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Jack Gesemyer

Jack worked in the insurance industry on Main Street in Saco. He was one of the first "recruits" in the proposed Saco Bay Rotary club. He helped to recruit many of the original charter members of the club. Unfortunately Jack passed away prior to the chartering of the club in November 1989. The club has honored him by naming its most prestigious award for the "Rotarian of the Year" as The Jack Gesemyer Award.

Charles B. Snow
2/7/48-6/1/98

Charlie Snow was born in Maine and graduated from Thornton Academy. He was drafted into the Army and saw action in Vietnam. In Vietnam he stepped on a land mine and subsequently lost a leg.

After being discharged from the service he returned to Maine and settled back in Saco. He did some of his first "service" work volunteering to assist disabled veterans. He married Donna in 1968 and subsequently had two children. He got involved in Little League and served as the president of the Maremont League. He worked for Saco and Biddeford Savings Bank and rose to the position of Vice President of Human Resources.

A charter member of Saco Bay Rotary, Charlie served as one of the first directors and the first Sargent at Arms. He was made a Paul Harris Fellow in 1992 and served as president in 1995-1996. During his year as President, Saco Bay Rotary won more awards than any other club at the District Conference. Charlie and Glen Hodge worked on new member development together. They came up with the idea of the "black hat club" and membership grew to its highest level during this time. He recruited more members than any other member of this club. Charlie received the following designations:

1992 Service Above Self Award

1993 Jack Gesemyer Award

1994 Presidential Recognition Award (New Members)

Rotarian of the Year

Distinguished Service Citation (Helping flood victims in Iowa)

Service Above Self Award from Biddeford-Saco Rotary Club

Presidential Recognition for Membership Growth

Rotary Foundation District Service Award

1995 Certificate of Appreciation- Paul Harris Committee and TV Auction Committee

President's Citation

He was also on the board of directors of Thornton Academy and the Biddeford Saco Chamber of Commerce.

He truly was a man who lived the Rotary motto of "Service Above Self"

R. Glen Hodge
4/15/52-12/18/99

Glenn was born in Maine and graduated from Old Orchard Beach High School. He served in the Air Force from 1975 to 1979.

In 1976 he married Denise and they subsequently had a daughter Haillie.

He owned and operated Achieve Marketing.

He joined Saco Bay Rotary in 1994 and from the beginning was active in membership development. He and Charlie Snow worked out the details of the "black hat club" which originally used black cowboy hats. During this time membership reached an all time high.

During Glenn’s illness he was always positive and upbeat. He knew the chemotherapy was going to cause his hair to fall out. Instead of worrying about it he decided to hold a raffle. If you correctly guessed the day his hair fell out you would win half the pot with the other half going to the American Cancer Society.

Charlie Snow recruited more members but Glen came in a close second.

Robert P. Ouellette
11/4/51-5/26/01

Bob grew up in Saco and decided to stay and prosper in this city. From the time he was very young he had a talent to gather people together. He was a true leader. During his high school years at Thornton Academy he led the class of 1970 as President for four years.

After college and serving in the Army. Bob owned several businesses until he found the world of real estate. Bob included Lise, his wife, in all his endeavors and together they bought Drown Agency and later Prudential Prime Properties Bay Realty.

Bob enjoyed his wife's country of origin, Canada; in fact they purchased a condo in the old part of Quebec City. They shared it with family and friends.

Bob served his community as Director of Dyer Library and York Museum. He also was the Chairman of the Historical Commission. He led his agents and office personnel in collecting toys at Christmas for the Toys of Tots Program. He served as a mentor in the Jump-Start Program.

Bob was a Charter member of Saco Bay Rotary.

Jay Y. Clark
8/9/38-10/23/03

Jay was born in Boston and graduated from Stonehill College in Easton, MA with a degree in economics. Jay was previously employed by American Steel in South Portland. He later entered the real estate business and was proprietor of Jay Clark Associates and at the time of his passing was a partner with Signature Realty

Jay was married to his wife Maureen for 35 years and they raised three children, Jay C., Jonathan and Hilary.

Jay was a charter member of Saco Bay and served as the treasurer of the club for one year. During this year, Jay unfortunately had a stroke, but he continued to perform his duties as he learned to write with his other hand.

Al Lehman
2/3/26-6/22/06

Al's life was a series of many unexpected twists. He grew up in New York, yet he lived most of his adult life in California. He finally retired to Maine.

The initial path for his early adult life took a sharp turn due to WW II. He served as a combat infantryman in Patton's 3rd Army during the Battle of the Bulge.

Returning home, he graduated from Adelphi University with a degree in accounting. Then he headed west to become a businessman, building a Fullerton California company that supplied upscale department stores with custom draperies. After moving to Palm Springs, he saw an opportunity to furnish the local hotel industry with custom window coverings and carpeting.

Marrying Marea Corsini in June of 1951, Al built a new life that included his step-daughter Paula, and son Mark and daughter Lisa.

Al was very proud of his family, especially his grandchildren, Holly and Ian. He was an active

Rotarian for many years, and sometimes indulged his artistic talent by painting. But Al was happiest meeting and greeting new people and old friends.

