(PRWEB) February 18, 2006 -- Frank Addison Knight, a 97 year-old education leader and forest advocate, will receive final payment of $80 — plus interest — at the cabin he helped build in 1932 — the American Legion Log Cabin in Yarmouth, ME.

Ward Cedar Log Homes — the company that invented the log cabin kit in 1923 — manufactured the cabin in Houlton, Maine and shipped the kit to Yarmouth where Knight took part in construction. American Legion, municipal government and local organizations still hold regular meetings at what is considered the oldest Ward Cedar Log Cabin still in regular use.

Jonathan French, Ward president and current owner, will present the long-overdue payment totalling $1,475 to Knight as part of ceremonies honoring him for lifetime achievements at: 10:45 a.m. Tuesday, Feb. 21, American Legion Cabin, 196 Main Street, Yarmouth, ME.

How the story of the errant payment came to light:
At a previous event, Frank Knight told his friend and fellow North Yarmouth Academy alumnus Lincoln Merrill that he had been hired to work on the American Legion Cabin by Bruce Ward, founder of the log home company. Merrill, president, Patriot Mutual Insurance Company, told Ward officials who decided to make good on the overdue bill.

Knight will donate the proceeds to the William Mann Scholarship Endowment Fund at North Yarmouth Academy. Knight was graduated in 1925 and is NYA’s oldest living alumnus. He served as trustee from 1955 to 1975, honorary trustee until 1981 and has been active in educational programs there throughout his life. Knight’s father-in-law established the Mann Fund to support local youth who wish to attend the academy.

Passion for Trees and education
Frank Addison Knight was born in Pownal, Maine in 1908 and was one of five — four boys and a girl — in his class at North Yarmouth Academy.

Throughout his life, Knight has been an active in forest husbandry. In 1926, he entered the forestry program at the University of Maine in Orono, graduating in 1930. As tree warden in Yarmouth for 53 years, he was responsible for saving Herbie, the town’s oldest elm.

Knight brought oak tree saplings from numerous regions to Yarmouth to vary and strengthen the species. Recently, he rallied North Yarmouth Academy science students to gather acorns from these same trees to start saplings that will be used to populate northern Maine with these hardy oaks.

Frank also helped start the Yarmouth Little League baseball program, served various roles in the First Parish Church.

Ward Cedar Log Homes was founded by Bruce Ward in Houlton, Maine in 1923, making it the nation’s first log home kit manufacturer. Ward continues to be the premiere manufacturer of solid northern white cedar log homes, producing complete packages delivered directly to building sites. Over 95 percent of log homes are fulltime residences that meet or exceed modern energy and building code requirements. In addition to standard models, Ward offers a complete custom design service and line of off the shelf log cabins. Ward Cedar Log Homes have been built throughout the US and in Japan, Thailand, South Korea and Western Europe.

For more information visit Ward Cedar Log Homes at www.wardcedarloghomes.com or contact Ward at 800-341-1566 for a local representative.

North Yarmouth Academy
Founded in 1814, North Yarmouth Academy is an independent, college-preparatory, coeducational day school serving 310 students in grades six through twelve. The school offers a structured program that sets clear standards and high expectations in an environment that emphasizes values of mutual respect, trust, and community. North Yarmouth Academy is dedicated to fostering integrity, character and intellect in young adults. More information on North Yarmouth Academy is available on the website www.nya.org. [For application information, or to schedule a campus visit, contact the Admission Office at 207-846-2376.



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