Boston GlobeMr. Edward N. Ludlam, 86, of Shore Drive, died Thursday at Vencor Shore Hospital adter a lengthy illness. He was the son of the late Mildred (Haskell) Ludlam.
Born in Peabody, he was the son of the late Albert E. and Bessie (Newhall) Ludlam. He moved to Swampscott at a young age, attended Swampscott schools, and was a 1932 graduated of Swampscott High. He received his bachelor of science in electrical engineering from Tufts University in 1935.
He was employed by Houghton Mifflin and General Electric as an electrical engineer in the aircraft instruments division att West Lynn and Burlington for many years. He retired in 1977.
He was a member of the former Church of the Redeemer United Methodist in Swampscott, former member of St. Stephen's United Methodist Church, Marblehead. He was also a charter member of thr Thomson Club in North Reading, a lifetime member of Mt. Carmel Masonic Lodge, a member of the Scottish Rite Valley of Salem, Massachusetts Consistory, Aleppo Temple in Wilmington and was an officer of the GE Old Timers Club. He also enjoyed golfing and traveling.
Mr, Ludlam leaves his companion, Gertrude Hart of Springvale, Maine; a son, David Ludlum of Fredonia, N.Y., a brother William Ludlam of Marblehead; and several nieces and nephews.
46244. Kenneth Everett Haskell
Saugus Advertiser
December 6, 2007Kenneth E. Haskell, 80, of Shapleigh, Maine, formerly of Saugus, died December 3, 2007, at the Southern Maine Medical Center.
He was born December 21, 1926, in Lynn, son of George and Cora (Weedman) Haskell. He was raised in Lynn and had lived in Saugus for 31 years. Mr. Haskell had worked for the Department of Public Works in Saugus for over 21 years before retiring in 1985. He had lived the past 21 years in Shapleigh, Maine.
He enjoyed golf, baseball and horseshoes, but he loved his family above all else. He served in the U.S. Army Mountain Division during the end of World War II, was a former member of the Elks, and was a very active member of the Mt. Carmel Masonic Lodge in Lynn for over 50 years.
Mr. Haskell leaves his wife, Jean K. (Pope) Haskell, with whom he shared 57 years of marriage; two sons, Kenneth Haskell of Saugus and Kirk Haskell and his wife, Jodi, of Stratham, N.H.; one daughter, Diane Spinney and her husband, John, of Newburyport; eight grandchildren, Kenneth Haskell, Kelly Crawford, Rebecca Haskell, Scott Haskell, Ryan Spinney, Rachel Spinney, Jordan Spinney and Taylor Spinney; and one great-grandson, Thomas Crawford.
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U.S., World War II Army Enlistment Records, 1938-1946
Name: Kenneth E Haskell
Birth Year: 1926
Race: White, citizen (White)
Nativity State or Country: Massachusetts
State of Residence: Massachusetts
County or City: Essex
Enlistment Date: 21 Feb 1945
Enlistment State: Massachusetts
Enlistment City: Fort Banks Boston
Branch: No branch assignment
Grade: Private
Term of Enlistment: Enlistment for the duration of the War or other emergency, plus six months, subject to the discretion of the President or otherwise according to law
Component: Selectees (Enlisted Men)
Source: Civil Life
Education: Grammar school
Civil Occupation: Unskilled occupations in trades and services, n.e.c.
Marital status: Single, without dependents
The Daily News of Newburyport (MA)
July 26, 2023Newburyport - In the early hours of July 23, 2023, Jean K. (Pope) Haskell, formerly of Shapleigh, Maine, and Saugus and Beverly, Massachusetts, passed away peacefully in her sleep at home in Newburyport. She was 95 years old.
Jean was born in Biddeford, Maine on October 4, 1927, the fourth of five children to Ralph C. Pope and Ilona (Lavigne) Pope of Saco, Maine. Jean and her siblings, Jackie, Warren, Stuart and Alan, lived in Saco until the family moved to Saugus, Massachusetts. Jean was a graduate of the Saugus High School Class of 1946.
Jean and her beloved husband, Kenneth E. Haskell, were married on July 30, 1950 and shared 57 years of marriage before Kenneth's passing in 2007. Jean was an incredibly loving mother to three children; Kenneth M. Haskell of Saugus, MA, Kirk G. Haskell and his wife, Jodi, of Stratham, N.H. and Diane J. (Haskell) Spinney and her husband, John, of Newburyport. She was extremely proud of her 9 grandchildren and 6 great-grandchildren and always had pictures displayed of all of them.
