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Bangor

An ASTM Award of Merit and the accompanying title of Fellow have been given to William H. Childs Jr., technical leader-materials engineer for General Electric. The award is the highest for individual contributions to standards activities.

A graduate of the Rochester Institute of Technology, Childs has been a member of ASTM since 1984 and serves on several ASTM subcommittees.

The committee cited Childs for his outstanding leadership and commitment to A01 standards activities, particularly those related to high temperature applications of steel forgings and bolting.

Responsible for significant work on a number of steel standards, Childs has provided leadership in writing widely used general requirement specifications on wrought piping fittings that have helped improve the uniformity and accuracy of ASTM standards, which are critical for producers, users and agencies, including the U. S. Customs Service.

In his career, Childs has focused on metallic materials and processes for applications at high temperature in power generation equipment. He has been a General Electric employee for 12 years, both as a senior materials engineer and as a technical leader. Previously, Childs worked 20 years in a similar capacity at Dresser-Rand’s Steam Turbine facility in Wellsville, N.Y.

The Bangor Garden Club will hold its annual plant sale 8-10 a.m. Saturday, May 18, at the Paul Bunyan Park bandstand, rain or shine. Perennials, annuals, garden treasures and food will be for sale at reasonable prices.

The sale benefits civic projects such as the plantings at Bangor Public Library, the patio gardens at the City Nursing Facility, Bangor Mental Health Institute’s Circle of Senses, weekly plantings with children in the EMMC pediatrics ward and other projects.

For information, call 862-2820 or 862-2952.

Caring Connections will present “Alzheimer’s Disease: It’s More than Just Memory Loss,” at 10 a.m. and 6:30 p.m. May 21, at the YWCA, 17 Second St. The program will include a 20-minute video and handouts on Alzheimer’s. For information, call Robin Long at 941-2808.

Penquis Community Action Program has received a $7,000 grant from the Maine Children’s Trust. Funds will enable the Penobscot and Piscataquis Child Abuse and Neglect Prevention Councils to implement a Baby Think It Over program in area schools.

The program uses infant simulators to teach the emotional, financial and social consequences of parenthood. The infants require real care on the part of the student, including feeding, burping, rocking and diapering. The infants’ needs are unpredictable and require immediate attention. A computer chip in the simulator records the care received.

Schools in Penobscot and Piscataquis counties with high teen pregnancy rates will be invited to participate in the program. The simulators will be made available to the schools for use with students in grades 7-12.

Kappa Sigma members from the University of Maine Orono campus have committed to raising $1,000 as part of the match required in the proposal. They are holding a raffle for a variety of prizes, including two Red Sox tickets, gift cards, meals, and movie passes. Tickets are $1 each or 6 for $5. For information, call 973-3571 or 564-7116.

John Witherspoon, president and CEO of United Kingfield Bank, announced the promotion of Valarie Coolong to assistant vice president and market manager for Penobscot County. In her new position, she is responsible for direct commercial lending and business development in Penobscot County.

“In this new role I look forward to expanding my professional relationship with local businesses. It is exciting to help them accomplish their goals, both for themselves and for the betterment of our community,” said Coolong.

Before joining United Kingfield Bank in May 2002, Coolong worked in commercial lending at Eastern Maine Development Corporation, as a market manager and account executive at the Maine Credit Bureau, and as a loan officer at UC Lending. Coolong is a graduate of the University of Maine. She currently lives in Bangor and serves on the board of directors and loan committee for Four Directions Development Corporation.

United Way of Eastern Maine is looking for volunteers from area businesses, schools and other organizations to participate in Lend-A-Hand Day, a communitywide effort that matches volunteers with agencies who have specific projects that can be accomplished with a one-time effort.

This year Lend-A-Hand Day is Saturday, June 1. Volunteers are needed to paint, landscape, plant, build, get camps ready for the summer, collect books or personal care items and lots more. The first 300 volunteers will receive a Lend-A-Hand T-shirt.

“Just a few hours on a Saturday can make a tremendous difference to our agencies,” said Nancy Roberts, vice president at United Way. “The volunteers always say they feel good that they were able to help.” Currently, United Way has matched 19 groups of volunteers who will complete 34 projects.

Bangor Hydro will provide 300 T-shirts and refreshments for Lend-A-Hand day. Last year, Bangor Hydro also sent crews out to Camp Molly Molasses for camp cleanup, painting at the YWCA and collecting books.

