PRESQUE ISLE, Maine — As part of the 50th anniversary celebration for Northern Maine Community College, the NMCC Alumni and Friends Organization is pleased to announce their selection of a constellation of “50 Shining Stars,” featuring one alum from each of the graduating classes, as well as three community members who have played a key role in the development of the college.
The individuals will be honored in the coming months through a media campaign launched by the college and at the NMCC 50th Anniversary Gala Banquet Sept. 10. According to members of the selection committee, the stars collectively represent the array of academic programs (past and present) and the breadth and depth of the impact the college and its alumni have made over five decades.
“We were looking for and selected a really good mix of people who have been successful in their own right and have made a positive difference in their profession, community and in the lives of others around them,” said Cindy Albert, member of the selection committee. “As individuals and as a group, these ‘shining stars’ tell the true NMCC story and really demonstrate the very positive and profound impact the college has had on the economic development of The County and the quality of life of our community through the years.”
NMCC was founded in 1961 after legislation creating the school was passed by the 100th Maine Legislature and signed by Gov. John H. Reed. The first students entered in 1963 and the first graduates were sent off into the workforce in 1965.
Over a period of several months last spring and summer a specially-formed committee of the NMCC Alumni and Friends Organization held several meetings and work sessions to identify alumni from each of the classes dating back to 1965. The group set a goal of finding individuals who collectively represented the impact the college and its alumni have made throughout the region, state and beyond over five decades.
To capture those stories, several current NMCC students spent the latter half of last summer and a good part of last fall conducting interviews with the outstanding individuals. In the coming months, the students’ work and the “shining stars’” success stories will be shared with the community through a college-initiated marketing campaign and in a number of campus publications.
In addition to the 47 stars that represent each of the graduating classes for NMCC and its forerunners, Northern Maine Technical College and Northern Maine Vocational Technical Institute, the Alumni and Friends Organization solicited public input earlier this year to find three community leaders to honor alongside the graduates who have made a significant difference in the evolution of the institution.
After receiving nominations from the community, the group recently named the three remaining “stars.” They include Richard Engels, a Presque Isle attorney and former NMCC Foundation board chair; Floyd Harding, a Presque Isle attorney, former state senator and one of the founders and key benefactors of the college; and Mary Smith, a native of Presque Isle and philanthropist who has contributed significantly to the college and surrounding community to improve the lives of others.
“We decided that it would be most appropriate to honor some of NMCC’s community friends who have helped advance the college in meaningful ways over the past five decades. These three individuals have certainly been staunch advocates of the college,” said Scott Carlin, president of the NMCC Alumni and Friends Organization. “Their efforts are reflective of the critical and much appreciated support NMCC has received from throughout the region since the days when the institution was just a dream to the very real success it is today. It also goes well with our group’s inclusive mission to engage all alumni and friends of the college.”
Each honoree will be presented with a special star award designed and crafted by Dennis Albert, NMCC welding and metal fabrications instructor, and his students. Each of the 50 individuals will also have a poster featuring their photo and a quote about their NMCC experience that will be unveiled at the Sept. 10 Gala. The posters will then be hung throughout the corridors on the campus.
NMCC’s 50 Shining Stars include:
1965 — Gary Cleaves of Lascassas, Tenn., retired, Maine Military Authority.
1966 — Kenneth Knight, deceased.
1967 — Eugene McCluskey of Presque Isle, director of admissions, NMCC.
1968 — Robert Kervin of Houlton, architect.
1969 — Robert Grant of Falmouth, general manager, Young’s Furniture.
1970 — William Cassidy of Raymond, retired president, Washington County Community College.
1971 — Michael Kelley Sr. of Washburn, regional vice president, TD Bank in Presque Isle.
1972 — Pauline Bouchard of Fort Kent, executive secretary, Northern Maine Medical Center.
1973 — Galen Dickinson of Caribou, chief finance officer, Cary Medical Center.
1974 — Robert Lilly of Scarborough, president/owner, New England Tech Air.
1975 — Robert Clark of Fort Fairfield, executive director, Northern Maine Development Commission.
1976 — Dennis Albert of Presque Isle, instructor, NMCC.
1977 — Michael Thibodeau of Presque Isle, accounting manger, MMG Insurance.
1978 — Diane Gough Pratt of Chapman, RN, cardiovascular lab, TAMC.
1979 — Scott Carlin of Mapleton, owner, Star City/Mars Hill/Hillside IGAs.
1980 — John Guerrette of Portland, mason, Diocesan Construction (DICON).
1981 — Sylvia Forte of Houlton, nurse manager, Houlton Regional Hospital.
1982 — Barbara Lambert of Presque Isle, administrative associate, UMPI.
1983 — Kenneth Murchison of Caribou, geographic info. specialist, NMDC.
1984 — Nancy Putnam of New Limerick, nurse practitioner, Houlton Family Practice.
1985 — Bryan LaPoint of Mapleton, owner, Ashland Auto Supply.
1986 — Betty Searles Walker of Caribou, volunteer coordinator, Cary Medical Center.
1987 — Charlie Nickerson of Oshkosh, Wisc., director of operations, Mercy Medical Center.
1988 — Fred Steeves of Minot, auto collision repair instructor, Oxford Hills Technical School.
1989 — Carolyn Dorsey-Durepo of Fort Fairfield, assistant professor, UMPI.
1990 — John Stubbs of Caribou, general sales manager, Griffeth Ford.
1991 — Spencer Bragan of Presque Isle, building trades teacher, Presque Isle Regional Career & Technical Center.
1992 — Eric Nelson of Monticello, owner, Nelson Construction.
1993 — Ammie Toby of Houlton, teacher, Region 2 Vocational Education.
1994 — Dr. Leigh Forbush, DO of Hampden, physician, Family Practice in Bangor and Hampden.
1995 — Luke Lajoie of Fort Kent, owner, G.E.I.PC.
1996 — Darrell McCrum of Mars Hill, farmer/co-owner, County Super Spuds.
1997 — Jane Mattila of Pinewood, Minn., nurse officer — U.S. Public Health Service (USPHS) Commissioned Corps., Red Lake Indian Health Service Hospital in Minnesota.
1998 — Ryan Guerrette of Mars Hill, operations manager, Big Rock Ski Area.
1999 — Dan Lalonde of Limestone, microcomputer technician, UMPI.
2000 — Kelly Lundeen of Mars Hill, administrator, The Aroostook Health Center.
2001 — Mark Kelley of Mapleton, owner, Country Farms Market in Easton.
2002 — Justinian Engels of Lakewood, N.Y., heavy duty service engineer, Cummins Inc.
2003 — Robbie Dumond of Bellevue, Neb., flight and critical care nurse, Children’s Hospital & Medical Center.
2004 — Martha Frank of Caribou, co-owner, Big Cheese Pizza.
2005 — Brian Mosher Presque Isle, program director, Citadel Broadcasting.
2006 — Tim Dionne of Hodgdon, manufacturing engineer, Smith & Wesson.
2007 — Michaele Black of Portland, accounts payable, Gobeil’s Furniture.
2008 — Kristina Braley of Chapman, DFAS.
2009 — Emily Chandler of Presque Isle, nanny.
2010 — Robert Gagnon of Madawaska, County Plumbing & Heating.
2011 — Dustin Graham of Mapleton, NMCC 2011 graduate and student at the University of Maine.
