This Week: Patrice McCarron, Exec.Dir. Maine Lobsterman's Association
This week we welcome Patrice McCarron, Executive Director of the Maine Lobsterman's Association. She will address the current state of lobstering in Maine including the serious challenges facing the industry such as federal regulations and off-shore energy projects that threaten the future of Maine’s lobstering heritage.
Patrice has served in Executive Director's role since 2001. She serves on several boards including the Lobster Research, Education and Development Fund, and the Atlantic Whale Take Reduction Team. She is also the President of the Maine Lobsterman's Community Alliance, a non-profit sister organization to the MLA. McCarron formerly served as executive director to the Gulf of Maine Lobster Foundation, worked on fisheries issues for the New England Aquarium, and was the Director of the Maine Environmental Research Institute's Resource Center.
Portland Sunrise Satellite Club Social Gathering Tonight!
Wed, July 20, 5:30 pm at Bunker Brewing Company, 17 Westfield Street (near Union Station Plaza) in Portland. (Great outdoor and covered casual space.) This is a chance for Portland Rotarians and the Portland Sunrise Satellite members to meet. Bring friends and potential new members also!
Meeting of July 15, 2022: Groundbreaking Women Lead The Way For Seadogs | by Ben Lowry
Last Friday at Hadlock Field, our club was fortunate to hear from two groundbreaking speakers, the Seadogs communications director, Emma Tiedemann and the team’s development coach, Katie Krall. These two inspirational women have jumped into male dominated jobs and thrived with the support from John Kameisha and the whole Seadogs family.
(Photo L-R: Ben Lowry, Emma Tiedermann, and Katie Krall)
In her second full season as “the voice of the Seadogs”, Emma is enjoying her time in Maine as her career continues on an upward trajectory. She’s come a long way from her first summer in "The Alaskan League", with stops in Oregon and Kentucky before she beat out over 150 applicants for the Sea Dogs job. It began inauspiciously in March of 2020, when the season was abruptly cancelled the moment she arrived in Portland due to the pandemic. After a summer of research and planning, she took over the mic last season and has quickly become a very well-respected voice around the Eastern League. While at Hadlock, she has pitched in where needed, working with staffers on internet marketing and has even donned the famous Seadog costume on rare occasions. In the off season, which she admittedly “hates”, she and her boyfriend are able to enjoy all that Maine has to offer, with Emma freelancing with work for local colleges to keep her busy.
Katie, in her first year as a uniformed coach, has become an integral part of the Seadogs staff with her ability to use her experience in Silicon Valley. She delves deeply into the analytical data that has become such a large part of the sport since the “Moneyball” era began over 20 years ago. Now, the players count on Katie to provide pre-game and in-game suggestions about how to approach a pitcher or how to defend against the opposing sluggers. As development director, she tracks the progress of players through the long summer, helping give both the athletes and management time to work on their day-to-day work needs, while Katie is able to look at the bigger picture. It’s a role she relishes and she seems to be thriving in her first summer in Portland.
Both of these inspirational women are clearly on a fast track to success in a sport once (and still) dominated by testosterone. It was truly a gift for those of us in attendance at the meeting to get a chance to see behind the curtain and better understand what it takes to thrive in diverse areas of our national pastime.
Bits and Pieces | by Dick Hall
We assembled at the Portland Seadog picnic area at Hadlock Field for our annual meeting at the ballpark.
No one brought the cashbox so Jan was juggling money and the check-in sheet, until Dick Hall assisted with the cash. This seemed to give license to all to have a nice chat with Jan. Thanks to all who were patient in line. (Photo: Jan Chapman)
With Bruce Jones on the DL list, Ben Lowry ran the show calling all to order. We saluted and did our Pledge of Allegiance to the flag in centerfield. Bill Blount was asked to lead the national anthem, and started with “My country tis of thee...”. Thinking fast, he quickly shifted to “O say can you see…” (To my surprise, I thought the singing sounded great!)
Introduction of guest included Jenn Lowry (Ben Lowry), Past Portland President John Tewhey, Neil Hurley (potential member-Bill Blount), Gary McEvoy(Bill Blount), David Fillman(Bill Blount), Jennifer Stone (Bill Blount), Dan Fahey (potential member-Jake Bourdeau), Richard L’Heureux (Julie L’Heureux), Susan Young (John Young), and Paula Ross (Bill Ross). We also had a guest of Alan Levinson who was not signed in. Kirk Duffy was a visiting Rotarian so we ended up serving 43 meals.
