Volume Twenty Nine, Number 1
Curtain rises on final act of Beaumont pond saga
By Mary Graff
The long-delayed dredging of Beaumont’s grievously silted-up pond will begin this month, President Joe Peduzzi announced at the December Town Hall Meeting. Removal of the several feet of accumulated silt, and its disposal off-site, will mark the culmination of nearly eight years of often stressful effort by Beaumont management, the Green Committee and the committee’s chairman, retired environmental lawyer Ann Louise Strong, to bring about stormwater drainage improvements at the Harriton High School construction site across the road. Ann Louise confirmed after the meeting that the Green Committee’s 2015 budget already includes funds for restocking fish in the pond and
additional planting around it as part of an Earth Day celebration in April. Among other announcements at the tightly packed meeting in the Beaumont Room: • New plans for the Bistro including monthly performances by the Wynlyn Jazz Ensemble, Movie Nights on the first Monday of each month, Cabaret Nights on Thursdays, and changes in the menu—all based on resident requests. • Appointment of Roland Morris to the BRSI (services) board, replacing the late Edward Rosen. • A new meal plan, necessitated by increases in food and labor costs. (Details available in the Front Office.) Attention was first productively focused on the pond shortly after Ann Louise and her late husband, Michael, moved into their Pond Lane villa in 2006. “As soon as I really Town Meeting continued on page 7
January 2015
Wishing all Beaumont happiness and health
Photo by Dan Snyder
STANDING IN FOR THE INFANT NEW YEAR at our request is Charlie Snyder, 9 months, great grandson of Dean (Doc) Snyder and Marion.
Introducing WorxHub: Work orders going digital in four departments
By Brock A. Nichols Assistant Vice President of Operations Beaumont will soon be implementing the use of a software program called WorxHub to bring the Housekeeping, Maintenance, Grounds and Laundry departments into the 21st century. The new program will digitally monitor (and automate as far as possible) routine work schedules,
work order requests, preventive maintenance and even construction projects. Results are expected to include better employee work scheduling, work-order processing, records retention, preventive maintenance programming, collaboration between departments, asset tracking, inventory development and capital project management with
periodic progress reports, contractor and vendor documentation and accountability. The biggest changes will be felt not by residents but by staff members in the four departments. Many will no longer be receiving paper work orders or handwritten schedules. Handheld mobile communication devices will replace WorxHub continued on page 6
IN STAFF CRAFTS CLASS: Marketing Assistant Milissa Cwenar works on a wreath and LPN Gretchen Shelton shows hers off.
The Gift:
By Mike Bailey, Housekeeping
WHILE RESIDENTS WERE MAKING GINGERBREAD MEN in the Music Room (more pictures on opposite page) creators of the gingerbread house explained how they did it. From left, Grill Room Supervisor Rocco Arcaro, Executive Chef John Bauer and Facilities Director Warren Gillings.
It's not always what you see Some forget the meaning of Christmas So focused on the retail. It's the little things that count That can lift up your spirit. Like the smiles or greetings you get. A simple hello, to a common wave, take you far in life as you learn so many things. Cherish the moments as you dream, for this is the Holiday surprises begin. Visits to phone calls, even greetings thru mail Give feelings and meanings Like a gasp of fresh air, The wonders of joy, The warmth of love, The emotions of relief, The chance to exhale! A Happy and Blessed Holiday was had by all!
In Memoriam Dr. G. Clayton Kyle December 24, 2014 Members of the Beaumont Community extend deepest sympathy to his family and friends.
BEAUMONT NEWS The Beaumont News is published by the residents and staff of the Beaumont Retirement Community, 601 N. Ithan Avenue, Bryn Mawr, PA 19010
The BN is published monthly 10 times a year, October through July. Contributions are welcome, provided they are the contributor’s own work. The deadline for each issue is the 10th of the preceding month. E-mail to Mary Graff at graffs18@gmail.com and mgraff@BeaumontRetirement.com, or hand in at the Front Desk.
Editor Associate Editor and Production Manager Assistant Editor Graphic Designer Photo Editor Events Manager Proofreader Circulation Manager
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Mary Graff John Hall Ginny Rivers TJ Walsh Louise Hughes Kim Norrett Jennie Frankel Barbara O’Brien
Run-up to Christmas was half the fun HELPERS AT STAFF CHRISTMAS PARTY: Surrounding Housekeeping's Howard Barron as Santa, in front row, Betsy Rhodes (left) and Sally Morris; second row, from left, Peggy Campolo, Roberta Hollingshead, Jean Homeier and the Rev. George Hollingshead; back row, from left, Helen (DeeDee) Ballard, Norma Fabian, Eta Glassman, Linda Parrotto, Marlynne Clothier, Jim Zug (in the hat) and Roland Morris.
