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VOLUME TWENTY SIX, NUMBER 7

OCTOBER 2012

Beaumont on the march By Mary Graff and Christine Johnson-Hall

Tentative plans for new and upgraded amenities at Beaumont, including a greatly expanded fitness center and a “bistro,” were officially confirmed last week. Rumors about these proposals had been circulating for months, and residents turned out in force, overflowing the 150 chairs set up for the occasion, to hear what might be in store and to have their comments considered. A principal concern had been what carrying out these ideas might cost. Adolf (Dolf) Paier, chairman of both the Finance Committee and the ad hoc Capital Projects Committee, put the total at about $3,305,000, but said that more reliable estimates Photo by Fytie Drayton would have to await refining of the plans and hiring The ice sculpture that greeted new residents at a dinner celebrating their of experts to do the estimating. continued on page 16

arrival also celebrated the arrival of the sculptor himself, Executive Chef John Bauer. See story, photos of Chef and his creations, Pages 6 and 7.

A word about double issue, Health Services series Behind the scenes and much more, stories begin on Page 8 By Mary Schnabel It was a daunting task . . . trying to adequately tell the story of the big, intricate and efficient machine that we call Health Services. Way back in March of 2011 I wrote about Beaumont’s Outpatient department. For the January issue this year it was Physical and Occupational Therapy; the next month it was Personal Care (which we used to call Assisted Living). Then came the Health Center, Beaumont’s justly famous skilled nursing facility, worth a series of stories all by itself. I started on the Health Center in the May issue by interviewing Linda Lemisch, Beaumont Vice President of Health Services, and Paul McCleary, Director of

Nursing. (All those previous stories are on file in the Library.) Linda and Paul have both contributed to the current issue, in which I tackle primarily the Health Center’s Dietary department, with brief tributes to some of the great individuals who keep this wonderfully complex machine working—because work it does, beautifully. Mary Graff, the Beaumont News editor, pitched in with a serendipitously timed hip operation in July, which enabled her to contribute a resident’s-eye view of the Health Center while simultaneously making room for the rest of my Health Center reporting. She and News Production Manager Christine JohnsonHall did this by deciding to skip the July issue entirely, and instead plan a double issue for October. (The News ordinarily does publish in July, though never in August or September.)

Health Center serenade Ivan Ramos, Maintenance, singing, and Dr. Carlos Gonzalez, resident, on the guitar, entertained residents in the Health Center in August. Ivan, who plays various instruments and sings in several languages, had been invited to perform; Dr. Gonzales volunteered from the audience. Photo by Mimose St. Fort

Letters to the Editor: DEAR EDITOR: I loved Margie Manlove’s article about Beaumont’s display of demitasse cups, on loan from Gladys Monier, on the last page of the May issue. She challenged readers to look at the cups in the Oak Room and identify the mismatched pair. It’s such an intriguing puzzle and a hard one. Is the answer going to be published? I collected demitasse cups and had some lovely ones which I gave to my daughter when we moved here. —Mary Schnabel

The mismatched cup and saucer. Photo by Louise Hughes

The deadline for the November 2012 issue of the Beaumont News will be October 10. The News publishes 10 editions a year from October to July. Please sign your story and either turn it in at the front desk or better, if you can, e-mail it to Mary Graff at graffs@msn.com. Please keep a copy for yourself! For back issues, please go to our website, www.BeaumontRetirement.com

The News enthusiastically welcomes letters from readers, including non-residents. We ask you to sign your own name, though requests for anonymity in print may be honored. Letters need not be typed (though typing is appreciated), but please write as legibly as possible and include your phone number (for the editors’ use only). Letters will be published or not, in full or in part, at the discretion of the editors.

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 Production Editor

E-mail letters to Mary Graff at both of her two e-mail addresses: graffs@msn.com and mgraff@BeaumontRetirement.com, or mail to her in care of Beaumont at 601 N. Ithan Avenue, Bryn Mawr 19010.

Editor Emeritus and Historian

Louise Guthrie

Photo Editor

Louise Hughes

Events Manager Proofreader Circulation Manager

Mary Graff Christine Johnson-Hall

Kim Norrett Jennie Frankel Barbara O’Brien

Introducing 2012-13 leadership lineup By Mary Graff, with reporting by Jennie Frankel

It’s October again, and once more the News presents its directory of moving targets; that is, the appropriate persons to whom to offer your services or direct questions, suggestions and complaints (if any) on matters relating to our lives at Beaumont. The 2012-2013 committee directory is as follows, more or less in order of importance and sometimes alphabetically, with many familiar names, some new names, and a little explanation for the benefit of new residents. Two ad hoc committees are addressing the two Beaumont business topics most talked about this year: proposals for capital projects (see Page 1) and the necessity of replacing Joseph H. Fortenbaugh III as president when he retires at the end of August next year. Starting at the top: The BEAUMONT RETIREMENT COMMUNITY (BRCI) board is in charge of policy. It is headed by Dr. Don Trachtenberg, in his second year on the board and his first as chairman. (Beaumont’s chairman is elected yearly from among its members by the BRCI board.) Members are Jeanne Cortner, Robert Herd, Jane Lillie, Richard Maass, Dr. Jay MacMoran and Dr. Geraldine (Gerri ) Paier. Mrs. Cortner is vice chairman, Mrs. Lillie is secretary, and Dr. MacMoran is treasurer. Mr. Fortenbaugh is a member ex officio, and Susan Kendra, Beaumont’s Chief Financial Officer, serves as assistant treasurer.

Fortenbaugh and composed of Dr. James Morris, Beaumont Medical Director; Jeanne Drumheller, Outpatient office manager; Renée Connolly, Certified Registered Nurse Practitioner; Kristen Ganley, Director of Social Services; Lea Knarr, Resident Care Coordinator; Mrs. Lemisch; and Audrey Walsh, Marketing Director. The new, ad hoc CAPITAL PROJECTS Committee, chaired by Mr. Paier, consists of Norma Fabian, Mr. Mainwaring, Dr. Trachtenberg, Alan Tripp and Mr. Woolford. All except Mrs. Fabian are listed with their respective boards and committees above. Ex officio are Mr. Fortenbaugh, Ms. Kendra and Jennie Frankel, administrative assistant to Mr. Fortenbaugh. The SEARCH COMMITTEE, headed by Mr. Woolford, consists of Jean Homeier, Nell Mecray, Mr. Paier, Retired BRCI board chairman Mary Schnabel and Dr. Trachtenberg. Ex officio are Mr. Fortenbaugh and Human Resources Director Mary Wells. In alphabetical order, the other major (“SUPPORT”) committees: DINING SERVICES: Joan Roberts, chairman, with Mrs. Cortner (representing the BRCI board), Mrs. Drayton, Russell Hodges, Barbara O’Brien, Mrs. Rhodes and Arthur Solmssen. Ex officio are RoseMarie Pringle, Director of Dining Services; Chef John Bauer, Executive Chef and Director of Food Services; Sonya Clarke, Food Services secretary, and Mr. Fortenbaugh. GREEN COMMITTEE: Ann Louise Strong, chairman, with Quartie Clothier, Mr. Maass (representing the BRCI board), Mr. Miller, Giusto Pizzini, Dr. Kaighn Smith and Charles Wood. Ex officio, Mark Hritz, Director of Grounds; Brock Nichols, Director of Housekeeping and Laundry; and Mr. Fortenbaugh. GROUNDS: Nancy Harris, chairman, with Dr. Carson, Mary Disston, Mr. Herd (representing the BRCI board), Mrs. Roberts, Dr. Dean Snyder and Joan Thayer. Mr. Fortenbaugh and Mr. Hritz serve ex officio. HEALTH CARE: Marsha (Tuppie) Solmssen, chairman, with Mrs. Cortner, Anne Godfrey, Dr. Clayton Kyle, Dr. Morris, Dr. Paier (representing the BRCI board), and Dr. Smith. Ex officio, with Dr. Trachtenberg and Mr. Fortenbaugh, are Mrs. Lemisch, Paul McCleary, Director of Nursing, and Ms. Connolly. HOUSE: Marian Lockett-Egan, chairman, with Frank Boyer, Mrs. Fabian, Sally Herd (wife of Robert), Mrs. Lillie (representing the BRCI board), Katherine Place (wife of John), Bobbi Rosen, and Josephine Zelov. Ex officio are Mr. Fortenbaugh with Mr. Nichols, Mrs. Walsh, and Warren Gillings, Director of Facilities. MARKETING: Mr. Tripp, chairman, with George

