| CANAAN -- A 16-year-old Andover girl following her schoolmates to a leadership conference was killed Saturday morning when a van crashed into a small bus, and then hit her car head-on.
Dorothy Palmer died at the scene of the accident on U.S. Route 2, near the Sibley Pond bridge, according to State Police Trooper Bruce Scott. Scott said that a small School Administrative District 44 bus out of Bethel was headed east, bound for Nokomis Regional High School in Newport. There were four students and a teacher on the bus in addition to the driver, he said. Stephen Carter, 49, of Whitefield was driving west in his van, Scott said. Carter reached for a handkerchief he had dropped and crossed the center line, sideswiping the bus and then slamming head-on into Palmer's car, Scott said. Both the bus and the van overturned and came to a rest on their sides, Scott said. Bus driver Tommy Sweetser of Bethel, teacher Jennifer Bennett, 36, of Bethel and the four students were treated for minor injuries and released from Redington-Fairview General Hospital in Skowhegan, Scott said. The passengers were Thomas Henley, Mathew Lauro, Elizabeth Forkus and Amy Farrington. Carter also was treated and released from the hospital, Scott said. No decision has been made on charges. The crash report will be forwarded to the Somerset County district attorney's office for review, once it is completed. November 6, 2007 5:00 AM The Hot Corner: Rebels with a cause Today should have been a great day to wake up and be a student at Telstar Regional High School. Every class was destined to be a glorified study hall, and the entire afternoon a pep rally before somebody symbolically hit the lights and hopped in the last vehicle on the caravan to Fitzpatrick Stadium in Portland. That's the scene of tonight's Class C field hockey championship game. It should have been a rallying point for the foothill communities that comprise the proud Telstar community. It should have been a night these student-athletes, their families and friends will never forget. It is all those things, but now for reasons none of us can comprehend. Dorothy-Dawn "Dee-Dee" Palmer, 16 and with a list of life accomplishments that already shamed too many of us with twice as many years under our belt, died Saturday as the result of automobile accident. Among her many commitments to school, faith and community, Dee-Dee was a member of the field hockey program that won the Western Maine championship on Oct. 24. Saturday's storm postponed the Class C state final between the Telstar Rebels and Foxcroft Academy Ponies for the second straight week. Never one to sit idly, Palmer took advantage of the opportunity to follow her school's bus to a leadership conference in Newport that day. She planned to visit the University of Maine campus before returning home. Why someone so bright and with such an indisputable future never made it back is something even those of us who believe in a merciful, omnipotent God find impossible to explain at this time. Or ever. Dee-Dee's death raises a hundred questions that can never be answered by our finite minds. I believe we serve her memory and our own souls best if we consider the important ones. For instance, where does sports really rank on our list of priorities in life? Hey, I'm guilty as charged. I've been wearing at least one piece of Boston Red Sox apparel every day for more than a month. I put something in print that infuriates somebody roughly once a week. I yell at Skip Bayless or Stephen A. Smith on my TV at least six times a day. And none of it matters. Sunday morning was supposed to be a day of rest and revelry in preparation for this week's NFL Game of the Millennium. Then I picked up the newspaper and felt the front page headlines about Dee-Dee Palmer's accident and marathon runner Ryan Shay's sudden death pierce my heart. Are you spending as much time investing in the lives of your spouse, significant other or children as you're pouring into the games and teams you worship? Me either. And that has to change, even for those of us who inexplicably have the privilege of covering fun and games for a living. That said, there is always an appreciable amount of hand-wringing about how much of a role sports should play in our grieving process. It was a talking point after 9/11 and Hurricane Katrina. While we're dealing with a less global tragedy here, it's a much more important question. The trials, temptations and challenges of being a teenager seem sufficient without the specter of a game clouding likely the most traumatic event in their lives to date. That was my first response and gut feeling about tonight. Why not declare co-champions and be done with a game that seemingly isn't meant to be