Island Falls bestows Boston Post Cane

    The town of Island Falls awarded the Boston Post Cane to its oldest citizen, Mrs. Mildred Kennard, age 99 on Sept. 28. She was presented with the cane, a certificate and a rose bowl. Present for the ceremony were Paige Coville, head selectman for Island Falls and Reneva Smith, president, and Rebecca Drew, secretary for Island Falls Historical Society which is custodian of the cane for the town.
    Mildred Alma (Cameron) Kennard was born in March of 1912. She grew up in Caribou and graduated from Caribou High School in 1929. Mildred then went to work in town for Tibbett’s Chevrolet Dealership and worked there four years, changing jobs to work in the office for Charles E. Hussey and Sons Potato Growers in Presque Isle.
Mildred Alma Kennard
    During this time, Mildred met and married David Kennard of Washburn and in 1944, they moved to Island Falls and Dave ran the Mobil filling station in town. In 1955, they started the Island Falls Dry Cleaners. Mildred went to work for Katahdin Trust Company in 1962 and retired from there in 1974.
    At age 61, she became the town manager for the town of Crystal, serving from 1973 to 1983 and she and Dave lived in Crystal during those years. After her retirement there, Mildred and Dave moved back to Island Falls to the IF Housing Complex where currently Mildred resides. Dave and Mildred raised a daughter, Sharon Kennard Grant and have two grandchildren, Melinda Butcher and Kevin Grant.
    Mildred is in good health and shared some memories of the past with the group. She reminisced about the various jobs she held through the years and remembered fondly many of the townspeople she used to see in the bank each day.