INSIDE:
Working out with Bob, Page 3 Hawks at the feeders, Page 6
VOLUME TWENTY FIVE, NUMBER ONE
JANUARY 2011
Flinging off the ties that bind By Joan Roberts When I agreed to serve as Chair of Beaumont’s Dining Services Committee, I somehow envisioned meetings enlivened by discussions of Chef Mark’s coq au vin or Baked Alaska. I was soon to discover that the lead topic, occupying three-quarters of the agenda, would be sartorial rather than gustatory: in other words, the Dress Code. Somehow, over the months, we worked our way through blue jeans, short shorts, bare skin—OK, visiting grandkids—and ended up facing the ultimate decision: whether to change the coatand-tie policy in the Mansion dining rooms, with a view toward luring baby-boomers to Beaumont. What emerged from some lengthy discussions was
Photo by Louise Hughes Dr. Don Trachtenberg, for one, says "yes!" to new ruling.
a step beyond the Byzantine set of rules involving the “semi-formal” porches, which are affected by the time of year and the type of meal (brunch in particular). The continued on Page 6
Reviving an art form from across the sea By Mary S. Page and Grace L. Madeira What is a “Sailors’ Valentine”? A question we are often asked. The answer is: a wooden octagonal frame filled with a mosaic of colorful seashells covered with glass, with a history! Before the traditional Valentine era, ladies of leisure in Europe were already creating the elaborate shellwork in many forms. These works were far superior to the Barbadian designs and should not be confused with them. In the mid-1880s a man named B.H. Belgrave came from England to Bridgetown, Photo by Louise Hughes Barbados, and opened a curiosity
Shell workers include (seated, from left) Mmes. Collings, Webb, Rush, Dearnley, Langfitt, and Bolling; (standing, from left) Mmes. Madeira, Starr, Page, and Thayer.
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In praise of the House Committee Panache, perseverance, and a pretty bad pun
Beaumont’s purposes. Sally Herd, Jane Lillie, Katie Place, Bobbi Rosen, Frank Boyer, Nan Wood and Josie Zelov were given the job of transforming some of our most public spaces, and they have done it on budget and on time. We’ve seen the less By Mary Schnabel glamorous changes in the Despite the temporary trash rooms, the elevator lobfloor-protection problem that bies and the fire stairs. We’ve provoked Bruce Mainwaring enjoyed the open feeling of into declaring publicly, “an the wide door at the Baldwin epoxy on both our houses,” Bridge, and we’ve felt a little these houses are looking so twinge of nostalgia as we spiffy these days, it seems a watched the old carpets being good time for kudos. taken up and brand new, We can start with the unfamiliar ones going down. House Committee in general Nostalgia was replaced by and in particular Marian delight once the Beaumont Lockett-Egan, who has kept Room and the halls were five or six balls in the air for Photo by Sally Herd complete, and we witnessed the last six months, dealing Marian Lockett-Egan and Housekeeping Supervisor Darryl the light, lush new look of with numberless contractors, Dick position a newly covered chair. these important, heavily used suppliers, and workers who areas. have invaded our space on a regular basis. It was As usual, behind the hard work of the House easy to find Marian during those installation days. She Committee there were quiet, resolute staff members was everywhere, patrolling the halls, measuring who stood by, counseled and observed and were floors, almost watching paint dry, and in general keeping always available with support when it was needed. a careful eye on everything that was going on. Warren Gillings and Brock Nichols never faltered, It is a dauntless group, the House Committee, and never gave up, never stopped giving their time and it hasn’t been easy. Committee members have had to expertise as well as their encouragement. The make big decisions, always keeping their eyes on the Committee is forever in their debt. bottom line and, at the same time, trying to choose So Beaumont has had a face lift. Now we look 10 what is most attractive and most practical for years younger! The News invites letters from readers, including non-residents. Letters will be published or not, in full or in part, at the discretion of the editors. Letter-writers are asked to please:
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
1. Confine subject matter to articles that have appeared in the News (past News issues are on file in the Library). 2. Keep letters under 300 words–the shorter the better.
