The Island Institute has successfully completed four fellowship endowments of $750,000 each to permanently fund four Island Fellows.
The William Bingham Fellow for Rural Education – funded by the William Bingham Trust. William Bingham lived in Bethel, Maine for many years where his charitable interests included educating young people. Bingham left a considerable part of his estate to a charitable trust. The first Bingham Fellow in Rural Education is Scott Sell who will be working in the one-room schoolhouse on Frenchboro that has recently experienced a population boom.
Willoughby Stuart Fellow, – funded by the estate of yachtsman Willoughby “Toby” Stuart, who sailed to Maine for many summers from his homeport at Manchester, Massachusetts. After one cold and raw crossing, he called the Institute from Tenants harbor and donated his 40-foot wooden yacht to the Institute. When he passed away, he left a major part of his estate to the Institute as well. The first Willoughby Stuart Fellow is Sarah Hennesey Curran, who is working on Peaks Island community planning projects.
Louis W. Cabot Fellow – funded by the Grayce B. Kerr Foundation in honor of Louis Cabot, Trustee and Chair of the Institute’s “Sustaining a Way of Life” campaign. Louis Cabot’s father, Thomas D. Cabot, who sailed Maine waters for over 40 summers in AVELINDA, was one of the founders of the Island Institute in 1983. The first Cabot Fellow is Alden Robinson, who is working in the Long Island (Casco Bay) town office on mapping projects.
James and Joanne Cooney Fellow – funded by two founding members of the Island Institute, “Jim” and “Johnny” Cooney of Attleboro, Massachusetts, and Waldoboro, Maine. The Cooneys loved to visit secluded coves among the islands of Maine and uncover stories of their often forgotten histories. The first Cooney Fellow is Carly Knight, who is working at the Chebeague Historical Society, helping to archive their extensive collections.
The Island Institute has also initiated island-specific fellowship endowments for the Cranberry Isles, Swan’s Island, Deer Isle-Stonington, Vinalhaven and North Haven.