Windham resident's accident leads to children's book

By Kaysa Jalbert

Rosemary Ramsdell was driving on Route 302 on a sunny day in October 2016 on her way to North Conway to meet a friend and do some shopping in the area. Only one month into her retirement, Ramsdell said to herself on the drive, “It’s a gorgeous day and I am free.”

Rosemary Ramsdell of Windham survived a devastating 
accident and was helped by a therapy cat named Andy,
who became the subject of a children's book she wrote
called 'Andy The Kitten's Forever Home.'
COURTESY PHOTO  

As she approached the town line with Raymond, trucks took up half the road as workers in lifts cut down trees, meaning only one lane of traffic was able to pass at a time. The traffic flagger held up the slow sign as everyone began slowing down, including Ramsdell who was keeping her distance from the large van in front of her that had, what she described as, a large thick object like a rolled-up carpet, sticking out of the back. She recalls watching the van and thinking to herself, “It would be awful if I went right into that” and proceeded to stay several feet back.

It was only seconds later that she was struck from behind by a speeding driver, her car being pushed forcefully into the van in front of her. Her body had missed the large thick object she had worried so much about, but that doesn’t mean Rosemary’s life wasn’t about to change forever.

“I am not the person that I was before,” says Ramsdell who suffered a traumatic brain injury and PTSD when her head went back and forth so forcefully in the accident that it caused her brain to hit her skull, damaging her frontal lobe.

Seven years later, Rosemary Ramsdell, also known as Rosie, is the author of her first book "Andy The Kitten’s Forever Home," a story told by her ragdoll cat Andy who accompanied and comforted Ramsdell during her toughest times of recovery.

“I was very lonely, living a very lonely sad life and I couldn’t sleep at night. It was like climbing a mountain and walking around with a black cloud on top of your head,” Ramsdell said. “I never smiled. Andy brought my smile back. He was so funny, and he would cuddle with me, and I would talk to him. He always slept with me and even now when I can’t sleep, I just listen carefully to his purring, and it puts me right to sleep.”

It wasn’t until six days after the accident when Ramsdell realized that something was wrong. She was at her daughter’s house babysitting her three grandsons when a wave sickness took over. It was in that moment, she said, things started to go bad. 

The damage to her brain from the accident caused Ramsdell to lose much of her basic abilities taught in school as a child, such as reciting the alphabet, how to count, the ability to spell and do simple math. It also threw off her balance and peripheral vision, her speech, motor skills, and memory were all affected.

She spent the next 10 months in rehabilitation, working with a team of therapists when one day, as Ramsdell was at home with Andy, she picked up a pen and a note pad and started writing about her ragdoll's life.

“It just happened. I can’t tell you how it happened because it just happened,” said Ramsdell. “I didn’t even start on a computer because I didn’t know how to use one. I taught myself Word and it just started to flow because it was something very dear to my heart.”

It was in 2018 when Ramsdell adopted Andy and it wasn’t fate that had brought them together. She had a ragdoll for most of her life prior and felt it was exactly what she needed in her new life living with TBI. She had found Andy at Paws and Claws in Windham amongst his four sisters.

“My life was so small it was a miracle that I found him, and he has just become such a good part of my life,” says Ramsdell. “Being able to write has been a gift and Andy is my inspiration.”

The book "Andy The Kitten’s Forever Home" and Rosemary’s story has served as an inspiration for others who struggle with Traumatic Brain Injuries and PTSD. Ramsdell says many of the people who reach out to her have been veterans and she has since encouraged others to get pets to help them deal with PSTD and brain trauma.