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3. Sign your own name, though requests for anonymity in print may be honored.
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E-mail letters to Mary Graff at graffs@msn.com (home) AND mgraff@beaumontretirement.com (office); hand in at front desk, or mail to Beaumont at 601 N. Ithan Ave., Bryn Mawr 19010. Letters need not be typed (though typing is appreciated), but please write as legibly as possible and include your phone number (for the editors’ use only).
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Mary Graff Christine Johnson-Hall Louise Guthrie Jean Kirk Louise Hughes Kim Norrett Jennie Frankel
“Keep your chin up and smile,” says Bob, and they do! By Ann Wood
If you happen to be passing by the Beaumont Room on a Monday, Wednesday or Friday about 11 a.m., you may hear Bob Stedeford conducting the Energize with Exercise class (formerly known as Sit and Stand). This class has become so popular that some diehards come early and stake out their favorite chairs with the weights they use lying on them. While they wait for the class to start, they may do a little banking or visit the mailboxes. Don’t be late, because Bob starts promptly. The exercisers sit in a big circle around the room while the trainer, standing in the middle of the circle, calls out instructions, the count, and a joke or two to keep his struggling participants happy and get them through the workout. Everyone starts with walking around the room several times, and for some that is the hardest part of the class, because you have to keep from tripping and running into someone else, although it is fun to chat with friends before the real workout begins. Keep your chin up and smile, everyone is told over and over as the workout gets under way. Stand up, sit down, stand up, sit down, and then the count begins. One, two, three, four and so on until one of the hardest exercises gets taken care of for the day, except that in a minute or so here it comes again, stand up, sit down, stand up, sit down. (This is good practice for standing
Photo by Louise Hughes Happy die-hards keep chins and energy up in the Beaumont Room.
up in church without holding on to the pew in front of you.) While the class is getting warmed up so is Bob, who jumps around on one foot and displays unbelievable balance and control. He gives everyone something to shoot for, although it doesn’t seem likely they ever will reach that point. But hey, as Bob says, Rome wasn’t built in a day. After the upper body has been exercised and the lower body has been worked over and the feet have been stretched, the class gets to the easiest and most welcome order of the day: Breathe in and s l o w l y let it out, breathe in and s l o w l y let it out. And as you go home, remember to keep your chin up and SMILE.
Remembering names, Part II By Dick Maass (Old what’s-his-name)
be name enough to remember. As time passes, though, you will probably automatically learn the remainder. There is good reason for this simplification. We ofttimes recognize the name of the new person when we hear it but can’t recall it for immediate use. This is partly due to the stress of thinking we are forgetting the name, so forgetfulness becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy. But agreeing with yourself to minimize what you need to remember allows some relaxation and better name recall. While you are in conversation it is helpful to use the new name as many times as possible, and in as many ways as possible. Begin each sentence with the name and/or end it with the name if you can graciously do so. Weave the name into the middle of the discourse if it is long enough. More to come in future issues.
