Tabor Academy Commencement

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On May 29, Tabor Academy celebrated its 139th Commencement Exercises. Tabor welcomed the former director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Robert S. Mueller III, as their commencement speaker and a member of the Tabor community.

Gathered on Tabor’s waterfront campus, 133 students, hailing from across the United States and ten foreign nations, received their diplomas surrounded by over 2,000 members of the school community – friends, family, faculty, and staff – who came together to celebrate this milestone in these young students’ lives.

With 30 cum laude inductees and 70% of the class going to a most- or highly-competitive school according to Barron’s Guide, including Brown, CAL Berkeley, Columbia, Dartmouth, Georgetown, Middlebury, MIT, Oberlin Conservatory, U.S. Naval Academy, University of Chicago, University of Michigan, and Williams College, the Class of 2017 is certainly an accomplished group.

Robert S. Mueller III, recently appointed special counsel by the Department of Justice and Tabor’s 2017 Commencement Speaker, told graduates to keep in mind four important principles as they begin their next steps: service, integrity, patience, and humility.

“We were honored to have Mr. Mueller as our commencement speaker this year,” said Tabor Academy Headmaster John Quirk. “His commendable career as a public servant sets a wonderful example for our seniors as we wish them well on their next adventures. The Class of 2017 is an incredible group of bright, young men and women, and I have the utmost confidence that they will make meaningful contributions in any path they so choose.”

Mueller was introduced by his granddaughter, a graduating cum laude senior. Director Mueller’s roots in Massachusetts reach back to his time in the Massachusetts U.S. Attorney’s Office, where he served as Acting U.S. Attorney for the District of Massachusetts from 1986 to 1987.

Mueller served as Director of the FBI from September 2001 to September 2013, under both Presidents Bush and Obama. He is the second longest serving FBI Director in history, after Director J. Edgar Hoover. In May, Director Mueller was appointed by Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein as special counsel, charged with leading the investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election and other related matters.

Lightning Strike at Tabor

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In the early morning hours, around 1:00 am on Friday, May 26, there was a lightning strike on the Tabor Academy campus that struck a roof peak on a faculty residence. There was a small fire to which the Marion Fire Department responded and extinguished quickly. There was some damage to the home, in which no students occupied. The family living in the residence was unharmed. We are grateful that no one was injured, and for the quick response and effectiveness of our local fire and police who were on the scene.

In a note to parents, John Quirk, Head of School shared, “I am grateful to report that there were no injuries. There was a small roof fire and there is some damage to the building. Though the house itself is not attached to any student dormitories, the surge of the strike did set off a number of fire alarms in other buildings and a number of dorms nearby. The Fire Department (which is only a hundred yards away from where the strike happened) responded quickly and professionally, as always, and our own Plant Operations staff were also on the scene quickly.”

Academic Achievements

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Abby Robinson of Rochester graduated from the University of New Hampshire during the commencement ceremony held Saturday, May 20, on the Durham, NH campus. He/she earned a BA degree in Communication.

Brenna Maloney, of Marion, majoring in public health, has made the President’s List at Coastal Carolina University for the spring 2017 semester.

To qualify for the President’s List for high academic achievement, students must earn a 4.0 grade point average and must be enrolled full time.

Curry College is pleased to announce that Conor Brown of Marion received a Bachelor of Science degree and Naomi Souza of Rochester received a Bachelor of Science degree on Sunday, May 21 at the commencement ceremony in Milton, Massachusetts.

Alzheimer’s Awareness Month

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To the Editor:

June is Brain and Alzheimer’s Awareness Month. If you believe it has nothing to do with you, you would be wrong. Over 5 million people have been diagnosed in the U.S. with Alzheimer’s. If we don’t find a cure, it is estimated by 2050 there will be 16 million diagnosed. There is no cure, no effective treatment, no prevention. Alzheimer’s is the 6th leading cause of death. Every 66 seconds someone else is diagnosed. One in three senior citizens dies with Alzheimer’s or another dementia. It is the most expensive illness to treat. Approximately 15 million Americans provide an estimated 18.2 billion hours of unpaid care for people with dementia. The majority of these caregivers are women.

