SKOWHEGAN — Longtime former Skowhegan Town Manager Patricia A. Dickey is scheduled to receive the Skowhegan Area Chamber of Commerce’s Alton W. Whittemore Award for outstanding service Thursday night during the chamber’s annual meeting and banquet.
Dickey, 77, was town manager for 23 years. She worked in the Town Office for a total of 41 years as administrative assistant, bookkeeper and finally town manager, retiring in 2004.
“I feel humbled,” Dickey said Tuesday. “I knew Alton and worked with Alton in the ’60s, ’70s, ’80s and ’90s.”
Known as the chamber’s “most dignified” award, the Whittemore award is named for a man who dedicated much of his life in service to the community.
Chamber Executive Director Jason Gayne said the award honors Whittemore for his 40 years of support and dedication to the Chamber and 60 years of service to Skowhegan. The award recipients are people “most worthy to bear the name and having displayed similar service” to the chamber, he said.
Whittemore was involved in real estate and shoe manufacturing and assisted many young local entrepreneurs, Dickey said.
Dickey is active as an advisor and committee member with Main Street Skowhegan, and she volunteers at the Skowhegan Free Public Library and at Skowhegan Women’s Aid.
Born in Colchester, Essex County, England, Dickey married Norman Dickey in 1960 and came to her husband’s native Skowhegan a year later.
Gayne said nomination forms for all the chamber awards were sent out to chamber members in 11 towns.
Gayne said Dickey was nominated for her work “when she was town manager, and everything she continues to do with Main Street and at the library and everything across the board and is continuing to do with community service.”
Other awards to be presented Thursday night at T&B’s Celebration Center include one for Sappi North America, the Chamber’s Large Business of the Year Award. Gayne said the paper mill has committed to staying and expanding in the community and offered public tours of the mill this past summer.
The chamber’s Small Business of the Year award goes to Maine Fire Equipment, owned by Todd Smith, on South Factory Street in Skowhegan. Smith also bought the former VFW hall and is remodeling the building.
The chamber’s Volunteer of the Year Award will be given to Cathe Jencks-Ayres, of Madison. The citizen Community Impact Award will go to Linda Dunbar, of Canaan; and the business Community Impact Award will be given to Jen and Ed Goff, of Butler’s Car Wash. The chamber’s organization Community Impact Award will be given to the town of Skowhegan, police, fire and highway departments.
Doug Harlow — 612-2367
Twitter:@Doug_Harlow
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