MOTHERS AND DAUGHTERS: Among residents making gingerbread cookies were Betty Bole and daughter Betsy Kane (center of page) and Eileen Ware and daughter Diane Classen. AT SING-ALONG SUPPER: Vernon Stanton adds lobster to a plate of oysters.
AT SING-ALONG: left to right, above, Tony Starr, Peggy Mainwaring, Betty Webb and Peggy Wolcott.
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Photos by Louise Hughes
Nyheims have long history as supporters of the arts By Mary Schnabel
Chris and John Nyheim moved into Baldwin last May but left for their summer home in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, shortly thereafter. I was able to catch up with them when they were back briefly for ThanksChris and John Nyheim giving. Although the Nyheims have lived on the Main Line since 1969, their lives before that are worth recounting. Chris still has a trace of her Hamburg, Germany, accent—it was in Hamburg that she decided, after graduating from the University of Hamburg’s Institute of Chemistry, that she would like to see what life in the U.S. was like. She came here on a visa and got a job at Sloan Kettering in cancer research. “I think it would be interesting,” Chris said, “to mention that my job was working with the Department of Epidemiology at that hospital, which was, in 1961, the first one in the country to establish the link between smoking and lung cancer.” Chris also spent part of her New York career working for New York University doing research in industrial medicine. Meanwhile, where was John? He was born in Oakland, California, graduated from the University of California, Berkeley, and then came east to Yale for a master’s in economics. He then began a career in investment management, beginning at Wellington Management with offices in Valley Forge, Pennsylvania, where John became a general partner. He later formed his own firm, Nyheim & Associates. Chris and John met at a party in New York and were married two years later. They lived in New York until John’s work took them to Baltimore for two years. When they moved here to the Main Line from Baltimore they settled in Villanova with two young sons in tow. With Chris a new mother and now a resident of Pennsylvania, she stopped working at a job outside the home but spread her wings in the arts with courses at the Barnes and volunteer work at the Art Museum. She has been a longtime member of the Women’s Committee, head of the Associates and a member of the Decorative
Arts Committee, all at the PMA. Chris loves gardening and still misses her big Villanova garden and the garden tours in which she took part. John is retired but keeps busy with his philanthropic activities. A trustee of the PMA for 26 years, he is now an honorary trustee. He is a trustee at Drexel University and holds an honorary doctorate from that institution. He is interested in music, and is a trustee at the Curtis Institute and at the Academy of the Vocal Arts. Both Chris and John are trustees of the Society of the Four Arts in Palm Beach, Florida, where they own a winter home.
Baldwin welcomes Yannessas and Charlie By Rena Burstein
Joan and Fred Yannessa stopped by Beaumont in December 2013 to move into their apartment in Baldwin and left immediately for Florida to spend the winter in their condo Fred and Joan Yannessa with Charlie in Delray Beach. They stopped by again, in July, before heading for Nantucket to sell their house and spend part of the summer there. It was a delight to meet them upon their return, accompanied by a new member of their family—Charlie, a fox terrier/Jack Russell mixed breed who charms everyone he meets. Joan and Fred are native Pennsylvanians who love to travel and explore the world. Joan, of Amish family background, has a bachelor’s degree in nursing from Jefferson College and a master’s from the University of Pennsylvania Graduate School of Education. She worked as a private surgical nurse for several years and then, for 30 years, in pharmaceutical sales for the Wyeth and Abbott companies, having been one of the first women in that field. Since her retirement, she has been a volunteer (when at home) with post-anesthesia patients at Bryn Mawr Hospital. She is a lifelong opera lover, enjoys needlepoint and weaves Nantucket baskets, of which she has produced more than 40. Fred is a graduate of William Penn Charter School. Yannessas continued on page 5
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With magicians in the kitchen who needs a crystal ball?
