Lake Region’s Dustin Bodette tees off on the first hole during Thursday’s thirty-fourth annual North Country Invitational golf tournament. Bodette endured a rough start to the day before finding his inner golf Zen and reminding himself to enjoy the day. Photo by Richard Creaser

copyright the Chronicle 5-17-2013

NEWPORT —  The game of golf is a lesson in civility and humility.  It is a game that rewards patience, discourages rashness and fosters fellowship.

“That’s what’s so awesome and so awful about golf,” Northfield’s Mike Passalacqua said.  “One day you shoot a great game and the next time you can’t get the ball to go anywhere you want it to.  How you play is always on you.”

The Chronicle had the opportunity to spend the morning with a foursome composed of Lake Region’s Dustin Bodette, Northfield’s Mike Passalacqua, St. Johnsbury Academy’s Jack O’Neill and Peoples’ Academy Keirnan Nicholls as the foursome made the rounds of the Newport Country Club during the thirty-fourth annual North Country Invitational Golf Tournament on Thursday, May 17.

To most of the foursome the experience at the Newport course was a new experience.  As such, the aspect of familiarity with the course certainly wasn’t in anyone’s favor.  Even if it was, however, golf is a game of variables, some of which were completely out of the players’ control.

“It’s a pretty vicious wind,” Bodette admitted as strong gusts blew in from the south and west.  “That’s why it’s important to get out on the range and hit the greens before a tournament.  It’s a must to see how you’re going to play that day.”

Not knowing the layout of the course involves best-guess estimates on distances as well as a healthy dose of orienteering as the players navigate the course.  Knowing what to expect matters a great deal in both club selection and the amount of force applied to each stroke.

“I’m used to slower greens at the Orleans Country Club,” Bodette said of the Lake Region golf team’s home course.  “I know how hard I need to putt.”

“I’m seeing a break but there doesn’t seem to be one,” O’Neill said of the putting greens.  “So I need to adjust how I approach them.”

The North Country Invitational also requires players to play through a full 18 holes, unlike traditional matches that only involve nine-hole play.  Given that fact having a foursome composed of like-minded and comparably skilled players matters more than most tournaments.

“You’re going to be with these guys for the next four hours so it helps if you like the group you’re in,” Bodette said.

Lake Region’s Dustin Bodette putts during Thursday’s North Country Invitational golf tournament at the Newport Country Club. Bodette would finish with a 32 over par 114 on the day. Photo by Richard Creaser

Sportsmanship is an under appreciated element of tournament level golf, Passalacqua said.  While considered bad form to gloat over a good shot, it is equally undesirable to fuss and fume over bad ones.

“You just need to pick up and move on,” Passalacqua said.

Both Bodette and Passalacqua come from team sports backgrounds.  Bodette played the last three years on the Lake Region Rangers baseball team while Passalacqua is a member of the Northfield Raiders’ hockey team.

“It’s a team sport that isn’t,” Passalacqua said.  “On a team you can count on the other players making up for mistakes on your part.  In golf it’s all on you.”

Golf, he said, is about challenging yourself  to play up to your own personal standard.  It’s also about playing to your strengths and recognizing your weaknesses.

“You know how you usually play and every time you go out you want to play to your ability,” Passalacqua said.  “You could be playing with someone whose average game is seven strokes better than yours.  You know can’t beat him but you do know how well you can play and try to play better than that.”

Bodette struggled through the first few holes before recognizing a valuable lesson — there is such a thing as trying too hard.  Once he realized that simple fact and returned to playing the game because he enjoys it his performance improved.

“I was just terrible at the beginning,” Bodette said.  “When I just started playing the game, I started to play better.  You can’t let it get in your head.”

The North Country Invitational attracted students from 15 Vermont high schools from Division I, Division II and Division III.  The Division I title was claimed by Essex, shooting a combined 321, behind the play of Connor Calhoun and Ryan Manley.  Calhoun would earn first medalist honors shooting a two over par 74 while Manley tied for third with a six over par 78 on the day.

The disqualification of Evan Clarke led to an incomplete score for the host North Country Falcons.  Cody Wright led the Falcons with a 34 over par 106 on the day while Isaiah Carbonneau finished two strokes back at 108.

Lyndon Institute’s Nick Murphy’s eight over par 80 topped the rankings and earned him fifth medalist honors.  LI would also claim the DII title with a combined 344 on the day.  The Lake Region Rangers seventh on the day with a combined score of 441.  Carl Oberg led all Rangers with a 22 over par 94 while Bodette would finish with a score of 114.

 contact Richard Creaser at nek_scribbler@hotmail.com

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The post In boys golf: Forewarned is forearmed at NC Invitational Golf Tournament appeared first on Barton Chronicle Newspaper.

by Bethany M. Dunbar

copyright the Chronicle 5-15-2013

Tea Leaves; a memoir of mothers and daughters, by Janet Mason, published by Bella Books, Tallahassee, Florida, 2012, paperback, 202 pages, $15.95.

I celebrated Mother’s Day pretty quietly this year.  My own mother died a little more than a year ago, so it was a time to think of her, which I always do anyway.  My thoughtful adult son came to see me with a basket of flowers.  My thoughtful boyfriend took me out and gave me flowers.  I had spent the week before with my thoughtful adult daughter in California seeing some great new music, some killer whales, and trying — completely unsuccessfully — not to freak out over traffic in Los Angeles.

To pass the time while waiting for airplanes on my way out and back, I brought with me a small paperback I thought might be good to read at this time.  It came to me last fall, when the author gave a talk at the Galaxy Bookshop in Hardwick.  Since the death of my own mom was so recent, I had to set this book aside.  A book about a daughter my age taking care of her dying mother was a bit too much for me right then.

Yet, I was intrigued by the parts I’d read.  And I was glad to have it with me on this trip some months later.  Now I’m glad to recommend it as the kind of book that makes you think about your own life.  What’s right with your relationships with your mother and your daughter?  What’s wrong and why?  What doesn’t really matter?  Sometimes reading other people’s experiences puts your own into perspective.

Janet Mason is a talented and honest writer.  Her relationship with her own mother was not perfect, which of course is what makes the book interesting.  More interesting is the fact she is willing to explore the imperfections without dwelling on them and becoming one of those victim writers whose memoirs I can never quite stand to read.

Life is hard.  Being a mother is hard.  Nobody’s really ready for it when she gets the job, no matter how much you might have read or planned.  It’s just not like anything else, and you can’t really prepare.

But somehow the species keeps managing to perpetuate.  Somehow some of us seem willing to take that plunge and become parents.  We do our best, whatever that is.

Ms. Mason was an only child.  Her grandmother and mother were factory workers.  She was the first generation to go to college, and that in itself puts a certain amount of pressure on.  The politics are not the same through the generations, and neither is the sexual orientation.  Ms. Mason is a lesbian, and while that might have put a strain on some mother-daughter relationships it wasn’t a big issue for her mom, who was open-minded in this respect.  The family supports and loves Ms. Mason’s partner, their “unexpected daughter-in-law.”

Ms. Mason’s mother was, herself, a bit of a rabble-rouser and one to question authority or the status quo in general:

When I was old enough, she sometimes took me with her, the two of us marching and attending rallies, waving our matching mother/daughter coat hangers at pro-choice events.  I was the less adventurous one — hanging back and watching with something bordering on amazement as my mother heckled the hecklers and squeezed the balloon testicles of a Ronald Reagan cardboard cutout.

Ms. Mason’s grandmother was a lifelong Republican and Episcopalian, yet she, in her own way, questioned the status quo by getting a divorce in the 1920s and raising her children herself in a time when many other single mothers were forced to give theirs up.

Ms. Mason’s mother developed cancer, which was misdiagnosed at first.  By the time she found out what it was, the disease had spread too far and the diagnosis was terminal.  From then on Ms. Mason spends much of her time with her mother and father.

At first it’s hard for Ms. Mason to understand and accept that her mother is dying:

The next day we had an appointment to see the oncologist whose office complex was next to a shopping mall.  As I sat in the backseat of my parents’ car, I felt lost in long loops, off-and-on-ramps that seemed to go nowhere.  I was subsumed in a hard glittering sense of doom — deep in a nightmare that would not let me wake.

A theme of the book is a mother’s hopes for her daughter — hopes that she will do better, or accomplish more, or accomplish something the mother was not able to do.  Ms. Mason’s mother had very strong feelings about this, and sometimes Ms. Mason feels she has not lived up to her mother’s dreams for her.  Meanwhile Ms. Mason’s mother was a woman of artistic talent and interest, but who needed to work at a basic job to support her family.  Ms. Mason finds a portfolio stashed away with no artwork in it, which leads to feelings of guilt — did she get in the way of what could have been her mother’s success as an artist?

She finds something else to hold on to in these final months — and for long after her mother is gone.  It’s a “School Years” book with report cards and pictures from each grade:

She always asked me what I wanted to be when I grew up and I wrote it down each year.  It didn’t matter how ridiculous or remote the possibility was.  In first grade I wanted to be a fireman, later a violinist, a gypsy, a scientist, a comedienne, an oceanographer, a guitar player in a jazz band.

My mother let my dreams be dreams.  She did not expect consistency or demand a discipline that would eclipse my childhood.  No one ever asked my mother what she wanted to be when she grew up.  But she asked me every year and wrote down my answers.  As I watched my mother slipping away from me — as painful as it was, day after day — the thought of this book, filled with my earliest dreams and aspirations, was something for me to hold onto.

