75 Years Ago – June 2, 1949
Group Hears Talk By Education Man — William Bailey of the state education department, discussed the need for new schools before a group of about 100 persons representing the towns of Oakfield, Dyer Brook and Merrill at the Oakfield Grande hall Thursday night of last week. He suggested that five towns in that area get together and form a school district for the purpose of building a new high school for their community. A spokesman for the group said that Island Falls and Smyrna would be asked to enter into the district. It was pointed out that crowded conditions that exist now in the schools in that area is the main reason for the need of a new school. If built it probably would include the seventh and eighth grades.
Organized Playground For Boys And Girls Started By Recreation Department Here — A new feature has been added to the summer program of the recreation department. For the past two years there has been a day camp for girls, offering only arts and crafts, music, archery, and dramatics, and including only 50 or 60 grade school girls. This year there is to be an organized playground for boys and girls at the Community Park. The playground program will include arts and crafts, folk dancing, dramatics, music, story hour, games, hiking, archery, badminton, volleyball, softball, horseshoes, croquet, beginner’s swimming classes, and playground apparatus play. There will be a special feature each week such as a softball game, or an archery contest, folk dancing exhibit, and others. The playground will end with a special program for the public to show what has been done during the summer by the boys and girls.
50 Years Ago – May 29, 1974
New President of Ricker Comes From Northeastern — Dr. William D. Abbott of Wellesley, Massachusetts, a member of the staff at Northeastern University in Boston, has been appointed president of Ricker College, according to an announcement made by board chairman Lendal Mahoney of Brewer. Mr. Mahoney made the announcement at the college’s Commencement exercises Friday, which saw 69 students receive their baccalaureate degrees. He said the new president will assume his post in early June.
New Officers Installed by Future Homemakers — The Houlton Chapter of the Future Homemakers of America installed officers for the 1974-75 school year, following the annual mother-daughter banquet May 22 at Houlton High School. Five of the eight delegates who attended the State Convention on April 25-27 at Leavitt High School reported highlights. They were Katrina Melvin, Rachel Beals, Donna Perfitt, Ann Reed and Susan Ellis.
25 Years Ago – June 2, 1999
Houlton Promenaders to hold final square dancing event — A long-time Houlton tradition will be making its appearance in the Shiretown for one of the last times on June 5. Square dancing, a Houlton event that at one time drew regular crowds of 400 or better, is expected to come to an end. Houlton’s square dancing history begins with Madelyn Crawford Perkins in 1949. Perkins helped with the Houlton Recreation Department and was instrumental in getting a dancing group started in Houlton. The opening of the Gentle Memorial Building in 1952 provided a place for the dance club to hold their events. All available media, which was then limited to newspapers and radio, would pitch in and advertise the dances and enough interest was sparked to start the group known as the Houlton Promenaders in the early 1950s. Perkins and all who participated found it to be wholesome fun, as well as good exercise and a time to socialize with friends. Now, 50 years after its inception, the Houlton square dance club is coming to a grinding halt. Age and lack of interest have taken their toll on the group in recent years and the time has come for the last dance. The last jamboree will take place where it began at the Gentle Memorial Building.
Brothers Reunited After 48 Years — MSgt. John G Davis was a casualty of the Korean War. He left behind a large family and many friends. Most importantly, he left behind two sons, Richard J. Davis of Houlton, and Kurt J. Clemente of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Due to life’s circumstances, these brothers never saw each other growing up. Davis recalls the last conversation he had with his father. He told his young son that he was going to war and didn’t know if he would be coming back. He told him that he wanted him to grow into a fine man that would make his father proud, and he told him, I love you and when you see your brother, Kurt, tell him I love him too. In 1985, Davis started a search for his brother. He searched for him for 14 years, always running into a dead end. He said that in the last two years finding his brother became an obsession. He would attend meetings for survivors of Korean War casualties and carry a sign that read: Kurt, I’m your brother Richard. In 1996, Clemente started a search for information about his father, a man who died when he was only a toddler. On Feb. 6, 1999, he received a document from the Army that listed the beneficiaries of Jack Davis. This included his brother, Richard. His search for his father now expanded to find a brother he didn’t know existed. On March 5, they spoke on the phone for the first time. On March 8, they met face to face. Davis had moved from Houlton to Virginia in 1973, and Clemente moved to Maryland in 1974. For more than 20 years, they lived 26 miles from each other. The meeting was filled with tears and laughter, as both men compared baby pictures and looked for similarities between them. Davis said, “This is flesh of my flesh, bone of my bone, my connection to my father. I feel fulfilled.” Clemente said, “I have felt disconnected and empty not knowing anything about my father except his name…I now feel complete, a whole person. I will never lose my brother again.” Most importantly, after 48 years of separation, Davis turned to Clemente and said, “Dad said the next time I saw you I was to give you a message from him. Kurt, our father loves you.”
