Seniors
Page
by
Jack LaBonte
A
CRAFTY LADY-A salute to Mildred Ross, formerly of 18 West High
Street and now a resident of Queensbury Mill Apartments. Her
claim to fame? She has won almost 250 ribbons and awards at
the Rochester Fair and other fairs for her handmade afghans
and assorted crafts. And she crochets baby blankets, clothes,
etc. in her "spare time."
Mildred was a receptionist under Harriet Carson
at the Strafford County Community Action Office when it was
located on High Street in Somersworth. She also worked for the
Greater Somersworth Chamber of Commerce. She previously worked
at Sawyer Mills in Dover.
Our subject, soon to be 92 years young, is still
active with her crafts. Though she doesn't get around as well
as she used to (she's not alone), she continues her activities
with the Faith Baptist Church and also enjoys Friday night bingo,
she says with a twinkle in her eye. Mildred was the first tenant
to move into Queensbury Mill. She moved there after her husband
passed away. Herbert Ross was a retired teacher in the Berwick
School system.
Mildred was honored by the City on the occasion
of her 80th birthday, November 21, 1992 , by a proclamation
signed by Mayor Jim McLin for her volunteer work with church
and non profit organizations.. Thanks to Sandy O'Leary, Services
Coordinator for the Somersworth Housing Authority at Queensbury
and now also the new Albert "Jack" LaBonte Apartments
- she called the attention of this Senior Page writer to Mildred.
SAVVY SENIOR: There's a
new book out that caught our attention as described in USA Today
about a month ago, "The Savvy Senior: The Ultimate Guide
to Health, Family, and Finances for Senior Citizens."
Savvy Senior is based on nationally syndicated columns written
by Jim Miller which now run in more than 400 newspapers across
the country. In the review by Kerry Hanson in a special to USA
Today, we quote partially from the review: "What he has
done is deftly assemble a user-friendly resource guide that
you can thumb through for the realm of help out there, or set
on a bookshelf within easy reach to pull down when a senior
moment arises."
Caregivers, family members and other helping seniors
may obtain information to apply for and access help needed.
There's even a chapter on how to become a computer-savvy senior.
The book by Jim Miller runs 249 pages, and sells for $13.95.
You can check with your local library to see if it is or will
be available. Also we are most fortunate in Strafford County
for ServiceLink Resource Center, one of three in the state,
located at One Wakefield Street in Rochester (332-7398). This
a fabulous source to get similar info and help.
YOU READERS of the Senior
Page can and do make a difference. And so many seniors who have
the time and skills can truly make a difference in responding
to the request of the Greater Seacoast United Way for volunteers
for its 13th Day of Caring set for Wednesday, September 15th.
Many in the Somersworth area have benefitted over the years
with the program, including the Somersworth Early Learning Center
(originally the Somersworth Child Day Care Center).
Day of Caring is a nationwide event that attempts
to mobilize hundreds of thousands of volunteers throughout the
country to work on community projects, such as building handicap
ramps, cleaning rivers, renovating playgrounds, and many other
needed projects. Locally, United Way will kick off the day (Sept.15th)
at 7:30 a.m. with a Volunteering Matters breakfast at the New
Hampshire Air National Guard.
Immediately following the breakfast, volunteers
will then fan out to work on some 200 projects.
Volunteers may register by calling Ilese Levitt
at 436-5554 (extension 20) or by visiting www.uwgs.org.
WHAT A WONDERFUL weekend reunion
it was for former crewmembers of the USS Somersworth. and members
of their families. The three-day event is covered amply above.
Old and new memories will be recalled at the next reunion in
a few years.
For
Bob Brunelle, former Supt. of Schools and State Commissioner
of Education, and for this writer, the reunion was spectacular.
We shared our experiences of the cruise we enjoyed with eleven
others from Somersworth who sailed from New London Conn. to
Portsmouth harbor via Cape Cod Canal in July 47 years ago for
the ship's first state visit. We were especially delighted to
chat at some length with Lt. Roy McCoy, the ship's skipper at
the time of our (sea voyage). Mrs McCoy remembers hosting a
dinner for the 13-member group at the McCoy home during our
visit in Connecticut.
Bob and this writer are the only two still living.
The others who made the trip were: Mayor Edward S. (Ki) Charpentier,
Simeon Rainville, Bernard McCabe, Fred Perusse, Martin J. Flanagan,
Norman Fournier, Napoleon (Paul) Habel, Louis Chasse, Atty.Leo
Cater, "Rudy"Camire, and Richard Gagnon.
SMILE DEPT.
Somebody has well said there are only two kinds
of people in the world.
There are those who wake up in the morning and say, "Good
Morning Lord," and there are those who wake up in the morning
and say "Good Lord, it's Morning."
Give me a sense of humor, Lord,
Give me the grace to see a joke,
To get some humor out of life,
And pass it on to other folk.
Feedback from last Issue:
Great job with these articles, Jack. Even though I am not
a "senior" yet, I thoroughly enjoy reading your
articles. Keep up the good work.........
Diane Brown
Feedback?
Somersworld is the Hilltop City's electronic "front porch"
- we are interested in your opinions and ideas. Please submit
comments regarding what you have seen on this page to admin@somersworld.com.
Requests for confidentiality will be honored.
N&R Page 2
