Korean War veteran devotes life to helping others

By Ed Pierce

When Jerry Black closes his eyes, he can still picture the engine room of the USS Johnston, a U.S. destroyer he served on for four years during the Korean War.

Black, 94, enlisted in the U.S. Navy while in high school and received his diploma from Farmington High School while serving as a throttle man on the destroyer in 1949. Over the span of four years, he rose in rank to Petty Officer Second Class and his military service became the springboard to success as a high school teacher and continues to this very day.

At the age of 94, Jerry Black remains active in the community,
serving as vice president of the Little Meetinghouse board of
directors and a member of the American Legion and VFW in
Windham. He served aboard a U.S. Navy destroyer during
the Korean War and taught industrial arts at Falmouth High
School before retiring. He is also an artist in Windham.
PHOTO BY ED PIERCE    

“The USS Johnston spent a lot of time in the Mediterranean Sea,” Black said. “The Russians tried to infiltrate ports in Greece, Turkey, Albania, Yugoslavia, and Northern Italy and our job was to block them from doing that and continuing World War II. They say we chased Russian submarines all day and they chased us all night.”

On board ship, Black was known for his knack at cutting sailor’s hair and willingness to pitch in and help solve diesel mechanical problems when challenges arose while at sea. He was also the ship’s master at arms and in charge of drainage control for the destroyer.

When he was discharged, Black returned to Maine to live with his parents in Farmington and briefly worked side by side with his father at a barber shop there. But before long, Black chose to attend college and enrolled at Gorham State Teacher’s College to study industrial arts.

“In my first class, there were 20 students and 11 of us were veterans,” he said. “The toughest part of going to college was transitioning from the military way of life to trying to study for school.”

In 1955, Black met fellow Gorham State Teacher’s College student Mildred Hammond of South Paris, who was two years ahead of him in school. They fell in love and got married that same year. Two years later in 1957, Black graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree from Gorham State Teacher’s College and applied for a teaching position at Falmouth High School.

“It was a brand-new school that had just been built,” Black said. “I graduated in the spring from college, and they hired me as the industrial arts teacher there for that fall. It was a state-of-the-art school, and everyone called it the Portland Country Club School.”

While he was teaching at Falmouth High, his wife Mildred was launching her own career as a history and social sciences teacher at Windham High School. When Jerry retired from teaching after a 25-year career in 1981, Mildred was still working at Windham High and finished a 26-year career as an educator there before retiring.

After retiring from teaching, Jerry worked as a manager for senior housing in North Windham and both he and Mildred traveled to 36 different countries and across the United States, spending winters in San Diego, California.

More than 25 years ago Jerry Black joined the American Legion and VFW in Windham and served on a committee building the Windham Veterans Center in the 1990s. Mildred and Jerry Black were married

for 62 years before her death at the age of 84 in 2017.

The couple had no children but in traveling the world, they did have a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity while visiting England. Some friends had invited them to join them for a tea party in the courtyard of Windsor Castle for Boy Scouts and teachers hosted by Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip.

“We met the queen and shook her hand as she stood in a reception line,” Black said. “That was an extraordinary experience.”

It wasn’t the first queen though that Black had met. While serving on board the USS Johnston years earlier, the ship had docked in Athens, Greece, and Black was sent ashore to greet Queen Frederika of Greece and to escort her back to the ship for a luncheon with the USS Johnston’s officers.

And those were not the only world leaders that Black would be so fortunate to meet. While he and Mildred were attending graduate school at the University of Maryland in the 1950s, they learned that U.S. President Dwight Eisenhower was hosting for British Prime Minister Winston Churchill at the White House in nearby Washington, D.C. The couple traveled there and somehow made it through the White House gate and then got to shake Churchill’s hand while he met the public on the White House grounds.

Among his many accomplishments in life, Black says that he’s proud of something he was able to do as a teenager that endures to this day.

“While I was going into the 11th grade, I bought a Model T Fire Engine for $45,” he said. “I then spent $45 more on tires that I bought from Montgomery Ward. I fixed it all up and believe it or not, that fire engine is still running today and is on loan to a museum. I have arranged it so it becomes the museum’s permanently when I’m gone.”

