The Rochester Historical Society will hold an Open House and Bake Sale on Saturday,September 29from 9:00 am to 3:00 pm at the Museum, 355 County Rd.
A new exhibit, ”Rochester Businesses, Past and Present” depicting the history of many businesses, will be featured. Stop by to learn about Rochester History and enjoy some goodies.
The principal, Michael C. Devoll, of Old Rochester Regional High Schoolannounced today that Madeline Hartley, Nathaniel King, and Michaela Mattson, have been named Commended Students in the 2019 National Merit Scholarship Program.A Letter of Commendation from the school and National Merit Scholarship Corporation (NMSC), which conducts the program, will be presented by the principal to these scholastically talented seniors.
About 34,000 Commended Students throughout the nation are being recognized for their exceptional academic promise.Although they will not continue in the 2019 competition for National Merit Scholarship awards, Commended Students placed among the top 50,000 scorers of more than 1.6 million students who entered the 2019 competition by taking the 2017 Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test (PSAT/NMSQT®).
“The young men and women being named Commended Students have demonstrated outstanding potential for academic success,” commented a spokesperson for NMSC.“These students represent a valuable national resource; recognizing their accomplishments, as well as the key role their schools play in their academic development, is vital to the advancement of educational excellence in our nation.We hope that this recognition will help broaden their educational opportunities and encourage them as they continue their pursuit of academic success.”
For Old Rochester Regional School Committee member James Muse, being on the school committee is an important job that should be respected and recognized; therefore, an annual stipend should be given as a symbolic gesture of that recognition.
Muse, who is also on the Mattapoisett School Committee, advocated hard in favor of financial compensation as an elected official on September 12, saying he’s no ordinary “volunteer” – “and this is not a charity.”
After listening to Mattapoisett Town Meeting debate over school committee stipends, Muse felt disrespected by some of the negative comments he heard.
“We, as a group, are elected officials,” said Muse. “This is not a small job. This is an enormous responsibility.”
Throughout his diatribe Muse referred to this community’s lack of appreciation for school committee members, and pointed out that several other municipalities provide their school committees with stipends. Muse said even a “nominal” stipend of $100 would be enough to demonstrate an appreciation for the work the committee does – it’s the message that counts, he said.
“We should stand up and say we are an important committee,” Muse stated. “We supervise this administration; we evaluate this administration; we set budgets; we negotiate contracts – this is not small and it should be recognized.”
But not all school committee members agreed with Muse, and ORR Student Advisory Council member Alexander Wurl tested out his diplomacy skills addressing the notion.
“So, if you’re dedicated to helping the school community and helping … the school, wouldn’t you rather the money to go to help the school community and go to the education budget rather than going to yourself?” Wurl asked Muse.
“It’s not to go to myself,” said Muse. “What I’m proposing is the recognition for what’s happening, and what’s happening is we don’t have recognition….” Muse added that he believes a stipend would not affect the ORR budget.
Muse further defended his stance: “The people that are on this committee do this for the general good,” continued Muse. “This is not a charity. This is different … this is a public elected official here.”
School Committee member Michelle Smith said in agreement with Muse, “Our selectmen get paid: they get a stipend; our tree warden gets paid – not to put down his job, but I don’t think [the tree warden] sits and puts the time in as we put in the dedication and the decisions that we make here that the tree warden in Marion does.”
“I’m suggesting that this is a change that can set that forward and we can be treated as an integral, an equal integral, part of this community because we’re at the top of the pyramid and we’re not equal and that statement makes a difference,” said Muse.
Wurl took a different point of view, saying, “I sort of see it as almost hypocritical because you guys [are working for] the benefit of the school in general, but by removing money from the budget, it would be counterintuitive and it wouldn’t help the school as much as it could. And I’m also an elected official, I was elected by my peers … but we’re not asking for monetary value because we do it to help the students.”
Wurl asked Muse if the compensation could be non-monetary in nature and Muse told him no.
“This stipend … won’t pay for the money I spend in gas for the probably thousands of meetings I’ve gone to and continue to go to,” said Muse, “and I go out of town on committees that are part of the district that are out of town that I have to go to…
“I’m not complaining about it,” continued Muse. “I love what I’m doing, and I believe that I’m making a difference. I’m saying that that should be recognized as something that’s important. … And I’ll tell you, it is not hypocritical.”
