BURTON M. HAGELIN SR.

DOVER-FOXCROFT – Burton Martin Hagelin, Sr., passed away at a Bangor hospital Oct. 20, 2005. Born June 17, 1931, in West Brooksville, to Joseph Fingal Hagelin and Esther (Wood) Hagelin. He resided in Maine until 1949, when he, like his father before him, volunteered for the U.S. Army. He served for three years and four months, most of it in Korea. He was a member of Company A Ninth Infantry Regiment “Manchu” “Keep Up the Fire!” and remained dedicated to it (even naming one of his dogs after the regiment). He received a Combat Infantry badge, the Korean Service medal with two bronze stars and a United Nations service medal. A Purple Heart is pending. His father, Joseph Fingal Hagelin, was a veteran of World War I. He came from a family of veterans dating back to the American Revolution. After the service, Burt returned to Washington, D.C., working for a time at the Washington Post and then to Ohio, working at the Akron Beacon Journal and then at the Cleveland Plain Dealer where he was in charge of display advertising for 18 years. In 1974, he and his family moved to Maine, to purchase land where his father had lived. He worked for a time at Dexter Shoe and then into real estate after obtaining his state license. Burt’s passions were dogs, politics and the Korean War. While in Ohio he raised and sold St. Bernards and then later in Ohio and Maine, Labrador retrievers, but English springer spaniels had become his passion. He would fondly tell stories of his dogs, Magic, Coke and Sadie (two of which died of old age). He had found that the springers’ loving personality and intelligence made them, in his words, “the best of all breeds.” One of his major goals in life had been to establish a kennel where he could breed English springer spaniels, the dog of his choice. He took pride in the kennel he had designed and invested between $30,000 and $40,000 in building. Burt developed a large library devoted to the military, especially the Korean War, having purchased rare books from around the country. He called into question the actual number of lives lost by the U.S. Army in the Korean campaign and his work had been published in the Washington Post and a number of the veterans’ magazines. Since then, the government has revised its statistics, using Burt’s research to do so. He also obtained his real estate license; he was two courses away from obtaining his associate degree from Bangor Community College. He was politically outspoken and had been involved with politics for a number of years, being active in the Republican Party. He took pride in the letter of appreciation he received from the president of the Republic of Korea and in the Christmas card he received from President George and First Lady Laura Bush, which reflected on the service he had done for his country. Survivors include his wife, Carol (Rolland) Hagelin, a retired nursing supervisor. Sons, Mark of Dover-Foxcroft, David of Woodbridge, Va., Timothy of Portland and Burton Jr. “James” of Bangor. Surviving siblings are Ruth Gile of Oregon, Hilma Rogers of Virginia and Alice Herring and Joseph A. Hagelin, both of Maine. He was predeceased by a half-brother, Ralph Richardson of Massachusetts. Best friends include Keith Trask of Maine and his dog, “Sadie” Mercedes who he bought as a puppy and had slept by his side for over nine years. Sadie was stolen from him in April 2005 and her loss had had a pronounced effect on him. There will be no viewing. Friends may make donations to the American Legion.