According to Black, his proudest moment came in 2018 when he was honored to be chosen to receive an Honor Flight to fly to Washington and got to see the World War II and other memorials there with a group of other Maine veterans.

“I also got to place a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier and that was very moving and

humbling,” he said.

He keeps busy these days by serving as vice president of Windham’s Little Meetinghouse, a restored historical building available to rent for public functions. Initially Black served as the president of the Little Meetinghouse board but has now stepped into the vice president’s role to give others a chance at leadership of the organization.

Black has also helped five young men attend college, the latest of those being James Mannette of Windham, who recently graduated from the US. Air Force Academy.

Mannette says that Black has inspired him to take on bigger challenges in his life.

“Jerry has been an incredible role model to me in that he is like a second father,” said Mannette. “My father passed away when I was in high school, and Jerry helped me learn things that my father would have taught me if he was here.”

Much of his time now is spent with his fellow veterans, joining them for meetings, sharing coffee and at special events.

“Being a part of the American Legion and the VFW is a kind of a brotherhood for me,” Black said. “It’s a team like when I was on board ship. They mean a great deal to me.” <

Artist spreads hope through unique Maine sign campaign

Artist Charlie Hewitt has been spreading his 'Hopeful'
message to people in Maine and a few other states since
2019. His 'Hopeful' artwork is now displayed on Route 302
in Windham with his intention being to affect as many people
as possible in a positive way. COURTESY PHOTO  

By Masha Yurkevich

Hope – aspiration, desire, wish, dream – call it what you want it, but it is what gets us through life. Nearly every old proverb, popular saying or quote roots off hope. It is a part of our everyday lives that is often overlooked; hope is so important and so essential. Having hope is affected a lot by what you think and who you are surrounded by. What happens when we lose hope? Charlie Hewitt won’t let that happen and especially in Windham.

It all started on a dark December night in 2019 when artist and director of Speedwell projects in Portland, Jocelyn Lee, asked Hewitt if he would consider making a work of art for the roof of the Speedwell building in Portland. Hewitt agreed and instantly knew that this piece needed to be about light.

“Maine is a dark place in the winter, and I felt compelled to illuminate that corner of our world,” said Hewitt. “Just then I didn’t know how or what with.”

With some time and thought, creativity began to spark. Hewitt had been working with neon and enjoyed light and color, but he knew that to get something like that on the top of the Speedwell building would be a challenge. After yet some more thinking, he found the bright lights and marquee lights with which he would portray the message.

But how, a bigger question lay before him: what would the message be? 

After weeks of thinking through all the possibilities, Hewitt had an epiphany while in a discussion with his art dealer and friend, Jim Kempner.

“The word “hopeful” popped up somewhere in our conversation and right there and then I knew that would be the message,” said Hewitt.

The font that Hewitt chose with the help of David Wolfe fit perfectly with the message. It’s a retro automobile design and brought Hewitt back to a time when the highway was the frontier and when the car and road signs danced in harmony in a country excited by possibilities.

He says that it reminded him of a bright future illuminated by marquee road signs and littered highways, extolling the prospects of great meals, fine nights and adventures.

Hewitt was born in 1946 in Lewiston, and is a painter, printmaker and public artist. His works are part of the permanent collections of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, Whitney Museum, New York Public Library, Library of Congress and more.

From what started as bright billboards, “Hopeful” can be seen on paintings, bumper stickers and pins worn on lapels. Hewitt is now trying to expand the “Hopeful” message to other states and to a digital campaign across the country.

To date, the “Hopeful” message has been spread across seven states at many different sites, both public and private. It even included an appearance at the 2021 Presidential Inauguration.

Since his first “Hopeful” project on top of the Speedwell building in Portland, Hewitt has completed more than 28 Hopeful installations. His work is not just limited to the state of Maine but has also appeared in other states like Maryland, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Connecticut and New York and ranges from sculptures to billboards and to paintings.

