High School

From Carol Waltman: “Dennis was into photography. He did all the photography for the yearbook for three years of high school before his graduation with the class of 1976. His grades were really good. He was a small guy then, we called him ‘Mouse,’ because of his size.” (Phone call 2/9/03) [Carol Levesque Waltman's husband, Jesse Waltman, moved to Madawaska, and next door to the Dechaines, in the early 1970s, when he was 11 years old. Jesse did not have a father and Dennis' mother had died and they became natural friends. Carol Levesque came to know Dennis Dechaine when, at age 15, she began dating Jesse, her future husband. She has stood by both men ever since.]

From Human Sacrifice: “Teachers termed him quiet although he’d been involved in the high school newspaper and yearbook, the winter carnival and the Upward Bound Program. His IQ was reported as average but he was usually among the top group of students, academically. Local police said Dechaine was never involved in any of the incidents they’d responded to over the years but he was ‘always in the picture.’ After his father’s death, one policeman said Dechaine seemed to find trouble more often – incidents like rock throwing. One former classmate described him as ‘a quiet kind of guy.’ An underclassman said he ‘hung out with druggies.’ Overall, the consensus was that Dennis Dechaine was a quiet, mind-my-own-business kind of guy.” (HS pp 84-85)

From Steve Young, Madawaska and adult friend in Madawaska, Steve was in the class of 1973, and Dennis three years younger in the class of 1976: “In the summer of 1977, we canoed the Allagash River from Long and Umsaskis Lakes down to Fort Kent. I never called him ‘Mouse.’ He came to visit me when I was at the University of Maine at Orono. Dennis was a lot of fun. Had a sense of humor. Friendly. Very nice. Smile on his face most of the time.” (Phone conversation, 12 February 2003)

(Letter from Dennis, 22 February 2003) “A memorable trip. I remember, after a hard day of paddling on Umsaskis and Long Lakes, sharing a can of B & M Baked Beans with Steve Young. To this day, I consider that one of the most delicious meals ever.”