Veteran celebrates 100th birthday with Windham family

By Ed Pierce

On Wednesday, the Rev. Robert “Bob” Canfield achieved a milestone that only 0.027 percent of people ever attain when he celebrated his 100th birthday at the Maine Veterans Home in Scarborough.

Debbie Hutchinson of Windham hugs her father,
the Rev. Robert 'Bob' Canfield, who celebrated
his 100th birthday on Wednesday at the Maine
Veterans Home in Scarborough with a party
attended by his grandchildren and great-
grandchildren. PHOTO BY ED PIERCE  

Canfield, a World War II veteran, celebrated his big day at a party hosted by his daughter, Debbie Hutchinson and her husband John of Windham. They feasted on cupcakes with relatives from around Maine and out of state, including two grandchildren, and two great-grandchildren.

Born in Beloit, Wisconsin on Feb. 12, 1925, Canfield was one of five children in his family growing up during the Great Depression. His father was a World War I veteran, and his mother stayed at home to care for the children.

During World War II, Canfield became what he calls “a dry land sailor,” assigned to a Navy ammunitions depot in Indiana where he worked with 5-inch Navy shells and black powder as a Fireman First Class.

Following his discharge at the end of the war, he completed studies at a junior college in Michigan before transferring to Greenville College in Illinois to obtain a four-year degree. One evening his college roommate told Canfield that the woman he was dating had a roommate who would go to a school dance with him. That evening, he walked to the girls’ dormitory on campus and met his blind date, a student named Helen Anderson who would become his wife a year later.

The couple embarked upon a life of service to others as Canfield entered the ministry as a Free Methodist clergyman and served at Light and Life Children’s Home in Kansas City, Kansas, then at three churches in New York state before moving to Maine and leading a church in Gardiner. They had two children, a daughter, Debbie, who has lived in Windham for more than 50 years, and her older brother, Daniel Canfield, who passed away two years ago. Helen died in 2018.

Always having been handy since he was a child, Canfield remains active at the veteran’s home and his room is filled with spare parts and mechanical gadgets for him to work on his hobbies.

“He paints, he makes box kites, and he works on building models of ships and a truck,” Hutchinson said.

When the weather is nice, sometimes Canfield is brought from the veteran’s home to visit his daughter and son-in-law at their home in Windham and he spends every Thanksgiving with them when he’s up to it.

Canfield has overcome more than a few health issues in reaching his 100th birthday.

He’s hard of hearing, he’s had a leg amputated, and is in a wheelchair, but his mind remains sharp, and his sense of humor is intact. He continues to read, watch television and carry on conversations with other veterans and staff members at the veteran’s home.

“I read the Bible every night until my eyes hurt,” Canfield said. “God is keeping me alive for some reason. Some of that may be to keep my daughter in line and to make sure she behaves.”

According to Canfield, he’s slowed adjusted to living at the Maine Veterans Home.

“They don’t give me what I want because I want everything,” he said. “I’m always working on crafts and projects in my spare time and I drive them crazy asking for everything I need for that.”

He attributes the secret to his longevity to his faith in God and living a clean life.

“I have never smoked, and I have never had any liquor,” Canfield said. “But I believe you never really know. Sometimes the righteous die young and some die old. It’s really all in the Lord’s hands.”

Now that Canfield has reached the milestone being 100 years old, he described what it feels like to be a centenarian.

“Honestly, being 100 years old is just like being 99,” he said. <

MARA offers valuable knowledge for creating and maintaining private roads in Windham

By Masha Yurkevich

The Town of Windham is made up of more than 60 miles of private roads and while they are a part of the town, it is every man for himself when it comes to private road maintenance.

The Maine Alliance for Road Associations is a nonprofit
corporation and a valuable resource for information about
private roads for residents seeking to establish a road
association to help maintain a private road and share
maintenance costs. Windham has more than 60 miles of
private roads currently within the town.
COURTESY PHOTO  

Nick Kalogerakis is a Windham Town Councilor representing constituents in the town’s South District and the issue of private roads concerns him.

“I have served on Road Associations and understand the complexities we deal with in keeping them maintained,” says Kalogerakis. “Private roads do not get the benefit of any help from the town or its Public Works Department. We cannot utilize anything from the town even though we pay the same rate in taxes as everyone else.”

This is where MARA comes in.

Started in 1998 by Betsy Connor Bowen, MARA, the Maine Alliance for Road Associations, is a nonprofit corporation with a volunteer board of directors that helps gather information for private roads and are a valuable resource for communities, whether it is providing guidance for starting a road association or providing knowledge of what can or cannot be done on private roads. It is a volunteer public service organization whose purpose is to help Maine homeowners who live on private roads and public citizens who may be considering this possibility.

Its purpose is, in part, the compilation and dissemination of information from many sources to help people living on private roads share maintenance costs and administer their road associations fairly and equitably. MARA is an advocate for fair and equitable laws relating to people living on private roads in Maine.

Anyone with an interest in private roads, their maintenance, shared costs of maintenance through an association of owners, and the environmental impact of such roads and maintenance may find useful information on the MARA website but only individuals, not Road Associations, can join MARA.

It is entirely volunteer-based and MARA’s purpose is to disseminate information to the communities about private roads. The organization has a wealth of knowledge and resources on their website including several discussion forums where you can search for a topic and read through it to gain information.

According to Kalogerakis, MARA is important to Windham because the town has more than 60 miles of private roads and many residents need help forming road associations and assistance in getting them set up and maintained properly.

“When we set up our road association on my private road, we were not doing it right,” says Kalogerakis.

During the 2024 MARA event that Kalogerakis attended he received two free books about private roads.

