OLD TOWN, CASTINE and ROBINSONVILLE, New Brunswick – Joseph Sewall, 89, was at a Bangor hospital Nov. 23, 2011, when the backing parted from his reel. His was a particularly honed reel. Born Dec. 17, 1921, at the family homestead in Old Town, he was the son of James Wingate and Louise B. (Gray) Sewall.
He attended Old Town schools; graduated from the Holderness School, Plymouth, N.H., in 1939, and Bowdoin College, class of 1943. Bowdoin awarded Sewall an Honorary DCL in 1980. His college career was interrupted in the summer of 1942 by training as an aerial navigator with the Air Transport Command. He flew many trips to the far Arctic and Greenland ferrying supplies and personnel. Given a direct commission into U.S. Naval Aviation in 1943, he continued flying the North Atlantic in Squadron VR-1 until his honorable discharge in 1946 as lieutenant junior grade. Returning to Old Town he joined the family firm in surveying and timberland management, where he served as president/CEO until 1996 when he became chairman until his retirement in 2002. The James W. Sewall Co. had about 10 employees in 1946 and had grown to 175 when Sewall retired. Drawing upon his experience as an aviator, Sewall moved the company from land-based surveying to using aircraft for aerial photography and surveying. He also established branch offices in Alaska, Canada and Ireland. Not content to focus solely upon business, Sewall spent 25 years in elective office – nine years on Old Town City Council and 16 as state senator for Penobscot County. He served as president of the Maine Senate from 1975 to 1982, four terms, the longest serving Republican senate president in Maine history. His colleagues in Augusta regarded Sewall as a gentleman and remarkable leader. Sewall served on the board of directors of J.H. Wyman Co., Fraser Paper, Katahdin Plywood, Merchants National Bank, Merrill Trust Co., Merrill Merchants Bank and for 30 years, Sugarloaf Mountain Corp. He was a former vestryman and senior warden of St. James Episcopal Church, Old Town; director of Old Town-Orono YMCA; trustee of Eastern Maine Medical Center; and trustee of the Maine Community Foundation and Castine Historical Society. President George H.W. Bush appointed him a commissioner of the Roosevelt Campobello International Park Commission. He was also appointed to the Merchant Marine and Defense Commission by Presidents Reagan and Bush. Sewall served on the board of Maine Maritime Academy for 20 years and as its chair for 16 years. He logged more than 10,000 hours as a pilot and navigator, holding commercial pilot licenses for multi-engine land and sea-planes, he was an accomplished bush and mapping pilot. An enthusiastic fly-fisherman, he built and operated Millbrook Farm on the Upsalquitch River, Robinsonville, New Brunswick, an Atlantic salmon camp. Being “in camp” with Sewall was ever a delight for the twinkle in his eye as he tightened his drag stimulating his chosen topic of conversation. Of his many friendships, none meant more to him than those built at Millbrook. Sewall was a member of Penobscot Valley Country Club, Castine Golf and Tennis Club, Center Harbor Yacht Club, the Tennis and Racquet Club of Boston, Upsalquitch Salmon Club and the Aero Club of New England. He was also a member of the Masons and Rotary International. Among many interests, Sewall was a golfer, tennis player, sailor, fly-fisherman, bird hunter and avid reader of 17th to 21st century history.
Sewall was predeceased by his parents; wife, Hilda (Wheelwright); son, Joseph W.; and four siblings. He is survived by son, David T.; daughter, Abigail; granddaughter, Elizabeth; sister, Elizabeth Gary; cousin, Louise Moody; nephew, James Page; great-nieces, Alexandra and Hanna; former daughter-in-law, Elizabeth; as well as his dear friend and companion, Meredith K. Hashey.
At his request, there will be no funeral services. Internment will be private. There will be a memorial service at Maine Maritime Academy in the spring with a date to be announced. Those who wish may make contributions in his memory to the Joseph Sewall Scholarship Fund, care of Maine Maritime Academy, 5 Pleasant St., Castine, ME 04421. A service of Brookings-Smith, Bangor.