99 Years Ago – March 19, 1925
Meeting of the Presque Isle Driving Club — A meeting of the Presque Isle Driving Club was held in the Three Link Club rooms, G. Frank Higgins presiding. There was a good attendance of members. The secretary and treasurer’s reports were presented and adopted. Election of officers for the ensuing year took place as follows: President, G. Frank Higgins; Vice President, R. J. Smith; Secretary, R. W. Cary; and Treasurer, W. S. Thompson.
50 Years Ago – March 20, 1974
Top coach — Professor Frank McGrath, director of athletics and head basketball coach at the University of Maine at Presque Isle, was named Maine’s “Coach of the Year” by the Maine Basketball Coaches and Writers’ Association. McGrath led the UMPI Owls to the 1974 Northeast College Conference championship and a berth in the District 32 NAIA play-offs where they were second. McGrath, the top coach, was presented by the Association at special ceremonies in Waterville.
State trooper on Star City Police Department — The newest member of the Presque Isle Police Department was a former state trooper, Jerald Joles Jr. A member of the state police for seven years, Joles went to work for the Presque Isle Police Feb. 24, where he replaced Robert Sebelist, who resigned. Joles said he had been thinking of making such a move for about a year and resigned when an opening came up with the city department. He noted that although the base pay of the city police is lower than that of the state police, the city patrolmen actually can earn more because they are paid for overtime work. As a state trooper, Joles was stationed at Kittery, Rumford, Deerfield, Van Buren, Madawaska and in the Presque Isle area, including Easton, Mapleotn, Mars Hill and part of Fort Fairfield. Patrolman Joles resided in Presque Isle with his wife and son.
25 Years Ago – March 24, 1999
Keep honored — Randy Keep, secretary/vice president of Maine Mutual Fire Insurance Co. of Presque Isle received a certificate of honorary membership to the Presque Isle Fire Department from Fire Chief Jim Krysiak. The award was made at the department’s annual supper. Keep was also presented with an honorary member’s badge by deputy Chief Peter Coffin. Maine Mutual had donated t-shirts and educational materials for school children during Fire Prevention Week in Presque Isle for the previous several years.
Wilcox won Jr. Miss — Shelby Wilcox, daughter of Tim and Mary Wilcox, was crowned the 1999 Jr. Miss Easton on Feb. 27. First runner-up was Kelly O’Mara, daughter of Bernard and Gwen O’Mara; second runner-up was Krystyna Pytlak, daughter of Frank and Nancy Pytlak, who was also Miss Congeniality. For the talent position of the competition, Shelby sang “Hero,” Kelly sang “Show Me,” and Krystyna performed the monologue “Tikki Tikki Tembo.” Other contestants were Korrin Patterson, daughter of Wayne and Sue Patterson, who sang “On My Own,” Stephanie Burch, daughter of Chris and Mary Burch, who performed the monologue “Death of an Innocent,” Misty McMinn, daughter of Mary Morrow and David McMinn, who sang “I Fall to Pieces,” and highest ticket sales winner Katie Lovely, daughter of Pat and Sally Lovely, who sang “Angels Among Us.”
NMTC students make the state academic team — Two Northern Maine Technical College students were among nine students to be named to the All-Maine Academic Team for two-year colleges. Chris Johnson and Amy Good, both of Presque Isle, were honored at a luncheon ceremony in Augusta. Both students also received a scholarship in the amount of $1,000 which was made possible by a matching grant from KeyBank. Johnson was a senior in the college’s business administration program. He was the president of NMTC’s chapter of Phi Theta Kappa, an international honor society for two-year colleges, and also served as the PTK’s New England regional vice president. Good was a senior in the college’s medical administrative assistant program. A graduate of Presque Isle High School, Good entered the college through the Maine Career Advantage program. As an MCA intern, she had worked for the previous two years in the college’s student affairs office. She was president of the MCA student interns’ guild and served as recording officer for Phi Theta Kappa.