Fred Milley

Frederick J Milley born July 25, 1925 passed away Aug. 31, 2009. Fred was the model of "Service above Self'- silently getting his projects accomplished - whether it be Bon Appetit, Toys for Tots,- or Projects for The Ocean Park Association-- Fred was there -quiet, unassuming, and always making certain the project was complete". His memory is that of "This was a Rotarian in all ways"- a Rotarian for all Rotarians to emulate.

Jesse McDougal
November 24, 1948 -- October 1, 2009

Jesse McDougal was a true Maine native. He was born in Skowhegan, graduated from Winthrop High School and the University of Maine in Orono. Jesse enjoyed sports and played basketball and golf.

In addition to playing sports, he also played the trombone; and with some of his friends, he started a small band that played at school functions. Jesse went on to learn other instruments and even attempted to learn how to play the violin, a difficult instrument that fascinated his love of music.

Jesse was also an ardent chess and cribbage player and was always reading about the different strategies to keep his game sharp.

His life's work was as a CPA and he opened his own firm with his wife Donna in Saco.

Jesse was always a "giving person" and gave of himself in different ways. A committed Rotary member he became a charter member of Saco Bay Rotary and was always involved with the club's activities. He was a recipient of a Paul Harris Fellow from the club.

He was also a member of the Biddeford-Saco Chamber of Commerce and served as a director and treasurer. When he was called to run as a councilman, he accepted and served for several years.

Jesse was also known for his wry sense of humor and his easy way with people and will be remembered as gentlemen's gentleman.

Cliff Kelsey
May 26, 1923-March 23, 2010

R Clifford Kelsey - longtime member of Rotary in both Pa. and Saco Bay. He achieved his PHD from Univ.. of Wisconsin and was employed at Smith, Kline, and French as a biologist and later taught at Drexel University in Philadelphia. Cliff served in the 8th Air Force in WW and flew B-17s from England to the European theater. He was 84 years old and leaves his wife Peg of Saco and Ocean Park and a son Leonard, daughter Janet, and 2 grandchildren.

John E. Anagnostis

The ability to empower others is no easy task and is a gift that should be taken lightly.

John Anagnostis was not just a loving husband, father, friend and educator; simply put, he was a great community citizen and had the ability to empower others, sometimes without them even knowing it.

He drew upon his gifts to bring out the best in his lifelong students and people only met him once. Recommending a favorite book, sharing story about Greece or leveraging his smile and good humor to get someone to come out of their shell for just a moment. John knew the power of his smile, his firm handshake and warm smile; and he leveraged that to become a well respect community citizen. Something we all should aspire to continue in his honor.

The memory of John Anagnostis teaches us the value of integrity, to savor the sound of children laughing in the yard, the taste of fresh baked goods and the sweet smell of fresh cut grass on a baseball field. He continues to remind us that being a good citizen just doesn't happen one day but is done over a lifetime in caring for others.

John was a respected Mason, a Rotarian and devoted to his faith and St. Demetrios Greek Orthodox Church. We are all better people for having had John in our lives.

Al Hillis

Ocean Park, Al Hills, 93 of Sand Piper Rd, passed away August 16, 2015 at the Maine Veterans' Home in Scarborough. He was born in Newark, New Jersey June 25, 1922 the son of Herbert and Grace Hills.

During Al's childhood he lived in Rhode Island, Massachusetts, Canada and England due to his father's job as a retail store executive, graduating from New Hampton Prep School in New Hampshire. Al entered the armed services in 1942 signing up for pilot's training because he always had a fascination with flying; he served in the United States Army Aircorp (later the United States Air Force). He was trained as a bombardier / navigator serving in the European Theater. On the way to buy a bicycle, he was rounded up to serve with a crew for a bombing run. His plane was shot down over Saarbracken, Germany. He was forced to bail out at 20,000 feet and landed on a school roof, slid down and landed on the ground only to be knocked unconscious, and then captured. He served over 14 months as a Prisoner of War in a camp near the Polish border. In January 1945, he and over 2,000 other fellow POW's were marched toward Nuremburg by guards who were trying to outrun the Russians and they ended up marching them to Moosburg, where they were finally liberated. He was thankful he had good boots and a warm jacket. Al weighed 168 pounds before being captured and when he finally was released he weighed 90 pounds. He said many of his fellow prisoners dreamed of food; he dreamed of ice cream and ate it every day when he returned home.

After returning home, Al owned and operated a retail store in Randolph, MA for over 30 years. Al and his family moved to Ocean Park Maine in 1984.

He enjoyed spending time with his family and his dog Shadow.

Al was a member of First Parish Congregational Church of Saco, UCC and Rotary International. A former member in Lancaster, MA, where he was Past President and a current member of Saco Bay Rotary, he recently was awarded his second Paul Harris Fellowship by Saco Bay Rotary Club.

He is survived by his wife of over 72 years of marriage, Josephine (Jo) Anderson Hills of Ocean Park, a son Robert A. Hills of Ocean Park and a daughter Deborah A. Hills of Edgartown, MA.