Resources are another key element. He counts on four men in particular: Rocco Arcaro, who supervises the Grill Room and knows the preferences of most Grill “regulars;” By Virginia Rivers Robert Foster, who supervises the Mansion dining rooms, and sous chefs Barry Hill and Michael Santangelo. How does it happen that a community of 305 How did residents and their many guests dine so well residents, whose flights of fancy often take them during the disruptive winter storm last February? Chef John elsewhere, can nonetheless credits the reliability and show up for meals at commitment of a large Beaumont’s tables and be dining staff in getting fed what they choose withto work despite monster out advance reservations? snow-related obstacles. Does Executive Chef “Their dedication made John Bauer, who manages all the difference,” he said. Food Services, have a magic The resources notably crystal telling him how include fresh fish, one many meals will be needed of the chef ’s particular when? A magic wand, points of pride. “Frozen to make the meals consisfish simply doesn’t have tently fresh, appealing and Photo by Richard Stephens the taste that fresh does, NEW GRILL ROOM OFFERINGS generally delicious? so I almost never order it,” he said. The salmon is always A visionary voice to inspire the changes in his menus? fresh, never frozen. He orders fish and shellfish every other Chef John avers that he relies on three principles: day after looking at recent dining records and current Planning, Resources and Organization. inventory. Today’s surplus may be tomorrow’s seafood gum Planning is a matter of deciding what will be on bo, chowder or Newburg. the menu, then how much of it to order. Will a given Of course there are budget constraints. Meat (especially special, such as sweetbreads, be squared off against beef ) and fish prices have risen sharply in the last year, and another favorite, such as Veal Oscar, or will its main shrimp prices have almost doubled. competitor be chicken pot pie or pot roast, usually "We still are serving the best cuts of meat," Chef John somewhat less popular? Baby lamb chops, says Chef said, “whereas many restaurants are making do with the John, will always beat out other offerings. tougher cuts to save expense.” He is proud that no more To estimate demand, Chef John looks at dining Meals continued on page 6 orders over the previous couple of weeks. The kitchens serve between 180 and 200 dinners, including takeout, Yannessas continued from page 4 most evenings. Occasionally the number reaches 250. Tuesdays can be particularly pressured, with many He majored in math at Carnegie Mellon University and diners expecting to be done in time for a 7:30 program. attended Columbia University’s MBA program. He worked For special events such as a Wild Game Dinner or New in his family’s furniture manufacturing business in Year’s Eve Gala, he’ll also consult his records from the Conshohocken until his recent retirement. He is enthusiastic prior year’s event and may go even further back to look about tennis, reading fiction and collecting antiques. for trends. When the Yannessas married, Fred was a widower with “We had 290 for our Mother’s Day Brunch in 2014 three sons. They adopted two girls from Korea and they now and it’s likely to be a similar number in 2015,” he said have four grandchildren. Currently in Florida, they plan to during a recent interview. return in plenty of time for the wedding in June of one of Residents’ seasonal habits are fairly predictable. their daughters. Meal demand diminishes after early January and picks up Charlie, the newest family member, is a licensed again as tanned Beaumonters return for spring flowers. emotional support dog and is now undergoing training Summer brings another drop in meals, then demands rise to become a therapy dog, able to detect the symptoms of after Labor Day before trailing off for winter. low blood sugar.
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IT Director Catalano: will Informatics be next?
WorxHub continued from page 1 much of the paperwork, making communicating and filing a streamlined digital process. The reduction in the use of paper will result not only in cost savings, but also in a lessening of the storage space required for records retention. In addition, we will be able to use digitally stored data to run reports to help us make such decisions as whether to repair or replace a given item. Interactions between residents and staff will remain largely the same. For example, if your regularly scheduled housekeeper is on vacation, you will still receive a call from someone in housekeeping to make other arrangements for the cleaning of your apartment or villa. Residents will continue to submit work orders by asking at the front desk, by contacting Operations Assistant Kathy Hesington, or by calling the appropriate manager. Kathy will be responsible for coordinating the efforts of the various departments under my supervision. More information about the new systems will be forthcoming soon.
By Brock A. Nichols
Bob Catalano, Director of Information Technology (IT), grew up in Huntingdon Valley, Pennsylvania, as the son of a physician and a pharmacist. Given his parents, he might have seemed destined for a career in health care. This was not to be, however—or Bob Catalano at least not yet. Early on he did have some interest in becoming a doctor. He served for a time at the Wyncote Church Home, a local nursing home, helping residents with their activities. But 20 years ago he also worked at a pizza shop, and was working the counter when the point of sale checkout system went down. He was able to repair the system and was immediately promoted to Assistant Manager. Thus, 20 years ago, began his love of technology. From Lower Moreland High School he went on to study Management Information Systems at Villanova University. After graduation Bob worked with Vanguard in their IT department. Most recently he served as IT Director at Fox Group Inc., a specialty printing and finishing company based in Lansdale. He started at Beaumont last summer. Bob and his wife, Erin, with their three (soon to be four) children, Sebastian, Beatriz and Henry, recently moved to North Coventry, where he continues his interests in ice hockey and playing the guitar. In the future, Bob hopes to obtain a master’s degree in Health Care Informatics, a relatively new field that he describes as the study of ways in which Information Technology can be applied by healthcare institutions including retirement communities such as ours. “For example,” he said, “recent developments in Health Care Informatics have enabled the use of wireless infrastructure like the one Beaumont recently installed to predict falls, fevers and other ailments before they happen.”
