The names of the deceased have been received by Thornton Academy through October 15 . We rely on friends and family to send us obituaries ( especially for alumni who live outside of Maine ) by mail or through a form on our website : thorntonacademy . org / stayintouch .

TA receives numerous memorial donations each year recognizing members of the TA community who have passed away . Thank you to all who choose to remember loved ones in this way . If you would like to make a donation in honor or memory of a loved one , please contact the TA Development Office at 207-602-4456 or visit thorntonacademy . org / give .

A long-time teacher in the Saco school system , James John Marines passed away on June 25 , 2024 , after a courageous battle with pancreatic cancer . He was 82 .

Jim was well-known in Saco , where he taught 4th grade at Young , Fairfield , and C . K . Burns schools for 40 years , until retiring in 2004 . He was from the old school , always wearing a button down shirt , tie , and dress pants throughout his career .

Jim attended Saco schools , graduating top in his business class at TA and earning a scholarship to Portland Business School . However , after a couple of weeks , he decided that business school wasn ' t for him , and reached out to Thornton Academy . In addition to Guidance Counselor Joseph McCarthy , Jim met with Headmaster Robert Bowie , who called Gorham State Teachers College on his behalf . Classes had already begun , but Jim was accepted on the spot , and Mr . Bowie handed him $ 200 for tuition . He paid back the $ 200 , but never forgot the act of kindness . " He always talked about it ," said Jim ' s wife , Van . " If it wasn ' t for those two gentlemen and Thornton Academy , he would not have become a teacher ."

Jim earned his Bachelor of Science from Gorham State in 1964 and Master of Science in 1972 .

In 1968 , Jim was drafted into the U . S . Army . He received his basic training at Fort Dix , followed by Intelligence School at Fort Meade . Jim then attended the Presidio Language School in Monterrey , California , learning the Vietnamese language to become an interrogator . He served in Vietnam from April 1969 to April 1970 , and worked in Administration at Headquarters of the Americal Division of the 635th Military Intelligence Detachment in Chou Lai as Specialist Five .

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