She is now working on her second book that will feature her other furry friend, Cali, and talk about a pet’s life during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Rosemary Ramsdell came to the United States when she was 23 from Scotland and has lived in Maine since. She is a mother and a grandmother and has been married to her husband Alan for 33 years who she says has been her rock throughout her recovery and she is so grateful for her family. <

Historical Society gearing up for Fall Harvest Festival

By Kaysa Jalbert

There’s no better way, or better backdrop, to celebrate the arrival of autumn than at an event in Windham Center sponsored by the Windham Historical Society

The Windham Historical Society's Fall Harvest Festival
is a free family event being held from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Saturday, Oct. 7 at the historical society's Village Green
in Windham Center. FILE PHOTO

Members of the Windham Historical Society are hosting the Fall Harvest Festival for a day packed with old-fashioned family fun from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 7 at the historical society’s Village Green in Windham Center.

Participants can look forward to a craft fair, food booths, fun games for kids, several crafters in pop-up tents and an assortment of local vendors. There will be three performances in the Village Green Gazebo throughout the event, one being the Maine Fiddler, Erica Brown and the Bluegrass Connection. Brown has performed as the opening act for Grammy-Award winning country music superstar Dwight Yoakum, and another legendary Grammy winner, Ricky Skaggs, along with collaborating with the Portland Symphony Orchestra and the Bangor Symphony Orchestra,

For those who like competitions, the Fall Harvest Festival will include a pumpkin carving contest, a pie eating contest, and a relay race, all with prizes available for winners that will be announced at the end of the event.

The Fall Harvest Festival is a first-time offering that the Windham Historical Society is hosting this year, but it is the goal of historical society members to make it an annual event in Windham.

“We hope that we can do this every year,” says Linda Lunt, Treasurer of the Windham Historical Society. “Many people don’t know who we are, and they don’t know what the Village Green is, so this is to show who we are and what we do.”

All Village Green buildings will be open during the festival for tours, including the Old Grocery that used to sit on the corner of Windham Center Road and Route 202 but made an historic move to the Windham Historical Society’s Village Green Living History Village on Oct. 30, 2020, where it has now become a living history museum that replicates a grocery store of the late 19th century.

“It’s just our past and it shouldn’t be forgotten,” says Lunt. “There are people my age who will come through and say, “I remember that!” or little kids that come through and say “wow!” and they don’t realize that there weren’t grocery stores and things like that around. We had to do canning and make our own foods and iron with cast irons, and it was very different back then. It’s nice to see their faces and see that they are getting a glimpse of the past and it’s nice to carry that on to our kids.”

The Fall Harvest Festival is a sponsored event that will be free to all ages with donations accepted throughout the event.

The Windham Historical Society purchased the land that once belonged to the Reeves family in 2010, when it included a house, a barn, a workshop, and a shed plus two acres of fields that abutted the Historical Society grounds. At first, the house was rented out for income as buildings started being moved onto the land. The South Windham Library was the first to move from its original location of almost 100 years on the Windham/Gorham town line to the Village Green.

Some of the old Reeve’s family buildings have been transformed, such as the Reeve’s Gun Shop that is now a genuine replica of a schoolhouse of the late 1890s. Windham students in grades 3 and 5 are given the chance to dress up and have living history classes in the schoolhouse.

A blacksmith shop was built on the land with the help of volunteers in 2018. The gazebo was added then in 2019 with hopes to host concerts or perhaps a wedding in this charming setting.

Most recently, in 2020, the Society raised $41,000 to fund the removal and relocation of the Old Grocery store from the corner of Windham Center Road and Route 202 to the Village Green grounds.

The Windham Historical Society aims to promote interest in the history of the town by presenting relevant public programs, providing educational opportunities, and maintaining historical facilities where displays of the towns past are available. <

MTCCA awards recognize contributions of Windham Town Clerk, Deputy Clerk

By Ed Pierce

It was a clean sweep for Windham as Town Clerk Linda Morrell and Deputy Town Clerk Judy Vance were honored for their exceptional service to the community during the Maine Town and City Clerk Association’s 28th Networking Day and Annual Meeting held at the Augusta Civic Center on Sept. 12.

