UMaine professor who helped college students better understand sexuality and family relationships retires

When Sandra Caron arrived at the University of Maine as an undergraduate student in 1975, it was during the height of the sexual revolution. Landmark events like the U.S. Supreme Court’s Roe v. Wade decision and the Stonewall riots in New York City were just a few years old. Birth control had only recently become widely available and accepted. Meanwhile, books, magazines, TV shows, movies and other aspects of the culture were starting to reflect more liberalized attitudes around sex and sexuality.

“I came from a family in which education was important, except in sexuality — we didn’t talk about it. I saw the impact of that among classmates and friends, whether it was unplanned pregnancies, sexually transmitted infections or just not knowing how to communicate their sexuality,” said Caron, who grew up in Brewer, Maine, about 10 miles from the university. 

Fast forward 50 years and Caron has had a long and storied career as an expert on sexuality and families — the majority of it at her alma mater, where she’s been a faculty member since 1988. After 36 years, during which she has touched tens of thousands of lives in Maine and beyond through her teaching, research and service, Caron, professor emerita of family relations and human sexuality, has retired.

Her retirement party will be Friday, Sept. 6, from 3-5 p.m. at Buchanan Alumni House. There will be live music, food and a six-foot cake decorated with a timeline of Caron’s career.

Read the full story about Caron’s career at UMaine on the College of Education and Human Development’s website.

Contact: Casey Kelly, casey.kelly@maine.edu