“These are not just books, but have photos in them that explain how to properly grade your roads, what type of materials to put on, what equipment to use, and how to avoid potholes. There are also photos showing why you see something on your road and how to fix it,” says Kalogerakis. “It is incredible the amount of information that is in these books and it is very helpful; I would love for road associations in Windham to have this knowledge.”

What private roads often look for is what material can they get inexpensively, and unaware that this could end up costing them even more.

“During our meeting, when we started talking about what to look for in a delivery of gravel, I was blown away,” says Kalogerakis. “This man was showing different photos of gravel, how they sift through it, and what to look for to make sure that the gravel you are paying for is the best. All gravel is not the same. You need the correct mixture to keep your road together and in its best condition for the long run. I guarantee that no one is doing this correctly, which is why our private roads have so many of the issues that they do. This would be very valuable information for Windham.”

He said that another valuable source of information about private roads is Peter Kaufmann, who works for the Maine Department of Transportation and is the executive director of Maine Private Roads Chapter for the MDOT, working with Public Works Directors and communities on private roads. Kalogerakis says that he has spoken to the Windham Assistant Town Manager Bob Burns about possibly having Kaufmann come and lead meetings in Windham soon for any road associations that want to learn more about what they can do to care for and to maintain their private roads.

“Kaufmann is a wealth of knowledge with his experience,” says Kalogerakis. “I think that having him talk here in Windham would be very valuable as Windham has over 60 miles of private roads and having information about how to properly care for them would be very helpful.”

More information about MARA can be found at www.maineroads.org <

Windham resident searching for kidney transplant donor

By Ed Pierce

A young Windham woman is optimistic that a kidney transplant will return her life to normalcy and give her back an opportunity at having a future.

Windham resident Katie St. Pierre was diagnosed
with IGA nephropathy last April. Starting
kidney dialysis immediately thereafter, she
was informed that she required a kidney
transplant and is actively seeking a kidney
donor for transplant surgery at Maine Medical
Center in Portland. COURTESY PHOTO, 

Katie St. Pierre, who will be 34 next month, was diagnosed with IGA nephropathy last April. It is a chronic kidney disease characterized by deposits of immunoglobulin A (IgA) antibodies in one of her kidneys, leading to inflammation and damage to the glomeruli, tiny filters that remove waste products from the blood.

“I was first diagnosed with IGA in April 2024,” St. Pierre said. “My case is considered hereditary, and I've probably had it my whole life, although I do not have any close family members with a similar condition.”

The biggest issues St Pierre has been experiencing are the extreme exhaustion that comes with IGA neuropathy and the buildup of fluids it causes.

“Imagine jumping in a pool fully clothed then walking around the rest of the day like that,” St. Pierre said. “I wake up every morning feeling like my limbs are made of lead.”

St. Pierre is a familiar face to many in the area, having worked in the bakery department at the North Windham Hannaford store since 2019. Born in South Portland, she is married and has lived in Windham since she was 5.

Upon receiving her IGA diagnosis last year and immediately starting on dialysis, doctors have advised St. Pierre that a kidney transplant is her best option for survival and to improve her quality of life.

“I was told I needed a transplant on the same day I got my diagnosis. I ended up being hospitalized for a little over a week after some blood work came back,” she said. “During that time, I had many tests done but for a definitive answer they had to do a kidney biopsy, basically taking a small sliver of your kidney and putting it under a microscope to see what's wrong.”

She said at first, she kept telling myself that it wasn't that bad, and she wasn't going to need anything as extreme as a transplant.

“I thought with medication I would be fine and after the biopsy they released me from the hospital,” St. Pierre said. “I hadn't even made it home yet before I got a phone call with the results. My kidneys were over 70 percent scar tissue and at this point I had limited function. I was hovering between 9 and 12 percent functionality and in contrast, the average person is at about 90 percent. My numbers had been rapidly decreasing. This was devastating news. I had been so happy to go home, I felt like I was failing my family, and I was going to be a burden.”

According to St. Pierre, she chose to undergo home dialysis treatment, called peritoneal dialysis or PD for short.

“At first I was doing five days a week but now I am doing a treatment every day,” she said. “I do eight and a half hours of treatment every night. It can be isolating at times knowing that I have to plug myself into a machine every night just to function at a limited capacity and it is extremely depressing. But I'm also very grateful to live in a time where I have these opportunities and the ability to survive.”

Through it all, St. Pierre has been able to continue working with the help of dialysis and other medications but unfortunately that is not sustainable long term, leaving her with no other option than to find a kidney donor for a transplant.

“If you or someone you know is willing to consider being a living kidney donor, I would be deeply grateful,” she said. “A living donation is a life-saving gift, and you could make all the difference in my journey or even someone else's. This experience has shown me the difficulties that so many are going through right now. All potential donors will be fully evaluated by medical professionals to ensure safety for both the donor and the recipient.”

Prior to needing a kidney transplant, St. Pierre loved attending craft fairs, county fairs, and town fairs. She enjoyed taking my dogs for walks around the many beautiful paths and parks in Windham and going to the movies and restaurants.

“Now I spend the majority of my free time sleeping,’ she said. “When I'm not working, I normally have doctor appointments or blood tests to take. I would like to say I'm able to get out there and do things, but right now I rest up for the things that I have to do. I hope that one day I can do the things that I simply want to do. I'm lucky enough to have an extremely supportive husband as well as family and friends. I was reluctant to tell people at first, but I've come to be able to talk openly and honestly about my day-to-day struggles.”

If she’s able to find a donor, St. Pierre’s surgery would be performed at Maine Medical Center in Portland. Recovery time varies from person to person, but she believes the standard recovery time is about two to four weeks, but it can take up to six or more depending on the person.

“I feel it is important to note that the medical coverage for the donor’s surgery will be covered through the receiver's insurance, however it doesn't cover any time lost from work and it may not cover certain aspects,” St Pierre said. “Definitely something to look into beforehand and I encourage everyone to do so.”

