Ed Jerome — an enduring legacy

0
Flowers and photos of Ed Jerome hang on the Derby headquarters in Edgartown in the days following his untimely death. – Gabrielle Mannino

It was a picture-perfect morning at Squibnocket Beach Saturday. There were families playing in the sand. Teens stood on nearby rocks and posed for “last splash of summer” photos. Several people surfed the modest waves. And out in front of Squibnocket Point, a lone fishermen made cast after cast after cast into the turbulent water — no doubt trying to land himself a weighable fish in this year’s Martha’s Vineyard Striped Bass and Bluefish Derby. (He was not alone; minutes before we passed two fishermen on the beach, one of them hauling a nice catch off the beach. Asked if the striper in hand was weigh-in-worthy, the man said, “No, but it is dinner-worthy.”)

Meanwhile, on the other side of the Island, friends and family were gathering at St. Elizabeth Church in Edgartown to say farewell to Ed Jerome, the Derby president whose sudden death from a heart attack while shellfishing continues to sadden those who knew him.

The outpouring of support in recent days for Jerome’s family, and his extended Derby family, has been what we’ve come to expect on the Island — loving, empathetic, and heartwarming.

“I’m kind of at a loss for words,” John Custer, principal of Tisbury School and a longtime friend of Jerome’s told us last week. “I’m very fortunate to have known him for a long time. He was a mentor in many, many ways, especially when I got into teaching. He’s the sole reason I joined the Derby committee. He was incredibly generous, witty, kind. He was a joy to be around. I’d like to think I learned a lot from him. It’s a big loss for the Island. Ed was second to my father in terms of influence on my life professionally and personally.”

There were similar stories about Jerome on the Derby’s Facebook page. Shortly after his death was announced on the page, there were more than 100 comments. There are now nearly 300 comments on that original thread, and there are several other posts on the page that mention his death.

“He did so much for our community through education, the Derby and just being Ed,” Paul Charles Brewer wrote. “Condolences to his family. I will miss you Ed.”

There were other comments about Jerome and his role as an educator and principal on the Island. “Ed, you were kind and supportive to my children while under your wing in elementary school,” wrote Elizabeth Bradley. “You took a chance on a fledgling teacher and changed my life for the better. Fair wind and following tides! Our hearts to his family.”

And there was this thoughtful comment from Anne Caldwell: “Nothing but sadness as our community loses a kind, generous and caring man who always had a smile or a hug ready. May it always be mid September for you Mr. Jerome! Prayers to all whose lives he touched.”

That so many Island fishermen and off-Island fishermen look forward to these five weeks every fall is a testament to what Ed Jerome and other Derby organizers have created. That you don’t even need to call it by its full name, simply the Derby, for people to understand what you’re talking about is a tribute to people like Ed Jerome. He didn’t invent the Derby, but he rescued it and made it what it is today — an event that people schedule their lives and life events around.

A lasting legacy is what we all hope for, isn’t it? We want to try to make the world a better place and leave it better than we found it.

Ed Jerome, based on the comments online and in just chatting with people in the community, certainly did that.

We lost a good one, too soon.