Dozens of Standish residents and children from the Standish Recreation Summer Camp huddled together under a tent during a cold, rainy Thursday evening for a dedication ceremony of the Gerry Spencer Memorial Trail.
“Gerry is smiling today at the idiocy of all of us gathered here today in the cold rain,” said Town Manager Gordon Billington to the laughter of those in attendance during a brief speech before the unveiling of the trail.
Billington proclaimed on behalf of the Standish Town Council that June 8 henceforth be “Gerry Spencer Day,” acknowledging Spencer’s active support for recreational programs in Standish.
When asked what her thoughts were on the day of her late husband’s dedication, Margaret Spencer said, “I would like to express my appreciation to all the people who came today.” Referring to the miserable weather in which people dutifully gathered to honor her husband, Spencer joked, “He’s probably looking down on us and saying, ‘look at those damn fools’… he’d be very proud and happy of what we have done.”
Town Manager Billington added, “Gerry was very important to town employees, very social. We all came to think of him as a good friend.” When reached for further comment at his office on Friday, Billington spoke of the distance between policy makers and town employees.
“Gerry really bridged that gap,” he said, adding that Spencer would often sit down with town employees and speak at leisure, as a friend.
David Perry, who filmed the dedication, shared this sentiment, saying, “He would come in early and we would just talk-not about town business-but we’d talk about everything else. I mean everything. He was good man.”
Because of the inclement weather last Thursday, no one walked the trail as was originally planned.
The trail begins in the field adjacent to the Standish Municipal Center and forms a loop inside the woods.
Gerry Spencer was an active member of the Town Council, serving from 1991 to 1993, and from 2000 to 2005. He was a member of the Finance, Capital Improvement and Ordinance Committees and took part in a great number of ad hoc and sub-committees.
There is also a scholarship fund in honor of Spencer, which helps families who show they have a financial need to afford after-school programs, such as the Standish Recreational Summer Camp.
Linda Brooks, director of the Standish Recreation Department, attended the dedication ceremony on Thursday and said that the memorial was “quite a wonderful event. It’s noteworthy that something like this could be done in his memory… [Gerry] was always appreciative when the town could provide events for free. He always made sure that no one got left behind.”
Gerald Spencer passed away on Jan. 9, 2006 after battling with cancer. The trail, dedicated in his honor, is open to any and all who would like to walk it.
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