Mentally St. Pierre has been trying to remain as positive as possible given her circumstances but realizes it’s not easy to do but is thankful for an amazing support system.

“The most important thing I'd like people to know is that I hate that I have to ask this, and if I didn't have to I wouldn't,” she said. “I'm a private person and this isn't something I ever thought I'd have to do but it's something I need to do to increase my chances at a longer healthy life. While this will increase my lifespan, it's not a cure. I will continue to have this disease throughout my life. Unfortunately, kidney donations only last so long and I very well may need another donation in the future.”

To donate a kidney to help St. Pierre or someone else on the kidney transplant list, potential donors can register at mmc.donorscreen.org.

“To donate you must have the person’s full legal name,” St. Pierre said. “Mine is Katelyn St. Pierre, though everyone calls me Katie. Or you can choose to donate without having a specific person in mind.” <

Maine author eager to discuss new novel in Windham

By Ed Pierce

For Maine author Shannon Parker, the process of writing her new novel Love & Lobsters was as she describes it a lot like falling in love, fevered and intoxicated, as the story poured onto the page in under three months followed by roughly a year of editing.

Author Shannon Parker will appear at
Sherman's Maine Coast Book Shop in
Windham from 1 to 3 p.m. Saturday,
Feb. 8 to meet readers and discuss
her new novel 'Love & Lobsters.' It
is Parker's third book and copies will
be available at Sherman's during the
author's visit. COURTESY PHOTO

It is the third book that Parker has written and a unique take about love of community and friendship and the people and places that shape us here in Maine. She’ll be on hand to meet readers and promote the book from 1 to 3 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 8 at Sherman’s Maine Coast Book Shop in Windham.

The concept for Love & Lobsters came about as Parker was oddly thinking about how lobsters are cannibalistic when trapped together. A friend and I were texting about my weird thought when she made me laugh out loud.

“And in that moment, I was so grateful for hilarious banter with friends,” Parker said. It was really that random, four-minute exchange that inspired the main character and her best friend and the truth about lobsters. If you think about it, Mainers are some of the few who know lobsters aren’t holding claws under the slate sea, forever linked in love. Because of the popularity of the TV show Friends, Phoebe Buffay has spawned an industry devoted to love and ‘you’re my lobster’ devotion. So, I thought about how two friends could expose the world to the truth about lobsters in a funny, uniquely Maine way. I wrote a blog post in the main character’s voice, and then she began to take shape in my head. Her relationship with her best friend became clearer and funnier. And soon the entire cast of characters were crystal clear, as if they’d always lived in my head.”

According to Parker, her goal with this new novel is simple.

“When a reader finishes Love & Lobsters, I want them to hold the book close to their chest for a beat and love it enough to immediately gift it to someone they love,” she said.

She’s previously written The Rattled Bones, published under S.M. Parker, which explores the erasure of Midcoast Maine’s Malaga Island.

“The inspiration for that story came to me nearly 15 years ago when I was listening to a Maine Public Radio segment called: Malaga Island, a story best left untold. I disagreed,” she said. “My debut, The Girl Who Fell, explored how intoxicating first love can too easily become toxic. The idea for this story came to me when I was working with young adults in Rockland and a brilliant teen told me she was going to pass on her college scholarship because her boyfriend was afraid college would make her ‘too smart.’ The book explores how even the most accomplished, driven, intelligent people can fall for the wrong person – and what it takes to recover from a debilitating relationship built on the foundation of gaslighting.”

The most interesting aspect of this new novel though is how the main character tries to make sense of human relationships through the lens of lobsters, but readers have overwhelmingly connected to the community and kindness in the book, Parker said.

“Down East magazine called Love & Lobsters a ‘love letter to Maine,’ and that feels spot-on. There’s rugged beauty. Independence buoyed by community,” she said. “Characters who feel like people you know, or people you want to know. The hardness of life balanced with hilarity. Each reader will connect with the book differently, of course, but I think it would be a mistake for anyone who loves Maine to dismiss this as ‘just a romance’; it’s a novel that explores all the ways Mainers uniquely show up for one another as we live among bounty and beauty, love and wonder – and I hope that feels like a gift to everyone who reads this story.”

A native New Englander, Parker lives in Damariscotta, and didn’t know how to pronounce the name of the town when serendipity dropped her into the little village.

“I saw an old, neglected Greek Revival with its sagging roof, scars of disrepair, and swinging ‘For Sale’ sign and bought it two days later. I think my husband still has whiplash,” she said. “When my mother completed some genealogy work a few years later, we discovered my maternal great-grandparents lived 10 miles from my home. I’ve traveled to 38 countries across five continents but had still managed to return home in a way.”

Canadian author Margaret Atwood is Parker’s favorite author, full stop.

“In my writer-fantasy-mind, we are best friends, and I call her ‘Maggie’ and we laugh a lot. Like, a lot. She was, in many ways, the formative voice of my youth,” Parker said. “I grew up quite poor, in a home without books, and I redeemed cans to purchase tattered paperbacks at tired yard sales. Margaret Atwood has this famous quote, ‘a word after a word after a word is power’ and that woke something in 12-year-old me. It was both a road map and permission to follow that path. One step, then the next. Then the next. And then, a story. A voice.”

Parker calls herself a morning writer, and says she tries to slip away from kids and chores and other work on the days she writes.

“In addition to being an author, I’m an English professor and grant writer. I’m also in my thesis semester of my third master’s degree,” she said. “It’s a full, busy work life, for sure. So, I try to schedule two to three mornings a week to keep momentum. When I’m at the computer, I typically write for three hours at a stretch. But Love & Lobsters was largely conceived while I was kayaking. I’d return to my truck post-paddle and dictate my ideas into my phone. Then, I’d email the notes to myself. When I’d return to my working manuscript, I’d have entire scenes developed. Paragraphs of dialogue. Cures for plot or character holes. It was an amazing experience – unlike any process I’d ever engaged before.”

