Beaumont News March 2013

VOLUME TWENTY SEVEN, NUMBER 3

MARCH 2013

Tiger, tiger Peter Godfrey pats one of his beloved (his word) tigers on the tail as the tiger, looking puzzled, appears to turn and peer back at him. No night-time forest here, but the hall outside Peter’s apartment in Baldwin, where other residents, some wary at first, have come to share Peter’s feelings or at least live at peace with them.

Story on page 3.

Photo by Louise Hughes

Lumens and Kelvins, Halogens, CFLs and LEDs, them dimmable, and they achieve full brightness Watt’s to do? promptly. They have no mercury. If you are interested Help for the befuddled

By Isaac H. (Quartie) Clothier IV

Believe it or not, Thomas Edison’s incandescent bulb, which we have used since its invention, wastes 90 percent of the electricity required for light.

Convinced of this, Congress in 2007 decreed in a “going green” law effective last year that a bulb’s wasted electricity must be no more than 30 percent… So, what do we do when our incandescent bulbs burn out?

Three popular replacement bulbs you might consider are Halogens, CFLs (Compact Fluorescent Light Bulbs) or LEDs (Light-Emitting Diodes).

Halogens meet the 30-percent test. They cost just a little more than the old incandescents and, according to an article in the Philadelphia Inquirer in January 2011, they burn two to three times longer. You can buy

in going green, Halogens could be considered a first step.

On the other hand, you may want to consider CFLs (those little twirly fluorescent bulbs). According to Consumer Reports articles in the issues of September and October, 2011, and February of this year, they use 75 percent less energy than incandescents and live at least seven times longer. When they first went on the market they were slow in reaching their full brightness, but this is not so today. Also they were not dimmable.

Now you can buy dimmable CFLs. The cost of a single CFL 60-watt equivalent is about $6 (or you can buy in bulk, four for $8). The life of a CFL is seven to nine years. If you are interested in saving money, it has been estimated (Consumer Reports) that one can recoup one’s additional cost in one year, and save in electricity $52 for each equivalent of a 60-watt bulb over the extended life of the CFL bulb. In stores, I continued on page 8

Volunteering, sports rank high with new Pond Lane couple

By Barbara O’Brien

Meanwhile, Sally’s biogIt seems a bit foolish to raphical details describe a write an introductory artiperiod in which she had cle about Roland (Roly) three children and, she and Sally Morris. They says, did some “good are already known to deeds.” This is a rather many at Beaumont, and modest overlooking of her for 37 years lived about professional training as an two blocks away from their architectural designer. current villa on Pond Working with Donze Lane.

Kitchens, she became a Many Beaumonters are special designer of both Episcopal and Princeton kitchens and bathrooms in ‘55 school friends, and public and private instituSally, after her beginnings tions from 1975 to 1991. as a Westerner in Photo by Louise Hughes She also made time to be Oakland, California, has an active volunteer at both been a Main Liner since Roland and Sally Morris, outside their Pond Lane villa.

Agnes Irwin and Episcopal, their marriage. Roly is the schools her children attended, and somehow found already hard at work on the Marketing Committee.

Sally ventured East for college, at Bennett in some more time to coach and participate in both field Millbrook, New York, and married Roly while he was a and ice hockey.

The Morris’s have a son who works on Wall Street senior at Princeton, expecting to go to Korea. Roly, a 1960 graduate of the University of Pennsylvania Law and lives in Bronxville, New York, and a daughter who School, became a partner at Duane Morris, where he also works in the financial world. Their second daughter practiced in the areas of antitrust, healthcare and manages the food and beverage department at the Killington Ski Resort in Vermont, an increasingly administrative law and economic litigation.

Several of his cases took him to the U.S. Supreme demanding job as the resort goes through major Court and the Supreme Courts of Pennsylvania and expansions. There are four grandchildren.

Both Sally and Roly are great sports enthusiasts.

New Jersey. He was the managing partner, then chairman, of Duane Morris for over 10 years and became They are still dashing around the tennis courts and “of counsel” in 2000. While at DM he also made time to pond skating. They also have a long history of skiing, participate in a great variety of civic and charitable “although we don’t go on the black diamonds (expert activities, including being Director of the Philadelphia to harder) much any more.” For those of us who Urban Coalition, a member of the board of the spend less and less time even stepping outside, they Salvation Army, and the Big Brothers Association of sound like Olympic participants and deserve a salute!

