20millioninthe generalelectionforWalterMondale.
Mypointhereisthatrepeatedcon¬ gressional tinkering with campaign finance could result like so many otherwell-intentionedreforms-with moreproblemsthantheoriginalsys tern.Ifmoneyinpoliticsisarealcon¬ cern rather than a political smoke screen,let’sconcentrateonthereal culpritssuchasincreasingcostofIV andradio.Let’sinvestigatetaxincen¬ tivesforsmallercontributionsasan alternativeforarbitraryamountsof publicfinancing.Let’slookintothe ethicsofcongressionaljunketsand honoraria instead of branding PACs therootofallevil.
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PORTLAND’S BLACK MARKET
“You know that you can’tgetclear-meatlob¬ sterrollsinPortlandfor anyprice,unlessthey’re hot.
L sat down to my supper of K Tandoori chicken, Basmati K rice, patty-pan squash, w and sliced kiwi fruit. I took a lime half and squeezedhalfofitonmy chicken and the other half into k my Portland Lager. I looked at the lime and then at the kiwi— | I paused and then said to my comIp anion —“What is a kiwi then, if not a hairy lime? That takes me back to Vienna after the war — I knew HarryLimethen—andtheblack market....”AndnowthatIam some months away from that dividedbutbeautifulcity, Iamassignedtowriteof another city, not as beautiful,perhaps,but nearlyasfullofintrigue —Portland,wherethe sea makes available theopportunity,and aplethoraofparking garages also make opportunity,forseedy crime, and chits of dishonorsuchasradar detectorsandhotlob¬ sters change hands regularly.
Technically,ablack I market has something todowithawarzone, I or a postwar zone, I where both luxuries andnecessitiesarehard to come by, especially among the occupied. In HarryLime’scase,itwas postwar penicillin which wasunobtainableinVienna exceptatmilitaryhospitals. ' It started seeping out by means of hospitalattendants,andthesesmug¬ glersmadebigbucks,butstillthe demand exceeded the supply by a substantialmargin.So,insteps,Harry, with the addition of colored water andsand,suppliedthedemandfully —afewchildrendiedorwentmental frommeningitis—butsowhat,said Harry, he had made a handsome profit.
FICTION
BY KENDALL MERRIAM
Portland should not be consid¬
ered a war zone, though someone from Bangor or Caribou might think so.Butthereisblackmarketcrime (beyonddrugcrime)inPortland.On the other hand, probably no one is dyingofitunlessthereistoomuch surimiinthecrabsaladandsomeone hasaheartattackfromindignation.
I have seen two mauve and puce BMW station wagons racing up and downthestreetsoftheOldPort,their driversofferingtoanylikelyprospect theopportunitytopurchasearelative¬ ly new Realistic SCR 2500 AM-FM stereocassettereceiverforconsider¬ ablylessthan$600oragoldRolex watchforamere$7,000.
Actually,whatthesemenaredoing might be closer to fencing stolen goods rather than working a black market, but we won’t quibble over finedistinctions;it’sallillegal.
Butitisbusiness,anditfillsevery niche,particularlythoseleftbyboom¬ ing shopping malls. In Moscow (U.S.S.R.) it would be jeans and single-malt scotch; in Portland (Maine)itwouldbedraggerlobsters (itisillegaltolandlobsterinMaine fromaboatwithanetonboard)and VCRs. The techniques are the same; only the products differ. Probably lobsters and VCRs would be hot in Moscow, too, along with copies of Pasternak’s works and Sade recordings. In Maine there is very littledemandforPasternak’spoetry andnoneatallforthesultryBriton.
Nowthatthetouristshavegone, lobsterpriceswilldropalittle,but around Christmas, when a bowl of lobsterbisquesoundsrightandthe draggersareabouttheonlysources, the “shiny shoes” (Department of Maine Resources wardens) will be looking for “bugs” being brought intoPortland,eitherwholeandfresh or cooked, picked meat. It is not unusual for a dragger to bring in 1,000poundsormoreoflivelobsters, or for a crew of 8 men to take off 25-30poundsofpickedmeatapiece, whichiswortharound$17perpound onthemarket.Itmakesanicelittle prizeforChristmasgifts.
