Sometimes its a little challenging to gather information about people. I mean, good, clear important stuff that can be shared safely. It’s easy to slip up and generally likely that someone will manage to challenge what little I know, or innocently suggest, about many who live here in our wonderful corner of the world.

Such has not been the case with Harry Pinkham — at least to the best of my knowledge. Harry seems to have given a ton to his home community in so many ways, that it’s difficult to imagine (or find) a critical soul among us. The list of Harry's accomplishments is extraordinary and all but endless. To list everything Harry has contributed would take more space than I am allotted. I won't even try.

I think our most frequent contact with Harry was through his work at the Post Office, when he was a letter carrier. Back in the day, when I was helping with shipments from the Merry Music Box on McKown Street, we'd bump into Harry as he was delivering mail around town. He was always pleasant and happy to chat a bit, but not too much. “The mail must go through.” Harry was part of a larger group of fun people who managed the mails then for Boothbay Harbor. We always enjoyed our visits with the postal staff.

I was chatting with Alan Williams at Hawke Motors the other day and out of the blue, for no reason, stories about local folks began to emerge. Alan mentioned Harry as someone he had known over the years.

Alan said, “Harry is one of those people he could give his wallet to, and with complete confidence, know that it would be returned in tact, perhaps with an extra dollar.”

A much younger Martin Page, worked with Harry and Ralph Jenkins doing lobster bakes at Spruce Point with the Druces. He said Harry was the secretary for his father Warren when he was Fire Chief in Boothbay Harbor.

“My father really counted on Harry,” Martin said. “He was always reliable and willing to lend a hand.”

And that, more than anything, seems to be who Harry is. He has given often and much.

Thank you Harry for all that you do and have done. You're one of the good ones.