Philadelphia, among many other organizations.

DEAR EDITOR: GARDENERS’ ALERT! Tomato growers! New this year: Heirloom varieties grafted to disease-resistant rootstock are being made available now.

Grafted plants are available at Home Depot, Burpee and Totally Tomatoes. There may be others as the planting season approaches.

—Dean (Doc) Snyder

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

Managing Editor

NOTE FROM THE EDITOR: With respect to the headline at the top of Page 3, the editor does not apologize to William Blake. Rather, she thumbs her nose at him for daring to rhyme “symmetry” with “eye” in a poem she was forced to memorize in grade school.

Resentment has burned bright in her breast all these years.

Thank you, Peter!

—Mary Graff

Production Editor

Christine Johnson-Hall

Editor Emeritus and Historian

Louise Guthrie

Photo Editor

Louise Hughes

Events Manager Proofreader Circulation Manager

2

Mary Graff

Kim Norrett Jennie Frankel Barbara O’Brien

Peter was then flown overseas to the Port Directors Office in Sasebo, Japan, where he served with the Occupation Forces for 10 months. He then elected to be discharged from the Navy to finally enter Harvard as a junior to complete his college career and graduate in 1948 with an AB in English. While at Harvard he performed as a singing Lady of the Evening in the 100th Anniversary performance of the Hasty Pudding Theatricals (his parents didn’t recognize him). He also was in the second formative year of the Harvard Krokodiloes, now a famed a cappella singing group rivaling Yale’s Whiffenpoofs, and Princeton’s Tigertones.

Upon graduation, Peter joined Smith, Kline and French Laboratories, a well-respected Philadelphia pharmaceutical company, as a trainee copywriter. He completed his 33-year career at SK&F in the position of President of their Consumer Products business; he retired in June 1983 and started his own small business, The Wellspring Enterprise, Ltd, a general partnership which he sold in 1990. The company made a saline nose spray and gel, “Nose Better,” available to this day at Parvin’s Pharmacy in Bryn Mawr.

After “a four-year pursuit,” Peter married in 1952.

Maggie died in 2003, after what he calls “a magical life” together. They had a son, Peter, now living in Bryn Mawr, and a daughter, Gay, now living in Burlington, Vermont. There are four granddaughters. Familiar with Beaumont—starting with Artie Wheeler and many friends and his brother Tom and Tom’s wife, Anne— Peter is looking forward to developing some painting skills, spending many more summers (as he has all his life) in Northeast Harbor, Maine, and taking new cruises to fascinating worldwide places, with his “beautiful new life partner” Joan W. Mackie.

No immortal hand or eye Framed these tigers, hanging high. ’Twas Peter Godfrey–fearless, he!

Who brought to us this symmetry.

By Barbara O’Brien

A great many of us are enjoying the arrival outside Apt. 319 of a fascinating semi-relief of two life-size tigers, carved in wood by a Maine artist, Bernard Langlais.

Opposite the tigers is a small wooden replica of an antelope by another artist, and below on the floor a very inviting little iron bench perfect for small grandchildren but not, alas, their large progenitors!

This interesting apartment entrance marks the arrival of Peter Godfrey, younger brother of Tom of 28 Pond Lane. After 60 years Peter sadly and reluctantly left his larger home filled with fascinating objects and moved to his new space in Baldwin at Beaumont.

He has more than met the challenge. Inside, an almost life-size tiger bench carved from wood with tail rampant presides over the porch. I assumed Peter was a Princeton graduate, but he had a much more varied and complicated series of alma maters because of World War II (more later).

Peter and Tom’s grandfather, Lincoln Godfrey, was a director of the Pennsylvania Railroad when it was new and making it easier to travel to and develop the Main Line as we know it today. Before that the area had been a favorite summering spot for prominent Philadelphians, some of whom built large mansions or enjoyed staying in the many fancy hotels. . . one of which remains as the main building of the Baldwin School.

Lincoln built a large house on Sproul Road which is now the Notre Dame de Nemours Academy. A nearby road now bordering the Overbrook Golf Club was named for the Godfrey family. During the business week, Lincoln, after breakfast, would ride his horse to the Villanova Railroad Station to take the new train to town. Allegedly his steed would return riderless by itself to the Manor House!

