Cpl Jonathan T. Yale and LCpl Jordan C. Haerter

April 22nd is a very important date in our family. In honor of Cpl Jonathan T. Yale and LCpl Jordan C. Haerter, I am reprinting a KezarLife post from August 2017. Please take a moment to read the extraordinary story of these two men. By giving their lives, they saved many others. One of those Marines saved was our son Ben.

Link to “The 11th Order”, a 2019 award-winning short film by Joshua DeFour on the stopping of a suicide truck bomb.

In Jordan’s Honor

I tend not to get too personal in these pages. Maybe a couple of posts about various trips or family updates but, for the most part, I like to keep things focused on Lovell and Kezar Lake. However, this past weekend was a rollercoaster ride of emotions. We have always been proud of our son Benjamin, but over the last few days, Rondi and I discovered quite a bit more about his commitment to others, the commitment to his country and the overall respect he has earned from his peers.

In early 2008, Benjamin was deployed to Ramadi, Iraq. His station was comprised of United States Marines and Iraqi police. In the early morning of April 22, 2008, two Marines, Cpl. Jonathan T. Yale and LCpl. Jordan Haerter, standing guard at their posts, stopped a suicide bomber from killing 50 US Marines and additional Iraqi police officers. Our son was one of those Marines saved.

Over the years, there have been several memorial bike rides in Jordan’s honor but 2017 marked the inaugural “Jordan’s Run: Veterans’ Memorial 5k Run” which is part of a Veteran’s series on Long Island. Having run in, worked in and organized multiple races over the years, I was very impressed by what this race committee put together. Major sponsors (Macy’s), great t-shirts, lots of food, friendly volunteers, support from police, fire and rescue service departments. It was clear, as the participants went through residential neighborhoods as well as the downtown commercial area, that the entire town of Sag Harbor was there to support the event.

One of the realities of having a child serve in the military is that they will be placed in harm’s way. There is no avoiding this. Over the weekend, we met several Gold Star parents and it is difficult to express my gratitude to their sacrifices. In addition to meeting the Platoon Commander, we also met a number of Marines who were with Ben on that dark day. But most important to me, was meeting Jordan’s mother JoAnne Lyles. It is amazing that she has worked so hard over the past nine years, through the memory of her son Jordan, to help many others. And that is her vision, that every year runners and walkers will come together to not only honor Jordan, but to help many others. With 358 finishers in the very first race, I am confident that it will continue to grow for many, many years.

As the proud parent of a Marine, I ask every reader of KezarLife to take a few minutes to read the transcript of the speech given by Lt. General John Kelly about these two brave Marines. And to then take a moment and reflect on what this great country means to you and the people who protect our way of life.

Click here to read Lt. General Kelly’s speech.

A Lovell Institution Closes

Bruce Thurston & Terry Guptill

Bruce “Hoss” Thurston always said that when it was time to retire, both he and Terry Guptill would go out together. What a story it is — Hoss has owned his auto repair business for 55 years and Terry has been with him for 42 years. Both summer and year-round residents have stories about how well they were treated when they were at wit’s end with their broken car and the boys made everything good again. But it is not about just repairing motors and replacing tires. Thurston’s Garage was a place to visit for friendly conversation or advice. And always with enthusiasm!

Lots of people have had their picture taken with the Lovell Village sign and I am truly honored that Hoss and Terry took a ride down on their busy last day in business for a photo.

Cpl Jonathan T. Yale and LCpl Jordan C. Haerter

April 22nd is a very important date in our family. In honor of Cpl Jonathan T. Yale and LCpl Jordan C. Haerter, I am reprinting a KezarLife post from August 2017. Please take a moment to read the extraordinary story of these two men. By giving their lives, they saved many others. One of those Marines saved was our son Ben.

Link to “The 11th Order”, a 2019 award-winning short film by Joshua DeFour on the stopping of a suicide truck bomb.

In Jordan’s Honor

I tend not to get too personal in these pages. Maybe a couple of posts about various trips or family updates but, for the most part, I like to keep things focused on Lovell and Kezar Lake. However, this past weekend was a rollercoaster ride of emotions. We have always been proud of our son Benjamin, but over the last few days, Rondi and I discovered quite a bit more about his commitment to others, the commitment to his country and the overall respect he has earned from his peers.

In early 2008, Benjamin was deployed to Ramadi, Iraq. His station was comprised of United States Marines and Iraqi police. In the early morning of April 22, 2008, two Marines, Cpl. Jonathan T. Yale and LCpl. Jordan Haerter, standing guard at their posts, stopped a suicide bomber from killing 50 US Marines and additional Iraqi police officers. Our son was one of those Marines saved.

