RUMFORD — The Rumford Historical Society is inviting Stan Howe of Bethel to deliver a presentation at 7 p.m. Wednesday, May 21, on the past role of the Grange in Rumford and how it impacted the agricultural community of the area, society resident Jane Peterson said Monday.

The presentation will take place during the society’s annual meeting, Peterson said, which is the final meeting before they go on hiatus until September.

“We’ll be doing our normal business meeting at the start of the meeting and choosing the slate of new officers for the following year,” Peterson explained. “After that, we’ll have Stan giving a talk on the impact of the Grange in the Rumford area.”

Peterson said that, as far as she knows, this is Howe’s first time doing a program for the Rumford Historical Society. Howe is associate director of the Bethel Historical Society and chairman of the Bethel Board of Selectmen.

“I know that he served as a consultant for our historical society back in the 1970s when they were trying to get their archives organized,” Peterson said. “Stan was very active in the Grange, and I feel like it’s something that people don’t know as much about nowadays. I’m hoping he’ll be able to explain more for people who don’t know as much about the Grange.”

Peterson added that the May 21 meeting will be her last as society president.

“I have a personal philosophy that I serve no more than two years in any office or position,” Peterson said. “Last year was my second year serving as president, and the society asked if I could serve for one more year.”

“I’ve enjoyed serving as president very, very much,” Peterson continued. “I got to meet a lot of other historical societies across the state and learned a lot about Maine that I didn’t know before. I left Maine in 1957 for Pennsylvania and was gone for 38 years, so it was refreshing to catch up on stuff I didn’t know.”

Peterson said that she will continue to attend historical society meetings after stepping down as president.

mdaigle@sunjournal.com