Simon & Schuster published Love & Lobsters, and it’s something Parker is grateful for.

“I’ve had such a great experience working with publishers and editors and agents. Really, I’ve been so fortunate,” she said. “My first two books were classified as Young Adult and were released by Simon & Schuster. Love & Lobsters is my adult debut, and it didn’t fit into the tidy ‘romance’ category for publishers – which is fair; it is definitely not a traditional romance. Love & Lobsters is my Maine take on romance because I am 1,000 percent in love with Maine’s coast, its tenacity, and its people. So, I took all I’d learned from working within the industry and struck out on my own, betting on Maine for interest in the book. Within days of its release, I had a major studio interested in film rights, as well as a smaller production company. The book’s been a bestseller at Sherman’s since its release. Creating a unique path for this book to be in the world was the best decision I ever made.”

Her family has been supportive of the new novel.

“I live in a house full of boys and they don’t read. They might be allergic. Unless it’s a technical manual, printed words on a page hold exactly zero interest for them. But this book was different,” Parker said. “They rallied around this story. I think it’s because we all see ourselves in one of the characters, or a bit of ourselves in each of the characters. As a family, we have a habit of honoring Big Love and Big Nature, and both are themes in the book. I recently lost my 20-year-old son in a car accident and the sorrow has been unbearable. Deafening and suffocating all at once. Like you’re leagues underwater but somehow, miraculously, you can still breathe. My son came to me in a non-traditional way and our love was fierce. But we had hard shells when we met; we’d both been hurt. We had to trust in the process of trust and keep showing up for each other. And we did, and it was beautiful. It is beautiful. And if I had to do it all over again, I would take the same leap of trust with him. Even now. Even knowing the heartbreak that sits on the other side of loss. Because this is love. It is immeasurable. Expansive. Terrifying. It both makes and breaks us. And it is worth it. Every time.”

She’s excited to meet Windham readers and discuss Love & Lobsters at Sherman’s next month.

“Meeting people is one of the singular joys of living. I love exchanging smiles and stories and dreams,” she said. “And Sherman’s is great. I mean, it’s Sherman’s. And readers should only consider buying a copy of Love & Lobsters if they want to read about love in all its forms – the love for land and sea; the love between grandparents and grandchildren; love found later in life; the love shared by best friends; love for the way the past shapes our present…and future, and the love that we are all capable of. Because love begets love begets love begets love. And who couldn’t use more love?” <

Lost and Found: 'Christmas Miracle’ answers Windham family’s prayers

By Ed Pierce

Christmas presents come in all shapes and sizes, yet for one Windham family this year, the enormity of the gift they have been given simply cannot be measured.

Kristina Atkinson and her son, Rylen, left, helped return
Noodle to his owners Sarah Walker and her daughter,
Eliza Symes last week. The cat had been missing
from his Windham home for more than three months
and his family had about given up hope that he would
ever be found. PHOTO BY ED PIERCE  

Sarah Walker of Windham and her daughter, Eliza Symes, 8, adopted Noodle, an orange kitten, from the Animal Refuge League three years ago and he rapidly became a beloved member of their family. He grew into a mischievous and friendly indoor cat with a huge personality and a large appetite who likes to perch at the top of the stairs in their home and observe his surroundings or to encourage hugs and attention from Eliza.

But on Saturday, Aug. 31 all of that changed. Sarah and Eliza couldn’t find Noodle anywhere in their home and believed he had somehow slipped out the door and become lost. They spent the remainder of Labor Day Weekend desperately searching for Noodle, walking up and down their street, searching under bushes and calling out his name. They posted on local community boards that he was lost and even notified the Maine Lost Cat Recovery Network praying and hoping someone would find Noodle and bring him home.

Days turned into weeks without knowing Noodle’s whereabouts and as the weeks turned into more than a month of the cat being lost, Sarah and Eliza’s optimism about finding him started to fade.

“I felt sad and didn’t think he’d come back,” Eliza said. “It was like losing my friend forever and I cried a lot.”

Sarah says she tried to remain hopeful for her daughter but that wasn’t easy as the weather began to turn colder at night in September and the calendar changed to October, and then on to November and eventually to December.

“After the first couple of weeks, I didn’t think he’d come home,” she said.

The mother and her daughter focused on recalling the good times with Noodle, who is known in their household as sort of a troublemaker.

“He’s very friendly but can get under your feet and trip you,” Sarah said. “I also think it was him who turned on the faucet and flooded our kitchen one time.”

Kristina Atkinson and her family live about a mile, or what amounts to a 10-minute walk, from Sarah Walker off Albion Road in Windham.

She said that on Nov. 8 she told her son, Rylen, 6, to use caution in letting their dog out in the backyard because she had briefly spotted what appeared to be an orange tail in her neighbor’s yard and thought it might be a fox.

Later that same day, Kristina noticed that some leftover chicken sitting on their grill was gone. She saw the orange tail again and observed that it didn’t belong to a fox, rather it was a large orange cat. She said she assumed the cat belonged to her neighbor.

A few days later her sister saw the male cat, sitting in the Atkinsons' driveway. And suddenly he was everywhere on their Ring cameras, showing up at 8 p.m., 11 p.m., 3 a.m. and at all hours of the day and night.

Despite her husband’s apprehension, Kristina started leaving some soft cat food outside her door for what she surmised was a homeless and lost orange cat. The cat would eat the food and leave, and it wouldn’t make eye contact with Kristina or Rylen.