Over the years, there have been several memorial bike rides in Jordan’s honor but 2017 marked the inaugural “Jordan’s Run: Veterans’ Memorial 5k Run” which is part of a Veteran’s series on Long Island. Having run in, worked in and organized multiple races over the years, I was very impressed by what this race committee put together. Major sponsors (Macy’s), great t-shirts, lots of food, friendly volunteers, support from police, fire and rescue service departments. It was clear, as the participants went through residential neighborhoods as well as the downtown commercial area, that the entire town of Sag Harbor was there to support the event.

One of the realities of having a child serve in the military is that they will be placed in harm’s way. There is no avoiding this. Over the weekend, we met several Gold Star parents and it is difficult to express my gratitude to their sacrifices. In addition to meeting the Platoon Commander, we also met a number of Marines who were with Ben on that dark day. But most important to me, was meeting Jordan’s mother JoAnne Lyles. It is amazing that she has worked so hard over the past nine years, through the memory of her son Jordan, to help many others. And that is her vision, that every year runners and walkers will come together to not only honor Jordan, but to help many others. With 358 finishers in the very first race, I am confident that it will continue to grow for many, many years.

As the proud parent of a Marine, I ask every reader of KezarLife to take a few minutes to read the transcript of the speech given by Lt. General John Kelly about these two brave Marines. And to then take a moment and reflect on what this great country means to you and the people who protect our way of life.

Click here to read Lt. General Kelly’s speech.

April Fools’ Day

Just a reminder that today is April Fools’ Day! PLEASE TAKE THAT INTO CONSIDERATION WHEN READING TODAY’S EARLIER POST.

Lovell Solar Moratorium Vote 1-25-2022

Solar Moratorium Vote

Tuesday, January 25th, 7 pm

Center Lovell Firehouse

A large turnout is expected for the Solar Moratorium Vote on Tuesday, January 25th, at the Center Lovell Firehouse on Tuesday. It is important that all voters are aware of the following expectations:

• Be respectful of your fellow Lovell residents.
• Prior to entering the building, your temperature will be taken and recorded. Please arrive early as it is likely there will be a long line.
• Masks are required and must be worn properly at all times with both mouth and nose covered.
• Each voter’s eligibility will be confirmed using the Registered Voter list. You will receive a colored slip identifying you as a registered voter. This card will also serve as your voting ballot.
• If you are not a registered voter and wish to vote on Tuesday, you may register before Tuesday at the Lovell Town Office.
• To register on Tuesday evening, please review the attached ‘Maine Voting Residence Fact Sheet’ (click link) for items that you will need to bring with you on Tuesday.
• Voting will be done by written ballot.
• No absentee ballots are permitted.

Walden Renewables and Lovell

View from Christian Hill Road

At the beginning of December, the town of Lovell received an early Christmas “gift” when a company called Walden Renewables delivered a Conditional Use Application to the Lovell Planning Board to build a 35 MW Solar Energy farm on +/- 175 acres. The complete application is 600-plus pages. It is available on-line here or available for review at the town office.

Normally, one’s first reaction upon learning of the construction of a solar energy producing facility would be welcomed news. After all, we all understand the need to invest in green energy and move away from fossil fuels.

All good until you learn more about the project and how it would alter one of the most spectacular vistas in western Maine. The installation of the solar farm would require the clear-cutting of the land and the placement of thousands of solar panels which will be visible from multiple locations around Lovell. That much is certain, but still to be determined is the impact of runoff into area brooks and Kezar Lake as well as the elimination of a large wildlife corridor. Also unclear is the level of noise to abutters and people walking and driving by.

The more that is uncovered, the more it feels like this particular rural and residential location is not the right place for an industrial project.

Apparently, Walden Renewables has been working on this project for well over a year. The frustrating aspect is that abutters and town residents were not aware of this project until shortly before the application was submitted. A perfectly legal approach but one that leaves many people suspicious of the need for the stealth path. 

Apparently, the town of Lovell is not alone in attracting solar farm developments (Unprecedented Wave of Solar Development Spurs Land Rush in Maine, Portland Press Herald, 1/4/2021). The need for proper planning and siting is crucial as the impact will last for decades. Unfortunately, many small towns are ill-equipped to deal with the piles of legal documents that are submitted by the solar developers.

Lovell may be in a better position than other Maine towns to counter Walden’s proposal but it will take a large and coordinated effort. Since the Planning Board’s meeting, Our Eden Association has been formed. It is a Maine Non-Profit Corporation. Please visit the informative web site at www.LetLovellDecide.org. Consider making a donation, large or small, to support the effort. An organized voice is crucial.

