Rangeley High School - Tattler Yearbook (Rangeley, ME)

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The TATTLER fTRIBUTES TO MR. TILTONJ Elihu Blaine Tilton passed away March 14, 1950, after being seriously ill since the preceding August, when he suffered a paralytic stroke, from the effects of which he never recovered. Ill health having forced him to surrender his duties as Principal of Rangeley High School in September, 1947, he recovered sufficiently to enable him to enjoy life at his country home in Albion, Maine, the following summer, tending his garden and faithfully following the big league baseball games from a radio grandstand seat. The following winter he and Mrs. Tilton spent in Florida, returning to Albion in the spring. Prior to his seizure that summer he was planning a trip to Rangeley to visit old friends and acquaintances, but Fate stepped in and subjected him to what was to prove a long and tortured illness. The order of his life cer- tainly did not merit his being struck out in this way, and of his passing we can in all justifica- tion truly say, Death, be not proud. At the funeral service the faculty was represented by Mr. Clarence Lamb, the Senior Class, the last taught by Mr. Tilton, by Patricia Tibbettsg his earlier classes by Mr. and Mrs. john Kidder. Classes, faculty, and Alumni and friends sent floral tributes. Born at Knox, Maine, July 18, 1884, he was the son of Samuel G. and Martha Vose Tilton. He attended schools in that town and at Free- dom Academy prepared for college. He at- tended Colby College, where he worked his way through, and was graduated in 1908. While at Colby, he was an outstanding second base- man on the famed championship nine which was captained by John W. Coombs, who later played for the Philadelphia Athletics. Before coming to Rangeley, Mr. Tilton had taught and coached at Hebron Academy, Win- slow, Caribou, and other schools in the State. He was a member of the Central Lodge of Ma- sons at China, Past President of the Franklin County Teacher's Association, and Past Presi- dent of the Franklin County Schoolmen's Club. He was a delegate to the National Education Association at San Fransisco several years ago, he and Mrs. Tilton making the transcontinental trip by car. In basketball circles in the county, he was recognized as a coach of more than or- dinary ability who always had an excellent team on the floor, one that reflected at all times the good sportsmanship and love of the game which he fostered in them. In the passing of Mr. Tilton, humanity has sustained an irreparable loss. His si.ngular vi- sion and intelligent and sympathetic apprecia- tion of the manifold problems of Rangeley High School made him an ideal leader. His untiring devotion to the school and to those committed to his guidance, his sound judgment in shaping and forming its policies, his great sympathy for the underprivileged were all outstanding char- acteristics which make his loss, even after three years retirement, deeply felt not alone in our school and among its alumni, but in the entire community. For twenty years as the guiding head of Rangeley High School, he served it with selfless devotion and boundless enthusiasm. In every cause he served, he imbued his work and his associates with an ever present spirit of human kindness, of vision, of courage, of un- selfish loyalty. His kindliness and humility in- spired in his associates a deep and abiding affec- tion. All who were privileged to be under his guidance or to be counted as one of his friends will sorely miss him and will always treasure the memory of their contact with him. To Mrs. Tilton and to the surviving members of his family we extend our wholehearted sympathy. After twenty years of association with Mr. Elihu Tilton, it is not hard to express on paper the feeling of satisfaction and personal pleasure I enjoyed during all these years. Mr. Tilton was one of those people who did not look at the clock but always worked beyond the call of duty. Whenever one of his pupils achieved success, he always took personal pleasure. On the other hand, when one of his pupils made a mistake, he was quickly forgiven. Page Six

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ELIHU B. TILTON Principal of Rangeley High School 1927-1947 Goahs jqngers touched him and be slept Life? race Well run, Life? Work well done, Life? victory won, Now cometh rest. Q

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Always a lover of clean sportsmanship, he felt that traits gained in this way would carry over into the field of life. Always a lover of clean personal habits, Mr. Tilton set a noble example to his pupils. He was an inspiration to those who were so fortu- nate as to be his pupils. p Yes, Mr. Tilton is gone, but shall we say he has gone on ahead to prepare better playing fields for those who come later. ARTHUR IRISH, Former Superintendent of Rangeley Schools I was Elihu's baseball coach at Colby College, where he played on one of the best teams ever to represent that institution. Moses, as he was affectionately known, was a great second baseman. But best of all he was a fine compet- itor, a great sport, a good loser, and a gentle- man at all times. I know he gave to you, who have played under him, the same fine qualities which he had and which he displayed in his living. HARLEY RAWSON, Buclcfield, Maine The TATTLER fFrom the prayer offered at the service for Mr. Elihu B. Tilton at Waterville, Maine, on March 17, 1950, by Rev. Eben T. Chapman of Old South Church, Farmington, Maine., O Thou who art the great Teacher of man- kind, we praise Thee for the life of this man, for his noble profession and his many years of service, bringing forth from the budding life of the young the mysterious stores of character and ability which Thou hast hidden in them. We praise Thee char he has laid up treasure in heaven where moth and rust do not corrupt and thieves cannot break through and steal. We bless Thee for the memories in the hearts of those he has been privileged to call his boys and girls because he had helped fashion their lives even as the potter molds the vessel of clay and counts it his. May these who learned their lessons in his school honor him with wise and righteous lives. O Thou who hast sent us to school in this strange world of ours that we might be pre- pared for a better life, welcome Thy children as they return to their home and their Father. 70 . Page Seven