Wedding Bells at Beaumont — David Prewitt Marries Dorothy Welge
Article and Photography by Linda Madara
Beaumont was a-buzz! Friday afternoon the Beaumont Room was set up -- the first clue that something extra special was going to take place. Then it was endless chairs placed in the Music Room on Saturday. And, if you had been traveling to get your mail or make a request at the front desk, sounds strikingly like the wedding march were wafting out of the organ as Jim Zug practiced. Yes, it was for the upcoming wedding service.
Everything came together. Preparations for THE wedding that was being talked about by all residents and staff were well underway. Excitement filled every corner of the building.
Monday, July 24th at 4:00 PM a very happy and beautiful Beaumont wedding took place in the Music Room. David Prewitt married Dorothy (Dee)Welge. The Rev. George Hollingshead, pastor emeritus at Bryn Mawr Presbyterian Church, called the congregation together and read the
her down the aisle. Five ‘Floral Maids,’ included Sally Pearne, a Beaumont resident, attended the bride and five Ushers, two of whom were “Beaumonters,” Stan Baiman and Vick Kelly, were kept very busy seating the guests and attending to assorted walkers and wheelchairs. Beaumont’s Eta Glassman, stationed at the reception table, greeted guests and distributed name tags and programs for the service.
Talk about beautiful brides! No 20’ fluffy train or off-theshoulder gown, Dee wore a fitted white lace cocktail dress and chose a wreath of fresh flowers for her hair. It was absolute perfection and she looked stunning. The smile on David’s face, which never stopped, even through the reception, showed he was totally in agreement.
vows for David and Dorothy to exchange. The room, solidly packed, was filled to overflowing, with a totally enthralled congregation of family and friends who were gathered for this magical event.
William Prewitt stood as the best man for David while two of Dee’s best friends, Keith Straw and Tracy Jane Young, walked
Following the exchange of vows, as Jim Zug played the recessional on the organ, David and Dee led the congregation from the ceremony to the Beaumont Room for refreshments. What greeted them was a spectacular, very tempting spread of food with the waitstaff offering glasses of champagne and a feast fit for a Beaumont Bride and Groom. It was a happy, wonderful party, complete with a romantic piece of music that Vick Kelly had written for them. He performed it with the guests crowding around.
In a world not always overflowing with great joy and happiness, to see and be part of David and Dee’s wedding was a shining opportunity to experience that Love and Hope are still very much alive.
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Louise Hughes helping the groom with his boutonniere.
The bride being walked down the aisle by Keith Straw in front and Tracy Jane Young in back.
Mr. and Mrs. David Prewitt
Wedding Bells at Beaumont — David Prewitt Marries Dorothy Welge
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Mr. and Mrs. David Prewitt with their families
Standing room only!
Emily Riley
Vick Kelly singing the song he wrote for the new bride and groom.
Barbara Broach and Deena Rosenbaum congratulating the newlyweds.
Mr. and Mrs. David Prewitt
Eileen Ware, Helen Gannon, Sandy and Bernie Krouse, and Joyce deBotton in front signing the guest book.
Joyce deBotton and Rita Rome
Jack McNamara and Eta Glassman greeting the guests and passing out programs.
Stan Baiman and Virginia Rivers
Continued
Tom and Catherine Wylonis
By Judy Anderson
Baldwin 117 has new residents, Tom and Catherine Wylonis who moved in June. After looking at several retirement communities, they decided Beaumont fit their needs; location near family and medical centers, unit size, equity ownership, and friendly residents. It also helped that one of Catherine's golf partners at their home on Kiawah Island is Susan Wheeler, Leslie's sister-in-law.
Tom, a Pennsylvanian, was born in Frackville and graduated as an electrical engineer from Penn State in 1967. He joined Bell Labs and while there earned advanced degrees in applied mathematics from MIT and NYU. When AT&T was deregulated, Tom left and joined McKinsey & Company working there twenty-three years, primarily in Copenhagen, Denmark where he met his first wife and started a family. He has three children, all graduating from colleges in the US. After retiring from McKinsey, Tom became an adjunct professor and director at Scandinavian International Management Institute in Copenhagen until another retirement in 2008. Tom said he has retired five times in his business career, the last as Chairman of the Board of a Danish biotech company. He has owned property on Kiawah Island, SC since 2002 and in 2007 met Catherine through mutual friends. They married in 2009.
Morton and Rhea Mandell
By Judy Anderson
Beaumont resident card players will delight in meeting avid bridge and gin rummy players, Morton and Rhea Mandell, who recently moved into 102 Baldwin. They have already set up a card room with a bridge table ready for an afternoon of bridge or a few hands of gin rummy.