Jean loved to play cribbage, read a good book or try her luck with an occasional scratch ticket. She always had a twinkle in her beautiful blue eyes and always had time for a hug. Her wit, smile, laugh, but especially her genuine personality, will be sorely missed by all of those lucky enough to know her, especially her beloved family. Jean was predeceased by her parents and siblings, her husband Kenneth and two of her grandchildren, Kristopher M. Haskell and Taylor G. Spinney.
HOWARD BLUME
Los Angeles Times Staff WriterA hit-and-run driver struck and killed two elderly women within yards of their homes Wednesday night on a Hollywood street that some neighborhood residents call a peril for pedestrians. One victim's son was among the first to happen by and see his mother, 77-year-old Hildegarde Haskell, lying in the road.
Police booked Beatrice Buocz of Hollywood on suspicion of hit-and-run felony manslaughter shortly after she turned herself in Thursday. She was being held at the Van Nuys jail in lieu of $85,000 bail.
Buocz's boyfriend, Steve Michael Visotsky, 45, was arrested for allegedly aiding and abetting her in evading arrest, police said. His bail was set at $5,000.
Looking for Second Driver
After Buocz allegedly fled the scene, leaving the women in the road, another vehicle struck Haskell again, dragging her 20 feet along Beachwood Drive. Police are still trying to identify the second driver, who witnesses said drove a blue short bed pickup truck.
Haskell and her friend, Hazel Selden, 80, had left Haskell's Beachwood Drive apartment at about 8 p.m. and were crossing at the corner of Scenic Avenue when Buocz's gray Buick reportedly struck them, witnesses told investigators. Police would not say how fast the car was traveling.
The impact tossed Selden--or the car carried her--100 feet. She died almost immediately.
Carl Haskell-Hanson, 40, out for a stroll, walked up just as paramedics were putting down the first flares.
"You don't normally assume it's your mother that's been killed," Hanson said. "I'm about halfway down the block when I see the silver walker in the middle of the street."
He had to watch as paramedics loaded his mother into an ambulance.
"She was conscious. She knew who I was," said Hanson, a broadcast engineer. "I held her hand for 10 minutes and talked to her while they were strapping her up."
Haskell, the daughter of the late artist Ernest Haskell, died about two hours later at Hollywood Presbyterian Medical Center as surgeons prepared to operate on a skull fracture.
After the accident, Buocz, whom area residents described as a friendly English teacher, allegedly drove to her father's house around the corner. Police said a motorcyclist followed her and confronted her about going to the police.
No Previous Arrest Record
The 42-year-old woman surrendered to police Thursday morning. Police said she has no previous arrest record.
Before her death, Haskell, a widow, was recovering from a fractured knee. She was preparing for a return to her apartment after convalescent stays at a hospital and with friends.
"We had got her apartment all set up for her to come back," Hanson said.
Wednesday afternoon, Beachwood Market delivery boy Jesus Cruz, brought over her first grocery order in months.
"She was a nice, old lady," he said of the widowed housewife. "Always concerned about other people. She always asked how my grandmother was doing.
"She said she was lucky she was able to walk again," he said. "She was doing better with her walker than I do with mine," said Manford Kirby, 75, her next door neighbor and friend. "She was as smart as a whip."
Kirby said Selden, who lived with and did household chores for a woman across the street, had also been kind to him. Her landlord called Selden "very honest, a good companion and a good friend."
Kirby's balcony overlooks the intersection of Scenic and Beachwood.
"I wouldn't attempt to cross that street," he said. "They don't stop. They don't even slow down."
Hanson said there should be crosswalks and traffic lights or stop signs to slow down the traffic moving on Beachwood between the Hollywood Hills and Franklin Avenue.
"Even crossing in the daylight is difficult," Hanson said, a statement echoed by people up and down the street.
But Sgt. Tony Morgan, a Los Angeles Police Department traffic officer, said it was more a case of two people being in the wrong place at a bad time. Robert Takasaki, a city transportation engineer, said a study concluded as recently as September showed there was not enough traffic to justify putting a stop sign or traffic signal on Beachwood. Takasaki said that speed limit enforcement was more a concern for the police.
The Sacramento Bee
August 25, 2001Eben Jordan Haskell, a prominent member of the Sacramento arts community known for his dedication to helping young artists, died Monday at his home in Colonial Heights after battling cancer for four years. He was 85.
