Friends of Little River Lighthouse Honors “Man With a Vision”
It seemed as though the entire population of Cutler
showed up at a potluck dinner held on March 27, to honor 85-year old
Cutler Jasper C. Cates, Jr. for his role in 1979 that saved the
community’s historic Little River Lighthouse from being demolished.
In the true “Downeast” Maine tradition, members of the
community brought in dish after dish of casseroles and desserts donated
for the event. Local musicians sang and played to the audience with a
variety of county and western tunes and students of the Bay Ridge
FLRL Photo
Jasper Cates, Jr. proudly holds the
Certificate
of Appreciation presented to him by the
Friends of Little River Lighthouse, a
chapter
of the American Lighthouse
Foundation, for
his role in 1979 in preventing the
lighthouse station from being demolished.
School led the
singing of “Legend of the Lighthouse,” as the crowd joined in on the second
verse.
Although Cates was being honored primarily for his role in saving the
lighthouse from demolition when the Coast Guard wanted to tear it down, it
was apparent that the community was also honoring him for his many other
roles over the years that Cates took a lead in to save much of Cutler’s
coastline from commercial and residential development.
One of Cates’ sons, Brian, spoke to the audience, highlighting some of the
various roles his father undertook over the years in the community and held
up vintage newspapers and magazine stories that had been written
FLRL Photo
Jasper Cates Jr. with Bay Ridge student
Kayla Robinson who painted a shell that was presented to Cates as a gift
during the
ceremony honoring him.
about his father’s efforts to preserve the pristine
coastline for future generations.
Bay Ridge School student council president Tyler Warner
read a statement on behalf of the students thanking Cates for saving the
lighthouse for future generations and then presented him with a shell
that had been hand-painted by student Kayla Robinson.
Timothy Harrison, co-chair of the Friends of Little River Lighthouse, read a
framed certificate of appreciation that was presented to Cates, which was
followed by a framed painting of the lighthouse by Cutler artist Pam Britton
that was also presented to him. This was followed by the gift of a
Lighthouse Digest logo sweatshirt given to Cates and his wife Isabel
from the locally published national magazine.
Harrison wrote in the evening’s program how saving Little River Lighthouse
was not Cates’ first involvement with the lighthouse. After the
old fog bell from the lighthouse
had outlived its usefulness, in 1971, Cates secured the help of then
United States Senator Margaret Chase Smith in obtaining ownership of the
1,677-pound fog bell for the community and the fog bell was removed from
the island. During a ceremony on July 4, 1974, when the new Cutler Bell
Circle was
FLRL Photo
Local musicians performed a variety of
country and western music for the event honoring
Jasper Cates, Jr.
dedicated, Cates
must have had some kind of magical vision at the time when he named the old
fog bell, “The Bell of Peace.” Cates’ apparent magical vision in the past,
for the future was realized 27 years later, in 2001.
At that time, a few weeks after the terrorist attacks of 9/11, “The Bell of
Peace,” was at the center of a ceremony held in the Cutler Bell Circle, when
Little River Lighthouse, which Cates had saved from demolition so many years
earlier and after being dark for 26 years, was relit as a “Beacon of Freedom
to the World.”
In a ceremony the following year, also held in the “Cutler Bell Circle,”
Cates, known for his impressive singing voice, along with local resident
FLRL Photo
Jasper Cates, Jr. proudly wearing his
Little River Light Station hat
Jean Bergeron, sang “Let the Lowers Lights Be Burning,”
at the ceremony when ownership of the lighthouse was transferred from
the Coast Guard to the non profit American Lighthouse Foundation, which
subsequently restored the lighthouse.
At the end of the evening, Cates, known locally by
most as “Junior,”
took the microphone and humbly thanked everyone who helped to make the
evening a special occasion for him and for honoring the many things he had
done for the community over the years. He went on to explain how for many
years the Little River Lighthouse had played an important role and how it
was always a welcome site as the fisherman returned home from sea as they
approached the wonderful Cutler Harbor. He should know; he spent nearly his
entire life making his living off the sea.
Cates explained
that because of modern on-board navigational instruments, the Coast Guard
wanted to tear the lighthouse down. But the lighthouse was the home to the
lighthouse keepers and it should remain a home so that people can visit it
to understand why it was once so important.
In closing Cates
said, “I love Cuter. I wouldn’t want to live anywhere but here. If I can do
anything to help preserve it the way it is, then I am
honored.” As
he slowly walked back to his seat, he received a standing ovation from
the audience. When Cates was presented with a Little River Light Station
hat, he smiled from ear-to-ear as he proudly rested it upon his head and
the audience again gave him another round of applause.
Many who
attended the event said they were
FLRL Photo
Isabel and Jasper Cates, Jr. have been
married for over 60 years
thankful to the
Friends of Little River Lighthouse for honoring Jasper Cates, Jr., saying,
it was an honor that was long overdue.
Although the
restoration and preservation of Little River Lighthouse is an ongoing
project, the lighthouse is now available for overnight stays in the summer
months. To learn more you can visit their web site at
or call them at 207-259-3833.
