Fort Fairfield Remembers JR McGillan At Lights of Life Tree Lighting Ceremony

By:  David Deschesne

Fort Fairfield Journal, December 10, 2014

   The Fort Fairfield Knights of Columbus hall was filled nearly to capacity with children of all ages and their parents for the annual lunch with Santa portion of Fort Fairfield’s “Christmas in the Village” celebration.

   A lunch was provided by the Knights as children got to visit with Santa and participate in arts and crafts projects with their parents.

   After the lunch, people braved the cold, near zero temperatures at the Community Bandstand for the annual tree lighting ceremony and Christmas caroling. 

   This year’s tree lighting was done in conjunction with TAMC’s “Lights of Life” cancer memoriam in remembrance of  Fort Fairfield’s Fred “JR” McGillan Jr., who died of cancer earlier this year.

   Dr. Jay Reynolds, Chief Medical Officer for The Aroostook Medical Center spoke about the Lights of Life program and Fred McGillan Jr., who program is memorializing this year.  Lights of Life raises money in support and comfort of those locally to support state of the art cancer therapy services here in Aroostook County.  I want to talk most of all about Fred "JR" McGillan.  Fred, as everybody knows, was a very successful businessman here in Fort Fairfield.  His iconic red trucks are seen all over the county.  This year the red lights going around the bandstand make me think about Fred.  He served on basically every committee that someone could serve on with a town like Fort Fairfield; the Utilities District, the Zoning Board, St. Denis Catholic Church finance committee and he was loved and respected by all.  When I think of Fred I think he was the kind of guy that we could call on a night like tonight if a water line was frozen or a family had no heat or if a cellar was flooding and he'd come out and he'd be there.  He wouldn't curse the cold and he wouldn't ask about who's paying for it.  He'd just show up, he'd get the water running, or the heat flowing, again.  So, Fred, this is one night you don't have to come out for your town, because your town has come out for you.

   After the tree lighting a brief round of Christmas caroling was enjoyed by the audience who promptly retreated for warmer locations afterward. To view the WFFJ TV news video of this event, click here.