Morton and Rhea are native Philadelphians with Morton growing up in Wynnefield as the oldest of five children with two sets of twins as his younger siblings. After graduating from Haverford College in 1955 Morton entered the University of Pennsylvania Medical School graduating in 1959. He did both his residency and fellowship in cardiology at Einstein Hospital and Medical Center and practiced there until his retirement in 2003. Since then, he and Rhea spend several months a year in Boca Raton, Florida, playing their card games and enjoying community arts.
Rhea grew up in Mt, Airy as the youngest of three children. She also went to Penn, specifically the College for Women at Penn. Before she matriculated at Penn, Rhea's father encouraged her to get a summer job and experience the "working world." Seeing a help wanted ad at The Samuel
Catherine, a native of North Carolina, graduated from The Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C., as a political science major. Meeting her attorney husband there, they subsequently moved to Morristown, NJ and had three children. While there Catherine earned a law degree at Rutgers University and eventually was appointed to a judgeship at the NJ Superior Court, serving over sixteen years until her retirement in 2009.
Tom and Catherine have been avid travelers traversing many parts of the world. They also enjoy spending time with their blended families — the "Brady Bunch" — as Catherine dubs them. They will continue spending time at their beloved Kiawah home and delight in embracing the best of both worlds.
P. Mandell Wholesale Produce Company, she applied and was hired. Samuel, impressed by Rhea, introduced her to his son Morton. They dated and married three years later with Howard Glassman (Eta's husband) as one of the ushers. The two men had been friends since elementary school. Rhea graduated from Penn with a degree in counseling and subsequently got a master's degree in counseling from Villanova University. She worked as a counselor for twenty-nine years at Penn and actually interviewed Bernie and Sandy Krouse's son when he was applying to Penn. He was accepted!
Morton and Rhea, who have been married sixty-seven years, are enjoying their new life here at Beaumont and welcome visits from their three children, seven grandchildren, and one great grandson.
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Tom and Catherine Wylonis.
Photo by Judy Anderson.
Morton and Rhea Mandell. Photo by Linda Madara.
Staff Profile – Our IT Supermen
By Linda Madara
Swish. Zoom…Thud (gently). What was that? It’s one of Beaumont’s Supermen IT Team landing on his way to help another resident!
Today’s computer users have endless passwords, too many to remember. That’s just one of the challenges. For those using any technology, it can be and often feels positively life-threatening! Help!!!
This, however, is only the tip of the iceberg for our IT Supermen. Jeremy Varnis and Bradley Siegel are two of the most valuable people on campus. The newest team member, Bryant McCray, is quickly gearing up in the wings for full speed ahead as the third team member! These three will literally keep us all going.
Jeremy arrives at Beaumont early. He visits the gym before beginning his daily inspection of all seven of the Switch IDFs and their miles of wires and connections. If he finds a router problem or issues with any one of them, the Wellness area, Health Center, Administration, Austin, or Baldwin could go black! It’s a heavy-duty responsibility.
By 8:00 AM his goal is to begin the work orders from residents and employees. Each request must be analyzed, and the work scheduled. Monday morning is the busiest with issues from over the weekend to be solved. He makes many calls, reboots endless challenges, and flips 48 switches on different devices.
Jeremy’s responsibilities include implementing, supporting, and troubleshooting Beaumont’s Network Infrastructure. He also creates accounts for new employees and residents and further provides training and support. He deals with the vendors learning about their products and their updates, so he is ready for everything and anything!
Then there is the MatrixCare system which has the largest program platform. It requires constant attention.
Brad on the other hand is the magic man handling software. His day at Beaumont begins slightly later, but he is constantly on the run from one apartment/villa to the next putting out “fires” and preserving sanity. It’s amazing how many crises are unearthed/created by just pushing the wrong button. Brad solves endless problems and sometimes in less than a minute! Emails and phone calls flood his Android phone. Almost all the issues he can fix, although possibly it’s an old beloved laptop that crashed. In which case, he orders a new model then installs it so it works.
Remember that Brad must know PC’s and Mac’s. The same issue is handled differently on both machines and with every new update, there are new learning curves galore!
Somehow these two magic men steal a bit of time for themselves. Jeremy’s greatest delight is getting away with
his military buddies, camping out in the Poconos where they fish, play paint ball, whitewater canoe, and escape technology. After years of solo travel worldwide, Jeremy says he has seen “everything he wants.” He put his DJ career behind and is now passionately cheering for the Philadelphia sports teams; the Eagles, Phillies, Flyers, and Wings. In younger years he played both lacrosse and ice hockey. He is still enthusiastic about all forms of music from every decade.
