Houlton, ME (NEWS CENTER) -- Dewey DeWitt remains a legend in Aroostook County. An inductee into the Maine Sports Hall of Fame, DeWitt is best remembered for his classic calls of high school basketball in the fifties through the seventies.
Born just over the border in New Brunswick, he was the son of a blacksmith. The family moved often with his father even taking a job in the Detroit auto industry.
When the Depression hit, the family came back to its ancestral roots in Aroostook County, Maine.
"My dad did a little farming on the side," rused the legend with a twinkle in his eye. "I did a lot of farm work growing up. In fact, my upbringing was similar to many people around here."
He went to Ricker College in Houlton "and studied tennis."
His life changed when he was drafted in 1942. The doctor in Bangor found a spot on his lung. He was told he might live only a year.
"Since that time, I've lived a year at a time," said the affable nonagenarian.
He headed for Miami where he arrived with a nickel. "I put it in a juke box and played David Rose's Holiday for Strings.
He needed money right away, so he went to work as a bell hop the next day.
After going back and forth to Florida for a few years, he got a job at a Houlton radio station. When WAGM went on the air, Dewey was the first person to be seen.
It was the beginning of a great relationship between Dewey and The County.
An outstanding golfer, Dewey has shot his age more times than he can count. He first achieved the goal at the age of 75. Now he shoots his age at the shorter Houlton Country Club almost every day.
And that's where you can find him enjoy his life one year at a time.
Dewey DeWitt can still be heard on WHOU in Houston on Saturday and Sunday mornings.
