Caribou sports champion fought in World War II and operated a farm for decades
CARIBOU, Maine — Clarence Plourde, one of the last living graduates of Caribou’s Class of 1941, lives in rural Caribou with his wife Juliette. His achievements include being undefeated in snowshoeing, fighting in Okinawa during World War II, and operating a family farm for decades. Athleticism runs in the Plourde family, as Clarence’s brother Emery was once the state champion of track and cross country, setting a total of seven state and county records.
Growing up in the Depression
Born on April 27, 1924, Plourde grew up during the Great Depression. He still lives in his childhood home, which was built by his grandfather. As a young boy, Plourde served his church during frigid winters.
“I’m a Catholic,” explained Plourde, “I started serving mass when I was 7 years old. One day the priest came up to me and told me I was going to serve mass for him in the winter. My mother asked him how I was going to do it when the snow started to get high, and he told her he’d pray for me. There were some mornings where I wasn’t sure if I could make it, but I did.”
Winter travel in the Depression was a far more arduous task than it is today, as the city of Caribou was not yet able to clear the roads during bitter storms.
“They didn’t plow the roads during the Depression,” said Plourde, “but they had wooden plows with horses.”
While most young children would be exhausted after embarking on a daily trek like this, it was merely a warmup for Plourde.
“I’d come back from mass in the winter, pack a couple sandwiches, and take off on my skis.” Plourde said.
In addition to braving the elements for his local church, Plourde would run with his brother Emery before school.
“We used to do a lot of running before high school,” said Plourde. “Emery was really good. I don’t believe there is anyone in Caribou today who did what he did. He was a champion.”
Athletic achievements
Physically demanding childhood experiences were instrumental to both Clarence and Emery’s athletic success. Plourde joined the track, cross country, and winter sports teams for all four years of high school career, and even became captain of the track team.
“I won the mile in record breaking time in the winter of ‘41,” said Plourde. “Caribou also won the state meet, which was held at Camden Hills. I was undefeated in snowshoeing that year.”
According to Plourde, there were no winter sports competitions south of Bangor, except for a few towns such as Rumford, Lewiston and Auburn, which all participated in the state competition.
“Winter sports were really something in my day, for at least 10 or 15 years.”
“My Dad had two brothers and four sisters, and they were all very physically athletic. If there were more female athletics during that time period, his sisters would have all been involved,” added Plourde’s daughter Carol Wolfington.
Plourde’s older brother Clifford, who helped him on the farm, participated in sports as well.
“Clifford was in the Fort Fairfield Marathon,” said Plourde. “It covered Fort Fairfield, Caribou, and Presque Isle. He didn’t win, but he did finish. It was nothing for Clifford to get on his skis and go way up into the woods at night.”
Fighting in World War II
Clarence was inducted into the Army just a few years after finishing high school, where his physical expertise served as a valuable asset.
“Everyone in my outfit found out that I was a runner, so when the Captain would say he wants a volunteer to run the obstacle course, the rest of my outfit would say ‘Plourdey! He’s going to run the course.’ They didn’t call me Plourde, they’d call me Plourdey.”
“The war wasn’t over,” said Plourde. “We were entering Okinawa. They figured that nobody knew about the atomic bomb, so they said they were going to train us for the invasion of Japan. In Okinawa, I was not only a vehicle inspector, but I was later transferred to the Signal Corps before getting discharged. In the Signal Corps, we helped build up the city. We had to put up poles for the city to have electricity.” At the end of basic training, Plourde was named battalion champion of his outfit. Meanwhile, the United States had just dropped the atomic bomb.
Plourde says that, before his arrival, the military was ordered to “flatten out Okinawa,” and he was “shot many times” upon entering the city.
“We were going to Okinawa on a ship, and suddenly there was this great big mountain. The Japanese had built about 25 caves right in the mountain. They could sit in there and just mow people down. The Japanese didn’t know the war was over. There were no cell phones back then.”
Because of their inability to communicate outside the mountain, the Japanese soldiers would commit suicide after running out of food and ammunition.
“Most of the Japanese officers committed suicide,” said Plourde. “They didn’t want to get caught by the Americans; they would go to a place we called ‘Suicide Cliff’ and jump down.”
Life on the farm
Upon leaving the military, Plourde helped his father run the family potato farm at their North Caribou home, and continued to farm for 40 years. He later married his wife Juliette and had two daughters: Susan Plourde and Carol Wolfington.
“It was a farm family,” said Wolfington. “My mom worked as part of this farm like my dad.”
Plourde says that his family, and other farmers, faced many challenges in terms of staying in business
“The first time I sold potatoes, which was over 40 years ago now, I sold them for a dollar a barrel. It was a dollar for 165 pounds of potatoes. Farmers lost their farms every spring. We hung on. My father and mother were smart.”
“Dad’s family did pretty well for going through the Depression,” said Wolfington. “They had animals, and also did logging. A lot of people stopped farming when we were kids in the 1960s and ‘70s, but my dad continued and even increased how much he was farming.”
“It really was a family endeavor,” added Wolfington. “All of us were involved.”
Like other Aroostook growers, Plourde was able to get plenty of work from kids in the area.
“Dad treated all the workers well,” said Wolfington, “regardless of their age.”
Plourde’s wife Juliette explained that they would never let kids eat their lunch out in the field when they could be enjoying their lunch in the house.
In 1989, Plourde suffered multiple heart attacks and was rushed to Bangor for surgery. He sold his crops when he returned home and, by 1990, he was no longer farming.
Despite his decision to retire, Plourde maintains his youthful vigor by leading an active lifestyle.
“I shovel in the mornings and then, in the afternoon, I go downstairs and practice with weights,” concluded Plourde. “I don’t want to stop.”
