In Memory of
|
||
|
In 2002, we were mothers of
Haycock Elementary School kids who cared about the quality of
their education. We wanted to know what was going on in our
school. The Haycock Elementary School teachers and
Teacher/Parent Organizations encouraged parent involvement. And
involved we became! Today we are the Haycock Historical Society, because of that involvement. Those great teachers taught our little ones concepts as much as facts. Coming from an education largely based on memorizing facts in order to get good grades, concepts seemed like an exciting approach to Beth, I and a handful of other moms, back in the 1990’s! Of the concepts having struck a major chord with us was that of Communities. They taught our kids about communities in nature, communities around us, school communities, church communities….. The staff instilled in our kids that communities are groups, interdependent on the unique strengths of the members to survive and thrive. When we spent those magical hours in each others kitchens talking about our kids’ latest achievements or favorite subjects, while preparing their costumes for the school play or planning events for the school festival, we, (almost unknowingly), became a part of a new Community…One of Friends. We knew we shared a love of our own Haycock community. We cherished the raw beauty here and our amazing neighbors who made it unique. We found that we had more in common that we thought! We all felt a sense of urgency to share the knowledge with the next group to come along. We all sensed sadness about our kids going on to high school and leaving this behind. Beth had thought it was odd that such an interesting place would have no Historical Society. Linda suggested we see if anyone would be interested if we proposed one. I decided to find out, creating a drop box at the last Spring Elementary School Festival our kids were a part of. It read something like: Interested in forming a Haycock Historical Society? There were slips of paper left on a table where people could enter their names. We didn’t expect much, - maybe 5 or 10 names. Packing up after the festival, I was nearly in shock to see 75 slips in the box! I could barely wait to call Beth the next day. “Wow, Chris…., now we "gotta" do something!” was her excited reply. (There was always that fascinating, barely noticeable hint of a Boston-accent in Beth’s voice!) It reminded me how special this place was when folks like Beth would seek to live here.). She would often remark it was no secret that artists and writers were drawn to Haycock. She told us that the ancient Greeks knew about the attraction souls had to a particular location and referred to it, (translated as) the “Spirit of Place” It would take too long to describe the sense of fear and excitement, embarking on our first steps. It was Beth who developed the plan. We would ask those people what they wanted in a Historical Society, and then, we would be passionate about bringing that to the table. We would divide the group according to personal interests and each of us would pursue that endeavor to the best of our ability. It was Beth, the town planner who put a sense of order to our concept. It was Beth, our scholar, who would come up with a never ending supply of interesting facts and challenging concepts about this Haycock we thought we knew. She was there every step of the way and never seemed to be upset if we took a wrong turn or had to slow down, so that others could catch up and get on-board. She inspired us to reach inside for the very best we could offer and share it for the good of all. Beth was our gifted writer so it was a natural fit that she head our Newsletter Committee, contributing so many wonderful stories. We spoke of creating children’s book about our “infamous” Doane gang whose outlaw members hid in our very hills in the 1700’s. We attended all her “In-house” presentations, in awe of her research abilities. We are not talking about someone who stood on the sidelines here. Beth was so much a part of our formation. She would be honored to know we care just as deeply as she did about this Haycock Community and its rich history. Because she was our friend as well as a founder, we mourn her passing. Because of her vision of what could be, We press forward with our Haycock Historical Community, drawing strength from each other. I had a thought for you, dear
friend, Now the dust kicked up and
fluttered in the light
|
||