Previously we noted that the first step in name memory was to be sure we were given a new name completely and correctly to begin with. Today we can talk about what to do next. We want to be sure that after we meet someone, we will remember the name the next time we meet. Strategic decisions are called for here: How do I address him or her when we next meet? Is a first name or nickname sufficient? Is it a distinguished person and/or someone with a title? The purpose of this is to minimize what you need to remember. Even if you remember the first and last name that you heard earlier, don’t unnecessarily burden yourself with both. Try to focus on the shortest and easiest part of the name, usually the first name. Mostly here at Beaumont a simple first name or nickname is all you may ever need again to comfortably greet your new acquaintance. If the acquaintance has a title, that may 3
Beaumont residents are thinking Green By Mary Schnabel
and more for the other kind, but can be hard for arthritic or otherwise un-sturdy hands to operate. He suggested that villa and apartment residents wishing to retrofit might want to discuss their options with Director of Facilities Warren Gillings. Anne Godfrey talked about a water-saving water aerator, easily available and inexpensive, that can be added to a faucet so that the water comes out mixed with air. Dick Maass commented that he often turns off the lights in the Beaumont Room when he goes home after dinner, to save electricity. Mary Yurchenco countered that she thought she recalled that several years ago, residents were told to leave the lights alone. Joe
Beaumont News correspondent Mary Schnabel covered the Green Committee’s interactive “Timely Topics” presentation on deadline last month, with no time to write a story. Here are her notes: There was a good crowd and many spoke, but not all were on the exact subject. Among the highlights was a report by Green Committee Chairman Ann Louise Strong, who said she thought progress in composting had been the committee’s proudest accomplishment in 2010. We save money, she said, both by sending less to the landfill and by needing less purchased mulch and fertilizer. Chef Mark is contributing more fruit and vegetable peelings and scraps from his kitchen, individual residents are joining in the effort, and the Grounds people are always adding leaves and grass. Ann Louise mentioned that she shreds newspapers each week and adds them to the compost pile. Anna Roberts reported that she is now composting fruit and vegetable scraps from her kitchen and leaving them outside her villa (not on trash day) early in the morning for Grounds staff to take to the compost pile. Someone asked what to do with dead batteries, and Housekeeping Director Brock Nichols answered that they are collected by Maintenance and transported with other hazardous materials to local collection sites two or three times a year. He said residents are asked to collect batteries a few at a time in a container rather than give them to staff one battery at a time. Peggy Tilghman suggested that Beaumont might look into the self-flushing (water-saving) toilets seen in public restrooms and hospitals. Beaumont President Joe Fortenbaugh responded that there are various new kinds of toilets and Management is studying them, especially for use in the apartments and villas. He mentioned, for example, a two-button type that uses less water for liquid waste
Chef Mark is contributing more fruit and vegetable peelings and scraps from his kitchen, individual residents are joining in the effort, and the Grounds people are always adding leaves and grass. Fortenbaugh later noted that Beaumont has a specific schedule for turning common-area lights on and off, based on safety concerns. At the end, Ann Louise introduced a guest, Dr. John Pruitt, Professor Emeritus of Physics and Computer Science at Bryn Mawr College, a proponent of thermonuclear energy. He said the use of thermonuclear energy would be good for the country, if only the opposition from coal, oil, gas and ethanol industry lobbyists could be overcome. (Believe me, trying to understand a physicist explaining thermonuclear energy lost a lot of people in the audience–but he was a great speaker!)
Kaleidoscope: The view from inside a painting By Barbara O’Brien There is a lot of very bright light and there are definitely people moving near me. I feel conscious but immobilized; there is some sort of warm blanket around me, making me into a comfortable mummy. I have no feeling of danger, just some sort of mysterious activity which somehow is not threatening or painful. What is most interesting and eventually delightful is that I see swirling colors on the right side of my head, interacting gently and fluidly with one another. Rich, deep purple swirls around a bright blue, or is it really emerald? Blobs of strong red move purposefully into and around the other colors, and somehow there is white, or is it just a bright, empty
