College news
• Graham Glennon of Brattleboro recently performed in the annual St. Olaf College Christmas Festival in Northfield, Minn. Glennon, an undeclared major, is a member of the Viking Chorus. The St. Olaf Christmas Festival is one of the oldest musical celebrations of Christmas in the United States, and features more than 500 student musicians who are members of five choirs and the St. Olaf Orchestra. The festival, which is regularly broadcast nationwide on public television and radio, has been featured in hundreds of publications.
School news
• Four Brattleboro Union High School students were honored by the Brattleboro Lodge of Elks as the December Students of the Month. Marissa Semenovich, a 12th-grader, plays defense on both the varsity lacrosse and field hockey teams. She has applied to several colleges in New England and plans to major in business management. She is a member of Students Supporting Veterans and is an officer in FBLA. Terran Momaney, a ninth-grader from Dummerston, says he is pleased with his academic transition into high school, and enjoys working with his father. Elizabeth Lussier, a ninth-grader, hopes her academics will support admission to Brown University in pursuit of a degree in civil engineering. She enjoys soccer and tennis and participates in “Above the Influence.” Emily Mleczko, a ninth-grader, has set a goal of college studies in language translation, cooking, or music. She is active with the Above the Influence program.
• Vanessa Young of South Wardsboro, a student at Loomis Chaffee School in Windsor, Conn., was named a New England All-Star in girls' volleyball for the fall 2013 season.
• Jasmyn Atsalis-Gogel, a high school junior from Compass School in Westmister, has spent the last semester across the country at The Woolman Semester School in Nevada City, Calif. Atsalis-Gogel graduated from the program on Dec. 14. Woolman is a semester-long residential peace, social justice, and sustainability studies program located on a 230-acre farm in the foothills of Northern California's Sierra Nevada. The program is open to motivated high school juniors, seniors, and gap year students who are looking for academic challenge and personal growth in a college-like setting.
Transitions
• Orthopaedic surgeons Elizabeth McLarney, MD, Jon Thatcher, MD, and William Vranos, MD, announce they have joined the BMH Physician Group, changing their practice from Southern Vermont Orthopaedics and Sports Medicine to BMH Orthopaedics and Sports Medicine. Their office location remains the same at Brattleboro Memorial Hospital's Richards Building, First Floor, 17 Belmont Ave., but their phone number has changed to 802-251-8611.
• The Brattleboro School Endowment has two new board members. Suzie Wagner is a Senior Vocational Rehabilitation Counselor with VocRehab Vermont. She is also a mother of two, both of whom attend Green Street School. She is an active volunteer in the community and is particularly fond of winter sports. Rob Spzila currently has children at Academy School (and BAMS and BUHS). He brings a strong background knowledge of fundraising and grants from his work at the Brattleboro Retreat - and a love for the winter sports programs as he has chaperoned many days of skiing and snowboarding.
Awards
• Ryall Porter Sheridan Architects has received a 2013 Award of Merit from the Vermont chapter of the American Institute of Architects for the design of Guilford Sound, a recording studio in Guilford. The sound studio was chosen in part because of its relationship to the landscape and to other buildings on the site: a renovated farmhouse from the 1800s and a compact contemporary heating plant housing a wood-fired boiler for the building.
Obituaries
• Norman Brooks, 78, of Newfane. Died Dec. 12 after a long battle with cancer. Husband of Barbara (Stacey) Brooks for 54 years. Father of Thomas Brooks and his wife, Kendra, of Brooklin; Dawn McCormick of Marlboro; Amanda North and her husband, Robert, of West Dover; and the late Kimberly and Jennifer Brooks. Brother of Dorothy of Parrish, Fla., and Thomas of Brattleboro. He was well-known for his immaculate lawns and the perfectly stacked woodpile that ran the entire length of his property. He worked in the automotive parts industry all his life, and was the founder of Brooks Oil Undercoating, which is now run by his son, Tom. He was a lifelong member of the NewBrook fire department, and a 32nd degree Mason and a Cairo Shriner. Memorial information: A funeral service will be held at the Newfane Congregational Church on Friday, Dec. 20, at 2 p.m., followed by a reception at the NewBrook Firehouse. Donations to the church, NewBrook fire department, or Grace Cottage Hospital.
