Scammans to Get UNH Commencement Honor

Douglas and Stella Scamman of Stratham will be among those honored at the University of New Hampshire Commencement on May 17. The two, both past state representatives who have hosted presidents at functions at their Bittersweet Farm in Stratham, will receive the Granite State Award.

Jennifer Lee, the "Frozen" screenwriter/director and a 1992 graduate, is the 2014 commencement speaker.

More details on the UNH Commencement here.

An excerpt from the UNH News release on the Scammans' award:

The Granite State Award is given in recognition of outstanding contributions to the state. Recipients W. Douglas ’64 and Stella Scamman ’63 of Stratham served 13 and three terms, respectively, in the New Hampshire House of Representatives where Doug Scamman was elected Speaker three times. Between them, the Scammans represented District 13 in the New Hampshire House for 32 years.

Stella Scamman was a member of the board of trustees for the University System of New Hampshire for 12 years. She also sat on the boards of the New Hampshire Community Technical College in Stratham, the New Hampshire Association for the Blind, the Seacoast Child Advocacy Center, the Housing Partnership of Portsmouth, the Stratham Economic Development Committee, and the New England Board of Higher Education. Currently, she is on the Fisher Cats Foundation.

While serving the state, Douglas Scamman chaired the House Rules Committee, the Children, Youth and Elderly Affairs Committee, the Ways and Means Committee, was vice chairman of the Environment and Agriculture Committee and House Appropriations and co-chaired the Joint Committee on Employee Relations. Additionally, he served on the Joint Committee on Legislative Facilities and the Joint Legislative Historical Committee.

From 1993 to 1996, Scamman was budget director for Gov. Steve Merrill and from 1997- 2003 served as director of administration at the New Hampshire Department of Transportation. He was a member of the UNH Alumni advisory board for six years and currently is a commissioner on the N.H. Lottery Commission. Locally, Scamman has held several elected positions in his hometown, including school board and Town Moderator. The former dairy farmers worked to place their 200-plus acre farm in Stratham in conservation. The farm is the site of the Scamman Home and Garden Center and the former site of Stella Scamman’s 35-year business, the Creative Cricket.