UMaine President Emeritus Hutchinson Dies at 79

UMaine Alert

Posted: April 19, 2024 - 1:32 PM

At approximately 9:24 a.m. on Friday, April 19, a University of Maine graduate student was struck by a university vehicle on Long Road at the University of Maine campus in Orono. The student reports that they are at a local hospital with minor injuries.

Emergency services, including the Orono Fire Department, University Volunteer Ambulance Corps, University of Maine Police Department, Orono Police Department and Penobscot County Sheriff’s Office responded to the scene.

The university vehicle involved in the incident was a Chevrolet Express van. It was being operated by a university employee.

Counseling services and support are available for students, faculty or staff who may have been affected. The Counseling Center can be reached at 207-581-1392 and the Dean of Students Office can be reached at 207-581-1406.

The scene has been cleared and Long Road is now accessible. An investigation is being conducted by the University of Maine Police Department with assistance from the Penobscot County Sheriff’s Office Crash Reconstruction Unit. Any witnesses to the incident are encouraged to contact Lt. Noel Santiago at noel.santiago@maine.edu.

April 7, 2010 News

Contact: Joe Carr at (207) 581-3571

ORONO — Frederick E. Hutchinson, a native of the rural Maine town of Atkinson who graduated from the University of Maine in 1953 and later became his alma mater’s president, died today in Bangor at the age of 79.

The first member of his family to attend college, Hutchinson earned an agronomy degree from UMaine, followed by a doctorate at Pennsylvania State University. He served UMaine as a professor, dean and vice president before leaving to work for the U.S. Agency for International Development. Hutchinson returned to academic work at The Ohio State University where he served as provost.

He became UMaine’s 16th president on April 1, 1992, serving in that role until his 1997 retirement.

“Fred Hutchinson was a friend and mentor who exemplified the University of Maine experience,” says UMaine President Robert Kennedy. “He often spoke of the great opportunities that came his way only because he was able to earn a UMaine degree, and he was deeply honored to serve as the university’s president. Fred Hutchinson was a distinguished leader whose example will continue to inspire UMaine students and others for many years to come.”

UMaine’s Hutchinson Center in Belfast is named in Hutchinson’s honor. The center, which opened in 2000, brings UMaine classes and outreach programming to midcoast Maine.

“The Hutchinson Center is truly a fitting legacy to Fred Hutchinson,” Kennedy says. “It exists to create opportunities for those who can benefit from access to UMaine, just as Fred did during his remarkable life.”

Hutchinson is survived by his wife Dionne and two daughters.

Funeral arrangements are currently incomplete.

A photo of Frederick Hutchinson is available upon request.