Free Child Speech and Language Development Workshop

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Are you wondering about a child’s delayed speech? Concerned that others can’t understand your child? Does your child have poor play or social skills? These and other questions will be explored at the Mattapoisett Free Public Library on Wednesday, June 22 from 6:30 to 7:30 pm by speech and language professionals Lisa Yauch-Caden and Christine Botelho of Buzzards Bay Speech Therapy.

The free workshop for parents and grandparents will review typical developmental milestones for children ages 0-5. It will also provide tips and techniques to promote healthy speech and language development for children of any age. Participants are encouraged to bring their questions and concerns.

Registration is required by June 21. Call the library at 508-758-4171 or email Children’s Librarian Linda Burke at lburke@sailsinc.org to register or inquire about childcare. The library is located at 7 Barstow Street in Mattapoisett village.

Work Dogs Strut Their Stuff in Rochester

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Sitz! Fuss! Fass! When members of the SouthCoast Working Dog Club tell their dogs to sit, heel, and attack, they don’t have to tell them twice.

The club, based out of Rochester, holds a number of Schutzhund Trial and Conformation Shows at the Rochester Country Fairgrounds every year, and the Spring Trial and competition took place this past weekend on May 27-29.

Schutzhund means “protection dog” in German, a language all the different breeds of dogs belonging to Schutzhund training enthusiasts understand.

Schutzhund training is a sport that focuses on the development and evaluation of the traits in dogs that make them true working dogs, whether it is in tracking, obedience, or protection.

The sport was developed in Germany in the early 1900s as a suitability test originally for German Shepherds and was used to determine if the dog had what it takes in terms of traits and characteristics to make it a good working dog. Today, a number of different types of so-called working dog breeds– German Shepherds, Dobermans, Rottweilers, Belgian Malinois, American Bulldogs, and even mixes of the many various breeds – can participate.

The SouthCoast Working Dog Club meets year-round, said the club’s Training Director Mario Gomes.

“We get together and train our dogs,” he said on Friday, May 27. “It’s a hobby. It’s more than a hobby. It’s an addiction.”

The club, which began in Rochester two years ago, currently has 18 members and a total of about 20 dogs involved in the local program. Before being allowed to enter, the dogs are tested to see if they would be suitable for a specific area, and one year later they are considered for approval during one of the trials, like the one held that weekend.

During the trial, the dogs must pass through three levels, starting with the basic level: temperament.

“Not too aggressive, not too shy,” said Gomes.

Schutzhund is an international sport. Even one of the judges present that day was from Austria.

“A few dogs are trying to get to Nationals and to get to Nationals you need 270 points out of 300,” said Gomes. “I got second place in the Nationals,” he said, which took place this year in Illinois.

Gomes’ German Shepherd “Caribou” will now represent the United States at the World Championship in Slovenia this coming September.

To learn more, or to find out if perhaps Fido might make a good Schutzhund dog, email Mario Gomes at maringaland@gmail.com, or visit the SouthCoast Working Dog Club at www.southcoastwdc.com.

By Jean Perry

 

Therese Carroll Gannon

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Therese Carroll Gannon died on May 17th, 2016 at age 82 in St. Simon’s Island, GA, of pneumonia. Known as Terry, she was born in Worcester, MA, on October 5th, 1933 to Elizabeth and David Carroll.

Terry is survived by her brothers Shaun Carroll and Kevin Carroll; their spouses Sandee and Lucy; her sister-in-law Sue Gannon; her two children John Gannon and Julie Ritchie; their spouses Mary Gannon and Jay Ritchie; and her grandchildren John Gannon, Nicholas Gannon, Lela Gannon, and Griffin Ritchie.

Terry was predeceased by her husband John “Jack” Gannon and her brother David Carroll.

Terry lived her early life in Laconia, NH, where she loved summer camp and winter sports. Terry was an avid skier who raced on many New Hampshire slopes including Tuckerman Ravine. Later in life, Terry was known for her gracefully carved turns.

Early in her career, Terry moved to New York City and met Jack on a summer weekend at a beach house. They were soon married and off on a honeymoon to Europe. Terry loved to tell stories about that trip; she and Jack really got to know each other as he drove them along the cliffs of Majorca.

