Who is Dennis Dechaine?

"I was born in Edmunston, New Brunswick, on October 29, 1957,and grew up in Madawaska. Up until my mom got sick with lung cancer, my family life was idyllic. Lots of friends, plenty of play and no shortage of family activities. My mom and dad loved hunting and gathering. They'd take us foraging for dandelion greens, fiddleheads, wild strawberries, raspberries, hazelnuts and in the Fall we'd glean pea and potato fields. We ate well. I'm convinced that my agricultural interests stem from an upbringing that kept me excited about harvests.

I was 9 when my mom died. Our family was devastated. My father never recovered from the loss of his soulmate and followed her four years later. I was 14 when he died of a heart attack..

I don't think I ever mourned properly for the loss of my parents. A man in Northern Maine is expected to be stoic, to contain his emotions. I believe I did that to my detriment.

On the record, my brother, Phil, is a saint. Can you imaging a young man in the prime of his life sacrificing four of his best years to raising his little brother? And I was no easy task! The poor guy wore so many hats; friend, brother, father that at times he didn't know which to wear. The one constant, even when I disappointed him, was unconditional love and acceptance. He raised me well enough to keep me interested in education.

After I left Madawaska, I went to school at Vermont Technical College (now VT Institute) where I studied Agricultural Business Management. This was an extremely rigorous two-year program that truly shaped my life. I had to study six-eight hours a day just to keep up. Probably my favorite professor there was Robert Brown. He was also the most demanding.

I went on to Western Washington University, mostly because I wasn't ready to settle down, wanted to see the Western Washington University, mostly because I wasn't ready to settle down, wanted to see the West and spend time with my brother Frank, who lived on nearby Whidbey Island. I loved WWU. I managed the University's equipment Rental Shop for a couple of years, supplying outdoor equipment to students. I met a lot of good people and learned a lot about the outdoors.

As for favorite books, I liked far too many to single one out. My interests are always expanding and shifting. Lately, I've been enjoying historical novels by Michener, Uris, Vidal and Clavell. I also think Anne Tyler's novels provide some of the finest fiction in America. Her novels are about quirky families and how love sustans them through rough spots. Maybe that's why I find her writing so appealing.

As for the museum in Boston [where he purchased the "speed" utilized later on July 6, 1988], Nancy and I went to the Tut exhibition. I believe it was the Museum of Fine Arts, but I'm not 100% [It was the Boston Museum of Science.]

In case Julie Zimmerman of Biddle Publishing fails to tell you, I also wrote an essay for her entitled "Trial of Innocents." It points out that wrongful convictions aren't as uncommon as we'd like to think." (Letter, 15 February 2003)

From Trial Transcript, Testimony by Dennis Dechaine:

[He was 31 years old in 1988. Parents were Donald and Julia Dechaine. Three brothers: Donald (33), Frank (36) and Philip (42). Mother died of cancer in 1967, when Dennis was 9. His father died five years later. Following graduation from Madawaska High School, he moved to Brunswick to work with George Christopher, as sheep farmer in Bowdoinham. Then he left in January to attend Vermont Technical College in Randolph, Vermont. There he studied Agricultural and Business Management, which included agricultural finance and modern agricultural techniques. He graduated at the top of his class.

Then he went to Washington State, invited there by his brother, Frank, who was in the Navy stationed on Wigby Island. He worked for the Washington Dept. of Fisheries from January through May of that year and then he decided to go back to college for a higher degree.

At Western Washington State University he studied languages and majored in French.

[Responding to question, "What kind of time was it for you at Washington State?"] "I basically, I guess I was subject to academic stresses as everyone else would be, but the area was beautiful and in its natural resources and sort of afforded many opportunities for recreation to counter balance that.. I met my wife.. We met early on when, I guess she was in the registration line as she stated earlier, at the university. . We became good friends. Shared in numerous outdoor activities and took some classes together. And basically developed into a very nice relationship from there."

[He graduated, along with Nancy, in 1983, and they were married that Fall in Colorado Springs, the home of her parents, and then they moved back to Maine, and worked on one of George Christopher's farms] [TR pp 1176 - 1183]