Mr. Haskell was a founding member of Artists Contemporary Gallery (originally the Artists Cooperative Gallery) on K Street in Sacramento, which was established in 1958. He showcased his metalsmith work there and at the Crate for 43 years.
Mr. Haskell also taught jewelry-making at California State University, Sacramento, for six years during the early part of his art career. He was best known for his small-scale metal sculptures and fine jewelry-making often described as "eloquent" and "carefully balanced."
"The term 'jeweler' doesn't really adequately describe his contribution to art," said Victoria Dalkey, The Bee's art corresponsdent. "He made beautifully poised, sensitive modern sculptures on a tiny scale." Mr. Haskell's work was featured in major exhibitions such as: Material Witness: Masters from California Crafts at the Crocker Art Museum, 1999-2000; Crocker Art Museum, 1963, 1967, 1969; and Craftsman USA, 1966.
Dalkey also said Mr. Haskell was a stalwart of the local art community, someone who was always there to support other artists. He gave generously to the Sacramento Artists in Crisis fund, which helps young artists facing emergency situations.
"Mr. Haskell was a very giving person, personally and financially, although he was not extremely wealthy," said Susan Willoughby, a coordinator who worked with him in various shows. His contributions to the fund have helped an artist with AIDS who needed housing assistance, and another artist who suffered a stroke and needed financial help to adjust to a disability.
Mr. Haskell was born June 30, 1916, in New York City to the famed etcher Ernest Haskell, and his wife Elizabeth Foley. His father died when Mr. Haskell was 9.
Mr. Haskell received formal training at General Motors Technical School in Massachusetts. After he graduated, he sailed the coast of California to Mexico before joining the military, his son, Eben Warren Haskell, said.
During World War II, Mr. Haskell served as a pilot. When he finished his service, he went to work as a goldsmith in San Francisco and began mastering the craft of carving. In 1945, Mr. Haskell and his wife, Martha Jane, and their son lived in a housing project in Hunters Point. In 1950, Mr. Haskell was offered a job as a salesman in Sacramento. Because of San Francisco's tight housing market, he made the move, his son said. Mr. Haskell lived in a small apartment on P Street with his family for a few weeks, before buying a home in Colonial Heights. He eventually quit his sales job to pursue his passion - metal sculpting - full-time.
Survivors also include his grandchildren, Trevor R. Haskell and Erica J. Haskell.
Josephine and Ernest Haskell were twins.
_____
The Times Record
December 3, 2009PHIPPBURG � Josephine Haskell Aldridge of West Point Road, died Monday, Nov. 30, 2009, at her home. She was born in New York City on Feb. 18, 1921, the daughter of Ernest Haskell, distinguished American artist, and Emma Laumeister Haskell.
She graduated from Morse High School in 1938, and from the Portland School of Fine and Applied Arts. She studied at the Arts Student League in New York City. She illustrated books for New York publishers, taught art, painted, and wrote poetry, which was published.
On Oct. 11, 1958, she married the poet Richard Aldridge, and, continuing her life long association with West Point, moved there permanently with her family. She continued to write, and had several childrens books published, including one which was a collaboration with her husband. She loved the fine and decorative arts, antiques, West Point, the sea, her ancestral home, and raising her family.
She was predeceased by her husband on Feb. 4, 1994; two brothers, her twin brother Ernest Haskell, and Eben Haskell; and one sister, Hildegarde Haskell.
She is survived by one son, Edward Seward Stevens Jr. and his wife, Malou, of Port Orchard, Wash.; three daughters, Diana deRennes Stevens of Phippsburg, Karen Stevens Jorgensen and her husband, John, of Phippsburg, and Abigail Nancy Aldridge of New York; and three granddaughters, Amy Stevens of Ellsworth, Alison Workman of Coco, Fla., and Mia Alipio of Port Orchard, Wash.
Desmond Funeral Homes
Phippsburg � Annie Perry Haskell, 93, of West Point in Phippsburg, ME died peacefully in her sleep on February 5, 2012. She was born September 29, 1918 in Newton, MA, daughter of Frederick Gardiner and Helen Whitehead Perry.
She attended Wellesley, MA schools and graduated from Wellesley High School in 1936 and from Perry Normal School in Boston, MA in 1939. She then taught at Wellesley College Demonstration Nursery School. In 1944 she was awarded a Bachelor of Science Degree in Education from Boston University. She was a substitute teacher in the Needham, MA school system in 1945 and 1946.