Terry also met her lifelong friend Elizabeth Griffin in New York. “Aunt Elizabeth” was a regular presence at many Gannon holidays and family events.
“Soon after marriage Jack and Terry headed to upstate New York where John was born. A couple of years later they moved to Mattapoisett, MA, just before Julie’s birth.”

In 1976, frustrated by her inability to find quality toys for her children, Terry founded The Toy Box. Not many women were starting businesses in 1976, but Terry believed that the children of Southeastern Massachusetts needed better toys; she was determined to provide them.

Terry worked in the toy industry from 1976 until shortly before her death. In 2013, Terry received a lifetime achievement award from the American Specialty Retail Association for her work at the Toy Box and The Good Toy Group, an organization she helped found and led for many years with her business partner Idanna Smith.

Terry was an energetic traveler and devoted grandmother who loved to attend family events. She never hesitated to visit her grandchildren for holidays, performances, games, and graduations. Right up to her last weeks, she was planning family trips to Massachusetts, Texas, and Alaska. After 32 years in Mattapoisett, Terry and Jack moved to South Dartmouth, MA, and then St. Simon’s Island, GA. Terry loved living on St. Simon’s and had many friends on the island. Well into her 70s, Terry picked up golf and played frequently with “The Nine-Holers”. She also enjoyed playing bridge with Sue and attending weekly New England Patriots parties each Fall.

Terry’s final move was to Marsh’s Edge on St. Simon’s, where she found many new friends and activities. In typical Terry fashion, she decided herself to make the move, negotiated the purchase, sold her house, and moved across the island to her new home. Terry loved Marsh’s Edge – we are all saddened that she did not get to live there for long.

Terry lived with Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia and underwent experimental treatments that extended her life for 7 fully-active years. She elected to be a part of a clinical drug trial that has already positively impacted others’ lives.

The family asks in lieu of flowers to please consider a donation to Hospice of the Golden Isles, 1692 Glynco Pkwy, Brunswick, GA 31525. This organization is extremely important to our family and there are not enough words to express our gratitude to Hospice of the Golden Isles.

Her Funeral Mass will be celebrated on Friday, July 8th, 2016 at 10 AM at St. Anthony’s Church, Mattapoisett. Burial will follow in St. Anthony’s Cemetery. Visiting hours are omitted. Arrangements are with the Saunders-Dwyer Mattapoisett Home for Funerals, 50 County Rd., Route 6, Mattapoisett. For directions and guestbook, please visit www.saundersdwyer.com.

ORRJHS Students of the Month

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Kevin T. Brogioli, Principal of Old Rochester Regional Junior High School, announces the following Students of the Month for April 2016.

Green Team: Connor Hayes & Lilah Gendreau

Orange Team: John Meehan, III & Natalie Nilson

Blue Team: Jayce Kouta & Kayli Viera

Red Team: James Houck & Sophie Lynch

Purple Team: Bailey Tieu & Lindsay Holick

Special Areas: Peter Murray & Rachael Fantoni

Rising Seas: We Need to Prepare

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Sea-level rise is a clear symptom of human-caused climate change. But why is it happening and what can we do to prepare for it? Come to an evening discussion with two of our local experts to learn about this increasing threat to our coastal infrastructure and properties. “Marion’s Future: Preparing for Climate Change” will be held at the Beverly Yacht Club, 99 Water Street in Marion, at 5:30 pm on Monday, June 13. The event is free of charge and open to the public, but you must register as space is limited: www.MarionInstitute.org/climate.

The America Visits Mattapoisett

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To the delight of several dozen people, a replica of the historic sailing vessel America pulled up to Mattapoisett’s Long Wharf on May 31. People patiently waited for a local fuel supplier to pump over 1,200 gallons of diesel fuel into the massive sailing vessel’s tanks, after which tours were conducted below deck by the ship’s captain and owner Troy Sears of San Diego.

On the wharf, people spoke enthusiastically about the beauty of the 138-foot double-mast yacht. Gale Broderwick of Rochester, a former Mariner Girl Scout from decades ago, said that seeing the ship reminded her of her sailing days aboard the schooner Brigadoon Yankee. Of today’s events she said, “Suddenly the fog lifted and there she was!”

Descending down the steps of the America into the below deck spaces, one found a rich interior décor of varnished wood and thick leather couches. Bunks were double sized and stainless steel sparkled. The walls of the common room were graced by many half-hull sculptures.

