Corporate Officers:
President
John Mugnai
Vice President
B.R. Bowden
Secretary pro Tempore
Richard A. Stockford
Treasurer
Irv Marsters
Honorary Board:
Carroll Adams
Robert Croce
Miriam (Mim) Hart
Jerry Hughes
Robert P. Schmick, Ph.D.
Helen Tupper Southard
Board Members :
Richard Hanson
Fred Hartstone
James H. Leighton, Jr.
Karen Marsters
Cathy Martinage
Historian Emeritus
Brian Higgins
Clerk of the Corporation
Nathan Dane, III, Esq.
Profiles of the Board of Directors
JOHN MUGNAI
President, The Curran Homestead, Inc.
John Mugnai has been a teacher in Orrington for 34 years and Assistant Principal for 3 years. He has taught third, fourth, fifth, sixth, and seventh grades during his career. He is very familiar with Maine Learning Results, and the creation of effective hands-on learning activities that will engage and interest a variety of students. He has lived in Orrington for 57 years. He is an active participant in all Curran Homestead events. He earned his Bachelor’s Degree in teaching from University of Maine–Machias, and a Master’s Degree in Educational Leadership from the University of Maine–Orono. He has performed in the choir of a local church for over 30 years as a singer and guitarist.
BRUCE BOWDEN
Vice-President/Museum Director, The Curran Homestead, Inc.
Bruce Bowden, scion of a local family that has been involved in all aspects of agriculture and forestry in Orrington for over two centuries, remembers fondly his grandfather's apple orchards and dairy farm on nearby King's Mountain. It was there that he operated and maintained the family's antiquated farm machinery that was, by necessity, used for decades after neighbors had adopted more modern equipment, underscoring the family ethos of thrift, resourcefulness, ingenuity and self-reliance. A veteran of the U.S. Naval Security Group, he served as an airborne intelligence-collection supervisor and analyst onboard naval patrol aircraft operating throughout the western Pacific Ocean and the Far East, and subsequently as an arms-control inspector and Russian-language interpreter under the aegis of the U.S. On-Site Inspection Agency (OSIA) in Washington, DC. While with OSIA, Bruce worked from the U.S. Embassy in Moscow to facilitate international chemical- and nuclear-disarmament efforts, and traveled extensively throughout Europe and the former Soviet Union. At the conclusion of his naval service, Bruce worked with an international-security advisory firm in Miami, Florida, where he was the senior analyst for Central and Latin America, and the former Soviet Union. Having returned to his Maine roots, Bruce maintains a keen interest in agricultural machinery and history, being an active member of two local historical societies and a fixture at living-history events held at The Curran Homestead. An avid genealogist, he has compiled a database comprising over 28,000 persons spanning more than five centuries, and continually surprises his contemporaries with the sometimes-unexpected ties between established families of the region.
RICHARD STOCKFORD
Honorary Board Member/Past President, Secretary, The Curran Homestead, Inc.
Dick Stockford is one of our longest-serving Board Members. He has served four terms as President and has chaired the Physical Facilities Committee overseeing the restoration of the Curran barn and adjacent buildings. Dick devoted 25 years to public service between the military and the Bangor Police Department (retiring as Chief of Police). As Executive Director of the non-profit Bangor Beautiful, Dick spent 3 years managing the organization focused on recycling, beautification, and the annual Bangor Garden Show. His passion for graphic design, woodworking and blacksmithing have not only assisted his small business and entrepreneurial initiatives, but have greatly benefited the Curran Homestead’s Living History Farm and Museum missions.
IRV MARSTERS
Founding Board Member and Treasurer, The Curran Homestead, Inc.
Irv Marsters is President of the Bangor Letter Shop, Inc., a 28-year-old printing and mailing company in Bangor, Maine, with 14 employees. He is a graduate of the University of Maine with a Master’s Degree in Political Science. He is one of the founders of the Orrington-based Curran Homestead Living History Farm and Museum in 1991 and currently serves as Treasurer and Editor of the Newsletter.
His employment background has centered on capacity building and organization development in both the public and private sector. He has been involved in volunteer activities with financial development assignments for the Bangor Region Chamber of Commerce, the Pine Tree Chapter – American Red Cross, the March of Dimes (Regional Leadership Committee), the University of Maine Alumni Association and Friends of Men’s Ice Hockey and UMaine Baseball, and the Bangor Region Junior Achievement economic education program recruiting business volunteers to work with K – 12 youth in area schools. For the past 10 years he has served as Master of Ceremonies for the Maine Governor’s Volunteer Service Awards Program in Augusta.
CARROLL ADAMS
Honorary Board Member/Past President, The Curran Homestead, Inc.
Carroll Adams was brought up on a farm, and is rich with stories from personal experiences as a child working on a farm. He is a skilled story-teller, with an historical perspective on farms and their importance which is invaluable. Carroll has served as President, and his talent for working with others in a volunteer setting is noteworthy. H e is founding director and past president of the Orrington Housing Corporation. He has been a selectman for the Town of Orrington. His previous employment as Program Sergeant with the Penobscot County Sheriff’s Department helped pave the way for worthy inmates to achieve work release time so that they can contribute their skills at the Farm and also reduce their sentenced time.
BOB CROCE
Honorary Board Member/Founding Board Member, The Curran Homestead, Inc.
