From authors to artists, entrepreneurs to educators, photographers to philanthropists, here are a handful of Mainers who died in 2024, but whose impacts continue to linger.

Linda Bean at Java Net Cafe on Exchange Street in Portland. Gregory Rec/Portland Press Herald

Linda Bean, 82

An entrepreneur and philanthropist in her own right, Linda Bean was the granddaughter of L.L.Bean founder Leon Leonwood Bean. Her business ventures included lodges, retail shops and a lobster dealership.

Bean was a prominent Republican and donor to conservative causes, and twice ran for a seat in Maine’s Legislature. She was also a major collector of art, particularly of paintings by the Wyeth family; she founded the N.C. Wyeth Research Foundation & Reading Libraries, dedicated to restoring Wyeth properties across the East Coast.

Former Maine Gov. Joseph Brennan at the State House on Jan. 28, 2014, in Augusta. Robert F. Bukaty/Associated Press

Joseph Brennan, 89

Joseph Brennan, a Portland native, held nearly every major role in Maine politics over a career that spanned five decades. From 1979-1987, he served as Maine’s 70th governor. Brennan also served as the Cumberland County district attorney and the state’s attorney general, in addition to being elected to both chambers of the Maine Legislature and the U.S. House of Representatives.

One of eight children raised by his parents in Munjoy Hill, Brennan used his working-class background to connect with voters from a variety of backgrounds. He was known as a friend to the powerless and has been credited with laying the groundwork for the Land for Maine’s Future program and creating a funding plan that stimulated the growth of the Maine Housing Authority.

Madeleine G. “Maddy” Corson, shown beside the Maine coast in this undated family photo, was known as a caring business leader and a generous philanthropist. Photo courtesy of Corson family

Click here to read Maddy Corson’s letter to readers following a blizzard in 1998.

Maddy Corson, 87

Maddy Corson chaired Guy Gannett Publishing, the publishing company her grandfather founded, until it sold its Maine newspapers — including the Press Herald — in 1998. From there, she devoted her time to philanthropy, giving time to the Boys and Girls Club, the Maine Aquarium and Victoria Mansion, among others.

During her most active philanthropic years, Corson donated her money and time to more than 200 nonprofits across the state, her family said. A passionate advocate for the arts, her support kept the Children’s Theatre open until its 2008 merger with the Children’s Museum. She is honored at the Thompson’s Point location with “Maddy’s Theatre.”

George Ayers. Photo courtesy of the Ayers family

George Ayers, 96

A dedicated astronomer and educator at the University of Maine, George Ayers sought to open up the mystical for his students. He was born in Camden, where as a teenager he would ride his bicycle down the main street, honking the horn in an effort to spread springtime joy.

Ayers founded the astronomy program at the University of Southern Maine and wrote “What’s Up,” a monthly astronomy column that appeared in several Maine newspapers, including the Press Herald, from 1975-1991.

The northern lights lit the skies over Maine the night he died.

Philip Levinsky at a party in June 2010. Shawn Patrick Ouellette/Portland Press Herald

Philip Levinsky, 97

A Portland native, Philip Levinsky transformed his father’s New England Army Supply Company into the Levinsky’s clothing store, which now operates in North Windham.

Levinsky graduated from Deering High in 1944 before joining the Army Air Corps in World War II, where he maintained aircraft, according to his obituary. He and his wife, Elizabeth Zaitlin, lived in Portland’s Back Cove neighborhood for 70 years.

Click here to read as Philip Levinsky speaks about the business’s history.

Stephen Halpert, shown in 2005, owned The Movies on Exchange Street in Portland. Portland Press Herald staff photo

Click here to read as Stephen Halpert discusses the theater-going experience in 1998’s VHS era.

Stephen Halpert, 91

Stephen Halpert helped define Portland’s artistic landscape through photography exhibitions and film screenings. He spent more than 50 years working at the University of New England, where he served as the chair of the English Department and hosted exhibitions into his final years.

Raised in Connecticut, Halpert put down roots in Portland in 1936 and graduated from Deering High School 15 years later. He once owned The Movies on Exchange, which played art and repertory films during three decades under his leadership. In 2016, UNE established the Stephen K. Halpert Collection of Photography in his honor.

Susan Abercrombie in 2018. Photo courtesy of Susan Abercrombie

Susan Abercrombie, 79

Susan Abercrombie was one of only a few Republicans brave enough to run in Portland. Abercrombie died in August while gearing up for another campaign season and had already qualified to appear on the ballot.

Though her chances were perennially slim to none in Maine’s most progressive Democratic stronghold, Abercrombie believed that voters needed to have a choice. She first appeared on a ballot in 2016, challenging Benjamin Collings for his House seat; she appeared on the ballot, for a variety of positions, again in 2018, 2020 and 2022.

