INSIDE:
Why play bridge? Page 3 Salute to Resident Services, Page 8
VOLUME TWENTY FOUR, NUMBER TEN
DECEMBER 2010
Mystery in the Oak Room By Mary Graff He got the same It took the tallest answer when he resident at Beauasked about the mont to cast an eye china dinnerware–full at the lowest display sized–also on display shelves in the in the richly paneled, Mansion and start carved and decorated asking, where did all dining room used for those exquisite, that purpose by the bejeweled little family of the late shoes and evening William L. Austin. Mr. bags come from? Austin was president Dick Maass, who of the Baldwin stands 6 feet 4 inches Locomotive Works tall and is a member and the man who of our Board of originally developed Directors, has also Photo by Louise Hughes what is now the 50distinguished himself acre Beaumont as a faithful Beau- Miniature evening slippers and purses in Oak Room display case offer inspiration property in the early mont News contribu- for the dressy holiday season that is almost upon us. But there is more to this 1900s. tor with a keen story. Read on. The Oak Room is one of the two more relatively reporter’s nose for a story. But this story quickly turned formal of Beaumont’s seven dining rooms, the other into a mystery. “I asked everyone I could think of,” he said, stooping low being the Austins’ living room, now the Green Room, to peer closely again at the miniatures in the Oak Room, across the hall. Dick is a lover of small treasures, as witness the in the cabinet to the left of the fireplace. “And nobody seems to know!” continued on page 7
A gathering of remembrance At Veterans Day lunch in the Grill Room last month were (from left) Jim Winsor, Bud Cox, Gene Calabi, Gordon Moyer, Dick Maass, Don Trachtenberg, Bob Gretz, Dave Allen, Russ Hodges, Jack Miller and Al Rhodes. Photo by Louise Hughes
A lesson in the very nick of time By What’s-his-name
until you hear the name clearly and correctly. If necessary, hang on and say, “I didn’t get your name. Would you please repeat it?” Even ask for a spelling if need be. Don’t release the hand until you’ve heard it correctly and repeated it back. There’s important psychology behind this. Hearing the name correctly and repeating it helps greatly to fix the image of that person and name in one’s mind. The handshake is an acceptable custom in our culture, possibly going back to times when strangers had to assure one another that there was no aggressive intent behind their meeting. Today it can
Don’t we all wish we could remember everyone’s name? After being introduced, don’t we often forget the new name within seconds of hearing it? My name is Dick Maass, and I plan to write a few articles giving practical help. As we begin with Lesson One, let’s start with the obvious conclusion that one can’t remember something one didn’t hear in the first place. Introductions often are given in a social situation, which usually means one is surrounded by loud noise. Furthermore, the person doing the introduction may have a soft Dick Maass voice and poor diction. There’s hope, however. One can employ a little trick that’s socially correct and psychologically useful: Shake hands with your new acquaintance! Hang on
be useful. In future articles we will go into some other means by which memory of names can be enhanced.
Dear Editor:
being studied for possible roles “in fighting bacteria, tumors, and diabetes, as well as traditional uses such as a treatment for liver disease.” My article last May pointed out that while cow’s milk is 87 percent water, the female camel, in times of limited water intake, just naturally produces condensed milk. More concentrated milk would mean lower production, transportation, fossil fuel and other costs. Camel’s milk may just be the magic bullet on whose trajectory we seniors may ride to a happy ending without the aid of expensive man-made pharmaceuticals. With Medicare going broke and seniors like ourselves worrying about the possibility of rationed health care, I strongly recommend that Beaumont consider a camel dairy. —Dean Snyder
I am pleased to call your attention to the article “A coming out for camel milk?” that appeared in The Philadelphia Inquirer Aug 22, 2010, on the heels of the article “An Idea To Shake Up The Milk Industry” published in the May 2010 issue of the Beaumont News. Also headlined “Dubai dairy is humping to enter export market,” the Inquirer story described the efforts of Dubai’s ruler “to expand the reach of the playfully eccentric brand name Camelicious.” Congratulations! This is a perfect example that once again Beaumont is ahead of the curve by proving that seniors are not quitters and can be visionary. Camel’s milk, the Inquirer reported, has at least three times more vitamin C than cow’s milk and is
The deadline for the January, 2011 issue of the Beaumont News will be Friday, December 10, 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!
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
To see back issues, please go to our website, www.beaumontretirement.com. If you would like to receive the News in large print, please leave your name at the front desk.
