Beaumont News, October 2023

Still Going Strong at 35!

Article and Photography by Linda

Madara

Planning a 35 Year Birthday Gala takes time and effort. Start with seeing what has been successful before. Who better to talk with than past President, Mary Schnabel, now 102?

Mary suggested Louise Hughes, now Trip Coordinator, who was in marketing 10 years ago and kept photographs of her activities. During the summer she poured over her endless collection. What memories, recognizing Audrey Walsh and Caitlin McDevitt (now Gardner) pictured and perusing shots taken of the front circle as the 25th Year festive banner was raised on the flagpole. September 19th was chosen for THE event. Details began to fall into place.

A spectacular dinner in the Beaumont Room was masterminded and produced by Zack Margolis, official food and beverage magician, in tandem with Executive Chef John Bauer. Their feast would include dishes from around the world.

Nothing was left to chance. Every detail was covered to perfection, including the weather which thankfully cooperated, allowing cocktail hour guests to choose the Liseter Garden, complete with bar and floating staff passing hors d’oeuvres which took pressure off the very crowded Music Room.

At 6:00 PM the word was given to move into the Beaumont Room.How had it been possible for this space to become a magical setting; tables with steel gray cloths,centerpieces of pristine white flowers complimented by greens,and glassware that sparkled This first impression was not lost on guests arriving “dressed to the nines”.

Some ladies, having dug deeply into their closet, resurrected a long gown. Amazingly it fit … except, in those closet years, somehow it became longer while stashed away! Tuxedos, scarcely visible, were a wee bit “snugger” around the waist than when last worn. Gentlemen sporting bow ties were especially handsome …who cares who tied the bows?

Zack created gourmet food stations where one could choose from the many tempting selections at each station with chefs to serve as needed. Continued on Page 2

With Beaumont just beginning to recover after almost 3 years of debilitating construction and upset, Joe decided to invite members of the Warfel team to the dinner, providing an additional dimension to the evening.

The invitation for the gala was official. Yes, it was formal attire. It would be an “over the top” party. Suddenly, it became real… an evening NOT to be missed.

Jim Bromley, Joan Bromley, Mac Butcher

Birthday Cake and rockets.

35th Anniversary ice sculpture

Frank Slattery Debbie Zug

Still Going Strong at 35!

Continued from Page 1

This personal touch also provided an additional delight, that of meeting the individual who created the part of the meal you were choosing and being able to thank him in person.

Shortly before dessert Joe gave heartfelt thanks to those who had made the evening so spectacular. Marian Lockett-Egan, as she had 10 years ago for the Gala, assembled a quartet of singers. Evelyn Isom, Sally Pearne, and Joel Jensen joined her in Alan Tripp’s anthem “Oh Beaumont, My Beaumont!” Lou Carol Fix, the original arranger, accompanied on the piano.

A spectacular blaze of glory ended the evening as Zack wheeled out a substantial cake. With torch in hand, he lit the candles… not candle-candles exactly, silvery rockets. To the delight of the entire room, the icing-anchored rockets flared up! One, two, three feet of white flames rose into the air, crackling and sizzling. It was exciting, exhilarating, and the perfect way to celebrate 35 years of retirement living; activities, adventures of all sorts, making and finding exceptional “new old friends”

(Alan Tripp’s name), and ultimately becoming a very, very special place!

Congratulations Beaumont…you are a wonderful, unique community. Here’s to another 35 years!

Marian Lockett-Egan in front with, left to right standing: Evelyn Isom, Joel Jensen, and Sally Pearne singing “Oh Beaumont, My Beaumont!”

The crowd at the dinner

Cynthia Holstad

Penny Misher

Barbara Billings

Barbara Benson

Prill Bradshaw-Page

Jack Collett

Cover of the music for “Oh Beaumont, My Beaumont!”

Left to right: Irene Krause, John Krause, Joyce deBotton, Claude deBotton

Welcome Carol Levin

By Peter Abel

Carol Levin recently moved all the way from Morris Avenue to Beaumont. She is still unpacking boxes. Good luck, Carol! We’ve all been there.

Carol lived mostly near the East Coast after spending her early years in sunny Southern California. Following a two-year stint at Mills College, she graduated from UCLA, majoring in modern dance. She then taught elementary school until marriage intervened. With new husband, David, she moved to NYC where she worked at the American Institute of CPA’s eventually becoming Editorial Production Manager of the Journal of Accountancy. There were eleven years in Newtown, MA and then a final move to Bryn Mawr where she has lived 37 years.