Kenneth Flanders.

Kenneth Flanders, 72

One of Maine’s all-time greatest runners, Kenneth Flanders began his athletic career at Deering High. He won the Portland Boys’ Club’s 5-mile race — then the most prestigious in Maine — seven times in the 1970s and ’80s.He went on to Northeastern University, where he became the New England Division I indoor 2-mile and outdoor 6-mile track champion in 1973.

Later that year, he raced the NCAA cross country championship in Spokane, Washington, finishing less than 90 seconds behind Steve Prefontaine.

One of Kenneth Flanders’ many wins was published in the Journal Tribune in 1982; click here to read.

Ursula Slavick. Jack Milton/Portland Press Herald

Ursula Slavick, 87

Ursula Slavick taught German and French to countless students at Deering High School, and she served as president of the Portland Teachers’ Association and a director of the Maine Education Association, according to her obituary.

She co-founded the food pantry at Sacred Heart-Saint Dominic Church and regularly led overseas aid efforts and local social justice campaigns, according to her obituary. She served on the board of Peace Action Maine.

Paul Caponigro, Lacoste 1987. Photo by Ginette Vach

Paul Caponigro, 91

The Boston-born photographer, known for his mystifying black and white landscapes and ability to draw deep meaning from simple subjects, died in November after decades living in Cushing. He is known for works such as “Running White Deer” and “Galaxy Apple,” both of which imbue an almost surreal quality to everyday scenes.

Caponigro bought himself his first camera at 12 but was disappointed with the quality of drug store prints and instead set up a darkroom in his family basement. As an adult, he received two Guggenheim Fellowships and three grants from the National Endowment for the Arts. He was inducted into the International Photography Hall of Fame just days before his death.

Dr. Peter Rand picks a tick off a flag used to collect ticks. Gordon Chibroski/Portland Press Herald

Peter Rand, 95

A longtime resident at Maine Medical Center, Peter Rand was involved in its open heart surgery program and establishing the hospital’s research department, according to his obituary. In a career spanning nearly six decades, he generated more than 100 publications.

An active player in local conservation efforts, Rand held a seat on the Cape Elizabeth Conservation Committee, served on the board and council of the Maine Coast Heritage Trust and co-founded the Cape Elizabeth Land Trust, his obituary states.

Robert Skoglund, hams it up for the camera as he leaves a board meeting at Maine Public Radio offices in Lewiston in 2007. Photo by Doug Jones

Robert Skoglund, 88

Known as “The Humble Farmer,” Robert Skoglund delighted his listeners, watchers and readers in radio and television appearances and a regular column in the Press Herald. He was known for a dry wit and was often compared to Garrison Keillor; he also played multiple instruments and spoke several languages.

His namesake jazz and commentary program aired on Maine Public Radio from 1978 to 2007. In 2013, he began releasing podcasts. He published a pair of column anthologies titled “Chicken Poop for the Reader’s Soil.”

Sandy Maisel moderates a Republican gubernatorial debate in 2018. Michael G. Seamans/Morning Sentinel

Sandy Maisel, 79

After studying at Harvard University and Columbia University, Louis Sandy Maisel was hired at Colby College for what was initially slated to be a one-year contract, according to his obituary. He remained at the school, where he became something of an icon, for half a century.

Maisel founded Colby’s Goldfarb Center for Public Affairs and chaired the college’s Athletic Advisory Committee for 20 years. He played an active role at his Waterville synagogue, Beth Israel Congregation, where he served on the board and as president in the 1980s.

Joe Soley speaks to reporters in June 1999. File photo

Joe Soley, 93

Known for his sprawling real estate portfolio, the New York-born developer and landlord helped drive the Old Port’s transformation into a tourist destination. He moved to Maine full time in 1976, and at one point owned seven properties along Exchange Street.

Soley also had a contentious relationship with city officials. He kept office out of the now-shuttered convenience store at the corner of Fore and Exchange Streets, but could be regularly seen walking the streets of the Old Port.

David Mallett at his Sebec home on July 6, 2014. Yoon S. Byun/Portland Press Herald

David Mallett, 73

Over his decadeslong career, the Sebec native penned songs performed by the likes of Pete Seeger, Alison Krauss and Emmylou Harris, including “Garden Song,” which is considered a folk music standard and was made into a children’s book. Among his most recent performances was at Gov. Janet Mill’s second inauguration in 2023.

Mallett studied acting at the University of Maine and later lived and worked in Nashville in the 1980s. He performed across Canada and Europe, as well as on television and radio programs like National Public Radio’s “A Prairie Home Companion.”

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