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Roy Salzman succumbed to cancer on December 3, 2006 after a two-year battle fought with the same grace, dignity and determination with which he served the Midcoast community. It was a distinct honor and privilege to work with him and to know him.
For the 25 years before his retirement to the Midcoast, Roy worked as a management consultant for Arthur D. Little, based in Cambridge Mass, with a four-year stint in Brussels and a 2-year stint in Washington, DC.
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His hectic consulting practice allowed little time for anything other than his beloved singing in choirs, wherever he lived. So, when he and his wife Doris came to the Midcoast in 1994, his natural instinct for volunteerism flourished.
Roy immediately became involved in Midcoast Habitat for Humanity as a volunteer building crew member and continued in that role for the entire 11 years of his residence in the Midcoast. In mid-2005 he joined the Board of Directors as Vice President, and in November 2005 became President. He was elected to the presidency of Midcoast Habitat again in early November 2006.
During his first one-year term, Roy helped Midcoast Habitat make amazing strides forward, he met and spoke with area leaders regularly to increase knowledge about the program; shepherded the development of a signature periodical, this Habitat House News, that keeps members, donors and interested parties informed; ensured the increased visibility of Midcoast Habitat through renewed attention to public relations; expanded the affiliate's funds development program and increased the volunteer pool. Roy was a dynamic force and an enthusiastic champion of our organization.
Roy applied the same passion and attention to detail to everything he did; he was a vital force in the development of the Camden Conference as President for two years and as Program Director for two years. He was a steward for one of the preserves of Coastal Mountain Land Trust. He worked passionately for several years in an effort to reclaim Clam Cove. He was on the Board of Directors of Bay Chamber for many years and served as Vice President. But perhaps the most representative of his passion for helping others was his ten-year commitment to Compeer, an international, non-profit organization that helps adults and children overcome the devastating effects of mental illness, such as loneliness, low self-esteem and isolation through friendship. Weekly for ten years, Roy drove to Searsport to befriend a man suffering mental illness. This program and Roy's friendship helped to keep the man in his own home.
Roy's passion for singing was not left behind when he came to the Midcoast. He could be heard singing acapella with the Ave Maris Stella choir and sang with Down East Singers for many years.
In 2004, in recognition of his contributions to the community, the Camden Rotary Club made Roy a Paul Harris Fellow. At their December 6, 2006 annual awards dinner, the Camden Rockport Lincolnville Chamber of Commerce awarded Roy a Special Appreciation Award for his profound lifetime impact on the community. His wife Doris and daughter Lynn Sherwood accepted it for him posthumously.
Roy loved his wife and his family very much; they centered him. His wife, Doris Salzman, has long been an important anchor in the Midcoast Habitat organization and her work with us continues. We at Midcoast Habitat grieve with Doris and her children but rejoice in her continued presence in our organization and in the knowledge that Roy Salzman's influence, good will and grace continue to inspire us.
