75 years ago

A list of Revolutionary soldiers buried in New Sharon has recently been made available through the efforts of Max Fitch, son of Prof. and Mrs. Albert Fitch of that town, who is connected with a New York library and communicated the result of his research to his mother. The names of these soldiers and the location of their graves in local cemeteries is given as follows: Weeks’ Mills, Eli Cook, Lemuel Howes and Samuel Stowers; New Sharon, Samuel Bradley, James Dyer, Thomas Field, Ebenezer French, Ezekial Lancaster, Josiah Norcross, Samuel Prescott, Harlock Smith and Dean Wyman; Hampshire Hill, George Sanders.

Myron E. Starbird ’28, was reelected President of the Farmington High School Alumni Association at the annual meeting held on Wednesday evening in the High School auditorium. The gathering was well attended by graduates of the school and members of the present Senior Class, with the business program entertainingly interspersed with musical selections and readings.

The Associated Hospital Service of Maine will begin active enrollment of members in Franklin County on June 24, announcement from the Trustees and administrative staff of Franklin County Memorial Hospital said yesterday. This enrollment will be under the supervision of Walter P. Black from the home office in Portland. The intention is to reach every principal community in the County, particularly those communities in which there is a resident member of the General Sponsorship Committee, which is made up as follows: Farmington, Mrs. Luna F. Hodgkins, Mssrs. E.E. Flood and Peter Mills; New Vineyard, Arthur Smith; Kingfield, Horace Winter; Stratton, Mrs. Agnes Meader; Rangeley, Mrs. Harry Riddle; Phillips, Winston S. Hoyt; Strong, Verne Flood; West Farmington, Mrs. Mary Dingley; Temple, Austin Hodgkins; Weld, Mrs. William H. Barnes, Jr.; Wilton, Roy P. Gifford; Jay, Mrs. E.L. Parsons; Farmington Falls, Mrs. Robert Croswell; New Sharon, Mrs. Clifford Bailey; Chesterville, Mrs. Herbert L. Knight and Frank Beedy.

Farmington State Normal School closed its Commencement Week festivities on Monday. From the first event, the Senior Play, presented on Wednesday evening, through the Class outing of Thursday, the Last Chapel of Friday morning, the Class dance that night, the Banquet of Saturday evening, Sunday’s Baccalaureate service and the team given by Principal and Mrs. Mallett for the faculty and Seniors, to the graduating exercises on Monday morning and the Alumni luncheon following, with its announcement of the renaming of South Hall to Mallett Hall, also the special Home Economics functions, all proved entertaining or appropriately impressive.

50 years ago

The Meadow Lanes team bowling champs received five out of 26 cash prizes offered at the Second Annual Maine Women’s International Bowlers Congress Tournament held at Brunswick. The team members included Louise Dingley, of Farmington; Jackie Armandi, of West Farmington; Helen Buchanan, of East Wilton; and Nedra Yahn, of Wilton.

Number 81, owned and operated by Gary Sampson, 13, of Wilton, was a heat winner in the 18th Annual Running of the Bangor Daily News and Chevrolet Soap Box Derby held Saturday at Brewer. Sampson competed with 209 other participants. This was Gary’s first competition and the first time he had seen a derby car other than the one constructed for the race.

The Strong High School commencement exercises were held Wednesday evening, June 9, at the Randall Thomas gym. Richard Worthley, a member of the Junior Class, was marshal for the 20 members of the senior class. The stage was decorated in red and white and had the class motto: Success is a journey, not a destination. Mrs. D. Edward Cramer played the processional. The invocation was given by Rev. John O. Hoffman.

More than 60 percent of Farmington High School’s 121 graduates and post graduates in the class of 1965 plan to continue their education next fall, it has been reported by J. Mahlon Niles, school principal. Seventy-three plan further education and 41 of these students plan to enter four-year colleges.

Farmington Grange observed Pomona Night at a meeting Saturday evening. James Dodge, master, opened the session and introduced his guest officer, Lawrence Dugas, master of Somerset Pomona, who assumed the station of master.

25 years ago

The Franklin Memorial Hospital Board of Trustees see physician recruitment and the need for space as key issues facing the hospital now. Kevin Flynn, Director of Corporate Development, met with hospital trustees this week for a strategic planning session to help plan for future financial and human resource needs. Mr. Flynn says the statewide planning process allowed trustees to develop a “framework for decisions to be made during the next three years.”

A special town meeting was held at the Avon Town Hall, with Jane Hardy, town selectman, as moderator for a packed house. Townspeople decided not to buy Rowe’s Garage for salt and sand storage and fixing town trucks, as the price of $100,000 was much too high. They decided not to have their own dump site, but to continue taking items to Phillips, which had recently instituted recycling. They also considered whether or not to repair the town vault, as the roof leaked and all the books that were kept in there got moldy. Several volunteers helped clean out the fault and air-dried the books.

The problem of dumping septage in Franklin County is “critical” according to Steve Page, from the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) at a public hearing Tuesday night in conjunction with the Franklin County Commissioners’ second meeting. Septage, according to Farmington Town Manager John Edgerly, is the material that is pumped directly out of septic tanks. Sludge, he says, is the product of septage and other treated sewerage.

A new organization called Turning Point has been recently formed, in an effort to aid young adults in Franklin County with finding a positive experience. “Our goal for the upcoming year is to present an opportunity for the kids to get out and meet with each other in a positive way,” said John Schoen, who heads up the group and works with Mountain Valley Training. The first of those opportunities will by “Turning Point Rock N’Roll Night,” featuring the Electric Eels, a coastal Maine rock group, on July 26th in the South Dining Hall on the UMF campus.

A record number of youthful baseball players obtained a record amount of $8,436.72 in pledges for the annual Burger King Pitch-Hit-Run Competition held Saturday at Hippach Field. Farmington Recreation Director Steve Shible said that 153 youth signed up for the competition. The first place trophy winners included Scott Kenney, Joe Pepper, Josh Tyler, Trevor Holt, Foster Oakley, Jason McNally, Jon Ross, Carl Muller, Greg Wilson, and Ben Brown.

Compiled by Barry Matulaitis