CARIBOU, Maine — This past weekend, the city of Caribou was abuzz with events celebrating the life of one of its most innovative citizens, Olof P. Pierson.
According to information compiled by event organizer Kathy Mazzuchelli, Pierson was born in Caribou on Sept. 26, 1906, the son of Olof and Berdina Pierson. He graduated from Caribou High School in 1923 and attended MIT, earning a degree in electrical engineering in 1929 and later acquiring his Master’s degree in aeronautical engineering.
Following his stint at MIT, Pierson enlisted in the Army Air Corps where he earned the rank of lieutenant pilot. He later became the first president of the Portland Jetport and test piloted experimental aircraft.
Pierson had a brilliant mind and was always the inventor. His creations include developing a prototype plant to reuse crankcase oil, a process that is still widely used today; a process to dehydrate potatoes for the armed services; the steam peeler, which is widely used by commercial food processors to peel root vegetables; the shallow fat fryer, which is used to produce the french fry; a potato washer, top puller and early version of the mechanical potato harvester.
“I learned a lot about the amazing things Grandpa did during these past few days,” said Pierson’s granddaughter, Karin Pierson Mullins. “To me, he was just Grandpa. I had no idea he’d created all these things.”
In 1947, Pierson and his employer at the time, the H.C. Baxter Company, and the Snowflake plant in Corinna joined forces with Birdseye Co. of Caribou to produce and market the first package of frozen french fries. Pierson eventually earned the moniker “the father of the frozen french fried potato.”
Remembering his roots, Pierson left the H.C. Baxter company and returned to Caribou where he set his sights on aiding The County’s potato farmers with harvesting, storing and processing their crops. His impact on the industry was remarkable.
Eventually, Pierson moved on to design the first French fry plant for the multi-billion dollar food processor and manufacturer McCain Foods in Florenceville, NB.
In a 1993 article in Memories of Maine magazine, Harrison McCain, then chairman of the McCain Foods, was quoted as saying, “I remember him as a very kindly, very bright man who was not quick to decide things.”
Pierson’s gentle, humble spirit was confirmed by both Mullins and his daughter, Kristi Perrow.
“He was just a guy from Caribou,” remembered Perrow. “He was very soft spoken, a total gentleman, and humble. Nobody knows about Dad because Dad didn’t talk about Dad.”
Pierson was also responsible for Birdseye building their French fly plant in Caribou, bringing much needed jobs to the region along with a perfect market for local farmers.
But his inventiveness didn’t stop there. He also invented a heating unit to aid farmers with potato storage, known to most as the Silent Glow, as it was produced by the Silent Glow Oil Burner Company. He designed the pallet box, a common item used in farming today.
“Of all the people I spoke to about Dad this week, it was the farmers that we heard from the most, about what an impact he had on the potato farming industry,” Perrow advised.
With his vast knowledge in dehydration, Pierson became a consultant with the United Nations Food Organization, where he and his wife Frances and their family traveled internationally to work with foreign companies regarding plant design, storage, potato processing and equipment and machinery.
“As the baby and the only girl, I got to travel a lot with Mom and Dad,” said Perrow. “I was really lucky.”
It was due to these incredible feats that the city of Caribou celebrated Pierson’s life, beginning on what would have been his 106th birthday.
In keeping with the french fry theme, wooden potato barrels were painted by local artists, including Perrow, and were on display at various locations throughout town during the three-day celebration, beginning at the Wellness Center on Sept. 26. That evening, the popular Thursdays on Sweden event was held for the last time this year with a celebration of Pierson’s birthday, featuring potato games and birthday cake cut and served by members of Pierson’s family.
Friday, the Caribou Historical Society and the Caribou Public Library had Pierson displays set up for the public to learn a little more about the man and his inventiveness, including Pierson’s felt hat and a set of drafting tools at the Historical Society Museum.
Saturday, the Downtown Mall parking lot was filled with dozens of antique cars and tractors and music by the Wednesday Night Fiddlers. The celebration then moved to Caribou High School with soccer games held in the afternoon and the band Common Crossing playing in the evening until an impressive fireworks display lit up the sky over the high school at around 8:30 for the celebration’s grand finale.
“It was so wonderful,” Perrow said about the events honoring her father. “It brought me to tears. The fireworks were spectacular.”
According to City Manager Austin Bleess, Caribou has not seen the last of O.P. Pierson Days.
“We are certainly going to make this an annual event,” Bleess explained, “and hopefully increase the number of activities for next year.”
The prospect of O.P. Pierson Days becoming an annual event is exciting for his family.
“I used to be the economic development director for Caribou, so I know how much work goes into these things,” Perrow said. “What an honor for our family. Caribou has so much potential. I’m certain this will turn into something even bigger. I hope my father’s story can be an inspiration for the kids growing up in Caribou.”
For now, the remaining members of the immediate Pierson family are content with the memories the celebration created.
“It was heartwarming to stay in the house I grew up in,” Perrow commented about the Pierson South Main Street home. “It was the first time since 1998 we all got to be together, reminisce and laugh and dance. I hope that Dad is looking down from heaven and is smiling at all of this.”
