Actor Patrick Dempsey received an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters degree at Bates College- May 28, 2017.

Raised in Buckfield and Turner, Maine- Dempsey did not thrive in school because of dyslexia that went undiagnosed until seventh grade. But it was a school teacher who introduced this born performer to juggling. “Learning how to juggle,” Dempsey told The New York Times in 1987, “changed my life. It gave me a purpose. It led me toward performance.” Embracing a mental and physical discipline in juggling that would serve him well in other pursuits, Dempsey went on to win the national Talent America competition in 1983.

Amanda Dempsey, Patrick’s mother, was diagnosed with cancer in 1997 and succumbed to the disease in 2014. Her children Patrick, Mary, and Alicia founded The Dempsey Centers of Lewiston & Portland to provide education, wellness services, and other forms of support free of charge to anyone affected by cancer.

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CONGTRATS to former WOW member, Caleb Manuel on his qualifying for the 2022 US Open Golf Championship to be held in Mass.

The Topsham native shot a 3-under 137 in a 36-hole golf tournament in Harrison, New York, to qualify for next week’s U.S. Open, one of the sport’s four major championships.

Manuel, 20, a graduate of Mt. Ararat High and the defending Maine Amateur champion, shot a first-round 69 in the morning at Old Oaks Country Club and then came back with a 2-under 68 at nearby Century Country Club in the afternoon to seal his spot. Manuel finished in a two-way tie for first in the qualifier, with the top five golfers earning a spot in the U.S. Open on June 16-19 at The Country Club in Brookline, Massachusetts.

“It doesn’t really feel real right now,” Manuel said. “(There’s) a little relief, especially after watching the scores the last hour. But I’m definitely proud that my game can get me to this level, and that I get to play against the actual best in the world next week, and all the names you read about.

“It might surprise some people. I’m a little shocked, but I knew I had it in me.”

More than 90 golfers – and more than 50 professionals – competed at Old Oaks, one of several U.S. Open qualifiers held around the country on Monday. Manuel, an amateur, fired a 1-under 69 in the first 18, and knew he had a shot to qualify as he prepared to head back out for the final round.

“I was a little nervous, but something I’m working on with my swing is you’ve got to rip through the ball,” he said. “When I’m nervous, I tend not to rip through the ball. That was kind of my mantra out there. Rip through it, and good things happen.”

The U.S. Open qualification continues a swift rise for Manuel. After winning back-to-back Class A high school titles in 2018 and ’19, Manuel went on to win the Maine Amateur title last summer by one stroke at Kebo Valley Golf Course. He was also the runner-up for the New England Amateur title at Great River Golf Club in Milford, Connecticut, last year. A rising junior at the University of Connecticut, he earned a share of the Big East Conference tournament title this spring.

Manuel will be the second golfer from Maine to play in one of golf’s four major tournaments in 2022