How does this information affect you? You probably know someone who has been touched by this devastating disease. If you don’t, eventually you will. It may even touch you personally. What can you do to help? Join the Walk to End Alzheimer’s being held at Ft. Taber on September 23. Create a team of your own or join a team. Support the fundraising efforts of people you know. Offer to help a caregiver. As a former caregiver, I can not emphasize how much any support would mean to a caregiver. Taking care of someone with dementia is physically and emotionally exhausting. The financial burden is huge.

Contrary to popular belief, dementia is NOT an inevitable part of aging. Younger-onset Alzheimer’s and related dementias can be diagnosed as early as your 30s. Consider the impact on a family if someone is diagnosed at this age. Life is turned upside down. I have several friends who have felt the impact of younger-onset dementia. It is heartbreaking to see the toll it takes on a family.

During June, think about joining the fight. Wear purple to let others know you support the fight. You can join a team by going to the Alzheimer’s Association website or sign up June 6 (New Boston Bakery in Fall River), July 18 (Hangman Coffee Hut in Marion), or August 5 (Green Bean in New Bedford). As an advocate, I know how much your participation in whatever way possible means to this fight.

Respectfully submitted,

Barbara A. Meehan, Alzheimer’s Advocate

Mariner Youth Soccer Scholarship Applications

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The Mariner Youth Soccer Association, which has provided soccer instruction, skills clinics and both recreational and competitive soccer opportunities to children ages 4-18 in the communities of Fairhaven, Mattapoisett, Marion, Rochester and Acushnet for over 25 years, is pleased to announce that it will be offering four $500 scholarships to Mariner Youth Soccer Alumni this spring. Criteria are at a minimum: must be a high school senior living in one of the above listed communities and must have played for Mariner Youth Soccer for a minimum of 4 years. Scholarship deadline is June 15, 2017.

Applications can be downloaded from our website www.marineryouthsoccer.com or requested from angeladawicki@gmail.com.

Mattapoisett Democratic Town Committee

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The MDTC will conduct an election for officers at the Mattapoisett Library, 7 Barstow Street, from 10:15 am to 12:00 noon on Saturday, May 27. All current members of the Committee are urged to attend. If you are a Mattapoisett resident, registered as a Democrat and not yet a member of your Mattapoisett Democratic Town Committee but would like to be, come to the meeting. We will be swearing in new members. Questions? Contact mattdems@gmail.com.

MAC to Host Gayle Wells Mandle Exhibit

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The Marion Art Center is pleased to announce the upcoming opening of an exhibition of mixed media paintings, Breaking News, by artist Gayle Wells Mandle. From Friday, May 26 through Saturday, June 24, both of the Art Center’s galleries will be filled with works by the renowned artist. A reception in her honor will be held on Friday, May 26, at the Marion Art Center, from 6:00 to 8:00 pm. It is free and open to the public.

Mandle, who earned her MFA at Rhode Island School of Design and quickly launched many solo and group exhibitions throughout the United States, considers herself to be a storyteller. She feels a responsibility as an artist to draw attention to world events that affect our well-being, examining current affairs and global events through her artwork. Having recently returned from living several years in the Middle East, much of Mandle’s recent artwork has focused on human rights, social and economic inequality and environmental challenges. In her creative process, Mandle presents the story in each painting in a semi-abstract format, using mixed media, text and texture to support the narrative. She says, “While the canvas is like a megaphone for me, I choose to present the story in a more poetic format. The Eastern philosophy of balancing opposites appeals to my aesthetic sensibility. I work back and forth on my canvases from construction to deconstruction, adding my writing to partially erased thoughts, all the time planning, yet embracing spontaneity in the process. I use the reality depicted in my own photographs, juxtaposing them with abstractions that develop from torn textures and the energy of my brushstrokes. My process involves continual adding and editing, the story revealed and then partially veiled to engage in a ‘hide and seek dialogue’ with the observer.”

