Haskins, Sturgis R.

"Sturgis grew up in Sorrento, where he attended the local grammar school and Sumner High School. He also attended the University of Maine at Machias and the University of Maine, Orono. In 1967-1968 he spent a year at Tuskegee Institute in Alabama. He also later attended classes at the New School for Social Research, New York City.

"Whether living in New York in the 1960s or Boston in the 1970s, Sturgis returned home summers to sail on his beloved Frenchmen's Bay and other areas along the Maine coast. Sturgis had a keen interest in and knowledge of local and Maine history, literature, art, architecture and boating. He also became a fine and prolific photographer, amassing a large collection of pictures of Maine people, places and events. He was well-known statewide and beyond for his encyclopedic knowledge and expertise in the classes of New England boats. Sturge was both a junior and senior Maine sailing champion. For years he worked as a sailing instructor, teaching many young people and even some famous people how to sail. He also enjoyed the game of croquet and met many good friends through this activity.

"Sturge was an entertaining writer, who published many articles, mostly on classes of boats and boating, in "DownEast Magazine," "Wooden Boat," "Yankee" and "National Fisherman." He was the founder or co-founder of several organizations, including Maine Antique Boat Race, Chiltern Mountain Club, Boston, Downeast Outing Club, Sullivan-Sorrento Historical Society and Wilde-Stein Club at the University of Maine. He has served on the planning board of Sorrento, as well as Hancock County Planning Board and on Great Harbor Marine Museum, Northeast Harbor. He was once active in the Maine Sierra Club and Mount Desert Chapter of Maine Audubon Society" ("Sturgis Haskins" at BDN Obituaries [ obituaries.bangordailynews.com/obituary/sturgis-haskins-804312581/ : accessed 31 October 2025]).

"Sturgis Haskins (1940-2012) was a long-time activist in Gay and Lesbian communities, and was one of the organizers of the annual Maine Gay Symposium started in 1974 at University of Maine, Orono. Haskins was a co- founder in 1973 of the Wilde-Stein Club, the first openly Gay student organization at the University of Maine in Orono" ("Sturgis Haskins Papers" at University of Southern Maine: Digital Commons [ https://digitalcommons.usm.maine.edu/spclgms_haskins/ accessed 31 October 2025]). Sturgis was an avid collector who donated a vast amount of material to many repositories.