Page 13 - The Bell Tower - Winter/Spring 2014

MAINE PRESS ASSOCIATION HALL OF FAMERS
The Maine Press Association Hall of Fame was estab- lished in 1998 to honor newspaper professionals who have made outstanding contributions to the profession. This past October, the Press Association inducted Emery “Legs” Labbe (’51) of Fort Kent into its Hall of Fame.
Labbe started in newspapers as a part-time sports reporter for the St. John Valley Times in 1965. That part-time job would lead to a career in journalism that spanned more than 30 years. Legs worked as a sports reporter and edi- tor until 1986 when he retired from “his day job” teaching elementary school in Fort Kent, and became publisher of the newspaper. He served in that post for more than a decade.
Labbe is the third UMFK alumnus to be inducted into
the Maine Press Association Hall of Fame. He was preceded by fellow St. John Valley Times alum, Don Levesque (‘74)
in 2010, and Bangor Daily News reporter and bureau chief, BeurmondBanville(’70),in2011. Together,theycoveredthe people and events of the St. John Valley for more than 100 years of combined news reporting. The three inductees are shown here together in the Bengal’s Lair (L to R): Levesque, Labbe, and Banville.
ALUMNI ASSOCIATION BENEFITS LOCAL FOOD PANTRY
The UMFK Alumni Association Board of Directors recently held its third annual talent show and fundraiser that featured a variety of local talent for the enjoyment
of the local community. The featured acts included vocal, instrumental, and dance performances. Proceeds from the event benefitted the UMFK Alumni Association schol- arship fund and the Greater Fort Kent Ecumenical Food Pantry. Alumni Association President, Ray Phinney, presented Leslie Kelly, a representative of the Greater Fort
Kent Ecumenical Food Pantry, with a monetary donation of $535. Shown here at the check presentation were Alumni Association Board Directors: (back row, L to R) Roger Damboise (´68), Lloyd Soucie (´66), Phil Dubois (´12), Stephanie Chick (´12), Dean Cote (´11), Dr. Doris Metz (´83) and Krissy Morgan (´03) (front, l to r) Beth Phinney (´06), Ray Phinney (´01), Leslie Kelly (´93), Jessica St. Jean (´01), and Curt Harvey (´98).
GAUVIN GIVES PRESENTATION
UMFK Associate Professor of Electronic Commerce, Anthony Gauvin, recently attended and presented at the annual meeting and conference of the Community Development Society in Charleston, South Carolina.
Gauvin’s presenta-
tion was entitled Impacts
of local Tax Increment
Financing on Rural Economic Development for a Rural Regional Service Community: A Case Study from Fort Kent, Maine.
Tax increment financing (TIF) is a tool normally employed for urban economic development, however, the rural regional service community of Fort Kent has been using revenue generated from TIFs to rebuild critical infra- structure destroyed in a major flood and build new infrastruc- ture to spark new economic development projects.
While in Charleston, Professor Gauvin attended the Society’s Board of Directors annual meeting; the Journal editorial board meeting; the finance committee meeting; and the communications committee meeting. He also moderated three panel discussions and served as a judge for conference poster submissions.
The mission of the Community Development Society is to further community work through teaching, practice, and research. CDS provides those who do community work with best practices, networking opportunities, tools, and other resources.
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