Today we’re shining a big bright spotlight on someone who has quietly (and not-so-quietly!) helped shape Old Town for decades — our very own Stan Peterson.

Stan spent more than 40 years teaching shop at Old Town High School, turning sawdust, lesson plans, and a whole lot of patience into generations of confident, capable students. If you’ve ever met someone from Old Town who says “Mr. Peterson taught me that!” — you’re in good company.

And Stan didn’t hang up his tools when the school day ended. He poured his skills into projects all over the community. At the Old Town–Orono YMCA, he helped bring big improvements to life — from the Cyr Family Field House, to a new pool ramp, to the freshly installed floor in the Peterson Gymnasium (yep… they named it after him, and yes, he’s still modest about it).

One of Stan’s most meaningful projects came through Rotary: working with fellow Rotarians and volunteers to literally build a house — start to finish — and sell it to create the seed money for Sarah’s House, a comforting home-away-from-home for cancer patients. And because Stan doesn’t do anything halfway, he later helped renovate the Sarah’s House property too.

He also played a major role in the unforgettable BARCLAY House Project — a whirlwind, community-powered effort that built a fully furnished, four-bedroom home in just 21 days and 21 hours for a family whose mother was facing terminal cervical cancer.

After a TV appeal, donations poured in, and volunteers and local businesses came out in force with materials, labor, furniture, and support. The project remains one of the clearest examples of what can happen when a community rallies — and Stan was right in the middle of it.

Stan’s community service doesn’t stop at carpentry. As a longtime Old Town City Councilman — including time as Council President — he helped guide local decisions with kindness, practicality, and a deep sense of responsibility.

And in case you’re wondering how Stan got roped into all this Rotary business… well, he’ll happily tell you the real reason: he joined to flip pancakes. (Spoiler: he ended up doing just a tiny bit more than that.)

In 2018, Stan received the statewide “2 Those Who Care” Award, recognizing what everyone around here already knew: he’s one of the good ones — a helper, a doer, and the kind of person you’re grateful to have in your town.

From the shop room to City Hall, from pancake breakfasts to community builds big and small, Stan shows what it looks like to serve with heart — and he somehow makes it look easy.

💙💛 Thank you, Stan, for being a true example of Service Above Self… and for proving that good people really do make great communities