A simple thing that meant so much.  Tea Leaves is a simple book with a lot to offer.  It’s about figuring out your future, your past and your present.

contact Bethany M. Dunbar at bethany@bartonchronicle.com.

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copyright the Chronicle  5-15-13

NEWPORT — Some inmates at Northern State Correctional Facility here are exploring new frontiers in prison contraband.  In the past month or so, several people have appeared in the Orleans Criminal Division of Superior Court and admitted trying to smuggle buprenorphine strips into the prison.

Buprenorphine is an opiate that was developed to treat opiate addiction.  It is used like methadone, but is believed to be less addicting itself.

While it may appear that prisoners are trying to smuggle in drugs to treat their own addictions, “our experience is that people who use it tend not to use it the way it was intended to be used,” said Pam Bushey, program services director for the state Department of Corrections.

Although most of those who are incarcerated have substance abuse problems, Ms. Bushey said, “We generally do not continue medically assisted treatment past 60 days.”

People who are incarcerated for fewer than 60 days and who have valid prescriptions for a drug like methadone will receive their medications, she said.  (The methadone clinic in Newport does not dispense buprenorphine.)  But those who have longer sentences have their dosages tapered off and no longer receive substance abuse medications after two months.

Ms. Bushey said that substance abuse treatment, as such, is not a major focus of the corrections system.

“Even though we are the Department of Corrections and part of the Agency of Human Services,” she said, “our main focus is on risk reduction.”

Risk reduction, Ms. Bushey explained, means reduction of risk to the general public from released inmates.

“Generally what the research says is while 75 to 80 percent of the incarcerated population may have a substance abuse diagnosis, the larger issues are antisocial thinking and antisocial personality traits,” said Ms. Bushey.

 Drug resembles Listerine strips

Buprenorphine is produced as a tablet or in the form of a strip of film that can be dissolved by placing it under the tongue.

Dominic Damato, interim director of facility operations for the Department of Corrections (DOC), said what he calls “bupe strips” look like Listerine breath freshening strips, but are orange in color.

According to the manufacturer of the films, sold under the trade name Suboxone, the drug works by binding to the same receptor in the brain that is used by heroin or other opiates.

Suboxone combines buprenorphine with another drug, naloxone, which blocks the same receptors.  The combination is intended to produce immediate withdrawal symptoms if a person tries to abuse the drug by injecting it.

Because the effects of buprenorphine seem to plateau at a relatively low dosage, taking more of the drug will not produce an increased effect, according to the label information.

DOC officials offered several possible answers to the question of why someone would risk arrest to get a drug that was designed to be difficult to abuse into the hands of inmates.

“Science lags behind the experience of abusers,” Ms. Bushey said dryly.

“You have to understand, many of our inmates who have a lifetime of substance abuse just chase the high.  They’d take sugar pills,” said Mr. Damato.

He suggested that the buprenorphine strips, which are easily concealed, might also be valuable as an item in prison commerce.

In at least three cases over the past month, people have admitted trying to pass slugs, containers wrapped in electrical tape containing contraband including buprenorphine strips, through the fence at the prison.  In each case the plans were broken up by police who were alerted to the smuggling plot by prison officials.

According to court files, the smuggling plots were hatched over phone lines monitored by prison guards.  Mr. Damato said that every phone call between inmates and the outside world is preceded by a taped message that both the caller and the person receiving the call can hear warning that the call may be monitored.

“The criminal mind is willing to take that risk,” he said.

Mr. Damato said that buprenorphine smuggling does not appear to be a national trend yet.  In fact, he said, officials at out-of-state prisons which house Vermonters were caught by surprise when the drug turned up in their facilities.

He said inmates have devised a variety of ways of trying to get hold of buprenorphine in both of its forms.  In addition to passing slugs through the wire, attempts to smuggle the drug in by leaving it in a bathroom have been foiled and resulted in court charges.

Other methods of trying to get the drugs to inmates include crushing tablets and placing them under stamps or stickers on letters to inmates, concealing them in documents or newspapers, and even using dissolved strips to paint on children’s drawings.

Mr. Damato said the DOC is pretty good at stopping these attempts.

“We have a pretty good security process, but it’s not foolproof,” he said.

It is too bad, Mr. Damato added, that prisoners can’t have drawings from their kids, just because some try to take advantage of sentiment.  He said the DOC is working on an e-mail system to allow more contact between inmates and their families.

Much of the problem, in Mr. Damato’s view, comes from doctors who write what he termed “frivolous prescriptions.”  The result is a large amount of medically unnecessary buprenorphine at large in the community, he said.

Behind jail walls, the drug becomes part of a prison economy in which anything of value can be used as currency to buy anything from snacks to contraband from other inmates.

“That’s one reason that we have uniforms.  It takes the value of clothing away, so inmates won’t change Michael Jordans for contraband,” Mr. Damato explained.

He compared commerce behind the walls to life on a desert island.  “Coconuts would be valuable there,” he said, “if you had them and someone else didn’t.”

 Discovery program seeks risk reduction

In its pursuit of risk reduction, Ms. Bushey said, over the past two years the DOC has instituted a new way of working with inmates to help them learn how to act in a way that will not return them to prison.

The program, called Discovery, is designed to teach inmates “to avoid rule-breaking behavior,” Ms. Bushey said.

Ms. Bushey said it is too early to have firm data on the success of the program — judged by the number of people who have gone back to prison within three years of their release — but, she said, anecdotal evidence suggests that the program is achieving its goals.

The curriculum for the Discovery program is based on principles of cognitive behavior therapy, which seeks to change people’s actions by giving them new ways to deal with impulses that might lead to trouble, Ms. Bushey said.

Earlier programs, she said, “were doing a lot of cognitive work, but not doing a lot of behavioral work.”  The behavioral aspect of the program is intended to give inmates new ways to deal with the impulses that the cognitive portion of the program brings to their attention.

One of these strategies, she said, is called urge surfing.  Its premise is that an urge to do something, such as use drugs, may be intense, but if it is not acted on goes away quickly, she said.

The urge surfing technique encourages people not to concentrate on the desire to take drugs, or to fight it.  Instead a person is taught to pay attention to particulars of the urge, such as where in the body it is felt, and to notice how it builds in intensity and then drops off, Ms. Bushey said.

She said that inmates are also helped to see what sort of situations provoke urges and, if possible, to avoid these situations.  If a person with an alcohol problem — and alcohol is by far the substance most abused by inmates — finds that he faces a strong temptation to drink when he plays cards with his buddies, it might be best for him to skip the game.

Unlike earlier attempts to help inmates, the Discovery program demands a great deal of work from participants, Ms. Bushey said.  She refers to more intensive classes as an “increase in dosage.”

Completing the Discovery program requires 200 hours of class time, she said, and at least 14 weeks.  When inmates’ work schedules are taken into consideration, that represents a major commitment of time and energy, Ms. Bushey said.

Another change is that the program is no longer filled primarily by people who volunteered to participate.  Instead, Ms. Bushey said, inmates with a high or moderate risk of offending are picked.

In addition to working on dealing with impulses that might lead to illegal behavior, inmates are taught social skills, Ms. Bushey said.  Among them she listed active listening, giving feedback, dealing with negative feedback from others, negotiating and problem solving.

Ms. Bushey is optimistic about the new program, which she said has already been tried with success in Oregon, Ohio and Washington institutions.

If she is correct the question of smuggling could be lessened as inmates learn to avoid the kind of behaviors that lead to that kind of trouble.

contact Joseph Gresser at joseph@bartonchronicle.com

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Joel Andress

Joel Max Andress

Joel Max Andress, 81, of Newport died on April 21, 2013, while visiting his son and daughter-in-law in Clarkdale, Arizona.

He was born July 1, 1931, in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, the son of Ruth and Joseph Andress.  In 1988, he married Joanne R. “Sunnie” Andress, and they celebrated 25 years together shortly before his death.

As a young boy, his family lived for ten years on the family farm in Beebe, Quebec, where he had many happy times with his Canadian friends and with his uncle and aunt, Edwin and Eileen Earle, in Derby Line.  After moving to Wellesley, Massachusetts, he continued his schooling, graduating from Wellesley High School in 1949.  He was a veteran of the Coast Guard, serving aboard the Nantucket Lightship and also on Wake Island.  After his military service, he attended the University of the Pacific for his B.A. and received his M.A. and Ph.D. in geography from the University of California at Berkeley.  Dr. Andress joined the Central Washington University faculty in 1966 and taught classes in cartography, climatology, Asian studies and geography.

After his retirement, he and his wife moved to Vermont, a state he loved and remembered fondly from childhood.  He enjoyed being close once again to his Aunt Eileen and his much loved cousins, Nancy Earle, Lydia Bredemeier, Eileen Linzi and Peter Earle and their families.  He had an extensive knowledge of family history and enjoyed sharing his memories with family and friends.  He had a dry sense of humor and made a point of being a “Grandpa” who thought that each of his grandchildren and step-grandchildren should be a bit of a “scamp,” and that it was up to him to teach them.

