At Chester College: 'Listen to your hearts'

A future so bright she has to wear shades: Vanessa LaBaoy of Connecticut heads into the Stockbridge Theatre auditorium Saturday morning, where she and the other 37 Chester College graduates would receive their diplomas.

By CAROL ROBIDOUX

News Correspondent

CHESTER -- As intimate gatherings go, there are few college commencements that cut to the chase quite like that of Chester College.
Saturday, 38 graduates sat front and center at Stockbridge Theatre as guests of honor for their 2011 commencement ceremony, marking the end of their undergraduate experience.
As Chester College President Robert Baines would quickly tell you, despite their numbers, Chester is about the quality, not the quantity, of its graduates.
In his opening remarks, Baines reflected on words spoken during last year’s University of Utah commencement by that state’s former governor, Jon Huntsman Jr.
Baines said Huntsman’s words, which bore repeating, implored graduates to do five things.
“Find yourself. Find a cause. Face failure. Find someone to love. And find meaning in your life,” said Baines.
He said finding their way to Chester was the first step, as it attracts students who have set their hearts on a career involving the pursuit of their right-brained gifts. 

“As artists, writers and thinkers, you’re well on your way to finding yourselves,” Baines said. 

Blaine Fisher, Student Life Coordinator for Chester College, leadsSide B,
 the college's newly established choir, in singing the National Anthem
during the commencement ceremony

The small, creative liberal arts college each year sends its graduates out into the world with a body of work they have produced in one of several disciplines, including photography, graphic design, poetry, literature, professional writing and mixed media.
Part of the commencement celebration includes a multimedia presentation, “The Creative Endeavors of the Class of 2011,” which showcases the work of each of the 38 graduates on a large screen in the front of the auditorium.
Another highlight, and new this year, was a performance of the National Anthem by the newly formed Chester College choir, Side B, led by Student Life Coordinator Blaine Fisher. As Baines introduced the choir he said, like most everything that has developed organically from the interests of the student body, the choir was the result of someone with a good idea who saw a need, and a way, and then made it happen.
Baines reminded graduates that while this day marked the end of their education at Chester, it also marked the beginning of whatever comes next.
“It’s up to you to continue to listen to your hearts, and wake up every day with a profound sense of purpose — and a bounce in your step,” Baines said.

Derry Firefighters test endurance

Derry Firefighter/EMT Steve Davis extends
150 feet of water-filled fire hose,
during theDerry FireDepartment’s annual
 endurance training exercises. 

With warmer weather approaching, Derry firefighters are again making sure they are ready for action – which includes being able to fight fires in sweltering heat wearing protective gear while lugging around heavy equipment.
Annual duration testing is a practice that helps firefighters determine how long their Self Contained Breath Apparatus (SCBA) air supply lasts while performing a course of simulated firefighting tasks. SCBA and thermal protective clothing have a combined weight of 55 pounds, which significantly adds to the work load of fighting a fire, according to Derry Fire Battalion Chief Jack Webb.
Testing rigors last week included climbing ladders, using sledge hammers, carrying equipment, dragging hose lines and involves upper body, lower body and core muscle groups, all while working at a pace and effort similar to an actual structure fire.
While performing these tasks firefighters are focused on proper breathing techniques, and must monitor their own air supply gauges.
Annual duration testing is part of the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) and the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) standards on Self Contained Breathing Apparatus. More importantly, Webb said, duration testing helps train firefighters on their limits and the limits of their SCBA.
“Firefighters who understand these limits are less likely to put themselves in situations where they become dangerously low on air and trapped while fighting building fires,” Webb said. -- By Carol Robidoux, Derry Correspondent

A COMMUNITY IN BLOOM

Lynne Goterch, left, and Barbara Estabrook discuss how the raised flower beds at the
Brookview Farm community garden have allowed Goterch to continue her hobby.

By CAROL ROBIDOUX
News Correspondent
DERRY -- Every gardener has a story to tell when the plots thicken at the town’s community gardens.
“This is my fourth season, and I’m right near the water this year, which is great,” said Jim Lang who, at 80, is happy to save a little wear and tear on his joints by only having to walk a couple of yards to the old red water pump.
“It’s enough work just to fight with the wind to get this tarp down,” Lang said, as he kneels to the ground to better position the last of a dozen large rocks he’s assembled on top of a black plastic sheet that will keep weeds from choking out his tomatoes and cucumbers.
Lang is grateful for his plot, where he grows mostly salad fixings. His yard at home is too shady to produce anything.
“I’m retired, and I love growing my own vegetables.It’s more natural, and it saves me a lot of money,” Lang said. Two plots over, Barbara Estabrook is strategizing. 

