With a heavy heart I have only recently learned of the passing of Rick Gildersleeve – descendant of Philip Gildersleeve (foreman for the building of the CONNECTICUT). Rick and I corresponded on numerous occasions and we would constantly try to make plans to meet up again for lunch but life kept interrupting. I was honoured to attend his lecture on the Gildersleeve shipbuilding era which he gave for the Portland Hist. Soc. but held in the town library – see the relevant post below. Here is the link to his obituary. So is cut short another link to our common past…