School committee member Deborah Dyson said she would feel uncomfortable accepting a stipend, adding, “I would feel uncomfortable for the hours of other people that volunteer for the ORR district and spend more time than I do as a school committee member.”
Committee member Stefan Gabriel also opposed the notion of a stipend.
“We are, in fact, volunteers,” said Gabriel. “And this is what we do regardless of whether [a stipend] is there.” Gabriel said insisting on a stipend would send a negative message to the constituents, such as, ’Oh they’re already in, now they’re just trying to give themselves a little something for being there.’”
Muse insisted, “I’m not a volunteer here: I am an elected official – a critical part of this entire structure of this district and I think that it should be recognized.”
School committee member Joe Pires agreed with Muse, saying, “It’s a matter of principle.”
For Pires, he found that people have told him to have his head checked for wanting to run for school committee.
“It’s not the dollar amount: it’s the principle,” said Pires. He could choose to put his work and his family first, instead of sitting on the committee, he added.
School committee member Paul Goulet said he wasn’t opposed to a stipend, but suggested tabling the discussion for now, while Assistant Superintendent Elise Frangos, speaking as a Marion taxpayer, questioned a possible conflict of interest.
“I do wonder, would [Business Administrator Patrick Spencer] be signing off on a check for you, and is that an ethical challenge for him if you, in fact, supervise him and the superintendent?”
Muse doesn’t think so, he said, but Frangos suggested vetting the idea with town counsel.
Committee Chairman Carey Humphrey wasn’t prepared to vote that evening, suggesting research and time for each member to think about it.
“It’s a fairly controversial thing,” said Humphrey. “We probably need to spend more time on it.”
The topic will appear on the agenda of the next meeting.
In other business, the committee approved a 25-cent increase to the school lunch at ORR, which will go from $3 to $3.25 beginning January 1, 2019.
The committee also approved a revision to the program of studies by adding a capella as an honors course.
The next meeting of the Old Rochester Regional School Committee will be October 24 at 6:30 pm in the ORR Junior High School media room.
Old Rochester Regional School Committee
By Jean Perry
Six decades ago a group of students from Mattapoisett were taking the journey of a lifetime. No longer would they be in that insular world created by the teachers and the school they loved so well. They were graduating from Center School. Now they would be thrust into life as high school students transported far away to Fairhaven.
On June 18, 1958, the graduating class of Center School gathered to pass through an invisible archway into their future. They were hopeful, trusting, excited, and a little bit scared. They would be leaving behind their beloved teachers who had supplied not only education but were also role models and leaders the students had come to depend on and to love.
Until 1962 when Old Rochester Regional School District was created, students matriculating out of ninth grade into high school were bussed to Fairhaven High School. Thanks to the philanthropy of Henry Huttleston Rogers, Mattapoisett’s students for decades had been granted admittance to Fairhaven High School, the school Rogers had funded. Thus, the class of 1958 prepared to gird their minds as they too made that giant leap towards adulthood.
Theirs had been like classes before them – a tightknit group bound together from first grade through ninth grade in a red brick school that was the cornerstone of their universe. Now everything would change.
In 1958, milk cost 80 cents per gallon; eggs 28 cents a dozen, and a stamp would set you back 4 cents. The United States was going through a post-war recession with rather high unemployment, but if you were working, your average annual salary was $4,600; your home cost about $12,000; and, you paid 25 cents a gallon to run your American-made automobile.
In living rooms around the nation people were watching Ed Sullivan and Jack Benny, and on Saturday afternoon teens tuned into American Bandstand. On the radio teenagers were rebelling against the still popular Frank Sinatra by tuning stations spinning hits by Elvis and Ricky Nelson. Kids still played outside until the streetlights came on, maybe playing with a Hula Hoop that debuted that year.
Yet, while everything seemed calm on the surface, major changes – not only in little Mattapoisett but also around the globe – were coming. Toyota began importing cars into the U.S. as the Packard ended production. The microchip was invented as was the first computer modems and remote controllers. Soon the kids in the house would no longer be the ones who had to get up and walk over to the T.V. to change the channel – Dad would have command of the remote. President Eisenhower announced the development of N.A.S.A. and in the same year the U.S. launched its first satellite. Undersea military surveillance was underway as deep beneath the polar ice cap the nuclear submarine Nautilus reached the North Pole.