“I have a much better site this year. Maybe because I was new last year, and I’ve moved up on the list. I just asked, if possible, could I be a little closer to the middle, and here I am,” said Estabrook, who last year had one of the new plots closest to the meadow. 
“I’m sure a deer spent the night in my garden, and there was evidence of critters. The other advantage to being in one of the older plots is that all the big rocks are already gone, so I don’t have to spend as much time as I did last year digging them out of the dirt,” Estabrook said. 
Most of the plots are just squares of dirt. She’s one of the early birds — her chicken wire is wrapped around the wooden stakes, and seeds are germinating in the soil. “My strategy is to keep it as simple as possible. I put corn in the center, because it can tolerate drought, and so I only have to water around the sides, where I’ve planted pumpkin, watermelon and cantaloupe seeds, and over there is the butternut and Hubbard squash,” Estabrook said. 
She’s been tracking temperature fluctuations on the Weather Channel and feels the unseasonably warm climate will make for early sprouting. 
“And if not, it’s no big deal because my other goal was not to spend much money. The stakes and fence are from last year, and most of the seeds are seeds I saved from last year’s crops,” Estabrook said. “I think I spent no more than 5 dollars on watermelon seeds.” 
Estabrook gardened last year alongside her neighbor, Lynne Goterch. Halfway through the growing season, Goterch, who has mobility issues, found herself losing ground to weeds and shriveling sprouts. 
“My plot failed last year. I just couldn’t keep up,” said Goterch, 63. 
She uses a lime green, carved wood walking cane with a handle in the shape of a frog to help steady her legs, which wobble from the effects of multiple sclerosis. “It was a humbling experience for me, to not succeed. I’m as mentally healthy as anyone in the world, but my body doesn’t always cooperate.” 
Estrabrook knew there were some raised beds available off to the side, which were designed for gardeners with disabilities. 
“I think they were put in as part of an Eagle Scout project,” said Estabrook. 
Goterch and her husband, Jack, worked to clear the weeds that had overrun the area around the two beds last year, which sit high enough off the ground that Goterch can pluck the weeds from between her pole beans with ease. 
“The only drawback — and this isn’t a complaint — is that the water is way over there,” she said, pointing about 75 yards across the field, to where Jim Lang is still wrestling with his tarp. “So it is just easier for me to bring my own water jugs.” 
Estabrook said it would be a great project for a group of Scouts to pick up where they left off and figure out a way to make it easier to get water to the more remote plots. 
“It would also be nice if they could do something to make these raised beds even more accessible,” Estrabrook said, pointing out that there is a row of large rocks Goterch has trouble stepping over on her way to the beds if she approaches from the roadside. 
“Coming up from the parking lot, the hill is pretty steep. Maybe they could figure out some kind of a ramp, or bridge,” Estabrook said. 
Peg Kinsella is in charge of assigning the garden plots on behalf of the town’s Conservation Commission. The ground is part of the town owned Brookview Farms conservation area. She said there hasn’t been demand for the accessible plots, but if there were, she’d consider adding some. 
“We have 46 plots this year — as of right now there is one left, but I imagine it may be gone by tomorrow. I’ve had a few phone calls,” Kinsella said. 
Since she took charge five years ago, the number of plots has expanded along with interest in gardening. 
“We’ve actually had waiting lists, in fact, although Lynne is the only person who’s requested the raised beds so far,” Kinsella said. 
Goterch said as thrilled as she is to have the raised plots all to herself, she suspects there may be other gardeners out there — maybe someone who is disabled or uses a wheelchair to get around — who might like a shot at getting their hands dirty this growing season. “I’d give up my plots if someone else needed them,” she said. 
“Coming here to garden, for me, has nothing to do with saving money. I just love the idea of cultivating something,” Goterch said. “When you have a disability, you can either succumb to it or rise above it. Gardening helps me to rise above it.” 

A Mother's Day Gift Like No Other

NOTE TO READERS: This column has nothing to do with Derry, or even New Hampshire. But it expresses a universal truth about love and hope and Mother's Day. It was published in the May 8 edition of the Bucks County Courier Times, where freelance writer Carol Robidoux invested a dozen years of her life as a weekly columnist and full-time staff reporter. It's the collision of time and space and life, and underscores the importance of telling our stories, and making sure they are shared as we make our way in this world.

Enjoy.

Amy Marturana, left, and her mom, Joan, Sea Isle City, NJ, summer of 2010.

By CAROL ROBIDOUX

Special to the Bucks County Courier Times

Levittown, PA

"Is this Carol?" said the voice with the familiar Bucks County twang. "You used to write for the Courier?"

It was a man named Dave Marturana, of Newtown. He remembered me from my years writing a weekly column for this newspaper. He found me, long distance, in Manchester, NH, where I've been living and working for the past decade.

He had a story to tell me, and I'm still a sucker for a good story.

Occupational hazard.

"Do you remember writing something called 'Happy Birthday, my Beloved"?

I still had one eye on the TV as I sifted through my unreliable memory banks.

"Well, I wrote a lot of stories in my life, Dave," I said. "Can you give me a little more to go on?"
He said it was something I'd written on the occasion of my daughter's 21st birthday.

"That makes sense, because I have a daughter named Aimee, and Aimee means 'beloved' in French, so yeah, I'm sure I did write something like that," I said, moving into the kitchen for a quiet space.

"Right. I know that because I also have a daughter, Amy, only we spelled it differently," Dave said.

"When you wrote that story it really touched my wife. She cut it out and saved it so she could give it to our daughter on her 21st birthday. She said it really captured everything she felt about motherhood, and expressed all the things she wanted to say to our daughter when she turned 21."
I was really starting to like Dave.

"Aw, that's so cool," I said, still wondering why someone would travel across 10 years and 350 miles of airwaves to remind me that I have a way with words.

"In fact, our Amy is going to be 21 on Thursday," and as Dave went on, I did the mental math, concluding that I must have written that column back in 1997.

"My wife actually has the same birthday as our daughter. Unfortunately, she died a few months ago," said Dave, collapsing my ability to subtract in my head or wallow in the glory of my lingering fame as a memorable columnist for my hometown paper.

"Oh Dave, I'm so sorry," I heard myself saying, still not sure where we were going.

Then he explained how he'd come across the yellowed newspaper clipping in a box of stuff he had been sifting through, things left behind by the woman he'd married not long after meeting her back in 1981, on the job at Betz Laboratories. She was a lab technician and he was an engineer.

"I was going to throw it away. My wife was a real collector. But then I started reading it, and it was like, 'Oh my god, I remember when she cut this out, and why she cut it out. I have got to give it to Amy for her birthday. I've got to do what her mother intended to do with it ."

At this point Dave didn't really need to finish his story. My mind had already raced ahead. I knew exactly why he'd called me.

"My wife had also bought a birthday card ahead of time -- that was Joan -- and it was in the box, next to the clipping," said Dave.

I couldn't say anything. My heart was in my throat and tears were taking me over.

"Anyway, the reason I'm calling is just because I wanted you to know how much it meant to my wife, how much it means to me that, even though Joan can't be here for Amy's birthday, I have this to give her, a last gift from her mother."

Dave told me that in a couple days he was going to drive to Syracuse University, where his daughter is a journalism student, and hand deliver the card.

I learned that Joan Marturana was only 55 when she died on Valentine's Day, just two years after her cancer diagnosis. She also left behind a son, 23.