Several of these “Hopeful” signs can now be seen in Windham on Route 302 when driving between Westbrook and Windham. The “Hopeful” images have been as large as 30 feet with light bulbs and electronic billboards as large as 20 by 60 feet.

There are also “Hopeful” messages in private homes and in public libraries such as The Curtis Memorial Library in Brunswick. There are also bumper stickers and flags.

“Hopeful is presented in many mediums in the public and private domain,” said Hewitt. “I'm proud of all formats. It's not the medium that's important to me, it's the message.”

Hewitt’s public art focuses on the approach and creation of large-scale graphic art pieces that merge into existing public spaces to provoke community interaction, inspiration and discourse.

The Hopeful Project has also given Hewitt the opportunity to expand the platform to show support and raise funds for Ukraine.

Hewitt said every time people drive by or see the message, the word “Hopeful” serves as a reminder for people to strive for the best.

“Hopeful is not a passive work – it’s a challenge and a responsibility,” said Hewitt. “It’s a silent prayer, it’s a leap of faith you take that it’s going to be better. To be hopeful requires action, it requires commitment, it requires opening your eyes, it requires being part of something. It requires being passionately in love with your country, passionately in love with your family, and passionately in love with everyone in your community. That passion and that love I want back. I want a resurgence in my soul for that kind of life.” <

Raymond artist raises significant funds for college during live online auction

By Lorraine Glowczak

Holden Willard, a 2017 Windham High School graduate, did it again.

In February 2019, Willard’s painting entitled, ‘Red Portrait’ won best in show in a world-wide competition at the Cultural Center of Cape Cod. Since then, he and his artwork – especially his self-portrait - has garnered a lot of attention and praise. Recently, Montserrat College of Art in Beverly, Massachusetts, where Willard attends, hosted an “Artrageous” auction to help raise funds for the school, the community, and future students.

Holden Willard's painting called 'Self Portrait' won best in show in
a world-wide competition at the Cultural Center of Cape Cod
and recently was sold during an auction to benefit the
Monserrat College of Art in Beverly, Massachusetts where
Willard is studying art. It sold for $2,100. Willard is a resident of
 Raymond and a 2017 graduate of Windham High School.
COURTESY PHOTO 

“Artrageous is the college’s main fundraising event of the year and has become the signature art event on the North Shore,” the college’s website said. “The auction included spectacular works by renowned and emerging artists and designers including our Montserrat community.”

Willard’s artwork began at a bid of $1,300 with the final amount going to the highest bidder of $2,100.

“I wasn’t expecting this portrait to sell as much as it did,” said Willard, whose proud father is Raymond Town Manager, Don Willard (and his wife, proud mother Megan). “I was pleasantly surprised that the bidders were bidding solely on ‘potential future value’. I think that notion was encouraging but it is never about the money for me. I just enjoy painting as a practice and activity, to see some financial compensation is gratifying in a sense.”

Although Willard aspires to make a career as an artist, he is realistic in his approach.

“It must be known when you begin to make work for money, you inadvertently lose authenticity,” he said. “Half the proceeds [from the auction] go right back into the school and into the community surrounding Montserrat – the very same facilities I use. That’s most important in my eyes and the reason why I participated in this auction; whether or not it ever even made money is not important. I make art because I need to. I couldn’t live my life if art wasn’t an integral part of my experience. I just make paintings for myself because of the joy I get out of it. I believe if you work hard, and are genuine with your efforts and support those in your community – only good things will come.”

In addition to the $2,100 from the auction, Willard’s ‘Red Portrait’ has also garnered $500 in the world-wide competition as well as winning first place in another art competition he entered in New York, winning a financial prize of $700. In total – this one piece has accumulated an amount of $3,300.

Not too shabby for a small-town boy from Raymond, Maine.

