Despite calling a technical institute in Massachusetts his alma mater, Richard "Dick" A. Caldwell, the 2020 recipient of the David F. Drew III Service Award, will always be a Husky at heart.
 
And if you've been to any of the Huskies' numerous athletic contests over the last few years, it's easy to see why Caldwell is this year's Drew Service Award recipient as the award is presented to a member of the Husky community who distinguishes themself with volunteer service to the athletic department. This award is exceptionally prestigious from USM Athletics, as without its numerous volunteers over the years Huskies' teams, student-athletes and coaches would not have achieved their levels of success.
 
Making Maine his home more than 43 years ago, Caldwell worked for 25 years at Lavalley Lumber in Sanford, and was eventually named Director of Purchasing and Product Quality. During his time with Lavalley Lumber, Dick was chosen to serve on the Board of Directors of the Maine Lumber Dealers Association, a part of the Northeastern Lumber Dealers Association. While on the board, Dick served a term as vice-president and eventually a term as president of the board. This work and dedication led to Dick being selected as Maine Lumber Person of the Year just before retiring in 2002.
 
With retirement upon him, Dick began using the fitness center at USM, and quickly became a member of the Husky community and a fan of its student-athletes and teams. Always one to be a leader and a person of action, Dick began volunteering for USM Athletics - where he has been a crowd favorite since. Dick started his volunteer work working at the Costello Sports Center Desk, greeting student-athletes, coaches, administrators, and fans as they entered the building.
 
"Dick has been rock solid for our department, someone we have counted on for many years to help make our program operate smoothly," said Al Bean, Director of Athletics. "As a retired professional living in Gorham, he began to utilize the fitness center in the Costello Sports Complex and we developed a relationship. Dick began to volunteer at the front desk helping to control access to the facility, welcoming in students, staff and the public and has done a fantastic job."
 
From there, Dick continued to contribute his time and efforts to ensure Huskies' Athletics could operate without a glitch.  Dick became certified to be a Minibus driver, driving teams to their away games - filling a gap and serving a critical need for many of our teams. Dick loved getting to watch the teams at their away games and the feeling was more than mutual as teams often felt they gained another teammate while having him there. Most recently, Dick has gotten involved in ticket sales at home basketball and hockey games.
 
"Dick is professional in every sense of the word," said Kim Turner, Senior Women's Administrator. "He's so deserving of this award -  the perfect example of it really."
 
One winter season, a couple of student-athletes had to miss the bus to an away game due to a conflicting class exam. By the time they finished the exam, Gorham was the center of a huge snow storm, but Dick stepped up and volunteered to drive those kids all the way to Plymouth so they could play their game.
 
"People truly enjoy their interactions with Dick and he takes an active interest in the lives of our students," said Bean. "He has always stepped up to help and has done it in a professional manner. His service to USM Athletics has been invaluable and his advice and guidance is greatly appreciated. We are incredibly thankful for his many contributions and continue to enjoy our relationship with him."