Thornton Academy Postscripts Alumni Magazine Spring 2017 | Page 22

School Sweethearts The Verrills lived on Cousins Island for thirty years and built a summer cottage on Damariscotta Lake, which David designed. David chaired the board of the Knox County General Hospital and was an overseer of Bowdoin College where he was elected Emeritus. During the 1980s, as Chairman of the Maine Chamber of Commerce, he was part of the state trade commission that accompanied Governor Brennan to the United Kingdom. The Verrills and their extended family (pictured below) continue to gather during the summer at Higgins Beach. STORY & PHOTO P.20 BY EMMA DEANS FAMILY PHOTO COURTESY OF THE VERRILLS David was voted Squarest in the school yearbook, which meant “Best All-Around Guy.” Anna was voted Most Popular, Best Natured, and Wittiest. David Verrill ’46 and Anna (Kosta) Verrill ’46 When David Verrill ’46 and Anna (Kosta) Verrill ’46 share the details of their story the words effortlessly form a conversational cadence that can only come with 68 years of marriage. What are their secrets to happiness for such a long partnership? “We laugh a lot,” says David. “It really is good for the soul,” says Anna. “We respect each other. We’re polite,” continues David. “I say ‘Thank you’ to him; he opens the door for me,” adds Anna. Their lifetime of love began at Thornton Academy. Anna explains, “Jane Walker [’47] was the most beautiful girl and she was dating Wally Nutting [’46]. Jane and I were decorating the gym for