Class Notes

  • 1951

    David Holmes wonders “how many of us are left?”

  • 1956

    Charles Harriman states, “I am still cookin’! Come on by Naples or Falmouth, ME 305-664-0483”

  • 1961

    Bruce Doughty says, “From the founding of Washburn & Doughty Shipyard in 1977 until retiring in 2021 served as President. Now daughters run the company with Katie as President.”

  • 1962

    Robert Bartek retired at the end of last year, 10 years at sea, 47 year marine surveyor. F.W.E.

  • 1962

    Garnet Colpitts is 86 and still working in his business.

  • 1965

    Charles Lechman wants the Class of 1965 to know that “we’ve missed you at the Monthly Zooms which are the First day of each month (Bill Fenton, Class Agent, sends out an invite in advance of the Zoom). Also don’t forget our 60th Summer Reunion in Castine on July 14-16, 2025. Good time is had by all! Looking forward to seeing you all there!”

  • 1968

    The State of Maine has a tradition of naming its state ferry boats after former captains who have distinguished themselves with exceptional service and professionalism. The Dinsmore family is incredibly honored that the newest Maine Department of Transportation State Ferry boat will be named after Capt. Almer Dinsmore ’68. Dinsmore sailed 26 years as captain at the Maine State Ferry Service, including a stint as manager. At 154’ long, the boat will be one of the first commercial vessels in the country to feature a new hybrid diesel-electric propulsion system. The boat is currently scheduled to launch later this summer at Senesco Marine LLC.

  • 1973

    John Webster shared that this spring, 28 members of the Class of 1973 gathered for a mini muster at Marty Marcisso’s house in Scarborough, Maine.

  • 1975

    Mark J. Hellen’s family, led by his oldest son Nathan (class of 2005) traveled to Castine to view the completed paver project and to pay tribute to a great husband, an awesome dad and a heavenly grandfather. He would have certainly appreciated the placement of the paver!

  • 1978

    Glenn K. Brewer is enjoying retirement! He’s fishing in Costa Rica, Puerto Rico, and tuna fishing off the Coast of New Hampshire.

Blue & Gold Ambassador Program

  • 1980

    Richard Thornton retired as Chief Engineer from Transocean in April 2021 after 30 years offshore and is currently a part-time instructor @ MMA’s CPMD in Bucksport.

  • 1980

    Stephen G. Krawczyk writes, “I am now spending winters in the Clearwater area of FL. This allows me to volunteer on the museum ship SS American Victory in Tampa. I was a bit surprised to find that the Engine Room on the American Victory is very similar to the Engine Room of the TVSOM from 1973 to 1995, the ex USNS Upshur. Working in the Engine Room has been a step back in time. If you stop by and tour the ship, the Engine Room is not on the tour, but you can walk through the upper-level catwalk and look down at the turbines and reduction gear.”

  • 1984

    Michael Brown recently retired from the Maritime Administration (MARAD) in Washington DC. His 40-year career included working at Newport News Shipbuilding in VA, Puget Sound Naval Shipyard in Bremerton WA, NAVSEA in WA DC, Military Sealift Command in WA DC and MARAD in WA DC. This photograph was taken with MMA Grad co-workers at MARAD Headquarters in DC: left Doug Harrington 87D, center Michael Brown 84E and right Matthew Stein 2009E.

  • 1989

    Mario G. Pantoja proudly reports that his son, Luka, will be headed to Castine in the fall to be part of the International Business and Logistics Class of 2028!

  • 1991

    Samuel B. Pearson, an assistant professor at Cal Maritime, provided graphics for the New Edition of “American Practical Navigator: An Epitome of Navigation”, a comprehensive reference for marine navigation published by U.S. National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (NGA) . This publication continues to evolve with updates to reflect advances in navigational technology and techniques.  Pearson revealed, “Bowditch has always been an invaluable navigational reference throughout my maritime career as an educator, content creator, and ship officer. As such, I have always wanted to give back. In 1994, when I started teaching celestial navigation (arguably the most challenging of all the courses required for deck officers), I quickly realized that some of my students were struggling to understand complex abstract concepts that form the foundation of the course. Available references at the time, while informative, were confusing for some students. I decided to teach myself computer graphics, animation, and video creation, in order to expand on available navigational references to increase understanding. My digital content proved productive as the overall pass rate for my celestial navigation classes jumped from about 75% to over 98%.”

  • 1992

    Antonio C. Salguero was featured in a story called “Repairing Alabama Masts Is Journey of a Lifetime.” His recent project has been the schooner Alabama, repairing the masts of the tall ship that remains in the care of the Douglas family. At 68 feet long and over 16 inches in diameter, each of Alabama’s masts are much larger than telephone poles. This summer Salguero replaced over half the length of both the fore and the main. “I’ve built a lot of masts, but never any so big,” Salguero said.