space among the colors. Nothing is set. Swirling and interpenetration seem to be the color path. I am inside a painting as it is painted. Occasionally I hear a voice telling me to look at the light, and when I move my eyes, the colors begin to swirl and interpenetrate in a more hectic way. I am enjoying my own sequence of “modern art,” superior to Pollock or Mondrian, because Pollock freezes his original fluid motion and Mondrian’s shapes and color have been still in execution. No, this is my own personal painting, unfolding, ongoing, vivid and free. Suddenly my personal painting leaves me. The light goes out. My cataract operation is over. 4
Ready for the snow Saluting our new snow removal machine, Beaumont President Joe Fortenbaugh (far right) leads Grounds workers in a Champagne toast—in token amounts, of course, but at least it was PiperHeidsieck (Brut) and no cheap bubbly. Joining Joe are (from left) Grounds Director Mark Hritz, Jake Bean, Kurt Mueller, and Pat Nardizzi. Among the new machine's most welcome virtues is a windshield. A worker driving the old one got the weather in his face. Photo by Ann Louise Strong
Let’s here it for pronounciation! By Gerri Paier
image of crinkled-up pieces of aluminum draped throughout the landscape rather like a Christmas décor run amok. Apparently no one has ever pointed out this glaring mistake in pronunciation to him. Which leads to the spectacle of a white-haired old lady yelling at the car radio as she drives around the Main Line on her Saturday errands — It’s FOLIAGE, you twit. Upset to the point where she almost misses those signs that warn of PED Xing. Then we have the politicians — a vast wonderland of verbal gaffes. We have a recent past president to whom the correct pronunciation of the word nuclear was a complete mystery, and who consistently stated that people misunderestimated him. Now we have the lady from Alaska who likes to coin new words like refudiate — a seeming combination of refuse (defined as the indication that one is not willing to do something) and repudiate (defined as the denial of the truth or validity of a certain thing). This coinage was picked up and commented on by the press. In response the lady from Alaska stated that language was a living thing and that like William Shakespeare, who, according to her, was constantly coining new words and phrases, she was only adding to the vibrancy of the English language. I am reminded of a famous retort in a VicePresidential debate a few years back, and I paraphrase: I know William Shakespeare, I’ve read William Shakespeare, and Lady, you are NO William Shakespeare. And so I close this screed on the misuse and abuse of the English language in the public forum with a great English epithet, Balderdash — which, of course, is defined as a foot race run by men who are losing their hair.
Words are important. They convey the thoughts, feelings, concepts, news, from one person to another. Language development is what sets us as a species apart. Lately I have noticed a distressing trend to misuse words in general. Is no one teaching proper pronunciation? Is no one bothering to understand the meaning of the words they use? Worst of all, especially in the media, no one seems to notice the incorrect use of words. Take, for example, the words cavalry and Calvary: cavalry defined as a military force on horseback — now including mechanized vehicles — and Calvary the place that, according to religious tradition, was the site of the crucifixion of Christ. Imagine my confusion when, at the onset of the war in Iraq, I heard multiple times by various commentators, “Today the Pentagon deployed the 5th Calvary to Iraq.” The image thus created of the entire scene familiar to Christians — the crosses, the Roman soldiers, the weeping Marys and various spectators lifted from Golgotha and set down in the middle of Baghdad where people were shooting each other — and all at the behest of the Pentagon. Oh wondrous to behold, but I think that the 5th Cavalry would be better deployed at this task. Then there is the wonderful gentleman on NPR who on Saturdays has a show called “You Bet Your Garden.” It’s a radio program that people call for advice on plants and gardens. The man is very knowledgeable, can identify plants by their original Latin names, and has an organic cure for whatever ails them. He has one glaring verbal failing, however, and that is in his pronunciation of the word foliage: foliage defined as the leafy parts of plants. He consistently and alas persistently says foilage. Which conveys the 5
What is that hawk doing at my feeder? By Hank Hallowell
rounded tail, while the sharp-shinned hawk is only 10 to 14 inches long, with a square tail. The Cooper’s has thicker, shorter looking legs compared with the sharp-shinned, whose legs are thinner and longer looking. In flight, for a quick identification, compare the Cooper’s larger head, which appears to project beyond the Photo by Ann Louise Strong wings, and its rounded A blue heron, hoping for prey at the tail feathers, with the Pond. sharp-shinned’s head, which appears to be behind the leading edge of the wings, and its squared tail feathers. Other species of hawk have been reported by Beaumont residents, and we attempt to identify them on an individual description, the more detailed the better. Remember, at this time of year young hawks are still in their juvenile plumage (lots of white on the breast with brown vertical streaks), so every detail helps.