Windham Town Clerk Office members display awards
they were presented during the Maine Town and City
Clerk Association's 28th Networking Day and Annual
Meeting on Sept. 12 in Augusta. From left are
MTCCA's 2023 Deputy Clerk of the Year and
MTCCA's 2023 Clerk of the Year Linda Morrell.
PHOTO BY BECKY WOODBURY  

Morrell was presented with the 2023 MTCCA Town Clerk of the Year Award while Vance received the 2023 MTCCA Deputy Town Clerk of the Year Award. The award program was established in 1991 to recognize excellence both in their contributions to their community as well as to the profession of the municipal clerk and deputy town clerk and are the highest honors awarded by the MTCCA.

Moving with her parents to Windham at age 14 while in her freshman year in high school, Morrell graduated from Windham High School in 1978. She started working as a deputy clerk for the Town of Windham and following seven years of serving in that position, she has spent the last 29 years as the Windham Town Clerk. Before coming to work for the town, Morrell spent eight years as a ballot clerk during elections and was a stay-at-home mother. Her husband was a shift worker and when she was offered the job as deputy clerk over the phone, she eagerly accepted, launching a lengthy career of service to the public in Windham.

Among her duties as Town Clerk, Morrell serves as Windham’s Supervisor of Elections, be it municipal, county, state, or presidential elections. She also oversees two full-time and one part-time town clerk’s office staff members and she’s responsible for the town’s dog registrations; the sales of hunting and fishing licenses; officiating weddings; maintaining the town’s vital statistics; overseeing state boat and automobile registrations; providing notary service; swearing elected municipal officials into office; helping collect tax payments for the town; and serving as the secretary for the Windham Town Council.

She has said that her greatest challenge as Windham Town Clerk is staying knowledgeable about updated rules and regulations and being able to educate the public and training her staff members about those changes, she said.

In 2007, Morrell was awarded lifetime certification for her town clerk duties from the State of Maine at Maine Municipal Association. Through the years, she served the association in various capacities and continues her education to stay current on laws and procedures and completing all lifetime certification requirements. Morrell also met all qualifications and requirements to be enrolled as a member of the International Institute of Municipal Clerks, allowing her to use the title of Certified Municipal Clerk in all 50 states.

With all her duties, Morrell puts in many long hours and late nights on behalf of the town, especially during election season and attending every Windham Town council meeting every other week.

Married and the mother of two grown sons, Morrell lives on a farm in town and has said that her work remains as meaningful to her now as it was the day she started.

“I want everyone to know that we are here for them whenever they need us,” Morrell said. “We all enjoy our jobs here and we try to be friendly all the time. We’re fortunate to have a great staff here and the public really seems to like them. I love my job and it is a privilege to serve this community as the Town Clerk.”

Morrell was nominated for the award by Vance and supported for the MTCCA award by numerous department supervisors of the Town of Windham.

Vance is a Windham native who has worked for the Windham Town Clerk’s office for 26 years, serving as the town’s registrar of voters and a Deputy Town Clerk.

Among her many duties, Vance processes all vital records for Windham along with hunting, fishing, and business licenses, and administers two elections per year, with an occasional special election. Her department also helps as needed with processing registrations for motor vehicles, boats, ATVs, and snowmobiles, as well as processing taxes.

Raised in Windham and a graduate of Windham High School and the University of Southern Maine, Vance married her high school sweetheart, and they live in Windham, where they have raised two daughters. Along with their significant others and children, the daughters live in the same neighborhood as Vance and her husband.

Despite all the years of working for the clerk’s office, Vance still finds the job interesting and challenging.

“It seems like every day we’re learning something new,” she said.

She was nominated for the MTCCA Deputy Clerk of the Year Award by Morrell, so those attending the meeting in Augusta said that both Morrell and Vance both knew the other one was getting the award they received but they did not know they were each receiving awards.

