On John Pike Grady

Having enjoyed John Pike Grady’s friendship for 40 years, I would like to add a few words to the feature article and obituary which appeared about this remarkable Eastport resident in the Bangor Daily News on Sept. 5.

John was a staunch advocate for the history and culture of the state of Maine and especially for his beloved Washington County. At the state level, he testified at many legislative hearings on behalf of cultural issues and was active in the Maine League of Historical Societies and Museums and Maine Preservation. He spoke convincingly of the need for closer cooperation between historical groups in Maine and the Maritime Provinces and personally fostered those ties. Closer to home, John was a mainstay of the Sunrise Research Institute in Whitneyville as well as the Border Historical Society and the Tides Institute in Eastport.

On a personal level, John was a fascinating conversationalist whose lively mind looked creatively to the future while at the same time revered the past. One of my cherished memories of John was his account of his grandfather taking him as a 10-year-old in 1936 to meet President Franklin D. Roosevelt, who was inspecting the model of the Passamaquoddy Tidal Power Project.

Earle G. Shettleworth Jr.

state historian

Augusta