Al Bean is just the third person since 1955 to serve as the Director of Athletics at the University of Southern Maine. He began his five-decade long relationship with the institution first as a student athlete as a member of the Huskies' baseball team. Bean went on to serve as an assistant baseball coach, sports information director, assistant athletic director and currently athletics director since 1993. His relationship with USM goes back to 1973 when he first entered USM as a student.
During his years at USM, Bean has been instrumental in the creation of the USM Athletic Association, the Husky Hall of Fame, Honors Night, the William B. Wise Scholar-Athlete Awards, the Husky Golf Classic and most recently the Full Potential and Artists & Athletes initiatives. He has helped lead numerous initiatives and projects that have resulted in the construction of the Costello Field House, the USM Ice Arena, the renovation of the USM Baseball Stadium, Hannaford Field - the Huskies first artificial exterior playing surface and home to the men's and women's soccer and lacrosse teams and the field hockey team, and most recently, the USM Softball Stadium project. Further plans are in the works for a grandstand with amenities at Hannaford Field, resurfacing of Flaherty Field and the renovation and expansion of the Costello Sports Complex.
Bean, a South Portland native and former baseball and basketball player for the Red Riots, received his B.S. in history and education from USM in 1977 and later earned his M.S. in adult education in 1992. He served as a history teacher and career counselor at Windham High School before being hired full-time at USM in the fall of 1983. Bean is a member of the USM Husky Hall of Fame, the Maine Baseball Hall of Fame and the Little East Conference Hall of Fame. He was also honored as the Under Armour Athletic Director of the Year by NACDA, earned the Multiple Sclerosis Leadership Award and was placed on the USM College of Education Bailey Hall Wall of Honor. Bean, his wife, Robin and three children reside in Standish, Maine.
Now in his fourth decade as the head coach of the University of Southern Maine baseball team, Ed Flaherty has firmly established USM among the nation’s elite NCAA Division III programs. He’s earned an outstanding reputation for his proven teaching ability, discipline and hard-nosed work ethic. His instructional baseball camps are highly regarded and among the best attended in the New England region.
Last season, Flaherty achieved a personal milestone when he became the 11th coach in NCAA Division III history to reach 1,000 career wins when the Huskies defeated Bates College on May 2. In his 33 seasons as head coach, Flaherty has compiled an impressive 1,004-450-4 record, including 17 seasons with 30 or more wins. Twenty-four times during his collegiate coaching career, Flaherty has guided the Huskies to a berth in the NCAA Division III tournament.
His career-winning percentage at the start of the 2019 season ranks him 15th among active NCAA Division III coaches with five or more years of service, and his 1,004 wins ranks fifth.
Under Flaherty’s direction, the Huskies reached the pinnacle of the NCAA Division III baseball world in 1991 when they traveled to Battle Creek, Michigan, and claimed their first national championship. That team was the first collegiate team from the state of Maine to win a national championship. The Huskies have made six other World Series appearances.
A former standout player at the University of Maine, Flaherty has earned many honors throughout his coaching career. In January 2005, Flaherty was inducted into the American Baseball Coaches Association (ABCA) Hall of Fame.
Flaherty and his wife, Debbie, have three adult children and reside in Portland.
Our club welcomed back Clayton Rose, who had previously spoken at our club during his first year as the President of Bowdoin College, back in April 2016. He entertained us with some opening humor of once being pressed into carrying boxes on freshman move-in day by a mother who did not recognize him. He then proceeded to provide an overview of current things going on at Bowdoin, as well as the national scene on higher education.
Proudly, Bowdoin is one of just 19 schools in the U.S., out of approximately 4000, that has an endowment large enough to be completely “need” blind when it comes to admitting students. If a student is accepted, then finances or money would never be declared an obstacle. Loans have been completely replaced by grants. Students are accepted on their merits and can work out a financial program that is acceptable to the student and family.
What particularly worries Rose is how many schools focus too closely on families with limited needs, in essence, at the expense of the middle class. He coined the term, “the barbell.” For Rose, he believes that diversity includes all facets of life, including financial. The goal is to attract the best students, some who require aid and some who do not. It is expensive, and this approach is truly only possible by the amazing generosity over many years by Bowdoin alumni.
Clayton spoke enthusiastically about recent building projects on campus. The new Roux Center for the teaching and study of the environment has opened, and the additions to the Schiller Coastal Studies Center is being designed now. The plan is to create spaces that are more conducive to how people teach and learn in the 21st century. Ground will be broken soon for new upperclass student campus housing, with “passive house” design ideas to be more eco-friendly and comfortable. The purpose is to lure older students who have been quick to move off campus back into student life, to be more connected with the fabric of the school.
