Maine Say from Waterville, Maine • 13

News trends Meet your legislator MaineSay Wednesday March 8 1989 Majority Leader Nancy Clark has spirit By Joan Hughes The saying Guts No Glory fits Senator Nancy Randall Clark It takes guts to serve over 16 years in the Maine Legislature all the while battling rheumatoid arthritis Years ago the reeport Dem ocrat was told she be walking by the time she was 30 Yet even now at age 50 the physical effects on Clark of the rheumatoid arthritis a pro gressive constitutional disease characterized by inflammation and swelling of joint structures obvious to a casual ob server can let it beat you or you can fight I guess you put me in the latter You learn to live with it because you have a says Clark who has had rheumatoid arthritis for 24 years Choices are confined to con trollable matters like what hobbies to pursue Limited by her physical capacity Clark en joys gardening reading feeding the birds ana walking Recent ly she learned to crochet just make the nec essary adjustments I no longer ski I bowl a little and I swim when I have time Clark says been a challenging ex she says about living with the disease me And the challenge never dimin The glory? In the legislative arena it legislators like other people are activists by nature I came to the conclusion you could be a lot more effective if you were the one casting the Maney CtwfcO might be securing for the second time the position of Senate Ma jority Leader the second most powerful position in the Senate was elected by the Demo cratic members of the Maine Clark says not the easiest of campaigns be cause running against your colleagues she says Most recently Clark ran unopposed As Majority Leader Clark is one of ten members of the Legis lative Council the administra tive arm of the Legislature As a senator she represents Senate District 26 which encom passes Brunswick reeport Yarmouth Pownal and Dur ham think legislators like other people are activists by nature I had a long history of being ac tive in schools ana communities and I had worked within the sys tem as a citizen lobbyist on some issues that interested me I came to the conclusion that while that was a good experi ence in participatory govern ment you could be a lot more effective if you were the one casting the There was one specific vote Clark wanted to cast 1972 the 106th Maine Leg islature was to vote on ratifica tion of the Equal Rights Amendment and my state rep resentative Louis Marstaller whom I had assisted in his pri mary four years earlier ex pressed non support for ratification and there was no convincing him as to its merits So knowing the lay of the land I changed parties and ran against him thus avoiding the prima Clark as a Republican had been president of the YGOP Young Grand Old Party Still the high school business teacher says she was welcomed by the Democrats Toomey its decades old method of produc tion to the more sophisticated system of pho tocomposition and offset printing Toomey set the last line of metal type to be cast at this newspaper Toomey came to Waterville from Auburn in 1922 Two years later he and Evangeline Bisson of Waterville were married at St rancis de Sales Church The well known twosome will celebrate their 65th wedding anniversary this year Blessed with a rich sense of humor and a gift for swift repartee Toomey has made a host of friends over the years He still likes to talk about the time that he and Mrs Toomey visited Ireland and its many historic sites you kiss the Blarney he was asked an obvious reference to the fa mous Blarney Castle that is reputed to con fer eloquence on those who kiss it an operation performed only by hanging head downward Toomey laughed been lucky ever Nursing Home Insurance or olks Ago 55 84 Can pay up to $1 00 a day for 5 full years Call today lor REE ACTS including costa exceptions limitations and renewal provisions Custodian Care Included TOLL REE IN MAINE 1 800 322 6109 I TOLL REE OUTSIDE MAINE 1 800 323 7701 I OUE I I I MARKET BASKET 1 i Opening This Spring BOWDOINHAM ESTATES I the place to enjoy your independent retired years With affordable rent (at 30 of your gross income as adjusted) and secure one and two bed room apartments this complex provides comfortable housing with many 3 amenities a Just fifteen minutes from downtown Brunswick Bowdoinham Estates of fers beautiful views the chance to have a small vegetable garden and a 8 warm social atmosphere Do call our office for information you will be 5 under no obligation CALL 7 HOfeg HGUSINf run ct irrr cm fl.