Windham’s last surviving World War II veteran Carroll McDonald dies at 99

By Ed Pierce

And then there were none. Carroll McDonald, the last surviving World War II veteran living in Windham, died at the age of 99 on Nov. 14.

Carroll McDonald, the last surviving World War II veteran
in Windham, died at the age of 99 on Nov. 14. He trained
as a P-51 pilot during World War II and later served as a
postal carrier, seaplane pilot, Meals on Wheels driver and
was a former commander of American Legion Field-Allen
Post 148 in Windham. PHOTO BY ED PIERCE

Born on his parents’ dairy farm in South Windham on March 1, 1925, he was the first son of Edwin and Nellie McDonald and would soon be joined by a younger brother, Kenneth. From an early age he was fascinated by airplanes, and it was a passion he never lost sight of.

“When I was about 4 years old, I heard a biplane flying near a school,” McDonald said. “The sound of it going up and down and buzzing all around stirred my interest and it never left me when I was growing up. It was doing spins and barrel rolls overhead. At first, I was scared, but the longer I watched that old biplane, the more impressed I became, and I knew from that moment that I wanted to become a pilot someday. The sound of it going up and down and buzzing all around stirred my interest and it never left me when I was growing up.”

Both McDonald brothers were so infatuated by airplanes and aviation that in 1937 when Carroll was 12 and Kenneth was 9, they rode their bicycles from Grant’s Corner in South Windham for more than 12 miles to the airport in Portland one morning. Without their parents’ knowledge, the brothers paid for and boarded a flight to Boston where it landed, and then took off again for a return flight back to Portland. Both brothers then rode their bicycles back to their farm, and neither of their parents learned about their flight until years later.

Throughout his high school years, McDonald played trumpet in a dance band and then formed his own group called the Don Carroll Orchestra and also played for the Windham Town Band. He graduated from Windham High School in 1942 and started classes at Northeastern Business College in Portland that fall, but by the next summer he decided to accept a commission in the U.S. Army Air Corps to become a pilot before being drafted and assigned any job that was needed.

Commissioned as a 2nd Lieutenant, he was sent to an Army flight school in Alabama and then for training as a P-51 Mustang fighter pilot at Page Field in Fort Myers, Florida. He received his flight wings in 1944 and spent the remainder of the war in Fort Myers flying P-51s, a long range, single-seat fighter-bomber used during World War II and the Korean War.

“I joined because it was an opportunity to be well-trained and a chance to fly every single day,” McDonald said.

Upon his discharge from active duty in 1945, he attended business school using the GI Bill but in 1951 while fulfilling his military commitment in the U.S. Air Force Reserves, was promoted to the rank of 1st Lieutenant during the Korean War.

“Flying P-51s was the best experience I could have ever hoped for. It was a top-of-the-line aircraft and was really very fast,” he said. “Here I was just a teenager, and I was flying one of the fastest aircraft in the world and serving my country during wartime. It was simply an amazing time.”

Following his active-duty discharge in 1945, McDonald returned to Windham and attended business school using the GI Bill. He joined the U.S. Post Office as a rural postal delivery driver, a job he worked at for 32 years, delivering mail in South Windham and on River Road until retiring. He also continued to pilot aircraft while serving as a mailman and would finish his mail route by 2 p.m. in the summers and then drive to Naples where he would fly sightseeing trips for tourists around Sebago Lake.

About that time, McDonald joined American Legion’s Field-Allen Post 148 in 1951 and eventually served as Post Commander and performed many other duties for the veterans’ group through the years. He married Marjorie Steeves, and they raised a son, David, who graduated from Windham High in 1963, and a daughter, Karen.

“Carroll is surely near and dear to all of our hearts,” said Al LaRhette of South Weymouth, Massachusetts, during a 2023 reunion gathering for the Windham High School Class of 1963.

“I remember getting to play in the band with him when we performed at Fenway Park in Boston for the State of Maine Day in 1959.”

LaRhette said Carroll was known as a friend to all the class members and is beloved by everyone who knows him.

“He was just always there for us,” LaRhette said. “He had a way about him. It was like when you were with him, you were the most important person he got to speak to that day. He’s been a cherished friend to all of us throughout all these years since our graduation.”

Upon his retirement from the U.S. Post Office in 1980, McDonald volunteered for more than 20 years delivering Meals on Wheels to area seniors. He also became a member of the Presumpscot Lodge of Masons, Windham Hill Church, and Windham Historical Society.

While attending a vintage airshow in the Auburn area in 2014, he jumped at the chance to take a test flight in a restored P-51 Mustang aircraft.

“I couldn’t believe it after all these years,” he said. “I was thrilled to have that opportunity once more.”

Earlier this year he entered St. Andre’s Health Care Facility in Biddeford but insisted he would make it home in time for his 100th birthday on March 1, 2025 and a parade in his honor. His wife Marjorie died in 2007, followed his son, David in 2013, and his brother and sister-in-law Kenneth and Elizabeth McDonald in 2014. McDonald is survived by his partner Joan Esty of Windham, a daughter Karen Hopkins and her husband Blaine of Greenville, Maine, granddaughters Maureen Hopkins of Auburn, Maine and Brenda Lebo of Milford, New York, and a daughter-in-law Molly McDonald of Arcanum, Ohio.

Of everything he accomplished during his lifetime, McDonald said he would like to be remembered most as a pilot and for his military service in defense of America.

“I still think it was the right thing to do,” he said. “I am very positive about my time in the military. I enjoyed the structure, the discipline and was very pleased with the training I received. I’m lucky to have served and proud of what we accomplished.” <

Pumpkin design contest tests teamwork abilities of WMS students

By Ed Pierce

Believing that unity is strength and when there is teamwork that anything can be achieved, student groups at Windham Middle School recently collaborated as part of an exercise intended to build trust while creating, designing and decorating a winning pumpkin.

The 'Oscar the Grouch' pumpkin design 
created by a sixth-grade team advised by
teacher Matthew Zidle was the winner of
this year's Pumpkin Contest at Windham
Middle School. Team members proposed 
the design, painted the pumpkin and added
the finishing touches in an exercise intended
to build teamwork and collaboration among
the students. COURTESY PHOTO  

The winning pumpkin was one of about 30 different designs submitted by student teams and was unveiled during morning announcements on Tuesday, Nov. 5. The sixth-grade group advised by WMS teacher Matthew Zidle won this year’s contest for its “Oscar the Grouch” design.

The advisory groups at the school met, chose a pumpkin, suggested possible designs, voted on one design and then worked together on turning their pumpkin into the design they wanted. Following several weeks of work on the activity, the groups displayed their creations for their peers in the hallway outside the school gymnasium for a panel of judges including WMS Principal Greg Applestein and Assistant Principal AJ Ruth.

This popular annual student advisory group activity aims to forge strong connections among the students, foster creativity and to refine communications by drawing together students with diverse backgrounds and different personalities tasked to work on a common problem.

Zidle said the first task for the winning design group was to gather supplies needed for the pumpkin.

“Many of us were able to provide ‘trash’ items for the can,” he said. “Students painted the pumpkin and attached green ‘fur.’ We’d like to thank Ruth’s Reusables for helping us by donating supplies as well. They are an incredible resource for our communities by allowing us to work as a team and have a lot of fun in the process.”

He said it was a great opportunity for members of his advisory group to demonstrate leadership, think outside the box and develop a sense of solidarity, making them more invested in themselves and others.

Sixth grader Natalie Norcia was involved in painting the pumpkin to resemble “Oscar the Grouch” from Sesame Street.

“Besides painting, I helped with the googly eyes, the trash stuff and the fur,” Norcia said. “It took a few weeks to produce, but I thought it looked really good and that we all did a good job with it.”

Max Caron, a WMS sixth grader, said student creativity was on display in this activity.

“I liked how we could do whatever we wanted with the design,” Caron said.

He said some of the suggestions among their group for a design included the Earth, actor Mike Myers, and one based upon Friday the 13th films before the students settled on creating Oscar the Grouch.

He said this pumpkin decorating activity was challenging but was not so tough as to frustrate or overwhelm members of the student advisory group.

