No. 4 - SKY COMMANDER

 "Once you have tasted flight, you will forever walk the earth with your eyes turned skyward, for there you have been, and there you will always long to return." – Leonardo da Vinci

The above words prove to be true for one Wales resident, who at the age of 78, still regularly soaring high above the streets of Lewiston/Auburn in one of his three airplanes. Tom O’Connell tasted flight at a young age and cannot seem to satisfy his appetite for the thrill-seeking experience.

O’Connell was raised just fifteen minutes north of Bridgeport, CT – an area renowned for its revolutionary aircraft designs thanks to the innovative works of Sikorsky Aircraft Corporation. The company was synonymous with the Corsair carrier-capable fighter aircraft which was used greatly in WWII and the Korean War. Growing up O’Connell’s backyard was a constant air show as the military ran regular test flights.

"All the times when we grew up, there were planes in the air doing stunts," he said. "It was a cradle of aviation and Bridgeport was constantly buzzing with aircrafts being ferried over from Long Island before being sent off to Europe." O’Connell was a very influential six-year-old boy as the nation readied to join the war efforts. Excitement was in the air and he caught the fever of flight and soon became a product of his environment.

Of the historic 110 years of man-powered flight, O’Connell has flown all but 51 of them and plans to continue doing so as long as his mind and body let him.

"During my younger years I worked my way up the ranks and when I was 22, I got my commercial license and from there I got my instructors rating," he said. "I also started working for Sikorsky amongst a lot of other places." He did a lot of jobs in sales and in the office at the airport, which was great because "at noon I’d go right across the way to the weather bureau and study patterns and watch them make weather maps," he said. "This was big because in those days there were no computers." The very next year he was flying co-pilot for Great Lakes Carbon Corporation. This lead to his hire at Mohawk Airlines where he co-piloted a B.A.C. III – which was the first regional jet that sat 74 passengers.

In just under four years he had become captain which he carried out until his retirement on December 31, 1993. During his career he worked at LaGuardia and Logan airports before moving northbound to New Hampshire and then finally in 1979, landed in the place he now calls home – Elm Valey Farm in Wales, Maine. Since moving there, he has been chartered to fly such political figures as Governors Angus King and former Maine Senator Olympia Snow through smaller private airlines.

O’Connell currently works for Twitchell’s Airport and Seaplane Base and has done so since his moved to the area. You can find this family run airfield off Route 4 in Turner. The airport was established in 1947 and is currently owned and operated by Dale Twitchell, Kelvin and Kurt Youland
"It is a great outfit to work for," O’Connell said. "You can come up here with the whole family and have a lot of fun. We have some good people here and it really is one of the best places to come to learn to fly."

O’connell currently instructs approximately 10-15 students and since his commercial retirement he has really grown to love instructing new pilots. There is no hiding this man’s passion as his eyes fill with excitement when watching an up-and-coming pilot battle the wind during a landing on one of the airport’s runways.

O’Connell, still much like that starry eyed six-year-old boy watching the planes soar overhead, is always eager to get his feet where he believes they truly belong - back in the sky. For more information about the history of Twitchell’s or to learn about their flight offers visit www.twitchells3b5.com.

(For our full story featured in LA Magazine visit. http://www.la-mag.com/above-the-clouds/) ***Update the LA Magazine has been cancelled.

No. 3 - THE SWEEPER

Our state is often thought of by many athletes as Winter's Playground. Some of the best in-country skiing this side of the Mississippi is found here. Our snowmobile trails safely guide riders from Kittery to Canada, our weekends offer frozen fishing derbies held on our seemingly countless lakes and ponds, and our state hosts the one and only US National Toboggan Championship. If that wasn't enough, one can even travel to Belfast, Maine - to the only place in the state that lets people try their hand at the sport of curling. DNA Photography ventured up to Belfast  to play the sport which can best be described as a cross between horseshoes and shuffleboard on ice. While there we met up with curling volunteers Jeff Wiley and his wife Wendy, who have been assisting the Belfast Curling Club since 2010.

 

 

The sport of curling has roots dating back to medieval Scotland. It expanded to North American when Scottish immigrants brought it to Canada. Skip forward a century or so to 1959. This was the inaugural year of the Belfast Curling Club.

 

When the club first opened it only had outdoor sheets of ice. In 1962 the two-sheet ice house was razed to make way for the structure that is in place today. The facility currently houses three sheets of ice, a huge overhead viewing area, a 100-person dance hall, and a bar. The staff is made up entirely of volunteers. Volunteers that run the every day functions of the building in addition to offering up their equipment and time to train newcomers.

 

Jeff, a 23-year Army veteran, was last stationed in Germany when his family decided that Belfast was going to be their next home. Jeff made his wife promise that if they moved to Maine that they both would take up the sport of curling. She agreed.