Editor Emeritus and Historian New Residents Editor Photo Editor Events Manager Proofreader
2
Mary Graff Christine Johnson-Hall Louise Guthrie Jean Kirk Louise Hughes Kim Norrett Jennie Frankel
Down the little red lane — and then what? By Mary Schnabel
Up goes his hand, insisting that the large purple wait to be absorbed before heading for the lung. Not only do the Pill Police deal with the pills, but there is the food and fluid that must be attended to constantly. “This way out! This way out!” he shouts toward the bowel, as he makes sure the liquid is headed to the kidney. These tireless sentries of our stomachs not only have to be dedicated, but they have to be always on the lookout for change. The Pill Police must recognize a new pill when it is added and determine if it is to be a permanent part of the work force or just a temp. Things can change so rapidly the Pill Police must be constantly on guard to route new arrivals to the proper station. We think we are masters of our fate, but we are helpless indeed once we have given over the progress of our medicines to the care of those wary protectors of our prostates, those guardians of our gullets, those shepherds of our spleens. Forget the doctors, it’s the Pill Police that do the big, important job!
Have you ever spent time considering the geography of your gut? It never occurred to me until recently, when I realized that behind our solar plexus lies a busy, bustling group of organisms which we can quite truly and literally call our “inner city.” There, life is never static. Things are coming and going at all times. Substances are being absorbed, digested, ejected or accepted. Our personal inner city is never still. Night and day it moves, breathes, and works for its big, unaware client – ourselves. The fact that it is an efficient, well run entity may in part be due to what must be a tireless, dedicated group of Pill Police. How else do the myriad numbers of small objects that find their way down our throats know where to go? There must be a tiny official guarding the entrance to our stomachs, directing the flow of traffic as it swishes down the gullet with its liquid enabler. This busy little Policeman must have to use all his authority as he orders the big pink pill to go to the left ventricle. Or as he sends the little blue one to the liver.
Why play bridge? An expert explains . . . By Sis Ziesing Games like poker and gin rummy are great fun, but they’re sort of equivalent to taking the dogs for a walk. When we’re discussing the game of bridge, we’re talking about running a marathon. It is absolutely the most stimulating card game ever devised. As opposed to other games, it has a great balance of qualities such as luck, a partnership, an ever-present opposition, and hopefully some knowledge of what you’re doing. However, bridge takes longer to learn and much longer to master than any other card game. It involves a lot of language that means something else. For instance, my nice partner opens up “one no-trump” and I reply, “two clubs.” Well, I don’t have clubs, but I want her to tell me she either has four hearts or four spades. This is known as a convention. (Convention? I thought that was where businesses met in big places.) Say we reach an auction of four hearts. (Auction? That’s where people bid money on various articles for sale.) When I play the hand, my partner is known as the dummy. (DUMMY? Believe you me, my partner is no dummy!) There are other arcane terms, such as “trump,” “finesse,” and “ruff,” but eventually you begin to catch on. It’s a wonderful game at any age, but particularly as you get a touch older. When your knees tell you
Photo by Louise Hughes At their favorite sport in the Beaumont Room are (left to right) Marion Snyder, Sis Ziesing (in the dummy’s seat), and Patsy Dushane.