Sears said that his mission is to give young people the opportunity to experience classic sailing and “to reach a younger audience about the America’s Cup races.”

The original America won the first America’s Cup race in 1851.

Sears and his business partners purchased the America in 2006 as part of their fleet of touring vessels primarily used in San Diego for special events and whale watching tours.

Sears said that he came to Mattapoisett as part of an east coast tour that included stops in Marion, MA, Newport, RI, Bar Harbor, ME, and Galveston, TX.

The current crew of six – hailing not only from San Diego, but also from Alaska and San Francisco – began their journey in April coming eastward by way of the Panama Canal. They will return to San Diego sometime in June 2017. The ship and crew will participate in promotional activities associated with the America’s Cup and Newport to Bermuda races and reach 100 ports of call on the east coast.

Sears said, “There’s a generational shift in sailing,” and noted that tradition leans toward overcoming navigational challenges while younger sailors look for speed.

Regarding the history of boats such as the America, Sears said that the original America was built to showcase American “superiority in naval architecture.” In 1851, that boat sailed across the Atlantic to participate in the World’s Fair in London.

He said that the original America serviced in the Civil War, but by 1942, it was abandoned and rotting and subsequently crushed when a roof caved in on it during a winter storm. In 1995, the current yacht was built for a private owner.

During his presentation, Sears shared that the word yacht meant “a boat for fun” in the world beyond the USA. He said that only here was it a term that seemed to separate the “haves and the have-nots” of society. Sears told the youngest in the group that he began sailing at the age of 9. He urged them to continue and noted, “Sailing will teach you self-reliance and confidence.”

By Marilou Newell

Community Blood Drive

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Miss SouthCoast, Jillian Zucco, will host a community blood drive with the American Red Cross on Monday, June 6 from 1:00 to 6:00 pm at St. Anthony’s Church hall at 22 Barstow Street in Mattapoisett.

As a licensed EMT and recent graduate of UMASS Dartmouth’s Nursing program, Ms. Zucco is committed to strengthening our community and helping to meet hospital and patient needs through blood donations. “This blood drive is way of providing community members an opportunity to make a difference in the lives of others. The short amount of time it takes to donate can mean a lifetime to a patient in critical need.”

Blood is a perishable product that can only come from volunteer blood donors. With someone in the U.S. needing blood every two seconds, blood products must be constantly replenished, according to the Red Cross.

“We urge eligible donors to join us in the selfless act of giving blood. There’s no better feeling than knowing that your blood donation may give someone a second chance at life.”

Donors with all blood types are needed, especially those with type O negative, A negative or B negative. O negative is the universal blood type that can be safely transfused to anyone and is often used to treat trauma patients.

While walk-ins are welcome, it is recommended to schedule an appointment by calling 1-800-RED CROSS (733-27670) or by signing up online at redcrossblood.org and searching by zip code 02739.

All presenting donors on June 6 will receive a Free YMCA Day Pass and Joiners Fee Waiver.

As a local titleholder in the Miss America system, Ms. Zucco’s personal platform is entitled, “Choose A Cause, Make A Difference” – a charge to others to share their time, skills and talents for the betterment of others. She has been living by her core values of giving back to her community since she was very young, averaging over 750 hours annually, volunteering and coordinating community events that raise funds and public awareness for worthy causes throughout the southcoast.

If you cannot donate blood, consider making a tax deductible contribution to Boston Children’s Hospital through the Children’s Miracle Network on her donation page: http://www.missamericaforkids.org/Donate/JillianZucco.

Empire on Trial

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The Sippican Historical Society will hold its Annual Meeting on Thursday, June 9 at 7:00 pm at the Marion Music Hall. Caroline Elkins – Pulitzer Prize recipient, Professor of African History at Harvard University and long-time Marion summer resident – will present a lecture, “Empire on Trial.” Professor Elkins’s first book, Imperial Reckoning: The Untold Story of Britain’s Gulag in Kenya, was awarded the 2006 Pulitzer Prize for General Non-Fiction. In her work, she jettisons the notion that the history of the British Empire was one of glory that defined the magnanimous nature of Western civilization. Rather, she systematically outlines how British colonial rule was built upon violence, torture and repeated cover-ups.