At this point, Clayton opened the floor for questions. The first question asked how Bowdoin creates an atmosphere that is comfortable and conducive to a student body that has such a diverse background – ethnic, financial, geographical, and so on. Rose responded by noting that orientation programs are set up that deliberately mix-up students from the get-go, room to room, floor to floor, dorm to dorm. Students are immediately put into situations that require them to open up and experience new things.
Another question was asked by an alumnus, who also had a daughter attend Bowdoin. Noting years of financial support and alumni participation, there is somewhat of a concern for legacy families, when there are over 9000 applications (9332 last year) and only about 5% get in. (522 accepted, 5.6%) Rose countered the concern by noting that legacy students do have an advantage, but the admissions process probes deep to see just how serious that student is about attending Bowdoin. Admissions wants to know….Who are you? Are you a humanitarian? Are you engaged in the community? What are your passions? Why do YOU, not your family, want to go here?
On the cheating scandal, it was “mind-blowing” to Rose. His first reaction was to question the parenting of the students; second was to blame “institutional corruption,” schools so large and decentralized, departments such as sports were acting on their own. This would be far more difficult at a smaller school, where everyone is involved.
Bowdoin is expensive, $71k per year for room, board, and tuition. 51% of students are on aid, with the average family getting about $48k back. 65% of the costs are salary and benefits. A question came from an Amherst alumni, who noted that his alma mater had brought in a layer of high priced provosts…..thick with bureaucracy and an expanding overhead, all to appeal to diversity issues and compliance. Is that money well spent? Is that happening at Bowdoin? Rose said that to some extent, it is, adding the line, “Government is often well-intentioned, but things usually never go as they should.” He claimed that Bowdoin has a modest infrastructure, and benefits greatly by having faculty and staff learn and take on administrative duties. “We’re as lean as we can be.”
An interesting question at the end was if the school had studied if alumni 15 years after graduating were doing what they thought they would be doing. While not able to quote specifics, Rose felt that many were doing very different things, but that was not a bad thing. He emphasized that Bowdoin has always taught core skills of critical thinking, writing, and creativity, that students are able to apply in all walks of life. The focus is on “how to learn,” a characteristic that is appreciated by employers. Cross-training is an asset.
To open the meeting, Alan Levenson gave an invocation by reciting a poem about a sea-faring ship caught in a winter storm; then we 'Pledged our Allegiance to the American Flag,' and Meredith Small led us in the patriotic song, “My Country ‘Tis of Thee.”
President Amy Chipman welcomed 43 members, along with Barbara Willey, who was attending as a guest of her husband, PP Jim Willey.
President Amy gave us a reminder that July 1st is the Club’s deadline for paying membership dues and that it’s important that Club members be on time with their payments, so that the Club is not stuck with a shortfall. She presented an idea to send out the dues requests a little earlier in the year to accommodate the lag time between receipt and payment.
President Amy also noted that it’s important to let the Club know as soon as possible, if a member wishes to apply for a ‘Leave of Absence.’
Matt Tassey(at right in photo at left) ran a smooth weekly raffle, with a pot at over $950. The speaker selected Erik Greven’s name and Erik (at left in photo at left) picked the Ace of Spades out of the deck, leaving the Queen of Hearts alone for another week.
President Amy remarked that Michelle Disotto has been calling Portland Rotarians asking if they would provide a ‘Rotary Minute,’ with not many volunteering to offer up their story for why they joined Rotary. Amy volunteered this week to share someone else’s Rotary Minute. She spoke of a Rotary International Director who went to Bombay, India for a Polio Immunization event. The event vied for the Guinness Book of World Records for a 10,000-meter long banner, but more importantly, it was known for having 10,000 volunteers who vaccinated 120,000,000 people under the age of 5 at a rate of 6,000 persons per second. Rotary helped eradicate Polio in India in 2012.
PP Dick Hall(photo at right) told us about his District Governor Training that he and his wife recently attended. He explained that our Club’s District includes parts of the US, parts of Canada, Bermuda, and an island near Newfoundland. He said that approximately 500 Rotarians attended the training event, and he learned about topics such as: public speaking, diversity, leadership, disaster prevention, diversity inclusion, project ownership, and even some charm school lessons. While at the training conference, he was brainstorming about our next Rotary program and project. We all know Dick drinks the Rotary Cool-Aid, but he said it was like drinking Cool-Aid through a water hose.
Dick also spoke about the RotaryRocks! District Conference coming up on October 5th. Jeffrey Cadorette is the on the Rotary International Board of Directors and the keynote speaker. The Club is reimbursing people for the registration fee, if you would like to attend. The lineup includes:
Emily Ruble - speaking on community matters,
Patrick Ferrano - discussing leadership and Relations
Jeff Cadorette - talking about paths to change
35 clubs will be displaying their projects, and there will be 12 district program tables, 20 presentations, and two (2) 90-minute experiential learning programs. For more information and to register, go to th District website at: rotary7780.org
Paul Tully(photo at left) updated the Club on the upcoming Veterans’ Appreciation Lunch scheduled for Nov 8th, roughly 6 weeks away. The Cub will hold the luncheon at the Seasons Conference Center and Ramada Inn on Riverside Street in Portland. Paul let us know that there will be screen monitors for the visually impaired, and a solid group of speakers.