There are 50 or so draggers of
varioussizesgoingoutofPortlandon tripsrangingfrom1to10days.Inst year, wardens made 20 seizures of illegallobsters;theycouldn’testim atehowmanygotthrough.
BUTNOTALLofPortland’s blackmarketconsistsof lobsters.Othergtxxlics cometo1ightasthesun goes down. To wit: On a recent September evening, I was walkingalongForeStreetheadingfor ExchangewhenawclIdressedyoung man said, “Hey Buddy, would you likeawatch?”
Irepliedthat1hadn’twornone since 1958 when the watch I bought throughthePopularClubPlanbroke aftertwodays.Thatonehadcost$14.
“Ifyouwindittwiceadayitwill, and how it will impress the women! Thatisthemainreasonforwearinga watch,n’est-cepas?!”
I thought it over. I knew he wouldn’t take a check, and even thoughIhadeightthouinmymoney belt,Icouldn’tseeanyplacearound togetitoffandopen,soIdecidedI didn’twantoneanyway,goldorno.I toldtheguythat.
He immediately flagged down one of the mauve and puce BMW wagons. Thecarpulledup,blockingtraffic, but there seems to be an unspoken codethatnobodywillhitaBMW,so the driver got boldly out and came overtowherewewerestanding.“So youdon’tlikeourwatches?”herumbled.
Within hours of Boston and Montreal, near mountains and sea. Big enough for variety, small enough to care. Cross¬ country, from small towns and urban centers, through snow and sky and pines.
To New England.
A diverse array of 2 and 4 year degree programs
Colleges of Arts and Sciences, Business Administration, Education, Forest Re¬ sources, Engineering and Science, Life Sciences and Agriculture, and Univer -
Graduate School
Maine Summer English Institute
Maine Center for the Arts
Students from the U.S. and fifteen other countries
WITH that the two young men jumped into their wagonandtookoffwitha squealoftires,finallyuncloggingthe trafficjam.Iwalkeddisconsolately backtotheparkinggarage.ThereI found my trusty red but-rusty VW Rabbit,untouchedandunsullied—I knewthatallwasrightwiththeworld.
JustasIwasgettingin,aguycomes up to me with a tray with a strap aroundhisneck.“Lobsterroll,Mister? Only$10.95,guaranteedtobehotoff theboat,allclearlobstermeat,no crabmeat, no pollock, no hake, no cusk.”
Thatsoundedlikeabargaintome, so1fishedouta$20frommymoney belt and told the guy to keep the change.Heflashedabadgeandsaid hewasaD.M.R.wardenandthat1was underarrestforbuyingdraggercaughtlobster.
“Hell,youcan’tbringonthatold nativebrotherstuffwithme.Ihail from Secaucus, New Jersey. Come with me, you’re under arrest; any¬ thinginthelobsterlineover$15isa felony.”
SoIfollowedhimouttothepark inggarage.Justas1wasleavingthe floor,Ilookedbacktoseeoneofthe BMWs pull up behind my VW, break openthewindow,takeoutmyailing radio,antipullawayfromthecarit hadonlytaken30seconds.
“Good thing you didn’t have a radardetector;theywouldhavetaken that,too.Youmightaswellletthem haulthecaraway;theparkingfines andfeesthatbuildupbeforeyouget backherewillbemorethan(hecaris worth."
“YoumeanIdon’tgetbail?”
“Nope. You see, around here the lobsterissacred;anycrimeagainst lobsters is a crime against every Maineac.It’sevenonthelicenseplates.Fiveyears,youngman,five years.”
Dock Fore.336ForeStreet.Portland.Dailyspecialsin thiscozyOldPortsettingincludeburgers,quiches, soups,chowders,freshfish,steamers,andmussels. Lunchanddinner.772-8619.
The Good Egg Cafe.705CongressStreet.Portland Breakfastisthespecialtyinthiscomfortablecafe.House favoritesarethehomemadehash,Englishmuffins,and multi-grainpancakes.Theeggvariationsareendless, andthereareherbalteasandfreshgroundcoffee. Monthlyexhibitsbystudentartists.Weekdays6-12. Saturday7-2,Sunday8-2.773-0801.
Bohemian passengers are buried in Calvary Cemetery on Munjoy Hill. What cargo survived was stored in freight sheds at the Grand Trunk Railroad Garages, which were in turnsoldatauction.