He is survived by his wife Sunnie Andress of Newport; his children:  Peter Andress and his wife, Penny, Katy Fogg, Laura Andress, and Rebecca Reid and her husband, Ken; and by his grandchildren:  Zachery Andress, Evelyn Reid and Duncan Reid.  He is also survived by his step-children:  Kevin Henry, Tamara Wilson and Michelle Landis; and by his 18 step-grandchildren and great-grandchildren who have fond memories of “Grandpa Joe.”  He is also survived by his two sisters:  Ruth Andress of Wellesley, and Marcia Jester of Longmeadow, Massachusetts; two brothers:  Tom Andress of Camarillo, California, and David Andress and his wife, Jeannette, of Newberg, Oregon, and their families; his brother-in law, the Reverend Gary Rolph, and his wife, Jean; and by three nephews:  Matthew Rolph, Marcus Rolph and Micah Rolph, and their families.

Donations in his memory may be sent to the Best Friends Animal Society at www.bestfriends.org.

 Reginald Joseph “Reg” Letourneau

Reginald Joseph “Reg” Letourneau, 87, of Holland died on May 8, 2013, in Newport.

He was born on October 10, 1925, in Holland, a son of Napoleon and Albertine (Ouimette) Letourneau.  On May 28, 1949, he married Dolorese Roy, who survives him.

Mr. Letourneau owned and operated the family farm in Holland for many years.

He enjoyed gardening, maple sugaring, family gatherings, dancing, listening to music and working in his sugar woods.  He also enjoyed snowmobiling, as he was a part of the snow drifters club, and going with his wife to the Pick & Shovel on Sunday afternoons for ice cream.  Most of all he enjoyed life, his family and his friends.

He is survived by his wife Dolorese Letourneau of Holland; his children:  Bertrand Letourneau and his wife, Susie, of Holland, Yves Letourneau and his life partner, Ruth, and Richard, of Newport, and Cilla Letourneau and her wife, Lauri, of Essex; his grandchildren:  Patrick Letourneau and his wife, Sherry, of Vernal, Utah, Jennifer Martin and her partner, Joe, of Holland, Bobbi-Jo Letourneau of Holland, and Shawn Littlefield of Essex; his great-grandchildren:  Storm Lamarche of Westfield, Raven Letourneau of Vernal, Charlotte, Annabelle and Chloe-Emma (Pepe Poopoo), all of Holland; his siblings:  Paul Letourneau of Derby, Andre Letourneau and his wife, Dolores, of East Charleston, Joseph Letourneau and his wife, Delia, of Derby, Laurent Letourneau and his wife, Alicia, of Derby, Philip Letourneau and his wife, Barbara, of Derby, and Cecile Fortin of Holland; his sister-in-law Denise Bowen (Ray) of Newport; his sister-in-law Simone Roy of Sherbrooke, Quebec; his brother-in-law Sylvia Piette of Coventry; and by numerous nieces and nephews.

He was predeceased by his parents, Napoleon and Albertine Letourneau; his grandsons:  Mathew Letourneau and Ben Martin; his brother Peter Letourneau; his sister Theresa Fortin and her husband, Albert; his sister Simone Piette; his brother Tony Letourneau; his brother Leon Letourneau and his wife, Solange; his brother-in-law Henry Fortin; his sister-in-law Rena Letourneau; his mother- and father-in-law Dominique and Armosa Roy; his sister-in-law Fernande, and Laurent, Brault; and by his brother-in-law Armand Roy.

Funeral services were held on May 10, in Derby Line.  Interment followed in St. Edward’s Cemetery in Derby Line.

Should friends desire, contributions in his memory may be made to the American Heart Association, Vermont Affiliate Inc., 434 Hurricane Lane, Williston, Vermont 05495.

Online condolences may be sent to the family through the funeral home website at www.curtis-britch.com.

Marcel Roberts, real estate agent, developer, auctioneer, businessman, and iconic Northeast Kingdom character, died on Monday, May 6. Here he is at a daughter’s wedding looking much like Boss Hogg, the TV character he was nicknamed after. It was a name he found amusing, his family said. Photo courtesy of Jena Stewart

 Marcel Joseph Roberts

Marcel Joseph Roberts, 70, of Newport, a well-known local businessman, died on May 6, 2013, at his home, surrounded by his loving family.

He was born on January 15, 1943, in East Albany, the son of the late John and Angela (Choquette) Roberts.

On March 17, 1962, he married Stella French, who survives him.  He attended Champlain College in Burlington, and Riesch Auctioneer School.

He was a prominent auctioneer and real estate broker for most of his life.  He was also active in farming and livestock dealings.  He was former president of the Cattleman’s Association.

In his spare time, he enjoyed frequent visits from his poker buddies for a few hands of cards and the Friday night dinners with “the crew” at the East Side Restaurant.

He was an active member of the Fraternal Order of Eagles #4329.  He enjoyed being part of the annual Orleans County Board of Realtors Christmas charity auction.  He was a past member of Newport Elks #2155.

He leaves his wife of 51 years, Stella Roberts; three daughters:  Lori “Poopsie” Roberts of Derby, Diane “Tootsie” DeLaBruere of Monkton, and Sue “Suzie” Rhodes and her husband, Brent, of Derby; his only son Richard “Richie” Roberts and his fiancée, Peggy Lamonda, of Coventry; 11 grandchildren; six great-grandchildren; and a special family friend and co-worker, Diane Parenteau of Derby Line.

He was predeceased by two brothers:  Roger and Richard.

Funeral services were held on May 10, in Newport.  Interment followed in St. Mary’s Cemetery in Newport.

Should friends desire, contributions in his memory may be made to the Orleans-Essex Visiting Nurse Association and Hospice Inc., 46 Lakemont Road, Newport, Vermont 05855.

Online condolences may be sent to the family through the funeral home website at www.curtis-britch.com.

Alton Ryder

 Alton V. Ryder 

Alton V. Ryder, 78, of Mont Vernon, New Hampshire, died on April 29, 2013, at Bedford Hills in Bedford, New Hampshire, surrounded by his loving family.

He was born in Portland, Maine, on December 15, 1934, the son of Ora A. and Adele (Owen) Ryder.  He was raised in Barton and graduated from high school in Plainville, Connecticut.  His stepfather Lelan Basford is remembered fondly for his guiding hand to Mr. Ryder’s upbringing.  Mr. Ryder studied physics at Brown University, graduating in the Class of 1956.

He made his home in Mont Vernon for the past 50 years.  He was curious and engaged in many things.  Work, community and hobbies were all embraced with gusto.  He had been employed as an engineer for Sanders Associates and Digital Equipment Corporation for many years where he contributed to the safety of our nation and the birth of modern computing.

He loved his community and worked tirelessly on various committees including as a cemetery trustee, supervisor of the checklist, study committee for the library and transfer station, and as a volunteer firefighter.  For several years, he served as director of the New Hampshire Cemetery Association.  For many years he could be found Easter morning in the church kitchen making pancakes and enjoying the company of his close friends.

He had hobbies — many hobbies.  A sample includes scout leader, radio-controlled model planes, beekeeping, and woodworking.  He deeply enjoyed working with the land and animals.  He kept horses, cows, pigs, poultry, and especially geese.  He had a voracious appetite for learning new things, which was an inspiration to many of his friends and acquaintances.

Family members include his wife of 55 years, Betty (Buschman) Ryder of Mont Vernon; two sons and a daughter-in-law:  Peter Ryder and Kathleen Conk Ryder of New Boston, New Hampshire, and Eric Ryder of Hillsborough, New Hampshire; a daughter and son-in-law, Kathleen and Stephen Hauser of Carlisle, Massachusetts; and five grandchildren:  Sarah Ryder, Ethan Ryder, Angus Godbout, Declan Godbout and Isaiah Hauser.

There are no visiting hours.  A graveside service will be held on Saturday, May 25, at 11 a.m., in Green Lawn Cemetery in Mont Vernon, to be followed by an informal gathering in the Round Room at the Mont Vernon Congregational Church.

Donations in his memory may be made to St. Joseph Home and Hospice Care, 24 North River Road, Milford, New Hampshire 03055.

To share a memory or offer a condolence, visit www.smith-heald.com.

Services

 Fratia Marsh

Committal services for Fratia Marsh and William Marsh will be held at 10 a.m. on Friday, May 17, at the Newport Center Cemetery.

 Robert “Bob” Everett Crouch Sr.

Funeral services for Robert “Bob” Everett Crouch Sr. will be held on Friday, May 17, at 7 p.m., at the Curtis-Britch-Converse-Rushford Funeral Home, 4670 Darling Hill Road in Newport.  Friends may call at the funeral home on May 17, from 5 p.m. until the hour of the funeral.

 Margaret Caouette

Committal services for Margaret Caouette will be held at 2 p.m. on Friday, May 17, at the Lakeside Cemetery in Island Pond.

 Pauline Turcotte Boncek

Funeral services for Pauline Turcotte Boncek will be held on Saturday, May 18, at 10 a.m. at the Curtis-Britch-Converse-Rushford Funeral Home, 37 Lake Road in Newport.  Interment will follow in Troy Village Cemetery.

 Oscar Robitaille

Funeral services for Oscar Robitaille will be held at 1 p.m. on Saturday, May 18, at the Curtis-Britch-Converse-Rushford Funeral Home, 37 Lake Road in Newport.  Interment will follow in St. Mary’s Cemetery with full military honors.