She married Dexter P. Nichols in Boston, MA on November 25, 1942 and had two children, Richard and Auralie. Dexter died in 1953. Annie then became the Assistant Supervisor of Practice Teachers at the Perry Normal School in Boston, MA until 1955.
On April 16, 1955 she married Ernest Haskell Jr. in Cambridge, MA and moved to Maine. She had two more children, Helen Jo and Ernest III. For over twenty years, she taught nursery school at Learning Land in Brunswick, ME, and later, volunteered as a teacher's aide at Phippsburg Elementary School. She was widowed in 1973.
She is survived by her son Richard Nichols and his wife Joannie of Phippsburg, a daughter, Auralie Nichols LaChance and her husband Jim of Enfield, Connecticut, a daughter, Helen Haskell Remien and her husband Cam of Ishpeming, Michigan and a son, Ernest Haskell III and his wife Sally of Woodbridge, Virginia; nine grandchildren; three great grandchildren; and numerous nieces and nephews. She is also survived by her brother, John C. Perry and his wife Anne of Cundy's Harbor, ME.
Annie loved the natural world and for over fifty years lived on the shore of the ocean in West Point, Maine where she gardened, watched the birds and fished in the cove. She loved books, arts and classical music. Annie was also a watercolor artist of sea and landscapes. She loved food and was an adventuresome cook. She lived a full, creative life and was an inspiration to her family and friends.
Annie was a lifelong member of the Swedenborgian Church. A memorial service will be held at the Church of the New Jerusalem in Bath, Maine in the summer, her favorite season, with Rev. George Dole and Rev. F. Gardiner Perry officiating.
The Times Record (Brunswick, ME)
September 6, 2022ISHPEMING, Mich. � Helen Haskell Remien made her transition on Sunday, Aug. 21, 2022 surrounded by friends and family.
"Helen of Joy," the proprietor of the Joy Center in Ishpeming, Mich. was so many things: a poet, storyteller, world traveler, athlete, teacher, yogi, artist, fashionista, lover of the ocean and the outdoors, wife, parent, grandmother, friend. Those of us lucky enough to have known Helen hold in our hearts her buoyant spirit, effervescent personality, and love for life. All of us, friends, family, and acquaintances alike, have been changed for the better, shaped by Helen's generosity and overwhelming joy.
Helen was born in Bath on Jan. 15, 1956 to Ernest Haskell, Jr. and Annie Perry Haskell. Her parents were artists and instilled in Helen a lifelong passion for creative pursuits.
Helen met her husband, Cam, the love of her life, at the University of Maine. They were married in Bath on Aug. 6, 1977 and the two set out together on a life of adventure, first moving to Ann Arbor, Mich., where Cam attended dental school, and then to Ishpeming, Mich., in the Upper Peninsula, where they put down their roots.
Their first son, Peter, was born in Ann Arbor, Mich. in 1980, while Helen and Cam were living in married housing at the University of Michigan, and their second son, Christopher, was born at Bell Memorial Hospital in Ishpeming, Mich. in 1982. Helen devoted herself to her family with creativity and joy and always nurtured her children's passions. She welcomed Peter's wife, Shelly Ruspakka, into her family in 2004 and Christopher's wife, Diana Mitchell, in 2014.
Helen and Cam celebrated their 45th wedding anniversary in August. While Helen's life was filled with blessings, her greatest joys were her four grandchildren, Viren, Addie, Aila, and Wesley Ernest. Helen traveled to Idaho frequently to take them each on special adventures, savoring their individual and unique personalities. She would come back from each adventure with photos and stories and compile them in beautifully hand-crafted books for each grandchild. Those books are treasured memories of time spent together with a grandmother who loved them more than anything in the world.
46254. Charles Courtney Haskell
The Barnstable Patriot
July 5, 2013Osterville � Dr. Charles C. Haskell D.M.D., 95, of Osterville, passed away June 28, 2013, at home watching the tides of South Bay, The Red Sox, The Bruins, with his family by his side.
Born in Providence, RI, on Oct. 9, 1917, the son of Edward and Victoria Haskell, he graduated from The Moses Brown School, Brown University and Tufts School of Dental Medicine.
