The Houlton High School Alumni Association awarded 30 scholarships to the Class of 2025 — nearly half the graduating class — totaling $79,000, while one of WHOU's most celebrated alumni was inducted into the Maine Broadcaster's Hall of Fame.

30 Scholarships Awarded
$79K Presented at Last Chapel
$100K+ Paid Out in Jan. 2026
(multi-year renewables)
14 Sub-Funds Contributed

The Class of 2025 was smaller than usual — 70 graduates — but the Association's giving was anything but modest. Presenting scholarships to nearly 50 percent of the class, the HHSAA delivered an average award of just over $2,600 per recipient. That number doesn't even capture the full picture: the Association is currently in year four of a four-year renewable scholarship commitment to several students, which pushed total scholarship spending to over $100,000 in January 2026.

Scholarships were drawn from 14 named sub-funds and combined with contributions from the Annual Fund and the Alumni Endowment Fund. Among the largest contributors this year were the Henry, Elizabeth and Janet White Fund ($14,000 across six recipients), the Roger M. Rines Fund (nearly $18,000 to six students), and the Hamilton and Maxine Giberson Fund ($12,000 to five students).

Notably, 2025 also saw the first award from the Bob Fields Family Fund, established in honor of Bob Fields, Class of 1951. His fund was paired with other scholarships to support McKenna Avery, who is studying Business at the University of Arizona.

Students Head to Campuses Across the Country

Recipients from this year's class are pursuing fields as varied as Marine Engineering, Aviation, Nursing, Special Education, Computer Science, and Criminal Justice — at institutions ranging from the University of Maine system to Maine Maritime Academy, Roger Williams University, and Blue Line Aviation in North Carolina.

Jack Hodgkins earned his pilot's license during his senior year at Houlton Municipal Airport and is now working toward his Commercial Airline license. Two graduates are heading to the University of New England, and two will study Nursing at the University of Maine at Fort Kent.

We are proud of them, our newest alums, and wish them immense success and happiness in their lives ahead.

— Jon McLaughlin '73, HHSAA Executive Director

A Houlton Radio Legend Earns His Highest Honor

🎙 Mike Dow '82 Inducted into the Maine Broadcaster's Hall of Fame

On October 18, 2025, Michael Dow — a 1982 graduate of Houlton High School — was inducted into the Maine Broadcaster's Hall of Fame, the highest professional honor in his field.

Dow's career in radio began in Houlton. He worked full-time at WHOU from 1984 to 1991, credits the station with shaping who he became as a broadcaster, and has kept that connection alive over four decades. He went on to co-host the long-running Mike & Mike Show, hosted The Big Morning Show on stations across Maine, and now serves as Operations Manager for Star 97.7 in Ellsworth.

He also hosts the Military Musicians Showcase on Wreaths Across America Radio, interviewing veterans and active-duty personnel who are musicians — work he calls one of the greatest honors of his life.

Dow was characteristically humble about the recognition: "I'm not sure how this happened but I have big feelings about receiving my profession's greatest honor. To be part of a group that includes personal heroes like Eddie Driscoll and George Hale is a little surreal."

He remains a passionate advocate for Houlton — from the Rotary Radio Auction and Temple Theatre to the teachers at HHS who shaped him. Congratulations, Mike. You make Houlton High School proud.

A New Fund to Support Students Right Now

Beyond scholarships for graduates, the HHSAA also launched the Houlton Student Opportunity Fund in 2025 — a new initiative focused on removing financial barriers for current HHS students. The fund provides assistance for things like driver's education, musical instrument purchases, field trips, and extracurricular activities: opportunities that shape students during their school years, not just after graduation.

The board seeded the fund with $10,000 and applied for a matching grant, with a goal of building the fund to $30,000. Giving Tuesday 2025 (December 2) focused exclusively on growing this program. Contributions can be made online at houltonalumni.com.