YESTERDAY …

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(As reported in the Bangor Daily News)

10 years ago – May 22, 1998

BREWER – After countless hours of soul-searching, mental wrestling matches and playing point-counterpoint, the man that Brewer High School hoped would lead its football program into the 21st century has turned the job down.

Foxcroft Academy coach Paul Withee notified Brewer Superintendent Alan Snell about his decision.

Withee, who confirmed he was offered the job in addition to a math teaching position at the high school, said his decision came down to two factors: the current housing market and a reluctance to pull his children from Dover-Foxcroft schools. He said another reason for staying was the chance to coach a group of young players, including his son. He thinks they can be as good or better than the last two or three graduating classes, which produced back-to-back Eastern Maine titles the last two years and a 1996 state Class C championship.

The 39-year-old coach said the fact that he recently finished leading a drive that raised $7,500 for a youth football program also it made it difficult to leave the Ponies.

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OLD TOWN – You can’t blame the Old Town softball team if it was in some kind of rush to get through its game against Brewer. Dark gray storm clouds were massing in the sky beyond the high school, lightning was flashing and there were rumors of hail sightings in Millinocket.

There was another reason to zip through the game, which lasted only an hour and five minutes. As soon as pitcher Tara Drinkwater made a nifty catch for the last out in the top of the seventh inning, the Indians packed up the batting helmets, stowed the bats and gloves, and jumped in their cars to get to a party at the Drinkwater family camp to celebrate her 17th birthday.

Old Town also can celebrate a 4-1 victory over Brewer, a mild upset of the 9-3 Witches. The Indians evened their record at 6-6.

25 years ago – May 22, 1983

ORONO – Above the fireplace in the home of writer Dorothy Clarke Wilson is a long, rectangular wooden plaque. In neat, old English script, it bears the message, “Sit long, talk much.” The invitation, warm and welcoming, is very much like the woman herself, whose books rest tidily on shelves to the right of the hearth.

The author, who lives with her husband of 57 years, retired Methodist minister Elwyn L. Wilson, discusses easily the writing of those 25 books, a dozen of which are biographies.

Much of the money she has made from their publication, she says, has routinely been contributed to dozens of liberal religious causes, and to groups fighting for world peace, social justice, human rights and environmental protection.

Wilson’s books have sold well. “Prince of Egypt,” the book about Moses, which Cecil B. DeMille purchased and made into the movie “The Ten Commandments,” sold more than 500,000 copies in paperback.

Her latest book is tentatively titled “Lady Washington: The Story of the First First Lady.”

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BANGOR – Renee Ouellette, a fourth-grade student at Bangor’s Downeast School, won first place and two $100 savings bonds in the St. Joseph Hospital essay contest with her essay on “How My Family Stays Well.”

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BUCKSPORT – Catherine Graychase, an electronics technology student from Bucksport, received the highest scholastic honors during graduation exercises at Eastern Maine Technical Institute in Bangor. Graychase, who earned a perfect 4.0 grade point average, was one of 17 graduates honored for academic excellence during the institute’s 16th commencement.

50 years ago – May 22, 1958

ORONO – Dean James Norris Hart, University of Maine’s oldest alumnus and Orono’s oldest male citizen, will observe his 97th birthday at his home on Bennoch Road. He is dean emeritus of mathematics and astronomy.

The third in a family of 11 children, Hart was born in Willimantic, May 22, 1861. Genealogy shows that he is a descendent of the Harts of Baddow, Essex County, England, who landed in New England in June 1635, only 15 years after the landing of the Pilgrims.

Hart entered Maine State College in August 1882. After graduating in 1885 with a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering, he taught school in Dennysville and Machias before being called back to the college in 1887 as an instructor of mathematics and drawing. In 1890, he was made professor of mathematics and in 1903, dean of the university. He was acting president of the university from Sept. 1 to Dec. 1, 1910.

Hart said there was only one dormitory in 1887 and that was Brick Hall, later named Oak Hall. One of the most recently built men’s dormitories at the University of Maine has been named Hart Hall in his honor.

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BANGOR – “The practice of medicine is closely tied with religion,” Dr. Marvin Piburn, a Methodist medical missionary in Southern Rhodesia, told members of the Maine Conference of the Women’s Society of Christian Service at its annual sessions at Grace Church.

Addressing more than 360 women, Piburn told of his work and explained that the natives there have no conception of God as we know Him – that their god is an ancestor – and that everything they do is connected with this spiritual ancestor.

Pibrun said that in Southern Rhodesia there are all the diseases we have and many others, but no coronary or other heart conditions and no peptic ulcers.

He discussed witch doctors and said that the hope for bringing a better life lies with young people who can be taught and trained. Nurses in training in his hospital are 18-year-olds who have never had any education beyond the eighth grade.

100 years ago – May 22, 1908

OLD TOWN – The work of erecting the new altar in St. Joseph’s Catholic Church was completed and stands as a beautiful monument in the new church. It is one of the most beautiful altars in the state and cost upwards of $2,500. The altar is something of which every Catholic in town can be proud.

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BUCKSPORT – The schooner Emily Staples, Capt. C.G. Hurd, sailed for Winterport with a cargo of grain for C.A. Kenney.

Capt. Hiram E. Fogg has a boat now on the stocks at his yard on Main Street, which he is building from a draft and plans which he made, and it is attracting much attention from all who pass that way. Her length is 24 feet, beam 6 feet and 4 inches, depth 3 feet and 4 inches, with canoe sheer, to be fitted with a six-horsepower gasoline engine, and is designed to be used in the fishing business down the bay.

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CASTINE – J.M. Vogell launched the yacht Papoose.

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EDDINGTON – William Haycock has gone to Aurora where he will drive a dry goods cart for the summer.

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BANGOR – Maplewood Park is a decidedly busy place just now, for the stalls are well-filled and more than 100 fast horses are being worked on the track. Veteran horsemen say that the coming summer promises more sport than known in Bangor for a long time.

The big match race under the auspices of the Gentlemen’s Driving Club has stimulated interest considerably, and entries for the races at the Eastern Maine state fair are going to be numerous.

An uncommonly fine string is in charge of A.E. Cummings, one of the best and most careful trainers in New England. He is training Baby Mac, Crescent – both famous locally – Chime Bells, Smudge, Venice V. and Try Patchen.

Compiled by Ardeana Hamlin