ESSEX HERITAGE News
Happy Labor Day - CAN FALL BE FAR BEHIND?
Essex Heritage TAKES title to Bakers Island Lighthouse!
A very special event took place on
Wednesday, August 27 at the Bakers Island Light Station. The official transfer of the deed to the
Bakers Island Light Station from the US Coast Guard to Essex Heritage took
place that day.
Essex Happenings September 2014
As in past years, Essex Heritage will
be offering its signature event, Trails & Sails: Two Weekends of Walks and
Water. Explore Essex County's historic,
cultural and natural sites during the last two weekends of September by participating in 150+ FREE events
during Trails & Sails on September 19-21 & September 26-28.
Enjoy a variety of guided walks,
sails, historical tours and other adventures for all ages, skill levels and
interests. Get connected to the
spectacular places, history and heritage that define the Essex National
Heritage Area—the 34 cities and towns of Boston’s legendary North Shore. It’s
all free and it’s all located within Essex County including the communities of
Salem, Gloucester, Newburyport, Lawrence, Saugus and more.
Search the online event listing for
the most up to date event information and to find Trails & Sails events by
date, time, community, event title or description. Printed guides are also be
available to help you plot your course to adventure.
Log In or Register for Trails &
Sails to create your own customized itinerary by bookmarking your favorite
events! If you register, you’ll also receive email notifications if there is
any change to an event on your itinerary. Please remember, adding an event to
your itinerary is NOT A RESERVATION. Most events are available on a first-come,
first-served basis.
Regional News
COP-AA Administration
Tax Status
In the last couple of weeks, we have had our Articles of Organization
approved by the Massachusetts Secretary of State and now all of the paperwork
to declare COP-AA a tax exempt organization has been sent to the Federal
Internal Revenue for their approval. All
of this has been made possible through a grant from Eastern Bank. THANK YOU!
Web Site Development
There is little doubt that COP –AA needs a web site so that
both potential clients and those who wish to support our mission with financial
support have a way to communicate us.
Now through the generosity of the Center for Independent Living in Salem,
we are in the process of developing a web site.
Affiliations Developed
COP-AA is developing a relationship with North Shore Elder
Services that will invite a number of their members at a reduced price to
attend the concert sponsored by NSES at the North Shore Music Theatre on 9/21
starring Ronan Tynan.
Boys and Girls Club of greater Salem News
The following is a press release from
the Salem Club that serves so many youth in this region. It contains wonderful news about a relocation
of services to a middle school in Salem.
The club was in danger of being without a base of operations until this
opportunity developed.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Boys & Girls Club of Greater Salem moves to Collins Middle School
Salem, MA- August 19, 2014- The Boys & Girls Club of
Greater Salem is moving its main operation from Hawthorne Boulevard to the
Collins Middle School on Highland Avenue in time for the first day of school
this year. The Salem School Committee
approved the lease of some space, not used currently for academic purposes, to
the 145 year-old Salem institution at its meeting on Monday evening.
The Club has operated at 13 Hawthorne Boulevard since the mid
1980’s. Joanne Scott, Executive Director
says, “Our staff and Board members are extremely enthusiastic about this
opportunity to strengthen our collaboration with Salem Schools as our community
works to ensure academic success is within reach of all our children. Our Club
shares that mission with the schools and physically locating at Collins will
allow natural alliances to flourish in support of this mission.
Regarding leaving the Hawthorne Boulevard site, Scott says,
“We appreciate the support we received from the Immaculate Conception
parishioners throughout the lease of their building. It will be a bittersweet
departure since our kids have created many wonderful memories here. But it is time to create a new, enriched
future for our current members in the Middle School building. ”
The first day of school is quickly approaching but Doug
Bollen, Chief of Operations for the Club says that parents can depend on the
Club to be ready for their children at the new location. According to Bollen, “The vote was the
formality needed to make this move public.
In reality we have been preparing for it for several weeks and working
out details such as program location and transportation. Parents may rest assured that any child who
would have taken a Salem School bus to our Hawthorne site will be able to take
a school bus to our Collins site.”
Programs at Collins will include all the regular ones for
children ages 8 through 12; and those for youth ages 13 through 18. There will not be licensed child care at
Collins for children younger than 8 years old.
Children at Witchcraft Heights, Saltonstall and Horace Mann Elementary
Schools may still receive Boys & Girls Club licensed after-school care at
those schools. Children at Bates,
Bentley, Carlton and Bowditch who want a Boys & Girls Club licensed program
may be transported to Witchcraft Heights.
Looking ahead, Board President Holly Harris Feman says, “The
Boys & Girls Club Board of Directors is grateful to the Mayor and School
Committee for this generous and opportunity-rich experience for our youth. We will continue to be a positive and
dedicated partner to the Salem Public Schools during our stay at Collins and
into the future as we plan our permanent home.”