If you are interested in looking at more artwork of Holden Willard, peruse his Instagram page at holdenwillard. <

Raymond’s best kept secret: Father and son artists to display work at Raymond Village Library

Holden and Don Willard

By Mary-Therese Duffy

If you haven’t had a chance to visit the Raymond Village Library recently, you may want to check out the latest art display that is running currently and will continue to do so until the end of August. One reason why this exhibition is special is that the father and son artists duo, Don and Holden Willard, are showing their work together for the first time. Another distinct factor is that, although Holden has made a name for himself as an artist, many in the community may be surprised to discover that his talent may have been handed down from his father.

Don is best known as the Raymond Town Manager, having dedicated much of his time to that position in service of the residents. Most, however, have no idea that this is also a man of great talent and creativity.  Having been around farming and mechanical equipment his entire life, he idolized his dairy farmer grandfather who survived the Great Depression, and like most of his contemporaries, had a natural “make do” ethic and attitude that included the repair and reuse of anything that they could.

He explained that the farm had stockpiles of metal parts and other potentially useful materials and objects at the ready, to facilitate such repairs and often for fabrications of useful tools and objects. 

Don’s grandfather encouraged him to explore his interest in mechanical objects. “I had the opportunity to delve into the range of sharp and dangerous objects that children are mostly advised to avoid,” recalled Don. “My first experience was straightening old barn nails with a hammer on an anvil, followed later by chasing new threads on antique square headed bolts and nuts with an ancient tap and die set. I processed buckets full of both for reuse, which I found oddly satisfying.”

Don became interested in ‘found objects, assemblage sculpture’ which intensified after obtaining his first welding machine and associated tools. Now known as “Steam Punk”, this is a genre of art and fashion that draws upon elements and objects from the dawn of the industrial revolution, assembled in a sort of science fiction imagined future. “Such things appear quite anachronistic when compared to our modern plastic derived throwaway society consumer objects,” noted Don. “It was for me just a natural extension of the materials and things that I like to work with.”

"Steam Punk" art by Don Willard

Never actually thinking of himself as an artist until invited to show in the Maine Coast Artists Exhibit in Rockport at the director’s suggestion, Don recalled; “I did that, and I remember the gallery opening for the show. There were many wealthy folks there all dressed up and milling about, admiring a turtle that I had made from an inverted mechanical cow watering bowl and some old trolley line hardware. I imagined that my grandfather would have gotten a real kick out of that scene.”

When asked what the most challenging and most inspiring aspects of his craft were, Don stated that one of the greatest challenges is finding the era/period correct objects necessary at a reasonable cost to make interesting, authentic feeling sculptures. “At one time, every farmer had piles of the junk that I like,” Don said. “Today such junk, like the farmers and tinkerers that coveted these materials are pretty scarce. As for fulfillment, I mostly do it for my own enjoyment as it reminds me of my childhood and provides me with a deep appreciation for what it took to survive before our postmodern consumer culture. Our ancestors made many things for everyday use as a regular part of life. Having such skills today is still not a bad idea in my view.”

Holden's art work

As for his son, Holden, he has been making quite a name for himself with his “Best in Show” award from “The Works”, a worldwide competition sponsored by the Cultural Center of Cape Cod. Having submitted two pieces, it was his painting, “Red Portrait” that garnered the First place winning this past February. A 2017 graduate of Windham High School, Holden is a committed fine artist whose natural talent is fully resonant and alive with in his work.

Holden stated that he began his interest in art as a young child playing with small coloring books and empty pads of paper. “I didn't become serious until my senior year, however,” Holden said. “With the support of high school mentors, Jeffery Bell and Joe McLaughlin: both inspired a motivation within myself which I had never received from anyone before.” Holden continued by stating that he is inspired by the people he meets, and the people he holds close within his creative community. “Everyone I paint, I paint for specific reasons, but mainly I am interested in displaying people who inspire me in one way, shape or form.”

He has always seen himself as a creative person. “I don't think I could live my life happily and to its fullest if art was not a major part of it,” Holden reflected. “I had been told for so long that being an artist was impossible, but after growing and maturing I've realized that a life lived unhappy and full of regret is no life at all.  I will do what I love, no matter what.  But I will leave conceptual artist John Baldessari to explain this drive: ‘My advice? Don't go into art for fame or fortune. Do it because you cannot not do it."’