“Lots of friends got together in class, put our heads together and got to work on it,” Caron said.

As the project came together slowly, sixth grader Bradford Jorgensen thought that the group’s design might not get much attention from the judges.

“I thought we were going to get last place,” Jorgensen said. “In the end that wasn’t the case.”

When completed, Oscar the Grouch was seen emerging from a red trash can filled with crushed soda pop cans, candy wrappers and other trash. There is trash on top of his green hair, and he has thick black eyebrows over his large googly eyes. An empty plastic yogurt container is perched on top of his head and a sign on the trash can reads “Grouch says SCRAM.”



Members of Zile’s winning team included WMS sixth graders Chase Austin Lewis; Natalie Norica; Brittany Sharkey; Elena Vujanic; Elliot Condon; Liana Aguilar; Finnegan Niman; Bradford Jorgensen; Max Caron; Atticus Cunningham; James Riley; and Ian Dorie. <

Community shows gratitude for those who served at Veterans Day observance

By Lorraine Glowczak

Singer Bob Dylan once said that a hero is someone who understands the responsibility that comes with his or her freedom. That truth was evident during the 2024 Veterans Day observance held on Monday at the Windham Veterans Center.

VFW Post 10643 Commander Willie Goodman presents
a plaque of appreciation to Ed Pierce, Managing Editor
of The Windham Eagle newspaper during the post's
annual Veterans Day observance on Monday, Nov. 11
at the Windham Veterans Center. Pierce, a U.S.
Air Force veteran, gave the keynote speech at the event.
PHOTO BY TOM THERIAULT   

Hosted by Windham VFW Post 10643, the annual gathering drew more than 200 people and celebrated the men and women of Windham who put their lives on the line when they wore the uniform of the United States of America protecting and ensuring the continued freedom of our nation.

VFW Post 10643 Commander Willie Goodman led the event and welcomed guests including Windham’s state delegation members State Senator Tim Nangle and outgoing State Representative Jane Pringle, and Windham Town Council members Mark Morrison and David Nadeau. It was part of the national celebration of Veterans Day, which was originally known as “Armistice Day.”

The commemoration of a special day to pay tribute to military veterans was originally created Nov. 11, 1919, one year after the end of World War I. At the time, U.S. President Woodrow Wilson declared “Armistice Day” to take place annually in America on the “11th day of the 11th month at the 11th hour” to remember the end of what was known as “The Great War,” now called World War I. In 1975, U.S. President Gerald Ford designated Nov. 11 as the permanent Veterans Day holiday because of the historical significance of veterans to America.

During the Windham observance, Goodman recognized three local students as winners of this year’s Patriot’s Pen essay contest and Voice of Democracy audio essay competition.

Zoie Hougaz-McCormick of Windham Middle School was first overall, and Brenna Wheeler of Windham Christian School finished second in the VFW’s Patriot’s Pen contest for students in Grades 6 to 8 writing on this year’s theme of “My Voice in American Democracy.” Amber Sands of Windham Christian School won first place for her audio essay in the VFW’s Voice of Democracy contest for high school students on the theme of “Is America Today Our Forefather’s Vision?”

Ed Pierce, a U.S. Air Force veteran and the Managing Editor of The Windham Eagle newspaper served as the keynote speaker for the observance.

Pierce related three different stories, two about his own time in the military and one about a veteran he had met in New Hampshire during his time working for a newspaper there.

In his first story, Pierce described an incident he experienced as an E-1 Airman Basic on a seven-hour flight to Frankfurt, Germany from Gander, Newfoundland in 1977. During the flight, he inadvertently got brown gravy on the collar of the dress shirt of a U.S. Army Colonel sleeping next to him. While agonizing about what to do, the gravy dried and it turned out the colonel happened to be the chief aide to U.S. Army Four-Star General Alexander Haig, the Supreme Commander of NATO Forces in Europe at the time.

His second story involved meeting and interviewing future U.S. President Ronald Reagan in 1975, and then seven years later having Reagan recognize him as an Air Force sergeant during an event at Luke Air Force Base in Arizona. Reagan mentioned that Pierce was his favorite writer and should be promoted and when the promotion list was posted two days later, he was indeed promoted. The following Monday, a large jar of jellybeans and a note bearing the presidential seal and offering congratulations appeared on Pierce’s desk when he arrived for work.

Pierce’s final story involved George Nichols, an 89-year-old resident of the New Hampshire Veteran’s Home in Tilton in 2014. He was covering the veteran’s home as part of his beat for the Laconia Citizen newspaper and was at the facility to report about a visit from then-New Hampshire Governor Maggie Hassan with the veterans for St. Patrick’s Day. Nichols, who was on oxygen and confined to a wheelchair, stopped Pierce and said he had a story for him to write about.

When Pierce went back the next day to speak to Nichols, he learned that the veteran had cancer and was a lifelong baseball fan. Nichols told him he had gone with his father to Fenway Park in Boston to watch his first Red Sox game in 1929. Nichols had wanted to pitch someday for the Red Sox but World War II intervened. He instead was drafted and trained as a medical corpsman and sent to Anzio Beach, Italy during the American landing there in 1944.

At the same time, Pierce’s father was drafted in 1943 and was shipped overseas as an infantryman serving first in Libya and Morocco and then was part of the U.S. invasion force trying to take Anzio from the Nazis. He was shot in the back by a German sniper and was rescued by a medical corpsman and taken for treatment.

During the Battle of Anzio, Nichols was asked to run onto the beach, pick up American soldiers who were injured but had a chance to survive, sling them over his shoulder and carry them to the medical station for treatment. On his 19th trip onto Anzio Beach to rescue wounded soldiers, a German mortar shell exploded nearby and sent shrapnel into Nichols’ left knee. Despite bleeding profusely, Nichols completed his mission, had his knee cleaned and bandaged and he went back and successfully completed six more trips. At the end of the day, he was informed that he would be put in for a Purple Heart medal for being wounded in combat.

But it never happened and years later when he turned 65, Nichols applied for his Purple Heart medal. He was denied the medal by the VA and over the next 19 years, Nichols applied every year and was denied each time. The reason for the denial was Nichols did not have his Army medical records to prove he had been wounded. Those paper records were stored in a facility in St. Louis, Missouri which burned to the ground in 1973 and lost forever, along with the records of 18 million other American military personnel.

The story about Nichols’ plight ran on the front page of the Laconia newspaper and was subsequently picked up and run by the Associated Press throughout the U.S. It so happened that the owner of the Boston Red Sox saw the article and invited Nichols and his family to be his guest and for him to throw out the first pitch at Fenway Park on Armed Forces Day in 2014, fulfilling Nichols’ lifelong dream of throwing a pitch for his favorite team. The following spring he died without ever receiving his Purple Heart.

According to Pierce, veterans like George Nichols and those from the Windham VFW Post 10643 and Windham American Legion Field-Allen Post 148 gave unselfishly of themselves to protect our freedom and deserve our respect and gratitude not only on Veterans Day but throughout the year

In addition to the keynote speaker at the observance, the Windham Chamber Singers, under the director of Dr. Richard Nickerson, performed the National Anthem and a medley of military branch songs for the veterans. Afterward, those in attendance were treated to a lunch provided and served by Chick-Fil-A of Westbrook. A donation of coleslaw was made to the gathering by Windham Kentucky Fried Chicken.

Windham Boy Scout Troop 805 presented the colors, passed out programs and helped seat visitors at the observance. <

Historical fiction author prepares to discuss novels at Windham Public Library event

By Ed Pierce

A great writer can take readers to faraway places they may never experience themselves or tell stories that inspire their imagination. Michael Meeske of Windham is one of those rare writers whose work is not only commercially successful, but also provides some great storytelling.

Author Michael Meeske of Windham, who
writes under the pen name VS Alexander,
will appear from 6 to 7 p.m. Wednesday,
Nov. 6 at the Windham Public Library to
discuss his novels The Taster and The
Novelist from Berlin.
SUBMITTED PHOTO

Meeske, the author of 11 novels, has sold nearly a half-million books in the past seven years and he will be on hand from 6 to 7 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 6 at the Windham Public Library in a free event to meet the public and discuss his writing. Through the years, his novels have received critical acclaim from Publisher’s Weekly, the Library Journal, and other industry publications and he’s been a speaker at numerous writing conferences and events around the United States.

