John Pike Grady

John Pike Grady was born November 12, 1925 in Rochester, New York to Stanley and Kate (Pike) Grady. He died in Eastport, Maine September 3, 2008 at age 82.

World War II Airman
John attended local Eastport schools and graduated from Shead Memorial High School in 1943. Upon graduation, he enlisted in the United States Army Air Corps and was a veteran of World War II. John served with the 505 Aerial Bombardment Group flying B-29s from North Field, Tinian Island. Located in the Mariana Islands, North Field launched operations against the Japanese Home Islands in 1944 and 1945. The airfield was also based the 509th Composite Group which flew the two Atomic Bomb missions against Hiroshima and Nagasaki in August 1945, which led to the unconditional surrender of Imperial Japan on September 2, 1945, and the end of the Pacific War.

Journalist
After the war, John attended college using the Montgomery G.I. Bill. He studied print at the University of New Hampshire in Goddard College, Vermont and the Black Mountain College in North Carolina. Upon completing college, John returned to Eastport, the city he loved, when he heard the Eastport Sentinel was folding. In 1953, John briefly owned and operated a local newspaper with his banner headline "Up at the count of 9". Afterwards, he served as a consultant to The Quoddy Tides.

Local Celebrity
During Eastport's annual 4 July festival, John Grady wore yellow fisherman's gear and carried a trident. John was a strong advocate for projects like the Marine Trades Center, a division of the Washington County Vocational Institute built at Deep Cove, that improved Eastport. He was a lifelong member of Ralph A. Ray Post No. 558 Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) in Eastport. Also, John was a charter member of the Main Street Program called "Eastport For Pride". He was active in the community and was an inspiration for a generation of the Eastport youth.