In the Philadelphia area Carol took on various volunteer jobs, serving on her synagogue board, as a member and one-time president of the TJUH Women's Board, and as a Philadelphia Court Appointed Special Advocate for children in foster care.

Carol’s husband, David C. Levin, MD., died in 2020. A distinguished Radiologist, he was a Professor of

Radiology and Chair of the Department of Radiology at Thomas Jefferson University and Hospital. In his spare time, he wrote 310 published papers and 362 abstracts. Before Medical School he served as a fighter pilot in the US Air Force. Incidentally, he also ran 26 marathons.

Carol and David were Frequent Flyers, traveling often to Europe, the Near East and China. They had three children, a daughter in Minnesota, a son in Oahu, and another daughter in Colorado. She has two grandchildren.

Not surprisingly, Carol enjoys listening to music and viewing dance performances.

Madeline Manogue

Gracie Madeira

Rhea Mandell

Ken Campbell

Carol Levin. Photo by Linda Madara.

Libby Schwartz

Allen Misher

Cassie Ross

CCRC Area Council says — Friendliest, and the Best Bread!

By Rich Stephens

Monday morning Barbara woke up with Covid. I had arranged a day-long meeting the next day of our CCRC Association, and I was now in quarantine. The only evidence I would see of the event was a couple of tour groups visiting Richard Lange and Jeff Klein. Luckily, Sharon Kelly and Audrey Walsh had done most of the organizing in the first place and just carried on. But wait, you say, what is this organization CCRC, and why do they get lunch and tours? I'm glad you asked.

About 10 years ago about a dozen of our local CCRCs formed an Area Council for information exchange. We meet quarterly at a host campus to discuss issues and activities, and to promote best practices. We also survey members on topics ranging from pets to meal charges, to technology use, to memory care. The rotating host shows off their facilities with campus tours and highlights an issue of the moment with a formal talk and discussion.

members held their business meeting. Everyone then adjourned to lunch followed by a tour of the campus.

We volunteered for this turn particularly to discuss how one rebuilds a sense of community in the wake of Covid. We felt that the resident-led ethos here (Cutting Corners, Friendship Circles, etc.) was unique and would be interesting. Dr. Vick Kelly, who has led in this area was drafted as the speaker. Residents and visitors got together to discuss the issues Dr. Kelly raised while the CCRC

In Memoriam

The smoothness of the event was due to Sharon Kelly, in charge of twenty plus volunteers, and Audrey Walsh, supervising staff. The enthusiastic reports coming back from visitors are due in part to the over-the-top friendliness of the volunteers and to the lunch Chef Bauer provided. One visitor called me for the source of our multigrain bread to improve their menu.

In the end, Barb's better, I didn't get Covid (this time), and we spread our ideas of how the world (or at least CCRCs) should work.

Left to right: Linda Parrotto, Eta Glassman, Cassie Ross greeting attendees. Photo by Linda Madara.

Photo Editor Linda Madara

Quality Control Cathy Leahy

Production Articus, Ltd.

eugenio calabi September 25, 2023

Members of the Beaumont Community extend deepest sympathy to their families and friends.

Attendees at the welcome breakfast. Photo by Linda Madara.

Vick Kelly speaking with a guest. Photo by Linda Madara.

Stuart Kaplan and Renee Scharf

By Peter Abel

Stuart Kaplan and Renee Scharf, MD, recently moved into their totally renovated villa on Pasture Lane.

Renee was raised in Philadelphia. After graduating from Adelphi College in NYC, she first worked as a coordinator for Club Med and taught yoga and archery. Then she shifted gears and attended medical school. After receiving her MD, she had an eclectic practice -- microbiology lab testing at Temple, performing ketamine infusions to treat very severe pain, and for the rest of her career, she practiced physical and rehabilitation medicine for patients in rehab following stroke, injury, or major surgery. Having retired from active practice, she now enjoys yoga, archery, mahjong and playing with her very special canine friend, Mia.

Stuart was raised in Philadelphia and, upon graduating from Penn State, became a schoolteacher. After a couple of years, the call of good ski slopes overcame him and he moved to Vail, Colorado. To help pay for lift tickets and other necessities he took on the best part-time jobs available locally, including dishwashing and bartending. After satisfying his ski needs, he returned to Philadelphia to join his family's business,

manufacturing spare airplane parts for the Defense Department. After a couple of years, he returned to teaching. He taught regular classes as well as classes for students with physical and/or mental disabilities. He retired in 2015.

