Paul Bouchard

Graduated John Bapst High School June 13, 1953. Five days later went to USAF basic training at Sampson AFB in upstate NY. After basic training went to Lowry AFB, Denver, Colorado, for tech school – electronics fundamentals, then K systems (a bomb-navigation system).

In March 1954 went to Barksdale AFB in Louisiana, where I was an armament and electronics technician on B-47’s. I stayed there until discharged in June 1957, with short trips of 90 days and 14 days to bases in England.

After discharge in June 1957, I came back to my parents' home in Brewer. I searched diligently for a camp lot, and found it at Craig Pond in Orland in August 1957. No road or electricity. The only way to reach it was by hiking or by boat, so I bought a boat and motor.

I worked as a mason tender, then sold Electrolux, then worked as a timekeeper at J.R.Chinchette in 1958 when they were building a new runway at the base in Bangor.

In March 1959 I entered a six-year apprenticeship to be a printer at the Bangor Daily News. Tom Hennessey had started the same program a few months earlier.

Upon reaching journeyman status I operated the Linotype, then later switched to a word processor, and finally ad composition machines.

At work I found computers fascinating, so I had to buy one. I don’t remember the year, but it was a CPM machine (Kaypro II), as IBM was not yet considered the best system to have.

In 1960 I met Virginia Rennebu (Bapst class of ’54), and in September ‘61 we were married. We have a son and 2 daughters. When first married, we lived in Brewer, then moved to Orrington.

While still working at the News and having learned how to use my own computer to sort and count ZIP codes and print mailing labels, I started a bulk mailing business on the side, operating from our home, and camp during the summers while commuting to the News.

Finally in 1990, after 31 years at the News, I took early retirement, so we could spend the entire time at camp during summer, making trips to Bangor only when business required, which wasn’t too often.

Through computer programming over time, I developed an extremely easy system of preparing bulk mail, enabling anyone with no experience to prepare bulk mail using a kit which I prepare for them, with only 3 minutes of instruction, which I printed on one sheet of paper or could tell them over the phone.

I was advised to patent it, so I did, patent #5,841,658.

I recently wrote a new program to prepare periodicals (monthly magazines, weekly newspapers, etc.), and have one monthly client so far. I don’t advertise – am quite content with a part-time business, especially during summers when we’re at camp. It helps the social security and small News pension, and keeps me interested in something.

I continue to enjoy programming, and just completed a program to permit our church’s bank to automatically collect money electronically from parishioners’ checking or savings accounts. (The bank charges $25 per month when they furnish the program.)

I’m as healthy as the average horse. Never been admitted to a hospital, broken any bones, don’t take any medication, but quite a few vitamins. I enjoy deer hunting, but the rest of the year I’m pretty much a couch potato.

Since Ginny was always an ardent Red Sox fan, I eventually became interested, and enjoy watching them on TV.