I thanked Dave again for finding me, and we hung up.

Now, I needed to know what it was that I had written about motherhood that was so important.

My own four kids are mostly grown now. Yet, after 34 years in the trenches, I still find myself questioning my ability to get it right.

I knew my old Courier Times clips were in a shoebox in the basement. Despite my disorganized attitude toward most everything, I had filed the little manila envelopes chronologically before stashing them, which made it easy to find the one marked September 1997.

I unfolded my own yellowed copy of the column that, turns out, was a letter to myself. I read it and cried again -- not just for Joan, but for all the moms still in the trenches, who are never quite sure if they're getting it right.

And so, with permission from my former editor, Pat Walker, I'm sharing Dave's story -- and that old column, which seems like a fitting Mother's Day tribute for Joan Marturana, who couldn't be here this year to soak up the love and gratitude from the family that must somehow find the strength to go on, without her:

Happy Birthday, My Beloved

If only I'd known then what I know now, I could've written myself this letter 21 years ago and saved myself a lot of guesswork, not to mention guilt:

September 12, 1976

Dear Carol:

It's a girl! But then, you knew she would be, somehow, didn't you?

First things first: Stop looking, because there's no owner's manual, no deposit, no return and no money-back guarantee.

But don't worry: You'll soon learn by experience that everyone else has advice for improving your mothering skills -- from how often you hold and feed her, to when to start solid food and introduce her to Mr. Potty. Ignore most of it. Remember, you're her one and only mother. In the end, you're the one she will thank or blame, no matter who steered you right or wrong.

PIck a name that seems to suit her. It should be meaningful and, hopefully, pay tribute to someone special in your life. Something like Aimee Jeanne -- Aimee because it means 'beloved;' Jeanne, for your sister who, with any luck, she will grow up to favor.

Now, let the fun begin with your first bonding moment.

Take her gently, apprehensively into your arms and size her up.

Make sure you hold her firmly by her fragile pink blanketed body and kiss her no less than 10 times, covering cheeks, mouth, nose and forehead thoroughly. She will instinctively root around for anything that feels like a food source. It's OK -- let her gorge herself on your chin. It's a phase that won't last long enough.

When no one's looking, check for digits -- 10 extraordinarily long fingers, 10 incredible toes. Then, take off all that hospital garb and open up that diaper. See for yourself what a full-bodied miracle looks like at close range.

This would be a good time to thank God for your perfect, wondrous child -- and let Him know He's officially on call until further notice.

The next year will be hectic. You'll spend most of your spare time informing your friends and relatives of how truly gifted she is. They'll want to know about all her firsts. First burp, first smile, first solid food, first saliva bubble, first unintelligible babble. Write everything down in her baby book. Believe it or not, you'll forget the particulars.

Also, you'll need no less than one roll of camera film per week. It's an expensive habit, but there's just no other way for you to capture every average, expressionless moment for posterity.

In two short years you'll learn the difference between spirited and spoiled. The definition of discipline will become suddenly, strangely ambiguous. She'll destroy every theory on child rearing you subscribed to in your childless years.

Fasten your seatbelt.

At 5 she'll impress you with her maturity on the first day of kindergarten. She'll baffle you a week later when she buries her head in your lap, begging you not to make her go back.

Make her go.

You'll cry through her first band concert, the melody of "Hot Cross Buns" barely recognizable above the din of squeaks, toots and misplaced quarter notes. But that's not what prompts your tears.

It's the way she's straining to find your face in the sea of parents. It's the self-satisfied smile she flashes during the roar of the crowd. it's the indelible song she's given you that will resonate on your heart strings for life.

And just when you think you're handling things pretty well, puberty strikes.

For the next five years nothing will look familiar, from her hairstyle to her bedroom decor.

Though you swore things would be different between your daughter and you, suddenly uncomfortably familiar one-liners are spilling forth from your gut. Once you catch your breath, you'll despise the sound of your words as much as you did the first time you heard them -- when your mother spoke them to adolescent you.

But you'll survive.

Go ahead -- enjoy her youthful spirit. Marvel as she overcomes the pain of growing -- her first romantic heartbreak, her bad hair days, her bad decision days, the days you wonder if she'll ever straighten up and fly right.

Then comes graduation. As your daughter walks the walk, clutching a delicate rosebud, you'll have trouble holding back your tears. It's everything -- the road you've traveled, the road ahead. It's more a beginning than an end -- and yet, it's not easy to watch her so ready to sprout wings and fly off, direction unknown.

All it not lost, though, because at 18 she's still your woman-child.

Out more than in, her phone messages pile up faster than her laundry.

Don't take it personally. Shes' just preparing you for adulthood.

Hers.

And 21 will come with no mercy.

Now, your job is done.

It's time for the final, selfless act of motherhood: Accept her for who she is. Forgive yourself for the things you could've done better. Love her unconditionally. Find the strength to gently, apprehensively, let her go.

Red's Town Turned Out

The casket of Chester Fire Chief Red Dolloff was taken to Great Hill Cemetery yesterday with an escort of firefighters, pulled in a horse-drawn wagon down Chester Street.

By CAROL ROBIDOUX
Union Leader Correspondent

Ben Clark holds a photo of himself
with Red Dolloff, circa 1989.

CHESTER -- IT WAS ONLY FITTING that the four main arteries leading into the heart of town were deliberately blocked yesterday for the horse-drawn wagon carrying Red Dolloff’s casket.
Two golden Belgians clopped their way up Chester Road, flanked by firefighters who walked slowly to the sound of harness chains jangling and feet marching in time, toward Great Hill Cemetery.
“The town will never be the same without him,” said resident Jackie Brown, one of the hundreds who turned out for Raymond Dolloff’s funeral Friday at Chester CongregationalChurch. To everyone he was simply “Red,” the longtime fire chief and town fixture, known for riding his backhoe to fires. Dolloff died at home Sunday. He was 75.
When the 911 went out Sunday for 18 Webster Lane, Chester Deputy Fire Chief Mike Willinsky answered the call.
“I wasn’t the only one. People just showed up when they saw there was something wrong at Red’s house — not just firefighters, but people from all over town,” Willinsky said.

