Beaumont News September 2022

V o lume T h i rt y S ix , N umber 4

S ep tember 2022

A Farewell Tribute for Jennie Frankel

By Joe Peduzzi. Photos by Linda Madara.

Since July 2007, Jennie Frankel has served as Administrative Assistant to Beaumont’s President & CEO. Since then, Jennie has set the tone of the administrative offices by exuding her high energy, action-oriented personality, optimism, and good spirit. Jennie assisted hundreds of residents over the years with such things as mailings, notary, and lending an ear when needed.

Jennie and Joe Peduzzi

Lauren Scott and Jennie Jennie with Eta Glassman

When not at her standing desk working and humming her favorite tune, she was seen dashing through the campus or out for a walk greeting residents, employees, visitors, and pets with a smile. I have worked closely with Jennie for the past 9 years and always told her that she was not allowed to leave until I retired. When Jennie told me she was leaving, I told her that we had a pact. She said, “I never promised you that I would stay until you retired, but instead promised you that I would find and train the perfect replacement.” She fulfilled that promise.

Jennie with Minnie Robb and Betty Matarese

Jennie with Vick Kelly

As my right-hand Jennie always made sure that board and committee agendas were done on time, deadlines were met, and the entire office humming. She even served as my personal dietary consultant by telling me to “save the other half for later!”

Obviously, I did not listen.

It was difficult to wish Jennie Frankel. Photo by Paige Welby.

Jennie farewell and I insisted on a goodbye bash with the residents and staff, as she has made a positive impression on all. Jennie said, “that is not necessary because I don’t think many people would attend.” I told her that she has touched everybody’s life at Beaumont, and it would be standing room only. Guess what Jennie, I was right!

Throughout the day I would hear Jennie on the phone wishing everyone “bye-BYE and have a great day!” In true Jennie style let's wish Jennie “bye-BYE” and enjoy the next chapter of your life.

Page Gowan hugging Jennie while Barbara Ladd looks on

Jennie with Elizabeth Miller and with Susan Ravenscroft and Vern Stanton waiting to see her

A Summer Afternoon Party in Beaumont’s Liseter Garden

By David Randolph

By late afternoon on Friday, July 22nd, Liseter Garden was warm and lush, and the sound of water splashing in the fountain, the look of fresh white linen, and the taste of white sangria made at least two of the many guests Richard Lange, Nell Mecray, Bette Peterson.

Photos by Linda Madara. gathered feel as though they were moving figures in a landscape from 1918—six years after Liseter Garden was first planted.

Zack Margolis fixing a drink for Gerald O’Conner

Sanna Steigerwalt talking with Dick Peterson with Zack Margolis and Caitlin Gardner in background

The secret was the guests themselves—all Beaumont residents with just two or three family members visiting. It was the right size group for relaxation and formality to be in graceful balance.

Jeff White waiting for a drink with Paige Welby and Nancy Harris in the background

Gerald O’Connor enjoying the garden

gin and tonics, and the Culinary Team had prepared crab brioche and delicate strawberry tarts to go along with them.

A photographer at the scene commented that she had an easy time taking pictures because she didn’t have to hunt for shots--every face radiated personality and contentment.

Some of the mint, borage, and lovage picked that morning from Nalle Garden had been frozen into the ice cubes in our

A Villanova Wildcat Comes to Beaumont

By Mote Howard

Another Villanova Wildcat joins Dan Walsh at Beaumont.

Dick Masterson came here a few months ago from the Newtown Square–Wayne border to help Dan mourn the retirement of the very successful coach, Jay Wright.

families. They were members of Overbrook Golf Club, and both really enjoyed that difficult Richard Masterson. Photo by Linda Madara. game. At one point Dick had an impressive twelve handicap.

Dick started life in Elkins Park, went to high school at Penn Charter where he was a varsity basketball player. He went on to Villanova College and Villanova Law School.

He was a trial lawyer doing breach of contract and injury cases with an occasional divorce thrown in. The latter was not his favorite contest.

We welcome Dick to Beaumont.

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

Thinking he needed to rehydrate, Dick went into a neighborhood bar, met a lovely woman, and was convinced she was a worthy marriage candidate. Later in 1958 they did get married and had four children: two boys and two girls. One of each lives here and the other two moved west to California. The local daughter is very solicitous of her ninety-two-year-old father.

Editor

Dick and his late wife Mary Louise loved to travel, went to Europe several times, and liked visiting the California

2

Beverly Wilson

Photo Editor

Linda Madara

New Resident Editor

Betty Matarese

Roving Reporter

Eta Glassman

Quality Control

Cathy Leahy

Production

Articus, Ltd.

