Harland Horace Eastman
April 14, 1929 ~ February 29, 2024
Resided in:
Sanford, Maine
Harland H. Eastman
SPRINGVALE - Harland Horace Eastman, 94, passed away peacefully at his home on Feb. 29, 2024.
Harland was born in Springvale, ME on April 14, 1929, the son of Harland H. Eastman, Sr. and Bernice Maude Haley (Eastman). He attended Sanford schools, received a Bachelor’s degree from Colby College in 1951, and a Master’s degree from the Fletcher School of Law & Diplomacy at Tufts in 1952. He also studied at the London School of Economics as a Rotary Foundation Scholar. Harland then completed 2 years of service for the U.S. Army before entering the U.S Foreign Service in 1955.
Harland’s Foreign Service career spanned 24 years. He and his family traveled all over the world, with assignments in France, Vietnam, Benin, Washington D.C., England, Israel, and Morocco. He retired in 1979 and returned to his home in Springvale where he enjoyed a second career as an antiquarian book dealer and served as President of the Maine Antiquarian Booksellers Association for several years.
Harland was at heart a historian, and passionate about Springvale and Sanford history. He had a vast knowledge of local history and could quickly recall facts from memory dating back to the 1800s. He published several photographic histories between 1985 and 1995 that included Sanford, Springvale, Acton, Shapleigh, and Alfred. In 2005, Harland founded the Sanford-Springvale Historical Society Museum in Springvale, where he served as the President and Board Chair. He took great pride in the development and restoration of the SSHS Museum, as well as the Goodwin House on one side, and recently landscaped Park on the other.
Harland served for many years on the board of the Springvale Public Library and was a Friend of the Alfred Shaker Museum. He also previously served on the boards of Maine Historical Society, Maine Preservation, Portland Landmarks, Henrietta D. Goodall Hospital Foundation as well as The American Legation Museum in Morocco and The American School of Tangier, Morocco.
Harland is survived by his daughter, Eliza W. Eastman, his son, Saïd E. Eastman, and grandchildren Jake and Abigail Eastman. He is also survived by his daughters-in-law, Cristi Hollidge (Stephen) and Mary Siegel (Saïd), as well as Mary’s children Nick and Ally.
Harland was predeceased by his son, Stephen E. Eastman, and his wife, Nancy Emery Eastman.
Harland had a generous heart and kind spirit. He loved his family and his many friends in his Maine community and beyond; he will be dearly missed by all who knew him. A celebration of life will be planned for late Spring 2024.
Donations in Harland’s memory can be made to the Sanford-Springvale Historical Society at www.sanfordhistory.org by clicking the tab below.
Arrangements are under the direction of Black Funeral Homes and Cremation Service, Sanford-Springvale.
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To the garland east man family, my most sincere condolences. Harland and my husband, William David Barry, were both Maine historians, each with A real love of Maine, history and it’s people. Harland left a great legacy which will be used by many peop!e.
Debra Verrier Barry.
We met Harland, or Grampa Eastman to my youngest kids, about 20 years ago. He was a gracious host and a kind soul. We talked by phone about a month before he passed and I’m grateful I had the chance to talk with him.
Said, and family…..
I am sorry to hear of your Dad’s passing. I read his name, knew it and recalled the connection. Many years to our country and abroad of foreign assistance, a post humus “Thank you” to him. How blessed he was to live such a long life. He raised and gave our class a wonderful friend. 🙂 Sending you comfort to ease your sorrow. ~ Kim
I knew Harland through my father, Thor Kuniholm, as both of them were diplomats in the 1970s in Morocco and I went to school with his daughter Eliza in Tangier, Morocco. I have kept in touch with Eliza through the years and a visit to Eliza in New England would always include a visit to her father.
My condolences to Eliza who has been through so much. Wishing you strength in these difficult times.
My sincere condolences to the family.
We were good friends for many years.
Everything was interestng about Harland
I came to know Harland shortly after becoming the Museum Director of 19th Century Curran Village. Harland served on its Advisory Board for some time. Given our common experiences living abroad, love of antiquarian books and history I always looked forward the occasions when he showed up at the Museum for a dinner or I met up with him at the SS Historical. We collaborated much on the gifting of many artifacts from the Willowbrook to the Goodwin House, sharing of resources from SS Historical with the Museum, and later he was supportive of the creation of 19th Century Curran Village in Orrington. I had the good fortune to catch up with him in a long and treasured phone call with him only weeks before his passing. i will greatly miss him. My best to his family who were always supportive of the Museum.
Roger Childs: Friend and fellow book collector, Dorset, England.
Harland and I met through our membership of the Henty Society. We collected the books and stories written by G.A. Henty and arguably we have the two best Henty collections. My wife Joan and I visited Harland in Springvale several times and Harland visited us in England several times. He always chatted up my Joan and loved the food she’d prepared for him. We got along famously. He ‘phoned us every few weeks, just to chat about Henty and to chat up my wife !
Miles apart but always the best of friends.
A good man to know who will be missed by many, especially Eliza and all the family to whom we offer our good wishes and condolences.