The town’s Select Board has scheduled a meeting for this evening, December 28th, to discuss a proposed solar moratorium. It is to be held at the Lovell Town Hall at 7 pm. (Wearing a mask is mandatory!)

In the past, I have made an effort to keep my opinions private on town and political matters. However, on this issue, I feel that the impact on Lovell will be dramatic and long-lasting. We must pause and get this right.

Rest In Peace Richard Rice

Richard Rice passed away recently. He was a very humble man and had a wonderful background, one that you might read about in a novel. But he never talked about his life much, even when asked. He was a bit reclusive but he had a photographic mind, was a biologist, worked at Walter Reed Hospital when he was in the Army, was a children’s book illustrator and a collector of stamps and antiques.

Richard lived in an old Lovell Village house, in between the Post Office and my office on the corner. I first got to know Richard when we served together on the Charlotte Hobbs Memorial Library Board. He took extensive notes in perfect handwriting and was always optimistic. Not just about Library matters but life in general. We would sometimes chat as I walked by his home or he would stop in the office to ask a couple of questions.

There was a small service for Richard at the Number Four Cemetery. There weren’t a lot of people attending, and a few faces that I did not recognize. But a number of people had wonderful stories about Richard and when the service was over, it was clear that Richard touched many different people.

One of the speakers was our daughter Anna. She has given permission to print here:

Dick Rice Eulogy

Several years ago, when I was still in college, I came home to Lovell to live with my parents for the summer. I came to Lovell directly from Beijing, where I had lived during the school year. I knew that I only had one semester left before I could graduate, but aside from that, I wasn’t totally sure what my next step was. My parents welcomed me with open arms, telling me that, of course I could stay with them, but that I also better get myself a job.

Luckily, Anna Romer mentioned she could use some help at the library; and so, that’s where I found myself on many afternoons and evenings, stacking and shelving books, singing the alphabet over and over to myself to make sure I wasn’t putting the G’s after the H’s.

It wasn’t long before I noticed this small man in a baseball cap lugging these huge trash bins up the library’s front steps. 

“That’s Dick Rice,” someone told me. “He’s been taking our trash out twice a week for years.”

Occasionally, after he finished trash duty, Dick would come back inside holding a brand new tablet. Someone had gifted it to him, and in theory, he loved it. He really, really loved it. In practice though, he had no idea what it did. I’d watch him poke and swipe at the thing, getting more and more frustrated with every passing minute. 

When the frustration would reach its peak, he’d ask Anna or Marie or Deanna for help. They’d answer his questions patiently and kindly and as best they knew how. I watched this interaction happen on a loop – he would get confused about something, scrunch his nose, ask for help, get an answer, and then get confused all over again.

He might need someone to sit down with him one-on-one, I thought to myself. So – I made the executive decision to take a break from my alphabetizing and take a seat down next to him.

Pretty soon, Dick and I had “class” together for an hour or two every week. I taught him some of the tablet’s basic functions, how to perform a Google search, and which ads were definitely, definitely not real (and no, we should not click on that). 

For as much as I taught Dick, he taught me more. Eventually he started coming in with lists of people or historical events that he wanted to put into “The Google.” Together, we rediscovered music from his childhood and learned about medieval Europe.

I think we were both a little sad when late August rolled around and I moved back to New York City to finish school. Our classes together had come to an end. 

I never got the chance to tell Dick how much our time together meant to me, or how it led me to pursue a career teaching adults in community colleges and other continuing education settings. Working with him was  deeply and profoundly rewarding – even when I had to remind him where the volume button was and that we probably shouldn’t be listening to music that loud in the library. 

To Richard Rice: thank you for all did for me and for the community in Lovell. May you Rest In Peace.

Cpl Jonathan T. Yale and LCpl Jordan C. Haerter

April 22nd is a very important date in our family. In honor of Cpl Jonathan T. Yale and LCpl Jordan C. Haerter, I am reprinting a KezarLife post from August 2017. Please take a moment to read the extraordinary story of these two men. By giving their lives, they saved many others. One of those Marines saved was our son Ben.

In Jordan’s Honor

I tend not to get too personal in these pages. Maybe a couple of posts about various trips or family updates but, for the most part, I like to keep things focused on Lovell and Kezar Lake. However, this past weekend was a rollercoaster ride of emotions. We have always been proud of our son Benjamin, but over the last few days, Rondi and I discovered quite a bit more about his commitment to others, the commitment to his country and the overall respect he has earned from his peers.

In early 2008, Benjamin was deployed to Ramadi, Iraq. His station was comprised of United States Marines and Iraqi police. In the early morning of April 22, 2008, two Marines, Cpl. Jonathan T. Yale and LCpl. Jordan Haerter, standing guard at their posts, stopped a suicide bomber from killing 50 US Marines and additional Iraqi police officers. Our son was one of those Marines saved.