 Paul Marcotte

Committal services for Paul Marcotte will be held at 2 p.m. on Saturday, May 18, at the Derby Center Cemetery.

 Ruth Young

Committal services for Ruth Young will be held at 2 p.m. on Saturday, May 18, at the Westlook Cemetery in Glover.

 Richard Locke

Committal services for Richard Locke will be held on Monday, May 20, at 10 a.m. at the Hillside Cemetery in East Charleston.

 Dorothy Whipple

Committal services for Dorothy Whipple will be held at 11:30 a.m. on Saturday, May 25, at the Pleasantview Cemetery in Orleans.

The post Obituaries May 15, 2013 appeared first on Barton Chronicle Newspaper.

The post NC dance and drama concert May 19 appeared first on Barton Chronicle Newspaper.

Falcon freshman Neil DeLaBruere would earn top spot in the boys pole vault event with an eight-foot vault. DeLaBruere is following in the footsteps of his father, Dave DeLaBruere, who achieved success in his own high school career in the sport. Photo by Richard Creaser

 by Richard Creaser

copyright the Chronicle May 10, 2013

NEWPORT — It was evident that North Country Coach Gary Johnson had hoped things might turn out differently as he played master of ceremonies to the track and field competition held at North Country on Wednesday, May 8.  With only three teams participating, the others being Mount Abraham and Rice Memorial, the lack of activity on the field was telling.

“We’re missing 18 kids due to the all-state music festival,” Mr. Johnson said.  “But what can you do?  Otherwise it’s a beautiful day to be out running, jumping and throwing.”

The loss of so many student athletes was a blow to North Country’s fortunes on the day.  The Falcons were unable to field competitors in six of the boys events and seven of the girls events.  Despite taking a forfeit in those events the Falcons girls finished only one point behind Mount Abraham.  The boys did not fare as well trailing co-winners Rice and Mount Abraham with 68 each to the Falcons 39.

Falcon Jenna Moss took second place behind teammate Cassidy Webster in the girls discus event at the North Country track meet held in Newport on May 8.
Photo by Richard Creaser

The field belonged to the Falcon girls in throwing events.  The strong showing was led by Cassidy Webster and her Herculean 100-foot, eight-inch, throw on the discus.  Webster’s teammates Jenna Moss and Crystal Moss picked up second and third place behind her.

Webster came into the sport largely as the result of her brother Jason who was himself a successful discus competitor.  His success and encouragement inspired her to try the sport for the first time last season during her freshman year.

“After the first year I found out I really liked it,” Webster said.

As the Chronicle was to discover, there is more to track and field events than mere speed or brute force.  All of the athletes revealed that technique lies at the heart of each of their events.

In the case of the discus, technique is the difference between a good throw and just churning up a lot of turf.  In order to travel far the discus needs a combination of sufficient forward momentum but, also, enough angle to take advantage of the discus’ natural propensity to lift.

Achieving that lift is only possible by reaching the right release angle, Webster explained.  If you release too soon the discus flies pretty much straight up and down again.  Release too late and the discus crashes into the ground.

“Throwing hard helps, but if you don’t know when to release it won’t help you,” Webster said.

The influence of technique was also apparent when watching Falcon Neil DeLaBruere on the pole vault.  Though only a novice to the sport, the Falcon freshman also drew on familial experience — his father Dave practiced the pole vault during his high school career.  Watching pole vaulters practice their craft provides a deceptive impression of the ease of the sport.  To run forward, plant the pole and throw yourself over a bar has never looked easier.

North Country’s Morgan Greene (left) accepts the handoff from teammate Crystal Moss during the girls’ 4 X 100 meter relay. The Falcons would place second behind visiting Rice Memorial High during the May 8 track and field meet at North Country. Photo by Richard Creaser

What is not apparent is the amount of strength required to execute those three simple steps.  It also involves knowing when and what muscles you need to use to execute the vault, Neil DeLaBruere explained.

“At the lower heights you use more of your legs and driving your knee up and driving off your foot,” the younger DeLaBruere said.  “As you go higher it’s more upper body as you actually pull yourself up and over.  It’s really complex.  There’s so much to it and I’m just starting to learn a lot of it.”

Technique plays an equally large role in the long jump.  What might come as a bit of a surprise is the fact that some of the technique is purely mental.  Prior to the actual sand pit, two solid white lines are painted on the runway.  These markings indicate the maximum forward distance the athlete can run prior to jumping.

These lines also serve as an athletes choice of one of two jumping off points.  Why would an athlete choose the furthest of the two lines, the Chronicle asked?

“The measurement is always taken based on the line you jumped from,” Falcon Laura Smith said.  “So you do need to tell the judges which line you are using before you jump.  Why would you do that?  Well, it’s based on how far you think you can jump.”

The furthest line back places the athlete much closer to the edge of the runway on a short jump.  Landing that close to the edge could result in a loss of dignity at best or a nasty injury at worst.

“Knowing you have to jump further pushes you to make a longer jump,” Falcon Jade Dandurand said.

The further line is also used in triple jumps because it gives the athlete more space in the sand pit before hitting the outside edge, Smith said.

The ability to focus on technique owes a large measure to the changes that North Country’s track and field facilities have undergone in the last two years.  Gone is the dirt track that was perhaps better suited to mini-bike races than hurdles and sprints and gone are the wobbly long jump runways.

“It was pretty rough back when I was doing track and field,” Dave DeLaBruere said.  “When I started the pole vault we had sawdust, old tires and steel poles.  We thought we were doing good when they gave us a bag of foam.”

The track had remained essentially unchanged from the time the school was built.  As a result it has languished behind some of the other Division I schools.  The track conditions had deteriorated to the point that some schools refused to participate in events at North Country for fear of the conditions of the facilities, Mr. DeLaBruere said.

A force in the long distance events, Falcon Sam Brunette tried his hand at the 300 meter hurdles during the May 8 track meet at North Country. Brunette would take third place in that competition as well as earn top spot in the 1,500 meter track event. Photo by Richard Creaser

“No one wants to send their kids somewhere where they might get hurt,” Mr. DeLaBruere said.  “As a parent I would be afraid of letting my kid participate here.  I’m just really glad they made that investment to keep the program running.”

Though only a junior, Laura Smith recalls the old track conditions.  As an athlete she said she feels far more comfortable competing on the new facilities.

“I definitely feel a lot safer here,” Smith said.  “It also makes me feel good to know that enough people cared about our safety to do this for us.”

Co-head coach Gary Johnson helped lead the effort to make the investment in the new facilities.  As a long-time coach and advocate for the track program Mr. Johnson pushed to ensure that the grounds would be brought up to a level the school and the community could be proud of.

“We had paths intersecting, the track was rutted and some of the runways were just plain dangerous,” Mr. Johnson said.  “It took a lot of work and a lot of effort by a lot of people but we got it done.  I think we will get a lot of good years out of what we built.”

Nicholas Perkins’ 35-foot, six-inch, shot put throw earned him top honors in boys competition.  Teammates Joe Wade and Tristan Farrow picked up third and fourth place respectively.  In the boys’ discus Perkins, Farrow and Wade would finish second, third and fourth respectively.  Sam Brunette’s time of 4:31.9 was enough to earn him top spot in the 1,500-meter event.  Neil DeLaBruere took top spot in the boys pole vault with an eight foot vault.  Connor Hogan took second place in the boys 400 meter.

In girls shot put Cassidy Webster, Jenna Moss, Crystal Moss and Ellie Searles finished first, second, third and fourth respectively behind Webster’s 35 foot, six inch throw.  The Falcons also placed well in the girls 400 meter with Briana Bonnell placing first with a time of 1:12.5.  Falcons Britni Jewer and Emilie Paul captured third and fourth place in the event.  In the girls javelin event Morgan Greene took first with a 79-foot, four-inch, throw while Myrriah Gonyaw and Briana Bonnell finished third and fourth respectively.  In the girls 200-meter event Jade Dandurand finished second.

Contact Richard Creaser at nek_scribbler@hotmail.com

The post In track and field: NC Falcons fall short in home meet appeared first on Barton Chronicle Newspaper.

North Country music teacher Anne Hamilton and Adele Woodmansee listen as musicians from the Burlington Ensemble, including violinists Michael Dabrowski and Sofia Hirsch, rehearse Ms. Woodmansee’s String Quartet in D Minor. Photo by Joseph Gresser

copyright the chronicle 05-08-13

by Joseph Gresser

DERBY LINE — At noon on a fine spring Wednesday, a stream of youngsters from elementary to high school age poured into the doors of the Haskell Opera House.  In front of the entrance to the Haskell Free Library a man sat gazing intently at sheets of paper in his lap as he conducted an invisible orchestra.

That man, Eric Nielsen, is a distinguished Vermont composer and one of many who work behind the scenes as part of Music-Comp.  That organization, once known as the Vermont Midi Project, encourages students in their efforts to compose music by having professionals mentor them through the Internet.

On May 1, preparations were nearing completion for the twenty-sixth in a series of concerts which allow student composers to hear their works performed by professional musicians.

Among the 26 composers whose pieces were to be featured on the evening’s bill were three from North Country Union High School — Adele Woodmansee, Erin Spoerl and Bradley Dopp.  Their teacher, Anne Hamilton, has been involved with Music-Comp since it began in 1995, and has heard many of her students’ compositions played over that time.

