Northwood Recreation Update
The
Northwood Recreation Department has a variety of sports camps and
activities for all ages to choose from this summer.
Adult
Co-Ed Slow Pitch Softball – Are you considering registering a team
to participate in the softball league this summer? Don’t forget
that the registration deadline is June 17th. The cost is $195 per
team. Find 9 to 15 of your friends and register your team to
participate in our adult softball league. Games will take place two
nights a week during July and August.
Kayaking Club - Kayaking Club is a new program offered by the
Northwood Recreation Department for adults. This program is
designed for adults age 60ish (give or take a few). The group will
be planning trips on Wednesday mornings to a variety of local
waterways. All adventures will vary at the beginner level.
Swimming Lessons - Northwood residents can register now for swimming
lessons offered for free by the Recreation Department. Lessons will
are scheduled for July 7th – July 18th and July 28th – August 8th.
Day and evening lessons are available. These lessons are for
children 3 years old and older. We are also offering a Parent-Child
lesson for children 18 months – 3 years old, July 14th – July 17th.
Register by June 27th.
Visit
www.northwoodnh.org for registration information and additional
information about these programs. Details can be found in our
Brochure on the website. Or email the Recreation Department at
[email protected]
with questions.
Letter
To The Editor
Memorial Day Clouds
There
was a good turnout for Northwood’s Memorial Day observance despite
the threat of rain, which caused some activities to be moved
indoors. The parade and the cemetery service went off without a
hitch.
Another
cloud hung over the event, however: the expanding Veterans
Administration scandal. Allegedly, many veterans died while waiting
for care at VA hospitals in several states, some waiting as long as
10 months to see a doctor, while wait times were falsified to make
it appear that veterans were getting prompt medical attention. There
are other charges as well. We don’t yet know the full truth or
extent of the problem.
“Veterans continue to die waiting for their health care, senior VA
executives continue to get their bonuses, and only after this is the
secretary [Eric Shinseki] now pledging to fix what’s wrong,” said
American Legion National Commander Daniel Dellinger. VFW Deputy
Director Ryan Gallucci said. “The families of these veterans need
justice and they need it quickly.”
Who
could disagree? More than 52, 000 US soldiers have been wounded in
Iraq and Afghanistan alone. Many veterans of World War II, Korea,
and Vietnam, also need care, causing a huge backlog of cases.
Over
1,000,000 American soldiers have been killed in war, and many more
wounded. Joseph Stalin famously said, “The death of one man is a
tragedy. The death of millions is a statistic.” It would be sad if
the tragic deaths and serious injuries of all these young men and
women were seen as just another statistic.
Maybe
if we always observed the Constitution by having a full
Congressional debate and Declaration of War before sending Americans
off to battle, we’d have fewer wars and fewer grievously wounded
soldiers not getting the medical care we owe them on this Memorial
Day.
Michael
Faiella
The
Veterans Corner
Submitted By Richard Doucet
Come to
our Birthday celebration! We’re 40 years old….almost!
The
Northwood Post of the VFW, now known as the Joseph J. Jeffrey Post
7217, was chartered on Dec 11, 1974. The day after Memorial Day,
appropriately enough, I sat down with two of the founders of the
post; Bob Bailey and Allen Holmes, both of Northwood, in Bob’s
country home for coffee, English muffins and talk about how the
post came about. Bob served in the Army and Allen in the Navy
towards the end of WWII. They now sit in meetings with those “kids”
who have served in Korea, Vietnam, Iraq and Afghanistan. The oldest
living member of the post is Mr. Elmer Tasker of Northwood.
Of the
32 original founders 21 have passed on. As original members Bob and
Allen agreed to fill me in on how the post was established.
The
idea for a post in Northwood was presented by Walter Jackson,
Stephen Gunther and Joseph J. Jeffrey. Originally the post was
named the Northwood Post but was renamed the Joseph J. Jeffrey Post
after Joseph was killed in a auto accident in April of 1975.
Over
the years the post has been involved in a number of national as well
as local activities. On the national level we are involved in the
annual Poppy Drive, the Patriots Pen competition and the Voices of
Freedom contest. Locally our post holds a raffle in the fall with
the funds being used to assist veterans in need. At each meeting
every member donates to one of the VFW’s least known, but most
cherished, activities and that is the VFW National Home for Children
in Eaton Rapids Michigan. This program is the living example of the
VFW’s motto of: “Honor the Dead by Helping Living“. It is a place
where the families of dead veterans as well as other military
families can go in time of need to find help and shelter to keep the
family together after the devastation of losing the main provider
for the family.
The
home was the idea of the Military Order of the Cootie at the 1923
VFW convention and was brought to fruition in 1924 by Amy Ross. Amy
had been working for a year to get jobs for vets in Detroit in 1923.
Later she was able to get the donation of 472 acres of property in
Eaton from millionaire cattle man Corey Spencer. Though Amy did not
live to see the home become operational in 1925, the home is a
testament to the memory of her selfless devotion to veterans.