Drawing upon Professor Elkins’s revisionist history, elderly Kenyans tortured during the Mau Mau rebellion in the 1950s sued for reparations from the British government almost 50 years later. Filed in the High Court of London in 2009, the case was the first of its kind against the former British Empire. Four years later, the British government settled the matter, formally apologizing for its colonial crimes in Kenya and awarding some £20 million in reparations. Professor Elkins was expert witness for the claimants throughout the case. She was also instrumental in obtaining the claimants’ settlement and in facilitating the initial processes of healing for both nations. Revisionist scholarship and human rights law finally came together with great effect.

The lecture will be illustrated with PowerPoint slides and is free and open to the public.

Town to Continue with VFW Tradition

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Every Memorial Day since 1932, the Benjamin D. Cushing VFW Post 2425 members have led groups of scouts and residents to the cemeteries in Marion to plant flowers at all the graves of departed veterans.

This year, with its truckloads of red geraniums and Boy and Girl Scouts scampering across the Evergreen Cemetery, was no different than prior years – except perhaps for the heaviness of hearts of some of the few remaining members of VFW Post 2425 which, by this time next year, will likely be dissolved.

The community, though, as well as the Marion Recreation Department and the Marion Firefighters’ Association, stepped up this year to show their support for the VFW, its tradition, and the memory of our fallen heroes, and they have pledged to carry out the tradition in the coming years so that each veteran’s grave has a flag and a flower every Memorial Day.

“This is a big turnout,” said Donna Hemphill, assisting Selectman and Director of Recreation Jody Dickerson with the task. Hemphill has been participating in the tradition with her daughters for some years now. “It’s important, especially now with the VFW closing. It’s sad. I feel it’s important to continue on and make sure my girls know that it’s important.”

The participants wasted no time in mobilizing their groups with flats of geraniums, dashing off in every direction seeking out the gravesites still without a flower. DPW workers followed up by putting the flowers in the ground and making sure they were watered.

Girl Scout Emma Peterson and her mother carefully placed the red flowers at each grave along their path, one after the next, and paused to reflect on the tradition.

“It’s important to support our veterans,” said Peterson.

VFW Post 2425 is one of the few posts that goes beyond the placement of flags at the graves and plants flowers, said VFW member Demi Barros.

This day of planting flowers, said Barros, has always been a day he looked forward to. Looking to fellow VFW member Rodney Hunt, Barros said the two of them had known many VFW Post 2425 members since 1967, and also before that as a Cub Scout himself participating in the tradition.

“Thirty years ago, I remember they had 40, 50 guys strong,” said Hunt. “Now we’ve got to do everything just to get ten.”

Modern-day vets, said Hunt, return sometimes from two or three deployments to Iraq or Afghanistan and when they come home, they struggle to put their lives back together, not so much thinking about joining the local VFW.

“The VFW means a lot to me and I hate to see the situation,” said Barros. “We’re just not getting any new members.”

Barros took note of the high participation this year and took a moment to thank the town for stepping up to continue the VFW tradition.

“This means a lot to us because, for the VFW, it may be our last year to memorialize the veterans who paid the supreme sacrifice,” said Barros. “But the Marion Firefighters’ Association with the Marion Rec, with Jody Dickerson and Donna Hemphill, are going to take over and the whole Memorial Day services.”

Dickerson took a look around at the cemetery grounds at the turnout, which was higher this year than last year, and simply stated, ““I think it’s awesome.”

“After all the years that the VFW has done this, it’s important to keep it going,” said Dickerson.

By Jean Perry

 

Michael D. Heath

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Michael D. Heath died on May 30, 2016 after a long struggle with coronary disease. He was predeceased by his parents, George D. and Ruth L. Heath of Mattapoisett and his sister, Cheryl Marcosa of No.Fort Myers, FL. He is survived by his brother Stephen and his wife, Meredith, of Marion, his sister Rebecca Bacon and her husband Glenn and family of St. Petersburg, Fl, his brother in law Philip Marcosa and family; the love of his life and partner Susan Dwyer and her children: Alex, Anna, Sarah, Zack, Jana, and their loving dogs Shadow and Max of New Bedford. Michael served in the US Army and worked previously at Rodney Metals of New Bedford. He loved growing up and living in Mattapoisett. He remembered knowing nearly everyone in town back then and leaving doors unlocked, very different from New Bedford. His loves were camping and canoeing in northern New England with his brother and friends, fishing, and sharing the love of camping with his stepchildren in Myles Standish State Forest more recently.