Barbara Dolloff with funeral director Craig Peabody
telling her it's time to go to the cemetery.

Which was only fitting, since “Red” was the guy who was always there whenever anyone needed anything, Willinsky said. “Red had such a history here. He knew things. Addresses would confuse other guys, but if someone needed help at the first house past the old goat farm, Red knew just where to go,” Willinsky said.
He removed his uniform cap for a moment and turned it upside down. Tucked inside a clear plastic sleeve was a prayer card from Dolloff’s wake.
“Firefighter tradition, Willinsky said. “Talk to Ben. He has a photo in his pocket you might want to see,” said Willinsky.
Sure enough, Ben Clark, 22, reaches into his shirt pocket and pulls out an old photo of a boy in the driver’s seat of Engine 1. The man to his left, who’d lifted him up — who had spent his whole life lifting everyone in this town up — was Dolloff.
“I was 4 in this photo.
That’s when I knew what I wanted to do with my life,” said Clark, who has been a firefighter for five years.
“Before I was born there was a fire at my parents’ house.
They credit him with saving it, and they became great friends after that. I heard that story over and over growing up, and figured if someone could have that kind of impact on someone else’s life, then that’s what I wanted to do.
His wasn’t the only story of how a crusty old marshmallow of a man with a powerful work ethic invested his heart of gold in this town, making everyone richer for having known him.
“I was about 8 when we moved to town, and to the best of my knowledge, Red owned the town and the rest of us just lived in it,” said Matthew Camillieri, who spoke during Friday’s funeral service.
“The most important lesson I took away from Red was to always show up ready to work, whether you’re 8 or 28.
If you were gong to show up and stare at the hole he was digging, he had no use for you. If you got in there next to him and started digging, you’d get along just fine,” Camillieri said.
His widow, Barbara Dolloff, said she has been enveloped by family and friends since Sunday. She met her future husband in town shortly after he returned from a stint in the Army. They would have been married 50 years in July. On Friday she clutched two packs of tissues as she laughed and cried her way through the crowd. She felt as overwhelmed by the thought of saying a last goodbye to the love of her life as she was overjoyed at the countless stories and heartfelt remembrances being offered, like gifts, of her husband.
“I feel like I’m wrapped in a big blanket of love,” she said. “This is amazing, look at everyone here. There really is no word for what I’m feeling.” Firefighters from surrounding towns joined Chester’s firefighters in creating a solemn but fitting tribute to Chief Dolloff. A 40-foot American flag was hoisted from two ladder trucks across Route 102, and a committal ceremony at the cemetery brought a life well lived to a dignified close.
“By my accounts he was the Mayor of Chester. Red will forever be ingrained in so many parts of the town,” said Lorna Hazelton, during closing remarks at the funeral service. “I only hope we can make Red proud, and love and care for this town as much as he has.”

Marines Ship Out

By APRIL GUILMET
Union Leader Correspondent
LONDONDERRY -- Some were headed out for their fourth or fifth tour, while other members of the Bravo Company, 1st Battalion, 25th Marine Regiment, were saying their good-byes for the first time.
Though it’s never easy to deploy for a lengthy stint, members of the Londonderry- based Marine battalion had hundreds and hundreds of family members, friends, fellow veterans and local political leaders there to wish them safe travels and many happy returns.
A farewell ceremony at the Londonderry Armed Forces Reserve Center was held for the battalion’s 200 or so Marines — all being sent to Afghanistan for an estimated seven months.
It was standing room only in the main hall at the Reserve Center, where the room overflowed with pride, well wishes and more than a few tears.
Nashua resident John Panny, father of Lance Cpl. Josh Panny, 21, beamed with pride when faced with his son’s first deployment.
“His mother’s a lot more nervous than his dad is,” Panny said, his eyes never leaving his son’s. “This is something you try to prepare yourself for. You just want to wish them all Godspeed and try and give them the proper send-off they all deserve.”Outside, Lance Cpl. David Munn of Abington, Mass., stole a few last moments with his parents, grandparents, cousins and other relatives.
Munn’s grandparents, Ed and Diane O’Neil, drove to Londonderry from Intervale, over two hours away, to hug their first grandson before he left for what would be his first deployment.
“We wouldn’t have missed it,” Ed O’Neil said.
“We’re very proud of him today,” his wife added. “Because of our military, we are where we are right now.”
The group of deploying soldiers is from all over New England, with the majority based in Massachusetts and New Hampshire.
Comprised mostly of reservist Marines and sailors, active-duty personnel are also assigned to the 25th Marine Regiment to oversee training and assist with administrative and site support duties.
The Marines unit has been activated several times since 9/11: in January 2003, the battalion was activated in support of Operation Enduring Freedom. It was again activated in March 2006 for a seven-month stint in Iraq.
Members returned from another seven-month tour in April 2009.
Gov. John Lynch, who attended Thursday’s farewell ceremony, thanked both the soldiers and their families for their continued sacrifice to a greater cause.
Referring to last weekend’s successful mission against Osama bin Laden, Lynch was met with hearty applause when he thanked the Navy Seals, and other military members, for a job well done.
“Your mission is an important one since 9/11,” Lynch told the Marines. “And, as we all saw last Sunday, you and others in uniform are here to make the world a better, safer place.”
With that, Lynch reminded the military families not to hesitate to ask for help when needed, even half-jokingly offering his services as a babysitter.
“You can just call me,” he said and grinned.
Local legislators were unable to attend Thursday’s ceremony, with Congress in session, though offered their sentiments in the form of letters.
“Like those who’ve worn the uniform before, your efforts deserve the utmost appreciation,” Congressman Charles Bass said.
Retired Marine Al Baldasaro, a Republican state representative who also serves as chair of the Londonderry Veterans Committee, promised to fly his Marine flag on his front lawn in the unit’s absence.
“As a father who sent my own son over there last year, I know what you’re going through,” Baldasaro told the troops’ families.
“God bless you all,” he told his fellow Marines. “Now go, and give ‘em hell.”

