Happy Easter everyone. I came across this story in Facebook today. I thought you might enjoy this excerpt from Village Soup about one of my favorite people, Alice Crie Knight.
Alice Knight receives her award for "Community Person of the Year"
at the annual awards dinner for
Penobscot Bay Regional Chamber of Commerce
....Photo by Kim Lincoln
Rockport — The Penobscot Bay Regional Chamber of Commerce held its 86th Annual Dinner and Awards Ceremony on April 23 at the Samoset Resort.
A number of local business, organizations and community members were honored with awards at the event, in addition to spending the night dining, dancing and entertained with a musical comedy show by Bucky Lewis. A crowd of 270 attended.
Rockland native Alice Crie Knight received the Penobscot Bay Regional Chamber of Commerce Community Person of the Year Award.
The Community Person of the Year Award is given each year to an individual who, through his or her professional and civic deeds, has greatly enhanced the quality of life in the community, according to the chamber of commerce.
"As a community, we have relied on this person's unyielding support and ongoing contributions for the betterment of where we live. One might refer to this person as a 'fixture' or 'backbone' of Rockland. Yet knowing this person, one is more inclined to think 'lamb' rather than 'lion,'" said Everett Spear III, who presented the award.
Born in Rockland in 1933, she has lived in Rockland all her life. Knight is a graduate of the class of 1952 from Rockland District High School and a 1956 graduate of the University of Maine at Orono, her professional career spanning more than 34 years, returning to RDHS to teach home economics and she served as senior class advisor for many years.
By 1976, she was a member of the Rockland Bicentennial Commission and assisted with the city’s planning and celebration of the country’s 200th birthday. She was the assistant editor of the book "Shore Village Story - A History of Rockland, contributing many 19th century glass plate photos from her private family collection. She also helped establish the Shore Village Museum, which is now housed at the Rockland Public Library.
"Over the years she served in many leadership capacities helping bring the Lobster Festival to fruition each August ... For over 38 years she has been member of the Rockland Festival Corporation and has only missed four meetings in those 38 years," Spear said.
She participated in the festival’s home improvement project to the home of Maurice Lindsey, of local Popeye fame and she also is one of a handful of people who have attended every festival since its inception in 1948. In addition she was grand marshal of the festival parade in 2007.
Since 1962, she has been a member of Beta Sigma Phi International and has supported the organization and various outreach and fundraising activities for almost 50 years.
She has videoed downtown Rockland and its historic neighborhoods to preserve a snapshot of Rockland for future generations and has served as a historical walking tour guide of Rockland over the years.
Knight also served as the children's event coordinator for Schooner Days; coordinated the sending of more than 700 community postcards for the initiative known as Rockland Share the Pride; was on the boards of the Lincoln Street Center and Coastal Childcare Head Start programs. In addition, she was instrumental and remains supportive of an educational fund created in 2007 in the memory of her late daughter-in-law designed to assist local area students with academic and social assistance and any immediate needs.
Knight also assisted her late husband Horatio in starting Rockland’s first marina for pleasure boats more than 40 years ago in 1967, and to this day Knight Marine remains under the family’s stewardship as a fixture on Rockland’s waterfront.
Currently, she serves on the boards of the Rockland Festival Corporation, the Maine Lighthouse Museum and Rockland Historical Society. The remainder of her time is split between her two children and three grandsons.
Knight was speechless, she said, after receiving the award.
"I loved growing up in Rockland," Knight said.
"I've always tried to do the best for Rockland, not just the things I like, but things to better the community," Knight said.
Knight said after she retired, she found herself volunteering and it has just continued on.
"I love going to meetings," she said, drawing a laugh from the crowd.
Judy Harriman Chapman wrote to say:"I THINK THAT'S WONDERFUL. I HAD ALICE IN HOME EC IN HIGH SCHOOL. SHE’S DONE A LOT FOR THE COMMUNITY & IS AN OUTSTANDING CITIZEN. WE ALSO HAD CHILDREN BORN TWENTY MINUTES APART. THANK YOU ALICE FOR ALL YOU'VE DONE, FOR ROCKLAND AND EVERYONE. MAY GOD BLESS YOU"
ReplyDeleteSister Sara wrote: "Mrs. Knight and her husband braved the trip to DC with our class in 1964. She was also our class advisor. A great lady!"
ReplyDelete