Donnie MacVane has lived in the same house off the coast of Long Island for his entire life. At 95, you can bet that he’s gathered a story or two about the place! Now, he’s ready to share those stories with the world. Donnie recently published his first book, and it’s a memoir. It’s called “Memories That Linger: An Anecdotal History of Long Island, Maine.”
Some of Donnie’s stories offer a unique look at historic events from his personal experience; for example, what it was like to be a child during World War II. Other reminiscences deal with significant moments in his own life, such as the unusual way that he met his wife, Carol.
“I had a four-door convertible, and we were driving down to the wharf and saw these two girls and stopped,” Donnie recalled to News Center Maine. “My cousin and I invited them to a dance on Chebeague Island that night, it was a Saturday. We went to the dance and then we kind of teamed up.”
While working as a lobsterman, Donnie started jotting down his thoughts and memories in his free time. Eventually, he got his own column in a local newspaper, where he gave readers a look into Long Island’s bygone eras.
“I just wrote them. I never had any classes in writing or anything like that,” he said.
When Donnie’s daughter, RuthEllen, told him to turn his musings into a book, he was certain that no one would be interested in his life. However, after publishing “Memories That Linger,” he’s found that the opposite seems to be the case. So far, the memoir has received 350 positive reviews!
In a recent fundraiser for the Island School, a copy of Donnie’s book was featured as an auction item. As an additional prize, the winner would get a personal tour of Long Island from the author himself! This listing brought in $710 for the cause.
Watch the video below to hear more of Donnie’s story!
You can find the source of this story’s featured image here.
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