But on Saturday evening, Dec. 7, Kristina opened the door when the cat was eating, and he appeared to be startled and walked about 20 feet away. But he suddenly turned and came back, sitting there still for about five minutes before approaching Kristina and letting her pet him. When she returned inside, he sat outside the door and cried to come inside.

Kristina and Rylen let the friendly cat in and found a warm space inside their garage for him and started to post on social media about finding him and looking for his owner. Her husband fell in love with the cat and thinks it may have found a warm spot in a nearby culvert to survive while lost.

“I had a woman from Raymond contact me and they thought he was their lost cat,” Kristina said. “They drove here and took the cat to their home and thought it was theirs.”

But as it turned out, it wasn’t their lost cat, who was much older and was polydactyl with multiple toes on its paws.

At 5 a.m. on Monday, Dec. 9, Kristina then read a Facebook post by Sarah looking for Noodle. She contacted Sarah and they agreed to meet later that day at the veterinarian’s office to see if the cat was Sarah’s. It seems Noodle had been microchipped when Sarah first got him, and the vet could determine if the cat found by Kristina was indeed the lost Noodle.

Kristina drove to Raymond and picked up the cat from the family who had originally thought it was theirs. She met Sarah at the veterinarian and within a few minutes, the microchip confirmed that the orange cat was the missing Noodle.

Before meeting Kristina at the vet though, Sarah had picked up Eliza from school.

“She did not know. I picked her up a little early and said I had a surprise, and that Noodle was in the car,” Sarah said. “Then we took him to the vet. I didn’t want to tell her we might have found him and then to have it not be him. She was happy and excited. I think she kind of didn’t believe it was him for a moment.”

Kristina and Rylen say they were pleased to have played a part in returning Noodle to his home after being lost for more than three months and one week.

“I keep telling people I lost my dad a year ago and he was a huge animal lover,” Kristina said. “I think he led Noodle to our house. My hope is this will inspire others to do this too.”

Noodle quickly adapted to being warm and back at his home.

“He had lost some weight but was a big cat to begin with,” Sarah said. “He’s been hungry ever since. I tell Eliza that Santa Paws helped him find Kristina and she knew how to get him back home.”

Sarah said she cannot begin to express her gratitude to Kristina for her kindness.

“We are very grateful for her going out of her way for us,” Sarah said. “It’s nice to know the community will help you if you need it.”

As for Eliza, she rarely takes her eyes off Noodle these days. 

“He hasn’t changed at all,” she said. “He’s my friend and if you ask me, it’s truly a Christmas miracle that he’s back home with the people who love him.” <   

Windham composer’s ‘Maine Christmas Song’ becomes illustrated children’s book

By Ed Pierce

When first approached several years ago about turning his beloved “Maine Christmas Song” into a children’s book, composer Con Fullam of Windham was open to the idea but wondered how it would turn out. His answer is a beautifully illustrated classic that just like the song, will stand the test of time.

The Maine Christmas Song book is based upon
Windham resident Con Fullam's popular tune.
Fullam will be signing copies of the book at
the 'An American Family Holiday' concerts
at 2 and 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 7 at 
Windham High School. SUBMITTED PHOTO

Fullam will be on hand at Windham High School for the Windham Chamber Singers “An American Family Holiday” concerts on Dec. 7 with copies of his book for purchase that he will autograph for the public. The “Maine Christmas Song” has been included in the “An American Family Holiday” concerts for decades.

Since Fullam composed the tune in 1986, the “Maine Christmas Song” has sold more than 100,000 copies and is the centerpiece of Christmas music set in the Pine Tree State. It’s been a holiday favorite of students and adults since it first hit the airwaves on WPOR as sung by Malinda Liberty and shows no signs of decreasing in popularity.

Publisher Stephanie Mulligan of Maine-based McSea Books first heard the “Maine Christmas Song” as a first grader growing up in Maine and always thought it would be great if it could be turned into a book.

“Like so many, I grew up with the song and always thought it could be a wonderful book with an important message, given the deep divide that we are experiencing today,” Mulligan said.

She sought out Fullam and pitched him the idea of using his song lyrics as a book filled with colorful illustrations. At the same time, Mulligan told an artist she knew in Otisfeld, Cynthia Baker, about the potential book and asked her to come up with some ideas for the book. As it turns out, Baker knew about the song because her husband had gone to college with Fullam.

Fullam grew up on a farm in Sidney and his father passed away when he was just 5, leaving behind his ukulele which his son learned how to play. Within a year of that, Fullam was playing guitar at church and school functions and by the time he was 10, he was performing on a Saturday night radio show in Waterville.

As an adult, Fullam’s love for performing, producing and songwriting lifted him to unprecedented heights in the music industry and five Emmy Award nominations. Along the way, he’s appeared on stage with such renowned artists as Bob Dylan, Johnny Cash, EmmyLou Harris, Joan Armatrading, John Sebastian, Asleep At The Wheel, Willie Nelson, The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, The Earl Scruggs Review, Richie Havens, and Tammy Wynette. He is also responsible for creating The Wompkees, a popular animated television series for children on PBS.

In Maine, Fullam has a prominent place in music for his “Maine Christmas Song”.

“Reporter Bob Elliott of Channel 6 was working on a story about Christmas music in 1986 and I had just moved back to Maine from New York,” Fullam said. “He asked me to write a song about Christmas and I agreed. It sounded like fun. I figured I would work on it over the next year, but I was wrong. Bob told me he needed it now and that changed my original plans.”

Sitting down to create the song’s music, everything came together faster than Fullam expected.

“Sometimes things just magically happen in songwriting,” he said. “I didn’t have time to think about it. The melody and words came gushing out and in 20 minutes it was done.”

His inspiration for the song’s lyrics came from his recollections of his early life in Sidney and many Christmas seasons he spent there with his family growing up.

