June Trotter, of Edgecomb, is surrounded by gifts, balloons, and festive decor during a party thrown to celebrate her 100th birthday on Saturday, March 8. Trotter, who turned 100 on Friday, March 7, is a poet and writer who has lived in many locations across the United States and in Europe. (Molly Rains photo)
For June Trotter, who celebrated her 100th birthday in Edgecomb on Friday, March 7, the past century has been all about learning, adventure, and pursuing her passions.
“If you love it, do it,” Trotter said on Saturday, March 8, at a birthday party held in her honor at Edgecomb Green, where she is a resident.
The words were Trotter’s advice to those who, as she once did, aspire for a career as a writer. In line with her own advice, throughout her 100 years, Trotter has not only written extensively but also found the time to be a mother, teacher, traveler, and lifelong learner.
Born in Lawrence, Mass. in 1925, Trotter became a young adult during World War II and served overseas as a surgical technician with the military. In Rome, Trotter listened to stories from the war and learned new skills. She also fell in love overseas and was married in Italy.
Later, Trotter hoped to continue her education in the United States, where she wanted to become a psychiatrist. However, as a young mother, Trotter found it difficult to balance studying with caring for her growing family.
Family and friends surround June Trotter (center), of Edgecomb, at the centenarian’s birthday celebration on Saturday, March 8. Trotter, who turned 100 on Friday, March 7, said the birthday felt like any other. (Molly Rains photo)
The decision was extremely difficult, but Trotter said she ultimately put her education on pause to bear five children, all of whom Trotter is exceptionally proud of to this day. Years later, she would return to school and earn multiple degrees, including a master’s degree.
Trotter and her husband, James Walter Hooghkirk, had a loving marriage, she said, but tragedy struck when Hooghkirk died at a young age. The couple’s youngest child was only six months old at the time, Trotter recalled.
Suddenly a single parent, Trotter knew she had to take action to make ends meet. She decided to make use of a skill she had always enjoyed: writing.
“All I knew how to do was write,” Trotter said.
To make a living as a writer, Trotter traveled across the United States from job to job with her children in tow. She worked on any project she could, from newspapers and books to advertisements and screenplays.
“I wrote everything,” she said. “Some jobs were interesting and absorbing, and others were absolutely ridiculous
Trotter’s work in Hollywood brought her into movie studios in the early 1950s when McCarthyism and fear of communism led to the widespread “blacklisting” of many major players in cinema. During this time, Trotter worked on screenplays as a ghostwriter, sometimes filling in the gaps created by the blacklist, she said.
“I was happy to get the money,” she said. “I didn’t get any credit for it, but I didn’t care. My children got to college, you know.”
While Trotter moved from state to state as jobs appeared, she always had her children in tow. This led to some memorable moments, Trotter said, including one involving her youngest child, then 3 years old.
“When we were traveling, she took great delight in tossing her shoes out the window,” Trotter said. “I didn’t realize since I was driving.”
By the time Trotter understood what had happened, her daughter had completely rid herself of her shoes. The family pulled into to a shoe store to remedy the issue, a financial setback for Trotter, who was working hard to get by with five children on her own.
“The (clerk) was just flabbergasted,” she recalled. “You know, here’s this woman, with a shoeless child.”
Things improved for the family, and Trotter eventually took on teaching roles in addition to writing. She sent her children to college, being a lifelong believer in the importance of education. Today, Trotter has four grandchildren. She is proud of them and the work they do, she said.
Throughout her life, Trotter said she never wound up settling down in one place for very long.
“Something was always happening,” she said.
She said the great joys of her life were her family, friends, and the many interesting people she had met along the way.
“I met people who just had fantastic stories to tell, and I love that,” she said. She added she was grateful for “the marvelous people I’ve met and learned from around the world, and the things I’ve seen and learned – and have not learned!”
Learning is a continuous process throughout life, Trotter said, and requires an active approach.
“I always had foresight,” she said. “I always said, ‘well, what am I supposed to learn here, God?’ and, sometimes, I figured it out.”
At Trotter’s birthday party March 8, friends and family surrounded
her in the sun-filled dining room at Edgecomb Green. Relatives swapped stories from Trotter’s life, recalling adventures from her Italian wedding to her swimming with dolphins and intense work as a writer.
Turning 100 was “unbelievable,” Trotter said.
“When you’re 100, you don’t feel 100, you know?” she said. “Aging is a very strange process.”
Trotter relocated to Edgecomb about a year ago, she said. She loves Maine – “except for the bugs” – and continues writing, producing original poetry and short stories. She hopes to publish her work and is looking forward to continuing to write.
