This is a column I write occasionally titled, One Life Downeast. It is all about one person’s life lived Downeast. I was fortunate not only to know Bill Prescott but to count him as both friend and mentor to me and my family. Our daughter graduated in 2008 from UMM with a degree in Elementary Education and Bill was her advisor, friend and mentor. Their relationship was special, as many people who knew Bill could attest to. He was loving, caring and inspirational. And even though I could never persuade him to change “sides” he being a Yankees fan, I loved and respected the man, for he did the same for our daughter and this Downeast community. Godspeed Bill, the life-lessons you taught will most certainly endure. — RJ Heller

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“I love my view of Bucks Harbor from my dining room window, and most importantly I enjoy being around my family and friends.”

Friends, family and teaching are what drives William Prescott every day. Though he does not teach in the classroom anymore, he remains a teacher. Setting the bar high, Prescott bestows life lessons to his children, his grandchildren and great-grandchildren. And he remains a mentor to all of those students he taught along the way.

During a 1940 snowstorm in Jonesport, Prescott was born in his grandmother’s house. He then spent his childhood growing up in a house his father built on Corn Hill in Machiasport. He has lived in Maine all of his life, with the exception of one year when he completed his master’s degree at the University of Connecticut.

His teaching career began in 1962 in Lincoln.  Nine years later he, his wife Sandra and the family moved to Hamden, where he taught high school. Eventually Prescott made his way back Downeast to Bucks Harbor and as principal at Machias Memorial High School (MMHS) in 1981. The Prescotts have three children, four grandchildren and three great-grandchildren.

What draws a smile to Prescott’s face when talking about this Downeast place? The people. “For the most part, I really like the people in Washington County. They are honest, hard-working and generous,” he says.

As far as challenges living Downeast, he says: “I resent that there is such income inequality, because many hard-working people do not get paid what they are worth. Another challenge is that we are isolated from many resources, such as shopping and medical care.”

One topic that brings him joy is education. “Education is very important to me and I know its value because it made me understand that, as a teacher, I was doing something very significant. I strongly believe a teacher can be one of the most influential people for youngsters, and the best teachers understand how to work with students at all levels and meet them where they are.”

Prescott’s journey into education began with his father’s guidance and was supported by others along the way. “When I was a kid, all the boys in the town would go fishing off the wharf, and we liked to go into Clarence Miller’s store and listen to the older people tell stories about the town. I remember one day Clarence grabbing me by the shoulders, lifting me on the counter and saying ‘Don’t you quit school.’”

Prescott did stay in school. He attended Washington Academy, where he played basketball and was a member of the 1958 championship team. “We beat Danforth finally after 4 overtime periods,” says Prescott. “Harlan Libby had the winning shot, and this was a great thrill in my life. A member of the community purchased the entire team letterman jackets and sent us on a trip to Boston for a tour of the city.”

After graduating high school, Prescott wanted to join the Navy but his father steered him towards college. “College was unaffordable, but I heeded father’s advice and attended Washington State Teachers College in Machias. I paid my tuition by working at the sardine factory, digging clams and working for my father at his garage.” Prescott also recalls Clarence Miller’s help by giving him a tab so he could pay for gas.

Throughout his teaching career Prescott always answered the call for “just one more day” in the classroom. After 14 years as the longest-tenured principal at MMHS, Prescott retired in 1994. Then another call came, leading him full circle back to a beginning. “After my retirement, I was contacted by Virginia Cheney, the director of student teachers at UMM. Ginny said, ‘Bill, I’m up against it, and was calling to ask if you would be willing to teach an algebra course,’ in which I replied, ‘When do you want me to start?’”

After a 47-year career it is easy for Prescott to recall what excited him most. “The most fulfilling part of my work at UMM was working with student teachers,” says Prescott. “It was the most gratifying part of my entire educational career because the student teachers reinforced my belief that education is the most important endeavor.”

Prescott holds close a quote by the anthropologist and teacher Margaret Mead that reinforced his own approach to teaching: “Children must be taught how to think, not what to think.”

Bill Prescott fishing with his great-grandson Bentley. “I always look forward to fishing, watching the Yankees, reading and keeping my mind occupied.”

Amidst those years as an educator, Prescott also devoted time to the community of Machiasport, serving 11 years as a selectman, then as a member of both the planning and school board. Prescott’s life is a storybook of service.

Today he enjoys fishing at the family’s lakeside camp, especially with his grandchildren and great-grandchildren. That time shared — with fishing rod in hand — surrounded by childish giggles when a fish is on is a pure, perfect moment.

One last thought Prescott has is a life lesson. “I want people to know that I have always cared, have tried to be helpful and always had the best intentions in mind, even when it may not have seemed that way at the time. I have consistently tried to live up to the words of my father, ‘We can disagree without being disagreeable.’”

Caring, helpful and a life lived by example are this teacher’s lessons, part of a life well-lived Downeast.

© RJ Heller 2024

Published inThe Quoddy Tides, November 22, 2024