LIVERMORE – Lionel Castonguay never imagined he’d receive his diploma. But he will.

The 77-year-old man left school in the eighth grade to help his father on the family’s dairy farm in Livermore in 1939.

It wasn’t uncommon for children to leave school to help out on the farm in those days.

Back then, people had some gusto to do something with their lives, Castonguay said.

“As the years went by, I realized I lost four years of my schooling and I regretted that,” he said. “It’s something you cherished to have under your belt, so to speak. I felt there was a page in my book missing.”

He made sure his eight children graduated from high school, he said, and four of them went on to college.

Four years ago, Castonguay got out of the dairy business. He’s now a certified organic farmer and caretaker of 45 dairy cows on his land, which are owned by another farmer.

Through it all, Castonguay said he never stopped reading.

One day, Castonguay mentioned that he regretted not getting his diploma to Livermore Town Clerk Renda Libby.

“She took it from there and got the ball rolling,” he said.

Libby involved others at the Town Office, SAD 36 Superintendent Terry Despres and Rep. Rodney Jennings, D-Leeds, to try and fulfill Castonguay’s dream.

Besides running the farm, Castonguay had served on several town committees, including the Budget Committee for decades.
An unexpected honor
Jennings called him one day and invited him to the state capitol.

Last Tuesday, Castonguay, Louise, his wife of 42 years, family members, Libby and her father headed to Augusta to meet with Gov. John Baldacci and Jennings.

After talking with the governor for about 15 minutes, Baldacci had Castonguay stand near his desk near the state flag.

The governor told him, Castonguay said, that he felt it is not always the education but how you apply your life to the need of that time.

Under the governor’s arm was a large white folder. Baldacci opened it and started reading it to him, Castonguay said.

The special sentiment proclaimed that Castonguay would receive a special high school diploma in June with the Livermore Falls graduating class of 2004.

Castonguay’s name was also listed in the House calendar as the first item on the agenda.

“I didn’t expect this at all,” he said. “I feel it’s a very high honor. To me, it doesn’t seem I deserve something of that recognition. But nevertheless, it feels mighty good to receive something like that.”

Castonguay doesn’t know if school officials will ask him to speak, he said, but if they did he knows what he would say.

“I would like to tell the kids not to flip-flop through school and to make it a serious choice for their well-being and years to come,” he said. “It took 60 years for me to come to this point. But turn the coin over, and I have 60 years experience of working and supporting a family and running a farm and it’s mine. I don’t think it was a big accomplishment. It was my way of life and I applied myself to it. That’s the way it was. No regrets.”
dperry@sunjournal.com

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