Danielle Conway has become the seventh dean and the first African American to lead Maine’s public law school since its founding in 1962. She joined Maine Law from the University of Hawaii at Manoa, where she taught at the William S. Richardson School of Law. She has earned a reputation as a leading expert in public procurement law, entrepreneurship, and as an advocate for minorities and Indigenous people. She teaches in the areas of Intellectual Property Law, Internet Law and Policy, and Government Contract Law. She is a prolific writer, and has taught and lectured throughout the world.
Dean Conway is a graduate of the Stern School of Business at New York University, Howard University School of Law, and earned her LL.M. degree from the George Washington University School of Law. She was the Godfrey Visiting Scholar at Maine Law in 2008.
A strong supporter of public education, Dean Conway is praised by colleagues for her ability to motivate and inspire, and her fearlessness in tackling the toughest social and economic challenges. She has more than 20 years of active and reserve duty service with the U.S. Army, and currently serves as a Lieutenant Colonel.
Editorial Note: I accept full responsibility for my oversight in omitting the official write-up from our own club reporter of our photo session on June 3rd. With due respect for and my sincere apologies to Bob Martin, his excellent article is included and our newsletter is re-issued. L. Rowe
We stood on the steps of City Hall, 92 of us, all Rotarians, and one baby, secure in his mom’s front pack. The bustle of the city rushed back and forth on Congress Street—a fire truck on its way to an emergency, delivery vans, cars, pedestrians walked by, wondering about our gathering, and the familiar faces of lawyers and judges who passed by on the way to the rear of the building for a memorial service in Merrill Hall. We joked and teased as we jostled into place, herded by President Bowen into a lineup on the risers by when we became members, oldest on the lower steps, more recent toward the back.
We stood on the steps of City Hall, 92 of us, all Rotarians, to memorialize our Centennial Anniversary as a club, a fellowship chartered in 1915 for fellowship and service. No one used the term “networking” back then. Neither did the club include women. The faces in our photograph will include those of women, people of color, observers of many of the world’s religions, those whose families have been a part of the Maine landscape for many generations, and those who just moved here. Faces who have seen combat at Pearl Harbor, Guadalcanal, Vietnam, and Iraq. Faces of Rotarians who teach; practice law; heal the sick; lift up the less fortunate and unhappy; inspire; sell stocks, bonds, and real estate; engage in banking and finance; politics; provide advice and counsel; print; market furniture or appliances; and all manner of occupations that support and sustain a community. And faces of those who have retired from active jobs.
We stood on the steps of City Hall, 92 of us, all Rotarians, at ease with one another, without agenda or design, all sharing our common mission to serve our community in food kitchens and shelters, schools and prisons, in Maine, and in other countries, without calling attention to our individual roles in what we do, but more desirous of inviting others to join our group.
We stood on the steps of City Hall, 92 of us, all Rotarians, pausing for a few minutes to accommodate the directions of the photographer engaged to create our image for history. It was 61 degrees, and cloudy; the Dow Jones closed at 17,807.06; Hilary Clinton, Bernie Sanders, and Donald Trump continued to recruit votes on the pre-convention campaign trail; 1,500 people attended Peter DeTroy’s memorial service in Merrill Auditorium; and Muhammad Ali passed away at 74.
Ali once said: “Service to others is the rent you pay for your room here on earth.” We stood on the steps of City Hall, 92 of us, all Rotarians, the smiles on our faces in testimony of our agreement with him.
Posted by Article Written in Portland Press Herald
100-Year Celebration of Portland Rotary Club 1915-2015 (Portland Rotary Members, June 3, 2016)
The Rotary Club of Portland is celebrating its centennial....in one way, by taking a formal group photo of its present club members.
The Club was founded in late 1915 by a group of professional men seeking fellowship and business connections. At its first official meeting as a chartered club on Sept. 10, 1915 at Mitchell’s in Scarborough, there was a clambake, followed by a lively baseball game between the “farmers and the city guys.” Farmers won, 18-14, according to the club’s website.
