HOULTON, Maine — Perfect weather greeted more than 125 former students and faculty from Ricker Classical Institute and Ricker College to celebrate the founding 170 years ago of a place they called home during their high school or college days.
Even though the college closed 40 years ago, the memories came flooding back as attendees walked through the campus on Kelleran Street or downtown Houlton.
Many had not returned since they left the school or graduated, for some it had been nearly 50 years. Not always able to recognize former friends by their faces, once their name tag was read, emotions tied to hugs and tears brought back stories many had forgotten over time.
Bill Stapleton of Connecticut cut his vacation short in Zurich, Switzerland to return for the event. Others traveled from as far away as Texas, Nebraska and Florida.
Participants socialized Friday, Sept. 7, at a Meet and Greet and bright and early Saturday morning, participants stopped by the Main Street Farm Store and Co-op where they enjoyed a variety of breakfast items. They walked through Market Square and visited with vendors at the Farmers Market.
Several former Ricker students gathered on the steps at the Main Street Farm Store and Co-op during one of the events at the Ricker Reunion, Sept. 8 in Houlton. (Courtesy of Karen Donato)
Leigh and Sandi Cummings hosted the Ricker Room at the Aroostook Historical and Art Museum and the staff at the Wesleyan Church opened the Church which was originally the Ricker cafeteria and coffee shop. Many took a stroll through the Ricker girls’ dorm, now home to Pastor Robertson and other staff members. They found that several rooms on the second and third level had been left untouched since the closing.
Several took a bus tour after lunch which included: Houlton Regional Hospital, RSU 29 schools, the parks, Clark’s Market (known back then as High Street Grocery), the campus, the football field and Littleton’s covered bridge. Some even found a little graffiti they knew something about. There was a stop at the Southern Aroostook Agricultural Museum to view the Ricker collection housed there and then to view the landscape from the Front Ridge to Canada. Those who were not on the tour, spent more time taking in other favorite spots, such as Westford Hill, the path along the railroad tracks, Garrison Hill, Nickerson Lake and the golf course or just sitting on the hill of the former campus, taking it all in.
The evening brought another social followed by a welcoming with committee members, Meg Leach of Portland and Karen Donato of Littleton. Former faculty members in attendance at various events included: Woody Dunphy, John Elliott, Joe Inman, Gordon Cantiello, Gene Kilpatrick and Vic Vere, Nancy Kilpatrick and Bill Turney. Family members of former faculty were also acknowledged. Steve, Judy and Susan Rich whose father, George was the librarian and Debbie Melvin, whose mother, Charlotte, was a popular history teacher from Monticello were also in attendance.
A special raffle during the event was a Boy and the Boot print by the late Esther Orr Faulkner of Houlton. Tickets were sold and the proceeds were donated to the local children’s theatre group, Star Bright Theatre which just celebrated its 50th anniversary. The theatre group originated at Ricker in the 60s and after the school closed has continued with volunteers from the community.
Bob Lehmann, originally from Long Island, New York and now St. Simons Island, Florida said, “I can say without hesitation, it was a wonderful three days. I had not been in Houlton since I left in 1971 and did not know what to expect. Some of the buildings that were part of Ricker College are long gone, like the gym, Ackley, West and Haskell Halls. Some had been remodeled such as, Wording Hall and some in need of help like the old library. I walked and drove around and I was flooded with great memories. As I walked down Broadway there in front of me was one of my favorite eating places, “The Bus”, or as we affectionately named it the ‘Ptomaine Wagon”.’ I remember with great pleasure the red hot dogs and French fries to die for and was hoping I would find them again at ‘The Bus.’. Happily, I was not disappointed.”
Lehmann said as he reflected on this weekend, he thought, ‘What was it about this town that unquestionably had a profound impact on my life and I am sure on the lives of many other students that attended the school?’
He said he recalls coming from New York with his parents and when they drove by the sign that said 150 miles to Houlton, he experienced anxiety like he never had before.
“What I had done was come to a college, and a community that made me feel part of something very special,” he said. “As the years went by, I began to realize that this community, this college and the friends that I made helped to shape my life.”
Ricker was not an Ivy League school, nor was it a big university, he continued. It did not have thousands of students or a big time football team. What Ricker and Houlton had was a sense of family. “When I returned this weekend, it was like I had never left,” Lehmann said. “I felt the connection, the positive emotions and feelings that only Ricker could provide and would stay with me for a lifetime.”
And then, there is Marcia Steeves Lehmann who came to Ricker from Stoneham, Massachusetts and with whom Bob has been married to for 48 years. They have two daughters and five grandchildren. “I am so happy that I was able to share this weekend with her, just as we have shared our life together through the good times and the bad. I would not want it any other way,” he said.
With the wide reaching depths of Facebook, the alumni that could not attend lived the weekend through everyone posting their photos and feelings. Eddie Gentile made this comment about his time at Ricker.
“Ricker make quite an impact on my life. I went from a performing arts major to an English education major. Dr. Bryant Bean told me I’d never make it in education and sent me to Mars Hill High School for my internship. It was the best thing to happen to me. My supervising teacher and her family took a liking to me and recommended me highly. Well, 35 years later in public education, first as an English teacher and later as an assistant principal, all in the same New York City school, I really felt that those months at Mars Hill taught me so much about being an educator and the years at Ricker taught me about humanity and friendships that are enduring for a lifetime. I have all the people at Ricker to thank for teaching me so much about life and the importance of community.”
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- Rick Donnelly and his wife, Dee Ann of Laconia,New Hampshire stopped by the home of Marty and Kathy Quist, current owners of the Military and Kelleran street home. During Rick’s college days in the early 1970s it was the home of the Dean of Students and later the president of the college. (Courtesy of Karen Donato)
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- These three former students at Ricker, from left, Kenney Glenn-Stewart, Gordon Cantiello and Peter Keoskey, participated in the theatre groups at the college. Stewart and Cantiello came to the reunion from Nebraska, returning after more than 40 years. Keoskey is from New York and also worked at M.A. Clark’s men’s clothing store on Main Street during his college days. (Courtesy of Karen Donato)