This time of year birdlovers’ attention is riveted on what bird species come to their feeders. The Fall Migration is over and we are left with the many species of wintering birds, some of whom live in the area yearround, while other northern birds have moved south to this area. Questions received from residents have ranged from “What bird did I see?” to “What is that hawk doing around my bird feeder?” or “What kind of hawk is that at my feeder?” The answer to the!second question is, “They are looking for an easy meal.” Where else can a hungry accipiter hawk find a group of birds intent on feeding themselves? An easy prey! A quick lunch! Chances are, in answer to the!third query, that the bird in question is either a sharp-shinned or a Cooper’s hawk. They are difficult to identify. Not only is the female sharp-shinned hawk about the same size as the male Cooper’s hawk (in raptors the female is larger A Cooper’s hawk than the male; that is another subject), but their plumage, both adult and juvenile, is very much the same. The Cooper’s hawk is 14 to 20 inches long, with a
Ties that bind . . . .
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two words that have tilted the world forever are . . . drum roll here . . . “TIE OPTIONAL.” For some it was like V-Day all over again. Who knew that there would be such joy in unexpected places. The youthful Don Trachtenberg became airborne at a Beaumont meeting, flinging his tie with reckless abandon, one giant leap for mankind. (See photo, Page 1.) Dr. Trachtenberg later mentioned that even the Inn at Skytop, previously known for its stodgy conservatism in dress, has recently given notice that ties are no longer required at any time on the premises, and heaven forbid Photo by Louise Hughes that Beaumont should be perceived as stodgy. It’s a new century, fashions change, and isn’t Traditional Philadelphia Platter, fried oysters with chicken salad, is on the current menu in the Grill Room (where ties never were required). requiring ties a bit sexist, since it seems to be women who like to see men wearing them? (Okay, Don, but could be worn or not as desired. So, Beaumont is ready for the new generation of don’t forget that it’s been men who have expected women to look beautiful through the centuries with baby-boomers, and ties may go the route of high-button shoes. However, a story that caught my attention came instruments of torture like corsets and high heels!) Searching for a voice from the other side, I asked via Ann Louise Strong. A friend of hers living at John Butterworth how he felt about the change in tie Springton Lake Village, a resident community for the policy. As I expected, he said that he loved ties, both 55-and-older in Newtown Square, told her that the bows and four-in-hands, but, to my surprise, he said he residents there wear BLACK TIE for their wine-tasting was delighted that they were no longer required, and dinners. How about that! 6
From newcomers to neighbors New resident roundup
whom lives in Villanova and has presented her with two great-grandchildren. Libby volunteered to work in the Beaumont library but is currently unable to serve, having fallen and fractured her hip just before Thanksgiving. With a cheerful smile, she says that she looks forward to a full recovery and a return to her volunteer activities. —Rena Burstein
Lawrence and Sylvie Earle met in Ireland, where both were visiting at the time. Sylvie grew up in Rouen, France. She came from a family of educators, and taught at the University of Caen, from which she graduated. Lawrence grew up in Haverford and attended the Montgomery School, St. George’s in Newport, and Harvard. He was with the OSS, forerunner of the CIA, during World War II. His father, George Earle, was a former Governor of Pennsylvania Lawrence Earle and a U.S. Ambassador to Bulgaria, Austria and Turkey. They have also lived in Vermont and Maryland, and have a home in Naples, Florida, where they spend part of the winter. They have one daughter, a lawyer, and Lawrence has two sons in Texas. His brother, Hubert, was among Beaumont’s early residents. They moved here in November. —Jean Kirk Sylvie Earle *