The BEAUMONT RETIREMENT SERVICES INC. (BRSI) board serves quietly but efficiently in charge of operations. Its chairman is John Woolford; members are Fred Brenner, John Butterworth (who recently retired as chairman), James Egan, Mr. Fortenbaugh, secretary; C. James Luther, vice chairman, and Edward Rosen, treasurer. Linda Lemisch, Vice President of Health Services, serves ex officio; CFO Kendra is assistant treasurer. Probably next only to the BRCI board in power and importance is the JOINT BRCI-BRSI FINANCE COMMITTEE, headed by Adolf (Dolf) Paier (husband of Gerri). Its members are Bruce Mainwaring, Alvan Markle, John Place, Dr. Trachtenberg, Maurice Webster and Mr. Woolford. Dr. Trachtenberg and Mr. Woolford are on this committee as chairmen of their respective boards. A close third is the NOMINATING COMMITTEE, which recommends residents to become board members and committee chairmen. George Miller is chairman, with Dr. Elias Burstein, Dr. John Carson, Fytie Drayton, Marietta Homeier, Betsy Rhodes and Sinclair (Sis) Ziesing. Operating behind the scenes is the ADMISSIONS AND RESIDENT REVIEW Committee, chaired by Mr.

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With new chairmen, Arts Committee carries on By Sinclair (Sis) Ziesing

Following in the talented footsteps of retired Arts Committee co-chairmen Cally Wheeler and Mary Page, who have already arranged shows for the rest of this year, are Jane Garrison and Eloise Gretz, at work now on 2013. Jane was a guide at the Museum of Art for 22 years, and Eloise, a well-known artist in her own right, graduated from the Philadelphia Museum School of Industrial Arts. She also headed the Art Committee at the Philadelphia Country Club. In their new posts, Jane and Eloise will be scheduling six artists a year, each showing for two months at a time. Behind the scenes they will be attending many local shows to get to know the names of nearby artists, encouraging Beaumont residents to recommend artists, and letting it be known—for example, with posted notices at the Main Line Art Center—that Beaumont welcomes applications from local artists to show their work.

Committees . . . .

Jane Garrison Eloise Gretz Photos by Louise Hughes

Each year they will send letters out to prospective exhibitors. If they are interested and reply, their work is reviewed (if not acceptable, the rejection is handled with the utmost tact!). The artists then are shown the Beaumont Room, agree to frame and wire their entries, and confirm that they have their own insurance. Most often their works are for sale, but that is handled between the artist and buyer. Beaumont receives no commission. A wine and cheese reception begins each showing.

Michelle Osborn, Anna Roberts, Mrs. Solmssen and Mary Yurchenco. MUSIC: Dr. MacMoran and Dr. Robert Morgan (husband of Carole), co-chairmen, with Dorothy Maass (wife of Richard), Joan Stuart, Dr. Carlos Gonzalez, and Mrs. Yurchenco. WINE: Chairman Birchard Clothier, with Bennett Blum, Mr. Fabian, Lon Homeier, Mrs. Lockett-Egan, Mr. Tripp and Mrs. Woolford. In a class by itself is the BEAUMONT FUND ADVISORY BOARD, chaired by Bobbi Rosen and responsible to the BRSI board. Members are Barbara Clothier (wife of Quartie), Mr. Freudberg, Margaret Mainwaring (wife of Bruce), Dr. Paier, Mr. Place, Mr. Rosen (not related to Bobbi), and Mr. Tripp. Their mission is to make known to Beaumont residents and others the ways in which they can make tax-deductible donations to fund general or specific activities, including deferred giving.

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Fabian (husband of Norma), Mary Graff, Mr. Mainwaring and Roland Morris. Ex officio are Dr. Trachtenberg and Mr. Fortenbaugh with Mrs. Walsh and Milissa Cwenar, Marketing Assistant. RESIDENT SERVICES: Mrs. Cortner and Susan Woolford (wife of John), co-chairmen, with Peter Binzen, Elizabeth Bole, Dr. Carson, Barbara Clothier (wife of Quartie), Mrs. Drayton, Patricia Fraser, Raymond Freudberg, Eloise Gretz, Lillian Lefevre, Dr. MacMoran, Mrs. Mecray, Mr. Rosen and Elizabeth Royer. Kim Norrett, Director of Resident Services, serves ex officio. SAFETY AND SECURITY COMMITTEE: Mr. Hodges, chairman, with Mr. Boyer, Sarah DaCosta, Mr. Fraser (husband of Patricia), Dr. MacMoran (representing the BRCI board), Mr. Place (husband of Katherine), and Alfred Rhodes (husband of Betsy). Ex officio are Mr. Fortenbaugh, Mrs. Lemisch and Mr. Gillings, with Charles Koch, Director of Security. Finally, the so-called ACTIVITY committees: ARTS: Jane Garrison and Mrs. Gretz, co-chairmen. BINGO: Resident Services Department. BRIDGE: Mrs. Ziesing, chairman, with Patsy Dushane, Marjorie Lott, Charlene Simpson and Marion Snyder; CHICAGO BRIDGE: Mrs. Lockett-Egan. FLOWERS: Mrs. Herd. LIBRARY: Mrs. Homeier and Carole Morgan, cochairmen, with Libby Adelman, Margie Baird, Mrs. Cortner, Jane Dearnley, Mrs. Drayton, Mrs. O’Brien,

IN MEMORIAM Janet Miles–June 30 Jeannette Shingle–July 24 Margaret (Peggy) Thaw–August 5 Robert (R.T.) Toland–August 10 Walter Naida–August 15 Members of the Beaumont Community extend deepest sympathy to their families and friends.