For now, however, the class of 1958 was poised to join that larger population of students all moving forward into their tomorrows. Where would they go in life, what journeys would they have, what adventures would await them?
Sixty years later all those questions would be answered as the 60thclass reunion of Center School was held on September 15 at the home of Ruth Ann Heuberger Walega and her classmate-turned-sweetheart-turned-husband Wayne Walega.
Carole Sherman Clifford along with the Walegas and several other former classmates planned the reunion. Clifford said that her quest to find all the students had led to some dead ends and, of course, to the reality that some classmates had passed away.
Using the Internet to search for people, Clifford said that female alumni had been the hardest to find because they had taken their husbands’ names. But of those she could find, Clifford called or sent out emails and used Facebook and other social media platforms, reaching back through the veil of time to bring home long-lost friends.
Now they gathered at Walega’s home to remember, to laugh, to share highs, and comfort one another over lows. Yet the overarching sentiment expressed by the dozen or so former students was just how much Center School and its educators had meant to them throughout their lives.
“People have such great memories,” Clifford said. Memories fond, funny, and unforgettable were shared by all.
Wayne Walega shared a memory that nearly ended his romance with Ruth Ann. “My parents got a call from the principal. Apparently they didn’t like that I had a squirt gun in school. My parents thought I needed more discipline, so they sent me to Tabor Academy.”
As time would attest, that didn’t end his relationship with Ruth Ann who went on to Fairhaven High School. They have been married for 54 years. Love’s labors weren’t lost.
Linda Montgomery Tunstall remembered clearly when she learned there really wasn’t a Santa Claus. “We were in fourth grade; it was Christmas time. I raised my hand and said, ‘It’s two weeks before Christmas and we haven’t sent our letters to Santa!’ I looked back at all the other kids who were just staring at me and realized immediately that there wasn’t a Santa.”
Kathie Schragel Wilson said, “The whole nine years were wonderful.” Gesturing to an elderly gentleman seated nearby, she said, “Mr. Kobak remembers us after sixty years!”
Joseph Kobak, one of the alumni’s most beloved teachers, attended the reunion. Surrounded by his former students, he looked through stacks of black and white photographs clearly relishing the moment and the memories.
Of Kobak, one alumni wrote, “He was more than a teacher and a coach: he was a friend.”
Bill Blasdale shared, “If you were naughty your name went in the book. Three bad marks and you were punished.” He said he had gotten a bad mark for singing in class. He sang “Dungaree Doll” to Clifford, a 1956 hit sung by Eddie Fisher.
Bill Young joked that he came to the reunion to see his girlfriend, adding, “We were a bonded group – like family.”
As the alumni chatted there were thoughts about another reunion in the future. But for now, they were just enjoying the moment and the memories.
If you are a former classmate of the graduating class of 1958 and want to share your story or learn more about other alumni you may contact Carole Clifford at moosie999@comcast.net.
By Marilou Newell
Tabor Academy is kicking off their public lecture series for the year on October 8at 6:30 pm with their first Science@Work Lecture. Rose Martin, PhD in ecosystem ecology, will speak with the public about the impacts of human activities on wetland soil chemistry. She will spend the day in classrooms with Tabor students before sharing her lecture in the Lyndon South Auditorium at 242 Front Street, Marion.
On October 18, an award-winning American writer, Maggie Shipstead, will just be completing a week-long residency at Tabor Academy. Ms. Shipstead will be doing a public reading of her works, Astonish Me and Seating Arrangements, which was on the NY Times bestseller list, and won the LA Times book prize for first fiction and the Dylan Thomas Prize for Authors under 30. She will remain after the reading to sign copies of her books. The reading and book signing will take place on October 18 at 7:00 pm in the Fireman Center for the Performing Arts in Hoyt Hall at 245 Front Street.
The Tabor community is pleased to offer these cultural events to the community at no charge and very much hopes you will join in the learning community that is Tabor Academy.
In 1998, the Sippican Historical Society commissioned an architectural survey of Marion’s historic homes and buildings. The survey was funded one-half by the Sippican Historical Society and one-half by the Massachusetts Historical Commission. Due to the limits of funding, not all of the historic buildings were surveyed, but over 100 were catalogued and photographed. The results of the survey are in digital form on the Massachusetts Historical Commission’s website and in four binders in the Sippican Historical Society’s office (and at the Marion Town Clerk’s office).
