Page 44 - Newsletter_Winter_2020

“The most rewarding aspect of having been in the car In high school, York was a member of the Hi-Y Youth
business for the past 37 years is seeing employees of the Council, Politics Club, Senior Executive staff, president of
dealership grow into different and more challenging positions the senior class and played both baseball and basketball. He
within the dealership,” York said. “Most of our key people furthered his education at the University of Maine at Orono,
started at entry-level positions and learned to become graduating with a bachelor’s degree in business management
effective managers.” in 1975. He returned to Houlton to join the car dealership.
York graduated from Houlton High School, in 1970, and He found his niche in the business part of the company
earned a bachelor’s degree in business management from rather than out on the floor selling automobiles.
the University of Maine at Orono in 1975, where he was His focus on the financial details of the business and the
a member of Phi Eta Kappa fraternity. That same year, he training and advancement of his employees has brought the
entered the family business, which was founded by his father company many accolades.
in 1968 after he purchased the county’s first Ford dealership, Jerry and his siblings (Richard “Dick” York ’66, Nancy
Ralph L. Berry Co., and named it York Ford Sales. York’s of York Putnam ’67, and Dawn York Matthews ’76) created
Houlton’s facility expanded and renovated in 2008. a HHSAA endowment fund in their parent’s memory, the
“I joined my father, Gerard, and my brother, Dick, in 1975 Gerard A. ’44 and F. Hope York Fund, which will continue
and the rest is history,” York said. His nephew, Jamie, also to support local graduates who pursue further education.
works for the company. It was a nice article, which really lays out Jerry’s background

York’s of Houlton was named Business of the Year in 2010 and a lot of the contributions he has brought to the HHSAA
by the Greater Houlton Chamber of Commerce and won the and the board. I wanted a little more about Jerry, so I sat
Toyota President’s Award in 2009. In the area of community down with him in his office one September afternoon. Jerry
service, York served as a board member of Houlton Regional came in and started with the statement, “I only answer yes
Hospital from 2002 to 2012, serving as its chairman from or no questions,” and I countered with, “I only have 4 topics
2009 to 2011. to talk about.” Jerry had this half smile on his face as the
His most meaningful civic accomplishment is working as a interview started. Jerry may appear to be all business, but he
board member and chairman of the fundraising committee does have a sense of humor too.
for the Houlton High School Alumni Association, where
he has contributed his leadership skills since 2004. “We
have awarded more than $300,000 in scholarships in the Jerry has played a very
past eight years and have an endowment fund of nearly significant role in the success of
$700,000,” York said. (As of 2020, HHSAA awarded more
than $740,000 in scholarships over the past 23 years & the the alumni association.
endowment fund is over $1.5 million.)
York was nominated for the TIME Dealer of the Year Award As Jerry does not like to talk about himself, I started with
by Tom Brown, president of the Maine Automobile Dealers asking him about golf. The HHSAA golf scramble event has
Association. Jerry and his wife, Jane (Hogan ’68), have three been perfect for Jerry to lead because he considers himself a
children. Two sons are also HHS alumni, David ’03 and “certified golf nut”. I know from experience that if it is late
Collin ’05. April through early October & really nice weather, and Jerry
cannot be found at York’s of Houlton, he is probably out on
As Houlton High School Alumni board member, Jerry York the greens at Houlton Community Golf Club. Jerry told me
has played a significant role in the success of the alumni that he started taking up golf after college, about 45 years
association. He seems to work in a quiet unassuming way ago, as a form of exercise and enjoyed the competitiveness as
but has maintained a steadfast vision in raising funds for the course is never forgiving.
scholarships and projects supporting many facets of the
organization. Jerry’s special memory of HHS is Mrs. Blood with her red
pen noting all the errors on his English papers. I am sure we
Once a year he hosts a team of volunteers for the alumni all had an English teacher like that, but Mrs. Blood taught
phone-a-thon at his family business, York’s of Houlton, the Jerry Algebra as well. When I asked Jerry more about Mrs.
local Ford and Toyota dealership located on the North Road. Blood, he said she was tough and demanded discipline. There

In July, he and Janice (Cowperthwaite) Kelley ’72 organize was no messing around in Mrs. Blood’s class; she made sure
the annual Alumni Golf Tournament held in conjunction you learned in her class. We also discussed that when I was
with the Alumni Association’s Social at the Houlton Golf starting high school there was another Mrs. Blood teaching
Course. in the Jr High School. Jerry clarified that his Mrs. Blood was
the mother of Peter Blood ‘64.

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