Fall is in the air. And on the calendar. We are still doing our best to hold onto summer, having spent a couple of hours at the beach on Saturday, but the beach season and swimming are fading fast. In their place are long shadows, changing leaves, and the sights and smells of apples, cinnamon, and pumpkin in the crisper air. I do enjoy fall very much, cozying up with warm drinks and sweaters or blankets to beat the chill. But I also know that winter follows closely on its heels, so I must start sitting in front of my sunshine lamp and take my vitamin D.
I simply cannot write this week’s column without writing about the sudden passing of Ed Jerome. What a man he was. He started as principal at the Edgartown School my eighth grade year, and I am certain that we put him through his paces, for no other reason than the fact that he was the “new principal.” But he never flinched, of course, as we were just a bunch of not-as-cool-as-we-thought preteens, and he went on to lead with great skill, cooperation, and respect for many years. He even served for a bit as an interim principal when Riley was in kindergarten, one of those amazing “full circle” events that happen in our lives so often on this little Island. Ed was a kind man who garnered great respect because he always gave great respect. He had an uncanny ability to work together with everyone, it seemed, and was a true leader no matter what group he worked with, be it in a school setting or with the Derby members. He will be greatly missed in this community, and I am grateful that I was lucky enough to know him. My deepest condolences to the Jerome family.
It has been a summer of love and a very successful breeding season for Island osprey. Vineyard numbers from the 21st annual osprey census show an excellent year. A record high of 100 active nests were observed. At these nests, early estimates show that 133 osprey young have fledged, again a record. In addition, there were at least four housekeeping pairs (adult birds that are seeking and beginning to build a nest, but did not complete the nest and lay eggs). With the adults, unpaired osprey, and fledglings, there were more than 327 osprey in the air over the Island.
The effort to count, monitor, and record osprey breeding success is a monumental task, considering that there are 223 total (active and inactive) osprey poles and nesting structures on the Vineyard. This is up from only a few nests in the early 1970s. Along with Osprey researcher Rob Bierregaard and lead monitor Dick Jennings, 41 citizen science volunteers from Felix Neck supported the efforts by monitoring one or more poles in their neighborhoods. Collectively, these volunteers logged more than 2,400 hours on this project.
“Islanders Read the Classics” is delighted to welcome back Philip Weinstein, the Alexander Griswold Cummins Professor of English Emeritus at Swarthmore College. Whether you’ve already read the works of Marcel Proust, or you aspire to begin your Proustian journey, this fall you have an opportunity to join other Vineyarders in reading Proust under the gentle and informed guidance of Philip Weinstein. If Proust is on your literary radar, you are encouraged to take advantage of this wonderful opportunity.
This course began on Wednesday, Sept. 26, and will continue to meet on Wednesdays through Dec. 12 at the Katharine Cornell Theater in Vineyard Haven at 7 pm. The course is free and open to the public. This “Islanders Read the Classics” series on Proust is sponsored by the Vineyard Haven Library, the M.V. Library Association, The MV Times, and MV Arts & Idea Magazine. To preregister, go to bit.ly/ProustLectures.
Walk. Give. Change the world. Join the 28th annual Martha’s Vineyard CROP Hunger Walk on Sunday, Oct. 14. The full six-mile walk will begin and end at St. Augustine’s Church in Vineyard Haven, with a halfway stop for refreshments and rest (and possible ending point) at Trinity Methodist Church in the Campgrounds in Oak Bluffs. This year’s CROP Hunger Walk will be held in memory of Alden Besse, founder and leader of the Martha’s Vineyard Hunger Walk for 25 years. They will also be honoring Betty Burton for her two decades of leadership in the Vineyard’s efforts to alleviate hunger on the island. Need more information about the M.V. CROP Hunger Walk? Contact Woody Bowman at 508-693-7240. Together we can help end hunger in our community and around the world!
Happy birthday wishes go out to Lisa Haag on Sept. 22, Heidi McDonough on Sept. 23, and Heather Majkowski and Steve Rose in Sept. 24. Extra-special birthday wishes go out to my niece, Evie, who turns 18 on Sept. 27. Time flies.
Pop caught my error in last week’s column. Did you? I wrote that my thoughts were with the communities of Lawrence and Attleboro instead of Andover. My brain said one thing. My fingers said another. Sorry for any confusion I caused.
I had the honor of being included in the celebration of life for Ben Moore this past weekend. Though not from Edgartown, Ben and his wife, Paddy, have certainly touched many lives all over this island. I believe our families first came together via a friendship between their son Hub and my brother. Then I know that Ben, an architect, worked with my father, a builder, on occasion. At any rate, as happens on this Island, our family and their families became close. And though we’ve grown apart over the years, we “kids” have stayed in touch a bit when possible. There are people who teach you a lot in life just by being. This clan, which included Moores, Worlocks, Phillips, and Nelsons, really lived as an example for all. They showed artistry, love, intelligence, humor, kindness, and acceptance. I am grateful to have known the family, and that I was included in the celebration on Saturday.
Have a great week.