Cumberland man honored by ACLU of Maine

The ACLU of Maine presented the Justice Louis Scolnik Award to Dan Crewe at the organization’s annual dinner April 23. Crewe, a resident of Cumberland Foreside, was honored for his dedication to protecting civil rights and civil liberties.

“Dan Crewe is a passionate humanitarian and philanthropist whose efforts have driven meaningful work in social justice and arts education across Maine,” according to information on the ACLU’s website.

Crew serves as president and chairman of the Bob Crewe Foundation, which promotes the arts and artists and improves the lives of LGBTQ people in Maine.

He has also been involved with the ACLU of Maine, Breakwater School, Equality Maine, Maine Audubon Society, Maine College of Art, Portland Concert Foundation, Portland Symphony Orchestra, Susan Curtis Foundation and the University of Southern Maine Foundation.

In 2010-11, Crewe lent his unique voice to the fight to end the military’s ban on gay and lesbian service members. As a U.S. Naval Academy graduate and a retired captain in the U.S. Air Force, he shared his own story as a gay man serving in the military. His efforts helped change minds on this issue in Maine and beyond. The policy ended in 2011.

Established in 1989 and named for ACLU of Maine founder and former Maine Supreme Court Justice Louis Scolnik, the Scolnik Award honors Mainers who have demonstrated an outstanding commitment to the protection of civil rights and liberties.

Granted

People’s United Community Foundation, the philanthropic arm of People’s United Bank, awarded $37,029 to Maine-based nonprofits during its first grant cycle of 2018, including grants to statewide distributor, Good Shepherd Food Bank, The Opportunity Alliance of South Portland and Portland-based Wayside Food Programs.

The Foundation for Food and Agriculture Research, a nonprofit corporation established by the 2014 Farm Bill, has awarded Hugh Cowperthwaite of Coastal Enterprises Inc. in Brunswick a $300,000 matching research grant. The grant money will be used to investigate the economic viability of a Japanese scallop production technique that has been shown to grow scallops faster and produce larger meat yields.

Recognition

The Maine Crafts Association, a statewide nonprofit organization promoting the work of Maine’s craft artists, has named Patricia Daunis-Dunning and David Wolfe of Portland as two of three 2018 recipients of the MCA Master Craft Artist Award. Recipients are selected for demonstrating excellence in craftsmanship, inspired design, a singular voice or style, and a career of service to the field.

Patrick Moody, manager of Public Affairs for AAA Northern New England in Portland, was recognized by the U.S. Department of Transportation’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration with a Public Service Award for his advocacy and dedication to traffic safety in Maine, New Hampshire, and Vermont. The awards were presented at the 2018 Lifesavers Conference on Highway Safety Priorities in April.

Hires, promotions, appointments

Maine Medical Center announces the appointment of Jere Michelson as chair of its Board of Trustees and Katherine Coster as vice chair.

Michelson is president of the Libra Foundation in Portland, where he oversees the philanthropic foundation’s operations and finances. A certified public accountant by training, Michelson has served as chair of the MMC Board of Trustees Finance Committee and on the Trustee Executive Committee. He also serves on the Gorham Savings Bank Board of Directors and was appointed by U.S. Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, to serve on the Military Service Academy Selection Committee.

Katherine Coster has spent the majority of her career in commercial banking at institutions in New York, California and Massachusetts. Coster became a trustee of MMC in 2013 and chairs the Board Education and Research Committee. She is also a member of the Finance, Quality and Safety, Governance and Credentials committees. Coster is a past Board Chair of the Boys and Girls Clubs of Southern Maine and has served in volunteer roles for a number of nonprofits, including Parish of the Holy Eucharist and Dartmouth College.

Dr. Gina Singleton joined Bath-Brunswick Veterinary Associates in Brunswick as an associate veterinarian. In addition to general veterinary medicine, she has special interests in internal medicine, pain control, dentistry and staff training.

State Sen. Cathy Breen, D-Falmouth, welcomed Allen Hayman, M.D. to the Maine Senate in Augusta as a Doctor of the Day for April 5. Hayman is an anesthesiologist who lives in Falmouth and practices at Mercy Hospital in Portland.

Aviation Boatswain’s Mate 1st Class Edward Borges of Brunswick speaks this spring with Aviation Structural Mechanic 3rd Class Kana Coleman about opportunities in the Naval Reserves during a career fair on the mess decks aboard the aircraft carrier USS George H.W. Bush.Daunis-DunningSingletonMichelson