To the Editor:
David and I, along with our dogs, Rufus and Ruffy, will be leaving Martha’s Vineyard and moving to Stonington, Conn. As much as we don’t want to leave, health issues make it a necessity. There is an Amtrak station five minutes from our new house, putting Boston, New Haven, and NYC doctors in play.
We have tried to make a small difference during our 14-year stay, by immersing ourselves on Island boards, including M.V. Playhouse, Featherstone Center for the Arts, the Chamber Music Society, Polly Hill Arboretum, the Mass Cultural Council, Island Community Chorus, WTCC council, and as a volunteer and vice president for Vineyard Village at Home. I have so loved driving seniors to doctor’s appointments and cultural events to keep them connected. I’m also especially proud of a group of 17 volunteers that I started with the help of Cheryl Doble, the Friends of Owen Park, where we helped clean up and redesign the top entrance to the park. And I’m grateful that I had some influence on generating awareness of the nip-bottle problem, which led to Oak Bluffs and Edgartown banning them, and for donating photography to the new Navigator nursing home.
A special thanks to Nancy Slonim Aronie and Kate Feiffer, for making me believe that I can write!
And thanks for all the love on Islanders Talk Facebook page, where our former “goofy” Gordons were beloved as our current ones, Rufus and Ruffy.
We have been blessed with the most incredible neighbors, who have become family to us. We love them and will never forget them. Our hearts are heavy, but we know it’s the right next move!
Here’s to the next chapter!
Paul Doherty
West Tisbury
Oh Paul – You will be missed! You and David enhanced our Island with your kindness, your creativity, and, of course, your goofy Gordons. And of course summer Thursday mornings at the West Tisbury Library won’t be the same without you. Wishing you a wonderful next adventure and good health and I look forward to reading your memoir! -Kate