Family of SS Pendleton survivor gathers to watch "The Finest Hours" - By Elizabeth Richards

For one local family, the Disney movie “The Finest Hours” released last weekend is more than entertainment. The story is one they grew up hearing first hand, a part of their own family history.

Casco resident Letty Tucci was four years old when her father, a crew member on the SS Pendleton, was rescued at sea amid a nor’easter that made this rescue one of the most dangerous Coast Guard rescues in history.

Tucci’s father, Fred Brown, was a 36-year-old merchant marine, on his way back from an oil delivery to Louisiana when the blizzard hit on February 18, 1952. According to his granddaughter Caroline West, Brown told a story of being asleep, and waking to a terrible sound. He ran to the deck, and saw crew members bailing water.

Another story Brown frequently repeated was of being unable to save his best friend, ship cook Tiny Myers. “He wanted my dad to take his wallet and the possessions in his pocket because he said ‘I won’t make it, I can’t make it down there to the rescue boat’ and my dad said ‘No, you’ll make it’ and he put his stuff back into his pocket,” said Tucci. But as Myers tried to descend the rope ladder he slipped, and was crushed between the rescue boat and the ship. Although he was already dead, Tucci said her father reached out to grab him, trying to pull him onto the boat, and the Coast Guard team had to force his hands away from Myers. 

Myers was one of nine to lose his life that day. The eight officers on the ship were killed when the ship split in two, and the crew had to watch them float away on the bow of the ship.

It was an experience that impacted the rest of Brown’s life, and a difficult thing for him to talk about, said Tucci. She said the rescue was a miracle that the crew did not anticipate. They had been shooting off flares and blowing a whistle with no response. “When they gave up all hope, all of a sudden they saw a little light in the dark in the distance, and it was a miracle to them,” she said. 

One thing Tucci hopes people get from the movie is how brave the Coast Guard crew was. “It was an extremely dangerous mission, but had it not been for them, my dad never would have come home.”

When Brown did make it home, he went immediately to the hospital where his son, Stephen, had been born the morning after the storm. Tucci said her father arrived in the same brown tweed clothing stained with blood that he’d had on when rescued. Her mother, she said, hadn’t known her father was shipwrecked until after the baby was born, and Brown had been saved.

Her father would never have dreamed that a book would be written about the experience, or a movie made. She herself found out about it when she overheard the story on Fox morning news. 

Having a book and movie written about the incident allows the family to understand some of what Brown went through, said granddaughter Jennifer White, who lives in Raymond. “It helps me to understand some of the struggles that he had as my grandfather,” she said. In 2014, White took a trip to Chatham in Cape Cod, where the wreck took place. “It was quite emotional to stand there and look out and to see where this all occurred,” White said. 

White and 33 family members gathered at Smitty’s in Windham to see the show on Saturday. It was a sold out show, so only 23 of the family members present were able to get tickets, but they all gathered afterwards in the function room at Pat’s pizza to talk and process the movie. 

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White felt that the movie took some creative liberties, not portraying events the same as they were written in the book, or things they had heard from her grandfather. It didn’t show some of the relationships between characters that they had heard about, particularly the relationship between Brown and Myers. That was likely, she said, a direct reflection of the fact that no one involved was able to speak directly to her grandfather, who passed away in 1997.

White also said she and her family were confused by a character called “Brown” who was portrayed very differently than the man they knew her grandfather to be. At the end, the credits showed that that character was actually a David Brown, who was no relation to Fred. 

Watching the rescue on the screen was amazing, White said. “You got a little bit of a feeling of what they went through,” she said. “It was an important story to tell.”

Tucci said the movie is important because there’s a lot on the screen these days that isn’t real. “It’s amazing to have a story like this on the big screen that is absolutely real and true to what actually happened,” she said. “It should have an impact on people because it’s true.”

Raymond Fire Department readies new truck - By Michelle Libby

Raymond Fire Department, under the direction of Chief Bruce Tupper, is outfitting the first new fire truck in many years. The new truck is fresh off the assembly line with a design created in part by the people who will use the truck the most, Raymond fire fighters.
 

Tupper asked his staff to design a fire truck with all of the components they wanted to see and they came through with a design that is functional, safe and ready to handle any challenge that Raymond and the surrounding communities have for it. 

The new truck has a stainless steel body, which won’t have the same problems the aluminum ones do, like reacting with the road treatments in the winter and bubbling paint. 

 

The truck has “tons of room”. It was designed with efficiency in mind. The truck is taller, but shorter and much more maneuverable than the trucks already in use, according to Tupper.   

The truck carries compressed air foam and water is pushed out at 1,500 gallons per minute. The price difference between a 1,250 gallons per minute unit and this one was not much, Tupper said. 

