75 Years Ago – Jan. 23, 1947
Sidney Cook elected president of athletic group — Sidney Cook was elected president of the newly organized Presque Isle Athletic Association at a meeting of the directors. Other officers named were vice president, Gustave Johnson; secretary, Wilfred Trafton; treasurer, Robert Andrews.
The directors were elected at an organizational meeting at the Community Recreation Center, at which Philip Brown, president of the Presque Isle Community association presided. The board included Charles Parsons, Gustave Johnson and Lloyd Hawkins, serving for three years; Edward Perrier, Robert Andrews and Philip Christie, for two years; and Wilfred Trafton, Earle Roberts and Sidney Cook, for one year. A membership committee was named at the meeting, Ira Bither, as chairman.
City Officials reappointed at council session — Standing committee of the Presque Isle City Council were announced and all major appointive offices except one were filled by reappointment of the incumbents at the regular council meeting. The only office which was not filled at the meeting was that of assessor to succeed Frank Conant, whose term had expired. The council voted to defer the appointment of an assessor until the next regular meeting. The complete list of appointments were as follows: city clerk, Mable E. Hughes; city manager, Mark A. Trafton; clerk for overseers, Mark A. Trafton; city treasurer, Laura Hemphill; tax collector, Mark A. Trafton; city engineer, Walter F. Tefft; chief of police, Perley Rees; chief of fire department and fire inspector, Herbert H. Treffery; assistant fire chief, Harry Parks; electrical inspector, Lester Hughes; building inspector and superintendent of streets and highways, Walter F. Tefft; public health nurse, Louise Terrill.
50 Years Ago – Jan. 26, 1972
Ritchie received promotion — A 17-year veteran of the warden service was promoted to supervisor of Division G, according to chief warden, William J. Shaw of the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Game. Inspector E. Leonard Ritchie had served out of Presque Isle. He succeeded Supervisor David C. Priest of Winn, who had retired. Priest had been with the Warden Service since 1947. Ritchie, a native of Eastport where he graduated from high school, was originally assigned to eastern Washington County until being assigned to the Presque Isle area. He was married to the former Virginia A. Leighton of Eastport, and they had four children. He was a member of the Maine State Employees Association and the Maine State Grange.
Porter promoted — Company officials announced that Vaughn M. Porter was promoted to the position of general manager at Roy C. Thompson Co. Inc. of Presque Isle. Porter had previously held the position of industrial sales manager. Porter was a life-long Aroostook County resident and resided in Ashland with his wife, Sandra, and their two girls.
Maysville Grange officials — The Maysville Center Grange No. 153 honored their new Grange deputies, Mr. and Mrs. Fred Jordan, during their potluck supper and meeting held at the Grange Jan. 20. Pianist for the evening was Miss Amber Sutter with Mrs. Jordan as reporter. Greetings were brought by the Rev. Herschel Rogers, past patrons and matrons and visiting patrons and matrons. New officers of the group were installed and they were, Avis Kilcollins, Flora; Birdie Gooding, chaplain; Donna Kenney, lady assistant steward; Phyllis Jordan, Ceres; Cecelia Campbell, lecturer; Carolyn DeGrasse, secretary; Fred Jordan, master; Lisle Wheeler, treasurer; Burrel Kenney, assistant steward; Alan Bennet, overseer; Archie Kilcollins, gatekeeper; Albert Brewer Jr., steward; Thelma MacBurnie, Pomona; and executive committee — Charles Gooding, three years, Edgar Allen, two years, and Omar Smith, one year.
25 Years Ago – Jan. 22, 1997
Maine Potato Growers tabbed Lallande as new GM — Gregory H. Smith, president of Maine Potato Growers Inc., announced the appointment of Joseph G. Lallande as general manager and treasurer of the diversified cooperative. Lallande, who succeeded Gerald Sytsema, had over 20 years of senior management experience in marketing and sales to the domestic and international segments of the grocery industry. He was chief operating officer with full profit and loss responsibility for the management of daily business operations and all core operating departments of a major food brokerage organization servicing the New York metropolitan area.
Lucky winner — Jordan LaFaver was the lucky winner of the 1997 Make-a-Wish playhouse caboose. More than $7,200 was raised through the 1997 raffle, making it the second highest gross in the state and the most money ever raised in Presque Isle. The money was used to grant two children with life-threatening illnesses their dream wish.
Hit milestone — Washburn senior Trent Cunningham reached the 1,000-point plateau for his career during the overtime period in the beavers’ Jan. 9 contest against Van Buren. Cunningham was the first Washburn boys player to score 1,000 points since Jay Levesque in 1989. Amy O’Donnell reached the mark for the Lady Beavers in 1995.
