A friend passes, but memories live on

Wink Houghton Jr., left, and Carl Pepin were teammates on the Biddeford High School golf team in 1976.

September 13, 2012 2:00 AM
I didn't know many of my classmates when I started my freshman year at Biddeford High School.

Back then, students who had just finished eighth grade at one of three small parochial schools in town were combined with the kids from Biddeford Junior High and a new freshman class was formed.

I had spent eight years at St. Joseph School — now St. James — and didn't know what to expect as I headed to my first class following that first-day assembly in Steve White Gym.

I found the classroom I needed, looked for a seat and then cautiously glanced around the room. There weren't too many familiar faces.

I started talking with a tall, blond boy in the next row and soon a group of us were chatting away and getting to know one another. I soon discovered the blond kid with the quick smile was in all of my classes — not just that one.

His name was Wink Houghton (real name was Winthrop, but no one ever called him that) and his parents were both teachers at BHS. His dad was a phys ed instructor and his mom was a math teacher — as well as our new class advisor.

For the most part, students are usually amicable with one another but nearly everyone gravitates toward those two or three kids who you are most comfortable with. For me, Wink was one of those "comfortable" kids. He was easy-going, soft-spoken and had a good sense of humor.

Through our four years of high school we continued to have many of the same classes, but we didn't always share the same interests.

Wink was into nature and loved to go hiking. He helped start the school's first outing club and on weekends would head up north to scale mountains with names like Old Speck and Tumbledown. I stayed at sea level either playing a sport or watching games on TV.

One thing we did have in common was that we both loved to golf. Neither of us was as good as we wanted to be but we had enjoyed competing on the Biddeford golf team. (In those days, golf was a spring sport.) I had a slice I was unable to correct and he drove the ball a mile, just not always in the right direction.

We helped each other navigate the high school years and talked about the usual stuff boys that age talk about — classes we hated, girls we liked and goals we had.

My high school days started with trepidation but thanks to Wink and several other good friends, I became one of those odd kids who actually liked going to school.

We both got accepted at UMaine and decided to room together as part of a freshmen "triple." The horror stories I'd heard about not rooming with friends was not the case for me. I'm not sure that Wink ever got upset with me and I don't remember ever getting terribly annoyed with him.

Our freshman year went well, but Wink realized that college life wasn't for him. He left UMaine then studied at SMVTI. He became a builder and moved, with his family, from Biddeford to Shapleigh.

Our lives were going in different directions and I saw him less and less, though we did get together in August of 1978. Bruce Springsteen was playing at the Augusta Civic Center and we got concert tickets for the show ($8.50 apiece!). One day later we headed to Sutton, Mass. where we watched the final round of the American Optical Classic at the Pleasant Valley Country Club.

We played a round of golf the following year at Province Lake and then lost touch for quite a while.

I ran into Wink again maybe 10 years ago at the old Filene's store in the Maine Mall. I'm ashamed to admit I didn't even recognize him — and that clearly tickled his funny bone. He had "filled out" a bit, lost some hair and had a beard growing that would have made ZZ Top proud.

He said he and his family had moved to Chebeague Island where he was now lobstering for a living.

Four years ago my own family started vacationing on Chebeague. That first week in August found us taking the ferry to the peace and quiet that island provides. I saw Wink's parents to say hello and then Wink dropped by after getting off his boat. He delivered 10 lobsters to us and refused to accept any money. He was just glad we were enjoying our stay.

Earlier this year Wink was diagnosed with brain cancer and I made plans to see him during our vacation this summer.

In early August we again headed to Chebeague. I didn't know how he was feeling so I called his mom and asked if he'd be up for a visit. She said he'd just finished a week of at-home chemo but that he was hoping I'd drop by.

His usual big smile greeted me at the door. He looked a bit tired but we quickly began taking about "the old days." I stayed for about an hour and a half — we laughed and we joked and we gave our memories a workout.

Before I left, we agreed to play a round of golf next summer when I got out to the island. I shook his hand, gave him a hug and told him to take care of himself.

His dad had told me, when I called him after first hearing about his bad news, that the best case scenario for Wink was that he'd have another year to live, maybe two. But that wasn't how it turned out.

On Saturday night, I received a text letting me know he had died.

I was lucky to have met him that first day of high school so many years ago. He was such a good friend.

Now a little bit of my past is no longer and the world is a little less comfortable today.

Carl Pepin is sports editor for the York County Coast Star. He can be reached at cpepin@seacoastonline.com.