CARIBOU, Maine — Caribou’s National Honor Society has been working for months on a project that will honor notable alumni from the high school by displaying their achievements, along with a photo, in a newly renovated Hall of Fame.
An induction ceremony is set to take place in the Caribou Performing Arts Center on May 21, 2016 at 7 p.m.. The photos, with gold frames donated by the Caribou Public Library’s Gwen Harmon Trust, will be placed in the Hall of Fame at this time.
The Hall of Fame Selection Committee decided on six honorees: Olaf P. Pierson, Gregory H. Johnson, Susan Collins, Kris Doody, Jessica U. Meir, and Jason Griffeth.
Pierson graduated CHS in 1924 and MIT in 1927. He is credited for inventing the modern french fry business.
Johnson, who achieved the rank of Four Star Admiral in the United States Navy, graduated CHS in 1964 and UMFK in 1968 with a B.A. in political science.
Collins, currently a United States Senator, graduated CHS in 1971 and St. Lawrence University in 1975.
Doody, CEO of Cary Medical Center in Caribou, graduated CHS in 1981. She received her associates in nursing from the University of Maine, a B.S. in nursing from the University of the State of New York, and her master’s in business from Husson University.
Dr. Meir, a NASA astronaut, graduated CHS in 1995. She completed her NASA training in 2015 and holds a master’s degree from the International Space University of Strasbourg, France, as well as a Ph.D. from the Scripps Institution of Oceanography.
Griffeth graduated from CHS in 2000, and is now the director of grounds for the Daytona International Speedway in Florida. He also holds a BS in turf grass management and soils science from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst.
According to NHS Corresponding Secretary Ben Ezzy, community members nominated CHS graduates for the Hall of Fame via a website created by the NHS. All nominations were then reviewed by the selection committee, who ultimately decided on six for the first class of inductees.
NHS Adviser Kenneth Atcheson II says there were a sizable amount of nominations from community members. Atcheson adds that the majority of the work for this project was handled by the Caribou NHS, and that he and the faculty have had minimal involvement.
“What impressed me about these three,” said Atcheson, addressing NHS members Maria Espinosa, Ben Ezzy and Donovan Savage,” is that not only are they all academically gifted and athletically talented, but that they wanted a Hall of Fame that all individuals who graduated Caribou High School could possibly obtain a position on.
“It was not just for the athletically talented, but it’s for individuals who made a success in their life, and are good, happy, productive citizens in the field or endeavor they have chosen. They don’t have to be world famous, but they have shown that graduating from Caribou High School takes with it what you can do to make yourself into a success,” he added.