Twenty aspiring scholars on staff receive awards Twenty Beaumont staff memplates. It’s because there is a really bers, mostly young scholars but unique atmosphere here at also including two department Beaumont, where you’re always heads and our Nurse Practitioner greeted with a genuine smile, from Outpatient, received scholarwhether from a resident or a coship awards in August in a cereworker, and where the people we mony that President Joe serve day in and day out remember Fortenbaugh called “one of the us by name, along with where we highlights of our year.” go to school and how long we’ve Joe estimated that more than been there and what exactly we’re $500,000 in resident donations studying.” had supported the scholarship The other award winners and fund since 1991, when he and the their departments at Beaumont: Photo by Mary Wells then Beaumont board chairman, From Dining Services: President Joe Fortenbaugh congratulates waitEdwin Ross, founded the scholarNicholette Clarke, Veronica staffer Joe Hoban on earning a Beaumont scholar- Cleveland, Megan Cromie, Deron ship program. ship for the fourth year. “I’m very proud of you and Dixon, Allison Grant, Shantal proud of the way you represent Beaumont,” he told the Grant, Samantha Mohan, Ebony Mosley, Rose-Marie award recipients. Pringle (Director of the department and also Dietary), Joseph Hoban, from Dining Services, spoke for all Taylor Thomas and Gabrielle Voutsinas; From the recipients in a speech (below) in which he reminded Outpatient, Renée Connolly, Certified Registered residents of other members of his family who either Nurse Practitioner; from Nursing, Raydeen Leid, Jone work here now or have worked here in the past. Posey, Alex Ramirez, Becky Tarawalli and Monique “I’m not just listing the members of my family to brag Walters; from Housekeeping, Brock Nichols, (Director or take up your time,” he said; “there’s a reason we’ve of the department) and from Dietary, Krystian all spent so much time here. It’s not because my brothers Superville. and I look dashing in suspenders and a bow tie, or —Mary Graff because my sisters really loved carrying hot dinner

Scholarship winner thanks residents By Joe Hoban

I am the third child and oldest son of my parents’ six kids and as anyone who has grown up in a small house with a large family can tell you, you have to learn to fend for yourself. I don’t mean that we were constantly vying for Mom and Dad’s love and affection; there was more than enough of that to go around. We all learned to share, but if you wanted your own new toy, or new sneakers, or a new cell phone, you had to work to get it. Whether that meant helping Mom out around the house to earn an allowance, or wandering around the neighborhood offering to mow lawns, or going out and getting a real job, we were always told we needed to earn the money ourselves. While there were days when I resented my parents for not lending me the money to buy that cool new Lego set, I slowly but surely learned the value of their teachings, and when it finally came time for me to go off to college, my parents and I decided together that I would take on the burden of funding my education. They’d worked hard to send my five siblings and me to private high schools, and it was my turn to do my part. For those of you who don’t know, tuition alone at Drexel University is almost $50,000, not including fees,

room and board, books and any other expenses that come with attending a university. I don’t know anyone who has that kind of money lying around at the age of 18, but I worked hard in high school and was able to get a good amount of scholarship money. The difference would be covered by student loans, and instead of sitting on them until I graduate, I decided to make monthly payments on my loans by working here at Beaumont and taking public transportation back and forth from school. This past May marked the six-year anniversary of my start at Beaumont. I’m sure many of you know me, as well as my brother Matt, who also currently works in Dining Services. If you’ve been here a couple of years, you may also remember my brother Pat, who worked in the dining rooms for a year or so. Go back a little further and you may remember my sister Katrina, who worked here until 2009 before going off into the professional world. If you’re really a veteran of the Mansion and Grill Room dining experience, you’ll remember my oldest sister, Alesia, who just graduated from Villanova’s Law continued on page 6

Beaumont welcomes “Chef of Fire and Ice” By Joan Roberts

A new face appeared under a opment. From there he moved on tall white toque in Beaumont’s to Philadelphia and the Grill dining areas in April, and since Room at the Ritz Carlton, which then has become both a welcome with his help achieved the presence and, often, a sign that Malcolm Baldrige Award for service something spectacular is about to excellence. happen. His next step was to be Not only a master of the cooking Executive Banquet Chef at the fire, whether flambéing indoors or hotel Park Hyatt at the Bellevue, grilling in the Liseter Garden, catering prestigious galas serving Chef John Bauer is probably up to 3,500 attendees. He went unique in the annals of Beaumont on to become Executive Chef at in his impressive talents as an ice the Wyndham Franklin Plaza, sculptor. If I were writing a book where he was responsible for about him, I’d call him “Chef of hosting the March of Dimes Star Fire and Ice.” But more about that Chef’s Event in 2001-2003, which later. he helped to promote on several In a recent interview, Chef TV shows. (He continues to John told me it had been the early donate his time to the March of influence of his “old school” Dimes.) German grandparents that led Chef Bauer’s last stop before Photo by Louise Hughes him toward his culinary career. Chef John presides behind samples of new dishes Beaumont was as Executive His grandfather had been a on the ever-changing Grill Room menu. Chef at the Crowne Plaza Hotel butcher, with his own shop, in in downtown Philadelphia. Asked which he did all of his own carving and made his own about his proudest accomplishment before Beaumont, deli meats. His grandmother had been an excellent he said it was successfully hosting a meeting there of cook, and young John learned some things following the American Culinary Federation, including as many her around her kitchen. While in high school he did a as 80 to 100 chefs. (“The slightest imperfection—you’d bit of cooking, and he went on to Bucks County never live it down!”) John is an active member of the Community College, where he earned an associate’s federation, and has taken many of its courses. degree in Culinary Arts. I asked John about the differences between his preJohn began his present career as Executive Chef at vious jobs and working at Beaumont. The key word in the historic Doylestown Inn, in Bucks County, where his answer was “responsiveness.” In hotels, he said, he established a reputation for using the freshest the feedback comes through managers; here at ingredients, incorporated seasonally into menu develcontinued on page 7

Scholarship winner . . . .

fund our education. This is my fourth year as a Beaumont Scholarship award winner, and while each year there is a specific monetary value assigned to the award, its benefit to my education cannot be measured. It helps me to buy books and pay rent, but it is also motivation to work hard every day, because there are a couple hundred residents out there in Bryn Mawr who believe in me and will certainly be asking about how I performed in class this term. So there are no words to describe my gratitude for this gift; what I will say is that I thank you from the bottom of my heart. I hope that this award will continue to help the employees of Beaumont who not only work hard in the Mansion, or Grill Room, or in Housekeeping or the Health Center, but are also striving to further their knowledge and education. Thank you.