Over the years, there have been several memorial bike rides in Jordan’s honor but 2017 marked the inaugural “Jordan’s Run: Veterans’ Memorial 5k Run” which is part of a Veteran’s series on Long Island. Having run in, worked in and organized multiple races over the years, I was very impressed by what this race committee put together. Major sponsors (Macy’s), great t-shirts, lots of food, friendly volunteers, support from police, fire and rescue service departments. It was clear, as the participants went through residential neighborhoods as well as the downtown commercial area, that the entire town of Sag Harbor was there to support the event.

One of the realities of having a child serve in the military is that they will be placed in harm’s way. There is no avoiding this. Over the weekend, we met several Gold Star parents and it is difficult to express my gratitude to their sacrifices. In addition to meeting the Platoon Commander, we also met a number of Marines who were with Ben on that dark day. But most important to me, was meeting Jordan’s mother JoAnne Lyles. It is amazing that she has worked so hard over the past nine years, through the memory of her son Jordan, to help many others. And that is her vision, that every year runners and walkers will come together to not only honor Jordan, but to help many others. With 358 finishers in the very first race, I am confident that it will continue to grow for many, many years.

As the proud parent of a Marine, I ask every reader of KezarLife to take a few minutes to read the transcript of the speech given by Lt. General John Kelly about these two brave Marines. And to then take a moment and reflect on what this great country means to you and the people who protect our way of life.

Click here to read Lt. General Kelly’s speech.

Farewell to Rosie’s

It is hard to recall a time when Rosie’s wasn’t the center of Lovell Village with a steady stream of people coming and going throughout the day. Whether they were there to pick-up a newspaper, a quart of milk, a six-pack of beer, a container of fishing worms or to just sit at the counter for a hearty breakfast, there was always a high level of activity.

Identifying what makes Rosie’s a special place is a difficult task. After all, western Maine is filled with convenience stores in older buildings that serve similar products. Part of the charm might be the uneven wooden floors or the crowded aisles, or perhaps it is the wooden countertop with swivel chairs. Is it the soft-serve ice cream cones in the summer or the Friday night pizza take-out? Perhaps it is the back and forth banter between customers and the sassy but friendly staff.

Rosie’s was always the place to come to catch up on local news which could be delivered by Rosie herself or a customer enjoying one of the lunch specials.

One of my favorite Trip Advisor postings about Rosie’s captures the hometown feel perfectly:

Rosie’s – Awesome Breakfast and Awesome People

We were a group of cousins staying at Lake Kezar and heard great things about Rosie’s so we gave it a try. Stopped for breakfast and took up the entire front counter. I had Eggs Benedict, my favorite, and it was terrific and the price was very fair. The cousins all raved about the coffee as well. I especially liked the older gentleman sitting near me next to the door. His name was Norm and everyone who walked in or out knew his name, felt like I was at Cheers, LOL

When the lights go out and the doors are locked for the last time on Sunday at 5 pm, it is uncertain if and when a new store will open. Hopefully, it won’t be too long. Rosie did a great job of making the store an integral part of the fabric that makes Lovell a special place. Sure, the store and staff will be missed but we can’t be selfish so I would like to be one of many to offer Rosie a “Happy Retirement”

Kevin McDonald–Welcome to the Hall of Fame

It is always nice to have some good news to share. Kevin McDonald of Lovell has been chosen for the Maine Running Hall of Fame.

Anyone who knows Kevin will agree that he always has a kind word and is willing to offer help to those in need.

Since his Falmouth, MA school days at Lawrence High School, Kevin has always been active in cross-country running as well as indoor and outdoor track. And the same passion continued when he attended Springfield College.

Throughout his years in Lovell and working 32 years at the Portland Post Office, Kevin always got his runs in. He has completed 20 marathons during that time, including Boston as well as countless other smaller-distance races. After retiring in 2009, Kevin started coaching track and field at the Lake Region Middle School and that eventually led to his current status as Head Coach for both Indoor Track and Outdoor Track and Field at the Fryeburg Academy. McDonald loves coaching the kids and he has had a lot of great runners through the years and been to the New England Championships. But he also takes great pride in teaching the students techniques and watch them develop into confident athletes.

Every two years, the Maine Running Hall of Fame chooses individuals who have made significant contributions to the sport of running in Maine. Unfortunately, this year’s induction ceremony has been postponed due to COVID and hopefully will be held next year.

From the very beginning of the Lovell Old Home Days 5k, Kevin was a big supporter of the race and was helpful in making it a success. I can’t think of anyone more deserving of this great honor! CONGRATULATIONS COACH McDONALD!