The MTCCA Town Clerk of the Year Award is presented annually to a municipal clerk who is nominated by their peers and recognizes excellence both in their contributions to their community as well as to the profession of municipal clerk. Award recipients provide service and contributions beyond just that of the municipality in which they serve by active participation in the state and/or county clerks associations and demonstrate a socially responsible approach toward their community and promoting the cause of good local government.

The MTCCA Deputy Town Clerk of the Year Award is presented annually to a deputy municipal clerk who is nominated by their peers and recognizes excellence both in their contributions to their community as well as to the profession of deputy municipal clerk. Award recipients are honored for their expertise and for work in their Town Clerk’s Office that goes above and beyond what is required by the job title, and they are committed to improving municipal government and their community. <

Windham Chamber Singers prepare for 36th year of performances

By Jolene Bailey

Music is a form of expression which surrounds us all. Focusing on the arts, anyone of all ages can develop interests within. Windham High School’s Chamber Singers display a plethora of experiences inside music and personal skills.

Tickets will go on sale at 8 a.m. Monday, Oct. 2 for the
Windham Chamber Singers' holiday tradition 'An American
Family Holiday' concert which will be featured during two
performances on Saturday, Dec. 2 at the Windham
Performing Arts Center. SUBMITTED PHOTO 

The Windham Chamber Singers is a choir of high school students in grades 9 to 12 who perform classical music in concert settings under the direction of Conductor Dr. Richard Nickerson, who has not only helped impact students to grow as musicians, but also adapt senses of passions and navigate into lifelong habits.

“The chamber singers offer a sense of responsibility, accountability, purpose, and even a sense of being on time,” Nickerson said.

He had founded the current group of Windham Chamber Singers in the fall of 1988.

“The thing that has stayed the same is the people with the desire to achieve excellence,” Nickerson said. “Students come into the group with such high expectations and knowing the bar is high and tasked with upholding those standards.”

Activities for the Windham Chamber Singers change year to year. This year, they will be singing at the open ceremony at the Cumberland Fair. Based on activities like this can lead to forming new traditions according to the invitations.

“One of our old traditions was in the fall, we’d all go apple picking as a bonding activity. These activities can help us grow as a group and when traveling often, it’s good to know everyone’s personalities,” said Nickerson.

Here in Windham, the most popular event for the Windham Chamber Singers year after year is the presentation of a beloved holiday tradition, An American Family Holiday concert. Two concerts will take place on Saturday, Dec. 2, at the Windham Performing Arts Center with performances at 2 and 7:30 p.m. This heartwarming event is set to captivate audiences of all ages and promises to be a memorable experience for families, friends, and music enthusiasts alike. Tickets will go on sale at 8 a.m. on Monday, Oct. 2.

This year’s An American Family Holiday concert will welcome back Daniel Strange, a WCS alumnus who is on the faculty at the University of Miami. Also returning will be crowd favorite, Ashley Liberty. The concert headliner will be Broadway’s Clyde Alves, who has an impressive Broadway resume that includes his recent performance in the Tony-nominated production of New York, New York. In addition to his work on Broadway, Alves is a New York based singer- songwriter and lover of the acoustic guitar. His music bridges multiple genres including folk, rock, soul, reggae and pop infused with multilayered honest and transparent lyrics.

“We are excited to share the stage with Alves and continue our tradition of bringing the highest quality performers to Windham," said Nickerson.

The concerts will honor many local traditions and also introduce some new surprises and longtime host, Kim Block, will return as Master of Ceremonies.

Tickets are priced at $10 to $32 for reserved seating and can be purchased by calling 207-892-1810 ext. 2875 or online at www.windhamchambersingers.com

WHS students who join the Chamber Singers say that it is an exceptional activity to be involved in.

“Chamber Singers has been one of the most amazing things I’ve had the privilege of experiencing. I joined in late 2020, during the height of the global pandemic, I wasn’t given the normal start that most were,” said Abi Coleman, who serves as president of the group. “We rehearsed 16 feet apart on baseball fields, on Zoom calls, and in rooms that we had to leave and ventilate after 30 minutes of use. Now we’re on the other side of it, I am so endlessly grateful that I stuck through with singing.”