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School. And finally, if you plan on sticking around for a couple of years, you’ll most likely meet my youngest brother, Daniel, who will no doubt apply for a job as soon as he’s old enough. Now I’m not just listing the members of my family to brag or take up your time; there’s a reason we all spent so much time here. It’s not because my brothers and I look dashing in suspenders and a bow tie, or because my sisters really loved carrying hot dinner plates. It’s because there is a really unique atmosphere here at Beaumont, where you’re always greeted with a genuine smile, whether from a resident or a co-worker, and where the people we serve day-in and day-out remember us by name, along with where we go to school and how long we’ve been there and exactly what we’re studying, and even go so far in their generosity as to help us 6

Chef . . . .

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Beaumont there is good constructive conversation and direct suggestions from residents. This is a two-way street: Residents have consulted John about privateparty food ranging from crackers to caviar. What does the Executive Chef’s job entail, and how much actual cooking does he do? John said that it varies week to week, depending on when members of the staff are on vacation. His chief concerns are the Mansion specials, and focusing on the trends of the seasons and temperatures—heavier food, more meats in cold weather; lighter food and more fish in the summer. (As to fish, and the issue of farmed vs. wild, he said he sometimes uses one and sometimes the other, depending on many factors, but buys farmraised fish “only from reputable hatcheries.”) He said he enjoys special events, which are more focused and goal oriented, and he loves to create “theme” dinners, especially the Saturday night buffet. He likes to do Tableside Dining, almost always with one flambéed dish (“no burn marks yet—I stand back”) and would love, down the road, to be equipped for more interaction with the diners, more of a cooking lesson. Since “going green” is a Beaumont concern, I asked John what he was doing in regard to that issue. His main concern, he said, was about the chemicals used to clean the kitchen, and whether they should be more eco-friendly. He favors the recycling efforts. It was while working at the Park Hyatt that he met Master Carver Peter Slavin of Fear No Ice in Philadelphia and took up this art form with a vengeance. He is still training, and at this writing was planning a trip to Ohio for a seminar. His description of the process, starting with a 150-pound block of ice, which is carved in town and brought here for him, made me realize that Fear No Ice deserves its name. We have seen examples of John’s work on some special occasions, such as Casino Night, which brought forth some spectacular ice creations of gambling apparatus. When I asked John what he had changed at Beaumont, and what he would like to change, he mentioned the introduction of new flavors, and the

Chocolate caramel cake with a fork that wasn’t there

themed Saturday night buffets. He would like to do more work with the Health Care unit, as well as introduce new recipes and “play with” innovative food. Comparing Beaumont with other populations he has served, he said that there seem to be more sensitive palates here, that salt is an issue, and that things can be too spicy. Following that, he described a whole fish, sprinkled with herbs, wrapped in banana leaves and roasted, all of which made me realize that whatever John conjures up, it will not be blah. On a more personal note, I asked John about his home and family. After 10 years of living in Philadelphia, he recently bought a condo in Royersford where he lives with his girlfriend, Dawn, and his 11-year-old daughter, Madison. For recreation, he loves to bike and visit a family-owned shore house where he enjoys spending time teaching Madison the fine art of crabbing. Finally, I asked John what his favorite part of his job might be. He said it was leaving at the conclusion of a meal feeling proud of the job he had done. From the looks of things, there should be many more of those proud moments. Casino Night at Beaumont inspired our executive chef-cum-ice-sculptor to dizzying heights: Here (left) shrimp cascade in a tasty payoff from a slot machine that never was. Chef John gave “comfort food” a whole new meaning with this unusual dish: Filet of beef with lobster macaroni-and-cheese. Photos by Chef John Bauer

Behind the scenes at Health Center

Continuing my tour By Mary Schnabel Behind the desk in the Health Center lobby, greeting visitors, directing traffic and answering questions, sits Jackie Holness, who has been here long enough to remember almost 25 years ago when the Health Center had no phones, no finished rooms and no Dietary department. Jackie says she helped hang shower curtains, cook breakfasts and schedule nurses. She was an aide then but moved up to the desk after about a year. Jackie now sets up the medical record book for every Health Center resident, temporary or permanent, dealing with an amount of paper that needs to be seen to be believed (and will eventually be computerized). She is in charge of ordering all supplies (except drugs), things like soap, towels, tooth brushes and so forth for the 46 resident rooms. She arranges for outside appointments with doctors, hairdressers and so forth, and sets up transportation for these trips. Her memory is extraordinary. Not only does she know the room number of every Health Center resident, old or Jackie Holness new, but she can tell you the phone number for every room and every doctor’s phone number. She does all this with her usual can-do attitude and wide smile. Everybody’s friend and indispensable worker, Jackie! * * * How everyone keeps track of all that is to be done in this big department depends upon lots of coordination and almost all jobs depend upon more than one person. Maritza Farquharson, Nursing Supervisor and a 21-year veteran at Beaumont, seems to be everywhere at once. Every day she makes rounds with the doctor on duty and takes notes for him or her. She looks at all charts and checks them for accuracy. She makes rounds herself four times a day, making sure residents are safe and settled and their rooms are clean and equipped with the amenities necessary for their daily routines. She checks on staff as well as residents, sits in on two of the three shift reports, helps Nursing Director Paul McCleary with whatever he needs done, takes part in the care conferences set up by social workers at regular intervals for every resident, and in Jackie’s words, “is always available to give anyone who needs it a helping hand.” And she does all this calmly, without any fuss! * * * Maritza Farquharson All photos by Louise Hughes

Including one (cranky) patient’s-eye view By Mary Graff As a member of Beaumont’s Marketing Committee, I wish more prospective residents would tour our elegant Health Center. My husband and I did, and it was one of the reasons we chose Beaumont. But I can certainly understand the folks who would just as soon not think about ever needing a skilled nursing facility, or assisted living (we call it Personal Care) for that matter, even temporarily, until or unless the occasion arises—which indeed it may not. Beaumont being the exemplar of options and flexibility that it is, therefore, we offer a tour to whoever wants one, but refrain from attempts to apply pressure. So what if our visitors do not want to see for themselves the medically superior yet warm and homelike design and décor, or the spacious rooms (each with private bathroom), or the cheerful lounges? And architectural amenities aside—getting down to what really, really counts—so what if they don’t want to sample the good food? Or watch the professional yet compassionate direct-care staff, assigned in a generous ratio of one Certified Nursing Assistant to every seven to eight residents, as they do what they clearly love doing? Well, as a none-too-retired newspaper person, I’d like to at least gently mention to the potential residents among our readers my own recent personal experience as a Health Center resident. I spent a month there during this past summer, recovering from hip replacement surgery with amazing speed thanks to all of the above plus the caring, unrelenting efforts of the physical and occupational therapy staff. Getting enough sleep helped also. That was thanks to Beaumont’s ongoing efforts to focus on patient needs and preferences rather than staff schedules and convenience. No midnight or predawn visits from staff wanting to monitor my vital signs! One person did several times interrupt the even tenor of my days. That was our special behind-thescenes reporter, Mary Schnabel, working on her Health Center series. Was the quality of care in the Health Center really as In their lighter moments, Health Center good as it seemed to be? staff have been known to rock. (I assume she was preAssistant Erica Goslin (above) models a pared to trust my answer dress, while Vice President of Health because I am known to be Services Linda Lemisch horses around.

