David Peter Kirstein, lives in Scarborough with Linda, his spouse. They have three grown children and two grandchildren who live in Portland. They enjoy international travel, gardening and photography.
David is a retired biomedical research administrator. A graduate of Bates College (BS) and Villanova University (MS) he spent 27 years at the Trudeau Institute in Saranac Lake, NY, and 6 years at USM. He has served as a FOKO docent since 2010 and has volunteered in the FOKO office to support Kathy and the past three administrative assistants with clerical and editing projects.
Other charities and activities have occupied David as well. He is a Trustee of the Foundation for Blood Research in Scarborough, and active in conservation projects with the Sebago chapter of Trout Unlimited. He served on the building committee for the Scarborough High School addition, and now on the Town Energy Committee. In New York State, he was also a founding member and treasurer of a small volunteer fire department, medical center trustee and board chair, and remains an honorary trustee of the Trudeau Institute.
Heather Noyes joined The Maine Heritage Policy Center in August 2006 and serves as director of operations and development. In her role, Heather coordinates all operational and development work, and also manages all special events for the public and donors. During her ten years with MHPC, Heather has planned and organized hundreds of special events with guests and keynote speakers that include legislators, governors, authors, and public policy experts. Prior to joining MHPC, Heather worked with and is a graduate of The Protocol School of Washington. Additionally, she continues to collaborate with PSOW on special projects and teaches in Washington, D.C. She brings nearly two decades of management experience and in-depth knowledge of business etiquette and international protocol.
Heather also serves on the Portland Community Chamber Board and lives in Falmouth with Tom, her husband, and their ten-year-old daughter.
Carolyn Paulin is a freelance choral conductor and classical music radio producer. As a conductor and teacher, Dr. Paulin has served as an adjunct professor on the faculties of a number of Illinois colleges and universities, including North Central College in Naperville, Knox College in Galesburg, Roosevelt University, Concordia University (River Forest) and VanderCook College of Music. For two seasons she was music director of the Fleur de Lys Chorale, a 16-voice professional adult choir, and led the Galesburg Community Chorus and Orchestra during the 1989-90 season. From 1998 to 2009 Carolyn was a member of the Chicago Symphony Chorus. She also has written several articles for The Choral Journal of the American Choral Directors Association.
From 2001 to 2014 she was a producer and program host at 98.7 WFMT and the WFMT Radio Network, where she produced local and Network programming, including many multi-part radio series, including First Ladies of Music with Virginia Eskin, Song of America with Thomas Hampson and three separate series from the Salzburg Festival. She also did programming research, appeared as an on-air announcer — including hosting the monthly Live from NEIU “Jewel Box” Concert series and the Chicago Chamber Musicians First Monday Concerts. Carolyn also produced the monthly Ryan Opera Center Recital series, featuring young vocal artists from Lyric Opera of Chicago’s Ryan Opera Center and she produce the live opening night broadcasts from Lyric Opera, which included writing of scripts, interviewing singers/editing all interviews, and managing the live broadcast. As an administrator, she served on the planning committee for the station’s Membership Drive.
Carolyn is the founding conductor and Music Director Emerita of the Oak Park and River Forest Children’s Chorus (now known as Pro Musica), leading that professional-level community ensemble for 10 years. Under her direction OPRFCC Choirs performed in Chicago’s Orchestra Hall, at national, regional and state conferences, and toured throughout the United States and in Europe. She also is founder and Music Director Emerita of the Central Illinois Children’s Chorus, which she led from 1978 to 1989.
She earned her A.B. in Music (voice performance) and her M.A. (choral conducting) from Occidental College in Los Angeles, where she was a student of Howard Swan and studied voice with Josephine Lott. She continued academic work at the College-Conservatory of Music of the University of Cincinnati, studying conducting and choral literature with Elmer Thomas and voice with Italo Tajo. She earned the D.M.A. in Choral Music from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, where her major teachers were Harold Decker and Paul Vermel, and her voice teachers were Frances Crawford and William Miller. While at the U of I she taught conducting, conducted the Illini Women’s Choir and Madrigal Singers, and worked as chorusmaster for Illinois Opera Theatre for four seasons.
Dr. Paulin has been active as a clinician and workshop conductor in the Midwest, has served as an adjudicator and lecturer at contests and conferences, and has been listed in Who’s Who in America and Who’s Who of American Women. She lives in Scarborough with her husband, Paul Vermel, Professor Emeritus at the University of Illinois School of Music, conductor laureate of the Northwest Symphony Orchestra, and former Music Director of the Portland Symphony Orchestra.
Ruth Townsend Story is an award winning teacher, writer, and creator of innovative educational programs. For many years she was also a frequent contributor to professional journals and text books. She has written five books, English For The Disenchanted, Language Works, Rediscovering the Classics, Grammar Lessons You’ll Love to Teach, and Revision Lessons You’ll Love to Teach. She has scripted three computer-assisted programs for teaching composition and five computer assisted programs for teaching literature. For a number of years she was a teacher of English at Yorktown High School in New York and also served as Coordinator of the English Department. She then taught Composition and Literature courses at Manhattanville College, during which time she also served as an English Language Arts consultant for the New York State Education Department and Northern Westchester BOCES, working with teachers in grades K-12. During this time she created the Young Authors Conference for high school students in Westchester, Rockland, and Putnam counties of New York State, a program now in its 25th year.
She has served as president of the New York State English Council; Chaired the Standing Committee on Affiliates for the National Council of Teachers of English for three years; and A-Home of Northern Westchester (an organization that provides housing for at-risk adults); and the Chappaqua Garden Club. In addition, over a period of years at various times she chaired the Stewardship Campaign, the Outreach committee, and the clergy search team for St. Mark’s Episcopal Church in Mount Kisco, New York. She helped found the Mt. Kisco League of Women Voters and the Mt. Kisco Food Pantry.
She served a three year term as Chair of the Governing Committee of All Saints-by-the Sea on Southport Island and a three year term as President of the Newagen Colony Association.
Currently she teaches for the Osher Life Long Learning Institute at the University of Southern Maine. She also edits a weekly newspaper column and is a freelance feature writer and editor. In addition, she serves on the board of Greater Portland Landmarks, and Victoria Mansion, and volunteers at the Telling Room and Goodwill. She has a passion for music and the Arts, and loves to teach, travel, spend her summers on Southport Island, and play bridge.
