Town Column : West Tisbury
By Hermine Hull
Published: October 15, 2009
As I was sitting here working on my column, the telephone rang. It was Linda Hearn calling to tell me that Paula Black died earlier this morning (Monday, Oct. 12.) No one in West Tisbury was better known or more beloved. She was the face of the West Tisbury Library for the past 20 years, manning the circulation desk with effortless efficiency and good humor, a smile for everyone. Despite her reticence about her health, everyone knew Paula had cancer, and we all worried about her as she carried on. She loved her job. Its daily routines and responsibilities seemed to anchor her to the world, and we believed her when she said she was only taking a leave of absence. Her indomitable spirit made it seem possible. No one fought harder. My love and admiration for the love of her life, her husband Michael.
A very nice couple on bicycles appeared in our driveway this morning looking for the West Tisbury cemetery. Ruby Merry and her husband, Don Tincher, here on vacation from Viola, Wis., were searching for information about Ruby's Merry relatives and their history. I drove them over to Gossamer Gallery to meet Joan Merry, pointing out the cemetery and Debbie (Merry) Magnuson's home along the way. Joanie was her gracious self, and the two ladies were chatting happily as I left.
Betty and Bill Haynes spent last Sunday through Thursday on an off-Island jaunt to Block Island. They stayed at an old hotel and explored the little island, finding its rolling hills and cliffs reminiscent of Chilmark and Aquinnah. Betty said it was very quiet, even more so than our Island after Labor Day. Before coming home, they visited Foxwoods and Blithewold, entertaining in different ways. I have always been curious about Block Island and the famous topiaries at Blithewold. Betty made both places sound magical.
As Betty and Bill returned, their daughter, Janice, and her husband, Jeremiah Brown, were leaving town on their own trip, a celebration of their 10th wedding anniversary. They toured New Hampshire and Maine, seeing the sights and visiting friends.
Karen Overtoom and Louis DeGeoffroy have just returned from Montreal, where they enjoyed a brief getaway. Candy and Dennis DaRosa offered to stay with Olivia and Michelle for the few days their parents were gone. As Karen was telling me this story in the parking lot outside the Farmer's Market, she suddenly said, "Murphy is eating your flowers." I looked into the front seat of the car and there was Murphy eating, not my dahlias, but the Beth's Bakery baguette I had just bought from Douglas. Oh, the high cost of doing research for this column.
Tickets are on sale in town at Alley's and from members of the Minnesingers for Katie Mayhew and David Crohan's concert on November 7, 7:30 pm, at the Old Whaling Church. The $20 price includes a reception after the concert. Proceeds will benefit the Minnesingers' spring trip to Prague.
Talley and I were leaving Michelle Jasny's office last week as Peggy MacKenzie arrived with a cat carrier holding two adorable kittens, one black and white, the other a tabby. Brody and Nell (renamed Nelson after they realized he was a boy) are the newest members of the MacKenzie household. Peggy, Jared, Mariah, and Eamon are busy keeping ahead of their kittens, a most enjoyable occupation.
Joanne Scott will discuss "Managing Seasonal Affective Disorders" the latest in the library's Health and Wellness Series. The talk begins at 4 pm Saturday, Oct. 17. The library is also hosting a series of prose and poetry readings at 5:30 pm on Wednesday afternoons, through October. The Fall Reading Series is a collaboration with the Martha's Vineyard Writers Residency Program.
Children will be happy to know that new playground equipment has been installed behind the town hall. It was filled with kids all weekend. My investigative reporters in the field (all under 10) say it definitely fills the bill.
There will be a program and discussion at the Chilmark Community Center regarding commercial wind farms proposed offshore of Nomans and Cuttyhunk. Anyone interested is welcome to attend the 7 pm meeting.
Congratulations to Janaye Rooney, one of four students from the Cape and Islands accepted to the Cape Cod Symphony Orchestra's Master Class with violinist Lindsay Deutsch. Janaye performed the first movement of Mozart's G Major Violin Concerto at her first master class. She also plays the violin with the Falmouth Academy Orchestra.
Blue Cullen came up with the idea of an art scholarship in memory of Jacqueline Pimental, a friend who died on October 2. Jacqueline decided at age 50 to study art history at Harvard, and so she did. We all admired her "go for it" attitude and the excitement with which she embraced her studies. Memorial donations may be made to the Permanent Endowment for Martha's Vineyard, The Jacqueline Ann Pimental Art Scholarship, P.O. Box 1182, Oak Bluffs, MA 02557. You can read about Jacqueline's adventure in "Women on Fire," by Debbie Phillips.