Marion (Old Rochester) is one of the oldest towns in the United States, and the Sippican Historical Society maintains an extensive collection of documentation on its historic buildings. The Sippican Historical Society will preview one building a week so that the residents of Marion can understand more about its unique historical architecture.
This installment features 319 Delano Road. The home at 319 Delano Road (Shore Farm) was built c. mid-18th century for Stephen Delano, whose extensive salt works along the Weweantic River on the north side of Delano Road were some of the first built in Marion. This typical Cape Cod house was owned by I. Delano in 1855. By 1879, Polly Delano lived here. By 1903, Capt. Charles C. Delano owned this home, remaining there until his death on April 18, 1916. Capt. Amos Delano, a member of the Marion Board of Selectmen, lived here until at least the mid-1920s.
Carol A. Wolfe, of Marion and Englewood, FL, died Sept. 22, 2018 at Charlton Memorial Hospital in Fall River.
She was the wife of Gerald F. Wolfe of Marion and Englewood, FL; mother of Cathi Possick of Bridgewater and the late Jeffrey Wolfe, and sister of Judith Denny of Toronto, Canada.
Services will be held at a later date.
Donations in her memory may be made to Southcoast Hospice VNA, 200 Mill Rd., Fairhaven, MA 02719.
Arrangements by Chapman, Cole & Gleason Funeral Home, Wareham. To leave a message of condolence visit: www.ccgfuneralhome.com
Robert H. Atkinson, Sr., of Mattapoisett, passed away peacefully early Tuesday, 18 September 2018, at Brookdale Dartmouth Village in Dartmouth, MA. He was 88 years old.
Mr. Atkinson is survived by his beloved wife of 63 years, Elizabeth, and their two children, Robert (Jr) and his wife, Christine, of Charleston, SC and Sarah (Cammiso) and her husband, Marty, of Vienna, VA.
Bob also leaves behind seven grandchildren, three great-grandchildren and his younger brother, John, of Orrs Island, Maine and Ft Lauderdale, FL. He was predeceased by his older brother Theodore (Jr).
Born in Boston, he was the middle son of Theodore and Jane Atkinson of Winchester, MA.
After attending Winchester High School, Phillips Academy Andover and graduating from Hebron Academy, Bob graduated from Harvard University (‘52) and was commissioned as an ensign in the US Navy where he was an officer aboard the USS Chewaucan (AOG 50). He subsequently graduated Harvard Business School (’56). For the next 35 years he enjoyed a very successful career with IBM.
After retirement from IBM, he dedicated the next 20 years of his life to civic affairs in the town of Mattapoisett. Two of his proudest contributions, where his efforts can be seen today, were his involvement with the construction of the seawall around Munro Park (Mattapoisett Land Trust) and the complete renovation and expansion of the Mattapoisett Public Library.
Although physically limited in his later years, Bob continued giving to his community with the donation of his treasured 30 foot sailboat Caithness to Veterans on Deck and the Tall Ship Tabor Boy’s old Captain’s launch, “Buccaroo”, to a group of Tabor Academy students for renovation to her former glory.
A memorial service to celebrate Bob’s life will be held on Saturday, October 6th at 11:00 am at St. Gabriel’s Episcopal Church in Marion, MA. A reception will follow in the parish hall, all are welcome. Burial will be private.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in Bob’s name to the Mattapoisett Public Library (www.mattapoisettlibrary.org), the Mattapoisett Land Trust (www.mattlandtrust.org) or Veterans on Deck (www.veteransondeck.org). Arrangements are with the Saunders-Dwyer Mattapoisett Home for Funerals, 50 County Rd., Route 6, Mattapoisett. For online guestbook, please visit www.saundersdwyer.com.
Emily C. McLaughlin, 85, of Acushnet, passed away on Saturday, September 22, 2018 in St. Luke’s Hospital. She was the wife of the late William M. McLaughlin.
Born in Wakefield, MA, a daughter of the late John E. and Emily (Burke) Classen, she had resided in Marion for 17 years before moving to Acushnet.
She earned an Associate’s degree in Dental Hygiene from Forsythe Dental School at Tufts University. Mrs. McLaughlin was the owner of Perry Farm Patchworks in Acushnet, until retiring nearly three years ago.