For more information about this new chapter in the Club’s
history, please visit our Facebook page, Boys & Girls Club of Greater Salem
or our website www.bgcgs.org; or call Doug Bollen at 978-744-0915
Saint John’s Prep to Install Final Beam in New Building
The work on the new educational
addition on the school’s campus continues and before the final beam in the
building is installed we were offered the chance to sign the beam. The building is moving towards completion for
a fall 2015 opening.
Massachusetts State Senator Appoints New Chief of Staff
Senator Joan Lovely who represents
Salem, Peabody, Beverly and Danvers at the State House has announced the
appointment of Grace Harrington, the daughter of the Town Manager of the Town
of Salisbuy, and former Mayor of Salem Neil Harrington as her Chief of Staff. She replaces Sam Gamer who is leaving the
post in this Fall after a very effective term to attend Cornell Law School.
Town of Danvers Cancels future Fireworks Presentation
Citing excessive costs associated
with the iconic and heavily-attended Family Festival event held over the July
holiday, the sensational displays will no longer be offered by the Danvers
organizers.
Annual Topsfield Fair Scheduled
It is never too early to make
attendance plans at one of the truly great family events in this or any other
county location. This year’s Topsfield
Fair will have its many entertaining activities and will be offered from
October 3 thru 13, 2014.
Summer Reading
My First Recommendation
During the summer I read a wonderful
long and detailed history of the life of Army General George C. Marshall who
served the US Army in numerous capacities for several decades during two major
wars and the reconstruction of Europe after World War II. Marshall was not a
graduate of West Point, which made his achievement that much greater. I do not want to recap the book or the
General’s life, but only want to report on how good the presentation was. The following is a brief history of his life
as presented on the internet.
George Catlett Marshall, Jr.
(December 31, 1880 – October 16, 1959) was an American soldier and statesman
famous for his leadership roles during World War II and the Cold War. He was
Chief of Staff of the United States Army, Secretary of State, and the third
Secretary of Defense. He was hailed as the "organizer of victory" by
Winston Churchill for his leadership of the Allied victory in World War II,
Marshall served as the United States Army Chief of Staff during the war and as
the chief military adviser to President Franklin D. Roosevelt.
During the First World War, he had
roles as a planner of both training and operations. He went to France in
mid-1917 as the director of training and planning for the 1st Infantry
Division. In mid-1918, he was posted to American Expeditionary Forces
headquarters, where he worked closely with his mentor General John J. Pershing
and was a key planner of American operations. He was instrumental in the planning
and coordination of the Meuse-Argonne Offensive, which contributed to the
defeat of the German Army on the Western Front.
World War II
As Chief of Staff, Marshall organized
the largest military expansion in U.S. history, inheriting an outmoded, poorly
equipped army of 189,000 men and, partly drawing from his experience teaching
and developing techniques of modern warfare as an instructor at the Army War
College, coordinated the large-scale expansion and modernization of the U.S.
Army. Though he had never actually led troops in combat, Marshall was a skilled
organizer with a talent for inspiring other officers. Many of the American
generals who were given top commands during the war were either picked or
recommended by Marshall, including Dwight D. Eisenhower, Jacob L. Devers,
George S. Patton, Terry de la Mesa Allen, Sr., Lloyd Fredendall, Leslie McNair,
Mark Wayne Clark and Omar Bradley.
In December 1945, President Harry
Truman sent Marshall to China to broker a coalition government between the
Nationalist allies under Generalissimo Chiang Kai-shek and Communists under Mao
Zedong. Marshall had no leverage over the Communists, but he threatened to
withdraw American aid essential to the Nationalists. Both sides rejected his
proposals and the Chinese Civil War escalated, with the Communists winning in
1949. His mission a failure, he returned to the United States in January
1947. Chiang Kai-shek and some historians later claimed that
cease-fire, under pressure of Marshall, saved the Communists from
defeat. As Secretary of State in 1947–48, Marshall seems to have
disagreed with strong opinions in The Pentagon and State department that
Chiang's success was vital to American interests, insisting that U.S. troops
not become involved
My Second Recommendation
I read a second book from the
bestseller list that I can recommend. It
is called Midnight in Europe and focused on the period between the two
world wars when Spain was fighting and Germany was expanding its reach.
I had read a best seller that remains
on the list today, called Unbroken about a former USC track star that became a
Japanese prisoner of war. I recently
read that after all of his trial as a prisoner he recently passed away after turning
the age of 100.
Other Personal Observations
Market Basket Dispute
As this is being prepared, It appears
that the very contentious discussions between the Board of Directors of Market
Basket food stores MAY be coming to a sensible end at last, and the numerous
patrons of the food store may be once again soon be again shopping at those
locations. One of the primary beneficiaries of the lack of activity at Market
Basket locations has been at local food stands all over Essex County and
Southern New Hampshire.
Granddaughter Kate Leonard to continue education in Worcester.
After four years at Danvers High
School Kate Leonard will start over the Labor Day Weekend at Assumption College
in Worcester where she indicates an interest in Marketing studies.
Grand Son Picked for Golf Team
Casey Leonard is one of three freshman
to be named to the Algonquin Regional High golf team.
