Page 52 - Newsletter_Winter_2021
P. 52

Now a days, Peter enjoys his family and his time at his camp on Drews Lake. One evening this summer, I received an invitation
        to dinner at the camp and experienced his enjoyment firsthand: swimming, boating, outdoor cooking and eating all alongside
        family and friends. A wonderful setting and while out cruising
        around the lake, Peter could tell you stories about many of the   Now a days, Peter enjoys his
        camps along the shore, who owned them or used to own them.
        Peter’s other enjoyment is wintering in Florida for the past 10   family and his time at his camp
        years. This experience started when Peter and Joyce were asked to                   on Drews Lake.
        drive a car to Florida for Bob Anderson, owner of F. A. Peabody
        Company where Joyce worked. Peter says they did this for about 30 years.
        When asked how he became involved with HHSAA, Peter says it was a phone call from Lauren Peabody Fitzpatrick ’86 which
        got him interested. Peter states he “wasn’t part of the original board,” but I would say he was close to it. Peter recalls attending
        socials at the Houlton Country Club and working a Phone-a-thon for the Annual Fund, but his favorite event to help plan is
        the Gala. Peter’s favorite memory from HHSAA is working with Paul Porter ‘51 on the Gala (like others I’ve interviewed) and
        meeting Roger Rines ’52 in the process. Peter admits the Gala is a lot of work, but always a lot of fun as well.
        I found Peter a man of few words during the phone interview, but I was quite sure he was thinking before speaking. Though
        when I asked about his goals for HHSAA in the next 25 years, he was quick to respond. He hopes to see the Tools & Trade
        Program grow for our alum taking the non-traditional route to further their education. Peter believes this is where the need
        will be the biggest, at least in the next few years. Peter admitted he has not gotten too involved with this committee because he
        wants to see more of the younger members get involved. The younger people will understand more of the challenges alum face
        when going back to school. Peter also spoke proudly about how the Endowment Fund has grown reaching over $2.5 million in
        a brief time and credited the challenging work and success to Jerry York ’70. I personally know Jerry would respond, “it was a
        team effort” referring to the fundraising committee and all the HHSAA supporters.



                                         Rachel Fitzpatrick ’93
                                         2020-Present / Treasurer 2020-Present / Class of 1993 Rep /
                                         Newsletter writer

                                         This is the hardest of the articles to write. One of the newest board members, I came
                                         onto the board in 2020, though my time with HHSAA started much earlier than that.
                                         I am the only daughter of Tom and Patty (Donovan) Fitzpatrick ’63 and have three
                                         brothers, Mark ’85, Eric ’87 and Ryan ’97.

                                         I graduated HHS in 1993, the last of a 4-generation, 30 years apart run at HHS: my
                                         mother, Patricia Donovan Fitzpatrick ’63; my grandmother, Beryl McKeen Donovan
                                         ’33; and my great grandmother (whom I never met), Cora Hallett McKeen 1903. After
                                         graduation, I went on to study at the University of Maine at Farmington majoring in
                                         Special Education with a minor in writing. When HHSAA was just getting started,
                                         I was starting my teaching career in Downeast Maine. By 2004, I was in Southern
                                         Maine on the New Hampshire border and after 5.5 years of teaching students with
                                         special needs, I decided to change careers. I moved into a mailroom clerk position in a
        corporate office in South Portland where I worked for almost 10 years collating material, stuffing envelopes, sorting, printing,
        and metering for mailing. It was during this time I helped HHSAA, with the newsletter mailings. Various times I would be
        home and help with the newsletter by stuffing, labeling, sorting by zip code, and preparing totes of envelopes to be dropped
        off at the post office to finish the mailing. I moved back to Houlton in late 2017, working for the Houlton PD full time.
        Currently, I am working part time at Houlton PD and part time with the USPS delivering mail to rural routes in Monticello,
        Littleton, Houlton, Hammond, Ludlow, New Limerick, Dyer Brook, Island Falls and Crystal. Not all at once, but as needed.
        My steady Saturday route take me to five of those towns each week, and with the holiday season soon starting, we will be
        working on Sundays to get all those packages delivered.

        When asked how I first got involved in HHSAA, I honestly cannot recall. I know I volunteered to help at the first gala in 2000
        at the hospitality center downtown and at the registration table at the civic center. Also, I worked the annual socials at the
        Houlton Country Club, where I would register people and sell tickets for a 50/50 raffle. As I did not live in the area, I tried to

        PAGE 52                                                                             www.houltonalumni.com
   47   48   49   50   51   52   53   54   55   56   57