In 1983, Henry C. Rowe had completed 20 years working at the Central Intelligence Agency. At age 50, as far as Rowe was concerned, it was time for retirement. And that’s just what he did.

In retiring at a young age, Rowe wanted to avoid the same fate several uncles had. They had died of heart attacks in their forties.

“Back then, you might work 15-20 years and die. I didn’t want to do that. I wanted to retire young enough to enjoy life,” Rowe said.

In 1963, as a senior at the University of Illinois in Chicago, Rowe met a job recruiter who offered him a career with early retirement. So he embraced the opportunity. He joined the CIA as an electronic engineer.

But retirement brought on a new challenge: Rowe had to convince his wife to move to Maine. And he knew convincing her would be difficult. The couple’s visits to Boothbay didn’t always go well. Henry remembered tension between Grace and his mother during those visits.

When Henry lived in Illinois, Grace called him “Howie.” When the couple visited Boothbay, Henry’s mother voiced her displeasure with the nickname.

“I don’t own a Howie. I own a Henry,” Henry recalled as his mother’s response to his nickname.

It took Henry a year to convince Grace to live in Boothbay, but the couple returned in 1984. Henry made two concessions in persuading Grace to move: He agreed to make several home improvements and vacation each year in Florida.

Pleasing Grace wasn’t a hard task for Henry. He fell in love with her the night they met. Henry and a Navy buddy attended a dance in Illinois during their naval training. Henry pointed at Grace and told his friend “That’s the girl I’m going to marry.”

“It was a wonderful marriage. We were married for 53 years and never had one argument,” he said. “I miss her. Especially just being able to reach out and touch her hand at night.”

In 1987, Rowe joined the newly formed Boothbay Civic Organization. Rowe was the BCA’s first fundraising chairman and served for five years.

The BCA’s first project was a big one. The association wanted to raise $250,000 to purchase land for a new municipal building. At the time, Boothbay was in dire need of a new town office.

“A woman climbing the stairs fell over, broke her neck, and died. That was impetus for finding a new town office,” Rowe said.

The town had two locations in mind: the Clifford Playground area and Leavitt’s Garage. The playground was located on town-owned property, while Leavitt’s Garage, located at 1011 Wiscasset Road, came with a $250,000 price tag. 

Eventually, residents chose the garage property, which began the BCA’s massive fundraising effort. It took the BCA four years to raise $250,000. The state provided funding for the new building.

“People told me you can’t raise $250,000 with nickels, dimes and quarters,” Rowe said. “That was the impetus I needed to prove them wrong.”

The BCA raised its share of “nickels, dimes and quarters.” It also held several bean suppers, carnivals and various other fundraisers. There was also another important source of revenue, “The Water People,” those who owned shore-front property.

“I hate asking people for money. So I didn’t. I would simply present an idea that could be accomplished in the future,” he said. “We formed an organization and assigned people various tasks, but nobody wanted to talk to ‘The Water People.’ That became my job.”

On July 18, 1993, the new Boothbay municipal building opened its doors.

In 1997, Rowe was elected to his first of three terms as a selectman.

“There were things going on I didn’t agree with, so I ran for selectman,” Rowe said.

In 2005, he become chairman of the board. Rowe believed the meetings should be more productive.

“What really bugged me was the board did a lot of pontificating. The meetings would last three hours and accomplish nothing,” Rowe said. “My second meeting as chairman I brought in a bull-whip. I told them: ‘Gentlemen, we are not going to leave until there is a resolution to every problem.’”

During his chairmanship, Rowe said selectmen’s meetings lasted “a little more than an hour.” He also convinced Boothbay Region Community Television to televise board of selectmen meetings.

After nine years, Rowe decided against seeking another term.

“Grace told me I was spending too much time on the town, and not enough on her. And she was right,” he said.

Rowe remains active in the community. In 2008, he, along with nine others, formed The Woodchucks, a volunteer organization that provides firewood to needy families. The Woodchucks have delivered 429 cords since the group’s inception.

Rowe is also active within the local American Legion chapter. He serves as the organization’s chaplain. He also assists with the Legion’s Sunday breakfast, which is held on alternating Sundays.

Genealogy is one of his hobbies. He discovered an English ancestor who had one of the longest marriages in history: Lazarus and Mary Rowe, 85 years and 178 days.”

“It’s in the Guinness Book of World Records. They both lived to 104 when most people died at 40,” he said.

Rowe also owns an Austrian timeshare. He and Grace traveled several times to Europe and visited villages where their Polish and Czech Republic ancestors lived.

Rowe said his life has been filled with good fortune. He is now “paying it forward,” by assisting college students with tuition. After his wife’s death in 2012, he established the Grace B. Rowe Memorial Scholarship Fund, which assists Boothbay Region High School graduates. Rowe also provides funds for other scholarships. He estimates his efforts have impacted 11 students in Maine and Virginia.

“I want the younger generation to experience the same opportunities I did,” he said. “Education afforded me with many options throughout my life. This is why I began assisting them financially.”

Growing up, a college education was unlikely for Rowe. His father finished the fourth grade and his mother, sixth. And besides, even before enrolling at the Maine Vocational Technical Institute in Augusta, he’d already amassed a small fortune. 

His father sold bait to fisherman all along the eastern seaboard. Henry worked for him digging worms in the mudflats.

“In high school, I had the equivalence of $50,000 of today’s dollars in the bank,” Rowe said. “It was hard work and required working with the tides. I knew this type of work didn’t have longevity.”

His high school principal convinced him to further his education.

“Nothing was planned, but my education provided me with so many great opportunities,” he said. “I’m grateful he encouraged me to go to college.”