The Marion Art Center is located at 80 Pleasant Street in Marion, MA and is open to the public. Gallery hours are Tuesday through Friday from 1:00 to 5:00 pm and Saturday from 10:00 am to 2:00 pm. For more information, call 508-748-1266 or visit www.marionartcenter.org

Farmer’s Market Presents Preliminary Plan

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The Rochester Planning Board on May 23 held an informal meeting to review the preliminary specs of a new farmer’s market coming to Rochester.

Engineer Bill Madden, representing Greg Canning, gave the board a general sense of the proposal slated for the 60-acre property on Marion Road situated on the west side of Marion Road in front of the Great Bear cranberry bogs and across from The Pines.

A four-acre area of the property is planned for development, which is situated outside the 100-foot buffer zone of nearby wetlands, according to Madden, but the Conservation Commission will still review the project. The wetlands have been flagged, Madden said.

Madden requested a waiver for stormwater management, saying that Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection regulations would not apply; rather, the project would be better suited for a “country drainage” approach.

Natural depressions on the property would pond water and allow it to recharge into the ground, and the surrounding areas of the site would be crops.

“I think that the country drainage in this setting, which is really a fairly unique [one] … would work really well,” Madden said. “None of the runoff will leave this site.”

The roof runoff will be handled the same, with the water being directed and discharged out into the surrounding fields.

“The fields will be agricultural fields … so they’ll afford a different surface texture than your standard golf course,” said Madden. “It will find its way back into the ground.”

“What you’re saying makes sense,” said Chairman Arnie Johnson, “but we’ll let [the Town’s independent engineer Ken Motta] take a pass at it and see what he says.”

The board will refrain from granting the stormwater waiver until Motta has a chance to review the project.

The board set an escrow amount at $3,000 and an application fee for a Site Plan of $300 plus advertising.

Once the application is submitted, Johnson said the board would need about a week to review the project plus two weeks for advertising, so the public hearing would likely be scheduled for July 11, unless deadlines can be met in time for the June 27 meeting.

In other matters, the board met with representatives from Melink, developers of a solar farm on Snipatuit Road. Motta then gave the board his report on what he saw the last time he went to the site, reporting that some aspects of the project have not been done according to the plan.

Motta spotted areas of the access drive where pervious materials used for the road varied at different locations – reclaimed gravel, crushed concrete – a “mishmash” of inconsistent materials causing puddles and tire ruts. Some areas of grass seed still have not germinated, either.

The board reprimanded Melink representatives present that night, with board member Gary Florindo saying, “To me, this isn’t the first field that you’ve done, so you guys know what you got to get done…. Go over there and make it work.” He continued, “If you’ve done what you’re supposed to, then it should show.”

The board scheduled a site visit for June 3 to inspect the germination of the grass, and said the board still needed an as-built plan now that the trees have been planted.

The public hearing for Wellspring Farms of 42 Hiller Road was again continued until the next meeting at the request of the applicant.

Johnson said Borrego Solar has filed its Site Plan Review application and the public hearing should be scheduled for 27. The solar farm would be built at the corner of Rounseville Road and Mendell Road.

The board also voted to send a letter to Meadowatt, LLC after some deviations from the plan. The Route 105 solar farm is already online and generating energy, but some aspects of the maintenance and landscaping plan have not been followed, specifically including the creation of a wildflower field and some shoddy mulching around the site.

Planning Board member Ben Bailey said he finds Meadowatt’s work to be “blatantly disrespectful,” adding, “They’re treating us as though we’re ignorant.”

“We can in theory reopen the hearing, revoke his permit, and shut him down,” Johnson said. He added that it was “disgusting over there.”

Bailey made the motion, and town counsel was authorized to send a letter stating Meadowatt’s violations and giving the developer 10 working days to remedy the matter; otherwise, the board will reopen the public hearing.

The board welcomed new part-time Town Planner Steve Starrett, who will officially begin June 1 – just in time for the new solar farm project, said Johnson.

The next meeting of the Rochester Planning Board is scheduled for June 13 at 7:00 pm at the Rochester Town Hall.

Rochester Planning Board

By Jean Perry

 

Carolyn W. (Walsh) Donovan

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Carolyn W. (Walsh) Donovan, 78, formerly of Mattapoisett and Fairhaven peacefully passed away on Tuesday, May 25, 2017 at the Country Village Center in Lancaster, NH. She was the wife of the late Matthew J. Donovan, Jr., her loving husband of 32 years.