played? Nobody from Bethel or Dover-Foxcroft or all points between would begrudge the Telstar girls that compromise. But then I thought of Dee-Dee Palmer sweating out those August practices while the sun beat down on that infamous hill overlooking her school. And of her sharing in the sparkling cider celebration after every regional playoff victory. Sometimes it sounds absurd when we put words in the mouth of the departed, insisting that they would want us to do this or do that in their memory. But I can't help but believe it's invariably true. I never met Dee-Dee Palmer, but I've had enough conversations with her teammates and known enough scholar-athletes over the years to understand the passion and commitment they put into their sports. And so I will set out this afternoon with the rest of Telstar delegation, trying to ignore the pit in my stomach for at least an hour while watching a group of girls play for the love of a game and the love of a friend. One who is already a champion in the next life. My heart is with the Palmer and Hall families and the Telstar community, tonight and in the challenging days to come. |
 |
 |
 |
|
 |
|
 |
|
 |
|
 |
| Andover's Dee-Dee Palmer remembered as energetic and supportive friend
By Michael Daniels “I have my own drawer at her house. We were sisters.” That’s how close Amy Farrington of Andover felt to her best friend, Dee-Dee Palmer. They met in fourth grade at the Andover Elementary School, at a book fair. Amy described herself at the time as a shy, academic type. “I was drooling over a book,” she said, when Dee-Dee started a conversation with her. More than able to make up for Amy’s shyness, Dee-Dee quickly made her a friend. The friendship continued through middle school and high school, into this, their junior year. It was cut short on Saturday when Dee-Dee died in a car accident in Canaan (see sidebar). Dee-Dee was driving behind a Telstar bus bound for a Future Business Leaders of America workshop in Newport. On the bus was Amy, as well as three other close friends of Dee Dee. The bus was also involved in the accident, and the other teens received minor injuries. But on Monday, they said, it was Dee-Dee’s legacy and their good memories that are important. A communicator “I first met her on a field trip with all three elementary schools,” said Mat Lauro of Woodstock. “She was so bright and cheerful. I really had no choice but to become friends with her.” “She’d talk,” said Thomas Henley of Andover, to the laughter of the others. “If you were shy, she’d carry the conversation.” Thomas, a senior, got to know Dee-Dee in middle school, and she was like a little sister to him. But, said Thomas, “she didn’t like the stereotype of a whiny, bratty little sister. So I had to consider her my little brother. She’d sign notes to me ‘Lil Bro.’” Dee-Dee was the historian for the FBLA — a fitting responsibility, since she remembered everything, FBLA-related or not. Liz Forkus of Woodstock recalled an FBLA conference the group attended in Portland last year. “We decided we wanted food. So we went to McDonald’s and walked through the drive-through in our pajamas and ordered ice cream,” she said. Dee-Dee struck up a conversation with the clerk. Months later, said Liz, “She remembered the name of the guy at the window.” A doer But as much as Dee-Dee liked to communicate with people, her friends said, she was much more about doing things. “Action was important,” said Amy. “You had to talk while you were doing something.” “Something” for Dee-Dee included volunteering on the Prom Committee, serving on the Freshman Awareness Committee at Telstar (FACT), competing in track and field, playing the flute in the band, playing goalie in J.V. field hockey and, of course, being in the Drama Club. “No matter what it was, she had to participate,” said Liz. Dee-Dee also liked to draw and take pictures. She’d put photos on her computer and never delete any of them. “She was a meticulous labeler,” said Liz. Thomas recalled Dee-Dee’s labeling progressions: “’Me and Travis’ (her boyfriend of three years). ‘Me and Travis 1.’ ‘Me and Travis 2’. ‘Me and Travis cropped.’” Her meticulous nature and need for action landed her another role among the friends. “She was always the planner,” said Amy. “She took such great joy in it.” Sometimes her planning and directing would wear a little thin. After one such episode, “She tried not to plan for two days,” said Liz. “She said, ‘You guys do it,’” said Amy. Nothing got done. Dee-Dee was restored to power. A confidant While Dee-Dee served as events director and cheerleader, her friends said, she was also there for them when things weren’t going well. “She’d take on everyone’s troubles,” said Amy. “She knew exactly how to make you feel better.” “If you were having a bad day, there was no one better to talk to,” said Thomas. “She really just cared about everyone.” Not surprisingly, he said, Dee-Dee was considering a career as a nurse or physician’s assistant. Putting all the facets of Dee-Dee’s personality together, the friends think they know what she would want people to do now that she’s gone. “She would want everyone to comfort each other and get back to normal. Start making plans and help one another,” said Amy. “She would want us to focus on her family.” That includes both her immediate family, and the one at Telstar. “It’s been a rough time for Telstar,” said Amy. She’s not just referring to Dee-Dee’s death. Two other members of the junior class recently lost parents, Amy said, and one of them lost a home in a fire last Friday. In Dee-Dee’s memory, said Liz, “she would want us to help the other kids who are still here.” © 2008 Bethel Citizen |
| Rumford Falls Times 11/22/07 |
| Updated For Dec. 4, 2007 Original Irregular
Thank you to those who didn’t leave us out To the editor: It is with a heavy heart and much sorrow that I am writing to you today. And the reason is due to an injustice of immeasurable magnitude that was inflicted on my brother, his late beloved daughter, and our whole family. On Nov. 3, we lost a beautiful 16-year-old girl from our family. You may have seen or heard of the accident in Canaan that took her from us. Her name was Dorothy-Dawn Palmer. Her family and friends all knew her as Dee Dee. The outpouring of family and friends at the funeral home in Rumford was immense. We all shared our grief and turned to each other for comfort as is commonplace at a time such as this. It was to be the beginning of a coming together to honor the memory of my niece. –-Or so it should have been. On Nov. 8, a service for Dee Dee was held at the Andover Congregational Church. Rev. Jane Rich officiated. The service she gave was beautiful. Rev. Rich elaborated heavily on my niece’s kindness, love and caring. But mostly, she elaborated on the fact that Dee Dee was the one who made sure that NO ONE was left out. The names of Dee Dee’s maternal family and loved ones were mentioned and they were recognized for their importance in her life as Rev. Rich offered her words of comfort to them. However, neither Dee Dee’s wishes nor her memory were honored. My brother was seated in the front pew of the church near his daughter and just to the left of Rev. Rich as she delivered her sermon. But never ONCE did she speak the name Sherwood Palmer and recognize him as Dee Dee’s father! And not one person in the whole Palmer family was spoken of either. On Nov. 9, we gathered at the New Cemetery in Eustis with Rev. Rich officiating once again. She spoke of how she had reflected back on the sermon she had given the previous day at the church. She had realized that she had left someone out. She had forgotten to mention Dee Dee’s step-grandparents. She once again reiterated how important it had been to Dee Dee that no one should be left out. Just as the day before, my brother was seated in a chair in front of his daughter’s casket and just to the left of where Rev. Rich was standing. Still, no mention of his name. My mother --Ivah Palmer-- was never spoken of as Dee Dee’s Grandmother whom she loved and cared deeply for. Nor was it ever mentioned that Dee Dee was being laid to rest next to her beloved Grandfather --James Palmer-- whom she had adored. It was as if the whole Palmer family just did not exist. Has the word hypocrisy crossed your mind yet? The comfort and closure that my brother and our family were seeking from Dee Dee’s service was never found. Nothing can EVER change what took place. Therefore, it is our JOURNEY to let the public KNOW what took place so all of you can make sure this NEVER happens to you and your loved ones. On behalf of my brother and our family, I wish to extend our heartfelt appreciation to everyone that DID offer their support and shared their hearts and tears over the loss of Dee Dee. YOU are the ones that truly live up to Dee Dee’s beliefs. And YOU are the ones that showed us that she truly will live on through YOUR kindness, thoughtfulness, and love and by making sure that YOU didn’t leave us out! I know this has been rather lengthy, and believe me when I say that I still have much more that could be said, but I will end with this. I feel that our true temples are not found in a common place of worship, but rather within our own hearts. My belief of this has only been made stronger by the coldness and uncaring treatment that was bestowed upon our family by Rev. Jane Rich from the Andover Congregational Church. Sincerely, Alicia R. Fortenbacker New Vineyard |
|
|