During this school year, the Windham Chamber Singers will also be touring exclusively in Maine the first week of April with tours lasting roughly four to five days.

“I’m most excited about the tour. There’s so much to look forward to: the bus rides, staying at hotels, bonding with everyone, and performing,” said Coleman. “We get to sing a repertoire consisting of songs we’ve practiced at different points in the year. It’s just so surreal that we are fortunate enough to be able to travel around and perform for so many different people.” <

School Resource Officer forges positive relationships with younger students

By Lorraine Glowczak

Feeling a sense of security is crucial to childhood development and educational success. This includes having trustworthy adults one can turn to when feeling unsafe or apprehensive. Parents and teachers are a perfect example. Adding a School Resource Officer to the mix to introduce police officers as friendly adults who are here to help, not to punish or threaten, adds to that sense of security.

School Resource Officer Robert Hamilton
will mentor students and provide educational
programs about safety, bullying prevention,
and making positive choices this year at
Windham Primary School and Raymond
Elementary School this year. Students
Layla and Hunter McDonald join Hamilton
outside Windham Primary School on Tuesday.
PHOTO BY LORRAINE GLOWCZAK 

At RSU 14, that is one of the many factors considered by adding SRO Windham Police Officer Robert Hamilton, as a new presence at the Windham Primary School and Raymond Elementary School, building positive interactions with students.

“I am here to help ensure the safety of the kids and staff to create a safe and positive learning environment while building a connection and positive relationships with students,” said Hamilton. “We want students to feel comfortable with who we are and what we provide for the community. We want them to know we are people who can be trusted.”

WPS Principal Dr. Kyle Rhoads says that Hamilton has been a visible and welcoming role at the primary school, offering a sense of safety.

“Officer Hamilton will continue to assure our community that WPS is a safe place for learning and that we continue to attempt to improve the safety of our school,” Rhoades said. “When children feel safe, they can do their best learning.”

RES Principal Beth Peavey said that Hamilton’s presence will offer a positive, inclusive school community and a necessary resource.

“It is the hope that the SRO will serve as a mentor and provide educational programs to educate students on safety, bullying prevention, and the importance of making positive choices,” she said.

Manchester School has always shared an SRO with Windham Middle School, but Officer Hamilton will be making his appearances with the fourth- and fifth-grade students there as well and Manchester Principal Danielle Donnini also welcomes him into the fold.

“Some of us remember Officer Hamilton as a student and we are so happy to welcome him back into our school community,” she said. “Having a depth of understanding of our local communities will be a real asset for the students, the school community, and our families.”

Indeed, Hamilton has always been an invested member of the school district. Having lived in Windham all his life and having graduated from Windham High School in 2012, he has worked for the Windham Police Department for the past five years. He says there was something about serving on the police force that drew him to the occupation.

“I was always drawn to the idea of protecting and serving,” Hamilton said. “I am also a big people person so getting to interact and communicate with the public daily while also doing my part to keep them safe was a big influence in me wanting to become a police officer.”

Hamilton said that he is looking forward to the opportunity to interact with the younger students.

“I love that I get to be a part of helping the kids grow and develop as people and not just students,” he said. “I love that I get to see all the hard work kids put into the school year pay off at the end of the year as kids move on to the next grade. I love that I get to hang out and just have fun with the kids.”

Hamilton says that his hope for the students is that he can work to build positive relationships through teaching and mentorship with them. He also said that he hopes the students and faculty to help him learn and grow within his new position.

Peavey spoke for the entire school district in welcoming Hamilton to his new role.

“His presence is a valuable addition to our school community,” she said. “We look forward to working with him to ensure safety within the school community as well as to build positive relationships with our students, families, and staff.”