to eschew the game of tennis, and 18 holes of golf feels like climbing Mount Everest, the bridge table beckons. It affords great companionship and keeps your marbles going at an accelerated speed. Try it! I can’t say enough about how much pleasure it gives me. *
*
*
Sis has been playing bridge for 50 years. She is a past president of the Women’s Bridge League of Philadelphia and currently the first team captain at the Merion Cricket Club. She has more than 300 master points but is not a Life Master. “You have to go to many out-of-town regionals to accomplish that,” she explains. 3
Blue tree tubes add an other-worldly look to Beaumont’s Wheeler Woods. They were installed by Grounds crew to protect newly planted seedlings and saplings from damage by insects, wind, and animals both large and small – though not always with complete success. Below right, an eight-point white-tail buck inflicted this probably fatal damage on an unprotected linden, using it to rub the hot and itchy velvet off this year’s new antlers. The rub girdled the tree, interrupting the circulation of water and nutrients. Photos by Ann Louise Strong
Trail workers persist despite pushy invaders and a buck with expensive tastes By Mark Hritz, Director of Grounds
What’s happening in our woods? Cutting, chopping, planting and spreading woodchips–that’s just some of the work that’s happening in the Wheeler Woods. This past spring, our volunteer trail-work group planted a variety of trees on the south side of our campus. This area was selected after the Vale Trail was constructed. There was a large open area that was ideal for planting trees, and the newly constructed trail gave us the access. Unfortunately it was not going to be an easy task. Porcelain berry, ailanthus, Japanese stilt grass, poison ivy and wild grape vines covered this area, which needed a lot of work. Both mechanical and chemical methods were needed to give our seedlings a chance to grow. Volunteers and staff removed vines and plants by hand, and then staff applied an herbicide to the poison ivy. After a couple of weeks we were able to get into the area and begin planting. A donated Franklinia and dogwood and persimmon trees grown by Dr. Dean Snyder were planted by volunteers and staff. Blue tree tubes were placed around the trees. The tubes act like miniature greenhouses by trapping moisture, thereby raising relative humidity and ambient temperature inside the tube. They also protect the tree from animals, wind desiccation, small rodents and insects. The area is also home to a Franklinia which had been declining but appears to be improving after pruning and removal of vines. A white oak, thought to be about 75 years old, died and was removed by our tree service. Its cause of death was probably a combination of stress factors. In another part of the forest, an eight-point buck has
been rubbing the velvet off his antlers and feeding at will, ignoring old trees and choosing the most expensive of our recent additions. He has already knocked one tree tube over and eaten the seedling it was supposed to be protecting. He actually girdled a linden with his rubbing, interrupting the circulation of water and nutrients, and that tree will probably die. Otherwise, the newly planted trees are doing well. The area will need to be constantly monitored for unwanted plants and the trail surface will need to be improved. Access for visitors is by way of the Vale Trail, which begins near the Nalle Gardens. Our woods and trails are always in need of maintenance, and volunteers are always welcome. Times and dates for trail work are posted on one of the bulletin boards outside the Beaumont Room. Our volunteers sometimes provide snacks. 4
Dining Services chairman shines as historian, too By Fytie Drayton
Valley and elsewhere, usually in the Gothic style, he also completed many private houses. Many of his buildings have been demolished, but some in addition to St. Asaph’s (1888-93) still survive locally: St. Martin’s (1894) in Radnor; Christ Church (1919) in Ithan; “Hillsover” (1893) on Sproul Road in Radnor, altered in 1926 and renamed “Launfal,” now the Academy of Notre Dame de Namur; and – Chandler’s wife having been a du Pont – alterations to the du Pont house, now the Winterthur Museum. Of the demolished buildings, some may be remembered locally: the Bear Pits at the Philadelphia Zoo and the Morris house, “Compton,” in Joan Roberts Chestnut Hill, now the Morris Arboretum. The catalogue, “Theophilus P. Chandler, Jr: Portrait of an American Architect,” can be read in the Beaumont library or bought from the Athenaeum. History aside, Joan is an avid gardener. She maintains a plot in the Nalle Gardens and a lovely garden around her villa. A real gourmet, she heads Beaumont’s Dining Committee.
For several years, Joan Church Roberts has been researching and writing material for a catalogue of the work of Theophilus P. Chandler Jr. (1845-1928), a prominent Philadelphia architect. Joan’s work came to fruition this year and was published by the Athenaeum of Philadelphia in conjunction Fytie Drayton with a recent exhibition of Chandler’s drawings and photographs at the Athenaeum. Joan gave a talk presenting the highlights of her work at the Athenaeum in September. Joan has long been involved in Philadelphia history. She has served as a guide for 50 years in the Fairmount Park Houses for the Philadelphia Museum of Art, and for 36 years in Independence Park for the National Park Service. She has lectured frequently on American decorative arts and architecture. Joan is a member of St. Asaph’s Church in Bala Cynwyd, designed by Chandler, and quite naturally developed an interest in the architect. A native Bostonian, Chandler studied at Harvard and abroad. He settled in Philadelphia in 1872 and founded the Department of Architecture at the University of Pennsylvania in 1890. Although best known for his designs for churches, in the Delaware
Photos by Louise Hughes
50th to remember When other staff members have birthdays, Marketing Director Audrey Walsh bakes cakes. When her own 50th was approaching last month, the staff ordered a cake from her favorite bakery. Then Marketing Assistant Louise Hughes and Maintenance staffer Paul Conboy decided that wasn’t enough. So when she opened her door to their big surprise on her big day, she had to squeeze herself in among streamers, balloons, and everything else they could think of. Here she is, if you can find her.
