Longtime Easton correspondent honored by community, newspaper

    To honor her for her dedicated service, town officials, in collaboration with staff from the Star-Herald, held a luncheon retirement party August 13 at the Odd Fellow’s Hall in Easton. There were 45 friends and relatives on hand to wish Carter the best of luck in her retirement years.
Those joining the guest of honor included: Carter’s husband, Clair Carter; Easton Town Manager John Hangen; Hillary Trainer, director, Recreation Department; JoAnn Johnson; Mark Hewitt; Jeanne Pelfrey; Vera Cullins; Rena Richardson; Rogena Thomas; Ida Doak; Helen King; Nina Trask; Ezalee Smith; Avis Hume; Glennis Craig; Edith Fuller; Jackie Bradley; Pastor Vaughn Martin; Debbie Smith; Phyllis Nadeau; Ruth Ladner; Tyler Clark; Arlene Ladner; Cheryl Carter; Julie and Cole Carter; Travis and Sheri Carter; Fern and Sheldon Hull; Cheryl Clark; Marjorie Niblett; Liana and Paul Demerchant; Rollie and Freida Dionne; Dottie and Duncan Beaton, joined by their granddaughter; as well as Mark Putnam, editor, and Kathy McCarty, staff writer, both from the Star-Herald.
Following the luncheon that including several salads and a marble flat cake, guests had the opportunity to share stories about their experiences with Carter during her tenure with the newspaper.
Hangen expressed gratitude for all Carter had done over the years to promote the community as a place to live and work, making the crowd chuckle as he used mathematical examples to explain just how wordy she’d been over the years.
Hangen said he took it upon himself to figure out just how many words Carter had used over the years, coming up with the answer, “From a mathematical point of view, Eldora averaged 34 column inches a week, multiplied by 52 weeks in a year, that averages out to approximately 53,000 words a year.”
“Imagine how much talking she had to do to get that. Now take that number, and multiply it by the number of years she served as correspondent. That comes out to roughly 1.8 million words in her career,” said Hangen. “She’s a ‘millionaire’ and she doesn’t even know it.”
Hangen then presented Carter with a plaque signed by city officials, including the selectmen, recognizing her efforts in keeping the community informed of the town’s important milestones and the many other events that she helped track for posterity.
He said it wasn’t easy to plan the luncheon, given Carter’s inquisitive nature.
“Imagine the family keeping a secret from a woman who knows all the secrets in town,” said Hangen.
Putnam said it was people like Carter who make weekly newspapers succeed at a time when larger papers are struggling to survive.
“Weekly papers have a secret — correspondents like Eldora who keep the local news at the forefront,” said Putnam, continuing with Hangen’s mathematical theme, “if a picture paints a thousand words, if you do the math (given all the photos Carter contributed with her columns), Eldora’s taken dozens.”
Correspondents make life easier for staff at the Star-Herald, explained McCarty.
“I don’t know what I would have done without you, Eldora. You’ve made my six years at the paper much easier, thanks to your dedication. Whenever I needed help getting information or a photo in Easton, you were always willing to help,” said McCarty.
Carter was also presented gifts from the newspaper for her many years of service.
Former Town Manager Duncan Beaton said he was lucky when he became town manager in the 1980s to have someone “across the street to keep me straight.”
“We’ve been lucky to have her. She’s done a great job. We’ve been very fortunate,” said Beaton.
Dot Beaton also expressed appreciation for Carter’s weekly efforts to keep citizens of Easton informed, especially its elderly population.
“As president of the Happy Days Club, it made my job easier. Every Wednesday, we always had a beautiful written sequence (of events from our club meeting), thanks to Eldora,” said Dot Beaton. “We appreciate her manner of using words. It’s a talent. Thank you.”
Over the years, Carter often asked her husband for help.
“She’d ask me how to spell words. I’d say, ‘Let me check with my friend Webster,’” said Clair Carter.
Taking her turn at the podium, Carter thanked all in attendance for the lovely surprise.
“Mark was at the paper when I first started. Kathy and I have worked together for several years now. And Hillary has been a big help providing Rec Department information,” said Carter. “I think it’s been closer to 25 years (I’ve been with the Star-Herald), but it’s been long enough.”
Carter said her retirement party was worth all the years of tracking down stories.
“This party was worth all the times I’ve chased out-of-state cars or went to the store in search of news,” said Carter. “Sometimes you have to dig, but it’s worth it.”
Carter said the time had come for her to put her pen and paper down, making room for a new correspondent.
“I hope people will contact Debbie (Smith),” said Carter. “I hope Debbie has as good a time and serves as long as I have,” said Carter.
Future plans include more time for family and home projects.
“I’ve been doing some remodeling at my home. I also plan to spend more time with family, including trips to southern Maine,” said Carter.
Hangen said many reporters are known for their catch phrases, and Carter was no different, using Eldora’s own words to sum up the retirement party.
“A good time was had by all,” said Hangen.
    (Editor’s note: Staff Writer Kathy McCarty contributed to this article.)