This custom designed Hawaiian shirt was created to support the Maine Pegmatite Workshop and the Frank Perham Memorial Scholarship.  The Maine Pegmatite Workshop  was developed to present a comprehensive, hands-on, educational workshop on pegmatites. Granitic pegmatites are the host rock in which minerals form.  They have been mined in Maine and throughout the world for commercial, industrial and hobbyist activities for centuries. 

By encouraging interaction, open discussion, and exchange of information with the faculty, the Workshop facilitates a deeper understanding of these complex geological structures.  The workshop is based in Maine; an ideal location for the Workshop with its abundance of pegmatites, its mineral wealth and the availability of freshly exposed pegmatite quarries and minerals. By using their unique combination of course work and field work, professionals and students get a first hand look at pegmatites from the researchers who have dedicated their career to this subject. College students have historically been encouraged to attend as a supplement to their academic programming.  To further encourage attendance by students, the Workshop created two student scholarships; one for international students and one for US students.  The scholarship for in-country students was created to memorialize Frank Perham. 

Frank Perham (1934-2023) is a legend in Maine mining and is Maine’s iconic pegmatite miner.  From an early age, Frank loved exploring pegmatites and searching for gem pockets. He was present as either a miner or observer at all of the significant pegmatite pocket discoveries of the last seven decades. The most famous of these discoveries was the series of pockets opened at the Dunton pegmatite, Newry, Maine, from 1972-1974. Frank was the contract miner for Plumbago Mining Corporation, so he had the thrill of drilling into the pockets, including the “Big Pocket” that produced over a ton of gem watermelon tourmaline. In 1977, a new mineral discovered at the Bell Pit and the Dunton, Newry, was named “Perhamite” in honor of Frank. He was part of the faculty of the Maine Pegmatite Workshop since its inception in 2001. Frank was a gifted storyteller and his recollections of individual pockets were astonishing.  Our goal is to establish a $25,000.00 endowment in Frank’s name that will permanently fund a yearly scholarship.

All proceeds from each purchase of these shirts goes directly to the Frank Perham Memorial Scholarship. If you would like to make a donation without the shirt, please call (207) 824-3036 and ask to speak with Maggie or you can leave a note in your online order.

A note about sizing: these do run small, ordering a size or two larger than usual is recommended. Quantities are limited at this point. However, if there is support, we will order more!