Bob is a founding Board Member of the Curran Homestead and has been active in the project's activities since 1991. He currently lives in Dedham, Maine and is a graduate from the University of Maine–Orono with a Doctoral degree in education. He became involved in the Curran Homestead due to his interests in educating the public – and youths in particular – on the values, culture and lifestyle of rural Maine during the late 1800's; and how traditional values such as hard work, frugality, perseverance and volunteerism can improve the quality of peoples' lives today. Bob has volunteered his time in the past in fundraising, maintenance of the facilities, conducting the Homestead's "Hooked on Fishing" program in the winter months, and for many years conducted a maple syruping demonstration in conjunction with our annual spring Festival. In 2006, Bob became a member of the National Association for Interpretation and is now certified as an interpretive guide. These skills will be put to use in helping to design and present future Curran Homestead educational programs. Bob is also the current President of the Maine Chapter of the Izaak Walton League of America, a national organization dedicated to conserving and protecting our nation's natural resources and outdoor heritage.
RICHARD B. HANSON
Board Member, The Curran Homestead, Inc.
Dick Hanson has been an Orrington resident since 1970 with his wife, Brenda, in the rural neighborhood at Fields Pond where the Curran Homestead is located. He attended Brewer schools and graduated from the University of Maine with a BA in Agricultural Economics. As a third-generation family member in the hardware business, Dick was employed at Bangor Hardware Co. from 1964 and served as president of the corporation until the business was sold in 2006. Both he and his brother, Tom, are principals in Dunham–Hanson Co., a property-management enterprise. Active in area community affairs, Dick Hanson serves as a board member of the Eastern Maine Community College Foundation, Bangor Public Library (Treasurer of the Bangor Mechanics Association), and Phillips-Strickland House & Boyd Place (also Past President) a senior citizen residential facility. An avid whitewater kayak paddler, Dick enjoys the outdoors and working on the Curran Farm projects. He invested considerable time and effort helping to build the Blacksmith Education Center and the large two–station brick forge within it.
FRED HARTSTONE
Board Member, The Curran Homestead, Inc.
Fred Hartstone grew up in the family hardware and roofing business, and has been associated with hardware, building materials and contractors his whole life. After leaving the family business, he worked for other lumber yards and did merchandising for several large operations out of state. He came back to Bangor, opened his own hardware store and had over twenty years experience as owner/operator of Fred's Hardware and Home Center in Bangor. He was directly responsible for all phases of daily operations including personnel, purchasing for all departments, advertising, promotions and merchandising. After closing and retiring, Fred decided to go back to work and took a job at The Home Depot where he spent ten years. He is currently retired from retail. Fred is chairman of the building committee at Beth Abraham Synagogue and overlooks their funeral chapel for maintenance. His areas of interest include locksmithing, troubleshooting, and coordinating the acquisition of resources to achieve priority building and restoration projects at The Curran Living History Farm & Museum.
JERRY HUGHES
Honorary Board Member/Past Secretary, The Curran Homestead, Inc.
Jerry Hughes served as Secretary to the Board for many years and brings a high level of commitment to the Living History Farm and Museum in terms of his willingness to volunteer for projects, functions, board meetings & special events. Jerry’s skills include the ability to play several musical instruments and an in-depth knowledge of Irish music that was popular and played during the heyday of the Curran family farm. Jerry is a trained facilitator and assists in moving the organization’s stakeholders through various issues to include financial and personnel management and goal planning. Jerry has carpentry skills and has assisted with various restoration projects.
JAMES H. LEIGHTON, JR.
Board Member, The Curran Homestead, Inc.
Jim Leighton was born in Caribou, raised in Limestone, graduated valedictorian from Northern Maine Technical College (majoring in computer sciences) and studied at University of Maine–Presque Isle night school while working full-time. His early employment started as a systems design engineer for Fred Vihlsing, Jr. at Maine Sugar Industries. At one time, Jim operated in 16 different computer languages fluently and with RVM Data developed the first computer programs for scheduling classes in schools as well as special applications for many large companies. He also served in the Division of Special Investigations for the Maine State Police and 20 years at Sears Roebuck & Co. as loss-prevention manager for New England. Since retiring in 1999, Jim keeps busy repairing, restoring and maintaining commercial vehicles including vintage cars. His gift of music started with guitar and vocals in the family’s country and folk music band, and then about 2007 he dropped the guitar for 5-string banjo and mostly bluegrass music. Jim has been invaluable in the restoration and maintenance of Curran Farm equipment and crowd-pleasing musical entertainment at its public events.
KAREN MARSTERS
Board Member/Past President, The Curran Homestead, Inc.
Karen Marsters brings nearly 30 years of project management, community relations and administrative and organizational skills to the Curran Homestead, with proven success in fundraising, special-event coordination and volunteer recruitment. Her experience has been earned from work with various organizations such as the Leadership Committee of the March of Dimes, the Bangor Region Board of Junior Achievement and past co-chair of the 1999 Bangor Garden Show. Karen is a detail-oriented worker, assists with a wide range of event preparation, maintains the Curran Homestead database, assists with the fundraising and sponsorship developments, and coordinates volunteer workers at many Curran events. She serves in various roles at events, such as collecting money, staffing the gift shop, coordinating children’s’ games, providing an area for photos in turn-of-the-twentieth-century clothing, and working in the kitchen. Karen has previously served the Board as president and secretary.
CATHY MARTINAGE
Board Member/Past Vice-President, The Curran Homestead, Inc.
Cathy Martinage served as Vice-President of our Board for many years. She provides cooking skills and with some training could do other demonstrations such as making butter and household chores as done at the turn-of-the-twentieth-century. She had relatives who owned a small farm in Gardiner. Her father grew up on a small family farm in Minot in the 1890’s time period. They would get a new mattress every year made from corn husks. The family farm provided them with most of what they needed. Based on her father’s experiences and his stories about them, she can provide insight to how things were in Maine on a small subsistence farm. When visiting the Pettingills in Gardiner she was allowed to help with chores in the barn and kitchen. Her aunt, Madeline, made hooked and braided rugs, and taught Cathy the art.
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