100 Years Ago: 1924

Real winter weather under blue skies and a smiling sun greeted the second day of Auburn’s big carnival, Friday. Whetted by the taste of the opening events of Thursday, the winter sports fans were eager for the program to be resumed.

Public schools were closed at noon in order to permit entry into the junior high and grade schools contests at Pettingill Park.

Auburn took on a holiday spirit early in the day.

In the afternoon besides the school events, the eight mile ski race for starters from several Maine clubs was a huge attraction.

Intercollegiate hockey between Bates and Colby on the Court Street rink at 7:30 pm with more exhibitions of fancy skating by Carlisle and Bourke, was the evening program, and by the way, there never was any skating in Maine.

The Auburn mid-winter carnival is now an established affair. If there is any doubt of it, it became dispelled Thursday night, when with red fire and bugles and drums the carnival was officially opened.

50 Years Ago: 1974

More than 130 students and teachers from Edward Little and Lewiston Comprehensive High Schools will be leaving Saturday, Feb. 16, on a week’s trip to Italy during the school recess.

They will be flying from Logan Airport, Boston to Rome, where they will make their headquarters for the week, with side trips to Florence and the Isle of Capri.

Prin. Alfred N. Savignano of Edward Little has charge of arrangements, and he and Mrs. Savignano will accompany the students, along with Michael Beaulieu, a teacher at the Lewiston Comprehensive High School, Mrs. Beaulieu and Mrs. Katherine Marsh, librarian at LCHS.

25 Years Ago: 1999

For more than four years, Peter Garcia’s mentoring efforts provided important supportive influence for the young boy he came to know very well. Then, one moment of tragedy put their relationship to the ultimate test.

Joey’s mother was killed in an auto accident in August, and Garcia’s role changed from mentor to permanent parent figure.

Garcia met Joey Wing through the Big Brothers and Big Sisters of Androscoggin County. Joey was 10 years old and in the fourth grade at Farwell School. His mother was a single parent struggling to provide for Joey and a sister who was two years older, and she welcomed the program’s assistance.

Joey joined Garcia’s family on all kinds of activities over the coming years, and Garcia said, “It was my hope that if we could establish a family routine, it would be helpful to Joey’s schoolwork.”

There was no doubt the match was working well. Joey grew into a young man, football and sailing on Taylor Pond. a young man, with Garcia teaching him the things he liked, such as basketball, football and sailing on Taylor Pond.

The impact of last summer’s accident really hit home when Garcia learned that Joey’s school needed a signature on something, and there was no one else to do it. He decided that Joey would become a permanent rather than a part-time member of the family, and the appropriate legal actions were begun.

Today, Joey lives with Garcia, who is an Auburn attorney, and his wife, Patricia, at their home on the shore of Taylor Pond. Joey is a freshman at Edward Little High School and is active in sports.

While their mentor-youth relationship has become permanent family, neither the youth not the adult is going to forget the importance that mentoring played in their lives. They have talked with Big Brothers/Big Sisters about teaming up to mentor another young person with both Garcia and Joey lending their experience to the process.

Garcia recalled that he always admired the Big Brothers/Big Sisters concept of matching caring adults with young people in need of help.

“I thought about calling them for about 25 years, I guess, then one day I did it,” he said. Having raised two sons, Garcia, with the support of his wife, realized they might be able to help some other young people.

Joey had already spent about a year with a Big Brother/Big Sisters mentor from Bates College when he met the Garcias. The original commitment was for Garcia to spend about 10 hours a week for no less than a year with the boy. They exceeded this often as Joey was fully included in family activities.

“He works harder than any three people I know,” Garcia said.

Joey knows his efforts are appreciated, too. “They have really helped me to mature,” Joey said. “They’re really great people.”

Garcia and Joey take part in a number of Big Brothers/Big Sisters fund raising events, and Garcia said, “We’re the best fried dough cooks in Androscoggin County, bar none.”

Garcia feels his upbringing in a real tight family” of supportive parents and grandparents made him recognize the value of adult role models. He said he would encourage anyone to get into a mentoring program. “I wish I had done this earlier,” Garcia said. “I say people ought to do this not because it’s a duty, but because it’s a pleasure. It has its own reward.”

Although nearly all mentor relationships play out as occasional scheduled contacts rather than turning into permanent family situations, he said he’s certain just about every mentoring experience leads to life-long relationships.

Joey and Garcia plan to attend the “Mentoring Makes a Difference” Fair at the Lewiston Mall form 10 am to 3 pm on Feb. 27, although they are not participating in a booth.

That event, spearheaded by Lewiston Mayor Kayleigh A. Tara, will showcase the work of local organizations that offer mentoring or similar efforts. It will feature booths with traditional, school-based, and faith-based mentoring programs.

The material used in Looking Back is produced exactly as it originally appeared although misspellings and errors may be corrected.

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