Muskie memorial service set for Sunday

The people of Maine whom Edmund S. Muskie served during his distinguished career will have a chance to say goodbye to their former governor and senator Sun., April 28, at Bates College.

The Maine memorial service for Muskie is scheduled for 1 p.m. in the Bates Chapel. The public is invited to attend.

Muskie, a 1936 Bates graduate, died March 26 at age 81 in a Washington hospital following a heart attack. A funeral Mass was held March 30 in Bethesda, Md., and he was buried at Arlington National Cemetery outside Washington.

The service will be conducted by the Most Rev. Joseph Gerry, Roman Catholic bishop of Maine. The eulogists will be Gov. Angus King, Bates President Donald W. Harward, former U.S. Rep. and U.S. District Judge Frank M. Coffin, businessman and longtime Muskie supporter Shepard Lee, former U.S. Sen. George J. Mitchell, Sen. William S. Cohen and Muskie’s son Stephen.

Also in attendance will be members of Muskie’s family, including his wife, Jane; and members of Muskie’s 1936 Bates class. Muskie had been planning to attend his 60-year reunion at Bates in June.

Following the service, the public is invited to take guided tours of the Edmund S. Muskie Archives on the Bates campus. The archives contains records of Muskie’s 32-year career in public life, from his days as a young Maine legislator to his service as secretary of state in the Carter administration and his campaigns for president and vice president.