On June 8, 1946, he married Jean C. O'Neil, the love of his life for 62 years, who predeceased him in 2008. Dr. Haskell practiced dentistry in Hyannis for 44 years. He was a decorated Infantry Officer Combat Veteran of World War II, serving as a first lieutenant with the First Infantry Division and 26th infantry Blue Spaders in Europe. During this time he was the recipient of the Purple Heart, Bronze Star for Valor, Victory Medal Combat Infantry Man Badge, and three Battle Stars, one for the Battle of the Bulge.
He was a life member of the American Dental Association, Massachusetts Dental Society, Cape Cod Dental Society, Disabled American Veterans Society of the First Division, Veterans of The Battle of the Bulge, Osterville Horticultural Society and Osterville Historical Society, and in 2012 he received The William Blount cane as Osterville's oldest citizen.
He is survived by sons Charles Jr., (Pamela) of Pawcatuck, CT, Steven (Deborah) of Dennis, Richard (Elisabeth) of Osterville, and Thomas (Carol) of Port Orange, FL, as well as seven grandchildren.
The family would like to express its sincere gratitude to Bridget's Home Healthcare "Charlie's Angels" and VNA Hospice of Cape Cod.
"The cloak is gone but the man who wore it is not."
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U.S. Veterans' Gravesites, ca.1775-2019
Name: Charles C Haskell
Rank: 1ST LT
Death Age: 95
Birth Date: 9 Oct 1917
Death Date: 28 Jun 2013
Cemetery Address: Off Connery Avenue
Cemetery Postal Code: 2532
Cemetery: Massachusetts National Cemetery
Interment Place: Bourne, Massachusetts
Section: 45
Plot: 2354
War: WORLD WAR II
Branch of Service:US ARMY
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U.S., Select Military Registers, 1862-1985
Name: Charles C Haskell
Military Date: 6 Jul 1946
Publication Date: 1961
Title: U.S. Army Register
74049. Howard Wakefield McGorrill
Maine Sunday Telegram (Portland, ME)
March 8, 1998H. Wakefield McGorrill, 72, died Friday after returning home from heart surgery. He was born in Portland, a son of the Rev. Dr. Milton M. and Helene Fenderson McGorrill. When he was 8, he moved with his family from Boulder, Colo., to Grand Rapids, Mich., where he graduated from Central High School.
Mr. McGorrill joined the Army in 1944 and traveled on the Cunard liner Queen Mary to serve in Europe. From 1944 until 1946, he served as a chaplain's assistant in the European Theater.
At the close of the war, he attended Grand Rapids Junior College for one year and later transferred to the University of Maine at Orono. He graduated in 1950 with a major in music and a minor in business.On Aug. 14, 1948, he married Adelaide Jack of Hollis.
Mr. McGorrill was employed in the transportation field, beginning with the Canadian Pacific Railroad and continuing at the Boston and Maine Railroad, the Oxford Paper Co. and Northern Chemical Industries. He was a distribution manager at the Burnham & Morrill Division of the Underwood Corp. in Portland and the William Carter Co. in Needham, Mass.
In 1982, he started his own business, Village Green Distribution, which he operated until the time of his death. He was the first president of the Delta Nu Alpha transportation fraternity, Southern Maine Chapter, from 1965 until 1966. He also studied Interstate Commerce Commission law at the University of Baltimore, and was the first Mainer to get a practitioner's license to practice law in transportation cases.
He was a member of Woodfords Congregational Church.
Mr. McGorrill was a talented musician, his family said, and learned to play the piano at the age of 14. Locally, he played piano in the Al Reali Band. He enjoyed spending summers with his family at their home on Deer Isle, where he spent his summers during his youth.
A son, Brian, died in 1994.
Surviving are his wife, Adelaide McGorrill of North Yarmouth; a son, Dean of Princeton, Mass.; a grandson, Eric Dean of Rowley, Mass.; a sister Gainor M. Ventresco of Deer Isle; an aunt, Dorothy Thompson of Portland; and two cousins, Bruce C. and John H. McGorrill, both of Portland.
Daily News Transcript
June 9, 2010Angelo Joseph Ventresco, beloved husband, father and grandfather, made his journey from this world into eternity on April 1, 2010. Joe, as he was known to his family and friends, was born March 19, 1927 in Boston, MA to Frank Vincent and Josephine Mary Loretta (Nolfi) Ventresco.