Very different in nature, Brad, nonetheless, has an artistic eye for design, shape, and space. After school each day he would settle down in front of the TV with Master Craftsman, Norm Abrams, the creator of The New Yankee Workshop who inspired him and taught him about using tools and the best ways to do woodworking.
Brad started small and now has a wonderful tool-filled workshop in his basement where he can be found in free minutes working with maple and walnut. His first project was to make a cabinet which took sanding, gluing, and sawing to complete. Years later he graduated with flying colors from bowls, trays, and pens to furniture; chairs and tables.
Although Brad describes his work as having crazy designs, on the contrary, they are meticulously designed and measured with the woods of different colors fitting together. His cutting boards are actually a finely crafted jigsaw puzzle. Master woodworking is not the only talent Brad has. He loves to bake and makes a Chocolate Cake that stops the show. Besides mind-blowing cakes, he creates breads, especially a sour dough loaf with a Toronto starter! An important ingredient is King Arthur flour, possibly the best artisan flour available.
Two similarities unite the two IT wizards: [1] they attend Flyers games together cheering wildly a few times a season and [2] neither eats fruits nor vegetables. Jeremy “gets his veggies” through a powder he mixes with water which does not look very tasty. He admits to being brave when he drinks it. Brad avoids the subject of vegetables entirely, preferring to talk about cupcakes and cookies.
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Jeremy Varnis, Bryant McCray, and Bradley Siegel. Photo by Linda Madara.
Twelve Mile Hill
Article and Photography by Birch Clothier
Shortly after I moved to Beaumont, I was walking uphill on Old Gulph Road and noticed a wooden structure in the heavily overgrown, right side of the cartway. Also, adjacent to it was a barely visible fire hydrant. Curiosity led me to begin the task of clearing away the various grasses, weeds, and poison ivy from both.
Within the structure that, I later learned, had been constructed by the Township, I found an old milestone, one that was likely to be two-plus centuries old. On its face was carved the number 12, the number of miles the location was from the then center of Philadelphia. Backing up a bit, Beaumont is located within a seven-hundredacre piece of ground given to Rowland Ellis by William Penn in the 17th century as part of what was meant to be a 30,000-acre Welsh Quaker community. Ellis moved to the site in about 1695 and proceeded to commence farming on the land and building himself a splendid house. The residence still exists less than a quarter mile from our Austin Mansion with Ellis' house now within the Township's Harriton Park. The property was named Bryn Mawr, Welsh for "high hill".
In the mid-18th century, the whole of the original Ellis Bryn Mawr estate was sold and renamed "Harriton".
Several weeks ago, I was visiting the Harriton Park office and looked at an 1851 map of the area, published by Montgomery County. I noticed that part of the Harriton tract, including much of what was the original Bryn Mawr along with Old Gulph Road, was shown to be within a then landmark named Twelve Mile Hill. (See photo.)
Today, the hill remains but its name is long gone. However, it remains notable to many as one of the least pedestrian friendly stretches of highway in the Township. Editor’s Note: Milestones in the Philadelphia area were first laid out in the middle of the 18th century by the Post Office as a way of setting charges for postal delivery. Benjamin Franklin became Postmaster in Philadelphia in 1737 and developed much of the network in the area. The milestones were on major routes out of the city and the miles were measured from Market Street and Front Street (then the center of the city}. Old Gulph Road was a major roadway at the time extending from Merion Meeting to Mill Creek then to Gulph Mills and on through Upper Merion Township to Valley Forge.
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12 Mile Milestone
Map showing Twelve Mile Hill
“Kindness is the language which the deaf can hear and the blind can see.”
– Mark Twain
2023 Scholarship Awards
By Mary Caulder
On Thursday, August 3, 2023, our Beaumont family of Residents, Staff, and Staff Children gathered together for a beautiful ceremony to honor the recipients of our 2023 Scholarship Awards. This year, the scholarships were opened to our employees’ children and to Pool employees. We had twelve employee recipients and twelve employee children recipients. All of them had the opportunity to thank the residents for their generosity and to speak about their career goals. There are a wide variety of aspiring programs; Nursing, Neuroscience, Veterinarian Medicine, Finance, Early Childhood Education, and Sports Medicine. Everyone was impressed with the poise and eloquence of all the recipients.
Mr. Birch Clothier, Chair of the Beaumont Fund, and Joseph Peduzzi, President and CEO presented the awards. Awardees received a certificate and check in the amount of $2,500 or $2,000.