Maine actor Gary Merrill, the former husband of actress Bette Davis, recorded the opening narration for “The Maine Christmas Song” and Fullam then asked his friend, singer Malina Liberty, to record the tune in Portland. When it was first released in November 1987, the song became an instant sensation with proceeds from sales donated to Maine Credit Union League’s “End Hunger” initiative.

According to Mulligan, it took about 18 months from coming up with the book idea to its completion.

She said she was thrilled with the final product.

“It represents generations before us, but the message is timeless,” Mulligan said. “We’re trying to preserve the goodness and sharing with others.”

Fullam, who is included in the 2023 Marquis edition of “Who’s Who in America,” said he was delighted when he saw a proof of the “Maine Christmas Song” book.

“I really had no idea how it would turn out, but it was great,” he said. “The feedback I get about it is always wonderful. People all have stories about the song and what it’s meant to them and how it’s been a part of their lives.”

The “Maine Christmas Song” books are available in bookstores and gift shops throughout Maine, and online at McSeabooks.com and Amazon.com. <

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.” <

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.” <

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. <

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.” <

Windham waterskier part of new Guinness World Record

By Masha Yurkevich

It is not often that the little state of Maine gets recognized for something on an international level, but Brian Eastman of Windham and his team of barefoot waterskiers have changed that by setting the world record for the most barefoot waterskiers towed behind a single boat.

Bran Eastman of Windham was part of a group of 42 barefoot
waterskiers towed behind a powerboat who established a new
Guinness World Record at Lake Dubay in Wisconsin on
Sept. 14. SUBMITTED PHOTO   

Brian Eastman was part of a barefoot waterskiing group that set a new world record of 42 barefoot waterskiers earlier this month. Eastman currently lives on Highland Lake and grew up in Windham. He has been waterskiing on Highland Lake for 50 years and has been a barefoot waterskier for 42 years.

Eastman is the youngest of five children and his older siblings were always involved in water sports and that helped foster Eastman’s interest in waterskiing. He learned to waterski when he was 8, has been a barefoot water-skier since he was 16, and has been in and out of the water ever since. As a teenager, Eastman belonged to a local waterski club that staged water skiing shows locally.

His passion for the sport made him want to pursue a career in that field. In 1985, he landed a job at SeaWorld in Orlando. Eastman currently works as a licensed master electrician.

“I think it was the excitement, the adrenaline, that made me want to start,” says Eastman. “The difference between regular waterskiing and barefoot waterskiing is essentially the fact that you are going without skis, but you are instead going on your two bare feet. And in order to go on two feet without skis, you need to go much faster. So, for example, if you are typically going 20 mph with waterskis, then you would be going 40 mph without skis. It is much faster, and you also need to have the correct body posture for it to work. Once you are going, you are on your bare feet skimming across the surface at a much higher speed that regular waterskiing.”

According to Eastman, there is an organization that has been trying to set world waterskiing records since 2015 located in the Wisconsin area, which was initially called “Chain of Records,” and they set out to establish records of a large quantities of people doing different kinds of skiing behind a boat.

This year, it is being promoted as the “Big Pull 2024.”

“I came across their activities when they last did an event like this in 2021,” says Eastman. “I reached out to them saying that if they were ever to do an event like this again, I would be very interested in joining. They reached out to me in April of this year saying that they would try to beat their previous record of 38 barefoot waterskiers.”

At the event, there were 50 barefoot waterskiers chosen to participate from around the country in the lineup, and Eastman was one of those selected.

The event was held on Sept. 14 in Lake Dubay, Wisconsin and Eastman and his wife drove 20-plus hours one way just to get there.

“Last year, they were only able to have 38 people due to horsepower restrictions on the boat,” says Eastman. “They had the biggest boat possible and at the time, that was the most that they could do. The difference this year is that they had a bigger boat and more horsepower, and consequently, the idea was that we could beat that previous record.”

When the record was indeed broken, it was broken as a team, he said.

“It was not just the people on their bare feet who broke the record, it was the boat drivers, the safety personnel, and all the support staff,” says Eastman.

There were waterskiers participating in the “Big Pull 2024” representing five different states, with Eastman being the one who lived the furthest from Wisconsin.

“I am very fortunate to have been chosen,” says Eastman. “I was skiing with the best show skiers in the country, the best of the best.”

There was quite an age gap between the barefoot skiers, with the youngest being 14 years old and the oldest being 65.

“It was quite a spectrum of all age groups, and it was very nice to see that,” Eastman said. “I thought that when I went out there, I would be the oldest guy, but there were at least six other people who were older than myself.”

The “Big Pull” event itself was originally created in 1999 by the Badgerland Water Ski Show Team and Aqua Skiers Water Ski Show Team. It was intended to bring together members of the two teams to attempt the largest waterski pyramid ever with at the time, the only triple rigged waterski boat in existence. Over the years, the event has evolved into a semi-annual event gathering talented members of various waterski teams from across the country to attempt larger and larger records in various waterski disciplines.

Since its inception, a total of 11 different Guinness World Records for waterskiing have been established, including the one Eastman was part of this month. <

Cyclist overcomes disability to complete gravel bike race

By Kaysa Jalbert

Gabby Sinotte was born without her left hand, so when she wanted to learn how to ride a bike like her older brother, her father taped a Styrofoam cup to her bike handlebars where she could place her wrist to steer. She’s come a long way and this past August, Gabby Sinotte traveled from Windham to compete in her first gravel bike race in Steamboat Springs, Colorado, with her fiancée, Brian Duggan, and beat her own record time by 45 minutes.

Born without a left hand, Gabby Sinotte of Windham has 
overcome her disability and completed the 57-mile
SBT GRVL cycling race in Colorado in August.
COURTESY PHOTO  

Sinotte competed in the 57-mile SBT GRVL race, a world-class gravel cycling event held annually in Steamboat Springs, Colorado, and was determined to complete the race in four and a half hours, but to her own amazement, she finished in three hours and 45 minutes.