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Putting the “home” back in “nursing home”

somewhat demanding. Beaumont President Joe Fortenbaugh put it this way on his welcoming visit to my bedside: “You’ve been here 24 hours and no complaints yet?” he said, trying to pretend he was joking.) First, Mary and I agreed, it must be said that some ups and downs are inevitable in any health care system. Linda Lemisch, Beaumont Vice President of Health Services, does not attempt to dispute this, though she obviously works long and hard—not to mention successfully—at making Beaumont an outstanding exception to this rule. As time passed, there were indeed a couple of rough spots. Of some importance, I was worried about a medical complaint which I feared (rightly or wrongly) was not being taken seriously enough by the part-time medical person on duty at the time. At the other end of the scale, an order of spinach arrived from the kitchen overcooked to a green puddle, and it actually wasn’t what I had ordered in the first place. As soon as Nursing Supervisor Maritza Farquharson and Nursing Director Paul McCleary heard about the former, however, they were on the spot with solutions. And the spinach had not had time to cool before dining personnel responding to my (regrettably cranky) complaint were pleading with me to order something else and allow them to bring it on the run. The government-directed paperwork that Social Services Director Kristen Ganley had to force on me between naps was trying for both of us, but it was I who had to apologize when it dawned on me that she—who was only doing her job—was being awfully nice about it, and I wasn’t. Being asked to choose a week’s worth of meals in advance from a fat sheaf of menus provided by the Dietary staff was also a bit of a pain until I discovered that said staff, though needing to plan ahead, was willing to compromise on its deadlines and that actually I could have anything I wanted from the Grill Room as well as the Dietary menu when the day actually came. When a small throng of visitors brought pizza to my room, the staff arranged for us to eat in one of the cheerful Health Center lounges, looking out through glass doors at the Health Center garden, and did not complain (at least to me) about either the mess we left or the shrieking alarm my visitors set off when they tried to leave through the wrong door. So yes, I told Mary, she could go ahead and believe her own eyes.

By Linda Lemisch, Beaumont Vice President of Health Services Life in our nation’s long-term and short-term rehab care facilities—what used to be referred to with a shudder as “nursing homes”—is changing. Once thought to be impersonal and institutional at best, the skilled nursing and long-term care industry has begun to embrace a change in culture wherein it is the residents who direct when, where, and how care is delivered to them. The task-driven medical model, putting staff schedules and convenience first, is on its way out. The Pioneer Network, sonamed because this concept is uncharted territory, is Linda Lemisch a professional organization dedicated to leading the charge on transforming the culture of life and care in places like our Health Center. Beaumont sent four delegates to its 12th annual conference in Jacksonville, Florida, in August: Vivian Singleton, Dining Services; Maritza Farquharson, RN Supervisor; Alimotu Sodunke, Certified Nursing Assistant and recipient of this year’s Biddle Award, and me. Canada, Australia and Israel were represented, as well as 48 of our states. The four days of the conference were packed with informative sessions: New Dining Practice Standards, Safety versus Autonomy, Reducing Audible Alarms, Leadership Practices to Inspire Change, The Power of Language to Impact Culture Change and Therapeutic Touch, to name only a few. Teepa Snow, an occupational therapist who has devoted her life to learning how to reach people with dementia, gave a riveting keynote speech in which she first explained and then actually became the person with dementia she was describing. Beaumont’s own “culture change” began years ago with the design of our Health Center and our philosophy of hospitality and customer service. We looked a little smugly at each other several times as successive speakers made us realize how very far ahead of many other retirement communities (in particular) we are. We came back to Beaumont feeling not complacent, however, but rather inspired to further effort. To quote the poet Maya Angelou, “We did then what we knew then; when we knew better, we did better.” 9

April’s last day Looking at book containing pictures of all Beaumont residents, given her by Louise Hughes, April Miszler used up a tissue or two. An outpouring of affection from residents, staff and dogs—even passing deliverymen—sent April Miszler into retirement with family in Maine the end of May. Residents stopped by the Front Desk all week, with and without dogs, to wish her well and tell her how much her caring ways and unfailing humor would be missed. On her actual last day, residents crowded into the lobby for farewell refreshments and to step up their expressions of appreciation and warm wishes. Some (Alan Tripp, Jim Luther and Ev and Ed Rosen) even lifted their voices in song (words by Alan). All received individual hugs and personal thanks from the on-duty (she never missed a phone call) Front Desk Lady and Friend to All Dogs. —Mary Graff All photos by Louise Hughes

Making sure . . . .

While the trays are being delivered to the rooms, the dining room begins to come to life. Residents find their usual places at one of four tables. Placemats are used at lunch; dinner tables are set with tablecloths. Aides busy themselves serving beverages and assisting anyone who needs help. I was able to have a long, informative talk with KerryAnn Simpson, Morning Supervisor. An eight-year veteran, Kerry-Ann began her very first job here in Dining Services. She became full-time and a supervisor under Rose-Marie. She now shares an office with Miss Rose, working on a computer, making up schedules, doing

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covered in plastic wrap and dated. These dishes were to go on trays and be used for breakfast, lunch or dinner as needed. Dating is mandatory. Food must be thrown out after three days, although the staff is so good at planning, there rarely are leftovers. It was here during lunch preparation that I first heard the term “trayline.” It is exactly what it says . . . an assembly line of trays. Working from the menus which residents had completed, the aides began filling trays for those who had chosen to have room service. Magically, hot food arrived from the kitchen, was placed in the steam table and moved from there to hot plates.

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Continuing my tour

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Kristen Ganley, Director of Social Services, sometimes has to do the jobs that no one ever wants to deal with. She is responsible for evaluating residents when they enter the Health Center or Personal Care and when they are discharged. That assessment has to be updated quarterly and sent to the Government. She helps plan advance directives, living wills and powers of attorney and helps solve many other vexing and confusing problems that need attention.

Tucked out of sight in a corner is Ellen Martin, officially called the Registered Nurse Assessment Coordinator. It’s a tedious, detail-oriented, timeconsuming job she does, because most of the time she is dealing with government regulations. Ellen enters information into something called the Minimum Data Set (MDS), taking care to word it according to government lingo. MDS really means the assessing of every Health Center occupant, which is then passed on to the government. Every Health Center department is responsible for a section of the MDS, which they record on paper forms and then give to Ellen. After all this arrives on her desk, Ellen has to Ellen Martin (left) enter it into the computer, making and Jone Posey sure that dates and data are correct, to ensure that Medicare payments will be made. Worse yet, the MDS has to be updated every quarter. And even worse yet, each MDS, for every Health Care resident, is 32 pages of small print that must be completed! Sharing Ellen’s office is the Administrative Assistant, Jone Posey. Like most of the staff, Jone dovetails with several others in her job. She reconciles time cards and schedules the RNs, LPNs, CNAs and extra help that outside agencies provide occasionally when needed.

