A question you have almost certainly never asked yourself is: What do Colonel Freeman McGilvery, James Weldon Johnson and R.B. Hall have in common? They are among the 10 individuals whom the Maine Legislature has, by statute, honored with a commemorative day.
A few minutes on the internet reveals that each led an admirable life. At issue is not why they are honored but why others, with equal or arguably greater accomplishments, are not.
Colonel McGilvery, who was born in Prospect and whose commemorative day is the first Saturday of September, distinguished himself in two major Civil War battles and died in 1864 from complications arising from what began as a “slightly wounded” finger. While his military record warrants great praise, is he really more deserving than Joshua Chamberlain?
Indeed, the list of “Famous People from Maine” on the State’s website includes Chamberlain and not McGilvery. Perhaps the difference is that the latter died during the war. But that can also be said of an estimated 9,400 other Mainers.
As for James Weldon Johnson, commemorated on June 17, apart from being an accomplished composer and writer, he was an early and effective fighter for civil rights, having served as the first executive secretary of the NAACP. While his life merited recognition, the same is true of Thurgood Marshall, Medgar Evers and John Lewis. (I do not include Martin Luther King because Maine appears not to commemorate those honored by a federal holiday.)
Although he never lived in Maine, Johnson may have been chosen because of a somewhat tenuous tie to the state, in that he died in 1938 while vacationing in Wiscasset when a car his wife was driving was hit by a train. I would not think, however, that the Legislature would seek to publicize that connection.
In case you missed it, R.B. Hall’s commemorative day is the last Saturday in June. For those who share my limited familiarity with music, Mr. Hall, who lived in Bowdoinham, was a widely praised composer of marches and an outstanding cornetist. I support including those with achievements in the arts, but what happened to Edna St. Vincent Millay and Edwin Arlington Robinson? While they did not die in Maine, neither did Andrew Wyeth, who is among those recognized by the Legislature.
For those bursting with curiosity, the other honorees are Chester Greenwood, Samantha Smith, Margaret Chase Smith, Edmund S. Muskie, Major General Henry Knox and Governor William King.
Notwithstanding the inclusion of the two Smiths, females seem underrepresented. It is difficult to justify the absence of Frances Perkins, the first female Cabinet member and an ardent champion of workers’ rights. Although she had the misfortune to hail from Massachusetts, she spent considerable time at the Perkins homestead in Newcastle.
Surprisingly, none of those included in what might be deemed Maine’s Hall of Fame attended Bowdoin College, which for years attracted the state’s elite.
As my next birthday will be my 80th, I am running out of time to earn a commemorative day. But since death appears to be a prerequisite, obscurity has its benefits.
And the Legislature has provided some consolation for those of us unlikely to receive our own day by establishing group commemorative days, one of which honors, on the second Saturday of September, “the service and contributions of senior citizens.” To qualify, one need only grow old.
While firefighters are expressly recognized on Firefighter’s Recognition Day and First Responders Day, as well as during the Maine Week of Heroes, teachers, substance abuse counselors, environmental activists and those serving the poor get no mention at all. I might rank honoring them above designating a Maine Aviation and Aerospace Education Week, but I suppose that is a matter of opinion.
Although our elected representatives may not have acted with great consistency in the granting of commemorative days, they have at least had the humility not to create one for legislators.
Send questions/comments to the editors.
Success. Please wait for the page to reload. If the page does not reload within 5 seconds, please refresh the page.
Enter your email and password to access comments.
Hi, to comment on stories you must . This profile is in addition to your subscription and website login.
Already have a commenting profile? .
Invalid username/password.
Please check your email to confirm and complete your registration.
Only subscribers are eligible to post comments. Please subscribe or login first for digital access. Here’s why.
Use the form below to reset your password. When you've submitted your account email, we will send an email with a reset code.