Friends and admirers of Clark “Woody” Freeman, beloved Wiscasset citizen and leader, are invited to gather on Sunday, July 22, at 11 a.m. to witness the setting of a memorial stone beside an American elm planted in his honor.

Freeman, who died unexpectedly in 2008, played many roles in his community, among them scout leader, teacher of vocational tech at Wiscasset High School, director of the transfer station, road commissioner, school bus driver, town tree warden and warden of St. Philip’s Church.

“Woody was many things to many people,” said Wiscasset Conservation Commission member Anne Leslie. The Conservation Commissioner helped organize the memorial. “In each of his endeavors, he showed remarkable kindness, patience, wisdom and civic-mindedness.”

Townspeople and others generously donated funds to pay for a memorial.

Freeman appreciated and understood the natural world. He was an ardent fisherman, hunter, conservationist and gardener. He also had a keen interest in history and knew a great deal about Wiscasset’s past. He admired the American elm, native to New England, for its beauty and its role in the history of Maine towns. Old photos of the Main Street of Wiscasset lined on either side with elegant elms delighted him.

Dennis Anderson of Anderson Horticultural Sales in Newcastle provided a young American elm “at cost” in honor of Woody.

Wiscasset Conservation Commissioner Larry Barnes worked with Anderson and Wiscasset Road Commissioner Greg Griffin to site the tree on the lawn of the Wiscasset municipal building, north of the cannon and war memorial, where the brief ceremony will take place.

All are welcome. For more information, call Lisa Garman at the Wiscasset Town Office, 882-8200.