Museum Director & Board of Directors
Robert Schmick, PhD
Museum Director
2024 Board of Directors
Board Officers
President
Richard Stockford
Vice President
Irv Marsters
Secretary
Karen Marsters
Treasurer
Ron Sucy
Board Members
Fred Hartstone
Honorary Board
James H. Leighton, Jr.
Richard B. Hanson
John Mugnai
Current Vice President, Past President,Founding Board Member, Past Treasurer
The Curran Homestead, Inc.
IRV MARSTERS
Irv Marsters is the former president of the Bangor Letter Shop, Inc., a 30 plus-year-old printing and mailing company in Bangor, Maine, with 14 employees. He is a graduate of the University of Maine with a Master’s Degree in Political Science. He is one of the founders of the Orrington-based Curran Homestead Living History Farm and Museum in 1991 and currently serves as treasurer, and editor of the newsletter.
His employment background has centered on capacity building and organization development in both the public and private sector. He has been involved in volunteer activities with financial development assignments for the Bangor Region Chamber of Commerce, the Pine Tree Chapter – American Red Cross, the March of Dimes (Regional Leadership Committee), the University of Maine Alumni Association and Friends of Men’s Ice Hockey and UMaine Baseball, and the Bangor Region Junior Achievement economic education program recruiting business volunteers to work with K – 12 youth in area schools. For the past 10 years he has served as Master of Ceremonies for the Maine Governor’s Volunteer Service Awards program in Augusta.
Secretary/Honorary Board Member/Past President, The Curran Homestead, Inc.
RICHARD A. STOCKFORD
Dick Stockford is one of our longest-serving Board Members. He has served five terms as president and has chaired the Physical Facilities Committee overseeing the restoration of the Curran barn and adjacent buildings. Dick devoted 25 years to public service between the military and the Bangor Police Department (retiring as Chief of Police). As Executive Director of the non-profit Bangor Beautiful, Dick spent three years managing the organization focused on recycling, beautification, and the annual Bangor Garden Show. His passion for graphic design, woodworking and blacksmithing have not only assisted his small business and entrepreneurial initiatives, but have greatly benefited 19th Century Curran Village and its’ missions.
Treasurer, The Curran Homestead, Inc.
RON SUCY
Ron grew up working in the gardens and tending the chickens on a small farm in Bradley. He graduated from the University of Maine in 1968 with a BS in Business Administration (Accounting major). Upon graduation he went to work for Eveready Battery Co. in Vermont. He was drafted into the Army in September 1968, spending one year at various posts in the US and one year in Vietnam. Upon discharge from the Army he went back to work for Eveready in Bennington, Vermont, where he worked for 17 years, the last ten as Plant Controller. Ron moved back to Maine in 1987, residing in Bangor and working for The Jackson Laboratory as Director of Budgets and Planning. He retired in 2011 and, in addition to volunteering with 19th Century Curran Village, he enjoys golfing and attending University of Maine ice hockey games. Ron has also served the Board as Vice President.
Board Members
FRED HARTSTONE
Fred Hartstone grew up in the family hardware and roofing business, and has been associated with hardware, building materials and contractors his whole life. After leaving the family business, he worked for other lumber yards and did merchandising for several large operations out of state. He came back to Bangor, opened his own hardware store and had over twenty years experience as owner/operator of Fred’s Hardware and Home Center in Bangor. He was directly responsible for all phases of daily operations including personnel, purchasing for all departments, advertising, promotions and merchandising. After closing and retiring, Fred decided to go back to work and took a job at The Home Depot where he spent ten years. He is currently retired from retail. Fred is chairman of the building committee at Beth Abraham Synagogue and overlooks their funeral chapel for maintenance. His areas of interest include locksmithing, and coordinating the acquisition of resources to achieve priority building and restoration projects at 19th Century Curran Village.
BILL WILKINS
While pursuing an education and long-term employment in the culinary arts, Bill Wilkins farmed. He worked at Hebron Academy, Charleston Correctional Center and, more recently, at Harvey Farm Machinery in Dover-Foxcroft, ME. Bill has demonstrated machines and equipment at many 19th Century Curran Village events, participated regularly in our annual Doodlebug/Jitterbug pulling events with his collection of Ford Model A vehicles. He donated a Ford Model T cord saw rig that was restored in collaboration with the former 19th Century Willowbrook Village. Bill passed in 2023; his contribution will be greatly missed.