His novels for Kensington Publishing are under his pen name of V. S. Alexander and have been published in more than a dozen countries including Portugal, Spain, Brazil, Czech Republic, France, Italy, Mexico, the United States and Lithuania. A novel of his called The Taster has been optioned for a film.

During his appearance at the library, Meeske will discuss The Taster, his novel about a food taster for Adolf Hitler, and The Novelist from Berlin, based on a true story of a writer during the late days of the Weimar Republic and the early days of the German Reich. He’ll be talking about both of these heroines and their different lives under Nazi rule.

Originally from Kansas, Meeske is a natural at writing.

“I was a storyteller from an early age, but I didn’t know it. I wrote a play – an extremely short one – plus a couple of short stories about astronauts and visitors from another planet. It was kid’s stuff. My last semester at the University of Kansas, I needed a class, any class, to fulfill my credits,” he said. “I enrolled in a fiction writing course taught by James E. Gunn, then President of the Science Fiction Writers of America. I didn’t know who he was, so I went in with no expectations. Also, I knew how hard it is to write good science fiction, having read it for many years in my youth. Most everyone in the class had enrolled because of Gunn’s reputation and stature in the writing world. I didn’t write science fiction, and I got A’s on my stories. He lit the fire.”

After taking Gunn’s class, Meeske said he had a burning desire to write, but his big break didn’t come until much later in life.

“I’d have to say, I enjoy the creative end of writing more than any other part of the business – creating characters, moving them around, keeping the story fresh and exciting for readers which is easier said than done,” he said. “But I realize how far-reaching the editing process is, and how a good working relationship with an editor is crucial. Editorial work is fine tuning and makes the book so much better. Beta readers are important as well. Find one you trust. I’ve had the same beta reader for all my books.”

He says the ideas for his novels are ones he comes up on his own.

“A magazine article, a news story, or a thought, triggers the process,” Meeske said. “If it digs its claws firmly into my head, I know I should do something with it. My editor also has pitched me ideas. He’ll say I want a book on the Magdalen Laundries, or the Irish Potato Famine and I’ve done both of them. When I first started writing, I was a total panster, just thinking that the creative juices would guide me wherever I needed to be in the book. I wrote myself into a corner a couple of times and shortly thereafter, I made bullet-point outlines. The Taster, for example, I developed from a grocery list. I had 15 or so points, and I wrote the book from them. At one point, the heroine grabbed the story, and I followed. It was an exhilarating experience, and her unscripted journey added immensely to the novel.”

When he’s able to write, Meeske enjoys writing in the afternoon or early evening after he’s completed his other tasks for the day. And, unlike some writers, he doesn’t write every day.

“There’s some kind of rule that says writers have to write every day, but I have to take a day off once in a while,” Meeske said. “I find that I’m very productive on weekends – that’s because I used to work full time. I gauge my writing time by word count. My goal is to write 1,000 to 1,200 words per session. That usually takes two or so hours. If you write a page a day, say 350 words, for a year, you’ll have a book. Breaking the process down into manageable tasks helps.”

He previously lived in New England for 20 years before moving to Florida.

“After 23 years there, I was ready to move back. I was tired of hurricanes, the congestion, and a quality of life that had changed since I left Boston in 2001,” he said. “New England has changed as well, and I’ve had some adjustment pains, but I love living in Windham. I grew up in small-town Kansas. The population here is much like my hometown when I was growing up.”

Enjoying an excellent relationship with his publisher, Meeske found a literary agent through a referral from a colleague who couldn’t do a book his editor wanted.

“So, I sold my first book on 75 pages, a 25-page synopsis and three chapters,” he said. “That became The Magdalen Girls in 2017. We’ve been working together for nearly a decade.”

Now firmly established in his career, it took some time for Meeske’s family and friends to approve of his decision to focus on writing.

“When I first told my parents that I wanted to be a writer, sometime after college, they asked, ‘Fine, but how are you going to make a living?’ Probably every kid going into the creative arts has heard that line,” he said. “Eventually, they got behind me. My friends have been supportive and sometimes amazed. It’s hard to make a living as a writer. Only about 15 percent of writers make a living from their craft, and many take on other jobs to pay the bills. You have to love it, and persevere, to succeed.”

Putting together his novels have not come without challenges and one has been the most difficult to overcome.

“I’d say my writing of The War Girls was the most difficult. I had the idea of two Jewish sisters separated by the start of World War II, one living with relatives in England and the other in Warsaw,” he said. “I had to research the Warsaw Ghetto, Special Operations Executive, and, most difficult of all, what a traditional Jewish home would be like in Warsaw before and after the invasion. Not being Jewish, I called upon friends, historical resources, and a sympathetic freelance editor to help me navigate a 5,000-year-old religion. It was a challenge, but the book has been well-received and I’m very proud of it.”

He’s just signed a contract to write his eighth historical novel for Kensington.

“It will be out sometime in 2026. I can’t talk about it at this point, but I’m excited and ready to get to work.” <

Mapmaker uses artistic skills to help those in need

By Ed Pierce

A map can tell you where you’ve been, where you are, and where you’re going and for one local mapmaker, his maps also are making a difference in the community.

Sam Merriam, the president of
Great Northern Docks, has been
making maps of local lakes for
the past 10 years. Proceeds from
map sales have been donated to
assist area food pantries. This
month the proceeds from online
map sales will benefit hurricane
victims in the south.
SUBMITTED PHOTO  

Sam Merriam of Great Northern Docks in Naples comes from an artistic family and became interested in cartography, the art and science of representing a geographical area on a vintage-style map about 10 years ago. One of his brothers, Tom, is a wildlife artist and sculptor and another brother, Dan, is a watercolor artist.

“They have been an inspiration to me,” Merriam said. “I’ve always enjoyed illustrations ever since I was a child, and art is a thing in my family.”

While visiting Waterboro’s Little Ossipee Lake in 2014, he decided to create a map through his work as President of Great Northern Docks and offer it to the public. He needed a place to distribute the map, and he found it at the Lakeside Market owned at the time by Sandy and Leo Binnette.

“I went to them and wanted to get the maps out there,” he said. “But I felt there would be no perceived value for them if they were free. I told them they can sell them, and they agreed. We set a suggested price, and they said they would donate 100 percent of sales from the maps to the local food pantry. I thought it was generous and that set everything into motion.”

Since then, Merriam has done the same thing for other local lakes and has produced maps for Long Lake, Brandy Pond, Sebago Lake and many others with proceeds from sales benefitting local food pantries in the Lakes Region.

“Every time I put a map out, I get requests for others I don’t have,” he said. “I’m up to 20 now and not ready to stop. It has given me such a sense of fulfillment.”

Most of his maps are completed in the winter. He starts with paper and a pencil and then determines how his idea will lay out on the page.

“Sometimes the borders will be different and there will be different illustrations. I figure out to use the art comprehensively with each map,” Merriam said.

The maps also include text for information such as the names of islands or coves, and sometimes local roads.

“The whole thing is a piece of art,” he said. “When it’s all finished it’s a piece of art to be put on a wall.

Each drawing is done by Merriam freehand with India ink and he sits and does a composite to put it all together as an 11 x 17 in a vertical and portrait type of presentation. It usually takes him about two to three weeks to complete each map from start to finish.

“They turn out, for the most part, to be mainly the vision I started with,” he said. “Another of my brothers Seth is a graphic artist, and he helps me in the editing phase and the graphic design of making the maps.”

His goal right now is to focus on making maps of the Sebago Lake region including Peabody Pond in Bridgton and Pleasant Lake in Casco. When those projects are finished, Merriam intends to wrap up local lakes and then move on to making a map of Casco Bay and eventually Moosehead Lake.

Among favorite maps that he’s worked on so far is the one he did of Moose Pond in Bridgton.

“I love the way the antlers came out on that one,” Merriam said. “It’s long jagged splash art that I’m happy with. I also enjoyed a map I created of Yarmouth as it has an interesting shoreline.”

