The County Way with Mrs. Dana Allison
Written by Janel Underwood-Charette
The sun graced us with its presence on our adventure down a long country road today. A road to find a house that I was told would feel as though it was at “the ends of the Earth.” The rolling hills, blue skies with cotton candy clouds, the wildflower fields with buzzing bees, even the persistent horseflies, exemplify the charm of this place we call home. The crunch of the dirt drive under the tires led us up to a unique home…with a special occupant…
It became clear after just a short time of visiting with Mrs. Dana Allison of Castle Hill, Maine that a life so rich and well lived would need more time to explore, but my friends Melanie, Mikaela, and I made the best of the time we had. A mother, grandmother, wife, artist, author, quilter, and Republican among many other roles and talents. You don’t have to hear much of her story, or see much of her spirit, to know that she is a lovely human being full of joy, compassion, humor, and thoughtful concern.
Our trio’s interest in Mrs. Allison was sparked after seeing her attend our local rallies to stand up against the hurtful policies of the current administration that she fears will have a devastating impact on her family, neighbors, Maine, and America. Despite inhospitable weather she’s made it out with her passion and devotion repeatedly, hoping that it will get the attention of lawmakers and encourage them to protect their constituents and the constitution. On No Kings Day a photo of her walking and carrying her American flag went locally viral, inspiring many others to stand up for democracy.
While her name is one of local legend, and not unknown to us because of the family’s highly respected reputation locally, we knew little about her story firsthand and we got excited to get to know her better. She graciously accepted our ask to sit down and talk and she welcomed us to her home. Her willingness to step out as a Republican in our red county and be vocal against injustices she’s observing in the Republican administration, at 93 years young, is truly inspiring to us!
Mrs. Allison was originally from Vermont where her family for many years had strong Republican roots. Her husband Dr. Horace Allison was from Texas, where he grew up learning horses before bike riding. When she first visited Aroostook County, after her husband finished his residency and was looking for a place to establish a practice in 1965, they immediately fell in love with the setting and community. This was in the days when Interstate 95 only reached the southernmost city in Maine, Kittery. She described heading up Route 1 towards Northern Maine, and once arriving at The Haynesville Woods that the whole world opened up. They were smitten with the luscious greenery and lovely community that greeted them warmly and they didn’t look back. They settled with their family in Presque Isle for 10 years and later moved to Castle Hill on acreage where they could better accommodate their 5 children and the growing array of farm animals. “We had a herd of 73 donkeys, plus several other species of farm animals, and a pet skunk.”
While her husband grew his practice in pediatrics and later in emergency medicine she engaged and stayed active in the community by running the farm, raising the children, serving on the local school board for 31 years, running a local business, publishing a children’s book, and more. Their family was no stranger to adversity, but the
County embraced her family as their own during the hard times and she chose to stay and raise her children at home after her husband passed in 1980. A couple of years later their home burned down and the love and generosity of folks in Aroostook County, and even New Brunswick, helped see them through rebuilding from total loss. She fears that the close ties that once created communities that knew no international boundaries are now being damaged.
She takes great pride in the lives, education, and opportunities that her children started out with locally in SAD 1. She grew up during the Great Depression and knew the struggles of scarcity and the harmful impact of long-term health issues and the sadness of deaths from illnesses that eventually could be eradicated by vaccinations. She was relieved that her children had access to quality education and health care and had the opportunities to support sending them into the world to make their marks with solid preparation. She shared her progress on the quilt she’s finishing for her grandson who graduated as valedictorian from a magnet school, just as his older brother did. She told the stories of her children and their blossoming careers and life adventures. And the process of turning the story of a white cat at the farm into a children’s book that her granddaughter illustrated for her (first as a child and later as a design graduate) and she eventually published earlier this year.
She speaks of kindness and compassion as both the County way, and the ultimate example of true American values. She shares her observations of the desires to help others and the willingness to do so even when they have little, out of genuine compassion and Christian values in action. She highlights the importance of treating people with respect, seeing their value as a human, supporting them in legal pathways to documentation and/or citizenship, and allowing people to be safe, respected, and encouraged to blossom in ways that enriches our culture and society.
She’s truly stumped as to why US Senator Susan Collins, other legislators, and regular Americans are struggling to stand up to President Trump. She speaks the truth that she sees regarding his inadequacy. She met Senator Collins as a schoolgirl and has long respected the Collins family in the community. She sees that now is the time to take a stand against hate, now is the time to offer human rights and protections to people who are struggling and marginalized. Now is the time to protect health care, food benefits, and other assistance that helps people survive. She sees the world with clarity, kindness, and balance. She can see that you can address challenges and find solutions without minimizing human beings…human needs should be prioritized and if humans are suffering from policies or cuts, that they should be changed.
What a fitting conclusion to our time together that she unfolded the spectacular wildflower quilt that she had so beautifully finished by hand. Then as we drove back down the road, seeing the fields and flowers that inspired that work of art, they held even more significance. Mrs. Allison will always remind and inspire us to withstand the hard so that you can embrace the beauty. Her warm smile, jovial laughter, and the lights of love and hope in her eyes, seem destined to inspire…so we hope that by sharing just a bit more of her story here, it does just that. Welcome to the beautiful end of the earth, where American values are strong and true, and political party is irrelevant.
Check out the video!
