Thornton Academy Postscripts Alumni Magazine Fall 2014 | Page 12
J
oining
Friends of the
Arts
Chatting with Priscilla and Tom Hickey in their home in
Saco—a white saltbox with blue shutters that Priscilla’s father
built—the couple’s attachment to Thornton Academy
becomes evident. They share fond memories from the school
over the years.
Priscilla, Class of ‘57, comes from a long line of Trojans
beginning with her grandmother Bessie Staples (Class of
1906) and her father Fredrick Haase (Class of ‘33). Priscilla
and Tom have attended the Senior Alumni Reunion every
year since 2007, and regularly attend sporting events when
they are in Maine (for the past 17 years they have spent
winters in Port Richey, Florida). But when it came to making
a generous financial donation, the couple chose to support
Thornton Academy’s Friends of the Arts program, which
helps support the costs of running one of Maine’s most
extraordinary high school arts programs.
Priscilla’s love for the arts extends back to her days at TA; she
enjoyed acting in the senior play, although “at that time there
were only a few options offered in the arts. [Today], there are
so many opportunities to get involved” in music, theater,
dance, and visual arts. She wants to help support and further
enhance those programs.
Headmaster Rene Menard ‘88 visits with Priscilla
(Class of ‘57) and Tom Hickey at the Senior Alumni
Reunion in the Atrium this summer.
Although Tom is not a TA alumnus, he says, “I have adopted
Thornton as my own high school” and “I have experienced the
wonderful school spirit—Thornton is more than just a school; it’s
part of a larger community.” The Hickeys’ generous donation was
matched by Prudential, where Tom worked for many years as an
insurance agent.
After TA, Priscilla attended Gorham State Teachers College,
graduating in 1961, and pursued a career in teaching at the fourth
and sixth grade levels. Having worked in schools, Priscilla
understands the need for additional funding, especially for
programs as ambitious as Thornton’s Arts Department. Looking
back on her own involvement in drama, she remarks, “I didn’t have
many lines, but I did get a few laughs!”
Donations to Friends of the Arts
help support the costs of running
one of Maine’s most extraordinary
high school arts programs.
Please consider donating online at
www.thorntonacademy.org/give
or checks can be made out to Thornton Academy Friends of the Arts.
Questions? E-mail Arts Marketing Associate Doug Stebbins at
[email protected] or call 207-602-4471.
Learn more about upcoming performances at
www.thorntonacademy.org/arts
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POSTSCRIPTS