Brock’s primary responsibility in his new position as Assistant Vice President of Operations, as described by President Joe Peduzzi, is “to coordinate the operational and strategic activities of the Housekeeping, Maintenance, Grounds and Laundry Departments.” “This includes,” Joe said, “but is not limited to: • Oversight of capital projects, • Asset Management, • Project Management, • Enhancing Preventive Maintenance campus-wide, and • Increasing resident satisfaction.” Brock will be reporting directly to President Joe. Meals continued from page 5 than 5 percent of the food he orders ends up being thrown out, whereas most restaurants, and a great many households, dump a much larger proportion of purchased food. Creative soups and medleys are one reason; offering leftover dinner and lunch food to staff for their meals at reasonable prices is another. Organization, Chef John says, is the most important part of his equation. He has to look carefully at reports of what we order at meals each day and what trends may be developing. The point-of-sale system to be installed this year will simplify ordering because he’ll have quick access to
data about food orders at every lunch and dinner. “It’s important to stay ahead of the game,” he says, while acknowledging the role of luck. “There is always something unpredictable that can’t be controlled. We all have to know how to cope.
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Town Meeting continued from page 1 looked at the pond I could see something was wrong,” she recalled recently. Starting soon after that first observation, during and after almost every heavy rain, Ann Louise could be seen swaddled in rain gear, huddling under an umbrella with her camera on the banks of the pond and its inlet stream. She was making a pictorial record of the stream-borne sludge entering Beaumont from the ongoing high school construction project across Ithan Avenue. Calling on contacts she had made during her years as a professor at the University of Pennsylvania, she lined up help from the Patrick Center of Environmental Research at the Academy of Natural Sciences. A team of scientists came in October of 2007, took samples from the pond, and issued a 26-page report replete with pictures, graphs, conclusions and recommendations. In brief, the scientists concluded—as the waterfowl no longer frequenting the place already had—that the pond was becoming an unhealthy place for its dwindling population of fish, frogs and other denizens. A series of protracted negotiations with school officials ensued, as did a suit in Federal Court that was ultimately settled by a consent decree in favor of Beaumont. The dredging order followed a recent visit to the Harriton High School site by school officials, Beaumont President Peduzzi and Professional Engineer Gary R. Brown, head of RT Environmental Services, who has represented Beaumont throughout the past several years of discussions and negotiations. The group agreed, Mr. Brown reported, “that stormwater drainage improvements at the Harriton site were . . . substantially complete” and dredging at Beaumont could begin. The resolution of issues at the school “helps protect an ecologically important pond on the Beaumont property from siltation and impacts from erosion on the Harriton property which took a great deal of effort to fix,” Mr. Brown’s report continued. “As a result of Beaumont’s focus on proper management of stormwater from the Harriton site, stormwater basins were upgraded, stormwater Best Management Practices were improved throughout the property and a longer retention time was afforded in the surface water basins at the lowest elevations at the Harriton site to better protect Beaumont’s pond in the future.” Mr. Brown said the final agreement included “long-term inspections to make sure that the stormwater improvements are properly maintained.”
Are squirrels preying on songbirds' nests? Doc takes aim at furry predators By Dean (Doc) Snyder
Recently I have been hearing that there has been a noticeable decline in songbirds on campus. All too frequently the practice of spraying the lawns for weed control and fertilization is being blamed. This despite the fact that, provided these materials are being applied by licensed individuals and at the rates specified, they have been proved harmless to worms and birds. I say, look no further than the squirrel! At least, so say the Brits: A research report (No. 328) published by the British Trust for Ornithology suggests that the gray squirrel may be an important predator of birds’ eggs and young. There is a lack of quantitative data, however, and this causes one to question how serious the predation actually is. Some argue that the squirrel is an opportunist and the impact is questionable and one must not overlook habitat deterioration such as intensified browsing by deer, reduction in habitat quality at woodland edges, reduction in woodland management and changes in availability of insect food. Any one of these factors could be affecting population levels of songbirds at Beaumont. But as anyone can see, we also have squirrels at Beaumont. And their population density can get worse in a short time as the female produces up to eight young twice a year. Although the incidence of squirrel predation on nesting birds may be sketchy, I am of the opinion that before we condemn the practice of spraying the lawns, we should do something about the density of grey squirrels on campus. What do we have to lose?
MYSTERY PHOTO: Who is this? What is he (or she) doing? Find out in a coming issue!
Photo by Louise Hughes
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Beaumont dances its way into 2015
Photos by Richard Stephens
Clockwise from upper left: Herb Diamond and Shirley Luber, George and Louise Shafer (for Louise head-on see behind Lon Homeier, below), Dean and Marion Snyder, Jean and Lon Homeier, George and Page Gowen.
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