Greenville & Hockessin Life Winter 2022

Greenville & Hockessin Life Winter 2022

Letter from the Editor:

Over the last quarter century, with boldness, flair and authenticity, Johnny Weir has stirred up the world with his talents as a figure skater and now as a commentator and personality.

In this edition of Greenville & Hockessin Life, we’re pleased to present a profile of Weir as writer Richard L. Gaw talks to the two-time Olympian, three-time U.S. National Champion, and 2021 inductee into the U.S. Figure Skating Hall of Fame about his career and connections to Delaware.

Writer Ken Mammarella provides an Inside glimpse into Winterthur’s enthralling and enormous library. This library’s treasures fill 30,000 square feet over five floors, including more than 100,000 books, 4,000 collections, and 4,000 feet of shelving for archives related to Winterthur itself. The origins of the library can be traced back to du Pont patriarch Pierre Samuel du Pont, whose 8,000book collection was one of young America’s largest private libraries.

Gene Pisasale, a writer and historian, has written a story about some of the things that you might not know about Hagley Museum. This vast storehouse of information opened to the public in 1957 and is a showcase of American entrepreneurism.

This issue also features a story about Paragon Life and Fitness, which aims to fill a gap for all sorts of adults seeking a gym in the Pike Creek-Hockessin area. Owner Vickie George is an advocate for the physically challenged, and she wants to make exercise available to all adults through the gym.

Nemours Children’s Health recently named Hockessin resident Dr. Meghan Walls as its director of external affairs in the Delaware Valley. In this pivotal role, Dr. Walls will work to build awareness of the Nemours Children’s Health mission and garner support for its strategic objectives with elected officials and community leaders. Greenville & Hockessin Life met with Dr. Walls to discuss her new position, key objectives for Nemours Children’s Health, as well as major concerns about children’s health and hopeful breakthroughs.

The photo essay in this edition features Winterthur, Delaware’s holiday home. From the decorated splendor of Henry Francis du Pont’s former home to an ever-changing bounty of activities and displays, Winterthur is a gift-wrapped present for the senses and the soul.

We hope you enjoy these stories, and we always welcome comments and suggestions for stories to highlight in a future issue of Greenville & Hockessin Life. And we look forward to bringing you the next edition of this magazine, which will arrive in the summer of 2023. Until then, please enjoy the holiday season! Sincerely,

Cover

Cover design: Tricia Hoadley

photo: Jie Deng

Johnny Weir, iconoclast

By Richard L. Gaw Staff Writer

Ithink to myself of all of the times I’ve been knocked down. The betrayals of childhood friends, the numerous dips in my career, falling on quad attempt after quad attempt, being judged for things I had no control over, starving myself for the sake of art…The common denominator of all of those moments was the ferocity with which I forced myself to claw my way back up and move ahead.”

Johnny Weir, from his autobiography, Welcome to My World

The deity arrives

There is a cornfield just beyond the backyard of the home where Johnny Weir was raised by his parents John and Patti in Quarryville, and where after significant winter precipitation, scattered and smallish frozen ponds form between the dying and protruded tufts of stalks and the bramble.

He had been there before, beginning at the age of 10, but on one winter day in 1996, after an arctic freeze had shrouded much of Lancaster County in white, the 12-year-old Weir, holding the used figure skates his parents had just purchased for him (they had no support in them and were softer than bedroom slippers), trudged out to the cornfields and to a particularly unforgiving patch of ice. He fastened his skates and skated alone for hours, imagining himself to be in the glittering spotlight of the world stage, crushing triple lutz-triple toe combinations, triple Axels and triple flips, all in front of cameras that would capture these images and share them with the world.

Over the last quarter century, with boldness, flair and authenticity, Johnny Weir has stirred up the world with his talents as a figure skater and now as a commentator and personality

Photos by Jie Deng, In The Eye Photography Hair styling by Mariola Zysk

Johnny Weir

Continued from Page 11

The forces at work that led Weir to the cornfields were born after he saw U.S. figure skater Kristi Yamaguchi win a gold medal at the 1992 Winter Olympics in Albertville.

If Yamaguchi served to inspire the young boy, then two years later, witnessing the gold medal-winning performance of Ukrainian figure skater Oksana Baiul at the 1994 Winter Olympics in Lillehammer positively altered the course of his young life. He saw the orphaned girl dig deep into her being and reveal herself as a vulnerable ballerina to the entire world, one honest and breathtaking program at a time. He had found someone who had utterly touched his soul. The deity had arrived, and the work began.

‘The fabric of me’

Every athlete and every artist is for the time they are developing their craft engaging in a forced but necessary loneliness, a permanent state of meditation choreographed through habit and ritual. They are powerless to it and therefore, willingly surrender. They are servants to an unseen deity, for reasons having to with the truth that there really isn’t any other place they would rather be.

The young Weir had a companion along for the journey: his mother.

“Johnny has always marched to his own drummer, and even when he was a child, he had blinders on,” Patti said. “It didn’t matter if the other kids in the neighborhood wanted to ride bikes or play hide-and-seek, if Johnny wanted to pretend he was a horse and leap over jumps, then that’s what he did.