Emily had a passion for quilting and reading. She also had a strong interest in politics. She loved the company of her grandchildren and great-grandchildren whom she adored. She is survived by her children, Michele M. Thomas of Acushnet, John W. McLaughlin and his wife Mary Ellen of Sagamore Beach, Laura (Dawicki) McLaughlin of Fairhaven and Julie M. McLaughlin of Fairhaven; a sister, Mildred Beebe of Salisbury; seven grandchildren, Ryan and Craig McLaughlin, Sarah Thomas, Erin Dawicki, Sean McLaughlin, Colleen and Josh Dawicki; four great-grandchildren; and many nieces and nephews. She was predeceased by two brothers, Edward and Charles Classen.
Visiting hours will be held on Wednesday, September 26, 2018 from 4-8 pm in the Waring-Sullivan Home at Fairlawn 180 Washington St., Fairhaven. A Memorial Mass will be held on Thursday, September 27, 2018 at 10 am in St. Rose of Lima Parish, 282 Vaughan Hill Rd., Rochester. Burial is private. For online tributes please visit: www.waring-sullivan.com
John W. Jepson, Ph.D., 86, of Marion, passed away on Wednesday, Sept. 19, with his family at his side at the Sippican Healthcare Center. He was the husband of Joan (Lavalley) Jepson of Marion. John was born in Queens Village in New York on November 7, 1931 the son of the late Milton and Flora (Bennett) Jepson.
John graduated from Jamaica High School in New York in 1949 and earned his Bachelors of Science in Mechanical Engineering in 1954 from North Eastern University. John received his Master’s in 1955 from Yale and his Ph.D. from Yale in 1958. From 1958-1968 he worked for Bell Telephone Laboratories in the research and development of underwater sound development for submarine warfare. In 1968 John became the Director of Corporate Research and Development for Titleist Golf Division. In 1974 the company made him the Vice President of Corporate R & D and from 1979 – 1984 he was the Vice President of Operations for Titleist Golf Divisions. He managed over 1,000 employees that produced golf balls, clubs, putters and carts. He implemented automation into the golf ball plant and developed the Pinnacle golf ball. The Pinnacle golf ball was the 2 piece solid ball for Titleist. From 1982 to 1984 John became the Executive Vice President and General Manager of the Titleist Golf Division. He increased sales in all product categories and increased operating income. He also started a joint venture in Japan and other Southeast Asian countries. From 1984 to 1990 he was the executive Vice President and General Manager of the Rubber Division. John again increased sales and operating income and created a joint venture manufacturing plant in Bangkok, Thailand. He developed a self-sufficient computer hardware / software system, revamped costing system and introduced business resource planning. His work in golf ball design patents lead to his affectionate industry nick name “Dr. Dimples”.
In 1990 John became the Executive Vice President of the Ben Hogan Company, FT. Worth, TX. He was responsible for ball and club development, operations, patents, trademarks and assisted with general management issues. In 1993 to the present John founded Naples Golf Co., Noble Golf Company and was a consultant for On Mark Consulting. John served on the Board of Directors of the National Golf Foundation from 1979-1989 and was the Chairman from 1987 -1988. He holds 29 U.S. patents and 75 foreign patents. John was a life member of Descendants of Whaling Masters, Inc. He was a direct descendant of Capt. John Maxfield Tinkham, of the Whaleship Bark Charles W. Morgan.
John is also survived by his daughter Nancy Ellen Thompson and her husband John of Clinton, MA, his grandson: Jason R. Ryan, his great grandchildren: Benjamin, Jonah, Megan and Gabrielle. He was the father of the late Robert Evan Jepson and brother of the late Ellen McLeod. He was also survived by many loving relatives and friends.
John’s funeral Mass will be celebrated on Saturday, September 29, at 10:30 am in Saint Rita’s Church 113 Front Street Marion. Interment will be private. Visiting hours have been omitted. To leave a message of condolence for the family please visit www.warehamvillagefuneralhome.com In lieu of flowers memorial gifts may be made to Sippican Healthcare, C/O Ann Bishop Activities Dir. 15 Mill Street, Marion, MA 02538. Arrangements by Wareham Village Funeral Home 5 Center Wareham.