Jenny Hadfield, of Recreational Therapy, tries to keep long-term residents busy both mentally and physically. Besides the many options offered every day in Lounge B, Jenny works with Kim Norrett, Director of Resident Services, to see to it that long-term Health Center residents are connected to many of the programs and activities offered to the general population. She helps residents vote, oversees volunteers, and organizes evening activities three nights a week including Friday night’s festive cocktail party. Everybody is invited and almost everybody comes! *

As I looked around those handsome rooms, cheerful and spacious with lovely views, I thanked my lucky stars that I am in a place like this, where the elderly and frail as well as the convalescing residents are given such tender, professional care. This could be me someday, in either category, and it is a comfortable thought. 11

Making sure that residents eat what they please By Mary Schnabel

Everybody knows Rose-Marie Pringle, our Director of Dining Services. But does everybody know that she also heads the Dietary section in the Health Center? “Miss Rose” is so proud of the job her staff does there, she came and asked me if I would write a story about it. Right up my alley! Writing about an area in Beaumont that is relatively unknown and unsung is what I love to do. First of all I was amazed at how much the 13 staff members have to do. Then I was impressed by how organized they are and how easy they make a really complex operation appear. Dietary feeds the residents of the Health Center breakfast, lunch and dinner plus snacks of juice, milk, fresh-baked cookies and muffins, Jello, applesauce, and other pick-me-ups in between. Tea sandwiches are kept in the refrigerator just in case someone feels like a midnight snack! Every meal has to be tailored to the individual resident: personal taste, dietary restrictions and doctor’s orders. To start the day, John Henry, 24-year veteran of Dietary, takes breakfast trays on his truck to Health Center Dietary staffer John all the rooms. “Breakfast Henry in his usual position, pushing in bed” is standard. a truck containing residents’ trays Breakfast trays are filled back and forth.

Preparing trays for Health Center residents are “Trayline” staffers (from left) Cherish Clayton, Bernadette Williams and Secou Ross.

in the main kitchen and picked up by John who takes them to each individual room. John is probably the most recognized member of Dietary staff because he is back and forth so often he has almost worn grooves in the hallways. On my first visit to Dietary, I happened to choose a very good time. It was late morning and plans were afoot to get ready for lunch. Vivian Singleton, Afternoon Supervisor, had time to show me around a bit and explain some of the ways things work. Also on duty and working that morning were Korto Williams, team leader; Lakeisha Whipple and Secou Ross. They were all so busy doing their jobs they hardly realized I was there. Vivian showed me around the small, open auxiliary kitchen which adjoins the handsome dining room. Here, aides were unloading the freshly washed dishes that had come over from the main Beaumont kitchen (where all the food is cooked), putting cups and plates in the cupboards and arranging a stack of 40 or more trays which would be used for lunch. Right in front of me, Secou Ross, who started six years ago in the main Beaumont kitchen, was intent on spooning coleslaw, applesauce, gravy and other accompaniments into small bowls which he immediately All photos by Louise Hughes

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Working with residents who enter Health Center for long-term care By Paul McCleary I once had a conversation with my daughter in which she asked, “Dad, why do you continue to work at Beaumont as a Director of Nursing? I think that your job would really depress me.” After some interesting discussion I learned that, from her perspective, I reported each day to a building that is full of dying people. Beaumont’s Health Center is a skilled nursing facility that serves residents needing temporary care as well as those who are in for the long term, but it was clearly only the latter who were on my daughter’s mind at that time. Paul McCleary So what makes a person choose this line of work? Well, everyone has their own reasons

but for me it is the belief that I can make another person feel like their life still has meaning. A person who makes a long-term care facility their home should expect nothing short of a life where they remain in charge. A resident once asked if it was OK to take a shower on a day that they were not scheduled to get one. I told him that it was not only OK but, if he chose to, he would be given a shower every day morning and evening. He did say that twice a day was . . . maybe a bit much, but he got the point. Things that the average healthy person takes for granted can become major things when a person is admitted into long-term care. At our Health Center we understand that, and I think that now my daughter understands why I enjoy my work. 10

Making sure . . . .

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Continuing my tour

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Making sure that residents eat what they please By Mary Schnabel

Preparing trays for Health Center residents are “Trayline” staffers (from left) Cherish Clayton, Bernadette Williams and Secou Ross.

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From newcomers to neighbors New resident loves medicine, sports More new resident profiles on Pages 14, 15, 16

marriage, and Dr. Wood treated them as her own. Mr. Browning died in 1970, and in 1986 Dr. Browning By Peter Binzen married David Wetherill Wood, a child allergist. He didDr. Elizabeth M. Wood—Betsy—is a tiny woman, n’t like golf and so she played tennis. After his death in 4’11-½” tall and 106 pounds, but she loves sports and 1997, she returned to golf while also playing tennis. is fiercely competitive. Both of Dr. Wood’s husbands were of Quaker ancestry “I’m not competitive,” she corrected her interviewer, “but and her own Quaker ancestry went back at least five I try to develop mastery. It doesn’t matter how generations, she said. long it takes.” She conceded, however, that “I do The daughter of a Philadelphia banker, she enjoy winning.” attended Swarthmore High School and Dr. Wood, 89, a Beaumont resident since Pennsylvania State College, where she graduJanuary, has had a very long and very successated in 1945 with a degree in bacteriology. ful career as a pediatrician and as a pediatric She studied next at Woman’s Medical psychiatrist. But during our interview in her College of Pennsylvania, receiving her M.D. in Baldwin apartment, she became most animated 1948. “I was always interested in medicine, when speaking of her enjoyment of tennis and enjoyed studying and wanted to help people,” golf. she said. She was 15 years old when her father Dr. Elizabeth M. Wood Dr. Wood became a reserve officer in the arranged a special golf lesson for her. The U.S. Navy, serving internships at Woman’s Medical instructor was no one less than the links immortal, College Hospital in Philadelphia; and then two years of Bobby Jones. Jones had been giving a benefit exhibiservice in Philadelphia; Bainbridge, Maryland; and tion at Merion Golf Club, and he gave her a half-hour Cherry Point, North Carolina. lesson afterward. After her Naval discharge in 1952 as a Lieutenant, “He talked swing,” she said of Jones. “He was swinging she began a two-year residency at the Children’s for 25 minutes.” Dr. Wood interrupted the interview. She stood up Hospital of Philadelphia, after which the head of CHOP, and began swinging her arms without a golf club. Her Dr. Joseph Stokes, a prominent Quaker physician, picked her to assist in his private practice, treating swing was as smooth as silk. She played golf until she was about 20 years old, patients with medical and emotional problems. “When when her medical studies and, later, marriage, took he was away, I took care of his patients,” she said. Dr. Wood spent 15 years in pediatric practice locally her away from the game. with Dr. Charles H. Classen and then spent four years Twice widowed, she said that her first husband, as a resident in child and adult psychiatry, following George Genge Browning, was an engineer who which she practiced out of her home in Devon. enjoyed sailing at the Jersey Shore. They were married “Sports were a big part of my life,” she said, “as are in 1960 and had a daughter, now Barbara Browning my seven grandchildren and two great-grandchildren. Doeting. Her husband had two daughters by his first “I also enjoy a lot of gardening and traveling.”

