PHIPPSBURG, Maine — All this week on NEWS CENTER Maine, reporter Hannah Yechivi will be highlighting Hispanic community members who call Maine home and are contributing to make Maine a better place to live and work for all. The features are in celebration of National Hispanic Heritage Month.
Lucrecia Morales Gilman claims to be one of the first Hispanic community members to call Maine home. She remembers not knowing anyone from a Latin-American country living in Maine when she moved here 50 years ago, after following her late husband, who was a Mainer.
Morales Gilman said she did many side jobs in Maine but found her true passion in teaching Spanish to Mainers. She was a Spanish teacher for many schools and has taught hundreds of students throughout the years.
Students who still remember the impact she had on them sometimes swing by her gift shop store in the town of Phippsburg. Her store is called Hidden Mountain Cottages and Gift Shop.
She says she has always focused on teaching the culture and history from a wide variety of Spanish-speaking countries to her students in Maine.
"Sus cuidades, su geogradia, costumbres, su comida, te mustran de todo. Entonces realmente estudiamos la cultura de ese pais. Entonces yo pienso que mientras mas nos conozcamos, personas de diversos paises, habra mas paz en el mundo. En el entre acto, cuando la gente solo juzga las respuestas de la gente, no estan conociendo una realidad. Asi es que es la razon que pienso que los idiomas son muy importantes," Morales Gilman said.
"Cities, geography, customs, food, they show it all. Really, we study the culture of the county. I feel that the more we get to know each other, people from different countries, there will be more peace in the world. Aside from that, when people just judge the answers from other people, they are not knowing their own reality. That's why I believe languages are very important."
Morales Gilman retired from teaching Spanish three years ago, not because she wanted to but because she is 88 years old, and it was getting difficult for her to drive. She has been a very welcoming face and has provided guidance and support to many Hispanic community members who have moved to Maine over the years.