  • 1992

    “From Vernon, CT Police Department facebook page: After over 22 years of service, Sergeant Todd Thiel has officially signed off from the Vernon Police Department. Thiel’s presence will have a lasting impact, and he will be irreplaceable. Thiel began his career on February 25th, 2002, and has served the town of Vernon since then. In 2007 Thiel was the department’s Officer of the Year. In 2008 he was named the Tolland County State’s Attorney Officer of the Year. Thiel was also a Field Training Officer before he was promoted to Sergeant in 2008. He has served as the Detective Division Sergeant and in his most recent role, the Training and Planning Sergeant. Thiel was also one of the founding members of our department’s drone program. It is safe to say that he will be greatly missed by all of us here at the VPD. Please join us in wishing Thiel a long and healthy retirement!”

  • 1993

    Daryl B. Boyington was featured in a recent article in Maine Biz about work he’s doing for SomicAmerica (Brewer, ME) with new automated equipment for the machining and assembly of automotive suspension components. Boyington is an Equipment Procurement Engineer/Designer.”

  • 1994

    Thomas J. Harvey and his wife celebrate our 25th wedding anniversary this year. They currently live in Arcade, NY. Harvey is in his 20th year sailing as Chief Engineer Unlimited HP motor with most of his time spent in the oil & gas industry. Harvey has had the pleasure of working with at least 100 MMA alumni in the past 30 years and still chooses MMA engineers when given the opportunity. Maine engineers handle business …but he might be slightly biased!

  • 1997

    Benjiman L. Ward shared, “Alumni gathered for a photo during Sappi’s Global Safety Awareness month celebrations at the Somerset facility located in Skowhegan Maine. Sappi employs 35+ MMA Alumni across our four North American manufacturing sites and serving in key roles within our North American Logistics team. From Left to Right: Wayne Doughty ’95, Chris Henderson ’93, Nick Buck ’01, Tracy Tuttle ’02, Lucas Kord ’17, Ryan Bolduc ’00, Misha Curtis ’25, Ben Ward ’97, Isiah McGann ’25, Josh Fogg ’0

Invest in the Future

  • 1998

    Jason Alley reports that he is “still catching Lobsters out of Jonesport U.S.A.!”

  • 2000

    Captain Mike Dolbec took command of Unmanned Undersea Vehicle Group (UUVGRU) 1 at Naval Base Kitsap-Keyport, Wash., June 14, 2024. The ceremony also marked the official name change for the command, which had been previously named UUV Squadron (UUVRON) 1. The command’s new name does not just mean a new logo for the command, but its elevation from a squadron to a group indicates the increased importance associated with the integration of UUVs as a subset of undersea warfare. Unmanned platforms provide increased combat capability, and the increased responsibility and complexity of this mission set is why UUVGRU 1 has been elevated. The former UUV flotillas have also been elevated from flotillas to squadrons: UUVRON 1 in Keyport, Wash., and UUVRON 3 in Ventura County, Calif”

  • 2001

    Harts Plumbers, Electricians and HVAC Technicians has named experienced industry executive Jason Fournier the company’s new president. Fournier has more than 20 years of experience in engineering, construction, energy and home services operations and leadership. He is a graduate of Maine Maritime Academy, the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy and George Mason University. In 2023, Fournier retired as a commander from the U.S. Navy Reserve.

  • 2008

    Luke P. Velho “Maine Engineers onboard the MT Polar Resolution (Left to Right): Chief Engineer Velho ’08, Second Engineer Kevin Pettengill ’14, Third Engineer Jay Trentham ’14, First Engineer Jim Russell ’14.”

  • 2009

    In the past year and a half Molly Eddy has stepped into the role of Harbormaster for the City of Rockland Maine. She has a ten-year-old son and is living happily with Nathan Pablo in Lincolnville, ME.

  • 2011

    Shawn Atkinson works as a Chief Engineer for Hornbeck Shipping out of New Orleans, LA. This shipping company provides the slurry to fill oil wells drilled by Shell, but at this time the vessel Atkinson works is a floating hotel for platform laborers providing sufficient desalinated water for consumption and bathing. Atkinson lives in Houston, TX with his wife Logan and daughter Marren (whose name means Star of the Sea in Gaelic).

  • 2013

    Oscar Adams IV and Kaitlyn Badlato got engaged on March 16, 2024, at Dyce’s Head Lighthouse in Castine, ME. The couple met in 2022 and currently reside in Arlington, VA. Badlato works as a medical planner and architect at HKS Architects and Adams works as a management consultant in Deloitte’s Government and Public Sector practice.

  • 2016

    Benjamin J. Powers is living in Maine and working off US West Coast / Bering Sea 7+ months a year, operating a 341′ factory trawler in the Pollack and Whiting fisheries since 2015 with American Seafoods Company.”

  • 2020

    Cameron J. Bourque upgraded his license to Chief Mate Unlimited during the spring of 2024. He is currently sailing as a Deck Officer with the Marine Engineers’ Beneficial Association (M.E.B.A.).

  • 2023

    Andrew Topham is working as the Assistant Race Secretary and charter with First Tracks Cumberland.

  • 2023

    Lynch Logistics, a division of The Lynch Group, is pleased to welcome Joe Marriner to its team as their new Business Development Executive. With drive and initiative and a strong background in business and logistics, Marriner’s addition promises to bring a fresh perspective and valuable expertise to the company. Marriner was excited to see MaineBiz posted an article about my new role, and included MMA in the title. “I owe a lot to the education I got from MMA and wanted to pass it along with pride.”

AMO Union

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