(Portland Rotary Club, 1915)
Since then, the organization has grown to include women (admitted in 1987) and to embrace community service, which remains a cornerstone of the club. In 1948, when post-war Europe was suffering from severe poverty and food shortages, the club loaded a fishing trawler built at Bath Iron Works with tons of food and clothing. In coordination with the Rotary Club of Nantes, France, the cargo left Portland bound for France where it was distributed to fishing families who had lost their boats, jobs and livelihood as a result of World War II. Later that fall, a second boat carried cargo of baby food and toys to the children of the area.
More recently, the Rotarians have focused efforts to help senior citizens, youth, the poor and the community in general. Testaments to those efforts include Rotary Grove on the Eastern Prom Trail, “The Armillary” statue on the waterfront, the Rotary Clock in Monument Square, the elevator in Merrill Auditorium, and the Maine Children’s Cancer Program, which received a major contribution from the club during the club’s 75th anniversary year.
Road trip! Our meeting took place at City Hall, with a much-heralded pre-meeting event. 92 Rotarians gathered on the steps for a 100-year club photo, followed by a photo of past-Presidents. Cheese! Nice job by Mike Fortunato to make all the necessary arrangements. Our official club meeting then proceeded to the State of Maine Room (above).
Russ Burleigh took the reins of Invocation by quoting from a Franklin D. Roosevelt fireside chat that took place June 6, 1944, the onset of the Normandy invasion. Up to that point it had been highly secretive, but now Roosevelt explained what was underway. He began, "My fellow Americans: Last night, when I spoke with you about the fall of Rome, I knew at that moment that troops of the United States and our allies were crossing the channel in another and greater operation. It has come to pass with success thus far.” For the full text, visit: http://www.fdrlibrary.marist.edu/aboutfdr/d-day.html
As flag bearer, Gracie Johnston raised a small-sticked 6-inch flag, the undersized room filled with the song, sounding strong this week to the tune of “America The Beautiful.” President Bowen beckoned us all to be seated; however that was not possible due to the overflow of members and guests. Standing Room Only!
John Curran provided a 'History Moment,' circa 1997-1998. Captivating events of the day included the passing of Mother Teresa and the tragic death of Princess Diana. Tim McVeigh/Oklahoma City bomber was convicted, and the Clinton/Monica Lewinsky scandal led the headlines. Terrorism was on the rise, and Bin Laden launched a jihad. On the brighter side of leadership, Fred Thompson led our club with Loretta Rowe and Roxanne Cole, respectively as 1st and 2nd VPs, and Marie Williams (Rotary Club of Kittery) was the first woman to be Governor of District 7780.
Long-time Club Secretary Ruth Fletcher retired. “Cocktails with the Queen” aka Peggy Wescott, fetched over $1000 at our fundraising auction. Winterfest, an ambitious holiday fundraiser, began in earnest, partnering with the Narrow Gauge Railroad (NGRR). Over the next three years, Winterfest would go on to raise close to $300k in revenue shared between the NGRR and Rotary. Following on the heels of Winterfest, however, came the fearsome "1998 Ice Storm," affecting millions. Internationally, the club connected with visiting students from Ireland through "Friends Forever." Then member Sarah Luck went on a District Grant to Romania. Hearing aids were collected for a special “Listen Up” program focused on villages in India.
Programs included Governor Angus King, with program topics that included interesting tech topics, such as the benefits of cell phones! Jim Willey was honored with a Rotary International “Four Avenues of Service” Award. Alas, Jim didn’t hear this golden memory moment as he was off attending his Bowdoin College 50th Reunion!
Raffle Card Draw! Quincy Hentzel led the raffle, with Mark Stimson having the honor of selecting this week’s card drawer – Ben Lowry. However, Ben had departed to attend the memorial service of the recently-deceased Peter DeTroy, a respected Maine attorney. Pinch-hitter John Marr was called in, but flied out with a six of diamonds.
John rebounded by introducing a new member, Chris Thomas. John reported that Chris was born in Barbados to a family of rumrunners, though your B&P reporter was not sure if this passed the 'Four-Way Test!" Either way, Chris moved to the U.S. when he was one-year old and has since lived in all New England states. He married his wife, Meredith, in 2004, and is a proud father of two girls, Violet and Hazel. Gus, his loyal Boston Terrier is there for male support. Chris works as a financial advisor at Fidelity Investments, enjoys history and politics, and has too much sense to run for office! Welcome aboard Chris!