Anyone interested in learning more about Lend-A-Hand may call United Way at 941-2800 or e-mail davidw@unitedwayem.org.

Gateway Title held a grand opening and ribbon cutting ceremony May 3 at their new office located at 165 Longview Drive, opposite Home Depot.

Steven Levesque, state commissioner of economic and business development did the ribbon cutting.

Gateway Title began doing business in March 1997 with two employees. The firm now employs eight people and expects to hire two more immediately.

Gateway Title has established Gateway Title & Appraisal in South Portland, and Gateway Title Services in Lincoln. The three offices have 26 employees and operate under the umbrella name of The Gateway Group.

Licensed attorneys Dan Aiken, John Wilson and Mart Lapin own Gateway Title. Jeffrey Patterson is an additional owner of the South Portland office.

Orono native Pam Shadley spoke on April 29 at the Bangor Public Library about landscape projects done throughout the world, including Bangor’s waterfront project. WBRC Architects/Engineers and the Bangor Public Library sponsored the event.

Shadley, of Carol R. Johnson Associates Inc., a nationally known landscape architectural and urban design firm, spoke about projects the firm has completed in Taiwan, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Russia, Utah, Florida, Massachusetts and here in Bangor with the Penobscot waterfront project.

The purpose of the project is to connect downtown Bangor with its economic development, encourage pedestrian movement, and make the park more attractive and functional.

Shadley spoke about the promenade and its visibility to the stores, informal seating throughout the park, visions of green space and landscape architecture.

Also discussed was the possibility of docks leading to a high-speed ferry on the Penobscot River, a concept that would tie in with the project CRJA is working on in Brewer.

Penquis Community Action Program will hold the Economic Prosperity for Everyone Conference from 8:15 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesday, June 11, at Eastern Maine Technical College, Rangeley Hall, Sylvan Road. The registration fee is $50.

The goal of the conference is to stimulate thinking and planning which will influence the way communities and individuals can work together toward prosperity.

John Fitzsimmons, president of the Maine Technical College System, will deliver the keynote address. Ernesto Sirolli of Sirolli Institute International will discuss social technologies he developed to enhance economic development at the grassroots level.

Fitzsimmons has been president of the Maine Technical College System since 1990. A strong advocate for work force quality efforts, he created the Maine Quality Centers program in 1995. The program is an economic development initiative designed to help new or expanding businesses grow by offering customized education and training at no cost.

Fitzsimmons is a member of numerous boards, including the New England Board of Higher Education, New England Council and International Advisory Board of Governors for the Center for Career Development.

The conference is one of several events celebrating Penquis CAP’s 35th anniversary. For a brochure and registration form, call 973-3612.

Bangor Art Society is holding an open juried show through May 25 at the Bangor Public Library lecture hall. Judges were Alan Bray, Renate Ebner-Caraballo and Ed Healy. They selected as best of show Keith Curtis’s pastel, “Snack Time – Windsor Fair.”

Other winners were:

. Oil and acrylics – First, Jo Anne Houlsen, “Jamie’s House;” second, Rebecca Rivers, “Song of a Thousand Voices;” third, Mary Louise-Town Jaqua, “Heavenly Sunshine.”

. Watercolor – First, James Toothaker, “Down Below;” second, Patricia Vadas, “Bunkhouse & Barn;” third, Bonnie Alpander, “Pebble Beach.”

. Mixed media – First, Rebecca Krupke, “The Spirit of Jennifer;” second, Danuta Muszynska, “Undelivered Letters;” third, Donald Abrams, “Portuguese Street Scene.”

Also participating were: Mary Helen Georgitis, Marilyn Dwelley, Jane Blay, Dave Mussulman, Stan Whiteman, William Branch, Esther Taylor, Elizabeth Carr, Kristi Sader, Randy Johnston, Helena Bosse, Sarah Tabor, Jennifer Chiarell, Pauline Turner, Patricia Binette, Sally Guaraldo, Tracy Elliott, Beverly Antonitis and Susannah Winsley.

BANGOR – The Bangor Fire Department will hold an EMS Week Open House 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Sunday, May 19, at Station 5 on Hogan Road. This open house is in recognition of Emergency Medical Services week to honor the providers who deliver lifesaving emergency care.

