75 Years Ago – Oct. 9, 1942
Junior college elects officers – Harold S. Boynton, a popular Ricker student and athlete, was elected president of the sophomore class at Ricker Junior College last Thursday. Boynton, receiver of last year’s Houlton Lions Club Prize for Athletics and Scholastics, is the son of Harry R. Boynton of Millinocket.
A high honor student in the pre-dental course, Boynton expects to transfer to Tufts College next fall. He is well-known throughout the state for his athletic abilities, being the spark plug of the Ricker eleven, captain-elect of last year’s basketball team, and a potential member of the Ricker track team. Frank M. Civiello, a Stearns graduate and Ricker football and basketball star, was elected vice-president. Son of Dennis Civiello of Millinocket, Frank is in his second year of pre-dental study. He also intends to enter Tufts College next fall. A graduate of Houlton High School, Joyce M. Leavitt, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Frank L. Leavitt of Houlton, was elected to act as secretary and treasurer for the sophomore class. Joyce is taking the secretarial course. She is prominent in extracurricular activities, taking a very active part in both choir and orchestra.
Houlton tramples Lincoln for win – The Houlton High School Shiretowners gained their second straight football win over a favored Mattanawcook Academy at Lincoln on Saturday with a well-earned 26-0 victory. The locals, playing under the expert guidance of Coaches Terry and Dobbins, performed like veterans and were never in danger of a Lincoln threat.
50 Years Ago – Oct. 11, 1972
Police Academy graduate – Larry D. Pelletier, a member of the Houlton Police Department, will be among the 31 police officers to be graduated this Friday from the Maine Law Enforcement and Criminal Justice Academy at Augusta. Principal speaker at the 1:30 ceremony in the state office building will be Governor Kenneth M. Curtis, who will also present certificates to the graduating officers. The officers, representing 25 municipal police departments and one sheriff’s department, have completed six weeks of basic training in all aspects of police work.
O’Roak seeks election – Walton N. O’Roak, who is now completing his third three-year term as Selectman for the Town of Island Falls, is a Democratic candidate in the November election to the Maine House of Representatives. Mr. O’Roak is seeking to represent the towns of Hodgdon, Linneus, New Limerick, Amity, Orient, Haynesville, Bancroft, Reed Plantation, Cary Plantation, Glenwood Plantation, Macwahoc, Silver Ridge, Benedicta, Sherman, Island Falls and Crystal. This district has been represented by Harry Williams of Hodgdon, who is not seeking re-election this year. Active in civic affairs, Mr. O’Roak served as chairman of the Island Falls Centennial Committee this year. He is also a past commander of the King Mitchell Post, Veterans of Foreign Wars.
25 Years Ago – Oct. 22, 1997
New officers take to the Shiretown Streets– The Houlton Police Department has two new men in blue. Houlton native Matthew Quint and Vance Palmer of Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, are the latest patrolmen to wear a badge and scout the streets of Shiretown. Having only been on the job since August, there have been a few challenges Quint and Palmer have had to get used to.
“Paperwork is one of the hardest things I’ve had to learn,” Palmer said. “Dealing with people I always thought were upstanding citizens is hard. You don’t know until you become a police officer that they’re not quite as upstanding as you thought,” Quint said.
Sherman artist creates winning logo – Earlier this year, officials from the Maine Association of Conservation Districts sponsored a poster contest for students in grades k-12. The purpose of this competition was to allow the youngsters to design a logo for the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), a creation that modeled the selected theme, “Work in Harmony with the Land.” This year, 13-year-old Jesse Qualey of Sherman was the successful artist. Qualey, a seventh-grader at Sherman Elementary School, heard about the contest from his art teacher. After reading the regulations and discovering the theme of the contest, he set to work drawing the winning logo. “The idea just popped up in my head,” explained Qualey, who had entered art contests before, but was unsuccessful until now. “I thought about the theme and drew a man in a field with the slogan “Don’t Pollute the Earth” underneath. “Jesse’s poster was very creative,” commented Randy Lagasse, a spokesman for the USDA. “In the contest, we try to get the kids to share their thoughts and ideas about soil and water issues, and give them an opportunity to learn about these things. Our goal with the poster contest is to not only give them an education, but to see them get a sense of accomplishment, as well.”
