About Jonesport Historical Society

Bill Plaskon was born and raised in New Jersey. His entire working career was with the AT&T Corporation in New Jersey. He retired in 1996 as a computer programmer/analyst and database designer for AT&T International. After retirement he and his wife Barbara moved to Jonesport, Maine in 2001. They both helped create Sunrise Senior College in Machias in 2002 and served for six years on its original Board of Directors, with Bill creating the membership database and running the membership committee, and Barb in charge of publicity.

When the Jonesport Historical Society was established in 2003, Bill joined the Board of Directors, built the membership database, and served as the membership and database manager. He also created an archives database and cemeteries database. In early 2019 Bill became the president of the society, replacing the previous president who died in late 2018.

Jean M. Guptill is a native of Jonesport. Jean retired after a long career with the US Postal Service and serving as the Postmaster of Jonesport. She was active on both the state and national levels of the National League of Postmasters. Jean has served on the board of the Friends of the Library. Jean works for the Town of Jonesport as a tax assessor. She is married to Lee Guptill.

Nancy S. Sawyer was born in Harrington, Maine and has been a resident of Jonesport for over 32 years. Married to Daniel Sawyer III, she has a son, Daniel IV and a daughter, Sarah. Nancy is also a member of the Moosabec Ambulance Service and the Sawyer Memorial Congregational Church.

Rev. Dr. Eric W. Kelley, is a native of Jonesport, so his roots run deep in Downeast Maine. Ordained by the United Church of Christ in 1973, he holds degrees in education, divinity, and clinical psychology. Eric is now retired after having had a long and active life as a minister across Maine, and since his retirement has served on the board of Peabody Memorial Library. He lives at Mary Jim’s Point, Jonesport, on the same property where he began life, sharing his home with his wife, Betty, and their dog, Bindi.

Betty Kelley grew up in Burlington, Iowa, a Brewer-sized town along the Mississippi River. She “escaped” the Midwest immediately after high school and has lived the majority of her life in Maine, in both Portland and Jonesport. “From away but not so’s you’d notice it” is her motto. Betty majored in Liberal Arts at the University of Southern Maine and worked at Falmouth High School as Asst. to the Principal and later at the University of Maine at Machias in several capacities, the last being Asst. to the President. While at UMM she delved into their Book Arts program which led to her becoming a paper artist. In retirement she established a home craft business and online Etsy shop, Downeast Paper Works. Board member and Jonesport native, Eric Kelley, is her husband. They live just beyond Sandy River Beach, sharing their home with their little dog, Bindi, tending many gardens, and managing a summer rental cottage.

(bio pending)

Barbara “Barbie” Cirone was born, brought up, and still lives in Jonesport. Her roots run very deep in the town since she is a descendent of the town’s “founding fathers”. Barbie graduated magna cum laude from Endicott College with an associate science degree in interior design. She has spent the last 25 years working at Jonesport-Beals High School as the Administrative Assistant and in the guidance office. Barbie is also a Certified Maine Assessor and has worked for the towns of Jonesport and Addison. She and her husband, Stephen, have two children, Brianna and Stephen, who have each graduated from the University of Maine at Orono.

Aaron R. Dennis was born in Trenton, NJ and resided in nearby Ewingville until the age of 28. In 1969, Aaron enlisted in the US Army and was assigned to the Landsouth East NATO Headquarters in Izmir, Turkey. Upon returning to Ewingville, NJ he attended the College of NJ graduating summa cum laude with a bachelor’s degree in Electronics Engineering Technology. Aaron left NJ taking an engineering position with General Electric in Somersworth, NH then moved to Fort Wayne Indiana still employed by GE. Returning east he joined Hamilton Standard in Windsor Locks, CT and ended his career retiring from the Bose Corporation in Framingham, MA. While living in Grafton, MA Aaron lost his wife Linda in 2009 after 37 years of marriage. Aaron and Linda raised two boys still residing in MA. Aaron remarried to Holly Tomkinson of Holden, MA who has three daughters, two in MA and one in VT. Aaron and Holly moved to China, Maine in 2012 and subsequently to Jonesport in 2016.

Andrew Hutnik was born in Trenton, NJ, and raised in Hopewell, NJ. He worked at various capacities for the New Jersey Bell Telephone Company, which later became Bell Atlantic, then Verizon, and retired after 34 years of telephone company service. In 1999 Andy and his wife, Arlene, purchased land on the ocean in Jonesport where they built their house and moved to Maine in 2006. Andy volunteers for several organizations in the Jonesport area.  He is a recreational safety instructor for Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife, a docent for the Cooper House of Machiasport Historical Society, a lector at Holy Name Catholic Church in Machias, and is on the Board of Directors of the Pleasant River Fish and Game Club. He is also a member of Sunrise Senior College and the American Legion in Machias.

David Crook and his wife, Laurie Beck, have owned a home in Jonesport since 2003.  The house and barn, located on Mason Bay Road, belonged to Newell White and family for several decades of the last century.  Raised in a small town south of Buffalo, New York, David moved to New York City in 1975 after college, and has maintained a home there since.  David retired in 2019 after a 30-year career as an administrator in higher education at the City University of New York, and since then has been fortunate enough to be able to spend most of his time in Jonesport.  David has served for more than 25 years on the board of his Manhattan cooperative building, has been a long-time member of the Jonesport Historical Society, and enjoys woodworking in a shop he built in his barn.

Stacey Balicki is a dedicated member of the Jonesport community with a deep-rooted passion for preserving its history. After serving 25 years in the United States Air Force, she returned home with her husband Jeff, to raise their three children (Jordyn, Riley, and Jaxson).  A registered nurse by profession, she is currently the Health Occupations Instructor at Coastal Washington County Institute of Technology, sharing her knowledge and expertise with the next generation.  A proud graduate of JBHS (class of '93), she has always been a strong supporter of the town. Having lived in various places around the world, she has come to appreciate the unique beauty and charm of Jonesport and is committed to preserving its heritage for future generations.