Penn graduates: Remember Smokey Joe’s? talk to Carol Ryan!

Paul Ryan retired in the late 1980s and died in 1991, leaving stewardship of Smokey Joe’s to two of his sons. Carol and Paul had eight children and they, in turn, had 35 children, all living in this general area. Carol, who describes herself as a homemaker, says ruefully that “golf is a thing of the past,” but she enjoys playing bridge at Beaumont.

By Barbara O’Brien

Mary Carol Ryan, who moved to Beaumont earlier this year, grew up in Overbrook and graduated in 1944 from Holy Child Academy and in 1948 from Rosemont College. After college she married a Wynnewood man, Paul Ryan, who for many years owned and operated Smokey Joe’s tavern on the campus of the University of Pennsylvania. Under his management the tavern became such a Penn institution that the Daily News quoted President Gerald Ford as noting in a commencement address, “There are 16 institutions of higher learning at the University of Pennsylvania, 17 if you count Smokey Joe’s.”

Photo by Milissa Cwenar Carol Ryan

Cynthia Drayton (foreground) and others enjoyed a Mural Arts tour in North Philadelphia. Below, right, Norma Fabian planted what one day will be a sturdy oak in our woods in celebration of Earth Day. Photos by Louise Hughes

Making sure . . . .

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reports, seeing to menu printing, and so forth, as well as spending the greater part of her time “on the floor” in the kitchen or dining room. Kerry-Ann told me that all aides have to have special two-day training to qualify for Dietary and then are tested and certified. Re-training and re-certification takes place every five years. Others on the staff, working different shifts, are Kerriann Campbell, Tamara Burrell, Krystian Superville, Oluwafisayo Adekitan, Bernadette Williams, Ashley Garrick and Cherish Clayton. While watching the dining room fill up with residents, I marveled at the quiet, efficient way these and others slipped in to make sure all were comfortable and ready to be served. A random observation: The coffee machine is never empty. Coffee comes from the kitchen, but . . . none of the staff at Beaumont measures coffee grounds! All our coffee comes to us in boxed containers which slip right into the machines. That coffee we love, that is always consistent, always good, keeps its star quality because it doesn’t risk human error. That news blew me away! Photo by Kingie Dolan This lily in front of the Strongs’ villa at 17 Pond Lane, a mere stripling last year, soared to 8 feet in August. Ann Louise Strong credited the success of Beaumont’s composting program under the auspices of the Green Committee, which she heads.

MEDICARE STAR RATING President Joe Fortenbaugh announced in July that Beaumont had been awarded five stars by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS). He described that rating as the highest a skilled-nursing facility can earn, and “very difficult” to achieve.

Old Dock Street market in Philadelphia.

Tracing family success to food brokerage on old Dock Street

Photo of old photograph by Louise Hughes, who took all the photos on this page.

By Peter Binzen In 1875, an Italian immigrant named Alphonse Cancelmo came to Philadelphia and opened a food brokerage on Dock Street, a sprawling open-air market in the center of the city. His timing was good. One year later Philadelphia staged a huge celebration marking 100 years of American freedom. The centennial exposition brought thousands of visitors to the city and Cancelmo’s business flourished. He returned to Italy and brought his wife and first-born child back to Philadelphia. The Cancelmos proceeded to have nine children. Their youngest, James Cancelmo, graduated from the University of Pennsylvania and then attended its medical school. After completing his medical studies in 1917, he practiced general surgery in Philadelphia. He and his wife had four sons, and three of them followed their father into Penn Medical School. It was the youngest of those sons who moved into Beaumont with his wife, Peggy, in August. Richard, a graduate of Lower Merion High School and Washington Peggy and Richard Cancelmo and Lee University, was attending medical school in 1954 when he married Peggy Denney. Their families had been friends for years. She was a graduate of Sacred Heart Academy in Overbrook and Sacred Heart College in Boston. Peggy worked for a dentist while her husband

completed his medical studies. Dick got his degree in 1955 and, after a one-year internship at Bryn Mawr Hospital, he served in the U.S. Army for two years in Germany. He was earning about $80 a month as an Army captain at the time of discharge. He then put in a three-year residency in radiology at Bryn Mawr Hospital. His pay was $100 a month. The parents of the young couple helped with their bills. Dick was certified by the Board of Radiology in 1961 and began what became a 35-year career at the hospital. Radiology was a relatively uncomplicated technology when Dick started. Now it’s enormously important with CAT scan, ultrasound and magnetic resonance imagery (MRI) helping to diagnose disease. Bryn Mawr had three radiologists on staff in 1961; when Dick retired in 1996 it had nine. Dick, 82, volunteered for 15 years for Recording for the Blind and Dyslectic. Peggy, also 82, worked for the Devon Horse Show for many years and was chairwoman of the show in 1981-1982. It raises close to $300,000 a year for Bryn Mawr Hospital. The Cancelmos have three sons and a daughter and seven grandchildren. They had been living in Radnor for 34 years before deciding to move to a retirement community, inspecting many before settling on Beaumont. They have a small house in Vero Beach, Florida, where they generally spend four months in the winter.

She’s no stranger to the neighborhood By Margie Manlove

Jean Bodine grew up in Minneapolis and came east to Smith College. She met her husband, James F. (Jim) Bodine, on a blind date, and they were married soon after her graduation. They brought up their children, three daughters and a son, right across Old Gulph Road from the Wheeler Woods. Jean remembers calling on Miss Austin (but not getting beyond the vestibule) and also recalls the barred owl resident of the Austin property. When their children were grown, Jean Bodine Jim and Jean moved into the historic district of Philadelphia, where they loved the vitality and diversity of the city. Jim spent 30 years with the

First Pennsylvania Bank, becoming president in 1972 and remaining as president until he retired in 1978. He was one of the founders and a leader of the Greater Philadelphia Partnership, encouraging development and improved racial relations. He died in 2005. Here at Beaumont, where she has lived since July, Jean says she is happy to find life in her apartment easier than in her city house. Both she and Emma, her Norwich Terrier, are delighted with their small garden. Still, she will be going into the city regularly to maintain her two most important volunteer activities: one at Christ Church at 2nd and Market and the other at E.M. Stanton Elementary School, at 17th and Christian streets, where she has been a volunteer helping with reading in 1st and 2nd grades for the past 17 years. 14

Many changes at Villa 74 As Mecrays settle in By Barbara O’Brien

Dorothy Kurz, in front, with son Charles II, his son, Charles III (right), and daughter Catherine

Son of Beaumont residents “re-deploys” to Baldwin By Jean Homeier

Some of us have wondered about all the activity at 74 Middle Road. Now we have the answer. It is that newcomers Paul and Nell Mecray have made many serious changes to the interior of the villa and have put in a new and enchanting garden, complete with a terrace and statuary overlooking a grassy hollow. The Mecrays moved in only last January, but already Nell is active in Beaumont affairs. She is a member of the Search Committee seeking candidates to replace President Joe Fortenbaugh when he retires next August and also serves on the Resident Services Committee. Nell grew up in Chestnut Hill and went to Springside and then Wellesley. At one time she managed the Wissahickon Skating Club. She was an interested alumna when Springside’s Upper School and Chestnut Hill Academy’s merged (though the two lower schools are still separate). Paul is a graduate of Princeton, where four generations of his family have been represented. His major was petroleum geology. He is currently a managing director, research analyst and portfolio manager at Tower Bridge Advisors, a Conshohocken investment advisory firm. Previously, he served for 36 years as partner and global research analyst at Wellington Management Company, specializing in Middle East geopolitics and the oil services, engineering and construction industries. The Mecrays are parents of four and grandparents of nine. Paul is an avid hunter, skier and photographer, and Nell participates in all of the Beaumont bridge activities. They both love to travel and have been in many unusual parts of the world. Just ask them!