The fire truck cost $424,999.99 out the door. Tupper was able to get some discounts through different group buys and a local bond to provide payment up front. 

When making a 20-year purchase, the department had to think about what they might need in the future. “The capabilities of this are great. It seats four, is comfortable, efficient and engineered for what we do,” Tupper said. “This is the working man’s truck. It’s not designed to be the parade piece.” It has a galvanized frame and rails and many of the additions to the truck were with Raymond in mind. A front suction means that filling the truck with water can be easier from any of the lakes and ponds in the town by driving straight in and not having to turn the truck sideways. Its size makes it better to fit down the many camp roads. The LED lights make everything safer in the long run, and all of the equipment is on the inside. 

With ladders and hoses inside the truck, the items take less of a beating by the elements saving money. The truck also has a back up camera and air bags. The technology this truck provides helps to keep the fire fighters safe while they do their job. 

Right now, the truck has many open spaces and compartments, but soon they will hold the equipment needed to fight fires, respond to accidents and keep Raymond and beyond safe. 

The crown on the new truck is the $1,800 chrome bell donated by Captain Cliff Small. 

“It’s tradition,” Tupper said. Small said he wanted to see a bell on the truck, so he made it happen. Tupper and all the fire fighters are grateful. The bell can be rung from inside the compartment creating the loud, clear sound reminiscent of fire trucks from the past. 

“It’s nice, pretty, tradition. It creates a lot of pride within the department,” Tupper added. 

The truck still has two more months of set up and transfer of equipment before it will be put into service, Tupper said. For now they are figuring out where to put equipment and mount it. 

In addition to the new truck, the Raymond Fire-Rescue Association is raising money to purchase new ice rescue equipment.

The Windham Eagle - December 24, 2015Front Page Stories

Fire Fighters “Light Up” Christmas for Four Families - By Michelle Libby

Windham Middle School Celebrates 12 Days of Giving - By Michelle Libby

Fundraising Initiative To Keep Windham Family Mobile - By Elizabeth Richards 

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Fire Fighters “Light Up” Christmas for Four Families - By Michelle Libby

After many hours of behind the scenes work, Windham firefighters and their families pulled out of the East Windham Fire Station with three decorated fire trucks and more emergency vehicles following behind on their way, with Santa, to drop off presents for four families, including six children.

The event was organized by Lieutenant Chip Jones, who has been doing this for the last four years. Each November he goes to local businesses to gather gas cards, gifts, food, cleaning supplies, gift cards, haircuts, money and anything else families might need. The members of the

fire department also donated to the cause. This year they were able to provide Christmas for four families.

“It was outstanding that we got so many gifts,” said Jones. “Next year we’ll go a little bigger.”

Some stores were not able to donate, but the managers pulled money out of their pocket to help the cause. Waitresses at Bucks Naked BBQ bought gifts with their own money and according to Jones, “They went way over board. There was an overwhelming response from Windham.”

On the way to visit the first family, the trucks stopped to pick up homemade cookies and treats. Then, the caravan of emergency vehicles paused to pick up two more trucks at the Windham Public Safety building before continuing on to visit the first single mother and her three children.

Each family was pre-qualified by the Windham Food Pantry. Many families can only afford to buy one gift for their children. This year these kids are going to get 15 to 20 gifts each, Jones said. “It’s pretty amazing.”

With the lights going and the sirens calling out, Santa and the fire truck procession arrived at the first house.

“The kids are going to be happy,” said mom Amanda Perrin. “It’s nice to know there are good people out there.”

“The house is full of hundreds of presents!” exclaimed Jacob, age 7.

At the second house, the mother and daughter came out to greet Santa and say thank you while the gifts were taken inside.

“I wasn’t expecting all of this at all,” said the mother, who asked not to be identified.

The third family was Stephanie Smith and her 41/2-year-old daughter, Arley, who didn’t have tree, but were assured that they would have one by Monday.

“I can’t believe we don’t even have a tree. We’ve never really sought help at Christmas. It was just really tight this year,” Smith said. 

“We got her everything on her list,” said volunteer Melissa Wing. “We get just as excited about it as they do.”

The fourth family came to meet the fire truck and volunteers at the end of their driveway. “This is more than I expected,” said mom Nicole Adams. “It’s pretty awesome. It’s not something that happens to you every day. I’ve seen other people get gifts, but nothing like this…a bunch of firefighters come to bring you gifts. It’s a real big help to me with the gifts.”

The final stop for the lighted trucks was to the home of Lisa Duncanson, whose husband worked for the fire department before his passing three years ago. Santa made a special trip to see Duncanson’s grandsons.

