A public ceremony Sunday will dedicate the former Westbrook Junior High School as the Fred C. Wescott Junior High School. It honors the memory of Wescott, two-term Westbrook mayor who died Dec. 29, 1993, five days before he was to be inaugurated for his third term. Wescott also served 10 years on the Westbrook School Committee, including four years as chairman. His widow, Annette, and other family members are expected to be on hand.

An 18-lot subdivision off Ossipee Trail near the Branch Brook won preliminary Gorham Planning Board approval Monday. The Irish Farm Estates subdivision is proposed by Susan Duchaine’s company, SoLD Inc. It is off Route 25 near Alexander Drive. Planners won’t consider final approval until the project receives Department of Environmental Protection acceptance.

Carl and Marion McCrillis, Middle Street, Westbrook, were surprised with a 50th wedding anniversary party Oct. 1 at the Westbrook-Warren Congregational Church, arranged by their seven sons and one daughter. They have 15 grandchildren and five great-grandchildren. Carl McCrillis and Marion MacPherson were married Oct. 4, 1944, at her home in Fairfield. Carl served 21 years in the U.S. Navy and more than 20 years with the U.S. Postal Service.

Maurice and Doris Whitten, 11 Lincoln St., Gorham, have returned from a two-week tour of Italy with Educational Opportunities, comparing ancient and Christian Italy. In their first week they visited, among other places, St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome, the Sistine Chapel, the Colosseum, Pantheon, the Spanish Steps and Trevi Fountain. They also visited Assisi, Pisa, Pompeii and Milan. Doris said the high point of the trip was the two days in Venice. A gondola ride, winding through the city while the gondolier sang Italian songs, fulfilled a lifelong dream.

In a move aimed at providing better services, the directors of the Walker Memorial and Warren Memorial libraries have begun talks to see if there are areas where the two libraries can collaborate. But the heads of both library boards were quick to say that there are no plans to merge operations. Bruce Saunders, president of the Warren Memorial Foundation board, said the aim of the talks is to see if there would be a way for the two institutions to save some money and broaden programs. An initial discussion took place Oct. 12.

Julie Berry, 23, of Gorham, has now avoided elimination through the first five episodes of the CBS reality series, “Survivor 9: Vanuatu.” Eighteen people began the show this season, competing to be the last survivor on the island and win the $1 million prize. Kevin Jenkins, Berry’s math teacher at Gorham High School and an avid watcher of the show, said Berry is “becoming a little more tense, but she looks like she’s doing well.”

Carolyn Watkins, Walker Memorial Library director for almost 25 years, has filed for early retirement, effective Jan. 11. Watkins has not worked at the library since August, using accrued sick leave and vacation time to cover her absence. Ed Rielly, chairman of the library’s board of trustees, said Watkins has been “a tremendous credit to the city.” Watkins hasn’t worked since the city filed a letter of reprimand against her on Aug. 6 upholding an employee’s complaint of a hostile work environment at the library.

Ashley Martin, 13, of Gorham, topped off a successful 4-H year with junior champion honors in both the open and 4-H shows at the recent Fryeburg Fair. She and her 9-month-old calf made a great team and went undefeated in the winter calf class. Martin is the daughter of N.A. and Julie Martin, and the granddaughter of Beverly and the late Norman Martin Sr. The family owns Martin-Place Farm in Gorham, where they raise registered Holstein and Jersey cattle. Ashley and her sister, Aryn, are the fifth generation of Martins to work with livestock in the family, which has farmed in Gorham more than 100 years.