Stuart has two cars. One is for everyday use. The other, for special occasions and auto shows, is a Cadillac Allante roadster convertible. The body was designed and manufactured in Italy and then flown by special airplane to the U.S. for assembly with the American made engine and chassis. A rare red beauty, it has been entered in at least 200 auto shows and has won many trophies.

Stuart and Renee have been able to squeeze in and enjoy a lot of travel, including cruises and visits throughout the U.S. and Europe. More travel is in the future, but they are now looking forward to finally spending the whole winter at their home in the sunshine near Palm Beach.

Dr. Louis Henry (“Hank”) and Martha Mel (Stumberg) Edmunds

By Sally Randolph

The Edmunds’ life in Philadelphia began in 1973 when Hank was recruited to join the University of Pennsylvania Medical School as Chief of the Cardiothoracic Surgical Service.

Prior to 1973, they lived and traveled to many places.

Hank was born in Seattle and graduated from the University of Washington in 1953. After getting his medical degree at Harvard, he did an internship, residency, and became Chief Resident in Surgery at Massachusetts General Hospital. That chapter of their life included living in Leeds, England, where Hank was a senior registrar in the British National Health System with the opportunity to develop proficiency in open-heart surgery. In the period 1966-1973, Hank served on the faculty at the University of California Medical School in San Francisco (UCSF) doing cardiac surgery and NIH funded research.

Martha Mel and Hank married in 1960, in Austin TX where Martha Mel was born. During this early period of their life together, she graduated from Wellesley College ’61, raised four young children, and became an avid art historian. While they lived in Leeds she developed a passion for English antique furniture, visiting as many cathedrals, museums, historic houses, and gardens as possible in England and on the continent.

In 1973, they settled in Bryn Mawr when Hank was named Chief of the Cardiothoracic Surgical Service at Penn. In that capacity he did surgery, oversaw the residency program, and started an NIH funded laboratory. When he retired, he was proudly able to turn the research program over to two of his trainees. He was also active in various surgical societies and on NIH Study Sections. He lectured around the world and published over 400 book chapters and scientific papers and a textbook, Cardiac Surgery in the Adult. In 1998, when he stopped operating, he was asked to be the editor of the largest cardiothoracic journal: the Annals of Thoracic Surgery, a position he held for 15 years. This involved frequent travel for both of them. Once they were settled here and their four children were in school, (the three girls at Shipley and their son, as a “lifer” at Haverford), Martha Mel began her formal study of art history with an MA in 1986 and a PhD in 1993 from the University of Pennsylvania. Her thesis, now in book form, is considered the first comprehensive analysis of Louis XIV’s Palace Chapel at Versailles (1699-1710). Her degree has led to articles, lectures, and additional publications on French religious art of the 17th and 18th centuries.

In what spare time they had, Hank played tennis and golf and Martha Mel volunteered at Shipley, at the Church of the Redeemer, and as a guide at the Philadelphia Art Museum. Most recently she served as President of her class at Wellesley, from 2016-2021. Having lived in the same house for 50 years, they came to think of Bryn Mawr as home. Little wonder they chose Beaumont for the current chapter in their lives. They are happy to be here, and we love having them as part of our community!

Stuart Kaplan and Renee Scharf.

Photo by Linda Madara.

“Hank” and Martha Mel Edmunds. Photo by Linda Madara.

The House Committee Upgrades our Guest Suites

By Nancy Sharp

In the summer of 2022, the House Committee was asked to refurbish the three guest rooms in the Baldwin building. We set our sights on choosing new carpeting, new bedspreads, some new furniture, new lighting, and newly painted walls to enhance new artwork. We had several show-and-tell meetings where we chose our bedspreads and our furniture. Then in early 2023, Mark Roberts, the Director of Operations, and his men began to re-create the three rooms. They put all new lighting in the ceilings, painted the rooms in a lovely blue, and put the carpeting in. Then the furniture arrived that we had ordered. Once the beds were made with the most fabulous bedspreads to complement the blue walls, and benches were put at the end of the beds, and casual pillows were put on the beds and couches, we set out to find new artwork to complete the rooms.

Within a day or two the guest rooms became three wonderful areas for guests of residents to enjoy. Completing the rooms was such a fun and rewarding project that I hope you will all be able to see and enjoy them in the future. We have set up an open house on Monday, November 6th in Baldwin apartment #305 from 2:00 to 4:00 in the afternoon. Please come and ENJOY!

This Is It

By Bette Keck Peterson

This is where "the rubber meets the road," Where reality dares you to face the truth. This is what aging looks like - no pretense.

How

we long to be seen as we once were,

Not judged by sloped shoulders, an altered walk, but vibrant, productive, active. However, time is a race car, and doesn't travel backwards.