Beaumont Scholarship Awards

By Mary Caulder

Each year Beaumont provides education scholarships to our employees which are fully funded by the generosity of our Residents.

This year we made some great changes to make our scholarships open to more employees and expand educational opportunities.

On August 11, 2022, we presented Scholarship Awards to twelve employees: Employee

Department

Special Recognition

Adrienne Blackwell

Health Services

In Memory of Joan Prewitt

Ebony Mosley

Health Services

In Memory of Charles Kurz, II Foundation Fund

Gerlynn Lafontant Kadiatu Mansaray

Franca Onyewuchi Aniea Bradford

Health Services Health Services

Brittany Gallman

Wellness Center

Aminata Toure

Marissa Redline

In Memory of Arthur and Carol Wheeler

Personal Care

Wellness Center

Jayla Pettey

In Memory of Joan Prewitt

Health Services

Miriam Abdul-Sharif Regina Brown

In Memory of Arthur and Carol Wheeler

In Memory of Roland Morris In Memory of Sol Pottish

Wellness Center

In Memory of Ted Robb

In Memory of Sol Pottish

Dining Dining

Information Technology

The recipients receive a one-time grant of up to $2,500 for full-time employees or $2,000 for part-time employees.

Recipients who are active employees as of the following January 1st and show active participation in the program or course completion will receive an additional $1,000 payable to the employee. Recipients who show proof they are on the Dean’s List will receive an additional $500 in January.

Employee’s families were invited as well as all the residents.

A reception provided by our Food and Beverage Department followed the ceremony.

year prior to the application date and work an average of 16 hours or more bi-weekly. A change we made this year was to accept applications from employees with less than one year of service and pro-rate the award amount. This encourages employee retention.

Degree/Certification Programs can be in-person or online.

This was also expanded this year. Programs can be full-time or part-time: • Undergraduate Degree at an accredited college or university • Masters or Doctorate Degree Program at an accredited college or university • One-to-four-year trade school • Certified Nursing Assistant Program • Licensed Practical Nurse Program • Registered Nurse Program • Hospitality or Culinary Program • Plumbing and Heating Technician • Electrical Technician

To qualify, awardees must meet eligibility requirements: Employees must be employed at Beaumont for at least one

In Memoriam Jean Bodine

August 13, 2022

Michael Churchman

August 16, 2022

Thank you to all the residents and managers who took the time to write letters of recommendations for our awardees.

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

This program, along with our Tuition Reimbursement program provide all our employees with opportunities for lifetime educational opportunities.

3

“Mixing Media” a Beaumont Gem Text and Photos by Linda Madara

So easy…Barbara Friedman, a resident artist, accepted an invitation to show her work. Learning about staging, timing, labels, etc. came next. About 8 months later, she called saying an artist friend moving into Beaumont would love to participate in the show if possible. Absolutely, it was possible.

Sandra Krouse‘s name was placed on the exhibiting artist list.

The process moved along, including the word “sculpture” spoken early in conversations.

Paintings are flat.

Sculpture has a third dimension.

We will make the show happen!

A Group of Sculptures by Sandra Krouse

honestly surprised when I asked to show it. “How would you display it?” she asked. For me the question was: “How could we keep it safe?” I promised we would have the appropriate, safe display space.

Amazon to the rescue. Endless glass cases online…but it had to have a lock. With the clock ticking toward the opening, we placed an order. The case did arrive and was set in place…three days left. OH NO!!! No lock!! Frantically with fingers crossed we ordered the lock. Saturday morning UPS arrived with the lock. It was installed shortly before Helen Vinick, Ann Butcher, Kaki Hoover, and Barbara arrived to stage the very different show.

Artist Barbara Friedman Artist Sandra Krouse

Barbara returned from winter in Florida with a good portion of her work carefully nestled in their car. The Krouses moved into Beaumont, and I was invited to the apartment to see Sandra’s sculpture. Upon stepping through the doorway, I stood gaping. All I could say was, “No one warned me!!” which sent Sandra into near panic! Quickly, I explained what I saw was “not just sculpture.” It was a wonderful, exciting body of work that would hugely add to the show.

My mind screamed, “How does one mount this sculpture and do it justice?”

Sculptures were gently placed so that they would be seen individually and as part of the display.

The paintings, as they were hung, began to complement the sculpture.