 

Now the two of them volunteer their time at the club. All the volunteers are asked to give 10 hours of service time to the club each season. This helps keeps costs down to a minimum. Club membership dues, rentals and bonspiel events generate the majority of the club's operating revenue.

 

"Monday through Friday we have leagues for the members," Wiley said. "Over the weekend we have monthly in-house bonspiels for club members. We also have several open bonspiels that run all weekend with teams coming from all over the US and Canada."

 

Over the last three years the club has sponsored a College Crash Spiel in which it hosts clubs from all around New England. College such as MIT, Harvard, Colgate, Bates, Unity, UMO, Bowdoin, Colby and Husson have gathered in their facility to complete.

 

The sport brings a variety of people to the facility and Jeff loves that most about the game. He enjoys the different walks of life that find interest in the sport and then come to his team to learn more about it. He said he first discovered the sport on television and from there his fascination with it grew for a few years. 

 

The game is very strategic and has a number of variables that can change the power of the game at any given moment. The second and third throwers are tasked with listening to the skip's direction in hopes to strengthen the team's chance of scoring points while obstructing the other team's chance to score. Throwing second and third is Jeff's preferred role.

 

When not competing, Jeff, Wendy and the rest of the Belfast Curling Club volunteers do their part to make sure that all who visit them enjoy their time on the ice and hopefully leave with a deeper understanding and appreciation for the game.   

 

The curling season goes from November to March, at which at the end of the season the ice is melted. These volunteers are currently in need of monetary assistance. They have been using the same technology; the same machinery to generate ice every year since the club's start. The equipment has been maintained, restored and segmentally repaired over the years. But the equipment is tired and custom-fabrication has run its course. The cost of a new system is in the ballpark of $350,000. When more information is made available about the fundraiser we will post it here.

 

Make sure to call ahead for rental times for their schedule does book fast. As for what to bring, Jeff recommends bring warm but comfortable clothes. All of the equipment needed is there for the borrowing - or you can buy your own stones. But be warned these rocks are not cheap and the granite is hard to come by. In fact the granite used to make the stones for the Winter Olympics has its own uninhabited island off the Scottish coastline.

 

 

 

 



No. 2 - THE QUEEN OF QUIZ

In this economy work and life can be challenging. Which is why society needs recess; time away from the hustle and bustle, away from the bills, the stress and yes sometimes...even their own family. A time to unplug from the world, shutdown their cell phones and just think and laugh for a few hours.
People just need to go where everybody knows their...well you get the picture. In short, society was just waiting for something to dethrone karaoke night as the pub favorite - and now we believe its finally here...trivia night. We were curious so we conducted some deep research to see exactly when trivia night broke into the mainstream.

To answer that we need only go back to the 70s when a business from the United Kingdom started organizing pub trivia nights in hopes to bring more patrons into drinking establishments on slow nights. Cash prizes, drinking deals and inexpensive trivia entertainment caught on like wildfire and now you can find a trivia night almost any day of the week somewhere in town.

If you walk into Lewiston's Pedro O'Hara's on any given Tuesday you will hear the booming laughs of people decompression after a long day of work. Coworkers, friends, sport teams conversing, debating and heckling each other in a friendly manner during the pub's trivia night. Some truly rely on this time to escape their lives and who better to lead this mental breakout? Is it Rosemary the telephone operator? Henry the mild-mannered janitor? No, Lewiston turns to Lisa "Ryan" Haggerty.

Pedro O'Hara's co-owner Troy Kavanaugh and Haggerty started tinkering with the idea of a trivia night at Pedro's Brunswick location four years ago. Now she scours the internet, television, local events - in fact almost anything she can get her hands on to help bring a well-rounded assortment of questions to her crew.

"(Trivia) quickly became a huge hit with the locals and with the Bowdoin College students," Haggerty said. "We knew we had something special." From there co-owners Kavanaugh and Bill Welch decided to also try a trivia night in Lewiston. That too caught on and now, like many other trivia nights around the globe, their friendly battle of the brains has spawned a playoff where at the end...only one team is left standing. 

Despite the game being a competition in which all hope for the top cash prize, Haggerty believes its something much simpler that keeps people coming back for more. "I think people like that it isn't 100% serious and that they can sass back at me with an understanding that it's all in good fun," she said. " I love the fact that people come back every week. I really think of all the teams as friends and I hope they feel the same."

There are few people out there in our world that attempt to make us laugh and think at the same time. Sure there are plays, movies and even comedians but something as simple as a trivia night allows people the chance to not only learn something while laughing but also allows them an outlet to socially interact with friends and mediators. Its a great combination and is good for the body and mind. Doctors have said for decades now that laughing and stimulating the brain is good for one's health.

So after gathering 30 questions a week for four years we had to ask this mediator to dig deep into her bag and pull out her favorite trivia question over that span. She replied with a questions that asked her patrons to name the only U.S state that ends in its own postal abbreviation.