An Evening With Honest Abe

Abraham Lincoln impersonator Steve Wood
of Claremont will be acting as the 16th President
 of the United States when the
Chester Historical Society presents
 “A Visit with Abe Lincoln,” May 9
at Stevens Memorial Hall in Chester. 

By CAROL ROBIDOUX 
Union Leader Correspondent
CHESTER -- Stephen Wood is what you might call a Lincoln savant.
Of course, he prefers “living history presenter.” Either way, when he takes the stage in his stovepipe hat sporting his moustache- impaired chin-curtain beard, there is no mistaking that you are in the presence of a guy who knows a lot about Lincoln — and not just because he looks and talks just like you’ve always imagined the real Abraham Lincoln would.Wood will admit that until about 15 years ago, when someone pointed out the resemblance, he’d never considered role playing America’s 16th president for pleasure.
But since then he’s thoroughly enjoyed taking his show on the road. On May 9 he will be doing one of several staged presentations from his arsenal of canned Lincoln material for an appreciative history-loving crowd at Stevens Memorial Hall in Chester. “What I’ve done pretty consistently for New Hampshire audiences is relating several anecdotes regarding Lincoln’s 1860 visit to the state following his Cooper Union address in New York City. It was a series of four stops in New Hampshire during his tour of New England during which he deliv­ered 11 speeches,” Wood said. After reciting the Gettysburg Address, Wood will follow up with a Q&A session, during which he will try not to slip back into character. 

“I don’t normally answer questions, at least consciously, responding as Abraham Lincoln. Obviously, there are some questions people could ask that only Abe would know. Or, for example, if you asked about Obama — or most anything in the present day — if I were to stay in character, all I could do is shake my head, since Abe isn’t from this time,” Wood said. 
He’s learned a lot about Abe along the way. For instance, most people don’t know that he was born and raised in Kentucky until he was 21, even though everyone knows Illinois as “the Land of Lincoln.” Or that his speaking voice was unusually high pitched — like a high tenor. 
“I’m guessing he discovered that in terms of public speaking, a high-pitched voice carried further,” Wood said. 
“The first time I was recruited to portray Lincoln in 1995 in Claremont, it was for a reenactment of the Lincoln-Douglas debates. I only found out later that I wasn’t historically correct — Lincoln was actually clean shaven until right after he was elected president,” Wood said. 
Sometimes his wife, Sharon Wood, joins him as Mary Todd Lincoln. 
“I only do Abe, but my wife also portrays several other historical characters,” said Wood, including magazine editor Sarah Josepha Hale, and as Betsey Phelps, mother of a Union soldier from Amherst who died at the Battle of Gettysburg. 
“Relatively speaking, I guess I do know more than most people know about Abe Lincoln. In terms of the times and issues of the day, my wife and I occasionally are reminded that, even though we’ve done a lot of research and reading and studying in order to respond to questions, we don’t always know all the answers, which means we need to do even more research,” Wood said. “But we also have to remind ourselves that not everybody has the level of interest in the Lincolns that we do.” 
“A Visit with Abraham Lincoln,” is May 9 at 7 p.m. at Stevens Memorial Hall, 1 Chester Road in Chester. The free program is presented by the Chester Historical Society in conjunction with a grant from the New Hampshire Humanities Council. For more information, contact Don Brown at 887-3842. 

MooreMart, Mack's join forces again

By APRIL GUILMET
Union Leader Correspondent
LONDONDERRY -- A regional organization dedicated to sharing the comforts of home with soldiers stationed overseas is hoping to fill a record 1,600 care packages in time for Independence Day this year — with a little help from a local apple orchard. 
MooreMart, a Nashua-based charity, will be accepting donations of care package items at Mack’s Apples up until next month’s shipment.
“We want to let as many people as possible know about it,” MooreMart team leader and Derry resident Emil Ouellette said this week.
This isn’t the first time the organization has worked so closely with Mack’s Apples. This past November, on Veterans Day, members of MooreMart honored orchard owner Andy Mack Jr., with an American flag once flown by Marines stationed in Afghanistan as well as the first ever “Golden Apple” award.
Earlier last fall, the Mammoth Road farm store was used as a drop-off point for residents wishing to donate items to be tucked into care packages for men and women serving in Iraq and Afghanistan.
And, this past September, Mack hosted a Military Appreciation Day at the orchard’s retail store, where veterans who’d served active duty were each given a complimentary bushel of apples. Mack said he plans on making the event an annual one.
MooreMart began its mission in 2004, when Nashua attorney Paul Moore’s brother was deployed in Iraq. Soon, Moore, a disabled veteran, and his family began sending care packages to the entire N.H. National Guard unit.
The project grew from there. Within two years, the family had sent more than 4,000 packages to troops overseas.
The name “MooreMart” reportedly came about when a soldier receiving his care package exclaimed, “This is even better than Walmart!”
Today, the organization receives donations from local veterans’ organizations, church groups, businesses and school groups.
The care packages are sent directly to individual units, where the unit commander doles them out equally among the soldiers.
“To date, we have sent tens of thousands of care packages to soldiers in Iraq, Afghanistan and those recovering in veterans hospitals back home,” Ouellette said.
More recently, MooreMart has expanded its mission to include local children in both Iraq and Afghanistan, collecting new school supplies, toys and outerwear for those living in villages that never had a school or where the schools were destroyed.
MooreMart also supplies sports equipment that is used by our troops and given to local residents and children.
Well-wishers are invited to gather at Mack’s Apples on June 16 and 17 to help assemble and ship the care packages in time for the Fourth of July.
The community is invited to decorate a brown gift bag no larger than 8-by-10-by-3 and fill it with requested items, along with red, white and blue-colored candies and other patriotic memorabilia.
Among the items that have proven most popular in the past are toothbrushes, toothpaste, dental floss, decks of playing cards, white athletic socks, one-pound bags of licorice, ramen noodle packages, boxes of candy (the type sold in movie theaters), Power Bars, granola bars, packaged trail mix, peanuts and beef jerky.
Cards, letters and financial donations for postage are also appreciated.
However, Ouellette stressed that sparklers and other fireworks cannot be accepted.
Items may be dropped off at Mack’s Apples anytime through June 16. Pickup of items may also be arranged by contacting Ouellette at Emilolet@aol.com.
For more information, visit www.mooremart.org. 