She guided her students through the rehearsal process, sitting with Adele Woodmansee on the stage of the Haskell as four players from the Burlington Ensemble ran through her String Quartet in D Minor.

First violinist Michael Dabrowski asked Ms. Hamilton, “Is our goal to learn the piece?”

“The goal is to have a conversation with the composer,” Ms. Hamilton replied.

Her response reflected an attitude of respect that permeates the program.

The musicians immediately got it, and began asking Ms. Woodmansee technical questions about how she thought the piece should be performed.

Ms. Woodmansee, herself an accomplished violinist, answered easily in a manner that revealed that she had given the questions a great deal of thought during the compositional process.

That she did so is in part due to the work of Mr. Nielsen and his fellow composer mentors, who look over compositions e-mailed to them by the young composers and make suggestions for ways the pieces might be developed.

The exchanges often grow lengthy as compositions change and new possibilities open up.

One astounding aspect of the concerts is that young composers are afforded instrumental possibilities that a professional would envy.  For the Opus 26 performance, composers had a string quartet plus a contra bass at their beck and call, as well as the forces of the Vermont Contemporary Music Ensemble, a wind consort that includes flute, oboe or English horn, bassoon and clarinet.

Mr. Dopp’s composition Frosk, a Norwegian word meaning frog, he explained, brought together bass clarinet, contra bass and bassoon.

He, the musicians, Ms. Hamilton and some classmates squeezed themselves into a tiny dressing room for his rehearsal.

Bassist Evan Premo mentioned in an offhand way that Mr. Dopp had marked the tempo for his piece in a way that was difficult for the musicians to understand.  He took a moment to explain the math needed to figure how fast Mr. Dopp wished the piece to be performed, and made a suggestion about how to handle the matter in the future.

Clarinet player Steve Klimowski asked Mr. Dopp how he wanted a very quiet entrance performed.

The trio performed Mr. Dopp’s piece once and Mr. Klimowski made a major error, finishing long after the other two musicians.  A second attempt corrected that mistake.

Afterward, Mr. Klimowski explained to a curious onlooker that, although musicians receive the pieces well in advance of the concert, it is hard to know how an ensemble will sound without playing together.  He said there is time to work through any technical challenges an individual player might face, but only about ten minutes to play each work together.

The musicians worked through the afternoon until all trooped off to the Universalist Church for dinner.

As part of its Opus 25 concert, Music-Comp produced an e-book reviewing the organization’s history.  Executive Director Sandi MacLeod said the book will be available on the organization’s website in the middle of May.

Ms. MacLeod said the book was part of a fund-raising effort.  Grants that were available in the program’s early days are drying up, she said, and the organization is seeking new revenues.

One way they are going about it is by expanding Music-Comp’s horizons.  Ms. MacLeod said the organization changed its name in part because midi is old technology and in part because it is now a national organization working with students in many other states, including New York, Indiana and California.

Among those testifying to the effect the organization has had on them are a number of students from Orleans County, many of whom are now pursuing music as a career in one way or another.

Twins Matt and Adam Podd graduated from North Country and are living in New York City working as freelance pianists, arrangers and composers.  Matt Podd still maintains his connection with Music-Comp and works as a composer mentor.

Sam Schiavone of Greensboro, whose work was performed in four Opus concerts, is a graduate student in mathematics at the University of Vermont.  Another Greensboro participant, Mavis McNeil studies music at Skidmore College.

When students returned to the auditorium, and the audience filtered in, there was a moment not usually seen in the concert hall as composers, musicians and teachers crowded the stage for a group photo.  The performance began with a work by Susie Francy, a ninth grader from Leland and Gray High School.

Ms. Francy, who was the first from her school to have a work chosen for performance, was accompanied by her parents and her music teacher, Ronald Kelley.  She stood when her piece, called Child, was introduced and again at the conclusion stood for the applause.

Two composers, Ivan Voinov and Ms. Spoerl took turns introducing the pieces and reading statements from the artists. Ms. Francy said her composition, written for flute, oboe, cello, bassoon and clarinet, was a depiction of a child’s growth to adolescence.

Ms. Francy received a good round of applause, and the concert continued with pieces by younger composers, all of which belied their years.  It was only when a young composer stood to be recognized and was little taller than when seated, that his or her youth was apparent.

The younger composers took up the first part of the concert.  After an intermission the program was to continue with works by older students.

Instead, Ms. MacLeod stood and announced that the musicians were not satisfied with the performance they had given of Ms. Francy’s piece.

The five players returned to their places and performed the work again as a gesture of simple respect.

contact Joseph Gresser at joseph@bartonchronicle.com

The post Young composers get a chance to hear their works appeared first on Barton Chronicle Newspaper.

Marcel Roberts, real estate agent, developer, auctioneer, businessman, and iconic Northeast Kingdom character, died on Monday, May 6. Here he is at a daughter’s wedding looking much like Boss Hogg, the TV character he was nicknamed after. It was a name he found amusing, his family said. Photo courtesy of Jena Stewart

copyright the chronicle 05-08-13

by Tena Starr

NEWPORT — Marcel Roberts — real estate agent, businessman, auctioneer, and lender, the man widely known as Boss Hog — died on Monday after a long battle with cancer.

With him goes a vestige of another time in the Northeast Kingdom, a time when dairy farming was quite a different business than it is today, and when what happened to Northeast Kingdom land was less of a civilized matter.

Mr. Roberts was colorful, controversial, and clever, an iconic Northeast Kingdom character who drove a white Cadillac, wore a flashy diamond ring, and was nicknamed Boss Hogg after a character in the Dukes of Hazard TV show.

He was, however, a far shrewder man than his TV counterpart. A self-made man, a farmer himself at one time, he went on from poor roots to become a well-to-do man and a mover and shaker in the volatile world of dairy farming and land sales during the 1980s, a man who had a mixed relationship with the farmers he mostly made his money from.

Mr. Roberts’ name will forever be associated with a time in the Northeast Kingdom when small dairy farmers were rapidly going out of business, but there were always others waiting in line for the cows, buildings, machinery, and land that Mr. Roberts both bought, sold, and even financed.

In an interview with this paper in 1988, Mr. Roberts insisted there was little future for the small, family dairy farm in Vermont, and made no bones about his own thinking:

“Every goddamned farmer’s got a rope around his neck and his tongue’s hanging down to his toes,” he said in his typically flavorful, and straightforward, language. “It’s a hell of a feeling to see some of them walk away with the wolves snapping at their heels, after them for money, and they don’t have it.”

Mr. Roberts himself was sued more than once by farmers who believed he was, in fact, one of those wolves, a man who lent them the money to get in, or stay in, business, but then turned around and foreclosed, or took back their cows when they were struggling.

That was Marcel Roberts, viewed as a fiend by some, a friend, often of last resort, by others.

“I can’t say anything bad about him,” said Roger Lussier, who calls himself a business friend and was a longtime lender and president of the Lyndonville Savings Bank who often worked with Mr. Roberts. “He was a market maker. He created a market for a lot of people. I begged him to go to auctioneer school. No, I can’t say anything bad about him.

“Years ago everyone was putting farmers in business,” Mr. Lussier continued. “The way the market went there was enough money to operate small farms. I really miss those small farms. It changed kind of fast. I loved doing business with farmers. Far as I’m concerned, farmers were the most honest around. Marcel helped out a lot of guys. He took money from his own pocket when they couldn’t get money somewhere else. His word was good as gold. I can’t say nothing bad about Marcel.”

Mr. Lussier vigorously defended Mr. Roberts in a 1987 lawsuit where the real estate agent was accused of illegally repossessing cows he’d sold to an Albany farm couple. The trial was one of many instances where Mr. Roberts was portrayed as both a sharp wheeler dealer and one of the few men farmers and people with bad credit could turn to for help.

At that trial, which Mr. Roberts lost, Mr. Lussier argued that the verdict would be a serious blow to farmers with shaky credit. People who need co-signers for a loan — and Mr. Roberts often did co-sign loans — will have a far tougher time getting loans if co-signers are afraid of getting sued, Mr. Lussier argued.

“Years ago, when you financed people, they came and thanked you for helping them out,” he said at the time.

“Marcel was basically one of a kind,” said Barton lawyer Bill Davies, who once represented Mr. Roberts in a lawsuit, and who was also sued by Mr. Roberts.

“He was from a different era than we have today. He was very personable and he certainly was bright. I do think that Marcel, while being a shrewd business person, generally thought he was helping the people he was involved with.”

His family said they are aware Mr. Roberts’ long career was often a controversial one, but they want people to know the generous, kind-hearted side of him as well.

His daughter Lori said she’d like him to be remembered for his good heart. “He helped so many people.”

Family members said he helped friends and acquaintances who were short of money to buy Christmas gifts for their children, he paid for one woman’s trip to Hawaii to see an injured family member, and he helped many others with money or time.

“These are all things people never knew about him,” said Stella Roberts, his wife of 51 years.

He acquired the nickname Boss Hogg — a name that amused him — when David Turner, a business friend, bought him a white Stetson hat. “The name just stuck,” Mrs. Roberts said. “He thought it was a big joke.”

He was born in East Albany on the farm his father worked; his mother was a real estate agent. And he was a farmer himself, his wife said in an interview at their home on Tuesday.

“We started out on a 1,000-acre farm in Lowell,” Mrs. Roberts said. At the time, they were 19 years old. “The neighbors said we were like kids playing house.”