Some of his maps have illustrations buried in them that you need to search to find the illustrations because you won’t see them anywhere else.

“I created one where the border depicts the story,” Merriam said. “Another was a lakebed with arrowheads. I enjoy hiding imagery in these maps, it’s the art of entertainment and perpetuates the message of giving subtlety. That would make art more purposeful. My aim is to create each map to have a positive impact.”

Merriam also plays piano and admits that he’s not the best artist or illustrator but is proud of what he’s accomplished through his mapmaking.

“You have to take what you’ve got, and somebody will like what you do,” he said. “Everybody’s needed. If you help or inspire one person in a positive way, you’re not wasted.”

Artistic lake maps of local lakes produced by Great Northern Docks are available at local stores or by visiting https://greatnortherndocks.com/maps/

From now until Oct. 31, for every map purchased all proceeds will be donated for hurricane relief to areas devastated by Hurricane Helen and Hurricane Milton in the Southern United States. <

Windham’s oldest resident dies at 106

By Ed Pierce

The Town of Windham’s oldest resident has died at the age of 106.

Hazel P. Gilman, who was born July 20, 1918, passed away Oct. 9 in Gorham.

Hazel Gilman, Windham's oldest resident,
died Oct. 9 at the age of 106. She was a
1935 graduate of Windham High School and
was married to her husband Ken for 55 years
until his death in 1996. 
PHOTO BY LORRAINE GLOWCZAK

She was the daughter of Harry M. Plummer and Mildred Lord Plummer and graduated from Windham High School in 1935.

When Hazel was 2 years old, her parents moved in with her grandparents to help take care of them.

“My grandfather was deaf and blind, so my mom and dad wanted to be there and help them out in any way they could,” Gilman told The Windham Eagle in 2021.

After high school she stayed in Windham and in 1941 she married Kenneth Gilman, and they enjoyed 55 years together until his death in 1996. The couple did not have any children of their own but helped to raise Hazel’s three younger brothers in the family’s home.

“My mother died at the age of 50, leaving my father a widower, so Ken and I stepped in to help raise my younger brother,” she said.

Her father remarried and together, he and his new wife welcomed two more sons into their lives. But tragedy struck the family a second time when Gilman’s stepmother died from cancer in her 50s. Once again Gilman and her husband stepped up to raise the two young sons.

Gilman was employed by Universal Watkins and National Medical Care and upon her retirement she served as a volunteer at Brighton Hospital.

In 2018 at the age of 100, Windham Town Clerk Linda Morrell presented Gilman with the town’s Boston Post Cane, for her being the oldest living resident of Windham.

She was reticent about receiving that distinction, saying “It’s nothing I’ve done to deserve it. I just happen to be the oldest person alive in Windham.”

The Boston Post Cane originated in 1909, when replicas were sent to the selectmen of 700 towns in Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Maine and Rhode Island. Made of ebony imported from Africa and featuring a 14-carat gold head two inches long, decorated by hand, and with a ferruled tip, the canes came with instructions to be presented to the community's oldest citizen. When the recipient died, it was to be given to the successor to the title. This tradition was the idea of Boston Post Publisher Edwin Grozier and continues in Windham and many towns across New England to this day.

When Hazel was young, community and neighborhood gatherings would often happen spontaneously, she told the newspaper in 2021.

“I remember one of our neighbors was a piano teacher,” Gilman said. “In the evenings, he would practice and when he started playing, music came through the windows and the whole neighborhood would hear it, gather around, sitting on his lawn, listening, and singing to the songs we knew. We’d experience a concert right then and there.”

Modern inventions she witnessed during her lifetime made life more convenient but detracted from the community’s dependence upon one another, she said.

"I put laundry in the washing machine the other day and it dawned on me that I can have my clothes washed and dried in a couple of hours,” Gilman said. “It would have taken my mom two days to do the same amount of laundry by the time she boiled the water, soaked the clothes, hung them out to dry and then ironed them. I think we were much better off when we had to work together to get things done. It created a sense of community among families and neighbors that doesn’t seem to happen today. It felt as if we were all in the same boat and we simply had fun, despite the challenges and hard work it took to live.”

Along with her parents and husband, Hazel was predeceased by her sisters, Murial Forbes and Idolyn Plummer, and a brother, Harry Plummer Jr. She is survived by her brothers Richard Plummer and wife Nancy, David Plummer and wife Mary, and sisters Neola Brown and Janice Morrell. She is also survived by many nieces and nephews; grandnieces and grandnephews, including her nephew Peter Forbes, who visited her often.

A memorial service for Gilman was held Wednesday, Oct. 16 at the Dolby, Blais, and Segee Windham Chapel with private interment at Arlington Cemetery in Windham. <

Local elections drawing interest in Windham, Raymond

By Ed Pierce

If you haven’t noticed it by now, local candidates and campaigns are coming down the home stretch as voters across Windham and Raymond will head to the polls on Tuesday, Nov. 5.

A proliferation of candidate signs dot the landscape at 
School Road and Gray Road in Windham. Absentee
ballots are now available at the town clerk offices in
Windham and Raymond for the upcoming election
on Nov. 5. PHOTO BY ED PIERCE 

Ballots will be cast to fill seats in local and state races including State Senate in Windham and Raymond, State Representative in two different Windham districts and one in Raymond. Voters also will cast ballots for two Windham Town Council seats and for RSU Board of Directors positions.

In Windham, there are three individuals running for two Windham Town Council seats. Incumbent William D. Reiner is unopposed in seeking a three-year term representing the town’s West District. Competing for an At-Large council seat for a three-year term are incumbent David Nadeau and former town council chair Clayton Haskell.

Three candidates are vying for two seats in Windham on the RSU 14 Board of Directors for three-year terms. The top two candidates in this race receiving votes will earn seats on the board. Candidates include Frances Etheridge, Virginia Woodman, Jessica Bridges. Kathleen March has announced her candidacy earlier this year but has withdrawn from the race.

As a reminder, all seats on the RSU 14 Board of Directors and the Windham Town Council are non-partisan.

For Maine State Senate District 26 representing Windham, part of Raymond, Casco, Frye Island, and part of Westbrook, incumbent Tim Nangle of Windham, a Democrat, will be opposed by Republican challenger Kenneth J. Cianchette of Windham.

Two candidates are seeking the Maine House of Representatives District 106 seat representing part of Windham. Incumbent Barbara Bagshaw of Windham, a Republican, is running for re-election and is opposed by Democrat challenger Doris Poland of Windham.

Three candidates are running for the Maine House of Representatives District 107 seat representing part of Windham. Incumbent Democrat Jane Pringle of Windham is opposed by Republican challenger Mark Cooper of Windham and Independent challenger and former State Representative Patrick Corey of Windham.

Several candidates are on the ballot in Raymond vying for the Maine House of Representatives District 86 seat, representing part of Raymond, part of Poland, Casco and Frye Island. Longtime incumbent Jessica Fay, a Democrat, is term limited and Republican Rolf A. Olsen is challenged by Democrat Craig Messigner for the position.

Voters will also determine the outcome for five statewide referendum questions in the election.

For Windham residents, there will be a Candidate Forum from 4 to 7 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 20 at the Windham Town Hall gymnasium, 8 School Road in Windham.

This forum will be a moderated event with a 30 minute "meet and greet" session prior to the event.

Windham candidates for State Senate, State Representative, Town Council and RSU 14 Board of Directors have been invited to participate.

Residents seeking to vote absentee may do so at their respective town clerk's office as soon as absentee ballots are available. By law, absentee ballots must be made available at least 30 days before the election at the municipal clerk's office. Voters do not need to complete an absentee application if they vote in person at the clerk's office. The deadline for absentee voting in the presence of the clerk, unless special circumstances exist, is the Thursday before the election, which in this case is Thursday, Oct. 31.

If requesting an absentee ballot, to be counted, ballots must be received by the municipal clerk by 8 p.m. on Election Day. Those seeking to mail an absentee ballot must request a ballot no later than 15 days prior to Election Day and they must be returned no later than seven days prior to Election Day.

