From collection Eastern Illustrating & Publishing Company Collection
Presque Isle Chamber of Commerce, Presque Isle, Maine. A341
The Presque Isle Recreation Center (1946) renamed the William V. Haskell Community Center (1987) in Presque Isle, Maine. The building started as a USO club and became the Presque Isle Recreation Center in 1946. William Haskell ran the department for 35 years as Maine & Presque Isle's first full-time recreation director. It was named after him In 1987. The property is in disrepair and is scheduled to be demolished. It was sold to Kirk Carroll of Carroll's Auto Sales, William Haskell: "Born in 1913, he was a graduate of Presque Isle High School where he lettered in track and baseball. He was also active in other sports and he was a Boy Scout. Bill was Aroostook County's first Eagle Scout, the highest honor in scouting. He then attended the Aroostook State Normal School, currently the Univeristy of Maine Presque Isle. After this he went on to the University of Maine at Orono where he was a pitcher on the varsity baseball team. After graduating with a degree in education he taught in the local Presque Isle schools and also at a private school in Massachusetts, the Dedham Country Day School, where he was a coach for the baseball and basketball teams. In 1942 he was drafted into the Army and was sent to Wisconsin to attend Radio School. It was in Madison where he met his future bride. He then was sent to Officers Candidate School in Florida. After his graduation from OCS he was stationed in China where he was an officer in the Army Air Corps. After the war was over he returned to Presque Isle and found that a new job was being made available. The city decided that it needed a recreation department and, as Mrs. Haskell said, "Bill looked into it and decided that this was where he wanted to start out." He then went back to Wisconsin to get his bride before starting his new career. During his 35 years as director of recreation the department blossomed and grew. Known for running a tight ship, former P.I. city manager Dana Conners once said, "We had to keep reminding him that he had retired from the Army." He was instrumental in getting many new facilities for P.I., such as Mantle Lake Park, the indoor swimming pool, the baseball diamond near the outdoor pool, and the Northern Maine Forum. He was proud of the fact that Presque Isle boasted New England's first lighted softball diamond (1949). He started many new recreation programs, like the summer baseball, swimming, and tennis programs, that are still in existence today. On January 17, 1986, while curling, Bill Haskell suffered a fatal heart attack. In 1987 the Presque Isle Recreation Center was renamed the William V. Haskell Community Center." https://localwiki.org/aroostook/William_%22Bill%22_Haskell