But farming is no game. It was a hard life, still is, and it can be a hard one in which to turn a dollar. Later in life, Mr. Roberts expressed little sentimentality about farms, which he believed had to be operated as a business.

“He thought there was probably an easier way to make a living,” Mrs. Roberts said about her husband. “So he went to auctioneer school. By then we had three little girls. He practiced in the barn auctioneering the cows, the kids, everything.”

Sue Rhodes, one of Mr. Roberts’ daughters, joked that she’s still around, so apparently no one bought the kids.

Mr. Roberts’ first farm auction was the Lowell farm that he and his wife had owned and operated for five years.

The family moved to the Lake Road in Derby, and the prime years of Mr. Roberts’ career as an auctioneer took place there, Mrs. Roberts said.

At the age of 12, his daughter Lori, who now runs Roberts Real Estate, Inc., became his scribe, meaning that when there was an auction she wrote down what was sold, to who, and for how much. She said it was not uncommon to be taken out of school to work at an auction.

“I learned a lot more than I would have sitting in school,” she said.

Mrs. Roberts was the cashier.

In 1988 Mr. Roberts was still going strong. In an interview that year he said he had no idea how many auctions he’d held, but he was certain it was a record year. He was holding auctions at night to accommodate farmers working in their fields in the day.

At the time, he predicted that the combination of low prices for milk, lack of labor, and the trend toward automation would continue forcing small farmers — and himself — out of business

“I’m putting myself out of business,” he said. “But I can always jump into something else.”

One thing Mr. Roberts jumped into was the subdivision and sale of land, which he called a farmer’s nest egg.

In 2003 a Washington Superior Court judge ordered him to sell some of the subdivisions he’d created illegally through a plan that came to be known as pre-subdivision, where sellers were asked to subdivide land before sale in order to avoid Act 250 review.

In the end, he sued seven local attorneys for giving him bad advice on the pre-subdivision matter, but lost the suit.

“Marcel was a force in our community for many years and he’s going to be missed,” said attorney Greg Howe, one of the lawyers Mr. Roberts sued.

Hard feelings didn’t often linger in Mr. Roberts’ world. “You always knew where you stood with him,” Mrs. Roberts said. “That’s the way he was.”

Mr. Roberts died at age 70. In his later years he spent more time with family, and with his poker buddies, Mrs. Roberts said. He was also active in the Fraternal Order of Eagles #4329, the Orleans County Board of Realtors, and the annual Christmas Charity Auction.

Friends of Mr. Roberts may call from 6 to 9 p.m. on Thursday, May 9, at the Curtis-Britch-Converse-Rushford Funeral Home at 4670 Darling Hill Road in Newport. Funeral services will be held at 11 a.m. on Friday, May 10, at St. Mary’s Catholic Church in Newport.

contact Tena Starr at tenas@bartonchronicle.com

The post Roberts’ death marks end of an era appeared first on Barton Chronicle Newspaper.

Wiltrude “Trudy” Bartlau

Trudy Bartlau, 77, of South Burlington, died on April 29, at Burlington Health & Rehab.

She grew up during World War II in Himmelstadt, Germany, daughter of Karl and Margarete (Ritter) Post, and came to this country in 1955 to work as a lab technician at Jamaica Hospital in New York City.  Acquiring current medical knowledge was one of her lifelong passions.  In New York, she met and married a Prussian immigrant, Alfred Bartlau.

She and her husband moved to Vermont in 1962, first building their own little cabin in the wild in East Haven, then to Coventry to farm, forage, and live off the land on 274 acres.  Their love of ice fishing finally led them to the shores of Seymour Lake in Morgan Center.  Many will recall that she and her family owned the Morgan Country Store in the late 1970s and early 1980s.

Mrs. Bartlau took real pleasure in the natural world.  She could make anything grow and loved nurturing animals in need, especially her beloved rabbit, Stretch.  Her children fondly remember her resourcefulness in creating something special from the gifts and bounty of nature.  She took great pride in these accomplishments.

Her surviving family include her husband of 54 years, Alfred Bartlau of Burlington; her daughter Monika Turner and her life partner, Jonathan Fenton, of South Burlington; her son Peter Bartlau of Westford; her son Walter Bartlau of Shelburne, whom Mr. and Mrs. Bartlau lived with for the past 12 years; and her son Werner Bartlau and his wife, Jennifer, of Cambridge; and by her grandchildren:  Joseph Turner, Thomas Bartlau, Katrina Turner, Elise Turner, and Morgan Bartlau.

In lieu of flowers, please consider making a donation in her name to the Vermont Wildlife Rescue Association, 57 Bouffard Lane, Westford, Vermont 05494.

Per her wishes, there will be no services.  Her ashes will be scattered privately at a later date.
Arrangements are entrusted to Shelburne Funeral Chapel of Corbin and Palmer.

Madeline Elizabeth (Williams) Bezio

Madeline Elizabeth (Williams) Bezio, 99, of Newport died on May 3, 2013, in Newport.

She was born in Barre on March 26, 1914, to Fred F. and Ivey (Clark) Williams.

She attended schools in Barre, Williamstown and Barre Town.

She was married to Henry F. Bezio in Washington on June 8, 1929; he predeceased her on April 29, 1979.  She lived nearly 50 years in Williamstown and served many years as a member of the Ainsworth Public Library board of directors.  She also wrote articles for the Times Argus.

She moved to Newport in June of 1981 and was active in the Seniors Center Group.  She loved gardening and flowers and couldn’t wait for the earth to warm every spring.

Survivors include one daughter, Mary (Bezio) Hundley, of McAlester, Oklahoma; a son, Charles, and Jean, of Newport and Texas; and one half-sister, Ivey (Williams), and Paul Myers of South Burlington.  Survivors also include eight grandchildren, ten great-grandchildren, and three great-great-grandchildren, as well as nieces and nephews.

She was predeceased by her husband Henry; one sister, Freda (Williams) Bogaczyk; one half-sister, May L. Williams; four half-brothers:  Edwin, Henry, Ernest, and Dolor Poulin; one son-in-law, Joe; one grandson, James Hundley; and two great-grandsons:  Erick Wahweah and C. Daniel Green.

Services will be announced at a later date.

Should friends desire, contributions in her memory may be made to the Ainsworth Public Library, care of treasurer, 2338 Vermont Route 14, Williamstown, Vermont 05679.

Online condolences may be sent to the family through the funeral home website at www.curtis-britch.com.

Arland J. Bowen Jr.

Arland J. Bowen Jr., 68, of Derby Line died on May 3, 2013, in Newport.

He was born on May 2, 1945, to Irma Bowen and the late Arland J. Bowen Sr.

On February 6, 1965, he married Dawn Bessette, who survives him.

He graduated from Derby Academy in 1964 and from 1964 to 2005 he worked as a machinist at Tivoly in Derby Line.  He was on the Derby Line Ambulance Service for 30 years, the Derby Line Fire Department for 35 years, and he was an instructor for hunter safety for 40 years.  He loved to hunt and fish.  His family was the love of his life and he especially enjoyed spending time with his grandchildren.

He is survived by his wife Dawn Bowen of Derby Line; and by his two sons:  Troy Bowen and his wife, Darlene, and Tracy Bowen and his wife, Kim.  He is also survived by his mother Irma Bowen; his grandsons:  Brandon and Joshua Bowen; his granddaughter Emma Bowen; his great-granddaughter Brookelyn Bowen; his step-grandchildren:  Darwin D. and Becca Dingman, Jason and Michelle Dagesse, and Darian and Samantha Stewart; his siblings:  Joyce McDonald, Terry Lumbra and her husband, Deforest, and Raymond Bowen and his wife, Denise; his brother-in-law Oscar Roberts; and by his aunts, uncles, nieces and nephews.

He was predeceased by his father Arland J. Bowen Sr. in 1975.

Funeral services will be held at 4 p.m. on Wednesday, May 8, at the Curtis-Britch-Converse-Rushford Funeral Home, 4670 Darling Hill Road in Newport.  Friends may call at the funeral home on May 8, from 2 p.m. until the hour of the funeral.

Should friends desire, contributions in his memory may be made to the Derby Line Fire Department, P.O. Box 205, Derby Line, Vermont 05830; or to the Derby Line Ambulance Service, care of Brian Fletcher, P.O. Box 105, Derby, Vermont 05829.

Online condolences may be sent to the family through the funeral home website at www.curtis-britch.com.

Freda Alice Cass

Freda Alice Cass, 91, of Morgan died on May 4, 2013, in Barton, surrounded by her loving family.

She was born on August 1, 1921, in Magog, Quebec, the daughter of Arthur and Susan (Brill) Tryon.  On December 5, 1942, she married Carroll Cass, who predeceased her on September 14, 2002.

She was a member of the Morgan United Church, Charleston Church and Morgan Home Dem Group.  She worked as a cook for several years at a boarding house and for a doctor in Long Island, New York.  She and her husband both worked on the Morgan sugar-on-snow event, cutting ice in the winter and helping to serve the public in the summer.  Mr. and Mrs. Cass owned a farm and Cass Construction, and Mrs. Cass was the right hand “man” and together they were a hard-working pair and still found time to give to their community, family and friends.