SOME WOUNDS NEVER HEAL

______________
WHAT BIN LADEN'S DEATH MEANS

Kelly Merchant, left, and Amy Boynton, right, of Walk A Mile In Their Boots,
hope that with bin Laden's death, more people will reach out to troops still fighting overseas.

'WE STILL HAVE TROOPS THERE'

For Kelly Merchant of Walk A Mile In Their Boots and others, the death of bin Laden is good news, but it doesn’t change the fact that America is still at war. 

By CAROL ROBIDOUX

Union Leader Correspondent

DERRY -- Kelly Merchant turned on her television Sunday night, as she does each night, with the intention of watching for just one hour.

In her world, TV is mostly a distraction.
But the news coming at her, that 9/11 terror mastermind Osama bin Laden had been killed by Navy SEALs in Pakistan, sucked her in.
“After that, I was waiting for President Obama to come on and give his speech,” said Merchant. “And honestly? I cried.”
Although personally happy to know that the man responsible for orchestrating the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, was finally taken out by American troops, Merchant found it difficult to watch the jubilation reflected initially on her television screen, of Americans reveling outside the White House and celebrating at Ground Zero in New York City. 

VFW POST 1617 Commander Gene Pawlik, left,
and fellow member Carl Starosciak.

“My personal reaction is that we still have troops there. It’s irrelevant who actually took him out — we have so many branches of the military that have shared in this mission,” said Merchant. “What I was struck by is that people are willing to cheer for our troops in front of the TV cameras or post their opinions on Facebook, but how many are putting action behind that reaction, and actually doing something to support these young men and women who won’t be coming home anytime soon.”
Last year Merchant and her friend and fellow mom, Amy Boynton, launched a nonprofit organization called Walk A Mile In Their Boots with a singular mission: to be a local support network for existing support networks. They are committed to helping local organizations that raise money for the troops by boosting their morale and fundraising efforts through renewed support, energy and resources. 
Since that time, Merchant’s son has enlisted in the Army Reserves and leaves for basic training this summer. He said he was going to serve, with or without her blessing. 
She and her husband are behind him 100 percent, but not without mixed emotions. 
“So obviously, what Amy and I are trying to do has become that much more personal for me. But let me tell you that since we started this last August, it’s been challenging to get people involved. We’re not blinded by the fact that we’re still in a tough economy, but even finding sponsors for our annual walk in October is frustrating,” Merchant said. “So yes, I’m glad Osama is gone. But let’s take care of our troops. They need us now more than ever.” 
She said she’s also heard many people say they expect bin Laden’s death to somehow hasten the return of American troops from overseas, something Merchant believes is premature. 
“It would be nice to have all our boots back on American soil, but I don’t see it happening any time soon. Osama bin Laden has too many followers for us to pull out that easily,” Merchant said. 
One organization that is solidly behind what Merchant and Boynton are trying to do is Derry VFW Post 1617. Commander Gene Pawlik said Monday there is still much more to be done to stop terror in its tracks. 

Bridget Watson and her son, Thomas Bergan.

“Are we happy he’s gone? Yup. Osama was the ringleader of 9/11. The thing is, it’s easier doing business with a known devil than an unknown devil,” said Pawlik, who served his country between 1955 and 1986. He retired following a two-year stint as an adviser to Saudi Arabian land forces. 
Pawlik said he was struck by the fact that the only condemnation of America’s actions had so far come from the leader of Hamas, in Gaza. 
“If there is going to be retribution from anyone, whether it’s Hamas or al-Qaida, then what? We retaliate back, and it just goes back and forth, and back and forth, forever? You can probably never win a war on terrorism, but you can mitigate it,” Pawlik said. “As for the whole bit about getting our troops out now, I’d ask this question: Do we still have troops in Germany? Do we still have troops in Korea? Do we think, somehow, this thing is going to be different?” Pawlik said. 
Derry resident Bridget Watson and her teenage son, Thomas Bergan, were cutting through the VFW parking lot on Monday afternoon, heading out for some fresh air and a snack. 

They had just heard about bin Laden’s death shortly before leaving home. 
“It’s still sinking in. I’m skeptical, actually. I found out when my 15-year-old stepdaughter texted me,” said Watson. “She said something in her text like, ‘bin Laden’s dead. He’s the one responsible for 911 & stuff. Yay.’ and she had some kind of smiley face after it. Yes, he was a monster, and I hope it’s true. I don’t know, I just feel like I need some better confirmation that it’s definite.” 
She said she isn’t sure what it will take to get over her skepticism. She feels like in the War on Terror, there has been a lot of misinformation and fumbled attempts at disseminating truth to the American public.
“Pictures? I’m not sure that will do it. I think it’s more the sense that, even though he’s gone, he had a bunch of followers, and they’re all still out there. It seems like they’re everywhere, and you just don’t know where they are or when they’ll attack,” Watson said. “You don’t feel quite safe. I mean, we didn’t expect 9/11, that’s for damn sure.” 
Her son, at 15, has lived most of his life in a world at war. 
“I know bin Laden is, like, a terrorist, and that he had something to do with 9/11. Honestly, I’m glad he’s gone. I’d like to see no more bombings. I’d like the fighting to stop,” said Bergan. 
All he really knows for sure about war is that it causes suffering — and loss. 
“My grandpa died in one of the wars, and I never got to meet him. So, yeah: War isn’t good,” he said. “I’d like it to be over now.” 