Carolyn was born in New Bedford on July 23, 1938 the daughter of the late William A. and Catherine Lillian (Sullivan) Walsh.

Carolyn worked for AT&T while raising her sons and then returned to school at Bridgewater State College to earn a degree in social work which she then used to work with abused women at The Women’s Center in New Bedford. After the passing of her late husband, she moved to Portland, Maine to be closer to her son Matt and grandson Gabriel. The last five years she has resided in New Hampshire near her son Brian his wife Jennifer and their son Jacob. As a child she had vacationed in New Hampshire with her family and later had a summer job working at Lost River, with her brother Dan Walsh.

Carolyn loved to travel, visiting places like Alaska, Ireland, Scotland and Italy, where she was blessed to meet the Pope. Deeply religious, she was a devout member of her congregation both at St. Joseph’s in Fairhaven and St. Rose of Lima in Littleton, NH. She loved her family, always putting them ahead of herself. She was a ball of spice and always had a smile on her face no matter what she did. \

She is survived by her two sons, Matthew III and Brian; two grandsons, Gabriel and Jacob; and several nieces and nephews.

Her Funeral will be held on Saturday, June 3, 2017 at 8 am from the Saunders-Dwyer Mattapoisett Home For Funerals, 50 County Rd. (Rt. 6), Mattapoisett, followed by her Funeral Mass at St. Joseph’s Church, Fairhaven, at 9 AM. Burial will be in Riverside Cemetery. Visiting hours will be on Friday, June 2, 2017 from 4-7 pm. For directions and guestbook, visit www.saundersdwyer.com.

24th Annual Buzzards Bay Swim

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Kick off your summer with a splash by swimming for clean water at the Buzzards Bay Coalition’s 24th annual Buzzards Bay Swim on Saturday, June 24. Swimmers can register now at www.savebuzzardsbay.org/swim.

With just over a month to go before the event, more than 260 swimmers from all over New England and the U.S. have already signed up for this 1.2-mile point-to-point open water swim across outer New Bedford Harbor, from the South End of New Bedford to Fort Phoenix State Reservation in Fairhaven. Swimmers of all levels ages 11 and up are welcome – if you can swim for 40-50 minutes continuously, you can complete the Buzzards Bay Swim!

At the celebratory finish line party, swimmers are greeted by a cheering crowd, finisher’s medal, live steel drum band, beer tent, free massages and pancakes cooked to order. Prizes will be awarded to individuals and teams for speed, fundraising and length of participation, including the new “Pukwudgie Award” for swimmers who have participated in 20 Buzzards Bay Swims.

All funds raised from the Buzzards Bay Swim support the Coalition’s work to protect clean water in communities across the region, from Little Compton to Woods Hole. Over the past 24 years, swimmers have collectively raised more than a million dollars to help improve the health of the Bay ecosystem for all. Registration is $25 with a $150 fundraising minimum (pay-or-raise).

As an added challenge this year, West Falmouth resident and 10-year Buzzards Bay Swim veteran Larry Fish has offered a $25,000 matching grant if 340 swimmers sign up and raise a total of $135,000.

Looking to learn more about the Swim before you sign up? Join the Coalition and open-water swimming experts from YMCA Southcoast for a free open water swim clinic at Fort Phoenix State Reservation on Saturday, June 10 at 9:00 am or Saturday, June 17 at noon. Attendees will get to see the course firsthand, ask questions about the event, and learn great tips from swim coaches and Buzzards Bay Swim participants.

For more information about the Buzzards Bay Swim or the free swim clinics, visit www.savebuzzardsbay.org/swim or contact the Coalition at 508-999-6363 ext. 207 or events@savebuzzardsbay.org.

The Waterkeeper Alliance SPLASH Buzzards Bay Swim to benefit Buzzards Baykeeper is also sponsored by Amica Insurance, Citizens Commercial Banking, YMCA Southcoast and Fiber Optic Center. For more information on the SPLASH Event Series, presented nationally by Toyota, please visit www.splashseries.org.