In-person voting will be conducted from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 5 at Windham High School for Windham residents and from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 5 at Jordan-Small Middle School for Raymond residents. <

Windham High School sophomore revs up fast start in auto racing career

By Ed Pierce

He may only be a sophomore at Windham High School, but Cole Robie of Windham is quickly becoming a force to be reckoned with in professional auto racing.

Cole Robie of Windham, 16, won the Nelcar Tour Race at
Star Speedway in New Hampshire on Sept. 14 and that was
after he won the Legends Feature Race there on Aug. 30.
He comes from a racing family and has won five 
championships in just three years, starting at age 13.
COURTESY PHOTO 

Robie, 16, started racing three years ago at the age of 13 and since then has built a resume of success on the racetrack including winning five different championships so far and counting. Competing in his Legends car, Robie took the checkered flag and the features victory for the Nelcar Tour race at Star Speedway on New Hampshire on Sept. 14, and that came on the heels of his Legends feature win at the same racetrack on Aug. 30.

Racing cars in Legends, Late Model and Super Late Model divisions, despite his youth, Robie continues to rack up wins and experience as he ultimately aims for a career in the racing industry when he finishes school. His chances of doing that are excellent as racing is a family tradition with his grandfather, father and uncles all having raced professionally. Cole’s uncle, Derek Kneeland of Windham, is currently a spotter for NASCAR’s Richard Childress Racing and has been involved in the sport as a driver since he was young.

“I have always wanted to race,” Robie said. “My Dad had a lot of interest in getting me into racing and was the one that made it happen. We started in 2021, and racing is just in my blood.”

His exceptional driving skills and will to win at such a young age show that Windham remains at the forefront in state for developing championship auto racers, a fact not lost on Robie.

“There are a lot of race families born and raised in Windham and I just happen to be part of one,” he said. “Racing has just gone from generation to generation in those families which is pretty cool.”

Almost every weekend Robie can be found at the racetrack, and he travels to warmer states during the winter months when racing is not possible in New England.

According to Robie, he enjoys auto racing for several reasons.

“I like the adrenaline rush, and the speed factor,” he said. “I also like that it's an independent sport.”

And he’s been able to hold his own against older and more experienced drivers as his racing legacy grows.

Last year he captured his first Legend Car national title, winning the 2023 INEX Young Lions Road Course National Championship. In July, he topped an 11-car field during a Group B race at the New Hampshire Motor Speedway and in May Robie led for every single lap while cruising to a NELCAR Legends win at the Lee USA Speedway in New Hampshire.

“I think my family loves it, they have all been in the racing industry for many years and it's exciting for them to see me following my dreams,” he said. “They are all my biggest fans and supporters.”

Up next for Robie will be a Legends race at Dominion Motor Speedway in Woodland, Virginia on Saturday, Oct. 5 and then he will turn around and compete in a Super Late Model race on Sunday, Oct. 6 at Lee Motor Speedway in New Hampshire.

“The most challenging track I’ve ever raced on was at Hallett, Oklahoma in my Legend,” he said. “I didn't have a gear gauge and raced without knowing what gear I was in.”

As far as prestige races go, Robie says the biggest race he’s competed in thus far was in Las Vegas, Nevada for the Oval World Finals in his Legend car.

His racing journey has taken him all over the country this year including events at Anderson Motor Speedway in Williamston, South Carolina; Charlotte Motor Speedway in Concord, North Carolina; New London- Waterford Speedbowl in Waterford, Connecticut; Cordele Speedway in Cordele, Georgia; Claremont Motorsports Park in New Hampshire; Nashville Fairgrounds Speedway in Nashville, Tennessee; Southern National Motorsports Park in Lucama, North Carolina; Lee USA Speedway in Lee, New Hampshire; Star Speedway in Epping, New Hampshire; Caffeine and Octane’s Lanier Raceway in Braselton, Georgia; and the Citrus County Speedway in Inverness, Florida.

In 2024 alone, he’s won four times, finished in the Top Five nine times and in the Top 10 a total of 20 times with several months of racing left this year.

He attributes his success to his family, his race team and his friends.

“Everyone in the town that I know has been very supportive of my racing,” Robie said. “Some of my friends have even come along to some of the races and helped me out as part of my pit crew. My whole family and all of my friends are my biggest fans and supporters. I couldn't do any of this without all of them behind me.” <

Voters to decide if Windham Town Clerk job remains elected position

By Ed Pierce

Just when residents thought the controversy surrounding the Town Clerk position in Windham was settled, a new development will have voters determine in the November election if the job is to remain an elected one or is appointed by the Windham Town Council.

The Windham Town Council has authorized 
a referendum on the Nov. 5 ballot to let
voters decide if the Windham Town Clerk
position should be elected or by appointment
of the council. Windham Town Clerk Linda
Morrell has served in the position for more
than two decades. SUBMITTED PHOTO 

During the Windham Town Council meeting on Aug. 20, comments were received from the public and a motion was discussed by councilors to place a referendum on General Election ballot for Nov. 5 to change the town clerk position from elected by voters to an appointed position by town councilors. A portion of the proposed referendum would have included language to amend the Windham Town Charter to grant councilors the ability to appoint and remove the Town Clerk on a vote of five members and to remove the Town Clerk position from provisions related to elected officials, essentially making the position by appointment of the council without a residency requirement. Councilor Jarrod Maxfield was not present for a vote about the issue on Aug. 20, and councilors deadlocked, 3-3, effectively killing the issue going to a referendum for the time being.

But per council rules, a councilor can petition the Town Council chair to bring up the issue again if there is a substantive change from the proposed original language. Council Chair Mark Morrison said that this was done, and a special meeting was requested to be held prior to a Sept. 5 deadline to include a referendum on the November ballot.

“All obligations were met, and rules of process followed per Windham Council Rules,” Morrison said. “Ample notice was given to the public and council. All steps taken in support of holding this special meeting were reviewed by Windham counsel and determined to be in full order per attorney Mark Bower of the Jensen, Baird, Law Firm.”

Morrison said the issue has come up upon the recommendation of longtime elected Windham Town Clerk Linda Morrell, who sent a memo to the council detailing why she supports changing the position to one that is appointed.

“The Town Clerk’s position should have someone who has clerk experience and who can be dedicated to this full-time position, including night meetings, and working evenings and weekends during election time. As an appointed position you can advertise and have the ability to choose the best qualified candidate,” Morrell wrote in the memo. “If the clerk is elected, anyone in town is able to run, and you may only have one person running who could absolutely have no experience or have any idea of what goes on in the clerk’s office. You cannot require qualifications when electing a clerk. This position has many responsibilities and involves several different jobs, most of which are state-mandated. Learning these jobs requires going to classes and workshops and repeating those classes due to laws and regulations continually changing. It takes two to three years to feel comfortable and knowledgeable in this position because there are so many things to learn and become familiar with. Elections are one of the most important things a clerk has to oversee, and you need to know what you are doing.”

Morrell has said that she will retire someday and that the job is tremendously challenging, and she only wants to ensure continuity and consistency when she does depart the job.

The council’s special meeting was held on Tuesday, Sept. 3, although Councilor John Henry, who had voted against creating a referendum on Aug. 20, had a prior commitment and was unable to attend the meeting. Both Councilor Bill Reiner and Vice Council Chair Nick Kalogerakis spoke during the special meeting, but each left before a vote to advance the referendum was taken.

At the onset of the special meeting, a public hearing was conducted to allow for public comment regarding the matter.

In all, a total of 14 Windham residents spoke during the public hearing, including three former town councilors, and two current clerk deputies serving under Morrell in the Windham Town Clerk’s office. Of those voicing their opinion, 11 speakers opposed sending the proposed change to a referendum, one said she didn’t like the method used in bringing the issue to another vote, and two spoke in favor of sending it to a referendum. Of the emails received by the town regarding the matter, Kalogerakis said those were overwhelmingly against making the Town Clerk an appointed position.

Because language added to the proposal differed substantially from the one previously voted on that did not include a residency requirement and possible waiver of that by the council, according to the town attorney’s opinion, the issue could be voted on again at the special meeting.

But Reiner disagreed with that assessment.

“The reason I don’t support it is I don’t believe it’s a substantive change,” he said.