Fire officials: Brush fire danger high

By CHELSEY POLLOCK
Union Leader Correspondent
REGION -- Without snow on the ground or leaves on the trees to block the sun, local fire officials say conditions will be ideal for brush fires in the coming weeks.
“Right now everything’s drying up on the surface because there’s no leaves on the trees to stop the sunlight from hitting the forest bed,” said Derry Fire Battalion Chief Michael Gagnon. “Things haven’t really greened up yet, so as we go through the next few weeks and get some more rain, the fire danger starts to go down.” 
On Sunday, Derry firefighters responded to reports of a brush fire in the unoccupied land behind Walnut Hill Road and Adams Pond Road, said Gagnon. 
Firefighters spent about four hours putting out that fire, he said, ultimately using all-terrain vehicles from the Chester Fire Department to access the three to four acres involved in the fire several miles away from the main road. 
Gagnon said Sunday’s incident was this season’s first brush fire in Derry. 
Salem has seen several minor brush fires so far this year, including one at about 6 a.m. on Monday near Kimball Avenue, where flames affected a 30-foot-by-100foot area of brush and grass, said Salem fire Capt. Stephen McKenna on Monday. 
Working in firefighters’ favor is the fact that the deeper parts of the ground have yet to completely dry out, said McKenna. 
“It’s burning on top as opposed to burning deep down into the ground,” he said. “The top tends to dry out with the wind, whereas fire doesn’t get deep down yet because it’s still too wet.” 
In Londonderry, fire Capt. Fred Heinrich said the department has already seen seven brush fires, though most were minor. Last week, about four acres of grass caught fire off Pettengill Road in Londonderry, he said. 
“For the last couple we’ve had, it was most likely started from people having careless use of fire, either kids using fire for cooking or careless disposal of smoking materials,” said Heinrich. 
McKenna said brush or grass fires along Interstate 93 are usually caused by a cigarette tossed out the window of a passing car. 
Salem doesn’t issue burning permits during the day, unless it’s raining or there’s snow on the ground, said McKenna. At night, fire officials gauge current conditions and the state’s fire danger rating, and issue permits on a day-to-day basis. 
“Usually people are very good when they’re burning brush,” he said. “They have to have a garden hose and they have to be present while it’s burning, and people tend to be pretty good at that.” 
Londonderry issues two kinds of fire permits, said Heinrich: one for cooking over an open campfire and the other for burning brush. Brush permits are only allowed in Londonderry if there’s snow cover on the ground or if it is raining, he said. 
When state fire officials issue a low fire danger rating, of Class 1 or 2, Derry usually issues burning permits, said Gagnon. With a rating of 4 or 5, no one is allowed to burn, he said. 
On in-between days, like Monday at Class 3, the fire commander makes the call. Gagnon prohibited burning on Monday. 
“People just need to be aware of what they are doing,” said Gagnon. “If they are riding in a recreational vehicle, make sure there’s no dry vegetation around it. Make sure campfires are fully extinguished, and don’t throw cigarette butts out the window on the side of the road.” 
Heinrich said that the best advice for fire safety dates back to early childhood for most. 
“It’s nothing that everybody hasn’t always said to you — just be careful,” he said. 

Carnival coming to town for good cause

The Freak is one of 24 rides featured in the Fiesta Shows
 carnivalcoming to Derry May 12-15.

By CAROL ROBIDOUX
Union Leader Correspondent
DERRY -- If you like pink-sugar-coated sticky fingers and the way white powder from fried dough collects in the corner of your children’s smiles, then you will be glad to know the carnival is coming to town.
From May 12-15, Fiesta Shows will be set up at the corner of Manchester Road and Ashleigh Drive, at the site of the recently demolished Dave Allen Lincoln Mercury. The event is a fundraiser for the Upper Village Hall, which will collect a percentage of proceeds as the event’s sponsor. 

For more than 75 years, Seabrook-based Fiesta Shows has been entertaining families throughout New England. This is the first time they will set up in Derry with their fleet of 24 amusement rides and enough batter to feed a hungry town all the fried dough it can stomach, said John Flynn. He and his business partner, Gene Dean, are the second-generation of carnival impresarios to run the show. 
“To the best of my knowledge we’ve not been in Derry, but it’s going to be a great show — we’re bringing a new ride, the Freak Out, and another brand new ride from Germany, called the Vertigo. It’s guaranteed to make you sick — in a good way,” said Flynn. 
He and Dean inherited the family business from their fathers, Jack Flynn and Eugene Dean, who got their start just over the Massachusetts border at Salisbury Beach in 1935 as Dean & Flynn. In the 1960s, the two showmen bought Fiesta Shows and shaped it into a fun, family-friendly attraction, Flynn said. 
“Obviously, we’ll have a variety of thrilling rides for adults and children, and food — all the really good stuff, like fried dough and cotton candy, plus games and, we hope, a petting zoo for the kids,” Flynn said. 
Dave McPherson of East Derry Village Improvement Society, who is involved with the restoration and promotion of the hall, said EDVIS trustees were looking for a solid fundraiser to boost the hall’s fix-up fund. 
“We were thinking of doing something with Fiesta Shows in conjunction with Derryfest, when we found out they were actually available earlier in the spring as well, so the plan at this point is to see how this works out and, if it’s a success, we’ll bring it back during Derryfest,” McPherson said. 
Boomer Wolf LLC, the company that is developing the former car dealership site, agreed to donate the use of the property to the group. 
Flynn said the carnival is wrapping up a five-day run at JFK Ice Arena in Manchester. 
“We do a variety of fundraisers, from churches to parks and rec departments — the Upper Village Hall is a great cause, and we’re happy to work with them,” Flynn said. “With all the growth in Derry over the past 12 years, we see it as a great spot in terms of marketing.” 
For more information on Fiesta Shows, go to www.fiestashows.com. 

