A. Recent research indicates loons travel a lot in summer, especially late summer after nesting duties are completed. One Wisconsin loon, tracked with a radio transmitter, flew twelve miles from its home lake to feed in another lake.

A. Fewer than a thousand, but that number increases every year as Dave Evers and other researchers use colored leg bands to help unlock the mysteries of loon life.

A. Unlike ducks or geese, loons hang around their coastal homes for a full two or even three years before reaching sexual maturity and flying north for the first time. These immature loons do not have the black and white plumage. This delayed breeding might give loons the time they need to learn the fishing and general survival skills necessary to successfully raise young.

A. No. Many chicks have been handled for banding and have been safely returned to their parents. Other chicks which were abandoned have been rescued by people and subsequently adopted by adult loons.

A. That’s a rather personal question and no biologist seems to have the answer. It is a short period of time though, measured in days rather than weeks.

“You help people, but don’t expect much in return. That’s what my father used to say,” his son, N. William Kostis, said Sunday. “His whole life was like that. His philosophy was that life didn’t mean anything unless you leave a legacy.”

Mr. Kostis, who died Dec. 24, 2003 at Greenwood Center in Sanford, left a legacy of service to country and community. He was 79.

He served as chairman of the Sanford-Springvale United Way and was chairman and director of the Sanford-Springvale YMCA for 20 years. He previously served as manager of the Sanford Airport and was a longtime director of the Mousam Lake Region Association.

He also was active in the U.S. military, serving as one of the youngest B-17 pilots in World War II. He led 19 successful missions into Germany, including Hamburg, Berlin and Dresden. After Germany surrendered, Mr. Kostis picked up British POWs throughout Europe.

His war-hero antics were not forgotten in Sanford. During leave in 1945, he twice flew his B-17 at treetop level down Main Street.

After the war and newly married, Mr. Kostis returned to Sanford to help his father run a family fruit store on Main Street. He took over the family business after his father died in 1950, but a devastating downtown fire in January 1955 destroyed the store.

After that, Mr. Kostis concentrated on his newest endeavor, York County Travel and York County Realty Co., which he co-founded.

A Sanford native who graduated from Sanford High School in 1942, Mr. Kostis never seriously considered leaving the area, his son said. He was proud of his community and endeavored to improve it all his life.

“He just liked to be involved in the community where he could make a difference,” his son said, “He wasn’t a selfish-type guy. He would prefer to give than to receive, and he never, ever asked for anything in return.”

After the war, he helped the Sanford-Springvale Civil Air Patrol and served as squadron commander for many years. He retired from the Air Force Reserve in 1984 after 41 years, earning the rank of lieutenant colonel.

Mr. Kostis was a dedicated family man as well, his son said. He married Betty Jean Whatley of Sebring, FL in 1945, during his military service. Their children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren all live in the area, which is testimony to the family strength that Mr. Kostis nurtured, he said.

In addition to his civic interest, Mr. Kostis enjoyed overseas travel and spending time at the family camp at Mousam Lake.