Restaurateur responds

The team at Maine Children’s Cancer Program with some of the 200 lunches donated recently by Sur Lie restaurant in Portland. Courtesy / Sur Lie

Cape Rotarian singled out for international award

Anton “Tony” Wagner was presented with the Service Above Self Award by Rotary International award at a recent Rotary District World Understanding and Peace dinner.

Wagner

The award is one of the Rotary’s most prestigious, as its International’s Board of Directors recognizes no more than 150 individuals (of over 1.2 million rotarians) to receive it annually.

Nominees must have demonstrated exemplary continuing humanitarian service; Wagner is only the 11th person in the Maine Rotary district to receive it.

Former District Governor John LoBosco, who is also a member of Wagner’s Rotary Club of Cape Elizabeth-South Portland, said at the presentation that Wagner’s contributions are “awe inspiring. Last year we honored him as one of the co-rotarians of the year in our district. This year, I suppose you can say he went from the All-District team to All-World!”

“He is the guy climbing around in the trees in Mill Creek Park around Christmas time to get the lights ready for the South Portland-Cape Elizabeth tree sale,” LoBosco said. “There is a skating shelter in that park, a Children’s Garden that was started with Rotary contributions in Fort Williams in Cape Elizabeth and a skating rink at Wainwright Fields in South Portland because he was instrumental in forming partnerships between our business community, our municipalities and our rotarians.”

“We couldn’t be any prouder than to have Tony Wagner selected for this most prestigious award,” said David Lourie, president of the South Portland-Cape Elizabeth Rotary club. “He has and continues to be an inspiration to all of us. Indeed, Tony’s achievements in Rotary are evidence that one person’s good deeds can have a tangible impact, not only on his community and state, but well beyond that to the nation and the world at large.”

Hires and promotions

Yarmouth resident John Duncan is serving as the interim director of transportation in South Portland, following the retirement of Arthur Handman, effective May 15. Handman was the city’s transportation director since 2013. Duncan has served in a number of transportation-related roles including executive director of the Portland Area Comprehensive Transportation System and senior planner with the Greater Portland Council of Governments.

75 State Street, a nonprofit senior independent and assisted-living community operating since 1854 and located in downtown Portland, has announced the appointment of officers to its board of trustees: Neal Allen, chairman; Dr. Julia Redding, vice chairwoman, geriatrician, Maine Medical Partners; Ed Suslovic, treasurer, independent sustainable development consultant; and Kate Guare, secretary, planning manager, MaineHealth.