“He had the most intense ability to concentrate on whatever he did, and John and I recognized that whatever Johnny did, it was going to be an individual pursuit, because of his ability crawl inside of it, and push it back out.”

“My courage comes from my family, and in particular, my mother,” Weir said from his home at the edge of Montchanin. “I saw my mother deal with the politics in the skating world, and then tell me, ‘Johnny, we’re going to do it our way.’

“It was simply a mother looking after her son, and saying you need to be brave and strong. Life is often doing things that hurt, and you will derive strength from that and be able to move forward.”

Weir left the cornfield, and soon after, Quarryville altogether. After a few years of making the 90-minute round trip from home to the Rust Ice Arena at the University of Delaware for training sessions, John and Patti moved with Johnny and their youngest son Boz to Newark, where Johnny came under the tutelage of coach Priscilla Hill.

With Patti as his constant companion, the self-described “country bumpkin” from Lancaster County set out to take on the figure skating world.

Beginning in 1996, Weir won regional and sectional competitions as a junior novice, and began medaling nationally.

In 2001, he was crowned World Junior Champion and was ranked the 18th-highest skater in the world.

From 2004 to 2006, he became a three-time U.S. National Champion, and was ranked as the fifth-best skater in the world.

He became a two-time Olympian, representing the U.S. at the 2006 and 2010 Winter games.

In 2021, he was inducted into the U.S. Figure Skating Hall of Fame.

While his accomplishments as a figure skater occupy the rarified air that few athletes get to experience, there is a common thread woven into the life of Johnny Weir that far exceeds his career as an athlete and his new life as a television personality, broadcaster and spokesperson for human rights.

For more than a quarter of a century, Johnny Weir has never apologized for who he is. He has stood down his severest critics and driven back the unkindest form of scrutiny with a casual toss of a wave. He has flipped his feather boas, used the microphone as a testimony from the heart, protected his brilliant flash of light, and lived unashamedly in the spaces reserved for those who will never relent.

“For Johnny, figure skating has always been about the beauty of making this piece of music dance around the ice,” Patti said. “I can remember a judge telling me that my son needed to lead with his elbow on the ice, not his wrist. ‘Men lead with their elbow,’ he told me. I told him that Johnny leads with his wrist because that’s how Johnny feels it.

“There is so much more accepted in men’s U.S. figure skating now, and I know that Johnny helped break down those barriers. It’s now okay for a man to wear sparkled costumes. It’s now okay to cry after a program. A male figure skater being his truest self no longer has to be afraid.”

“I was always told to believe in myself and explore the passions in myself,” Weir said. “Skating taught me about what hard work can do for you, but most of all it allowed me to believe in myself. No matter how different I am, I don’t want them to focus on what I am, but to focus on who I am.

“It’s that mentality has kept me away from worrying about what people were saying about me, first as a skater and now as a commentator and entertainer. I hope they look more at the fabric of me, than merely the end result.”

Stepping into the light

In the nine years since his retirement from competition in 2013, the world that Johnny Weir occupies now is removed

from the exhaustive and insular world of competition that once dictated his life. In its place, he has created a second act constructed purely of his own invention applied with the boldness of a fashionista and the flair of a Hollywood ingénue. In short, he has taken his star off of the shimmering ice and carried it with him to the entertainment industry, where he has appeared on shows like “Dancing with the Stars,” “Master Chef” (with his brother Boz), and “The Masked Singer” on Fox, “The Wedding Cake Challenge” on the Food Network, and most recently as the U.S. host for “Eurovision Song Contest 2022” for the Peacock Network.

“Like many former athletes, I didn’t know where my niche sport was going to take me at first,” Weir said. “When most Olympians retire, many transition into coaching, but coaching wasn’t on the docket for me. I really wanted to step into the light. I have done movies, television shows, and commentating, and it all comes from being brave, from being able to seize an opportunity, and grow into a person who allows himself to fail.

“It’s the hard things that make you really find out who you are, and whatever people want to say about me, it doesn’t matter. If I can die knowing that I made one person laugh, smile or learn something, I will have done my job.”

For the last several years, Weir has had a partner along for the ride. From the time Weir and former Olympic figure skater Tara Lipinski were first hired to do ice skating commentary in 2013 – followed by their appearances on “Access Hollywood” to provide fashion commentary on the Academy Awards’ red carpet event in 2014 -- their pairing has continued to be a media sensation that combines the gifts of charm, verve, moxie and humor. The tandem has worked together as fashion and lifestyle commentators at the Kentucky Derby, the Super Bowl and at several dog shows, but they are most prominently known for their coverage of men’s and women’s figure skating during the past three Winter Olympics. Paired with sports commentator Terry Gannon, Weir and Lipinski have been highly praised for their broadcasts, which one TV critic called “a one-stop for knowledge, sass and brass” and what GQ called “a Gladwellian ability to demystify figure skating for the uninitiated.”

“Tara and I both come from a world where you can’t trust anyone, but we were also entertainers, so we quickly respected that which makes us the same and that which makes us different,” Weir said. “In the process, we have created a beautiful relationship.”