Kalogerakis said that he not only opposed the original initiative, but he also believes calling for the special meeting after the issue wasn’t moved forward on Aug. 20 sets a bad precedent for the council.

“This is a strange meeting because we all know the outcome,” he said. “We’re being told the sky is falling and that concerns me because my point of view is very different. The town must be prepared for when department heads leave or retire. I want my vote, and that’s what I’m fighting for. The majority of emails and speakers at both public hearings don’t want this. It’s nuts, it’s embarrassing. I’d like to know how it will be worded on the ballot.”

He said what troubles him is the council voting a second time on something that wasn’t passed the first time.

“What’s got me the most is a council vote is a council vote,” Kalogerakis said. "This stinks and I don’t know how the four voting for this can feel positive about this. When this passes, all I can tell you is fight it at the polls because they’ll have to respect it then.”

Maxfield said he understands the concerns about this, but he believes the voters need to be able to have their say about this issue.

“What’s ironic is that all of us with this group are arguing for literally the exact same thing but on different sides of the coin," he said. "We’ve been presented with logical issues by our current clerk that deserve consideration by more than seven people. The people of Windham should have the best option for whoever comes into the job.”

Morrison said in doing more than 20 hours of research about this issue, he found that 24 of 28 nearby towns in Southern Maine had appointed town clerks and that Morrell had brought this issue to the council’s attention and she supports the possible change.

“This is Linda’s recommendation. Who better knows what’s best for our town and we need to take it seriously.” he said.

Morrison, Maxfield, and Councilors Brett Jones and David Nadeau then voted 4-0 to create a referendum on the Nov. 5 ballot asking voters if they supported keeping the Town Clerk position as elected or taking the step to change the Town Charter to make the position an appointed one. <

Author of historical fiction novel for teens eager to promote book in Windham

By Ed Pierce

The author of a new historical fiction novel set in Maine and containing a powerful message for teens will be in Windham on Saturday to meet the public and promote her book “Sophie’s Gifts.”

Author Shirley Ericson will be at Sherman's
Maine Coast Book Shop in Windham on
Saturday, Sept. m7 to promote her new
book 'Sophie's Gifts,' a powerful 
historical fiction story set in Maine
and intended for teen readers.
SUBMITTED PHOTO  

Shirley Ericson was born in Bangor, grew up in Eddington, graduated from Brewer High School and earned a bachelor’s degree from the University of Southern Maine. She spent two and a half years researching and writing “Sophie’s Gifts,” located in rural Maine in 1933. In her novel, the 10-year-old Protestant protagonist is best friends with an Irish Catholic immigrant and that creates significant conflict.

In “Sophie’s Gifts,” trouble quickly settles in the Glidden home and the community once Sophie's parents discover that Sophie has a rosary. While searching for answers about why many adults in the fictional Kittington, Maine town are biased against Catholics, Sophie uncovers secrets about the church that she attends, and she finds a skeleton in the family closet.

Reviewers have called the novel “a powerful message with so much history and information about the time weaved in” and “a fast-paced story that takes us on an exciting ride through history, weaving together action and suspense.”

Although Ericson wrote this book for students, it is also an engaging adult read.

“All of the characters are fictitious. However, Mrs. Weymouth is a combination of three people from my life,” Ericson said. “They were all snoops and one in particular was not fond of children. I came up with the name Weymouth one day while driving through Saco. I saw a street sign with the name and decided it was the perfect New England name for a character in my book.”

During the time that she was creating the book there were periods when Ericson did not feel like writing.

“I put the manuscript in the drawer, worked on other things, and did not think about the book,” she said. “When I returned to it, my eyes were fresh, and my mind was clear, making it easier to be objective and catch what wasn’t working. Sometimes, I did not work on ‘Sophie’s Gifts’ for as long as a month, especially if I was stuck. Usually, though, I set it aside for a week or two.”

When she was writing, it was in the afternoon most of the time.

“But once in a while, I woke up at night, and ideas flowed, so I got up and wrote for as long as two to three hours some nights,” Ericson said. “My favorite season to write is winter, but I write year-round.”

The inspiration for her book came from an experience in her own life.

“Thirty-five years ago, my husband served the Second Christian Congregational, United Church of Christ in Kittery, Maine,” Ericson said. “During his pastorate there, I had an eye-opening conversation with a parishioner. Charlie was in his 80s at the time. He told me that when he was a boy, he sat up on Rogers Road and watched the KKK march by the parsonage and the church right down Government Street. I was surprised. Charlie explained to me there had been considerable discrimination against immigrants, especially Irish Catholic immigrants, when he was growing up. I did some research and was stunned by what I learned. I knew I wanted to write a book and weave the history of Klan activity in Maine into the story. While teaching, I didn’t have time to write or do all the research needed. Now, in my retirement, I have met my goal.”

According to Ericson, readers are captivated by the history they learn in the “Sophie’s Gifts” book.

“Only a few people, including Mainers, know the history that is revealed,” she said. “It is important to learn history. It cannot be swept under the carpet. If we learn something about our ancestors that we don’t like, we should not scratch their names off our family trees. Instead, we should celebrate the growth that has taken place over time between them and us. We should look for ways to advocate for justice today, as Sophie did in her time.”

Ericson said that when she was writing “Sophie’s Gifts” she was sensitive to the fact that there might be people sitting in the pews at Second Christian Church in Kittery who are descendants of Ku Klux Klan members.

“Therefore, I did not use the names of any parishioners or the church's name in my writing, and I invented Kittington, Maine as the community's name for the book’s setting,” she said. “The story does not take place in Kittery or any other community. I drew from several places and memories when I created scenes. The kinds of events that took place in Southern Maine with the KKK occurred throughout the state, all the way up through Aroostook County.”

She currently lives in Hershey, Pennsylvania with her husband and is now working on a new book which will also be set in Maine.

“My husband has constantly supported me from the first words I put on paper,” Ericson said. “Now, he goes with me to signings and other book events. All of his coffee buddies at the neighborhood café and the staff have bought and read ‘Sophie’s Gifts.’”

The “Sophie’s Gifts” book is published by the Newman Springs Publishing Company and expects to have an audiobook available by early winter 2025. Ericson is also writing a study guide for teachers who might want to incorporate “Sophie’s Gifts” for their class.

Ericson will be at Sherman’s Maine Coast Book Shop in Windham from 1 to 3 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 7 to meet the public and discuss “Sophie’s Gifts.” Copies of the book will be available for purchase. It is also available in paperback, hardcover, and eBooks through Apple iTunes, Amazon, and Barnes and Noble. <

Daughters of the American Revolution pay tribute to first WHS valedictorian

By Ed Pierce

Daughters of the American Revolution regents and members gathered at Smith Cemetery in Windham on Sunday to remember the life and accomplishments of Edith Pride Elliot, a lifelong resident who was valedictorian of the first graduating class at Windham High School in 1897.

Members of the Daughters of the American Revolution gather
at Smith Cemetery to honor the life and legacy of Windham's
Edith Pride Elliot on Sunday, Aug. 18. She was the
valedictorian of the first graduating class of Windham High
School and went on to found the DAR's Joshua Stevens
Chapter in St. Cloud, Florida, PHOTO BY ED PIERCE 

Elliot, who died at the age of 100 in 1977, was honored with a special engraved DAR designation on her headstone at the cemetery, a bouquet of flowers and graveside remarks by the regent of a DAR chapter in St. Cloud, Florida that she helped to found. DAR members from Maine, Vermont, and Florida attended the remembrance event.

Regent Julia Smythe of the DAR’s Elizabeth Wadsworth Chapter in Portland introduced members from the other states and said that Elliot deserves the attention because her legacy is far reaching and relevant years after her death.

“We who continue the work of the National Society and carry the responsibilities have been inspired by the lives of those whose tasks are completed, especially Edith Pride Elliot,” Smythe said.

She also recognized DAR Maine State Regent Elizabeth Calhoun who attended the event and is originally from Windham.

“This is a very special day because it brings together two special things,” Calhoun said. “First, it honors a fellow DAR member and second, the person we are honoring today is from the same town where I grew up.”