Peter attended St. Marks School, as had his two older brothers. He was accepted at Harvard. But in the early 1940s, when college-age men were volunteering or being drafted for service in World War II, and colleges and universities were worrying about declining enrollment, the Federal government together with the U.S. Navy offered a program whereby qualified candidates could continue their education. Just before graduation in May 1943, Peter enlisted but was then sent to Swarthmore College. After 16 months he was transferred to Midshipman School at Notre Dame University, where he was commissioned as a USNR Ensign on the morning President Roosevelt died at Warm Springs, Georgia.

Photo by Louise Hughes Winners in the dog show in the Health Center last month were Gracie Webb (center), with owner Betty, 1st place; Rosie Bullitt (left), with owner Laura, 2nd, and Trina Gruenberg (right), with owner Anne, 3rd.

3

He pushes us around because he likes us!

By Peter Binzen

Bob Stedeford, Beaumont’s phys ed guru, is a oneman gang. He is the Fitness Center and the Fitness Center is he.

You want a workout in the pool? See Bob Monday, Wednesday and Friday at 9 a.m. He’ll put you through your paces with musical accompaniment.

At 11 a.m. Monday, Wednesday and Friday, Bob attracts an increasingly larger bunch for “Energize with Exercise” in the Beaumont Room.

He teaches a class in Personal Care twice a week.

He is there for any individuals desiring one-on-one instruction on how to improve balance and strength.

Weather permitting, he’ll organize games of bocce or croquet or other outdoor sports. More often than not, Stedeford, who was 28 years old on February 5, works with women and men who are as much as three times as old as he is. Not to worry: he enjoys us ancients. “I prefer to work with older people,” he says. “I have as much to learn from them as they do from me.

“It’s my nature,” he explained. “I know how far to push the envelope with everybody. Each person has limits.” He’s looking forward to the greatly expanded Photo by Louise Hughes Fitness Director Bob Stedeford

It’s my nature. I know how far to

College, Bob started work as a waiter at Dunwoody. He worked three nights a week.

That led to employment at Acme in Newtown, where he toiled for seven years. Meanwhile, at the age of 17, he started training as a professional wrestler. He also dabbled in boxing. Not that he was matched against the stars. In fact, he was paid to “take a dive” in the boxing ring. Only the promoters knew that he was faking it. Even so, he took some nasty blows. His third concussion put him in the hospital for four days.

Bob started working for Beaumont when he was 20.

It was a full-time job that he obtained through the company that had a contract with Beaumont. There was a disagreement with the owner, and Bob sought employment elsewhere.

Then he worked for Vanguard’s mail operation in Valley Forge. He came back to Beaumont full time in recreational therapy in 2008. He’s here 40 hours a week and heads the exercise program. In high school, he weighed 290 pounds. He gradually got down to 215.

Now, at six-foot-two, he tips the scale in the 190s.

Bob has two sons, Bret, 6, and Charlie, 5, from a previous marriage. He is now engaged to Andrea Skean, a private nanny. They are expecting a baby boy this summer, and Bob says they will be married before then.

push the envelope with everybody.

Each person has limits.

—Bob Stedeford Fitness Center now on Beaumont’s drawing board.

Stedeford, the only child of a carpenter and a registered nurse, found at an early age that he got along well with the older generation.

“When I was 14, living in Newtown Square,” he said, “I’d ride my bike to Dunwoody to see my grandfather, who had a touch of Alzheimer’s. I’d go over almost every day to watch a ballgame, to talk and laugh. Give him some company. I loved my grandfather. He taught me how to play baseball, how to hit.”

He was with his grandfather, John McGrory, the day he died in his 70s. “I was at a Phillies game when I got word that he had taken a turn for the worst. I got there before he passed away.”

A 2003 graduate of Cardinal O’Hara High School and two years at Delaware County Community 4

From Human Resources, with love Give me a thousand kisses, then a hundred, then another thousand, and then another hundred, and, when we’ve counted up the many thousands, let us confuse them so as not to know them all, so that no enemy may cast an evil eye, when he finds out that there were so many kisses.

Lines from Catullus, to Lesbia, found in translation on the In Rebus web page

One employee who shall remain nameless (Kim Norrett) writes down the count every year thinking there is some kind of pattern. She has yet to win.

Ironically enough, no one in Accounting has ever won! We also have to make sure that we count fast before another employee, who also shall remain nameless (Joseph Fortenbaugh), comes in to swipe two pieces of chocolate from the table.