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Bob and Eloise Gretz have long been acquainted with Beaumont. Eloise, an artist, has had two exhibitions of her paintings here. Their apartment is filled with more than 80 of her paintings, and many more are in storage. Eloise grew up in this area, and graduated from the University of the Arts. Over the years, she has also had what she calls “some fun business” designing beach and golf hats. She enjoys golf, swimming and bridge. Bob graduated from Villanova and Bob Gretz joined the Gretz beer company, started during the Civil War by his grandfather. It is now run by his sons as a distributorship. During World War II Bob was a captain in the Marines and fought on Okinawa. They spend part of the winter at their home in Juno Beach, Florida. They have three sons, a daughter who lives in Ireland, and seven grandchildren. They moved here in Eloise Gretz October. —Jean Kirk
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After having lived in retirement in Longboat Key, Florida, for 25 years, Libby Adelman became a Beaumont resident in early September. Libby grew up in New York City, the youngest of six in a close-knit family. She graduated from Cornell University and Columbia University Law School and later returned to Columbia for a degree in Library Science. She and her husband, Martin, partnered in a small-town real estate practice in Islip, Long Island, until his death. Because of her happy memories of attending summer camp in the Adirondacks, Libby and her husband bought a cottage on Tupper Lake and later built a house on Raquette Lake, where the family gathers every Libby Adelman summer. Libby has a daughter who lives in New York City and two granddaughters, one of
Photos by Louise Hughes
IN MEMORIAM Polly P. Mackie – November 27 Ruth Converse – December 1 Marion Jacobson – December 11 John Jackson – December 17 Members of the Beaumont Community extend deepest sympathy to their families and friends.
The deadline for the February, 2011 issue of the Beaumont News will be January 7. 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! We regret that because of technical difficulties, Beaumont News current and past issues on the Beaumont website, beaumontretirement.com, have not been updated since July. Repairs are under way. 7
Sailors’ Valentine. . . . continued from page 1
shop with his brother George selling sea-related souvenirs. He employed local people to craft octagonal cedar boxes (to bug-proof). Some boxes had mahogany sides and tops, but all were filled with local seashells which were glued into cotton-lined sections divided by cardboard strips. Many of the cases had the outside inside edges lined with dark pink paper. Cases were usually made double-hinged as a pair, but many have become separated over the years and are known as “singles.” Workmanship varied: some tidy and neat, some less so. Many included tiny shells spelling out Jane Dearnley created this Valentine, on display with others in the Beaumont Room as part of the sayings such as “Be Mine,” Resident Art Show. “Love The Giver,”and one that Today some of these same ladies still teach, hold said “God Save The Queen,” which at a glance looked workshops, give advice, and judge. more like “God Save The Queer.” Sloppy shell work! Surprisingly, a number of Beaumont ladies have Many of these souvenirs were purchased as gifts for loved ones by sailors returning from long ocean voy- participated in the past, or are still actively doing shell ages, hence the name “Sailors’ Valentines.” Sailors DID work. These include Betty Webb, Carolyn Langfitt, Jane Dearnley, Lea Bolling, Carol Rush, Penny NOT make Valentines at sea . . . a popular myth! Current artists have revived the tradition of making Collings, Tony Starr, and Joan Thayer. For further in-depth history and information do visit Valentines, using contemporary designs and patterns and a variety of shells from all over the world . . . always our own Beaumont library and pick up a copy of “SAILORS’ VALENTINES Their Journey Through in an octagonal box. In the 1970s, a group of interested ladies joined Time” by Grace L. Madeira, Mary S. Page, Constance forces in a series of Valentine workshops, which later Marshall Miller, and Ann T. Schutt, published in 2006. led to participation in shows, notably at the The Beaumont Resident Art Show, in the Beaumont Philadelphia Maritime Museum, the Academy of Room until Friday Jan. 28, includes samples. Natural Sciences in Philadelphia, and the Cahoon Photos by Louise Hughes Museum of American Art on Cape Cod.
A starfish stars in a "single" by Carolyn Langfitt, left; the saying in the two-part Valentine at right, by Betty Webb, reads—in tiniest of shells—"Until one has loved an animal, a part of one's soul remains unawakened."
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