Calhoun attended Windham High School and graduated in 1990 before leaving Windham. While doing genealogical research about her family in 2003, she connected with the Philadelphia, Pennsylvania DAR chapter and has been a member ever since.

She said that she didn’t know Elliot when she lived here but was impressed to learn her story. Joining her at the event honoring Elliot was Calhoun's aunt, Patricia Jillson, a 1963 WHS graduate, who now lives in South Paris.

Edith Gertrude Pride was born June 24, 1876, and as a child helped at Windham’s first library which was founded by her mother and grandmother. She attended WHS when it opened in the red brick building that is now the Windham Historical Society Museum on Windham Center Road. She completed her high school studies ranked first overall academically in her class and was among the first group of students to graduate from the school.

In 1899, she married Orin Elliot, yet he tragically died seven months later from tuberculosis and she never remarried. Six years later she earned a teaching certificate and taught for four years at a one-room schoolhouse near her home at Windham Center.

She was a longtime member of the Crossroads Garden Club, the Helping Hand Club, The Windham Library Association, The Windham Republican Club, the Evangeline Chapter-Order of the Eastern Star and was a founding member of the Windham Historical Society. She attended every graduation ceremony and alumni banquet for WHS students through the 1970s.

Every winter Elliot would accompany her father to Saint Cloud, Florida until he passed away at the age of 95. She would continue to travel to St. Cloud each winter until she was 88. While in St. Cloud, she helped to organize a DAR chapter there.

That chapter’s regent, Kim Tennison, flew to Maine to attend the special recognition ceremony for Elliot, and was the guest speaker for the occasion.

Tennison said that when she became regent of the DAR’s St. Cloud chapter last summer, she looked at the first scrapbook of the St. Cloud Joshua Stevens Chapter and found notes, telegrams, letters and journals describing the beginnings of the chapter. In fact, Joshua Stevens was the patriot ancestor of Edith Elliot, born in Falmouth County, Massachusetts and he served as a lieutenant during the Revolutionary War.

“I sat down and poured over them a few hours at a time for days,” Tennison said. “I was especially fascinated by Edith’s handwritten journal she made. I saw a dedicated Daughter of the American Revolution and as I read, she let me accompany her into a time capsule as a DAR member in the 1950s, into a time when women wore hats and gloves anytime when in public and listened to their Sunday church service on the radio. I got a feeling for her servant’s heart, and had we existed at the same time, I would have loved to have been her friend.”

Reading that information and learning about Elliot’s life through a newspaper article in The Windham Eagle posted online prompted Tennison to research where Elliot was buried and she discovered that she did not have a DAR insignia on her grave marker.

According to Tennison, she was also moved by the fact that back in 1976, on Edith Pride Elliott’s 100th birthday, June 24 was proclaimed “Edith Elliot Day” by then Windham Town Manager David Miller and the Windham Town Council. In 1977, a special dedication sponsored by then State Rep. Bill Diamond and the 108th Maine Legislature paid tribute to Elliot for a century of contributions to the educational, cultural, political and charitable life of Windham. And only a week before her death in May 1977, the town and several local garden clubs designated a plot of ground next to the Windham Public Library on Windham Center Road as Elliot Park.

“I found that made me want to place a marker at Mrs. Elliot’s grave,” Tennison said. “It touched my heart that Edith Pride Elliot would have been involved with placing these markers as she continued her visits to St. Cloud until she was 88 in 1964.”

She said Elliot valued the members of the Joshua Stevens Chapter and she worked alongside them on projects focusing on patriotism, historic preservation and education such as presenting Good Citizen Awards and National Defense Awards to students and residents of the St. Cloud area.

“Now we have come full circle as we have the privilege to honor her in this same way,” Tennison said. “I will be forever grateful for all her contributions and endeavor that Joshua Stevens Chapter will carry on her legacy now and in the future.” <

Windham converts to new system collection system Sept. 9

By Ed Pierce

A big change is coming to how trash is collected in Windham, and it won’t be very long before new tote carts will be wheeling up and down driveways across town.

Each residence in Windham will be
issued a 64-gallon trash cart and a
64-gallon recycling cart as the town
converts to a new trash collection 
system on Sept. 9.
PHOTO BY ED PIERCE

Near the start of 2023, members of the Windham Town Council reached an agreement with Casella Waste Systems, also known as Pine Tree Waste, to convert the town to an automated trash removal system. Casella was the only refuse contractor to bid for Windham’s services and told town officials that ongoing labor issues and expenses required a conversion to a system with trash collected curbside by a driver using an automated retrieval system.

Under the current system, trash and recyclable waste is manually collected at the roadside which requires a trash truck driver and a trash laborer for more than 5,400 stops in Windham and also uses the Pay As You Throw (PAYT) system, requiring the purchase of blue bags for residents.

Windham Town Manager Barry Tibbetts said this new collection system will be a big change, but he believes residents will find it efficient and convenient.

“This process began in 2023, when the town was informed by Casella that they were moving away from traditional manual trash pickup to the new automated truck system,” Tibbetts said. “Since then, town officials have been meeting with Casella regularly to coordinate the rollout of the new program, and to ensure that we can make the transition as smooth as possible for Windham residents.”

He said that the blue “Pay As You Throw” trash bags will no longer be needed as of Sept. 9 and thereafter.

“The use of the Windham trash bags has been required as a way of controlling the total volume of trash deposited at the curb,” Tibbetts said. “Once implemented, the cart system will accomplish the same volume control that the trash bags now create and is what Casella has contracted with the town to do.”

The new system was supposed to be in place last fall but was delayed as Casella Waste Systems purchased and waited to obtain new automated trucks with mechanical retrieval arms from an out-of-state manufacturer.

According to Tibbetts, the “Pay As You Throw” trash bag program continued into the Town’s Fiscal Year 2024 budget as Casella experienced a delay in new truck delivery but the revenue from the trash bags went to the town’s fund balance which will assist in reducing expenses and the overall Fiscal Year 2025 budget. Windham blue trash bags are sold at 15 different locations in town and priced at $13.50 for either ten 13-gallon bags or five 30-gallon bags. Tibbetts said residents possessing blue bags after the new system is implemented will be able to sell unused bags back to the town.

Casella officials say that all trash routes in Windham have been evaluated before the new system becomes effective and that includes trash removal for some roads in Windham that Pine Tree Waste does not travel on right now because of truck size limitations or roadway obstacles. It does not expect to make any changes to the current trash collection day schedule.

Chris McHale of Casella Waste Systems said that the company may purchase and deploy a smaller trash collection truck to service roads and streets in Windham that are not accessible by the new automated trash vehicles. He said that the company intends to work with residents to provide the best service possible, but because of rising operational costs and advances in technology, the trash removal industry is converting to automated systems and unfortunately can no longer continue to provide a similar system to the one used in Windham and nearby communities for years.

Tibbetts said that the new trash collection program is available to all single-family residences and all multi-family residences with four or less dwelling units.

“That amounts to about 7,600 dwelling units being able to utilize this program. As for other effects, most people will not see any changes to their collection day or locale,” he said. “However, some roads will see changes to their service. Some narrow, less improved roads, which cannot be serviced with the full-size truck, will receive service with a smaller “Pup” truck, which utilizes the same automated collection system, just on a smaller chassis. Some residences in town may need to place all their carts on one side of the street or gang pile the containers at or near the intersection of their road. As a way of easing the transition, for the first two weeks of the program, Casella crews will be out ahead of the collection trucks, insuring carts are properly placed and leaving educational notes if they are not.”

Each residence in the town will be issued two new durable carts on wheels, one for trash and the other for recycling. The new contract calls for residential pick-up service which is scheduled once a week Monday through Thursday using designated routes and should a pick-up fall on a legal holiday or on severe winter storm days, the schedule would be pushed back one day. Funding was included in the town’s annual budget to purchase the new trash carts and recycling carts for residents.

Around Labor Day, before the new automated trash system begins, residents will receive one 64-gallon trash cart and one 64-gallon recycling cart. Elderly residents using less trash may request smaller 48-gallon carts.