• Amy V. Cavanaugh, 36, of Pittsfield, Mass., formerly of Dummerston. Died Dec. 1 from injuries suffered in a one-car accident in Richmond, Mass. Wife of Dwayne Strickland of Vernon. Mother of James (Jimmy) Cavanaugh of Burlington, Casey Cavanaugh and Trynity and Zaida Strickland of Pittsfield, and the late Aahlee Stickland. Stepmother of Vanessa Stubbs. Sister of Patrick Cavanaugh of Turners Falls, Mass. Half-sister of Sean Cavanaugh of Memphis, Tenn. Born in Holyoke, Mass., the daughter of William and Mary E. (Jegelewicz) Cavanaugh, she grew up in the Hampton Ponds section of Westfield, then she resided in Pittsfield and Becket, Mass., and Dummerston. She recently returned to Pittsfield. She was a graduate of Wahconah Regional High School, a past employee of New England Newspapers, Inc. working in the circulation departments at the Berkshire Eagle and the Brattleboro Reformer. She recently worked for Petco in Pittsfield. She will be remembered as a passionate, loving, strong, and a “live for the moment” woman. She was always on a mission to help others and make everything better for every person (and animal) she knew. Memorial information: A memorial service was held Dec. 13 at Wellington Funeral Home in Pittsfield. Burial will be in the spring of 2014 in North Becket Cemetery at the convenience of the family. Donations for the children's welfare may be sent to James Sweener (father of Jimmy Cavanaugh), 15 Essex St., Pittsfield, MA 01201.
• Andre Emile “Andy” Chalifour, 73, of DeLand, Fla, formerly of West Chesterfield, N.H. Died Dec. 7 at his home after a two-year battle with prostate cancer. Former husband of Ruth Ann Chalifour. Father of Zach Chalifour and his wife Mandy of Port Orange, Fla., Daniel Chalifour of Swanzey, N.H., and Judith Coffey and her husband, Dennis, of Dover, N.H. Brother of Dorothee Descoteaux of Rochester, N.H., and the late Fernande Descoteaux. Born in Manchester, N.H., the son of the late Laurent and Cecile (Gelinas) Chalifour, he attended St. Jean the Baptist Elementary School in Manchester, Assumption Preparatory School in Worcester, Mass., and the University of New Hampshire, where he played hockey. Following school, he served briefly in the Air National Guard at Grenier Air Force Base in Manchester before working for Prudential Financial as an insurance agent. He continued to work in insurance for the remainder of his career, owning Paige Insurance Agency in Pittsfield, N.H., Rumford Insurance Agency in Concord, N.H.; and Putnam Insurance Agency in Brattleboro. He retired in 2005 and moved to DeLand after owning the Putnam Insurance Agency for over 25 years. He was actively involved in the development of the Hilltop Montessori School in Brattleboro, serving as a board member and treasurer for many years. He was an avid Boston Red Sox and New England Patriots fan, having attended a Super Bowl, World Series, NBA Finals, and the 1999 Major League Baseball All-Star Game, among hundreds of other events. He spent every summer for nearly 25 years at a vacation home in Beach Meadows, Nova Scotia, where he loved going for walks on the beach, cooking, lobster feasts, and coaching baseball. Memorial information: A memorial service was held Dec. 16 at Stetson Baptist Church in DeLand. Donations to the Jimmy V Foundation at www.jimmyv.org.
• Ruthana F. Hudson, 79, of Brattleboro. Died Dec. 12 at Brattleboro Memorial Hospital following a period of declining health. Wife of Ronald W. Hudson for 57 years. Mother of Brian L. Hudson of Hinsdale, N.H., and the late Gary and Linda Hudson. Sister of the late Raymond Filion. Born in Springfield, Mass., the daughter of the late Percy W. and Ruth (Watson) Farr, she was a graduate of Brattleboro Union High School, Class of 1952. In more recent years, she worked in the Brattleboro Town Clerk's office, went back to bookkeeping at BDR Transport, and then World Learning. Following her retirement from World Learning in 1996, she was employed in the circulation department at the former Town Crier which she retired from in 2000. She enjoyed reading, knitting, crocheting and doing jigsaw puzzles and card games on the computer. She also loved her visits to Rye Beach, Maine, which she made twice a year. Memorial information: A funeral service was held Dec. 17 at Atamaniuk Funeral Home, with burial in Meetinghouse Hill Cemetery. Donations to Rescue Inc. P.O. Box 593, Brattleboro, VT 05302, or to the Windham County Humane Society, P.O. Box 397, Brattleboro, VT 05302.
• Greta Jones, 88, of West Chesterfield, N.H. Died Dec. 5 at Thompson House in Brattleboro following a period of declining health. Wife of the late Dr. Edwin F. Jones for 32 years. Mother of Jody Hirson and her husband, Kevin, of Scarsdale, N.Y., Debbie Scherrer of Princeton, N.J., and the late Cheryl Ann Jones. Sister of the late Ernest Ferguson and Alta Jean Revilla, who died on Nov. 26, 2013. Born in Poultney, the daughter of the late James and Lucy (Tyler) Ferguson, she was raised and educated in Poultney. Following her graduation from high school, she went on to attend nursing school, where she earned her Licensed Practical Nursing diploma. For many years, she worked as a private duty nurse caring for patients in the greater Keene and Brattleboro area. Prior to moving to West Chesterfield with her family, she had resided in Rensselaer, Ind. She was a member of St. Michael's Episcopal Church in Brattleboro. She enjoyed the outdoors and going on hikes with her beloved dogs. She was also an avid reader, enjoyed knitting, and was a devoted football fan. Memorial information: A private memorial service in celebration of her life was conducted at Atamaniuk Funeral Home in Brattleboro on Dec. 14, with burial in Morningside Cemetery, where she was laid to rest next to her husband. Donations to Thompson House Activities Fund, 80 Maple St., Brattleboro, VT 05301.
• Hazel W. Looker, 102, of Brattleboro. Died Dec. 7 at Hilltop House Residential Care in Brattleboro, where she had resided for the past 11 years. Wife of the late Charles Looker. Mother of Susan Wilmott of Dummerston, Jean Cobb of Winthrop, Mass., and Nancy Poirier of Claremont, N.H. Born in Fair Haven, the daughter of the late Walter and Carrie Greer Wilcox, she lived in Rutland for almost 50 years. She was a teacher and administrator in the Rutland Public Schools. Memorial information: A funeral will be held Saturday, Dec. 21, at 10 a.m., at St. Michael's Episcopal Church, Bradley Avenue, Brattleboro. Donations to Hilltop House, 65 Harris Ave., Brattleboro, VT 05301.
• William “Will” MacDonald, 67, of Westminster. Died on Oct. 28 at Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center at Lebanon, N.H., after almost a year of failing health. Husband of Patricia “Patty” MacDonald of Westminster. Father of Rebecca MacDonald. Son of Beatrice MacDonald of Hanson, Mass. Brother of Frederick MacDonald of Norwell, Mass. He worked for 24 years at the Windham County Solid Waste Management District in Brattleboro. Many will remember him as the friendly guy in the scalehouse who always wore a cowboy hat and western style clothing. Although it was certainly not in his job description, for years he helped bring stray cats in the area to the local animal shelter for neutering and adoption. A gifted musician, vocalist and songwriter, he was a member of the Swingin' Doors Country & Western Band. They played at many clubs in the tri-state area and at many private parties and events. For years, they were the host band for Brattleboro's Winter Carnival. Music was his passion and he was self taught, beginning to learn guitar as a teenager. A pagan at heart, he loved all animals, especially cats, and felt that nature was his religion. He loved being outdoors and was committed to reusing and recycling. He dreamt about a cat he had never met, then saw this cat at the local shelter. He and his wife adopted the kitty and he called this cat, Dusty, his “dream kitty.” He was an avid reader with eclectic tastes and enjoyed everything from detective novels to nonfiction with subjects from bird watching to politics.He loved a lively discussion and was very concerned about equality and human rights and the economic disparity in the United States. He especially enjoyed satire and loved “The Daily Show” and Bill Maher. He was a big fan of the Boston Red Sox, hot Mexican food (he made some mean enchiladas) and movies. He was a movie buff and found great pleasure in discovering well-acted and crafted obscure and independent films. He and his wife loved traveling and took many trips to the American Southwest and other locations throughout the U.S. His family and close friends brought him great joy and he was always ready to lend a hand to someone in need. He also loved making individualized musical tapes for anyone who was interested in the music he loved. Memorial information: He was not a fan of funeral homes or formality, so his wife and daughter are going to have a Remembrance Party to honor him and celebrate his life in May 2014. There will be food, music and love, just as he would have wanted. Invitations will be sent in April 2014. Contributions in his memory may be made to the Windham County Humane Society, P.O. Box 397, Brattleboro, VT 05302.
• Peter F. “Pete” Michaud, 71, of Hinsdale, N.H. Died Dec. 9 at his home, following an extended illness. Husband of the late Mary E. Golden for 41 years. Father of Peter A. Michaud and his wife, Michele, of Easthampton, Mass.; Brian D. Michaud and his wife, Deborah, of Stoddard, N.H.; Kathleen M. Michaud of Hinsdale; and the late Sara Michaud. Born in Manchester, N.H., the son of the late Charles and Harriett (Farrell) Michaud, he was raised and educated in Manchester, graduating from Manchester Central High School, Class of 1960. Later, he attended the University of New Hampshire, earning his B.S. in 1964. He was employed as a licensed civil engineer for KV Partners, LLC of New Boston, which he retired from on July 1, 2013 due to failing health. Previously, he worked for Weston & Sampson Co. of Peabody, Mass. A resident of Hinsdale since 1987, he was a former resident of Hollis, N.H., Guilford, Conn., and Manchester, N.H. For many years, he served as an active volunteer on the Hinsdale Fire Department. A devout Catholic, he was a communicant of Mary, Queen of Peace Parish in Hinsdale. He enjoyed gardening, entertaining, and time shared with his family. He also had a love for trains and rail travel. Memorial information: A funeral Mass was held Dec. 13 at St. Joseph's Church in Hinsdale, with burial in Pine Grove Cemetery. Donations to St. Vincent DePaul Food Pantry, St. Joseph's Catholic Church, 35 Brattleboro Road, Hinsdale, N.H. 03451; the Guy Bouchie Scholarship, in care of Hinsdale Fire Dept., Depot Street, Hinsdale, N.H. 03451; or to the National Multiple Sclerosis Foundation, New England Chapter, 101A First Avenue, Suite 6, Waltham, MA 02452. Arrangements were under the direction of the Atamaniuk Funeral Home.
• Cicely Aikman Scherer, 90, of Townshend. Died Dec. 6 at Valley Cares in Townshend, 11 days after the death of her second husband, Fred F. Scherer. Mother of Paul Breslin Jr. and his wife, Catherine of Paris, France, and Kim Scherer and her husband, Paul Young, of Seattle. Stepmother of Janice-Ellen Scherer-Dufner and her husband, Frank Dufner, of Lyman, Maine; William Scherer and his wife, Sitora, of Cold Spring, N.Y.; Deidre Scherer and her husband, Steve Levine, of Williamsville; and Gregory Scherer and his wife, Makhiruy, of Cold Spring, N.Y. Sister of Ann McQuade of Port Washington, N.Y., and the late Edward Aikman, Born in El Paso, Texas, the oldest of three children of Duncan and Helen (Wyman) Aikman, she attended the University of Chicago, but left in her sophomore year and went to New York City to study under Morris Kantor at the Art Students League between 1942 and 1946. At the League, she met her first husband, painter Paul Breslin. She was an avid traveler. She went to Florence, Italy by boat with her then-two-year-old son, Paul, and lived the bohemian life with her many friends. She lived in Peru from 1956-1957, where she taught English. Other trips included the Greek Isles and Turkey and countless journeys to France to visit Paul, who has made Paris his home. She worked as a librarian at the Hayden Planetarium of the American Museum of Natural History. There, she met fellow artist Fred Scherer and they married in 1969. In 1972 they moved to Friendship, Maine, where they lived for 32 years and adopted and raised Fred's grandchild, Kim. In 2005, Cicely moved to Brattleboro with her husband to be nearer to her daughter Deidre. She showed her work in galleries in New York City, including The Artists' Gallery, Green Mountain Gallery, Pyramid Gallery, and Westbeth Gallery. In 1972, she helped form a cooperative, the Waldoboro Gallery. Her work has been shown outside of New York City in numerous galleries and museums, including the Maine Coast Artists, Round Top Center for the Arts, The Portland Museum, and The Farnsworth Museum. Since 2006, she has shown at the Brattleboro Museum & Art Center and Robert Crowell Gallery in Newfane. From 1990 to the present, the Caldbeck Gallery in Rockland, Maine, has represented her work. She loved classical music, reading and writing poetry, literature, and the writing of her memoirs. She also participated in numerous peace demonstrations during the 1960s and 1970s. She will be remembered for her generosity, her love of animals, her liberal politics, and her poetic sense of form and color that made her such a unique and talented sculptor and painter. Memorial information: A memorial service was held Dec. 15 at Valley Cares. Donations to Valley Cares, 461 Grafton Rd., Townshend, VT 05353.
• Jean K. Schreiber, 88, formerly of Lexington, Mass. Died Nov. 8 at the Hebrew Rehabilitation Center's Newbridge on the Charles in Dedham, Mass. Former wife of William F. Schreiber. Mother of Robert D. Schreiber of La Jolla, Calif., Peter M. Schreiber of Lexington, and Tatiana Schreiber and her partner Beth Brassel of Westminster West. Sister of the late Alan Kuttler, Born in Brooklyn, N.Y., to the late Arthur and Gertrude (Rabinowitz) Kuttler, she was proud to have attended P.S. 181 and Erasmus High School in Brooklyn before she became the first person in her family to attend college and one of the first women to attend the Mechanical Engineering program at Cornell University. She met her future husband in Brooklyn and they married in 1946, the year before she graduated from Cornell. She worked as an aeronautical engineer for a number of years before attending graduate school in Urban Planning at Northeastern and Boston University. Her first child was born in Boston before the family moved to California where her husband was working for Kodak in Los Angeles. There, she had two more children before the family returned to the Boston area. The family spent two years in India, where her husband was a visiting professor at the Indian Institute of Technology. On returning to Lexington in the mid-1960s, she became active in a number of organizations, working for fair housing in Boston, reproductive rights for women, and against the Vietnam War. When her marriage ended, she channeled her interest in structural engineering and fair housing into a long and successful career as a realtor. In the 1970s, she began to travel extensively with her close friend Marge Welch, whom she had met in India. She particularly enjoyed her trips to Mongolia and China, and a number of trips to Guatemala where she met her companion, Carlos Salazar. She was a feisty, strong-willed, iconoclastic woman who let few obstacles stand in her way. For many years, she developed her artistic inclinations in abstract painting and batik. Her friends admired her independence, determination, and disinterest in convention. She instilled in her children values of justice and equality, a spirit of inquiry and an appreciation for animals and the natural world. Although she suffered from dementia in the last years of her life, she was still proficient in math and able to do math problems in her head until shortly before her death. She retained a sly wit and enjoyed teasing, chastising and complementing her caregivers as well as sharing jokes and reminding everyone that “you can take the girl out of Brooklyn, but you can't take Brooklyn out of the girl!” Memorial information: A graveside service was held at Westview Cemetery in Lexington on Nov. 17. Donations to the Massachusetts Coalition for the Homeless, 15 Bubier St., Lynn, MA 01901, or the National Alliance on Mental Illness, The Schrafft Center, 529 Main St., Suite 1M17, Boston, MA 02129, or a charity of one's choice. Arrangements were handled by Levine Chapels of Brookline, Mass.
• Marie L. (McGee) West, 85, of Brattleboro. Died on Nov 28 at Thompson House. Wife of the late George H. West Jr. for 50 years. Mother of Ernest West of Athol, Mass., David West of Russellville, Ark., and Karin Crosier of Greenfield, Mass. Born in Brattleboro, the daughter of the late Amos McGee and Charlotte (Taylor) McGee, she was educated in Brattleboro schools. She was a lifelong housewife. She was a member of the Brattleboro congregation of Jehovah's Witnesses. She loved to travel (especially to Bar Harbor, Maine), feed the birds, play cribbage, and loved to watch Westerns and Red Sox games. Memorial information: A memorial service will be held at the Brattleboro Kingdom Hall of Jehovah's Witnesses, 19 Edward Heights in West Brattleboro on Saturday, Dec. 21 at 2 p.m. Her grandson, Daniel West will preside. Donations to the Brattleboro congregation of Jehovah's Witnesses.