If you are around the front desk at the time employees are dropping off their guesses, you can hear a lot of good-natured teasing about how far off the counts are.

This year the candy was Kisses, the jar was the one my 3year-old uses to hold her blocks, and the prizewinners were Mike Santangelo (sous chef), who won the first-prize of $100; Darren Grant (Security), Jude Phasavath (Maintenance) and Fritz Lubin (dishwasher), 2d prize of $50 each, and Rick Kelly (Security) the 3d prize—the candy.

By Mary Wells Winter can be a dreary time for some people. About 15 years ago I was trying to think of some non-romantic fun way for the staff to celebrate Valentine’s Day and get rid of the winter doldrums.

The idea was not earth-shattering, just an old-fashioned contest to guess how much candy is in a jar without going over the total.

Little did I know what I had started.

Each year I use a different size jar and a different type of candy. I found out later that there are so many theories as to the number of candies in the jar. They include: it must be 601 for our address, 214 for Valentine’s Day or 2013 for the year.

Winners in Mary Wells’ Count-the-Kisses contest judged on Valentine’s Day last month were (clockwise from upper left) Fritz Lubin, Jude Phasavath, Mike Santangelo (the big winner), Mary herself (who won a lot of appreciation), Rick Kelly and Darren Grant.

Picture of The Jar by Louise Hughes, Mary by Carol Korabik, Rick by Ann Louise Strong, others by Kristin Szoke.

5

Valentine’s Day events at Beaumont included a Count-the-Kisses contest for staff (see Page 5), one of Louise Hughes’ famous celebratory coffee socials, and a dinner dance DJ’d by IT’s Jeremy Varnis that had nearly everyone kicking up their heels. Counter-clockwise from upper left: Dancers Ed and Evelyn Rosen , Marian Lockett-Egan with Quartie Clothier, Elizabeth Royer with Dr. Jay MacMoran, and Jean Bodine (left) seated with Peggy Campolo.

Continuing upward, to the Coffee Social, around a big table are (from left) Devie Andrews, Dana Williams, Fytie Drayton, Elizabeth Royer and Marion Snyder. Being visited at their table by Jake Joyce (Housekeeping) as the Great Heart himself are Eli and Rena Burstein.

All photos on this page were taken by Louise Hughes or members of the Dining Services staff, who took turns with Dining Services Director Rose-Marie Pringle’s camera to circulate among the dinner-dance guests.

6

Following the lead of Yoga Instructor Rachel Cama (bare feet) are residents Anne Godfrey (left) and Joan Thayer (middle), joined by Minnie Robb from the wait list. Class meets at 10 a.m. Tuesdays and Thursdays in the B Lounge of the Health Center and is open to anyone (male or female) who wants to show up.

Attendees are billed monthly, $8 for each session attended.

Yoga promotes tranquility and energy in practitioners of all ages, Rachel says, and does not require flexibility. Nothing “weird” is involved, she added: “You will not be talking about your innermost feelings, chanting in ancient languages or praying—none of that!”

Photo by Bob Stedeford

Nicknames reveal interesting facts about their owners

By Sinclair (Sis) Ziesing

called Coey (her maiden name), but upon returning to Philadelphia and becoming engaged to Carter, she became Dudy again as she became re-acquainted with original friends. I’m glad she’s kept track of her name!

Two ladies’ nicknames were influenced by the books they read as little girls. Florence (Flopsie) Borda was so carried away with the story of Peter Rabbit that she insisted on Flopsie as her name. Obviously, her parents gave in. Helen (Dee-Dee) Ballard was so entranced by a heroine named Dee-Dee in a child’s book, she informed her mother she wouldn’t answer to any other name. Her parents gave in as well.

Then we hit two nicknames that happened because of mispronunciation. Marsha (Tuppie) Solmssen apparently was a tough little kid. Her father nicknamed her “Toughy.” Tuppie, having a slight lisp at that age, turned “Toughy” into “Tuppie” and it’s been that way ever since. Philippus (Binnie) Miller’s story may be unique. He lived in England as a young boy and had very blond-white hair and eyebrows which resulted in his occasionally being kidded about being an albino. In England, “albino” was pronounced “albeano” and out of that came Binnie! WOW!

When I arrived in the Philadelphia area some 60 years ago, I came to realize that more nicknames abounded here than any other place I’d ever been in. I instantly was running into Muffies, Flodies, Teedees, PeeWees, Moppets and goodness knows how many more.