She is survived by her children:  Natalie Cass of Florida; Nancy Cass and her husband, Terrill Judd, of Newport; and Nada Parker and her husband, Ferris, of Maryland.  She is also survived by her grandchildren:  Amanda Jewell and her husband, John, of Derby, Michelle Cass Fortin and her husband, Edward, of Morgan, and Philip Parker.  She is also survived by her great-grandchildren:  Sam Joyce of Derby and Marisa and Emily Fortin of Morgan; and by many nieces and nephews.

She was predeceased by two brothers:  Darcy Tryon and Nelson Tryon; and by two sisters:  Ruth Curtis and Mary Wilson.

Funeral services will be held at noon on Saturday, May 11, at the Curtis-Britch-Converse-Rushford Funeral Home, 4670 Darling Hill Road in Newport.  Friends may call on May 11, at the funeral home from 11 a.m. until the hour of the funeral.  Interment will follow in West Charleston Cemetery.

Should friends desire, contributions in her memory may be made to the Morgan United Church Building Fund, 14 Meade Hill, Morgan, Vermont 05853.

Online condolences may be sent to the family through the funeral home website at www.curtis-britch.com.

Gordon C. Columbia

Gordon C. Columbia, 85, of Newport Center died on May 3, 2013, at his home, surrounded by his loving family.

He was born on March 20, 1928, in Coventry, the son of Clyde and Budd (Wilcox) Columbia.  On July 16, 1949, he married Cecile Boisvert, who predeceased him on June 26, 2002.

He was a dairy farmer, and he owned and operated the family farm for most of his life.  He was also employed by the state of Vermont from 1955 to 1956.  He was a veteran of the United States Navy.

He enjoyed antiques, gardening, hunting, listening to country music with Thelma, attending music jams and spending time with his family.

He is survived by his sons:  Larry Columbia and his wife, Sandra, of Newport Center, and Robert Columbia of Troy; his grandchildren:  Eric Columbia and his wife, Nicole, Bradley Columbia, Brock Columbia and his wife, Erin, Travis Columbia and his friend, Sami Johnson, Shawn Columbia and his wife, Carmen, Anthony Columbia and his partner, Sydney Bliven, and Christopher Columbia and his wife, Autumn; and by his great-grandchildren:  Nicole Columbia, Erica Columbia, Courtney Columbia, Brandon Columbia, Fayth Columbia, Trent Columbia, Tevyn Columbia, Sylas Columbia, Dylan Columbia, Michaela Columbia, Jesse and Dana Fournier, Shawna Columbia, Cassandra, Brooke and Hailey, Shawna and Madelynn, Brook-Lyn, Ashlyn, GGC, Colby, Brice, and Emmett.  He is also survived by his brother Ronald Columbia and his wife, Maria, of Norfolk, Virginia; his nephews:  Kevin, Michael and Joseph Columbia; and by his dear friends:  Thelma Jewett of Newport and Maria Parrish of Florida.

Funeral services were held on May 7 in Newport.  Interment followed in Newport Center Cemetery.

Should friends desire, contributions in his memory may be made to the Newport Center Fire Department, 86 Cross Road, Newport Center, Vermont 05857.

Online condolences may be sent to the family through the funeral home website at www.curtis-britch.com.

Hubert D. (Pin) Freehart

Hubert D. (Pin) Freehart, 86, of Orleans died on May 3, 2013, in Barton, surrounded by his loving family.

He was born on November 3, 1926, in Barton.  On October 28, 1961, he married Patricia Nolan, who survives him.

He was a machine operator for Ethan Allen Manufacturing in Orleans, where he retired after 40 years of service.  He and his wife enjoyed going for rides and stopping for ice cream in the summer time.  He would sit on the railing at the Old Howard National Bank in Orleans and wave and visit with people as they went by.  He was a friendly person to all and would always be ready to lend a hand.  Among his hobbies, he enjoyed detailing cars.

He is survived by his wife Patricia Freehart of Orleans; his children:  Tim Freehart and his companion, Shirley, of St. Johnsbury, and Linda Gregor and her husband, Joseph, of New Hampshire; his grandchildren:  Shawn Chapdelaine and his companion, Linda Simonphone, of Massachusetts, and his step-daughter, Diamond, and Gerald and Lorraine Freehart; his great-great-grandson Shawn Chapdelaine Jr.; and by several nieces and nephews.

He was predeceased by a sister and several brothers.

Services will be held at the convenience of the family.

Online condolences may be sent to the family through the funeral home website at www.curtis-britch.com.

Ellen Margaret (Berry) Maclure

Ellen Margaret (Berry) Maclure, 60, of Barton died on May 3, 2013, with her family by her side, after a courageous battle with cancer.

She was born on December 3, 1952, in Newport, daughter of the late John and Eileen Berry.  She was a graduate of Sacred Heart High School and Johnson State College.  A teacher for nearly 30 years, she spent the majority of her career as a third grade teacher at Sacred Heart.  Her love for teaching and the children did not end after her retirement as she continued as a substitute teacher regularly in the local elementary schools.

She enjoyed the simple things in life:  spending time with her family, sitting on her front porch with her husband listening to the birds, taking walks, and spoiling her grand puppies.

She leaves behind her loving husband of 37 years, Daniel, and their daughter Emily of Craftsbury, and their son Nicholas and his wife, Megan, of Derby.  She is also survived by her sister Kathy Berry Bergeron and her husband, Bob, of Jericho; her sister Patsy and her husband, Allen Clark, of Derby; her sisters- and brothers-in-law:  Joanne and her husband, David Wursthorn, of Troy, Yves and his wife, Maryellen Maclure, of Newport, Ron and his wife, Robin Maclure, of Palmer, Alaska, Guy Maclure and his partner, Kevin, of Anchorage, Alaska, and Ginette and her husband, Denny O’Day, of Colorado Springs, Colorado; and by many nieces and nephews.

Funeral services were held on May 7, in Newport.  Interment will followed in St. Theresa’s Cemetery in Orleans.

Should friends desire, contributions in her memory may be made to the Jones Memorial Library, 1 Water Street, Orleans, Vermont 05860; or to the Lamoille Area Cancer Network Inc., P.O. Box 38, Lake Elmore, Vermont 05657-0038.

Online condolences may be sent to the family through the funeral home website at www. curtis-britch.com.

Henry “Hank” W. Pigeon

Henry “Hank” W. Pigeon, 75, of Rockville, Connecticut, husband of 53 years to June (Dickens) Pigeon, died on Wednesday, October 17, 2012, with his family at his side.

Born in North Troy, the son of the late Wilfred and Aurora (Gendron) Pigeon, he grew up and lived in North Troy before moving to Rockville in 1960.  Prior to his retirement, he was a custodian in the Vernon, Connecticut, school system for several years.  He was previously employed by the Amerbelle Corporation and the Rockville Reminder.  He was a U. S. Navy veteran.  He was a longtime devoted firefighter with the Rockville Fire Department where he served as Battalion Chief for the ladder company.  He was an advisor for the Rockville Fire Department Explorer Post #641 and was a Boy Scout Leader with Troop 815.

He enjoyed hunting, camping and was an avid fan of UConn women’s basketball.  He was a devoted husband, father, grandfather, brother and friend who enjoyed spending time with his family and friends.

In addition to his wife, he is survived by his children:  Beverly Crowley and her husband, Robert, of Tolland, Connecticut, and Edward Pigeon and his wife, Kelly, of Ellington, Connecticut; six grandchildren:  Jessica Crowley and her fiancé, Michael McCormick, Nicole Crowley and her fiancé, Justin Gagnon, Deborah Crowley, Rhiannon Robert and her fiancé, Chad Pelletier, and Nicholas and Emily Pigeon; four sisters:  Gabrielle Maguda and her husband, Donald, of Vernon, Connecticut, Anna Parker and her husband, David, of Newberry, Theresa Daigle and her husband, Jacques, of Troy, and Denise Pigeon of North Troy; and by numerous nieces, nephews and cousins.

He was predeceased by his brother Wilfred Pigeon Jr.

Funeral services were held on October 20, 2012, in Rockville.  Burial was in Grove Hill Cemetery in Rockville, with military honors.

Memorial donations in his memory may be made to the ALS Association, Connecticut Chapter, 4 Oxford Road, Unit D4, Milford, Connecticut 06460; or to the Visiting Nurse and Health Services of Connecticut, Hospice, 8 Keynote Drive, Vernon, Connecticut 06066.

June (Dickens) Pigeon

June (Dickens) Pigeon, 81, of Rockville, Connecticut, wife of 53 years to Henry “Hank” Pigeon, died on Thursday, January 10, 2013, at Rockville General Hospital.

Born in Bermuda, the daughter of the late Frank and Gloria Dickens, she grew up and lived in Bermuda, and after she married Mr. Pigeon, they lived in North Troy, before moving to Rockville in 1960.  Prior to her retirement in 1993, she was employed by the former Acromold Products Corp. in Ellington, Connecticut, for many years.  She was previously employed by the former Roosevelt Mills.

She was an advisor for the Rockville Fire Department Explorer Post # 641 and was a Girl Scout Leader.  She enjoyed camping, knitting, traveling and was an avid UConn women’s basketball fan.  She was a devoted wife, mother, grandmother, sister and friend who enjoyed spending time with her family and friends.

