Multi-class reunion for Ricker College grads
being planned
By Joseph Cyr
Staff Writer
HOULTON — Plans are now under way for a multi-class reunion for anyone who graduated from Ricker College, Ricker Junior College or Ricker Classical Institute.
“We are hoping anyone who ever went to Ricker will come back to Houlton for this reunion,” said Tim Humphrey, a 1969 graduate of Ricker College. “We have most everything pulled together at this point. A lot of the local folks who went to Ricker, we want to see them come out for this.”
Scheduled for Sept. 7-9, the three-day reunion will feature a variety of activities for former classmates to come together and reminisce about their college heyday in Houlton.
On Friday, Sept. 7, guests will meet at the Shiretown Motor Inn’s function room for a cocktail social event.
On Saturday, Sept. 8, a walking tour of downtown Houlton will take place, led by Leigh Cummings. The walk starts at the Riverfront Park Bridge and features stops at the “Ricker Room” located inside the Greater Houlton Chamber of Commerce building.
The highlight of the walk includes a visit to the former Ricker campus, including one of the college dormitories, which is currently the home of Wayne Robertson and Dave Rowe of the Houlton Wesleyan Church. The church is actually the former Ricker College cafeteria.
“A part of the dormitory building has remained essentially the same since the last student left in 1978,” Humphrey said. “The last time we had a reunion people stated some of the rooms were ‘just the way we left it.’ Everyone had that old nostalgic feeling. Some of the beds are still there and there were notes left on doors. It’s crazy.”
Events for Sunday, Sept. 9 have not yet been scheduled.
“We don’t have an alumni association anymore because there is no school,” Humphrey said. “So, it’s just group of people trying to keep the memory alive. For a college that has been out of commission since 1978, it’s amazing how the Ricker spirit is still going.”
Attendance at the reunion events has diminished as the years go on, he said. In years past, it would be common for 250 people to attend a Ricker reunion. More recently those figures have dropped to just under 100.
Humphrey said the group needs to have 100 paid registrations by March 31 in order for the event to take place. The cost is $50 per person, which covers dinner, bartenders and help with the function room rental fee.
For more information, contact Humphrey at 532-6895, e-mail rickerreunion@yahoo.com or visit www.ricker.net.