'Hiecelebratedcaseof“TheBath¬ ers”(seeinsetstoryfromLIFEmag¬ azine,April3,1945)stillhasKenne¬ bunkportbuzzing.Radcliffe-educat¬ ed Guggenheim Fellowship winner
“Perhaps art¬ consciousKennebunkportians, recognizingtheir loss,willmounta campaigntohave “The Bathers” reinstatedinits rightfulspace.”
ElizabethTracy,whohadneverseen “genteel”K-portbefore,wasaward¬ edacommissionbytheU.S.Depart¬ ment of the Treasury to paint the localpostofficemural.Asthepaint¬ ingtookshapeabovethescaffold¬ ing,localswereshockedtosee“The Bathers” come to life — a serio¬ comic,realisticdepictionofscantily clad, bulbous tourists disporting themselvesonaresortbeach.Sens¬ ingthetown'srighteouswrath(per¬ haps at seeing itself too closely refleetedintheartist’smirror),puck¬ ishTracyfueledthefiresevenmore bypaintingherbathersinthenude duringheroriginaldraft,onlymirth¬ fully covering them with bathing suitsinthefinalmoments.Afterfour years, however, the outraged town replaced the Guggenheim winner’s art with a competent-but-prosaic shipping scene of the Kennebunk River by local favorite Gordon Grant. Novelists Kenneth Roberts and Booth Tarkington, along with then U.S. Senate Majority Leader Wallace H. White, Jr., of Maine, were instrumental in forcing the
Treasury Department to take “The Bathers”back,courtesyofanamend¬ ment White tagged to an unstoppa ble$3.15billionappropriationsbill. The trio should have known better. Rolledup(eventoday)inWashing¬ ton,D.C.,underthewatchfuleyeof Commissioner Art Rowan, “The Bathers”islikelytobeworthquitea bitmorethanits‘scenic’replace¬ ment. Perhaps art-conscious Kennebunkportians,recognizingtheirloss, willmountacampaigntohave“The Bathers”reinstatedinitsrightful space!
Across the river, in Kennebunk, Edith Barry’s safe “Arrival of the FirstLetterinKennebunkfromFai mouth — June 14, 1775” struck a moreconservativetone.It’saclear and simple painting yet motionless and without emotion.
ThePortlandPostOfficehastwo murals by Henry Mattson. Both are shore scenes of ocean rocks and trees which are reminiscent of the styleoftheMonheganrealists(just asthesuccessfulworksofEricHop¬ kins are today). Though not cause celebreslike
“The Bathers,” Mattson’s paintings are solid pieces of work. Because more social motifs took hold in a furthersteptowardmoreabstract— and highly stylized — interpreta¬ tionsofreality,asderivedbyand through the works of Milton Avery, SissonLaurent,ThomasHartBenton, Diego Rivera, John Marin, et. al., socially driven art soon became a guidingforceformuralspoppingup acrossthecountry,oftenaccompan¬ iedbycontroversy.
Tony Rich ishimselfamuralpainter whohashadtheprivilegeofpaint¬ ingsixmuralsinMontrealforBen¬ son & Hedges; eight murals in New YorkCityforLeverBros.,theKaplin Foundation.,PrattInstitute,andCity Walls,Inc.;andtheworld’stallest mural,inDetroit.
Luxuriouslyappointed,exquisitehousinginaprestigious location,neartheAugustaCountryClub.Southernexposure on Lake Cobbosseecontee in East Winthrop. Lakeside Vil¬ lageisjustwestofAugustaand1-95.OnehourfromPort¬ land.
MIKE MILBURY,35.a14-yearprofessional BRUINS hockey player, has assumed the positionofheadcoachandgeneralmanager oftheMAINE MARINERS Milburyendedhis BostonBruinscareerwithanimpressive49 for754(goalsvsgamesplayed).
FLASH
AUCTIONEER TOM SATURLEY theauctiontobenefittheMAINE TEE,whichtookplaceatthePOR’I $31,000, was coordinated by and MARTIN DIBNER.
JOHN D. MURTHA has replaced WIL¬ LIAM RICCO as general manager and "head coach” of the SONESTA HOTEL.
auctionedoffover150worksofartat NUCLEAR REFERENDUM COMMIT¬ LAND CLUB. The event, which netted ■MARGO MACWILLIAMS
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