Not long after, stopping by to discuss labeling, I commented on an absolutely smashing necklace Sandra was wearing. “Did it come

“Delray Beach Florida” by Barbara Friedman, Sculpture by Sandra Krouse

Barbara asked that Sandra’s “Time Out” Strawberries” by Barbara Friedman piece be placed on the front wall with her paintings. It worked beautifully as did the large oil behind the sylph. Sandra’s labels explained each piece. She even included a “Work in Progress” still attached to its supporting armature showing the process and its progress before casting a sculpture.

While excitement grew over the installation, the glass case sat ignored. Not until the art was completely in place, did we unwrap the jewelry. Placing each necklace on its stand, we slipped in loose cabochons to complete the presentation.

Already passers-by were stopping to enjoy the results.

Cabinet of Jewelry by Sandra Krouse

from The Craft Show?” I asked. (Our own Philadelphia Museum of Art Craft Show is #1 in the country!) “Oh, no.

I made it! I collect cabochons and when one talks to me, I design a piece to show its beauty!” Speechless again!!!

This different show marrying Sandra Krouse’s spectacular sculpture and heavenly jewelry with Barbara Friedman’s very exciting and varied work (oil and watercolor paintings and pencil drawings) displayed the magic that can be achieved when all the pieces, players and a lock come together perfectly.

Later she showed me pieces designed for her cabochons.

This entirely different talent had to be displayed. She was

4

Jazz Appreciation 2.0: Improvising

By Marv Weisbord

Matching scales to chords is the essential skill for improvising jazz. Think of scales as letters of the alphabet and chords as words. We have only 12 notes to choose from—A, B, C, D, E, F, and G, plus five sharp (#) or flat (b) notes indicating half steps. From 12 notes we can produce songs in 24 keys—12 major and 12 minor. Major keys sound happier, minor keys sadder. We hear them that way from an early age. (Other cultures—e.g., India—have scales with many more gradations. They sound strange to me, but not to anyone who grew up hearing them.)

and Soul.” This chart is in the key of F major. Each chord is based on a letter of that scale, and the chords you see use the F scale for improvising. That’s because your ear will accept as “right” any notes of a given scale in any order—if those notes occur in the scale. “Heart and Soul,” a typical AABA song, has three A parts, each using 16 chords. To make a melody on these chords requires only seven notes from the F Major scale—F, G, A, Bb, C, D, and E. Learn that scale, and you have all you need to improvise three-fourths of the song. The B part follows the same rules with other scales.

You can make dozens of chords from each scale. Our band uses about 20 from each, identified by a letter from A to G. Chord names appear above the melody in “charts” that we use to stay in synch. Sometimes a chart includes the lyrics.

For example, below you see eight measures from “Heart

I first played the piano at age 15. I began learning this system in my 70’s. The full course lasts a lifetime, and nobody finishes.

Every chord in a jazz tune has an associated scale—four or more notes played in alphabetical order. There are 2000+ scales in each key. That’s 24,576 scales! Yes, I know that’s incredible. Fortunately, we need only 15 to play jazz.

Seven of these have Greek names—e.g., Ionian, Lydian, Dorian, etc.— from a system invented around 500 BC by Pythagoras, a Greek philosopher/musician. Eight scales are named Whole Tone (6 notes), Pentatonic (5), Diminished (8), Blues (5), Mix +4 (7) Mix -2-6 (7), Harmonic Minor (7), and Melodic Minor (7).

As the legendary jazz pianist Bill Evans put it, “Jazz is not a what. It’s a how.” Our goal is to play and sing with feeling, that is to “swing,” propelled by short notes and long, stops and starts, familiar and unexpected. Any instrument or voice can improvise exciting solos. Chord recognition becomes a simpler way of “reading” music— except that we supply our own notes. Eventually the ear takes over. It learns through repetition which chords and notes sound good together. Creating our own parts from the same chart, band members aspire to play rhythmically with feeling as we listen to each other. When that happens, it’s magic.

5

NEW in the Library The Shore: A Novel by Katie Runde (2022)

Year-round Jersey shore residents, a family faces an unknowable future. With humor, friendship, escape and romance they cope with loss.

A Sacred Oath: Memoirs of a Secretary of Defense During Extraordinary Times

by Mark Esper (2022)

Former Secretary of Defense reveals the details of his tumultuous tenure while serving in the Trump administration.

Founding Mothers: The Women Who Raised Our Nation by Cokie Roberts (2005)

You’ve been meaning to read about what these women did best, put one foot in front of the other in remarkable circumstances and carry on.

An Unusual and Beautiful Concert The second piece was the highlight of the recital.