Kudos to the Culinary Team for making this event special with a great refreshment spread. Special thanks to the Resident Services team for the room set-up, event coordination and flowers. Thanks to Mrs. Madara for her expertise with the flowers and photographs. Again, thank you to all the Residents who made these scholarships possible by your generosity.
Health Services
Jennel Coles
Mohamed Conteh
Trendafile (Trendy) Gjergo
Gerlyne Lafontant
Cheyenne Coleman
Personal Care
Adrienne Blackwell
Aniea Bradford
Wellness Center
Miriam Abdul-Sharif
Brittany Gallman
Dining Services
Sarah Ansumana
Najee Hector
Paulina Lahai
In Memoriam
Sally morriS
August 15, 2023
heaTly Sebring
August 20, 2023
Members of the Beaumont Community extend deepest sympathy to their families and friends.
Employee Children
Br yanne Bell – Roxanne Bell
Emily Branes-Huff – Mary Huff
Luke Branes-Huff – Mary Huff
Henr y Coughlin – Katherine Fasoldt
John Coughlin – Katherine Fasoldt
Henr y Gjergo – Vjolica (Vicky) Gjergo
Destiny Hill – Tina Johnson
Carmelissa Louis – Gerlyne Lafontant
Risa McFee – Karen McFee
Jahmair Rider – Natasha Ivey
Diego Nicholas Santos – Maria Villanueva
Scottie Williamson, Jr. – Sulan Booker
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
Editor Beverly Wilson
Photo Editor Linda Madara
Quality Control Cathy Leahy
Production Articus, Ltd.
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Staff Recipients - left to right: Aniea Bradford, Jennel Coles, Adrienne Blackwell, Brittany Gallman, Cheyenne Coleman, Sarah Ansumana, Paulina Lahai, Najee Hector.
Photo by Linda Madara.
Employee Children Recipients – Front row left to right: Emily Branes-Huff, Risa McFee, Diego Nicholas Santos. Back row left to right: Bryanne Bell, Destiny Hill, Carmelissa Louis, John Coughlin, Henry Coughlin, Henry Gjergo, Jahmair Rider, Scottie Williamson, Jr., Luke Branes-Huff. Photo by Linda Madara.
NEW in the Library
The Country of the Blind: A Memoir at the End of Sight by Andrew Leonard (2023) Non-Fiction
As he loses his sight the author navigates his changing relationships and his altered sense of self with determination not to merely survive this transition but to grow from it.
Symphony of Secrets: A Novel by Brendan Slocumb (2023) Fiction
A music professor discovers a secret about a famous American composer—his music may have been stolen from a Black jazz age prodigy. Powerful entities don’t want the truth revealed.
How to Sell a Haunted House by Grady Hendrix. (2022) Fiction
As a brother and sister clean out their folks’ home they confront memories, encounter mysteries, and maybe even horrors.
Dr. Philip and Dorothy Schein — Science and Art Converge
By Peter Abel
Dorothy and Phil, who recently arrived at Beaumont, have achieved success in both scientific and artistic endeavors. After attaining his M.D., Phil received additional clinical training in oncology (the prevention and treatment of cancer) at Harvard and the National Cancer Institute. He has held professorships at several institutions, including Georgetown University School of Medicine and Oxford University. He is most proud of having trained many physicians and researchers who now hold leadership positions in major medical centers and are contributing to the fight against cancer. He has been awarded 11 patents and has published over 350 articles and treatises concerning cancer and drug development. He is considered one of the world's leading authorities on the pharmacology of anticancer agents and the treatment of cancer. He has received many scientific and medical awards and has held positions in major organizations concerned with cancer research and treatment. In addition, he founded and served as chairman of U.S. Bioscience, Inc., a publicly traded pharmacological company focused on cancer and AIDS. During his tenure as Chairman and CEO, three cancer treatment products received regulatory approval in the U.S. and several other countries. Most recently, he served as Chairman of the Board of the Center for the Advancement of Science in Space which manages the U.S. National Laboratory on the International Space Station. (There is not enough room in this short bio to list his many other accomplishments and honors. They can be found on Google).
Phil expresses his artistic talents in photography. He has exhibited in many shows (including at Beaumont) and
has won several photography contests. Many of his photographs are realistic but some are quite abstract, involving creative use of reflection and unusual light conditions.
Dorothy graduated from the University of Pennsylvania as an English major, followed by a master’s degree in English and Education from Smith College. She then trained as a computer programmer at the Naval Laboratory and was employed as a computer programmer at the Institute for Defense Analysis, the National Institutes of Health, and the Harvard Computer Center. While living in Oxford, England, she studied art at the Hennington College of Technology (now a branch of the University of Oxford) and later attended the Philadelphia Academy of Fine Arts. Aside from painting, Dorothy 's interests reside in English literature and bridge.
