James A. McBreairty

WASHBURN - James A. McBreairty, 94, well-known area community leader, former state representative and state senator, died peacefully Nov. 10, 2009, at his home. He was born March 30, 1915, in Allagash, the son of Hampton and Sarah (Walker) McBreairty. He was the oldest of nine children. On April 30, 1937, he married Doris Dickinson, the love of his life. During their 70 years together, they worked side-by-side and were faithful partners. Throughout the years Jim held practically every office in the town of Perham, among them selectman, treasurer and tax collector. He served on the school board for more than 20 years and was instrumental in building a new elementary school in Perham, forming SAD 45 and building Washburn District High School. Throughout all those years of local service, Jim was among the most highly skilled and respected farmers in Aroostook County. He believed in the value of hard work and the benefit of practical knowledge. On his farm he was forced to be self-reliant. He could fix anything, weld anything and fabricate anything. He was a master welder, machinist, mechanic, carpenter and draftsman. He was a bookkeeper, writer, and in his later years, became a skilled landscaper and an adept computer user. He successfully managed and harvested several wood lots. In 2007, Jim was named Conservation Forest Landowner of the Year. After 30 years of very hard work, good management and some luck, Jim and Doris retired from farming. Jim and Doris played a key role in forming the first official snowmobile club in the state of Maine, Snow Drifters of Caribou, and enjoyed many years of snowmobiling thereafter. They were also charter members of Washburn Trailrunners Snowmobile Club and enjoyed the many friendships they established there. Jim and Doris were also avid motorcyclists during their later years, and took extended trips in both the U.S. and Canada with fellow riders. Jim was an avid outdoorsman, conservationist and a lifetime friend of the environment. His love of nature was expressed and taught to his family by his recreational activities, hunting and fishing. He always left the landscape in a better condition than he found it. His farms and forests were well manicured and uncluttered. He loved to fish and hunt in his beloved Allagash region. The trout at Fall Brook Lake competed for his valuable summer farming time. He established a tradition of annual hunting ventures to the Allagash Wilderness Waterway area that is in its 48th year and includes Jim's family and friends. As a legislator, Jim wrote and facilitated the laws that established the present-day Maine moose hunt, to the benefit of the moose herd and those who love to hunt the Maine woods. Jim turned his interest to state politics when he was elected to the state Legislature. He always believed that public officials had a sacred responsibility to be completely honest and open about the manner in which they performed their duties. He not only held others to that high standard, but himself as well. He took that same idealism with him to Augusta and practiced what he preached throughout his tenure there. He became a highly respected state representative and then state senator, admired by friend and foe alike. They came to understand that his word was his bond, that the people came first - before party or politics - and that he would fight to the finish for his constituents, which earned him the nickname "Tenacious Bulldog." His door was always open for anyone who needed a champion and many, many residents of his district and elsewhere took advantage of that promise. It was hard for him to go anywhere without someone coming up to shake his hand and thank him for helping them in a time of need. He initiated a plan where he and Doris took four high school students from his district to Augusta with them for one or two weeks during each session. They paid for their room and board and gave them a chance to experience state government up close and personal. More than one of those students in later years became a legislator and credited much of their interest in politics to the trip they made to Augusta with Jim and Doris. While in state government, he was re-elected each term by a landslide; but he never took the people or their vote for granted. He always campaigned as if it was the first time, going door-to-door throughout his district, giving the people a chance to meet him and make their views known. He took that information back to Augusta with him and used it when voting on and initiating legislation that would affect those back home and elsewhere in the state. He worked diligently to keep his constituents informed, sending out many letters with the help of his loyal assistant, Doris. Jim was proud to serve on important Legislative committees and acted as chairman of several. He was a member of the Appropriations Committee for four years, and as such shared responsibility for overseeing the spending for the entire state of Maine. This appointment was a very coveted position and was attained by only a few legislators each term, those deemed most trustworthy by the leadership of both parties. He served six years on Audit and Program Review, four years as chairman; eight years on Energy and Natural Resources, four years as chairman. Because of his lifelong interest in the snowmobile industry, Jim authored several key pieces of legislation, which revolutionized the sport. In 2006, Jim was named to the Maine Snowmobile Hall of Fame. When Jim retired from Augusta, he was elected to the office of Aroostook County treasurer, where he served for eight years. As treasurer and while in his mid-70s, he pioneered the computerization of the County budget, a feat that might have been considered difficult for someone half his age. In all the years he was responsible for the County's funds, his books always balanced to the penny. He held this position until he was 81 years old and was re-elected by a landslide as long as he chose to run. In 2000, Jim received Maine's Roll of Honor Award for 500 hours of voluntary service as caretaker for the Town of Perham Fairview Cemetery. Jim recently researched the complete history of Perham Fairview Cemetery from its inception to the present and, at the behest of the Perham selectmen, composed a report on his findings. He spent 20 years on the board of Aroostook Area Agency on Aging, seven years as president. He was chairman of Northern Maine Development Commission, board member of St. John Resource Conservation District, and a member of the Low Level Nuclear Waste Authority. He was an honorary member of Washburn Alumni Association, honorary member of Presque Isle Hi Y Club, and an honorary citizen of Presque Isle. Jim spent his entire adult life in the service of others, working unselfishly and without any thought or intention of personal gain. In the summer of 2005 and at the ripe old ages of 90 and 85, respectively, Jim and Doris sold their "home farm" in Perham, where they had spent the past 63 years, and moved into a home in Washburn. They kept busy improving their new home and property, getting to know their neighbors and settling into the next stage of their lives. In keeping with his passion for lifelong learning, in 2007 Jim established the McBreairty-Dickinson Memorial Scholarship fund at Northern Maine Community College in honor and memory of Jim and his late wife, Doris, who passed away in September of that year, as well as their parents, Hampton and Sarah McBreairty, and Harry and Leona Dickinson. The fund was set up to provide three $1,000 scholarships annually to first year students, one each from the communities of Perham, Wade and Washburn. Jim is survived by three daughters, Noreen McIntosh of Washburn, Linda Seward and husband, George, of Perham, and Molly Stevens and husband, Patrick, of Eddington; one son, Marvin McBreairty and wife, Edwina, of Brewer; one brother, Ronald McBreairty and wife, Gwen, of Pennsylvania; two sisters, Viola Helstrom of Perham, and Barbara Sperry and husband, Everett, of Caribou; 15 grandchildren, 24 great-grandchildren, nine great-great-grandchildren, many nieces and nephews. All of his family members are very proud of him and feel blessed to have had him as an example. His family loved and cherished him and will miss him. Jim was predeceased by his wife, Doris; his parents; three brothers, Roger, Lewis and Hampton McBreairty; two sisters, Annie Martin and Phyllis Pelletier; and a grandson, Danny Seward. Family and friends are invited to call 6-9 p.m. Friday, Nov. 13, at Mockler Funeral Home, 24 Reservoir St., Caribou. Funeral services will be held 2 p.m. Nov. 14 at Perham Baptist Church, Perham, with the Rev. David Goupille officiating. Interment will be at Fairview Cemetery, Perham. In lieu of flowers, the family has requested that donations may be made to McBreairty-Dickinson Memorial Scholarship Fund at Northern Maine Community College, 33 Edgemont Drive, Presque Isle, ME 04769. Envelopes may also be obtained through the funeral home. For an online register, please go to www.mocklerfuneralhome.com.