“So much faster than I was anticipating,” said Sinotte. “I was crying before I think I even crossed the finish line because I was just like wow, I can't believe I did that.”

She completed the race, not with a cup taped to her handlebars, but with her own prothesis that she has been developing over the past few years. Sinotte is a prosthetist which allows her to make personalized prosthesis for bike riding.

“It’s been a progression over the course of three years,” Sinotte said. “I started with what kind of looked like a Lego hand that connects right onto the handlebar and it slowly built up my confidence riding. Now I have a kind of ball-and-socket joint that connects on my handlebar which allows me to stand and pedal which I've never done before. It gave me all the confidence to ride bikes at a higher level and I think once I got to that point, I was like ohh, the next step is doing a bike race.”

Sinotte started biking with her fiancée about five years ago following a situation that led to a silver lining. In 2019, when the couple was living in Northern California, they came home to find Duggan’s bike and skis had been stolen from their garage. The money they were able to use from renter’s insurance helped Sinotte purchase her own bike, and she has been riding with Duggan since.

“It was a horrible situation that turned really good,” said Duggan.

Sinotte found a group online that was advertising to build a team of athletes for the SBT GRVL Race. Sinotte says she thought to herself, “this looks fun,” so she signed up and didn’t think much more about it until one day in November, to her surprise, she got an email saying she had been selected on one of the teams.

Duggan also participated in the race.

“It’s an event that sells out and it's a lottery system. I was going either way, either being #1 fan or racing myself but yeah, I got to race,” said Duggan cheerfully.

For the next 10 months, the couple prepared and trained harder than ever before. When they arrived, they were provided with lodging at an adaptive ranch that was made for people with disabilities and has adaptive facilities.

The race took place from Aug. 15 to Aug. 18. The couple traveled the course to familiarize themselves with what was ahead, but also to be able to stop and take in some of the scenery along the route.

“The thing I love about bikes is it's a way to get outside and you can cover so much more ground than if you were walking but also go to way cooler places than if you were just in the car,” says Sinotte.

Gabby said she can get frustrated when biking with Brian because he is “always way faster than me,” but she reminds herself that he is built biologically differently than him, “and he has been cycling for 15 years. In the end, Duggan only beat Sinotte by two minutes.

“I'm blown away by how much she's been able to do on a bike in not very long,” said Duggan. “She's blowing people out of the water.”

Sinotte and Duggan train on their bikes year-round and say their favorite ride in Windham is Swett Road, a dirt road that the two always try to go very fast on. Sinotte plans to continue training and has thoughts of possibly competing in the 2028 Paralympics. <

Windham resident becomes living organ donor

By Andrea Elder-Bruns
Special to The Windham Eagle

So, have you done anything ‘big’ lately? For one Windham resident, the answer is a resounding yes. That resident is Barbara “Billie” (Carlin) LaVallee, and if you met her, you’d likely have no idea what she has recently experienced and accomplished. Billie just donated a large portion of her liver to save the life of a person suffering from acute liver disease. This makes her a so-called “living donor.”

Billie LaVallee of Windham became a living
organ donor when she voluntarily gave part
of her liver to a stranger during a transplant
operation at Lahey Medical Center in
Massachusetts. She was inspired to become
a donor by her husband, Dan, a cancer
survivor. PHOTO BY ED PIERCE   

Most people are familiar with posthumous organ donation, where organs are harvested from a deceased person and transplanted into a recipient. But many are less familiar with the notion of donating an organ while the donor is alive. Billie agreed to share her story and her experience in hopes of raising awareness about this life-saving endeavor.

LaVallee, 54, grew up in Windham and has deep roots here. She and her husband, Dan, recently purchased a home and moved back to Windham. Billie works for the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) and as a dental hygienist. She has three adult sons and is active in corporate track and field competitions. She and Dan are enthusiastic travelers who share a strong interest in our National Parks.

Billie and I are lifelong friends, and I know that Billie has done lots of noteworthy things in her life, but perhaps none quite as incredible as her choice to become a living donor. That said, Billie is adamant that her decision to do this does not classify her as a “hero.”

In fact, when that word comes up, she is quick to highlight that the real heroes in the realm of organ donation/transplantation are the individuals who persevere through daily pain and hardship while waiting in the hope of a donation to be available. She is also quick to mention the surgeons and medical staff whose skill and hard work make this whole process possible.

It was my idea to write this article, and I broached the topic knowing full well that Billie might initially resist. Visions of headlines about a local woman becoming “a hero” were repugnant to her. As Billie and I talked, though, it became clear that in sharing her story and her personal experience, her community could be made aware of the very notion of living organ donation, and of the life-changing possibilities it brings.

INSPIRATION

Billie credits a friend and former co-worker with inspiring her interest in exploring living organ donation.

"This friend spearheaded our office's participation in National Donate Life Blue & Green Day, which is celebrated every year in April,” she said. “We would wear blue and green that day to raise awareness about organ donation. Sadly, my friend became ill and in an ironic and tragic twist of fate, she died from liver disease."

She was also inspired by her husband.

“Throughout his life he has worked hard to maintain a healthy lifestyle by religiously exercising, maintaining a healthy weight, eating well, etc.,” she said. “Despite his efforts he has been both unlucky and lucky in regards to his health. He is a cancer (unlucky) survivor (lucky) and had to undergo open heart surgery due to a congenital heart defect.”

Billie does not take her good health for granted.

"It is a blessing, and living donation was a way for me to give back. It’s not realistic for everyone though,” she said. “People give back in all sorts of ways, some give their time, money, knowledge, compassion, blood and through their vocations, as well as many other ways. For me it just so happened to be part of my liver. I have also been a lifelong blood donor and plan to resume blood donation after my required six-month deferral."

The process began with a phone call to the Lahey Medical Center’s Transplant Program. This got the ball rolling and led to some initial blood work for her.

“I was also encouraged to apply for financial assistance through the National Living Donation Center (NALDC) which is a non-profit organization who often assists eligible donors with costs such as travel expenses, lost wages, and dependent care costs," she said. "For example, NALDC covered the cost of my husband’s hotel stay postoperatively. It’s also important to note that many employers have organ donation programs, such as mine, which paid me lost wages while I was out. In addition, donors are not responsible for any of their medical costs as the recipient’s insurance plan covers the donor’s expenses."

The work-up to be accepted as a live donor is extremely comprehensive. After the initial blood work came back favorable, Billie was scheduled for two days of tests at Lahey Hospital in Burlington, Massachusetts. The exams ran the gamut and included a chest x-ray, echocardiogram, stress test, abdominal MRI, a psych evaluation, a surgical evaluation and more.

The time from her acceptance to the actual procedure was less than three months.

"I was accepted as a living donor shortly after my mid-February evaluations," she said. "I donated on May 1 and did not know the recipient at the time of donation."

The day of her surgery was very emotional as she was concerned about what a long day it would be for her husband and children.

"I believe that the waiting is the hardest part,' Billie said. "I had it easy as I was going to have a long nap. I was also anxious as to what the outcome would be. Would sharing my liver change the life of my recipient? I was prayerful. The surgery took place at Lahey Hospital in Burlington, Massachusetts. There are no liver transplant programs in Maine."

SURGERY

The surgery was about seven hours on a Wednesday, and she was released early the following Monday.

"The first couple of weeks were rough despite my pain being well controlled. I had a reaction to one of the pain meds and had some nausea and vomiting on postop Day 3," Billie said. "Imagine how little fun it is vomiting with a new incision that runs vertically from the thorax just below my belly button. Fortunately, that did not last long."

According to Billie, getting quality sleep was also a challenge.

"Getting out of bed and even rolling over were suddenly a Herculean feat. I also had an abdominal drain that was removed immediately before discharge from the hospital. The wound site from this drain was still discharging fluid and I would often wake up having soaked through the bandaging and my pajamas. Napping suddenly became an essential part of my existence."

She began walking, more like shuffling, in the hospital and continued upon returning home.

"The first day I slowly ambled about my neighborhood about one-quarter of a mile. After week one I was able to get out several times a day and began gradually increasing the distance and speed. She felt remarkably well and almost back to normal at about six weeks, returning to work after eight weeks with restrictions not to lift anything above 20 pounds.

"At this point I had also begun to run again and by the end of July I was able to lightly return to competing with my corporate track and field team," she said.

The experience was what she expected.

"I was well prepared for the experience thanks to the wonderful transplant team at Lahey as well as my mentor and now friend, Lynn," Billie said. "Lynn has donated both a kidney and part of her liver and works for the National Kidney Donation Organization."

HUMBLING EXPERIENCE

But despite being well prepared for the surgery itself, Billie said that the experience was humbling.

"I am so grateful to the Lahey Hospital and Transplant Program staff, my surgeons, and the entire nursing staff," she said. "I wish I had known a bit more of how losing your gallbladder can affect your digestion. Gallbladders are removed along with your liver donation. I took Pepcid, as prescribed, for 90 days postoperatively to alleviate acid reflux. I also learned to eat several smaller meals. I am happy to report that I am no longer having any issues.

As far as doing anything differently, Billie advises to have extra boxes of gauze and bandages on hand.

"Like I mentioned my incision site from my drain leaked for days and I ran out of dry dressings," she said. "One of my sisters came to the rescue and delivered a fresh supply. "If thinking about becoming a living organ donor, I would advise them to start with finding a mentor. I would be honored to speak with anyone who might be interested. Lynn was such a Godsend to me. We discussed the big stuff as well as the small little details that you may not feel comfortable asking a surgeon, like 'Will I get constipated?' or 'Will I be able to shower?' The answers respectively are: 'most likely' and 'not until just before you are discharged.'

She says be prepared for lots of needles.

“While hospitalized, I had IVs in both arms, one in my hand, and one in the jugular vein in my neck," Billie said. "I also received heparin shots daily (to prevent blood clots). Fortunately I am much more afraid of spiders than needles. I would also encourage a potential living donor to have candid conversations with their family and loved ones. Family support is crucial."

Billie said she can’t begin to convey the gratitude that she has for all those who have supported her on this journey and says thanks.

"Several people have suggested that I am a 'hero.' I adamantly disagree with this. I am however someone who has been blessed with good health, a loving husband, children, family, friends and community," she said. "Living donation is not possible without a team of real heroes surrounding you. I continue to think about the complexity of the surgery and the skills and competence of the surgeons. I recently found a video on YouTube and am awed with the intricate nature of the surgery. Interestingly, the liver is the only organ that regenerates."

Recently she had the opportunity to meet the recipient and his wife.

“It’s so hard to describe the magic of the moment. I am ecstatic to share that Mark is doing remarkably well," she said. "He is resuming beloved activities such as going to camp and hiking in the woods. We have stayed in touch and text frequently. We also are planning another outing in a couple of weeks. His amazing wife is currently going through the work-up to be a potential living donor."

Her goal in sharing her experience is to raise awareness about the living donation process and the impact it can have on the lives of people like Mark.

"I am hoping for a domino effect," Billie said. "If I can inspire one person to be a living donor and they in turn inspire another, just imagine the number of lives that can be changed."

If you would like to learn more, Billie recommends checking out Donate Life America’s website donatelife.net. Those wishing to contact Billie directly can reach her at barb.lavallee1@gmail.com. <