At Beaumont, I’ve found interesting nicknames that have been fun to investigate. In one category, they come from family origins. For example, Sally (Wistie) Miller’s middle name was Wistar. Then we have Quartie Clothier (Isaac IV), which of course seems obvious. Constance (Fytie) Drayton got her nickname from a Dutch ancestor, Fytie Vandam Dusick, who lived in New Amsterdam (alias Manhattan) long ago. Fytie has always been delighted that she’s not called Connie.

Ruth (Dudy) Fergusson was named after her mother, Ruth, whose nickname was Rooty. This inspired her dad to call her Dudy after a young friend they knew. Off to boarding school, where she was

IN MEMORIAM Frank Goodyear–February 19, 2013

My totally favorite nicknames belong to two people who don’t live here. Woozie and Barkie. “Sis” is pretty tame in comparison, but as you might guess, I had brothers.

Members of the Beaumont Community extend deepest sympathy to his family and friends.

7

“Going Green” . . . .

Energy Used (in number of watts, the lower the better).

(New York Times.) Also, if it is equivalent to an old 75watt bulb it will say “75w Replacement.” It should also give the estimated Energy Savings in dollars.

(Consumer Reports.)

Now, what are Barbara and I doing? Since I am very much interested in seeing Beaumont take the green path (and I indeed hope you will feel the same way), I believe it is worth the trouble to make the bulb conversion.

To start, I counted all the light bulbs in our villa. We have 106 bulbs; 39 of them floodlights. After thinking long and hard, we decided to convert to CFLs. I dismissed halogens because the energy saving is the least of the three choices. Next, I dismissed the LED, although the LED in the long run is probably the best. My wife and I, each being 80 years old, are more likely to be in the shorter run like the seven-year CFLs, not the 11-plus LEDs. If we outlive the CFLs then the LEDs will probably look attractive. They will have the same salutary green effect, perhaps even a little more than the CFLs. Furthermore, they are expected to be considerably cheaper, and their longevity will have been well tested.

I urge each of you to make the conversion to a greener energy-saving bulb, not only because of saving money for Beaumont (a difference reflected in our monthly fees), but, even more important, because wasting less energy will truly be a meaningful contribution to the world problem of global warming.

continued from page 1

found a large variety of CFL bulbs. For example, in addition to the twirly types and the high-hat (recessed downlighting) bulbs, there are those in glass cases to accommodate table lamps and others in matched round cases for vanity lights.

There is one drawback to the CFL bulb, and that is the amount of mercury. However, again according to Consumer Reports, the amount of mercury is small and has come down 60 to 75 percent since 2008. Most CFLs have less than 1 milligram. It should also be recognized that mercury is present in all those long fluorescent bulbs used in our kitchens, dens, offices and other parts of our homes. So probably there should be little or no fuss. If the bulb burns out one can take it to Home Depot, Lowe’s, Ikea or Suburban Hardware for recycling—or call Maintenance. If it breaks, call Maintenance. (The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection has special instructions for doing this.)

The third choice, the LED bulb, saves 75 to 80 percent in electrical waste and according to the Inquirer article is probably the most green bulb of all. It also has all the desirable characteristics of the other bulbs relating to brightness, color and dimmability. It is costly—$20 to $60 a bulb—yet, according to Consumer Reports, it has a life of at least 11 years (12,500 hours).

Depending upon the initial cost, it would take from about four to as long as 10 years to recover the cost, but the money savings could run about $65 to $400 over the bulb’s life span. (These numbers were gleaned from Consumer Reports as cited before and New York Times articles in August 2011 and last month.) It is thought that these bulbs will eventually have to come down in price.

Companies are now required to give the customer Lighting Facts for each particular bulb purchased.

These are on the package and are similar to the health information tables for foods. They include Brightness (in the number of lumens, a word now used instead of watts); Estimated Yearly Energy Cost; Life of Bulb; Light Appearance (warm to cool as measured in ‘Green’ light bulbs to look for include (top, from left) a CFL equivalent Kelvins, 2700K for warm light and 4100K for cool), and to 60 watts, a CFL equivalent to 90 watts, another CFL bulb with a mercury warning notice, an LED 100-watt equivalent, and (bottom right) a package of 100-watt equivalent CLFs.

Photos by Louise Hughes

8