Past President John Tewhey had a moment for the passing of Portland Seadog founding President and General Manager, Charlie Eshbach. John and Charlie became friends while organizing the welcoming banquet for the Seadogs. John said this 300-person fundraiser netted $14 for the club and the Portland Chamber got credit for the banquet in the newspaper. John then talked about Charlie’s positive impact on the city with Seadogs and how he expected all players and staff to give back. (Photo: John Tewhey)
Charlie Frair read portions of “Casey At The Bat”, with Ben Lowry voicing the umpire’s lines. Charlie then reminded us all about the Flags for Heroes fundraiser, with all the info listed here: Flags For Heroes 2022
One additional note is that the dates for the display of flags at the Maine Mall has just been adjusted. The revised dates are September 7 -14.
Patty Byers awarded a Paul Harris fellow to Michelle DiSotto, who recently had to leave our club for business reasons, but came back for the meeting and the award.
(Photo: Patty Byers and Michelle Disotto)
Back to Bill Blount who lead our voices in a rendition of "Take Me Out to the Ballpark". Again, it sounded great, so it must be a perfect location for our voices, or maybe just having 43 singers helps us!
On the way out, Alan came forward to pay for himself and his guest. He also said he definitely wants to be a Portland Rotarian, so Dick Hall agreed to send an invoice for dues right away.
Housekeeping Items!
Roster: Dick Hall sent out an email to all club members letting everyone know that we are targeting a publication date of August 15th for our 2022-2023 roster. So, no later than August 1, you need to review, update, and enhance your information. If your photo is over 10 years old, you need an update, preferably in color. Refer to Dick's email that was sent Monday the 18th, 8am for details and instructions. You can make updates on Clubrunner. Contact Dick Hall if you have questions.
Dues: Please remember to get caught up with your dues. Reminder invoices were emailed to those still owing. Remember that the club has already fronted the money to Rotary International, so we definitely need to collect all dues very soon.
Sponsoring a hero is easy! You can submit a $100 donation online, or download a sponsor form and mail it with a check to: Portland Rotary, P.O. Box 1755, Portland, ME 04104-1755. 100% of the proceeds from Flags for Heroes will support crucially important charity work happening in nearby communities in Maine, and as far away as Ukraine. For an easy credit card sponsorship, click here!
Speaker Schedule
July 29 | Steve and Chuck Romanoff from Schooner Fare
August 5 | Jason Judd, Maine Spark Employment
Club Executives President Bruce Jones 1st VP Dick Hall 2nd VP Patty Byers Treasurer Dick Hall Secretary Bill Blount Board of Directors Bob Clark, John Thompson, Ben Millick Sergeant-At-Arms Jake Bourdeau
The Windjammer is published online by
The Rotary Club of Portland, Maine.
Contributing Editors Bill Blount, Jake Bourdeau, Dick Hall,
Erik Jorgensen, Julie L’Heureux, Ben Lowry,
Tom Nickerson, Tom Talbott, Laura Young
1st Q Program Chair: Dave Putnam Managing Editor Tom Talbott
In her second full season as “the voice of the Seadogs”, Emma is enjoying her time in Maine as her
No one brought the cashbox so Jan was juggling money and the check-in sheet, until Dick Hall assisted with the cash. This seemed to give license to all to have a nice chat with Jan. Thanks to all who were patient in line. (Photo: Jan Chapman) 
Past President John Tewhey had a moment for the passing of Portland Seadog founding President and General Manager, Charlie Eshbach. John and Charlie became friends while organizing the welcoming banquet for the Seadogs. John said this 300-person fundraiser netted $14 for the club and the Portland Chamber got credit for the banquet in the newspaper. John then talked about Charlie’s positive impact on the city with Seadogs and how he expected all players and staff to give back. (Photo: John Tewhey)
Patty Byers awarded a Paul Harris fellow to Michelle DiSotto, who recently had to leave our club for business reasons, but came back for the meeting and the award.
Roster: Dick Hall sent out an email to all club members letting everyone know that we are targeting a publication date of August 15th for our 2022-2023 roster. So, no later than August 1, you need to review, update, and enhance your information. If your photo is over 10 years old, you need an update, preferably in color. Refer to Dick's email that was sent Monday the 18th, 8am for details and instructions. You can make updates on 
Sponsoring a hero is easy! You can submit a $100 donation online, or download a .png)