Sillage for solo saxophone was composed in 2017

by Vincent David. The composer describes the Valentin Kovalev playing soprano saxophone. Photo by Astral. piece as "Wake trail left by ship at the surface of the water." Sillage consisted of a single melody weaving in and out on its sonic exploration. And what an exploration it was. Mr. Kovalev had complete command of his instrument as he wandered from deep guttural tones to sounds so high it almost seemed to be testing our hearing.

Yet this was not a showpiece; it was a work intended to have both the audience and performer pulled into a world of sound.

At times Mr. Kovelev closed his eyes as he allowed himself to be immersed.

Reviewed by Sally Pearne and Richard Lange

On August 16, Beaumont residents were treated to an unusual and beautiful concert, presented by Astral, a nonprofit organization which specifically supports the early career development of outstanding aspiring musicians.

Featured were two young, remarkably talented, and already accomplished musicians, Valentin Kovalev playing soprano saxophone and Thomas Weaver, pianist.

Mr. Kovalev, the first Russian saxophonist admitted to the prestigious Paris Conservatory, has performed with many international symphony orchestras, and has won prizes in several international competitions.

Mr. Weaver, both pianist and composer, whose music has been performed in many ensembles and major symphony orchestras, is currently on the faculty of the Curtis Institute of Music and also teaches and coaches at the Tanglewood Institute.

The Invisible River, by David Loeb, was performed by the pianist, Mr. Weaver. The composer wrote this piece specifically for his student, Mr. Weaver, himself an award-winning composer whose music has been commissioned and performed internationally. Invisible River is described, and was strikingly performed, as a painting of a river, the right hand executing “ripples” and the left hand “waves” on the surface of the water.

The first composition, Fantasia para Saxophone W490, by Heitor Villa-Lobos, showcased Mr. Kovalev accompanied

by Mr. Weaver in an early 20th century piece. Consisting of 3 dance-like movements, the work was initially scored for full orchestra but performed here using the piano reduction version. Mr. Kovalev demonstrated the full range of his instrument in graceful extended passages. Mr. Kovalev and Mr. Weaver skillfully performed the work, which in its reduced score emphasized the rhythmic patterns of the work more than the orchestrated version.

Thomas Weaver, pianist.

Photo by Astral.

The last piece, Polonaise de concert No. 1 in D Major, Op. 4 by Henryk Wieniawski (who was only thirteen years old when he wrote this), was performed from Mr. Kovalev's transcription of the violin part to saxophone. He told the audience that if he did not study the saxophone, he would have become a violinist. The Polonaise was in the style of later Romantic music and included hints of folk tunes and the occasional nod toward the Baroque.

6

Capturing Moments with Recreational Therapy feeling of the moment. The pictures are then printed out and laminated as a keepsake to have in their room or wherever they wish. This is an especially nice resource for families to use when they come in to visit their loved one to help create meaningful conversation with them. Changes can be hard to recognize in the bustle of day-to-day living. Taking the time to enjoy these moments allows one to reminisce on how much has changed. In taking these photos, the goal is to add value to one’s quality of life and to have it serve as a memento for years to come.

By Bernadette Bevilacqua Life is like a camera…

Focus on what’s important, Capture the good times,

Develop from the negatives,

And if things don’t work out, Take another shot.

There are many benefits to photography, and it can be utilized as a powerful intervention when trying to communicate with someone with cognitive impairment. As cognition declines, the use of language is affected. However, viewing of a photo does not require any verbal ability and allows one to analyze the picture. As the familiar saying goes, “a picture is worth a thousand words” and there are times where words may not need to be said, but rather felt.

Having a photograph can also be helpful to someone that may be experiencing a challenging life situation. It can add in redirecting their negative feelings to focus on something positive that happened during their day. We may not value a moment until it becomes a memory…what will your next captured moment be?

Aside from relying on our own knowledge to store memories, what other ways can one hold onto them?

Through photos, right? We may not realize it in the mundane moments, but photos play an important role in building our everyday story… whether it is watching a grandchild get married or laughing with a close friend; big or small, they add to our life’s stories. The Recreational Therapy Department realizes this and wants to support in not only creating new memories for others, but also in helping capture them as well. If there is special programming (for example: horticulture therapy, ceramics, an outing, a tea social, pet therapy, etc.) the Recreational Therapy Staff takes pictures of the residents, which can be either posed or candid. We prefer it to be candid to better capture the

New Resident Howard Fatell and was CEO of InfoDirect, with 300+ employees, providing marketing and research data for many organizations including Howard Fatell. Photo by Linda Madara. the Gallup Poll.