KAREN L. MARSTERS
Karen Marsters brings nearly 30 years of project management, community relations and administrative and organizational skills to the Curran Homestead, with proven success in fundraising, special-event coordination and volunteer recruitment. Her experience has been earned from work with various organizations such as the Leadership Committee of the March of Dimes, the Bangor Region Board of Junior Achievement and past co-chair of the 1999 Bangor Garden Show. Karen is a detail-oriented worker, assists with a wide range of event preparation, maintains the Curran Homestead database, assists with the fundraising and sponsorship developments, and coordinates volunteer workers at many Curran events. She serves in various roles at events, such as collecting money, staffing the gift shop, coordinating children’s games, providing an area for photos in turn-of-the-twentieth-century clothing, and working in the kitchen. Karen has previously served the Board as president and secretary.
Honorary Board
JAMES H. LEIGHTON, JR.
Jim Leighton was born in Caribou, raised in Limestone, graduated valedictorian from Northern Maine Technical College (majoring in computer sciences) and studied at the University of Maine–Presque Isle night school while working full-time. His early employment started as a systems design engineer for Fred Vihlsing, Jr. at Maine Sugar Industries. At one time, Jim operated in 16 different computer languages fluently and with RVM Data developed the first computer programs for scheduling classes in schools as well as special applications for many large companies. He also served in the Division of Special Investigations for the Maine State Police and 20 years at Sears Roebuck & Co. as loss-prevention manager for New England. Since retiring in 1999, Jim keeps busy repairing, restoring and maintaining commercial vehicles including vintage cars. His gift of music started with guitar and vocals in the family’s country and folk music band, and then about 2007 he dropped the guitar for 5-string banjo and mostly bluegrass music. Jim has been invaluable in the restoration and maintenance of Curran Farm equipment and crowd-pleasing musical entertainment at its’ public events.
RICHARD B. HANSON
Dick Hanson has been an Orrington resident since 1970 with his wife, Brenda, in the rural neighborhood at Field’s Pond where The Curran Homestead is located. He attended Brewer schools and graduated from the University of Maine with a BA in Agricultural Economics. As a third-generation family member in the hardware business, Dick was employed at Bangor Hardware Co. from 1964 and served as president of the corporation until the business was sold in 2006. Both he and his brother, Tom, were principals in Dunham–Hanson Co., a century-old property-management enterprise. Active in area community affairs, Dick Hanson serves as a board member of the Eastern Maine Community College Foundation, Bangor Public Library (Treasurer of the Bangor Mechanics Association), and Phillips-Strickland House & Boyd Place (also Past President), a senior citizen residential facility. An avid whitewater kayak paddler, Dick enjoys the outdoors and working on Curran Farm projects. He invested considerable time and effort helping to build the Museum’s Blacksmith Shop and the large two–station brick forge within it.
JOHN MUGNAI
John Mugnai has been a teacher in Orrington for 35+ years and Assistant Principal for 5 years. He has taught third, fourth, fifth, sixth, and seventh grades during his career. He is very familiar with Maine Learning Results, and the creation of effective hands-on learning activities that will engage and interest a variety of students. He has lived in Orrington for 60 years. He earned his Bachelor’s Degree in teaching from University of Maine–Machias, and a Master’s Degree in Educational Leadership from the University of Maine–Orono. He has performed in the choir of a local church for over 30 years as a singer and guitarist.
STANLEY WHITE
Having spent his early years on a working family farm and in later years, visiting and haying on his aunt’s farm, Stan White developed a real appreciation and love for the farming lifestyle. Despite his education (B.S. Business Administration) and first work experience (in clothing and footwear, both wholesale and retail), the first impressions of the farm life never left him. He started and retired from a successful business in the agricultural field, Enchanted Garden and Greenhouse. Stan served on the boards of Brewer Kiwanis, Brewer Business Council, Brewer Lassie League, and Brewer City Council. His knowledge of the Curran family came from knowing them and stories from his father who hauled wood off Copeland Hill for them in the winter across Brewer Lake to the Curran Farm with his team of horses. Stan’s knowledge and passion for history of the area has made him a valuable contributor to the living history mission of 19th Century Curran Village. Stan passed in 2023 after contributing to the museum for many years.
Historian Emeritus
BRIAN HIGGINS
Clerk of the Corporation
Christopher B. Hatch, Esq.
Museum Director
ROBERT SCHMICK, PhD
A resident of Maine since 2006. A graduate of New York University School of Education his doctoral dissertation A Wilderness For All; The Transmutation and Transmittance of Wilderness Imagery Through Popular Print Media & Material Culture, 1825-1860 explores the development of American cultural identity through a variety of 19th century media. Graduate work at NYU also included museum studies. In addition, Dr. Schmick completed the professional certificate in museum studies at Tufts University. He has served as museum director at the Town of Warwick [NY] Historical Society, Old Museum Village at Smith’s Clove in Monroe, NY, and 19th Century Willowbrook Village in Newfield, ME. He served as the Museum Director of The Curran Homestead Living History Farm and Museum from 2007-2010 and 19th Century Curran Village 2017-Present.