The hardest part of creating, Holden said, is creating itself. “The act of creating is a strenuous and laborious process. On my larger works, I can spend anywhere from up to three weeks to multiple months... fussing and pushing until all the parts begin to feel whole.  It's easier to do this when you're interested in your subject matter, and thus your work ethic will improve... it's just a matter of sticking to it. I love to see the reactions of my models, I will have them come in for multiple sessions on occasion, and I am always touched by the beautiful responses and positive reinforcement I receive. I am always filled with creative resolve when a fellow artist within my community reaches out to critique some of my work and give constructive feedback.  Creating connections between the artist and the model and within the community of artists that surround me... are why I create.”

To meet and talk with the both Don and Holden, there will be an open house on Monday, August 5 from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. at the Raymond Village Library, 3 Meadow Road and his co-hosted by The Raymond Arts Alliance. For more information about this exhibit, call 207-712-6200

Young artist from Raymond wins best of show in world-wide art competition

"Red Portrait" by Holden Willard

By Lorraine Glowczak

It’s not every day an artist, who is still in art school perfecting his talent and skill, receives an email like this: “Hello Holden, Congratulations! Your piece, ‘Red Portrait’, has been chosen for best of show! We received entries from all over the world, the quality of work was incredible, including your own.” 

That is exactly the news Holden Willard, a 2017 Windham High School graduate and son of Don and Megan Willard of Raymond, received on Wednesday, February 13 from the Cultural Center of Cape Cod after he submitted a self -portrait to the center’s “The WORKS” competition. This competition was open to all artists from all over the world and Willard, who attends Montserrat College of Art in Beverly, MA decided to submit two pieces of his artwork to see what might come of it. Not only did he receive best of show for his self-portrait, but he also won $500 which he received at the gallery’s reception on Friday evening, February 15.

“One of my professors from school shared with my classmates and me the various galleries that were looking for new artists to display their works,” Willard said. It’s from that information he received that Willard submitted his two pieces of art work, including “Red Portrait”, to the Cultural Center of Cape Code. After all, that’s what ‘real’ artists do and Willard considers art, specifically the genre of painting, the career path of his choice.

Willard has been an artist/drawer/painter from a very young age. But discouraged by others who told him to forget about pursuing such a venture, Willard stop what he loved doing most. “I was told that being a painter isn’t possible as a career option and I was told to forget about it,” Willard began. “So, I did forget about it. Although I continued drawing, it wasn’t until I was a senior in high school when
I began to receive more positive feedback that being an artist was definitely a possibility and I started painting seriously.”

In an attempt to be a grounded artist who holds a ‘real job’, Holden went to the University of Maine-Orono and enrolled in Art Education. But he soon discovered that art teachers have very little studio time to work on their own art. “When I found out that I would have very little time in the studio, I realized that being an art teacher was not what I wanted,” stated Willard. “I knew I want to be a studio artist because I am the happiest when I am in the studio, alone and painting.”

Holden Willard the evening of the center's art reception

Once Willard made that decision, he immediately began the college transfer process by building a

body of work to present to the art schools to which he wanted to apply. He did so well that he was accepted at every art school to which he had submitted an application. Why did he choose Montserrat College of Art?

“Cost,” he said. “The lower tuition fees it offered was the major factor in choosing this college. Not only that, but it is a small school and the one on one I receive plus the connection with other student artists is perfect for me and fits my personality.”

So, what was it like to have attention and be the focus at an art gallery reception that so many artists dream about and hope for? “Weird,” began Willard, who gains inspiration from such artists as Henri Matisse, Lucien Freud (grandson of Sigmund Freud), and Egon Schiele. “It was so awkward to receive so much attention since I tend to be shy and introverted. But the praise I received makes me want to work harder and to learn more in order to become better in my work as an artist. My professors tell us we must be always learning and stress the importance of working consistently and, through that, is how we learn and become more critical. That’s what I plan to do with this experience.”

If you are interested in looking at more art work from our very own Holden Willard, take a look at his Instagram page at holdenwillard.