Two generations of the Kurz family are now in residence at Beaumont. Adolph and Dorothy Kurz moved into their apartment in 1997. “A” Kurz died in 1999, and Dorothy now lives in the Health Center. Their son, Charles Kurz II (Charley), has been living in Baldwin since May, having sold his home in Haverford. Charley was a “Lifer” at Penn Charter School before attending Trinity College and then the Wharton School at Penn for his MBA. He served as a supply officer on a fleet oiler in the U.S. Navy, home-ported in Newport, Rhode Island, for three years, followed by 35 years of employment with Keystone Shipping, a firm started by his grandfather. Now that he is officially retired, or “re-deployed” as he puts it, Charley is able to devote more time to his volunteer and philanthropic interests. He is a trustee of Camp Tecumseh in New Hampshire, which his son attended as a camper and counselor. He is a member of the Parents Leadership Committee of Vanderbilt University. He served as a trustee of the Ocean City Tabernacle Association as well as the Valley Presbyterian Foundation, where he just completed his responsibilities as its president. He also serves as the planned-giving ambassador for the Class of 1967 at Trinity College. As Charley explained, his personal goal is to continue his life’s journey by “going from success to significance” while serving others. Charley is a member of the Philadelphia Country Club and a life member of both the Union League and Newport Yacht Club. Personal passions include fundraising for schools and churches, biking, swimming, golfing and travel. Charley has a second home in Scottsdale, Arizona. His daughter and son, Catherine (Katie) and Charles III (Chad), have enjoyed many visits to Beaumont. Katie lives in Zurich, where she works for Credit-Suisse; Chad in Arlington, Virginia, where he works with the Paul and Nell Mecray Washington Nationals baseball team. 15

Photos by Louise Hughes

Enjoying a life filled with family, bridge and books By Ann Robb Smith Mary Tilghman’s favorite occupations have been before Joe died in April, 2000. riding, golf and reading. Riding was a natural for a young Mary had previously been married to Tom McKoy. They girl who went to Foxcroft, that idyllic boarding school in had three children, two boys and a girl. One son, Ned, Virginia. It was hardly idyllic for her, however, as those died in an automobile accident in 1967. Mary’s daughter, were the years of WW II and Miss Charlotte, the Linda, is a lawyer but gave up her legal work to headmistress, was determined to prepare the stubring up her three children. The family lives in dents, even though they were girls, to be called Washington, D.C. Mary’s son Tom Jr. retired from should the war drag on. She designated the school Lockheed Martin and lives in Santa Cruz, California. as a “military training school,” and she meant it. Not Mary has five grandsons and was thrilled—as was until drill was over could the girls go riding. everyone in the family—when one of her grandsons Mary was an enthusiastic equestrian for many Mary Tilghman and his wife produced a baby girl. Mary showed me years, but now plays bridge instead. At the time of a photograph of her great-granddaughter, Vivienne, a this writing, Mary was reading two books, A Paris Wife beautiful child with rosy cheeks and deep blue eyes. and Harry Belafonte’s autobiography. Like many of us at Beaumont, Mary grew up in the Golf was a great bond of fun and pleasure for Mary Philadelphia area. She went to the Agnes Irwin School and her late husband, Joe Tilghman, Sen. Dick and then to Foxcroft before returning home to comTilghman’s brother. They were part of the “People to plete her education at Bryn Mawr College in 1948. People Golf” program which encouraged making Mary moved to Beaumont in July 2011. She had friends with people from other countries while playing been looking for a villa and when a good friend at together on a golf course. Mary and Joe made three Beaumont phoned her at her condo in Vero Beach that wonderful trips with “People to People Golf.” They went one was available, she hopped on an airplane and flew to Australia and New Zealand on one trip, to South up here to see it. It was love at first sight. She bought Africa on another, and then to the British Isles. it immediately and then sold her house in Bryn Mawr in Mary and Joe had been friends for 40 years before less than a week. She is now settled in and enjoying they married. They had 15 happy years of marriage life at Beaumont as well as winters in Vero Beach.

Beaumont on the march . . .

off the Grill Room. As both Mr. Paier and Dr. Trachtenberg emphasized, many issues remained to be decided. Residents were asked to submit their own ideas and comments in writing to the Front Desk within 10 days for consideration by the various committees and boards “so we can proceed with budgetary issues,” Mr. Paier said. Among comments from the floor were questions about what other major projects might be on the drawing board. President Joe Fortenbaugh said there were nine upgrades in total, counting the ground and main floor proposals as one each. He listed renovations on the Personal Care (Assisted Living) floors, improvements to the geothermal system, continuing work on the new Information Technology systems, dredging the pond, renovating the elevator cabs, constructing a new Grounds building, and making a master Grounds plan. One resident questioned the need for a greatly expanded fitness center. Mr. Paier replied, in part: “If we do the right things down there, where we have 10 to 15 people now, maybe 25—with renovations, I would hope 15 becomes 25 or 30, but if it’s only 10, I would say that’s the cheapest money ever spent to help 10 people extend their lives. “We need the facilities to continue to attract residents, but we also need them for you all. What we really want to do is get facilities that make you feel better, and encourage people to do things you haven’t done before.”

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Don Trachtenberg, chairman of the Beaumont Retirement Community Inc. (BRCI) Board, said that all projects under consideration would be financed by the 10 percent assessment Beaumont receives when units are sold, and that “not one penny” would be taken out of, or added to, residents’ monthly fees. Mr. Paier added that Beaumont “has been and continues to be in a strong financial position,” with next to no debt at the moment. As presented by Mr. Paier, who said that committee members had visited three other retirement communities in the Delaware Valley for comparison purposes, the projects would include: On the ground floor: ■ Relocating and expanding the fitness center, with new equipment, larger changing rooms and enhancements to the swimming pool. ■ Upgrading the Arts and Crafts room. ■ Upgrading the library, perhaps including removing one wall and leaving it open to the corridor or replacing it with glass. And on the main floor: ■ A “bistro” with a bar, near the Rogers Room, replacing space now unused, little used or used mainly by kitchen workers, suitable as a gathering place for a few people or many. ■ A game room. ■ A roof-top outdoor dining area for spring and fall, 16