As it stands now, the following are on the list of speakers:
Gary Crocker, a Professional MC; Governor Janet Mills; John Jennings from the City of Portland; Dough Farnum from the Army National Guard; Bill Nimitz; and Charlie Summers.
Paul said that registration is open to the first 350 people, and he requests that the volunteers sign-up early and also pre-register.
Mike Fortunato(photo at right) reminded us to sign ourselves and our friends up for the Oct 26th Harvest Moon Dance. The tickets are $20 each. Mike has been working on securing the drinks, and he is expecting the food will be provided by a potluck format. Please RSVP to Mike, or contact him if you have questions at: michael.k.fortunato@gmail.com.
NOTABLE DATES FOR MEMBERS IN OCTOBER Member Birthdays Sep 03 - Bob Clark 04 - Russ Burleigh 10 - Nan Heald 10 - Ogy Nikolic 13 - Dave Putnam 14 - Loretta Rowe 16 - Tiel Duncan 19 - Tom Talbott 24 - Roxane Cole 30 - Erik Jorgensen
Date-Joined-Rotary Anniversaries 1 year - Marissa Fortier 1 year - Ronda Ferreira 2 years - Merle Hallett 4 years - Ben Delcourt 4 years - Linda Varrell
If you would like to mark your calendars, we are scheduled at the following locations through 2019:
2019 Oct 04 - The Clarion Oct 11 - The Clarion Oct 18 - The Clarion Oct 25 - TBD Service Project
Nov 01 - The Clarion Nov 08 - Seasons Event & Conference Ctr Ramada Plaza, 155 Riverside St, Portland Nov 15 - The Clarion Nov 22 - The Clarion Nov 29 - NO MEETING - Thanksgiving
Dec 06 - The Clarion Dec 13 - The Clarion Dec 20 - The Clarion Dec 27 - NO MEETING - Christmas
The following items are needed on an on-going basis. Please feel free to bring them to a meeting where we will collect and distribute them to the appropriate projects.
Crutches4Africa - Crutches, canes, folding walkers and wheelchairs to be shipped to Africa. Contact: Erik Greven at: egrev95@gmail.com
Toiletries for the Shelters - Collect those tiny bottles of toiletries you are paying for during your next hotel visit and bring them home for members of our society who find themselves staying at a shelter and in need of personal hygiene products.
Al Bean is just the third person since 1955 to serve as the Director of Athletics at the University of Southern Maine. He began his five-decade long relationship with the institution first as a student athlete as a member of the Huskies' baseball team. Bean went on to serve as an assistant baseball coach, sports information director, assistant athletic director and currently athletics director since 1993. His relationship with USM goes back to 1973 when he first entered USM as a student. 
Now in his fourth decade as the head coach of the University of Southern Maine baseball team, Ed Flaherty has firmly established USM among the nation’s elite NCAA Division III programs. He’s earned an outstanding reputation for his proven teaching ability, discipline and hard-nosed work ethic. His instructional baseball camps are highly regarded and among the best attended in the New England region..jpg)
Our club welcomed back Clayton Rose, who had previously spoken at our club during his first year as the President of Bowdoin College, back in April 2016. He entertained us with some opening humor of once being pressed into carrying boxes on freshman move-in day by a mother who did not recognize him. He then proceeded to provide an overview of current things going on at Bowdoin, as well as the national scene on higher education.
PP Dick Hall (photo at right) told us about his District Governor Training that he and his wife recently attended. He explained that our Club’s District includes parts of the US, parts of Canada, Bermuda, and an island near Newfoundland. He said that approximately 500 Rotarians attended the training event, and he learned about topics such as: public speaking, diversity, leadership, disaster prevention, diversity inclusion, project ownership, and even some charm school lessons. While at the training conference, he was brainstorming about our next Rotary program and project. We all know Dick drinks the Rotary Cool-Aid, but he said it was like drinking Cool-Aid through a water hose. 
Paul Tully (photo at left) updated the Club on the upcoming Veterans’ Appreciation Lunch scheduled for Nov 8th, roughly 6 weeks away. The Cub will hold the luncheon at the Seasons Conference Center and Ramada Inn on Riverside Street in Portland. Paul let us know that there will be screen monitors for the visually impaired, and a solid group of speakers. 
Mike Fortunato (photo at right) reminded us to sign ourselves and our friends up for the Oct 26th Harvest Moon Dance. The tickets are $20 each. Mike has been working on securing the drinks, and he is expecting the food will be provided by a potluck format. Please RSVP to Mike, or contact him if you have questions at: