Some More Unsung Residents

Norman J. Sissman

In the last issue of Kendal View I wrote brief tributes to some residents who, in my opinion, have contributed significantly to the good life at Kendal, but have not received the public notice they deserve. I called them “unsung residents.” With apologies to many others who are equally deserving, but cannot be included now because of space limitations, here are tributes to four more.

The first is Priscilla Holmgren, whose arresting and lovely calligraphy has adorned the public spaces of Kendal since 2006 when she moved here with her late husband, Edwin. It has appeared primarily in the signs that are posted over our periodic art exhibits and in a rotating posting on the northern wall of Main Street (opposite the mailboxes) quoting wise and amusing adages about some of life’s truisms. These first appeared in 2008 at the suggestion of our leading Founder, Gay Berger. Priscilla chooses these sayings from a wide variety of sources, including the internet, and uses a calligraphic style for each that harmonizes with its theme. Priscilla started her calligraphy studies around 1992 and took classes for over twenty years. Her art has added so much to the visual pleasures of our lives.

Another source of visual pleasure in the public areas of Kendal are the lovely, colorful pillows that have been appearing, over the past couple of years, on the sofas and chairs on Main Street and in the Residents Lounge. These are all the needlepoint work of Ed Hanin Ed has not been “unsung” for his many other past contributions to Kendal, including three terms as a resident representative on the KoH Board of Directors, but few are aware of these pillows’ origin. Ed has been doing needlepoint for decades as a relaxing and rewarding hobby. He selects the patterns for these pillows from a variety of readily available material. After completing each needlepoint pattern, he gives it to Marlyn Bottjer, the head of the CAFA Committee, who sends it out for its transformation into a pillow.

My third nomination for designation as an unsung resident merits his inclusion paradoxically because of his work in keeping Kendal singing – not to mention the singular appropriateness of his last name! Bob Singleton has been the leader of the Kendal Chorale since 2017, succeeding Doris Appleby. His duties are multi-fold: recruiting new singers, maintaining its list of members, taking attendance at rehearsals, contacting those who don’t regularly attend, acting as the liaison with the director of the chorale, Nell MacDonald, setting up the electric keyboard used by Nell and arranging the singers’ seats for every Thursday afternoon rehearsal, making and distributing copies of the group’s musical scores when necessary, and arranging to present a flower bouquet to Nell at the end of each twice-a-year choral concert. Also, he contributes his mellifluous baritone voice to the group. In addition, Bob helps to organize the three heavily attended summer singalongs that enliven the musical scene at Kendal.

My final nomination for an unsung resident is Sheila Darnborough, the longtime hardworking coordinator of 970, Kendal’s TV channel. There appears to be no end to the time and effort required by this position. Although the station has a core of committed resident workers, more are needed to help with the many tasks required for the station to fulfill its goals. Among these are recording (with a handheld camera) Kendal events such as the Monday night talks and Sunday concerts, plus capturing our art exhibit. These videorecordings must be transferred to DVDs for playing on Channel 970. Finally, they need to be set up for viewing, and together with the DVDs of the nightly movies be entered into the daily schedule which appears in Spotlight. In addition to these multifarious steps, Sheila confronts the problem of the stability of the equipment used, the physical hardware and software. The system is unchanged from that set up about 16 years ago. It is old and outdated, and Sheila must supervise repairs, and announce the unfortunately necessary suspensions of service that ensue. Hopefully new technologies now available will alleviate at least some of the arduous work required for Channel 970.

To all these unsung residents and others who similarly work to support our fulfilling lives at Kendal, many grateful thanks!

As a Founder, as well as the former editor of Kendal View for many years, Norman is in a unique position to discern the hidden talents of individual residents.