Photo by Louise Hughes
5
From newcomers to neighbors New resident roundup By Jean Kirk After living in Rydal for 13 years and Wyncote for 37 years, Raymond (Ray) and Myra Freudberg came to the Main Line to be near two of their three sons, one in Wayne and one in Wynnewood. Their third son, David, a nationally known writer and producer of documentaries for radio, lives near Boston. The couple moved to Beaumont in July. After night school at the University of Pennsylvania and a tour in the Army, Ray graduated from Temple. He was CEO simultaneously of three property and casualty insurance companies, and still enjoys participating in the various groups of the Retired Executives and Professionals (REAP) organization, which meets in Wyncote. Myra has enjoyed making pottery for 35 years. She brought all her equipment with her and intends to continue – when time permits. “There is so much to do here,” she says, mentioning bridge and water aerobics in particular. The Freudbergs have three grandchildren. * * *
Radiology Chief of Staff for 35 years. Margaret was a nurse and taught at Kings County Hospital in Brooklyn, N.Y., where she met her husband. They say they will miss their home on Manhasset Bay, where they lived next to the Yacht Club and enjoyed sailing and racing their Olympic Class boats. They were also enthusiastic skiers and visited many top ski resorts around the country. In addition to their daughter, they have two sons and seven grandchildren. *
*
*
Evelyn and Ed Rosen are both area natives, Evelyn having grown up in Wynnewood and Ed in Germantown. They moved here in June. Ed served in the U.S. Navy in World War II, graduated from Yale in 1950, and joined the family business, Raymond Rosen Company, wholesale appliance and electronics distributors, where he worked until he retired as chairman in 1993. Ed is active in organizations including the Federation of Jewish Agencies, the United Way, and the Museum of American Jewish History. He was appointed to the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Council by President Reagan, and is an honorary life trustee of Temple University. Evelyn graduated from the University of Pennsylvania, Evelyn Rosen where she also received a doctorate in history. She has a master’s in fine arts and creative writing from Bennington and a master’s in English literature from Villanova. She has been Professor of History and English at Philadelphia Community College since 1970. The Rosens have a house in Naples, Maine, on Long Lake, where they spend their Ed Rosen summers. They belong to a hiking club composed of eight friends between the ages of 70 and 88 who have hiked over most of Europe and the United States. They have seven children between them and 19 grandchildren.
Ray Freudberg
Myra Freudberg
Margaret and Dr. Albert (Al) Keegan are new to this area, Margaret Keegan having moved to Beaumont in September from their home in Port Washington, Long Island, New York. They came here to be near their daughter, Cara, whose husband, John Fry, is the new president of Drexel University. Al graduated from Columbia University and the medical school at the State University of New York. He is Emeritus Professor of Radiology at New Al Keegan York University, where he was
Photos by Louise Hughes
IN MEMORIAM Ann Pakradooni – Oct. 22 • Sonia Griffin – Nov. 1 Members of the Beaumont Community extend deepest sympathy to their families and friends.
6
Mystery . . . .
Cheerful news from the Front Office
hobby he and his wife, Dot, have made of decorating eggs in the manner of Fabergé? (Beaumont News, April, 2009). He persisted in his questioning. The displays seemed to have just “always been there,” Dick was told by residents and staff who have been at Beaumont almost since its beginning more than 20 years ago. So. The questions remained. Were the sparkly little evening slippers and purses, and the elegant miniature furniture they were displayed on, part of a collection put together in olden times by a young girl in the Austin family, perhaps dreaming of the day she might be able to dress up like that? Was the china an Facilities Director Warren Gillings found the key. antique import He had to crouch to use it. used by the Austin family and their distinguished guests, dining lavishly on quails’ eggs and caviar in that very room? The Austins imported craftsmen from Europe, including the Austrian court artist who painted the Music Room ceiling and the murals in the Oak Room in 1912. Did craftsmen from exotic places play some part in these displays? At Dick’s suggestion our Photo Editor, Marketing Assistant Louise Hughes, set out to take pictures so that we could ask these questions of a wider sampling of our readers. Then the plot thickened. The cabinets were locked. Who had the key? Or keys? At first, again, nobody seemed to know. As the search dragged on with no result, my husband, Bill Graff, volunteered his lock-picking tools and expertise, acquired during a long and often colorful career in law enforcement. “I know I still have them somewhere,” he said, helpfully. But before Bill could get to tossing our attic in an orgy of nostalgia, Facilities Director Warren Gillings did some deep-searching of his own in the Maintenance and Housekeeping offices and found a key that fit the old-fashioned locks. The display pieces emerged, looking good as new and even free of dust. That was a clue, though we were too excited at first to take proper notice. It wasn’t until we turned over the dinnerware, the slippers, the purses and the furniture and looked at the backs that the answer to the Mystery in the Oak Room became clear. A sticker on the back of a dinner plate, the first item we turned over, said “TJ Maxx $5.99.” It didn’t get any better after that.