The
home however, is not a handout to anyone who needs a place to
“hangout”. Families who are accepted have to show that they are
willing to do what is needed to help themselves out of their
hardships. No one judges how they got there only on how they want
to leave there. Each family has a case manager and has to set
goals. While they strive to meet those goals they receive multiple
levels of support to include a certified child care center. The home
is a glowing example of how the “rich” of a capitalist society and
dedicated volunteers do work together in an atmosphere that promotes
self-help and discipline to help others succeed in dignity without
the heavy hand of a wasteful, clueless, government bureaucracy.
So join
us! We will be celebrating our 40th birthday just a bit early at
the Northwood Bean Hole Bash on July 26th. Our post will have a
tent and we invite everyone to come share in some birthday cake,
meet other veterans of all services and all organizations.
If you
are not a member you can join. If you have a question about the
Veterans Administration (VA) for yourself or your spouse we might
be able to point you in the right direction. There will also be
more information about the VFW National Children’s Home including
how to donate.
Besides
our cake we will also have a board of old pictures of local service
members and pictures of VFW events over the years. If you have
copies, please no originals, of old pictures bring them down on
Saturday morning and we will put them on our board.
We also
hope to have an “I am looking for:” board where you can post a
request to find former members of units you may have served in or
people you served with. My post will read: “ Looking for former
members 162nd Air Assault, Phouc Vinh, 1966-67 reach me at (phone
number)”
So, no
matter what organization you belong to, or even if you don’t belong
to any, put on your cap, a service baseball cap, or any other
garment that proclaims you served your country and join us for cake
and camaraderie. You will also be supporting a worthwhile, family
oriented, community activity. You don’t have to be a Northwood
resident to join in on the fun…and “chow down” on some good ole
baked beans and fixin‘s!
There
are thousands of veterans in NH. In these times where veterans seem
to be under covert attack on the one hand while our praises are
being sung in public on the other hand lets remind those who will be
running for office…in any party…this year just what a large voting
block we are by wearing our colors proudly.
Lastly,
a quick thanks to Bob and Allen for their help.
CBNA
Junior Awarded The Rensselaer Medal
Coe-Brown Northwood Academy is pleased to announce that junior
Benjamin Porter of Nottingham has been selected to receive the
Rensselaer Medal Award. For more than 95 years, Rensselaer
Polytechnic Institute, in conjunction with high schools around the
world has awarded the Rensselaer Medal to promising secondary school
students who have distinguished themselves in math and science. The
Medal, first awarded in 1916, has two purposes, first, to recognize
superlative academic achievement of young men and women, and second
to motivate students toward careers in science, engineering and
technology. To be honored with this prestigious award, a student
must be ranked within the top 10% of the junior class, demonstrate
potential for success in a challenging academic setting, excel in
math and science courses (chemistry, physics, and a minimum of four
years of mathematics through pre-calculus) and exhibit significant
involvement in extracurricular activities. Should the student choose
to enroll in RPI for post-secondary education, a merit scholarship
with a minimum value of $15,000 per year is guaranteed.
Congratulations to Ben.
Letter
To The Editor
Editor,
This
morning, as I drove away from the Northwood Post Office and was
waiting to enter traffic, I looked across the road and thought, as I
always do, how lovely that sight is.
How
fortunate we are to have such a place in our town. There is the big
field, greening now, soon the first crop will be ready to cut. There
is the cemetery with the wrought iron gate. There, through the
trees, the houses of the Narrows. Behind it all, the gentle hills.
Now,
though I couldn’t see it from where I sat in my van, I knew there
was something new and shocking, right there beside the highway. A
big sign. FOR SALE. COMMERCIAL.
Am I
alone in wanting to save this field from development? Will we let it
go, admit defeat before we’ve even tried to find a solution? I hope
not. Won’t you give it some thought?
Joann
Weeks Bailey
Northwood
Else
Cilley Chapter D.A.R. News
Else
Cilley Chapter D.A.R. member Margaret Franz presented an American
flag to the Marshview Apartments, Rochester Housing Authority, on
May 20th, 2014.
Present
to accept it were Vietnam Veteran Steven Wogan, Korean Veteran
Robert Valley, and Vietnam Veteran, Sam Peacock, residents of the
apartments.
The
flag was ready to be flown in tribute to Police Officer Stephan
Arkell, for Memorial Day and every day thereafter.
Obituaries
Pamela
A. Clark
Pamela
A. (LaFrambois) Clark, 60, of Northwood, passed away Monday May 19,
2014 at the Epsom Health Care, after a long battle with brain
cancer.
Pam was
born in Exeter July 20, 1963 to the late Gordan and Mabel (Palmer)
LaFrambois.
Pam was
employed at Secure Care Products for several years.
Pam
enjoyed going to church, fishing, her family, and bingo.
Pam is
survived by her husband Richard Clark, of Northwood, two daughters,
Teri-Ann Pierson, and husband Al Pierson, of Pittsfield, Tabatha
Belyea, and husband Kenneth Belyea III, of Laconia, five
grandchildren, Amy Yeaton, Micheal Tierney, Shawn Tieney, Russell
Belyea, and Bentley Belyea, a brother Robert LaFrambois of
Deerfield, and a sister Mabel (Babe) Hall, of Pennsylvania, nieces,
nephews and cousins. Pam also leaves behind her two dogs, Buster and
Cheeko.
A
graveside service will be held at a later date at the McClary
Cemetery in Epsom.
In lieu
of flowers, donations may be made to the Nation Cancer Society.
|