By Peter Abel

Howard Fatell, Philadelphia born and bred, has lived in this vicinity most of his life. Upon graduation from Central High School, he attended Penn State majoring in communications, theory, and research and paying his expenses by performing as a radio disc jockey. He then moved on to obtain master’s and PhD degrees at the Annenberg School for Communications where a full fellowship paid all his expenses for eight years, including post-doctorate work on a major research project studying the effects on television viewers of excessive time on the small screen.

In his spare time, he went all-out on his two major hobbies, astronomy and model trains.

He built a free-standing observatory next to his home. Its roof had a retractable aperture which rotated electronically in coordination with the 5ft long telescope to access the desired celestial area.

While in graduate school, he married Bonnie Glantz, a law student who later became a partner in the Blank Rome law firm. She died in 2019. Howard and Bonnie had two children who are now grown.

His first job was as Senior Research Director at the Newspaper Advertising Bureau in NYC, but after two years he was glad to leave the Big Apple and return to his beloved Philadelphia where he served as Director of Strategic Planning and Research for Industrial Valley Bank.

Upon retirement, he continued working as an independent marketing and product planning consultant. He also started

To describe his other hobby merely as “model trains” is to trivialize his basement-filling set-up which included a miniature countryside with hills, lakes, villages, an industrial area, and more--all made by Howard and friends. Multiple train tracks ran throughout the landscape and four separate trains could operate at once with accompanying recorded sound effects and vocal commands.

7

Now, having abandoned his major hobbies, Howard enjoys Scrabble and canasta and hopes to play here at Beaumont. He would welcome a phone call from anyone interested in a game.

Finney Carter

CANINES of BEAUMONT

In Memoriam – September 1, 2022 Photo and Text by Helen Ballard

pretty much everybody, human and canine alike although he has little time for jumping, leaping puppies. He is an elderly gentleman (13!) and as such prefers to be treated with respect and in a calm manner. Like all dogs Finney has his own unique personality. He is independent minded and in no way has any kind of pack mentality. I heard through the grapevine that he is a bit of a ladies’ man and has two canine beauties of whom he is particularly fond, Laurie Matarese and Tilly Bullitt. He goes out of his way to see them and greets both with great joy and enthusiasm. One wonders if these ladies are aware of each other.

Finney’s history is a bit of a mystery. When he was adopted

by Louise Carter, he was approximately two years old. Story has it that he went AWOL from his previous home and while being on the lam had an accident that resulted in two broken legs. Following this terrible injury, he was placed at Main Line Animal Rescue for recuperation and physical therapy, something we humans can all relate to.

When Louise decided to visit the orphanage, she said she wasn't really looking for a dog thus one might wonder why then was she visiting a shelter?? As we all know, once you go in you usually leave with a new pal. We are suckers for those sad eyes begging you to “choose me,” “choose me,” all wanting a home. Then it happened-Louise saw Finney and it was love at first sight--an instant connection! Louise was a goner. She absolutely had to Finney Carter. have Finney although she had to wait for his legs to finish healing before she was able to bring him to his forever home--lucky Finney and lucky Louise!

Here are some other interesting Finney facts:

1. Finney likes to lie in the stream--not splash around but soak in the water and put his head under and blow bubbles! Has anyone known a dog who liked to do that?

2. He never ever gets on his mother's bed or, for that matter, any of the furniture--not because he has been forbidden to but because he is a gentleman and shows great respect for his mother and so would never do such a thing without express permission.

3. If a stranger comes to the door Finney will bark fiercely as he is his mother’s protector and bodyguard, but once introduced settles right down.

4. One thing he does love (and this is very important) and will not share with anybody is his stuffed goat. He likes to sleep with his goat and carry it around with him. He never chews it and although he has had it a long time, it’s legs, tail and horns are all intact. How many dogs do you know that have an affinity for goats--a stuffed goat, no less.

Many of us know Finney as a handsome if not a somewhat shaggy dog, who is really quite the canine about town.

Because of his good looks and overall demeanor, his friends and their humans showed much interest in his background.

His Mom then decided to have his DNA done and the results were quite amazing if not bizarre. It turns out that Finney is part poodle and part beagle!! Beagle??? There is also a smattering of collie and Appalachian hound dog.

Finney is, indeed, quite the mixing pot!! He gets along with

As this article was being finished to go in the paper, sadly, Finney passed away. Finney was a joyful, carefree, and happy fellow and I know many of us along with our canine companions will miss his friendly greeting as he made his way on his walks around the campus.

“A dog is the only thing on earth that loves you more than you love yourself.” — Josh Billings

8