Philip Meldrum

AUBURN – Philip Meldrum passed away a year ago on June 6, 2020, at the Androscoggin Hospice in Auburn, Maine. He is greatly missed. This notice was delayed due to the Covid crisis, which has prevented arranging a service to celebrate his life. A hardworking man with a strong moral compass, Phil loved his family and was deeply loved by them. He had a gentle sense of humor, with an ever-present twinkle in his eye, and pursued a wide range of interests including history, current events, sports and the arts. Long before it was an expected norm, Philip role-modeled respect and openness to making friends with diverse people. He was very fair-minded. Philip was born in Buffalo, New York, the younger of two sons of Herbert Meldrum and Lillian O’Brien Meldrum. He attended school there and studied engineering at The University at Buffalo. Phil enlisted in the Engineers Battalion of the U.S. Marines Corps in 1950, attending officers’ school in Quantico, Va., and Port Hueneme, Calif. As platoon leader and 1st Lieutenant, he specialized in teaching troops how to build pontoon bridges to navigate through jungle conditions during the Korean wartime. Through his 80s, he was an enthusiastic attendee at the yearly Marine reunions at Quantico.While at Quantico, Philip met Anne Libbey in Washington, D.C. They were married on Aug. 16, 1952, in Lewiston, staying together for 63 years until Anne’s death in 2016. After his marriage, Philip worked in product engineering management positions in Maryland and Massachusetts until 1965, when he completed an MBA at Northeastern University. In 1966, Phil moved with his spouse and children to Lewiston, where he worked for his wife’s family business: the W. S. Libbey textile company. In 1976, Philip accepted a position as plant engineer at Bates College. During his tenure there, Phil left his mark on the beautiful Bates campus through his work on a wide range of major building projects constructed in the 1980s and ’90s. He valued incorporating the principles of environmental and sustainable design. Phil also was a founder and President of the Northern New England Chapter of the Association of Physical Plant Administrators. Even after officially retiring in 1999 at the age of 70, Phil continued to work for another decade as an advisor on projects at the University of Southern Maine, as well as continuing part-time lecturing and his established consultancy in industrial safety.Phil’s public spirit led to his deep involvement in the Lewiston-Auburn community, where he volunteered with several organizations and was a member of the Androscoggin Historical Society. For many decades, he was a regular participant of a lunch club for men who worked in the area. The gentlemen were a jovial bunch, who enjoyed BBQs and holiday parties. They organized hunting trips in northern Maine. Always an animal lover, his friend’s toted guns and Phil brought his camera. Over the years, he received dozens of awards and certificates testifying to his generous civic contributions, which included a term as Lewiston’s Fire Commissioner.Phil was active in many sports, including cross-country skiing, which he continued to pursue in his 80s. He also valued spending time with his family at the cabin he built on Pocasset Lake in Wayne, Maine. Both Phil and his wife, Anne, loved music and instilled this love in their children, two of whom are accomplished musicians. A kind and generous man who showed great clarity of thought, Phil was always ready to donate his skills and expertise whenever friends and family needed assistance. Steadfast and dependable, Phil personified reliability.In spite of the pandemic, his daughter, Helen and son, Brian (and grand-dog) were able to spend Phil’s final days with him at the Hospice House. He was also the recipient of much kindness from the staff at Clover Health Center.He is survived by son, Brian of Brunswick; son, Michael of Gelsenkirchen, Germany; daughter, Helen of Somerville, Mass.; grandson, John of Rheinberg, Germany; granddaughter, Melissa of Berlin, Germany. A celebration of his life that we had hoped to have this summer will be scheduled when travel from Germany is safer. Please check the Albert and Burpee funeral home webpage for updates on his service to be held at The Basilica of Saints Peter and Paul and for his favored charities, which have been listed.His grave is at Mt. Hope Cemetery in Lewiston.