CASTINE and SCARBOROUGH – Charles D. Danforth, 79, passed away peacefully at a Portland hos-pital, Tuesday, June 7, 2005. He was in the company of his loving wife of 55 years, his daughter and son. He was born in Castine, July 28, 1925, the son of Roger and Ethelyn Danforth. He spent many of his early years between the town of Castine and the island of North Haven. He was veteran of World War II and traveled to many different parts of the world during his service in the Merchant Marines. He received his professional education at the New England Conservatory of Music and Boston University. He taught for 20 years in Maine schools, including serving as director of instrumental music at Higgins Classical Institute in Charleston. In 1955, he came to Augusta as director of instrumental music for the city’s schools. During that time, he served as a summer councilor at the Medomak Camp for Boys in Washington, Maine and was President of the Kennebec Valley Art Association. In 1970 he began working at the University of Maine at Augusta. Over the course of the next 20 years, he significantly influenced the growth of UMA by personally authoring and developing a number of highly-recognized degree programs including those of Jazz and Contemporary Music, Graphic Arts, and a photography program with the Maine Photographic Workshop in Rockport. During his tenure at UMA, he served as an assistant professor of Music, chairman of the Division of Fine Arts, chairman of the Arts and Sciences, Dean of Arts and Sciences, and finally as honorary Dean Emeritus. Charles enjoyed traveling with his wife and family, story telling, annual fishing trips, playing classical piano, and spending time with his faithful dog, Heidi. He enjoyed painting and was recognized as a Maine watercolor artist. He is survived by his wife, Loretta of Scarborough; daughter, Audrey and her husband, Rick, of Indianapolis; son, Peter and his wife, Mona, of Scarborough; granddaughters Kate and Megan of Scarborough; sister, Mary of Duxbury, Mass. and her children, John, Elizabeth, and Ann. His brother, Richard predeceased him. Visitation will be 12-3 p.m. Friday, June 10, 2005, at the Mitchell-Tweedie Funeral Home, 28 Elm St., Bucksport. There will be a private graveside service.
CHARLES D. DANFORTH