She is survived by her children:  Beverly Crowley and her husband, Robert, of Tolland, Connecticut, and Edward Pigeon and his wife, Kelly, of Ellington, Connecticut; six grandchildren:  Jessica Crowley and her fiancé, Michael McCormick, Nicole Crowley and her fiancé, Justin Gagnon, Deborah Crowley, Rhiannon Robert and her fiancé, Chad Pelletier, and Nicholas and Emily Pigeon; and by many nieces, nephews and cousins.

She was predeceased by her husband Henry Pigeon in October of 2012; and by two sisters:  Olive Dickens and Denise Kay.

Funeral services were held on January 14 in Rockville.  Burial was in Grove Hill Cemetery in Rockville.

Memorial donations in her memory may be made to the Visiting Nurse and Health Services of Connecticut, Hospice, 8 Keynote Drive, Vernon, Connecticut 06066.

Gene Charlie Wilcox

Gene Charlie Wilcox, 55, of Newport died suddenly on May 3, 2013, in Newport.

He was born on March 4, 1958, in Newport, the son of Marjorie (Jewett) Wilcox and the late Basil Wilcox.

He worked for Memphremagog Rentals of Newport, and also for Ethan Allen Manufacturing in Orleans when he was younger.

His hobbies included playing video games, fishing, watching science fiction movies, coloring and drawing and tinkering around the house.

He is survived by his children:  Amy Wilcox and her husband, Steve Woods, of Newport, Jennifer Bass and her fiancé, Justin Gamble, of Newport, Gene Wilcox and his wife, Ella of New York, Steven Wilcox and his wife, Melissa, of New York, and Reba and Brittany Wilcox of Newport; his mother Marjorie Wilcox and her companion, and Mr. Wilcox’s step-dad, Bud Graser, of New York; his six grandchildren:  Andrew, Kaleb, Terry, Vlad, Molly, and Eric; and by his best friend Doug Spates of Derby.  He is also survived by his brothers and sisters:  Wayne Wilcox of Barton, Danny Wilcox and his wife, Mary, of Wyoming, Kirk Wilcox of Brownington, Max Wilcox of Enosburg Falls, Mark Wilcox and his wife, Lori, of Johnson, Beth Little and her husband, Pete, of Newport Center, Marsha Byers and her husband, Scott, of Brownington, and Kathy Coderre of North Troy; and by several nieces and nephews.

He was predeceased by his brother David Wilcox; and by his sister Marie Wilcox.

Funeral services will be held at 1 p.m. on Thursday, May 9, at the Curtis-Britch-Converse-Rushford Funeral Home, 4670 Darling Hill Road in Newport, with the Reverend James Gamble officiating.

Online condolences may be sent to the family through the funeral home website at www.curtis-britch.com.

Services

Violet Rice

Committal services for Violet Rice will be held at 10 a.m. on Thursday, May 9, at the Derby Line Cemetery.

Vernon Patrick

Committal services for Vernon Patrick will be held at 11 a.m. on Saturday, May 11, at the Brownington Center Cemetery.

Pauline Converse

Committal services for Pauline Converse will be held on Friday, May 10, at 11:30 a.m. at the Pleasantview Cemetery in Orleans.

Jerry Abbott

Committal services for Jerry Abbott will be held at 10 a.m. on Friday, May 10, at the Brownington Center Cemetery, with full military honors.

Suzanne Frizzell

Committal services for Suzanne Frizzell will be held at 10 a.m. on Thursday, May 9, at St. Mary’s Cemetery.

Richard Chase

Committal services for Richard Chase will be held at 2 p.m. on Friday, May 10, at the Brownington Center Cemetery.

Florence King

Funeral services for Florence King will be held at 11 a.m. on Saturday, May 11, at Our Lady of Fatima Catholic Church in Craftsbury.  Interment will follow in the Craftsbury Village Cemetery.

William Heinchon

Committal services for William Heinchon will be held at 10 a.m. on Saturday, May 11, at 10 a.m. at the Craftsbury Village Cemetery.

R. Claude Seguin

There will be a memorial service for R. Claude Seguin at 11 a.m. on Saturday, May 11, at the congregational church in Island Pond, with the Reverend Michael DeSena officiating. A committal service with full military honors will follow at the Lakeside Cemetery, also in Island Pond.

The post Obituaries May 8, 2013 appeared first on Barton Chronicle Newspaper.

Craftsbury Charger Iva Wright lays down a textbook bunt during Friday night’s varsity match between the Chargers and the visiting Whitcomb Hornets. Due to insufficient numbers to field a softball team, Wright and Sarah Dunbar have earned spots on the boys’ varsity baseball squad. The team is further bolstered by the addition of two United Christian Academy students — Jon DeLaBruere and Marc Quirion.
Photos by Richard Creaser

copyright the chronicle 05-08-13

by Richard Creaser

CRAFTSBURY COMMON — Whitcomb High lefty Bradford Allen gave the visiting Hornets just what they needed to secure the win over the host Craftsbury Academy Chargers on Friday night.  Allen would close out the game for Hornets starter Cody Snelling and shut down the Chargers offense with a pair of three-up, three-down innings to give Whitcomb the 11-9 victory.

“They’ve never faced a lefty before and I don’t expect they are likely to see another,” Craftsbury Coach Dan Locke said of his team after the game.  “He was just lights out.  He did what they needed done.”

Craftsbury got off to a fine start taking advantage of stolen bases to plate three runs in the first inning to give the home team an early 3-0 lead.  Those would be the last runs that Whitcomb’s Snelling would allow for the next four innings.

Speedy Craftsbury Charger Caleb Paquette burns down the first baseline and beats out the throw to Whitcomb Hornet Sam Ennis during Friday’s varsity baseball game in Craftsbury Common. Whitcomb would go on to win the game 11-9.

Pitching for Craftsbury, Brandon Locke had a puzzlingly inconsistent outing.  At times Brandon Locke seemed dominant striking out six batters through five innings of play.  That compares markedly when held against a pair of hit batsmen, a series of walks and wild pitches that allowed Whitcomb to grab the advantage.

“We need to work on the walks and hit by pitch,” Coach Locke said.  “On the whole I think we were pretty solid pitching wise and our defense held up for the most part.  Whitcomb was able to take advantage of some mistakes and it cost us.”

The Hornets would respond with an offensive barrage of their own in the second inning, tying up the game.  The Hornets would take the lead in the top of the third before exploding for four more runs in the top of the fourth and another in the top of the fifth.  Despite being down six runs with more than half of the game already in the books, the Chargers never gave up hope.

Whitcomb’s Alex Messier (center) successfully defends the plate against Craftsbury’s Iva Wright during the first inning of the varsity baseball game on Friday night. Wright’s Charger teammate Marc Quirion (foreground) observes after stepping away from the batter’s box. Despite a valiant comeback the Chargers would fall shy and Whitcomb would claim the win 11-9.

“We were always trying to get back into it, ” Charger Jeremiah Lasher said after the game.  “We knew we were down but we never thought that we couldn’t get back.  We just had to play harder.”

Brandon Locke helped out his own cause by singling and taking advantage of a fielding error allowing him to reach second.  A stolen base later and he was only one stop away from scoring.  Caleb Paquette accepted the challenge and singled Locke in from third.  United Christian Academy’s Marc Quirion, playing for the Chargers, beat out an infield single to put two on for Craftsbury.  Snelling would retire the next two batters before Lasher chopped a hot-shot down the third base line that bounced over Whitcomb’s Matt Townsend and into left field.  That shot would drive in both Paquette and Quirion to cut the Hornets’ lead to 9-6.

Frank Spiese replaced Brandon Locke on the mound in the top of the sixth inning.  Spiese would allow the first two batters to score before stranding a man on third and concluding the inning with a strikeout.  Whitcomb now led the game 11-6.

With Josh Coville and Austin Masi on base, Brandon Locke would again come through at the plate and drive in Coville with an RBI double.  It would prove to be the beginning of the end for Snelling as he surrendered three consecutive walks, including bringing home Masi and Brandon Locke on base on balls.

Whitcomb’s Bradford Allen gets caught looking on a called third strike from Craftsbury Charger Brandon Locke (not pictured) to catcher Jeremiah Lasher. Allen would get his revenge by shutting down Craftsbury in order through the final two innings of the game to preserve Whitcomb’s 11-9 lead.

As Allen took the mound for the Hornets he inherited three runners and no outs and a slender two run lead.  He proved up to the task, retiring the first two batters on strikes before fielding a soft chop and throwing out the runner at first to end the threat.

The Chargers’ Spiese settled into his role in the top of the seventh, allowing only a single base runner while striking out two to close out Whitomb’s chances on the day.  Unfortunately for the home team, Allen continued his dominance mowing down the Craftsbury batters in order to earn the save and preserve Snelling’s win.

“We had some trouble finishing up,” Coach Locke said after the game.  “We weren’t able to get those guys in from second base or third base.  We were hitting it hard but it was just right at them.”

Coach Locke commended his team on remaining focused on the game.  Being down six runs and five runs makes it difficult to stay focused especially for a team as young as the Chargers, he said.

“You have to learn how to win with grace and you also need to learn to lose with grace,” Coach Locke said.  “It might not have gone the way I had hoped but I’m proud of them.  There’s something positive to take away from this game.”

contact Richard Creaser at nek_scribbler@hotmail.com

The post In boys baseball: Whitcomb lefty ends Chargers comeback appeared first on Barton Chronicle Newspaper.