Derry's Shepard led the way into space

Alan Shepard all dressed up with someplace to go: space. COURTESY PHOTO

By CAROL ROBIDOUX
Union Leader Correspondent
DERRY -- On May 5, 1961, Alan B. Shepard Jr. got 15 minutes of rocket-fueled fame aboard the Freedom 7, becoming the first American in space.
Fifty years — and a lifetime of accomplishments — later, Shepard has more than earned his place in history as a pivotal pioneer who paved a path to space.In honor of that historic flight, there will be plenty of hoopla this week, both in his home state at the McAuliffe-Shepard Discovery Center in Concord and on Cape Canaveral in Florida, where an event is planned for Wednesday on the original space program launch pad, timed down to the minute to coincide with Shepard’s jettison into the history books.
On Wednesday, the U.S. Post Office will release a pair of stamps, one featuring Shepard and the Freedom 7, and the other depicting the Messenger, the first spacecraft to orbit Mercury. It is the first time Shepard has been honored with a postage stamp, despite countless other foreign postal tributes over the years. 

This actual teletype printout, one of many artifacts
 in the Derry History Museum, is how the news
 of Alan B. Shepard’s space flight was
disseminated to various news outlets on May 5, 1961.

Among the items on display at the
Derry History Museum: Shepard trading
 cards, a commemorative ashtray
and a pair of leather flight gloves
 actually worn by Shepard. 

None of it will rival the half-century of dedicated fervor that has kept Shepard’s legacy alive in Derry, affectionately known by its nickname, Space Town. 
From the Alan B. Shepard Jr. Post Office and Pinkerton Academy’s Shepard Auditorium, to the Derry History Museum’s dedicated Alan Shepard room, Shepard’s accomplishments are well-chronicled and frequently revisited here. 
Elementary school kids, as a matter of course, learn the details of Shepard’s launch into space. Pinkerton Academy students continue to learn about Shepard’s trajectory, from their alma mater to Annapolis to the pinnacle of space exploration, as NASA’s chosen one. 
“It’s hard to add anything to what’s already been said about our hero of Pinkerton Academy, Class of 1940,” said Dick Becker, a classmate of Shepard who still resides in the town where the two grew up. 
He rejects the notion that the weight of Shepard’s accomplishment as the first American in space may be losing some of its heft, as time and technology advance. 
“I look at it from a little different point of view. He is our hero. Nothing’s lost,” said Becker, who after graduation went on to eventually become executive vice president and general manager of the New Hampshire Union Leader. 
“The late William Loeb and I wanted him to run for governor of New Hampshire. Loeb looked upon Alan Shepard as a go-for-the-throat kind of engineering mind, which was just what we needed, in terms of leadership, at that time,” said Becker. “I’ve kept the letter, hand-written by Shepard, wherein he declined our offer for support if he ran. He very respectfully declined, saying that politics was not his bag.” 
Youthful enthusiasm 
From Shepard’s boyhood fascination with aviator Charles Lindbergh and his own quest to conquer gravity aboard a borrowed glider in a Derry hay field, to his 24-mile round trip bike commutes to Manchester Municipal Airport, where he learned to fly, Shepard’s one and only bag was pushing himself to excel, taking the quickest possible route to get to the top, and being the first one to arrive. 
In 2004, a biography of Shepard finally emerged, “Light This Candle: The Life and Times of Alan Shepard, America’s First Spaceman,” penned by Neal Thompson. The book is filled with information and remembrances that served to paint a more complete portrait of the man behind the astronaut legacy, a story previously untold. 
In the book, Shepard emerges as a driven, impatient, ambitious man’s man who, despite his human flaws, excelled at the thing he trained his whole life for. “Writing the book was tricky at first. It’s why it hadn’t been done before, because Alan Shepard kept reporters at a distance, and he didn’t let anyone get close enough to know the details of his life,” said Thompson, currently living and working in Washington state. 
Thompson, a former newspaper reporter, was first intrigued by the lack of information available about this American icon when, in 1998, he was tasked with fleshing out the details in Shepard’s obituary. Until his book, no other detailed Shepard biography existed. 
“Even after he passed away, people continued to be protective of him. They would say to me, ‘I don’t think Al would want me to talk about that.’ He wasn’t a self-promoter. He didn’t want that kind of attention, and he wanted to retain his privacy,” Thompson said. 
Eventually, Shepard’s space program peers, friends and family members would trust Thompson enough to share stories and anecdotes. But some of the richest pay dirt came from a trunk full of Shepard’s childhood artifacts, revealed to Thompson during a visit to Shepard’s childhood home on East Derry Road, currently owned by David Barka. 
“I got to look through an old steamer trunk that Shepard had left behind, which was jammed with private letters between Shepard and his soon-to-be wife, Louise, scrapbooks, school papers,” said Thompson. 
Strong family roots 
For the hometown crowd, there has always been great pride in the fact that Shepard was born inside that farmhouse in rural New Hampshire, the product of a union between Bart Shepard and Renza Emerson, both born of prominent New England families who were instrumental in helping shape the town over centuries, from business and agriculture, to the actual landscape. 
Juliana Shepard Jenkins, one of Shepard’s three daugh-ters, now lives in Texas and continues to work closely with the Mercury Seven Foundation, established in 1984 by her father and the six surviving astronauts who together were known as the “Mercury Seven.” 
Jenkins said growing up on naval bases where supersonic jets were the norm and astronauts were regular house guests meant she never feared for her father’s safety, exploring new terrain as a space cowboy. 
“It was a very normal family life, and from a childlike point of view, I always considered all the astronauts as typical men, which meant that to me every man was as smart as an astronaut. I didn’t know until much later that a lot of astronauts’ wives and children were fearful of the missions,” Jenkins said. 
Shepard walked on the moon during his second spaceflight as the commander of Apollo 14 from Jan. 31 to Feb. 9, 1971. During the mission, he had time to hit a couple of golf balls from the lunar surface. 
Jenkins said that even as NASA’s 25 years of shuttle missions wind down — the next one is scheduled to lift off on Monday — Jenkins believes it has never been more important for the United States to continue its exploration of space. 
“I took a private tour of NASA a few years ago, and they are prepared and ready. 
They want to go to the moon again, and from there, go to Mars. Right now we need the funding. I think it’s vitally important when you consider all the things NASA gave us, from all the medical apparatus to microwaves and Velcro — all the experiments they did has helped to make this country great,” said Jenkins. “Many other astronauts I’ve spoken to feel the same way, and I know it’s what dad would have wanted, too.”