She likes this question for its not impossible to figure it out. Do you know the answer? If not then maybe you need to freshen up those brain cells and find yourself a trivia night. So lets raise a glass and thank the trivia mediators of our society for providing us with a brief, yet much needed, timeout. 



 

No. 1 - THE RETIREE

We decided to kickoff our campaign of 52in52 with someone who has already been down the road and back again. A retiree who has educated thousands of students and instead of winding down after four decades of teaching, chooses to push forth with his on-going genealogy study. Here is a Mainer who has taught for 43 years, received the highest honor a Science Teacher can receive, The Presidential Award, and has authored a handful of classroom teaching guides and textbooks. It is with our utmost respect that we proudly introduce Mr. Richard "Dick" Lord, Jr..  
 
 

Being that this is our first entry we are not really sure on what format we are going to adopt. However, with someone as bright as Mr. Lord we couldn't help ourselves from tossing a few questions his way to see if we could soak up some of the wisdom that he has gathered while living in Maine and teaching up at Presque Isle High School.

DNA: What do you enjoy most about being a retiree? What do you do with most of your time nowadays? Is retirement like you thought it would be?

Mr. Lord: "The best thing about being retired is that I can do what I want on my own schedule. I no longer have to do things at specific times dictated by a school schedule. I use much of my time doing several things I enjoy. I collect ancestors. My hobby is genealogy and I spend a lot of time looking for new leaves on the family tree.

 I am also writing a book of classroom ideas and suggestions for biology teachers and hope to have it published someday. And I enjoy spending time with my grandson and attending his athletic activities. Since I really didn’t have any preconceived ideas on what retirement would be like, I am still learning about the freedom I have to do what I want when I want to."

DNA: How many teaching awards have you received? What did it mean to you to have received the Presidential Award back in '86?

Mr. Lord: "I have received 17 teaching awards at the national level, as well as one state and one local award. I was also recognized with honorable mentions or finalist awards four times. My biography has been published in 15 reference books.

The Presidential Award is the highest honor a science or math teacher can receive. I’ve heard it said that it’s comparable to an actor receiving an Oscar. One math and one science teacher is chosen from each state every year. I was extremely excited and humbled to be recognized by receiving this very special award in 1986. It showed me that I was being effective as a science teacher and that this was recognized by a select committee of scientists and educators.

It also reignited my passion for teaching, because now there would be higher expectations for me. Other teachers would look to me for inspiration. I would have to do the best I could do in order to be a part of this group of wonderful, innovative and creative teachers from all over the country."

DNA: If you could go back and do your working career any different based on what you have learned now...what would you do?

Mr. Lord: "I would have started being more original and imaginative from the first day of my career, rather than following the older teaching methods that I had observed in my student days. When I broke the bonds of "old school" teaching, there was no limit to what I could do to make my classes stimulating, motivating, informative, and enjoyable for my students."

DNA: If you could share some words of wisdom with a youthful - what life secret would you share?

Mr. Lord: "Seek God’s plan for your life. When you find something you are passionate about, immerse yourself in it and discover all you can about it. Surround yourself with people that support your goals. Follow your dreams."

Mr. Lord currently resides in Saco with his wife Marcia - a retired French teacher of Presque Isle High School.



 

DNA Photography: 2014 Project Kickoff

For this year's project we decided to really challenge ourselves with a task that would result in making our team stronger photographers. Which is why we decided on a project that will showcase people who have made or are currently making a difference in our state.

It feels as though our social behavior/awareness has morphed into something a little less personal and sometimes when this occurs we take things for granted. Like our streets being plowed just hours after a heavy snow storm or that we can get a cup of coffee at 2am knowing that we still have a five-hour drive to Presque Isle ahead of us. Sometimes we forget that there are people out there fighting challenges much harder than our own and we just need simple reminders to help bring us back to the to basics.

Everyone plays a role in society and some people push to excel and surpass normal expectations. We hope to meet people along the way that inspire all of us and carry their role with pride. Whether it be a teacher, a retired police officer or a taxi driver - people have roles that help us carry out our everyday functions. And then there are those who simply motivate us on a deeper level. Ones that have sacrificed, and fought the fight that is not easy. The ones who have won and lost battles but never gave up. The ones that we turn to for strength and guidance.

We hope this project of 52 portraits in 52 weeks helps celebrate the people and the roles that they carry. In our 2014 Project, DNA Photography hopes to capture not just the people we photograph but also to celebrate the general function that they perform and hope that they act as  strong representatives for the others out there carrying out the same task.

52 in 52 is our attempt to raise awareness of the people around us...and maybe by doing so it will bring a little warmth back to our sometimes cold world.

Because we are only a team of two - we at times will be relying on you - our social network - to bring forth candidates that you have witnessed clearly make a difference in the world around them.

In advance we thank our participants for their time and hope we successfully capture each person as they see themselves in the roles they carry. The clock is ticking and when the 52 weeks are done...so is our project. We know we are going to enjoy this journey...and we hope you do too!