When Officer Hamilton is not at work protecting and serving RSU 14 and the Windham community, he can be found playing golf, softball, fishing, and spending time with his family. He lives with his wife and two dogs in Windham. <

Windham resident competes for national mullet crown

By Ed Pierce

Move over Joe Exotic, Billy Ray Cyrus and Joe Dirt, you’re about to have some serious competition for the finest looking mullet hairstyle in all of America, and this one is homegrown right here in Windham, Maine.

Jason Putney of Windham, 33, has
been growing his 'rat tail dread
mullet' hairstyle for the past three
years and is a contestant in the 
2023 National Mullet
Championships.
SUBMITTED PHOTO 

The iconic “business in the front and party in the back” mens’ hairdo now has a National Mullet Championship contest and Jason Putney of Windham is making a run at this year’s title. Putney has been growing his “rat tail dread mullet” for the past three years and is ready to stand out in the opening round of the competition, sponsored by https://www.mulletchamp.com/

The first round of voting ends Sept. 15 and the top 75 competitors will move on to Round 2 of the contest, so there’s still time to vote for Putney’s mullet. All proceeds raised during the contest will go directly to Jared Allen's Homes for Wounded Warriors, which helps to provide accessible and mortgage-free homes for disabled military veterans.

“I had a huge afro back in my senior year of high school in 2008,” Putney said. “It took up the entire frame of my senior photo. The afro was truly getting out of hand, and something had to be done about it so I decided to get it dreaded up. My dread journey started 15 years ago and after 12 years of a full head, I asked my barber, Spencer at the Windham Crow’s Nest Barber Shop, to cut everything except the back of my head. Thus the ‘rat tail dread mullet’ was born and I’ve been wearing it for the past three years, much to the dismay of my wife.”

Originally from Calais, Putney, 33, runs a small trucking company called Downeast Shipping. His wife, Shelby LeClair, said that her husband was inspired to join the contest when he saw that it was a cause that supports veterans.

“He normally wouldn’t put himself out there like this, but his father is a veteran of the Air Force,” she said.

Known for a short trim on the top and sides with lengthy locks in the back, the mullet hairstyle first rose to popularity as worn by athletes Andre Agassi and Jose Canseco, actor Patrick Swayze and singer Bono during the 1980s and 1990s, but the hairdo has actually been around since the days of the ancient Greeks. Native American warriors wore the style in the 19th century and now the style is enjoying a revival, with celebrities such as Lady Gaga and Zendaya sporting their own versions of the look.

The mission of Jared Allen’s Homes for Wounded Warriors is to raise money to build injury-specific, accessible, and mortgage-free homes for our critically injured U.S. military veterans returning home from Iraq and Afghanistan. It was founded in 2009 by retired Minnesota Vikings defensive end Jared Allen after he returned home from his USO trip to US Military Bases in the Middle East. Allen says that he was moved by the commitment, dedication, and sacrifices that our soldiers make every day to protect our freedom and he wanted to say thank you to every soldier in the only way that he knew how. By embracing the conflict and making a positive life-changing difference in the lives of those who need it most, Allen hopes to make life for wounded vets just a little bit easier.

Allen’s charity was selected as the recipient of proceeds for this year’s mullet championships because of the good work that it does and the fact that Allen himself sported a mullet hairdo throughout his football career.

According to its website, the National Mullet Championships were created several years ago to celebrate the “bold and outrageous hairstyle that is the mullet.” The national competition travels throughout America searching for the wildest mullets and hosts a series of live contests where contestants can show off their mullets to lively audiences. Its’ annual digital contest, which Putney has entered this year, calls for photo submissions in a variety of categories, such as Femullet, Mens Mullet, Kids, Teen and 55-Plus.

Winners receive cash and prizes as donated by contest sponsors. Voting in the first round is only open for three days nationwide and only 75 competitors advance to the next round. The best 25 mullets will then compete for the National Mullet Championship later this fall.

To vote for Putney’s hairstyle, go to https://www.mulletchamp.com/ and cast a vote for Putney’s “rat tail dread mullet.” <