This year’s theme is “Help is a Heartbeat Away,” and is designed to emphasize the responsiveness, vigilance and compassion of Emergency Medical Services personnel, whose intervention saves countless lives each year.

“Most times people see us during an emergency,” said Joe Wardwell, a firefighter-paramedic with the Bangor Fire Department. “This open house gives the public an opportunity to talk with us, see the equipment we use and learn a little about what we do.”

The open house will feature games, demonstrations, car seat inspection, prizes and life saving tips. There will also be helicopter displays by DEEMI and Life Flight.

For more information, contact Joe Wardwell at 942-6335 or 945-0107.

Brewer

AUGUSTA – House Speaker Michael Saxl has appointed Rep. Charles Fisher, D-Brewer, House chairman of the commission to arrange for a plaque and a flag to be displayed in the State House.

In action taken by the Legislature earlier this year, LD 2046 was enacted to recognize veterans of World War II and the Korean War in the State House Hall of Flags.

“I have a longstanding commitment to our veterans and am pleased the Speaker selected me as House chair of this important commission,” Fisher said.

The commission will consist of five members, three to be appointed by the governor, one by the president of the Senate and one by the speaker of the House. Its responsibilities will be to develop a design, choose a site, accept donations and make arrangements for the plaque and a flag to be displayed in the State House Hall of Flags.

When he learned of the appointment, Rep. Fisher said, “Perhaps the most intriguing aspect of this appointment is that the commission will raise private funds to support this project. I doubt we will have any problems raising the funds necessary to make certain World War II and Korean War veterans are appropriately recognized in our capitol building.”

Rep. Fisher is a fourth term legislator who represents House District 115, part of Brewer.

Levant

WATERVILLE – Art works by Levant area artist Leah Clement will be featured at the Thomas College Art Gallery from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday-Friday, in May.

Clement has been painting professionally since 1997. In her youth, she spent time in Newport, R.I., and Puerto Rico. Those travel experiences inspire her art, which balances elements of fantasy against scenes from the natural world.

In her series, “Maine Lighthouse Legends,” Clement uses bold color, true perspective and fine detail to capture the essence of the Maine coast.

For information, call 859-1362.

Old Town

State Tribal Rep. Donna Loring of the Penobscot Nation has been selected as a Fellow of the Eleanor Roosevelt Global Leadership Institute, a unique leadership development program that helps legislators address the state and local impacts of globalization.

Loring joins a diverse group of 12 state legislators selected from more than 7,000 state lawmakers throughout the nation. The select group of bipartisan state legislators will participate in an eight-month leadership program culminating in a 10-day trip to Santiago, Chile, in November.

Loring was chosen because of her civic experience and service as a tribal representative to the Maine Legislature since 1997. Some of her accomplishments include Penobscot Nation police chief from 1984-1990, first female chief in Maine to graduate from the Maine Criminal Justice Academy, aide de camp to Governor Angus King since 1999, recipient of the Maryann Hartman Award from the University of Maine and graduate of Flemming Fellows Leadership Institute class of 2001. Also, in 2001, Loring sponsored legislation that is now law requiring American Indian culture and history in primary and secondary education as a prerequisite for high school graduation in Maine, the first law of its kind in the United States.

Orono

The Orono Historical Society will sponsor the seventh annual Tasting Bee, with opportunity to sample dishes from local eateries, 5-7 p.m. Wednesday, May 22, in the Asa Adams School gymnasium.

Tickets are $10 for adults, $5 for children 6-12. Proceeds will help restore former Birch Street School.

Tickets are available at the door, or at Orono Public Library, The Pretty Woman and Ampersand-The Store; or call Marlene Doucette, 866-2597.

Memories of Birch Street School are welcome – send them to Birch Street School, 19 Pine St., Orono 04473.

Veazie

The Veazie Garden Club has honored Jackson Oil Co. with the first Veazie Community Improvement Award. The award is given to a business, public or private organization that has made significant improvement to property within the town of Veazie, either through renovation or new construction, within the previous 12 months.

Jackson Oil Co. is renovating a historic garage that had been abandoned and in disrepair for many years. Owners Sharon and Elwyn Jackson accepted the award at the garden club’s annual banquet at the Penobscot Valley Country Club.

Compiled by Ardeana Hamlin