Amy Chipman has done an outstanding job as Foundation Chair and she presented an update. True, it looks like we’ll be shy of our goal, but it was an ambitious one to start. As it is, this year will be the second highest year on record, following last year’s all-time high. We are currently over $16,500 and it’s not too late to contribute! Amy added that over the next few weeks, additional Paul Harris Fellows would be announced.
Rob “Never-Needs-A-Mic” Chatfield reported that the BBQ Crawl raised $500 for the Food Locker project, which was a nice touch to an event that was primarily about club fellowship. 40 Rotarians participated and had a fantastic day. Expect this to be an annual event!
We had quite the meal, with salads, an assortment of wraps, and tantalizing desserts, courtesy of the first catering venture from the residents of Long Creek Youth Center. How good was it? “How about they do it every week!” stated Gracie Johnston.
Mike Fortunato introduced us to Administrator Chef Steve, and 3 of the residents, who’ve been working in the growing culinary program, Ty, Josh, and Mike. We learned that Mike was just accepted to the Institute For Culinary Education in NYC, which is no small feat for anybody. Mike Fortunato told us that Mike (the culinary resident) needs some assistance on a few essentials for school – sheets, towels, etc. Can you help? Also, Mike asked if anyone has an extra bike for another resident who will soon be leaving Long Creek that would be used to get to and from work. If you can help, reach out to Mike Fortunato: michael.k.fortunato@gmail.com.
Busy Mike! He reminded us that the Maine Outdoor Challenge (MOC) is on Wednesday....our biggest fundraiser, built on several components. 41 teams are signed up – biggest field ever. Megan Devlin joined in to pitch the final chance to buy raffle tickets - on sale – 6 for $100. There’s the auction and the lobster bake. When the dust settles, the proceeds of the event are going to put us over $100k for the year – phenomenal!
Having no formal program speaker, President Bowen disbursed the SRO crowd a bit ahead of schedule, wishing us all a good weekend!
Invocation:Alan Nye Program Reporter: John Marr Bits & Pieces Reporter: Erik Jorgensen Registration/Greeter: Andreea Paine Sell Meal Tickets: Rusty Atwood Raffle: Travis Parker Badge Box: Tom Nickerson Collect Meal Tickets: Jean Murachanian Rotary Moment in History: Meredith Small Song Leader: Janelle LoSciuto Pianist: Kathy Grammer Sgt-at-Arms (Early): Peter Ingram Sgt-at-Arms (Late): Dave Putnam
Danielle Conway has become the seventh dean and the first African American to lead Maine’s public law school since its founding in 1962. 
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John Curran provided a 'History Moment,' circa 1997-1998. Captivating events of the day included the passing of Mother Teresa and the tragic death of Princess Diana. 
John rebounded by introducing a new member, Chris Thomas. John reported that Chris was born in Barbados to a family of rumrunners, though your B&P reporter was not sure if this passed the 'Four-Way Test!" Either way, Chris moved to the U.S. when he was one-year old and has since lived in all New England states. He married his wife, Meredith, in 2004, and is a proud father of two girls, Violet and Hazel. Gus, his loyal Boston Terrier is there for male support. Chris works as a financial advisor at Fidelity Investments, enjoys history and politics, and has too much sense to run for office! Welcome aboard Chris!.JPG)
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Mike Fortunato introduced us to Administrator Chef Steve, and 3 of the residents, who’ve been working in the growing culinary program, Ty, Josh, and Mike. We learned that Mike was just accepted to the Institute For Culinary Education in NYC, which is no small feat for anybody. Mike Fortunato told us that Mike (the culinary resident) needs some assistance on a few essentials for school – sheets, towels, etc. Can you help? Also, Mike asked if anyone has an extra bike for another resident who will soon be leaving Long Creek that would be used to get to and from work. If you can help, reach out to Mike Fortunato: 
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