“If you have more trash than the cart will hold it will need to be held into the next week,” Tibbetts said. “If that is not an option, network with your neighbors and see if they have space in their cart. Otherwise, you will need to take the trash to a transfer station or to Ecomaine at a cost. If this is a consistent repetitive problem, contact the Windham Department of Public Works for assistance.”

Discussions have been held with the towns of Falmouth and North Yarmouth to share cart maintenance service costs for the trash carts as those towns are also converting to automated trash pick-up with Casella.

The automated trash system contract between Casella and the town runs through June 30, 2028 with Windham then having an option to renew the contract for an additional five-year period by providing at least six months of advance notice to Casella before the contract expires. <

Dundee Pond water level may be restored by October

By Ed Pierce

As the end of summer nears, Windham residents hoping to go swimming at Dundee Park may have to wait to do that until next year.

Swimming is not allowed at Dundee Park in Windham this
summer as a gate malfunction at the dame there resulted in
the pond being drained in May. The dam's owner expects
the water level at the pond to be fully restored by October.
PHOTO BY ED PIERCE    

In early spring, the Dundee Dam at Dundee Park, which is a hydroelectric project on the southern end of Dundee Pond, experienced a gate malfunction resulting in water being drained out of the pond there. Dundee Park is a popular spot in summer for Windham residents to swim, have a picnic or attend free weekly concerts hosted by the town’s Parks and Recreation Department.

Now the New York-based company that oversees the dam at the park, Relevate Power Management, has issued a press release explaining what happened.

“As many residents and recreators on the Presumpscot River in Windham, Maine are aware, Dundee Pond is currently drained, and the performance of critical maintenance on the dam is underway, said Matthew Wenger, Chief Executive Officer of Relevate Power. “The Dundee Dam is owned by Presumpscot Hydro, the licensee of the Dundee Hydroelectric Project, and is operated by Relevate Power Management.”

According to Wengert, on May 17, one of the dam’s two deep sluice gates, used to pass large amounts of water during flooding events malfunctioned, sticking in the open position.

“These gates are original components of this historic 1913 dam, over 100 years old, and while proper maintenance has kept them in service for over a century, one of the gates reached the end of its useful life unexpectedly,” Wengert said. “While the dam was at no risk of failure, the malfunctioned gate caused water levels to drop until the pond was completely drained.”

He said that given the location of the gate at the very bottom of the 52-foot structure, repairs could only safely begin once the pond had been emptied.

“To expedite the repairs, we accelerated procurement, hired local contractors who could start immediately, and put all our Presumpscot River staff on the project,” Wengert said. “Furthermore, while the pond is drained, we’re taking the opportunity to conduct additional preventative maintenance, including completely overhauling the other gates, to minimize the likelihood of other gate-related shutdowns over the coming years.”

Wengert said that the current estimate is that all the repairs will be completed by Aug. 31.

“Upon completion, the impoundment will be refilled. Per our consultations with agencies such as the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, and the Maine Department of Environmental Protection, we expect this to take a few weeks,” he said. “The refill rate being critical to minimize potential negative environmental and structural impacts. If all goes well, we expect the pond to be back to normal operating level by early October.”

In the press release, Wengert said that Relevate Power understands the impact this unanticipated and unavoidable event has had upon the Windham community.

“We know our dams play a central role in both the enjoyment and safety of our waterways and we are working diligently and expediently to return Dundee Pond back to normal operating conditions as soon as safely possible,” Wengert said. “In the meantime, we will provide additional updates should there be any material changes to the plan. We appreciate your patience and support while we get the job done.”

Michael Shaughnessy, Friends of the Presumpscot River president, told The Windham Eagle in July that the surrounding ecosystem will suffer long-term as a result of the pond being drained.

“Biologically it’s set back for years,” Shaughnessy said. “You need to have upstream and downstream remediation.”

He said that the Friends of the Presumpscot River group wants the town to conduct an environmental study to determine the lasting and expansive impacts and determine future costs of infrastructure or programs that are needed for the park, river, and pond to get back to full biological health.

“If they just focus on filling it up and think it will be just like it was and that won’t happen,” said Shaughnessy. “The major concern is the impact on the fisheries by virtue of the water level going down. Other wildlife will be impacted such as turtles, clams, and birds of prey. The biological life that was lake oriented has been destroyed. The silt is going down impacting the lower impoundment. It’s a lake and there’s lots of water over many acres, then it goes down and now it’s all dried mud.” <

Windham Town Manager to chair WMS Repurpose Advisory Committee

By Ed Pierce

With ground about to be broken next month for construction of the new Windham Raymond Middle School, a town committee will undertake the important job of making recommendations to the Windham Town Council about how best the existing Windham Middle School can used once the new school opens in 2027.

Windham Town Manager Barry Tibbetts will lead the 
Windham Middle School Repurpose Advisory Committee
which will make recommendations to the Windham Town
Council about how to best use the school building once
the new Windham Raymond Middle School is opened
in the fall of 2027. PHOTO BY ED PIERCE  

During the July 9 Windham Town Council meeting, councilors took the step of appointing Windham Town Manager Barry Tibbetts as the chair of the Windham Middle School Repurpose Advisory Committee. By unanimous vote, councilors voted to have Tibbetts fulfill that role as a non-voting and impartial and objective member of the committee.

Council David Nadeau had originally proposed having either a town councilor or the town manager or assistant town manager chair the committee but ultimately withdrew having a councilor as a possible chair for the committee in an amended motion.

“We’ve gone through this before and want to make sure this committee has a little bit of structure and stays on task,” Nadeau said.

Councilor Jarrod Maxfield said having Tibbetts chair the committee makes sense because he is not an elected official.

“I don’t want people to say the council is hijacking it,” Maxfield said.

The purpose of the Windham Middle School Repurpose Advisory Committee will be to serve as an advisory body to the Windham Town Council for the analysis of potential re-uses for the Windham Middle School’s renovation design, documentation, construction and its potential benefit as a Community Center for the town.

The committee will provide a comprehensive recommendation to the Windham Town Council for consideration in making a final determination for the school building, which was first opened to students in 1974.

Committee members will use community engagement results from a study conducted in August 2019 which identified the need to create a multigenerational facility for all Windham residents that enhances the quality of life for Windham, provides flexible spaces for a range of activities, and is a self-sustaining site that fosters fun for residents.

It is expected that in repurposing the school building some existing Windham departments, such as the Windham Library, the Windham Parks & Recreation Department, Windham Social Services and Food Pantry and the town’s Medical Loan Closet could be included into new spaces there as well as providing flexible space for the community to engage in various activities.

Currently the Windham Public Library is housed in its own building at 217 Windham Center Road, while the Windham Parks and Recreation offices are at Windham Town Hall on School Road and Windham Social Services is housed in its own building at 377 Gray Road in Windham.

Members of the committee will be asked to evaluate and consider adaptive reuse plans by peer communities as templates when it considers proposing future uses for the facility and develop a conceptual plan using the boundaries of the existing school building. They also will be tasked with reorganizing/repurposing the facility’s space to improve the town employee work experience and customer service experience that encompasses health and safety, access, egress, and security, among other concerns.

The committee will perform a complete review of the condition, strengths and weaknesses of the building and how they relate to current and future town needs, recommend improvements to the building structure as appropriate for initial uses and possible phased uses and provide an operational budget for the facility, including maintenance, manpower, debt structure, and anticipated revenues and expenses.

At the July 9 meeting, three councilors were voted to serve on the Windham Middle School Repurpose Advisory Committee including Maxfield, Councilor Bill Reiner and Councilor Nick Kalogerakis.

Other committee members are appointed by the town council and the town manager (non-voting member); assistant town manager (non-voting member); Parks & Recreation Director (non-voting member); Parks & Recreation Advisory Committee Member; Library Director (non-voting member); Library Board of Trustees Member; Facilities & Grounds Manager (non-voting member); General Assistance Administrator (non-voting member); Age Friendly Windham Coordinator (non-voting member); two prior Community Center Ad Hoc Committee members; and two members of the general public.

Windham Town Council Chair Mark Morrison said that the committee will report regularly to the town council at their meetings during the Committee Reports section.

The Windham Middle School Repurpose Advisory Committee will be disbanded once it makes final recommendations to the Windham Town Council about the repurpose of the school building. <