He graduated from Dedham High School in Dedham, MA and in 1945 was drafted into the Army during World War II earning the rank of Tank Commander of the 752nd battalion. His military career took him to Italy and Switzerland and he spoke with great pride and honor of his many experiences both during and after the War.When he returned to the states in 1947, he satisfied his varied educational interests by attending The Wentworth Institute, Massachusetts Institute of Technology and North Eastern University studying law, business and science.
Joe and his wife, Gainor (McGorrill) married in 1960 and would have celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary on April 17, 2010. Together they raised their three daughters in Westwood, MA and in 1978 he and his family started a new chapter in their lives by becoming permanent residents at their summer home in Deer Isle, Maine.
After his retirement from Raytheon Corporation, where his career culminated as a Missile Division Quality Control Engineer overseeing government contracts associated with the military, he was able to pursue his many diverse interests.
However, what meant the most to Joe was spending time with his family and he devoted himself to them always.
His later years were sweetened by the arrival of his precious grandchildren, Ava and Boden, who brought him so much joy.
He will be sadly missed and remembered always with great love and admiration by his wife Gainor (McGorrill) Ventresco of Deer Isle, ME; his three daughters, Gainor V. Laney of Brooksville, ME, Julia B. Ventresco, of Ellsworth, ME and Amy J. Van Dorn, her husband Steven and their children, Joe's most adored grandchildren, Ava M. and Boden Joseph, of Hancock, ME; one brother, John F. Ventresco and his wife Sallie of Port St. Lucie, FL; a sister in law, Adelaide J. McGorrill of N. Yarmouth, ME; and a nephew Dean H. McGorrill of Tucson, AZ and N. Yarmouth, ME, as well as other nieces, nephews and cousins.
46258. Virgil Courtney McGorrill
Maine Military Men
Name: Virgil C. McGorrill
Serial Number: 4912786
Birth Place: Clinton, Maine
Birth Date: 22 May 1899
Residence: Portland
Comment: Ind: Portland, No. 2, Oct. 8/18. Private. Org: SATC Bowdoin College Brunswick Me to disch. Overseas service: None. Hon disch on demob: Dec. 14, 1918.
Portland Press Herald/Maine Sunday Telegram
Mar. 3, 2011FALMOUTH -- John M. McGorrill died on March 2, 2011.
He was born in Portland on Aug. 18, 1925, the son of Virgil C. and Bernice Butler McGorrill. The family lived in Portland and later moved to Cumberland Foreside. He attended schools in Falmouth and graduated from Deering High School in 1943.
John attended Bowdoin College and also the University of Redlands. He graduated from Bowdoin in the class of 1948 and was a member of the Beta Theta Pi fraternity.
He married Joan E. Wishman in 1948.
John was employed by American Oil Company as an area sales representative. He later became Station Manager of WMTW FM and served as a credit manger of LC Andrew and of Nelson & Small Company from which he retired in 1994. John was active in community affairs, serving as Vice-President of the Portland Junior Chamber of Commerce during which time he chaired a committee formed to survey the community regarding the formation of a United Fund. He served as Treasurer for several years on the Catherine Morrill Day Nursery board, the board of Seventy-Five State Street and the boards of the Maine and New Hampshire Broadcasting Associations, serving as Vice-President of both.
He was a long time member of State Street Church where he served as a Trustee and Deacon.
John was a loving and supportive husband and a devoted and proud father of his three daughters and four grandchildren. He was known for his gentle kindness and gracious manners. He loved spending time with his family and toasting the occasion. He was a loyal Bowdoin alumnus and derived great satisfaction in supporting his college and classmates. In his later years he became an avid Red Sox fan, attending games at Fenway and Fort Myers.John is survived by his wife, Joan W. McGorrill; daughters, Judith and husband Andrew Coburn of Yarmouth, Sally and husband Gary Noteware of Brookline, Mass., and Linda and husband David Suitor of Southborough, Mass.; grandchildren, Sarah Coburn, Seth Coburn, Katherine Suitor and Abigail Suitor; his sister-in-law, Donna McGorrill of Portland; four nieces and nephews; and his brother-in-law and wife, Stanley and Sondra Hill of Reno, Nev.
He was predeceased by his brother, Bruce McGorrill.
Portland Press Herald (ME)
March 30, 2006Bruce McGorrill, who began his career in broadcasting while at Bowdoin College and later became the top executive of the company that owns Portland's WCSH-TV, has died.
McGorrill, 74, died Tuesday at Maine Medical Center in Portland.
Friends and colleagues remembered him as a man of principle, who treated as sacrosanct the television station's role as public servant.
