[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 163 (2017), Part 11]
[Senate]
[Page 15311]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                        TRIBUTE TO STEVE FARNHAM

 Mr. KING. Mr. President, today I wish to honor the service of 
an extraordinary individual in northern Maine. Mr. Stephen M. Farnham, 
of Mapleton, has been a driving force behind the Aroostook Area Agency 
on Aging. Steve began with the Aroostook agency in its infancy in the 
mid-1970s and is stepping down after having led the agency for the last 
40 years.
  Steve attended the University of Maine in Presque Isle, where he 
earned his bachelor of arts and went on to earn his master of public 
administration degree from the University of Maine in Orono. He also 
received a number of certificates and attended specialized courses that 
helped him continuously improve services and collaboration at the 
agency. While serving as an adjunct professor, he taught courses at 
public and private institutions in Maine, as well as health and safety 
courses with the American Red Cross. He also held many different 
positions with the Katahdin Area Council of the Boy Scouts of America, 
for which he has been recognized with multiple awards.
  As chief executive officer of the not-for-profit corporation 
Aroostook Area Agency on Aging, Steve oversaw its expansion to 140 
employees, an annual budget of $3.4 million, and the responsibility for 
a congregate housing project which the agency developed, owned, and 
managed. His professional appointments and boards on which he served 
insured that the State of Maine, as well as the Nation, were able to 
capitalize on his expertise on aging related policies. These ranged 
from being a delegate to the White House Conference on Aging three 
times, serving with the Federal Council on Aging, and helping 
incorporate, lead, and direct the Aroostook Regional Transportation 
System.
  In addition to the entities already mentioned, Steve also served his 
hometown on the budget committee and has received a number of 
meritorious awards, including the Presque Isle Area Chamber of Commerce 
Citizen of the Year Award, the Maine State Bar Association John Ballou 
Distinguished Service Award, and was named a Rotary International Paul 
Harris Fellow. Despite all the very public recognition for a job well 
done at work and beyond, the most telling recognition is the strength 
of the programs and the high praise by clients and collaborators. Steve 
is universally respected, well-loved, and will be greatly missed, but 
the solid structure that he put in place and strengthened over the 
years will stand. I thank Steve both for his work at the helm of the 
Area Agency on Aging and his work serving communities across Aroostook 
County.

                          ____________________