Beaumont’s monthly fee will increase by 3.5 percent next year–less than the average of 3.8 percent over its 22 years of operation. This number, among others, compares favorably with those quoted by “our worthy competitors,” Finance Chairman Bruce Mainwaring told residents at the 2011 annual budget presentation last month. A white paper, “The Economic Advantages of Beaumont at Bryn Mawr,” written by the Marketing Committee, was distributed later.
Services . . . .
continued from page 1
continued from page 8
days ahead, shepherds us on and off the bus, counts heads and, in general, acts as a helpful, gracious, mother hen. Then we have the drivers, those great guys who keep us from being grounded and help expand our horizons. They are Ed Preston, Mark Valentini, and Joe Bohannon. But don’t think they just sit around, waiting to get behind the wheel. They find plenty Jeanie Kim to do. Whenever there is a special function, such as the frequent concerts, bridge lessons, meetings and lectures, Kim calls and these men hit the ground running. They move furniture, set up tables and chairs, reconfigure whole areas and then configure them back again when the event is over. As for Kim herself, we all are somewhat familiar with what she Ed Preston does–what we can’t imagine is how she does it! Her job is so diverse and so complex that, in order to keep all those balls in the air at the same time, she must constantly check and re-check the calendars she keeps on her computer and on her desk, plus the ones she shares with other department heads. Even while she’s planning funcJoe Bohannon tions, booking entertainment, scheduling months ahead for major events or day by day for the drivers, she keeps her door open, ready to listen to an idea, a request for help with just about anything, a complaint or a question. She obviously loves her job and respects her staff. “Remember this,” she says. “We get things done because we work together. It’s never a single effort–we’re a team.” Photos by Louise Hughes
7
Doggy social in Ross Lobby April Miszler, who helps make the Beaumont world go round from her command post at the Front Desk, loves dogs–and the dogs love her. All of them. So Beaumont News contributor Ann Smith suggested, why not a picture of April and some of her friends? The result was an exuberant mix of dogs and people and tangled leashes, but this being Beaumont, when the dogs left, there was not a single puddle left behind. With April (right) are Laz Disston and Skeeter Smith, on leash, and in April’s arms is frequent visitor Sammy Vanderburg. Photos by Louise Hughes
They put the service in Resident Services By Mary Schnabel We all know the term multi-tasking; we know it is a skill to be admired and we know it is one at which no group excels more than the Resident Services Department at Beaumont. In the past I have chosen to write about the less visible, little known departments here in our Beaumont home, but now I’m turning to a group on whom the spotKim Norrett light always shines, whether they like it or not. Resident Services, by its very definition, has to be right there: up front, on tap, in our face at all times, multi-tasking to a fare-thee-well! Kim Norrett, Resident Services Director, keeps her staff of six always on the move–with the exception of April Miszler, receptionist at the Front Desk, who can’t move because she is too busy directing traffic, answering the phone, fielding questions, petting dogs and handing out dog treats (see photos above) and, in general, sorting out the residents and visitors who use the Ross Lobby every day.
Besides April there is Caitlin McDevitt, a recent graduate from Bloomsburg University, who started here in the dining rooms. Like cream, Caitlin rose to the top when Kim recognized her potential and took her on board as a jack-of-all-trades. Caitlin writes the Weekly Reminder bulletins, takes care of Tuesday evening entertainments, arranges Organ Casual concerts, handles the Main Line School Night programs and does whatever else needs doing Mark Valentini during Beaumont’s busy weeks. She is also a whiz at solving those vexing computer problems. Next is Jeanie Kim, the girl on the go, always ready to hit the road. As Trip Coordinator, Jeanie gets lots of ideas for trips from residents, as well as developing good ideas of her own. She checks them out for appeal and feasibility (sometimes Caitlin McDevitt making a trial run), schedules the bus, gets the tickets, puts up the sign-up sheet, reminds residents a few continued on page 7
8