When darkness is about to enfold us, WISDOM ignites a light. We finally understand all we have is TODAY. It is all we ever had, but we were too young to know it.

So please enjoy today for all its worth.

A Trip to Main Line Animal Rescue

Article and Photography By Amy Singh

Purebreds, mutts and even designer dogs, oh my! Beaumont residents learned about and visited the many types of adoptable pets at Main Line Animal Rescue on their trip, August 31, 2023. We learned that, contrary to popular belief, not all shelter dogs are mutts. Sadly, many people purchase purebreds or designer “Doodle” mixes for thousands of dollars and then decide they don’t want the responsibility any longer or that cute little puppy isn’t so cute as a full sized, possibly misbehaving adult dog. Sometimes people’s housing or health situations change. In one case of a previously adopted rescue from MLAR, the couple was going through a divorce and, although both the husband and wife wanted the dog, the judge ordered him to be released back to MLAR.

Residents enjoyed the informational speeches by a couple of friendly guides, (Megan and Karen, who were 2 of 772 total volunteers) and then toured the facilities including re-education rooms, feral cat quarters, and of course the many “runs” of available dogs and cats. There were smiles and even tears spending time with some of the cats and dogs in need of homes.

Main Line Animal Rescue is located in Chester Springs, PA on a breathtaking 60-acre farm full of outdoor fenced areas and numerous wooded trails. They are the biggest pet rescue in the Delaware Valley and one of the largest in the country. They routinely have about 100 pets available. They had just placed 11 cats on the Saturday before our visit in their “Clear the Shelters” same day adoption event. Many dogs

from a hoarding situation who were Jack Russel mixes were recently rescued and were available (200 dogs were saved). According to their mission statement, “Main Line Animal Rescue specializes in the rescue, rehabilitation, and placement of abused, unwanted and abandoned companion animals. We never discriminate on the basis of health, age, or breed. By involving and educating the community, MLAR works to raise the public's awareness of the plight of homeless animals, as well as to realize the benefits of adopting an animal in need. Our animals are examined, vaccinated, spayed or neutered and receive any and all medical treatment before they are placed in carefully screened homes. MLAR serves PA, NJ, and NY through our adoptions, education, and advocacy programming. MLAR has a national presence as a voice for anti-puppy mill legislature, ending animal homelessness and advocating for the adoption and humane treatment of animals.”

Left to right: Cassie Ross, Joel Jensen, Carole Morgan, Nancy Sharp, Prill Bradshaw-Page, Sally Pearne, Beverly Wilson, Loretta Blume at MLAR

MLAR speakers Megan and Karen and friend

Sally Pearne with friend Beaumont Visitors at the Barn

One of the dog training runs on the farm

Sign for the MLAR farm

Pet Parade and Social

By Amy Singh

Beaumont residents joined “party animals” during the Pet Parade and Social on Friday, September 8th in the Aerobics Room. Fur babies and residents enjoyed food, music, socializing and some even “ruff” housed a little.

Mia, a Shih Tzu and one of the stars of the show, came proudly representing Penn State in her custommade athletic gear for the feminine fourlegged PSU football fan. She barked to the others boasting her football team’s impressive record.

Pelle was able to break away from his busy career as a professional canine competitor and TV commercial actor, to fraternize. This Bichon Frise came with his A game. He walked on his hind legs forwards and backwards and displayed some of his infamous awardwinning competition skills.

Tilly, a cocker spaniel mix, must have had her canine coffee before joining the party. She was bouncing around and happy as can be.

Charlie, a well-known Havanese at Beaumont, came to say hello. In the Beaumont dog society, he would probably be the mayor. Charlie, Tilly, Pelle, and Mia (all small fur babies) got along fabulously.

Phoebe, a Standard Poodle (the largest type of Poodle), towered over the others. She looked lovely in her curly blue bow that paired with her brown curly hypoallergenic hair.

And the biggest of the four-legged bunch was Cooper, a grand-dog. Cooper was a big Labrador who just came to have a good time. He and Mia were the puppies of the group.

In the end, even the cat owners went home with “Doggy Bags” that included treats and toys the Fitness Department put together for the VIP guest list.

Mary Graham with Phoebe.

Photo by Linda Madara.

Renee Scharf and Mia. Photo by Linda Madara.

Jane Kihlstrom with Pelle, Laura Bullitt and her aide holding Tilly, Rita Rome. Photo by Linda Madara.

Jane Kihlstrom and Pelle

Photo by Linda Madara