"I remember him best for his total commitment to his family and to this station and to the broadcast business, probably in that order," said Fred Nutter, WCSH's director of editorials. "There was not a phony bit about him. It was all real."
McGorrill worked as a fill-in radio announcer during his Bowdoin days. He eventually got a job with the TV station in advertising sales, and worked his way up to the position of CEO of Maine Broadcasting Systems.
He stepped down as CEO in 1994 and retired from the company in 1996. In retirement, he worked as broadcast consultant to the U.S. State Department, traveling to newly democratic Eastern European countries.
Susan Kimball, a WCSH reporter, was impressed by McGorrill's deep involvement in the news operation at the station.
"He would come in every day to see what we were doing and what we were working on. He had tremendous interest in news and public service. He knew every day what we were doing."
She remembers his hounding her about investigating possible fraud at a state agency in Augusta. He was so committed to the investigation that he drove with Kimball to Augusta to look over the agency's financial statements himself.
The station never found evidence of financial mismanagement, but the incident illustrated McGorrill's principles, Kimball said.
"I know this sounds trite, but he always wanted us to look for the real story behind the story that everybody was dishing up. That was so important to him. He felt this station had a real obligation to the public to not just spit out press releases," she said.
Before becoming CEO, McGorrill also worked as station manager. He was known for his hawk-like scrutinizing of the broadcast schedule.
In 1978, he refused to air an episode of a controversial TV show that included an incident with a teenager and a prostitute.
His decision prompted widespread public debate, and McGorrill felt compelled to explain his decision by writing a column that appeared in the Portland Press Herald.
"Television is an invited guest in the home, and most people expect us to present material that is generally acceptable to a broad segment of the public," he wrote.
"We cannot put 'everything' on the air because some material is very offensive to large numbers of viewers. These viewers do not want to turn off their sets. . . . They want to use them and they don't expect to be offended."
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Portland Press Herald/Maine Sunday Telegram
Apr. 2, 2006Bruce C. McGorrill
June 22, 1931 - March 28, 2006PORTLAND -- Bruce C. McGorrill, the former chairman of the Maine Broadcasting System which included WCSH-TV in Portland and WLBZ-TV in Bangor, died Tuesday night, March 28, 2006, at Maine Medical Center surrounded by his loving family. He was 74.
Bruce was born in Portland in 1931 to Bernice Butler and Virgil Courtney McGorrill. He attended Deering High School and graduated from Bowdoin College in 1953. He began his career at WCSH as a staff announcer. He then joined the sales department and quickly rose within the ranks of the company. McGorrill eventually became CEO of the Maine Broadcasting System, WCSH Portland, WLBZ Bangor, and KMEG Sioux City, Iowa. It was under his leadership, with his firm commitment to journalism and public service, that WCSH became the number one rated news station in Maine, a position it still holds today. McGorrill was highly regarded in national broadcast circles. He served on the NBC Affiliate Board and the National Association of Broadcasters Television Board of Directors. His interest in public service thrived outside of the television business, as well. He was involved in numerous community organizations and, during the 1960s, was part owner and general manager of the Maine based semi-pro Seahawks football team. He was also a well-known entertainer and public speaker, specializing in Down East humor. His recordings were the popular Saturday Night at Dover-Foxcroft and Good Night Phoebe. He received numerous honors, including Maine Broadcaster of the Year.
After retiring from WCSH in 1996, Bruce made several overseas trips for the U.S. State Department to former Iron Curtain countries to assist emerging broadcasters build their businesses.
Despite his demanding career, Bruce McGorrill's number one passion in life was his family. He leaves behind his beloved wife, Donna; four children, Melanie Lavoie of Cumberland, Christopher McGorrill of Portland, Evangeline MacHale of Manhattan Beach, Calif., and Jonathan McGorrill of Portland; and his grandchildren, Patrick, Courtney and Shannon McGorrill of Portland, Alex and Andre Lavoie of Cumberland and Keaton MacHale of California; and a brother, John Melvin McGorrill, of Falmouth.
Frank A. Gross was a retail grocer.
Maurice C. Gross was a teacher at the time of his marriage to Anna Webb.
Anna L. Webb was a musician at the time of her marriage to Maurice Gross.
Philip Dennis Haskell at age 20 was a yachtsman. In October 1927 he is listed in Deer Isle town records as a master mariner at the time of his marriage to Jean Stoddard.