Willard Wight is an original. He once told a reporter, “I sharpened my teeth on a coal shovel.” Wight learned the value of hard work as a youngster working alongside his grandfather Pearl Glover Willey at the Camden "P. G. Willey" family business, founded in 1899.  At that time, PG Willey supplied coal to heat buildings and to fuel the steamboats that came to Camden harbor. Over his many years as part of Camden, Wight showed us how to redefine the possible and in doing so helped make Camden a better community.

On Monday, Oct. 12, the Chris Wolf Show will host Willard Wight. The show will be broadcast on WRFR Community Radio, Channel 7 Maine Coast TV, and streamed live on www.mainecoast.tv/streaming, 7:00-8:00 a.m.  Willard has thousands of interesting stories about Camden's past. This show will be special.

Willard was in college studying boat design when his grandfather died in 1949. He returned home to help his grandmother and mother run the family business.

Not only did the young man help his family manage the family business and navigate the ever changing fuel industry, Wight embarked on a lifetime of community service. He joined the Camden Rotary Club, taking his grandfather’s spot when he was only 20 years old, and remains an active member today.

With a business located on the harbor, Wight couldn’t help but be an avid sailor and an active steward of Camden harbor. He’s been a director of the Camden Yacht Club and served as a member and Chair of the Town’s Harbor Committee for 40 years. Willard was a visionary and realized the importance of the harbor to the local economy and the town’s future. In addition to running the family fuel business, he started renting small sail boats and had a small fleet of daysailers.

In time the PG Willey wharf welcomed some of the largest yachts that came to Maine including those of Malcolm Forbes and Wight’s good friend broadcast journalist Walter Cronkite.

When he saw that Camden needed a community boat launch, Willard worked with a group of business people to form the Camden Launching and Chowder Society. The group got its name because it held fish chowder suppers at the Snow Bowl to raise money for the boat launch. They were successful and later turned Steamboat landing over to the Town.

In the 1970s, lighthouses along the Maine coast were being automated including the Curtis Island light house. In 1973 when Curtis Island was put on the federal government’s surplus property list, the Town acted to acquire the island to make it a public park. In 1976, Wight and his wife, Janet, became the first volunteer caretakers of Curtis Island.

Wight’s community service and vision stretched far beyond the harbor. He was instrumental in accomplishing something that some people said couldn’t be done. Wight spearheaded the effort to convince the State Legislature to build a road to the summit of Mt. Battie. After nearly a decade of persistence, the road officially opened in June 1965, making it possible for thousands of people to drive to top of Mt. Battie and enjoy the panoramic view of Camden Harbor and Penobscot Bay.

In 2015, the Town of Camden Annual Report was dedicated to Willard Wight.

VIDEO: To watch the show live, go to MaineCoast.tv/streaming or watch later on Channel 7. Maine Coast TV is located on Time Warner Channel 7 on converter boxes and set top boxes and on Channel 121-7 on digital TVs without set top boxes. The broadcast is available to all Time Warner subscribers in Knox County, Maine, including the islands of North Haven and Vinalhaven.  And the recorded show will be available afterwards on www.MaineCoast.tv web site.

AUDIO: To listen to the show, WRFR 99.3 FM Camden or 93.3 FM Rockland, Monday, Wednesday, and Friday shows with news from PenBayPilot.com. Or, stream the audio live WRFR.org or TuneIn.com athttp://tunein.com/radio/Radio-Free-Rockland-933-s14055/ or on the TuneIn app or your iPhone or Android.

The Chris Wolf Show is a joint project of PenBay Pilot, WRFR FM Community Radio and Maine Coast TV Community Television. If you have questions or comments for the show, call between 7 and 8 a.m., 207-594-0721, or email Wolf before or during the show atTheChrisWolfShow@gmail.com. We hope to see you listening, watching and commenting!