They have two children: Dr. Deborah Schein is a pediatrician working in the Philadelphia area and son Andrew is a PhD computer scientist working in Silicon Valley.
Welcome, Dorothy and Phil!
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Dorothy and Philip Schein. Photo by Cathy Leahy.
Raleigh Sparkman — The Boss
By Helen Ballard
Raleigh is the twelve-year-old West Highland Terrier canine son of Thorne and Marby Sparkman. His AKC name is Raleigh Rover and there is a good reason for the Rover. When they arrived home with their 18-monthold bundle of fur they put him in the yard, fenced in of course, and went inside to get some refreshments. When they returned, not 10 minutes later, Raleigh was missing... he had gone ‘a-roving,' This threw the Sparkmans into a major panic as they lived on the edge of the 100-acre McCaig Park! How could the little rascal have gotten out of the yard and gone AWOL? Was this an omen of future behavior? Needless to say, the search was on! They sought help from neighbors and a local girl scout troop. They notified the police who put out an APB on him. They called and called but Raleigh did not appear. Whether he was truly lost or was simply having a good time we will never know. It was four days before the escapee sauntered back to the house seemingly no worse for wear and was reunited with his distraught parents! Perhaps he had had enough of foraging for meals and thought the food at his parents' house would be more enticing than a diet of rodents and berries! Additionally, the dog bed that awaited him would have to be better than sleeping on the ground. Without question Raleigh is the boss in the Sparkman house. He insists on and loves his two walks a day with his father. He meanders along happily greeting fellow canines and humans alike. Open garages are of great interest to Raleigh, and he likes to do a quick investigation while his father chats with neighbors. If the chatting goes on too long Raleigh becomes quite verbal. His impatience with simply standing around gets the better of him so with ‘rrrrs,” “grrrs,” and other ‘doggish’ words he makes it clear
My View of the Courtyard
By Diana DiMeglio
In 2016 when I began working at Beaumont’s Fitness Center, the most exciting feature of the space I got to work in was the large windows all around. On the other side of those windows sat the greenhouse, putting green, bocce court, and John Greg’s Garden. We were also lucky enough to be entertained by the various birds, bunnies, chipmunks and even the occasional fox, that frequented the gardens. In my opinion it was the best view at Beaumont.
I couldn’t tell you what month it was that the first trucks rolled into the courtyard. First, they scrapped the underutilized bocce court and putting green. After that came a lot of digging. Sometimes the digging was done manually, and sometimes with heavy machinery. Large piles of dirt seemed to move around the courtyard day to day.
to his father that it is time to move on.
CANINES of BEAUMONT
In the summer he vacations in Chatham, MA where he enjoys the change of scene and a more relaxed lifestyle. He isn’t much of a water dog so has little interest in the ocean other than wading in the shallows. He prefers exploring the beach with his pals.... sniffing the good smells of scattered beach debris or giving chase to the resident squirrels and chipmunks.
While most dogs await their meals with great anticipation... not Raleigh! He is the pickiest of eaters, turning his nose up at the offered dog food [who could blame him?] and frustrating the house ‘chef’. He is far more interested in human food, treats, and what might come his way while hiding under the dining room table.
When walking his dad about the neighborhood he likes to look his best which can require frequent trips to the canine spa. He feels it important to keep his white coat in pristine condition. This might be his only negative now that he is 14 and has given up his ‘roving’ ways.... a great relief to his parents! No longer does he get the urge to go on his self-directed walkabouts. Having attained the senior canine status, Raleigh is now content to ‘hang out’ at home and comfortably age in place.
While we were fortunate enough to retain the view of John Greg’s Garden, the critters that hid amongst it were long gone, scared off by the noise and vibrations of the large vehicles frequenting their previously undisturbed space. In the fall of 2022, the area for the new courtyard path was poured. Unfortunately, portions of the path needed to be widened before the space could be safely opened for use. Finally, in the spring of 2023, this issue was rectified, and approval was given by Lower Merion Township for the courtyard path to open. In between classes and training sessions, we all looked in wonder at the number of trees and shrubs that were being delivered to help bring life back into the open space. In a matter of days everything was planted, and sprinklers were set up for watering. It wasn’t more than a week later that I saw a chipmunk scurry into the catmint outside the Fitness Center and, through the window, I welcomed him back home.
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Raleigh Sparkman. Photo by Helen Ballard.