The Windham Fire Department would like to thank the following businesses for their donations:

Masa Sub & Grill, Gorham Windham Professional Firefighters Association Local 4095, South Windham Firehouse, North Windham Firehouse, Cyclone Hose Company, East Windham Firehouse, Latin Honor Society at Windham High School, The Nail Spa, Lee’s Auto, Benny’s Barber Shop, Molly’s Cupcakes, Buck’s Naked BBQ, Payless Shoes, Marshall’s, Pizza Hut, Dominos, Friendly’s, Hannaford, Shaw’s, Walmart, Windham Jewelers, Innovations Salon & Spa, Dena’s Lobster House and Tavern, Lowes, Applebee’s, Danielle’s Sebago Diner, Smitty’s, Heaven & Earth Day Spa, anonymous donors and family members of the Windham Fire Department.

Windham Middle School Celebrates 12 Days of Giving - By Michelle Libby

Windham Middle School’s student council organized a fun way to gather donations to help the Windham Food Pantry and Barbara Bush Children’s Hospital with their 12 days of giving drive.

The idea came from a brainstorming session with the council. “We thought about things we’ve done in primary and Manchester,” said sixth-grader Riley Parker, who came up with the name based on the 12 Days of Christmas. They wanted to use the word “giving” because some don’t celebrate Christmas, they said.

“The idea totally came from the kids,” said student council advisor Shelly Cook. “The kids really do good things.”

Each day the council asked students to bring in an item, from toiletries and baby items to animal needs and books. On the first and last day, students, who are not allowed to wear hats in school, were able to pay $1 to wear a hat. They raised almost $200, which will go to the Barbara Bush Children’s Hospital.

The sixth grade donated the most items and the top two classrooms were Mrs. Cook with 231 items and then Mrs. Brown at 220 items. The top team will be awarded their choice of a pizza party, ice cream sundae party or hot chocolate party. As of press time, the class had not decided which they wanted.

“It feels really good giving back,” said seventh-grader Ashley Riley. The most successful days were collecting food, toiletries and animal items, Riley said.

“I feel all of it was important. They are things people need,” said seventh-grader Katelyn Smith. “Every year we do something to give back.”

The 12 days of giving gave the students a chance to think about others. The lesson was “It’s better to give than to receive,” said Cook.

One sixth grader and her parents made it a family project, and went shopping every day for what was next on the giving list. The mother told her daughter that “We have enough that we can give to other families,” said Cook.

The items were picked up from the middle school on Tuesday for distribution.

Fundraising Initiative To Keep Windham Family Mobile - By Elizabeth Richards

During this holiday season a Windham family has been chosen by HARK, Inc. to be the recipients of a handicapped accessible van through a fundraising initiative dubbed “Hopemobile for PALS”.

Donna York lost her father to Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS or Lou Gehrig's Disease), a progressive disease that attacks the nervous system, but does not impact intellectual capabilities. She started HARK in memory of her father.

Living with ALS is devastating in many ways, not the least of which is financial, York said. She started HARK to help patients and their families with the financial issues that can arise. Though vans are quite expensive, many families stretch to buy them because they don’t want to be prisoners in their homes, she said. But, they can’t recoup the costs when the van is no longer needed.

She envisioned a program where HARK would buy a van for a family, and when that family no longer needs it, the van will return to HARK to go to another family. “Everybody is different. You never know how long you have,” she said. “A van could go to four or five families over the course of ten years.”

She connected with Anthony Carbajal, a young man with ALS who has become a prominent advocate. Together, they decided to organize the fundraising campaign, with a goal of raising $30,000 for a gently used van. The campaign began on Giving Tuesday and is scheduled to end on New Year’s Day. The intent is that the “Hopemobile for pALS” initiative will be an annual event.

John and Linda Gregoire of Windham were married in 1981. After 26 years of “normal” family life, including raising two sons and all the youth activities, camping, fishing and backpacking trips that go along with that, their world was turned upside down. The Gregoires received devastating news when John was diagnosed with ALS in 2007.

An expert told John he would live a year to 18 months from the time of the diagnosis, but the family refused to accept that prognosis. John has long outlived the doctor’s expectations. “We lived like we didn’t believe him, and that has helped,” said John’s wife, Linda.

After the diagnosis, the family went to work. They have spent countless hours on advocacy and raising awareness for ALS, including starting a foundation called the Hope-JG Foundation (www.hope-jg.org). A visit to the Steve Sailing ALS/MS Residence in Chelsea, MA inspired a vision of establishing a similar residence here in Maine, so that people with advanced ALS won’t need to leave the state to get the care they require.