‘Delaware has become my home’

The southern light exposure from the dining room windows illuminates the main room of the Montchanin home Weir has lived in since 2018.

Along its four walls and above the floor’s white porcelain tiles are framed portraits and photographs arranged in a cornucopia of diversity, all there as symbolic gestures toward what brings the home’s owner joy. There is anime, landscapes and sketches of Russian peasant women – all offset by two crystalline chandeliers, colorfully upholstered chaise lounges and a breathtakingly large photograph of Mikhail Barishnikov that welcomes every visitor through a large wooden doorway. A little more than a two-hours from Manhattan and a 15-minute drive to downtown Wilmington, Weir’s home has become his oasis of quiet, a respite from what he calls the “high energy and high hair” of a schedule that takes him all over the world. In 2007, he moved just outside of New York City in order to train for his second Olympics, and fell madly in love with Manhattan and imagined spending the remainder of his life there. After a difficult chapter of his life, however, he left New Jersey and moved back to Newark with his parents.

“During that time, I reacquainted myself with Delaware, and fell in love with Greenville, Centreville and Montchanin, and thought that with all of the traveling I do for a living, I wanted to have a place that felt like home, and I have it here,” he said. “It’s not just my home, but my place. Delaware offers me comfort, quiet and balance, and part of the charm of this area is that I am in the middle of everything but also miles from everything.”

Despite keeping a relatively low profile, Weir has managed to become a squire about town, exploring the downtown Wilmington restaurant scene, dropping by artisan shops and floral boutiques, in between his workouts and skating at The Skating Club of Wilmington.

“When I first left Delaware in 2007, I was always looking over my shoulder, whether it had to do with my sexuality or dressing differently,” he said. “Since returning years later, however, I have seen that acceptance of people for their differences have improved dramatically. I feel comfortable in knowing that I can walk anywhere and know that nothing is going to happen because of the way I look or the way I dress or the way I act.

Continued on Page 18

Weir

“Delaware has become my home, and I am so honored and happy that I live here, and whatever goodness I can do for this community, I am happy to do.”

To contact Staff Writer Richard L. Gaw, email rgaw@chestercounty.com.

The following Delaware-based organizations provide services, counseling and support for those in the LGBTQ community and their families.

Delaware LGBTQ Social (See Facebook page)

Parents of Trans Kids and Support Group – PTKDelaware Email: PTKDelaware@gmail.com LGBTQ Youth Support Group Meeting Email: cztwins@hotmail.com. Jewish Family Services www.JFSDelaware.org or call (302) 478-9411

The United Way DE PRIDE Council http://uwde.org/?/affinity-groups/pride-council PFLAG Wilmington Delaware www.pflagwilde.org

Things you di know about H

Things you didn’t know about Hagley know about H

By Gene Pisasale Contributing Writer

While most people know that the du Pont family transformed America with the creation of E.I. du Pont de Nemours and Company, its gunpowder and later extensive chemical operations, many may not be aware of the vast storehouse of information that is the Hagley Museum and Library.

Plans for the museum date back to the year 1952, when the Du Pont Company was celebrating its sesquicentennial. Opened to the public in 1957, it is a showcase of

American entrepreneurism. You don’t have to be a petrochemicals analyst to appreciate the huge assortment of displays in the museum and enormous collections of documents, books and manuscripts in the nearby library which is home to both family and company-related items dating back more than two centuries.

In 1802, E.I. du Pont wanted a place for his gunpowder works and chose land along the Brandywine River in northern Delaware. He purchased it for $6,700—not bad for a company which would later have revenue of more than $28 billion.

idn’t Hagley didn’t idn’t Hagley

The name Hagley has hazy origins. The word is known to have existed since at least the year 1797 when, according to the Hagley Museum and Library website, a Quaker merchant applied for insurance “on buildings at a place called Hagley situated on Brandywine Creek.”

It is known for certain that the name Hagley was already in use when E.I. du Pont expanded his operations downstream from the original Eleutherian Mills by purchasing land that would become known to the world as Hagley, associated with the company’s operations. Some historians consider the name Hagley to be related to an English estate in the West Midlands countryside approximately ten miles southeast of Birmingham.

Hagley is located on 235 acres near Wilmington. The site is home to a museum which showcases the history of the du Pont family and the corporation. The library has aided scholars and researchers over the years in the study of business and technology in America through their Center for the History of Business, Technology and Society.

Visitors to Hagley have a wide variety of things to explore. In the Powder Yard, one can see where gunpowder was created beginning around 1804. Up through 1840, according to their website, the business was expanded twice to include “three dams, upper and lower mills races, dozens of mill buildings and over a mile of infrastructure…” There you can see demonstrations of the only black powder rolling mill in America, a 16-foot-high Birkenhead water wheel, an 1870s steam locomotive, 19th century machines and staged black powder explosions.

Photos courtesy of Hagley Museum and Library

The unrestored Mill at Hagley powder works.

A map showing the extent of the Hagley gunpowder works, courtesy of the Hagley Museum and Library.

Left: One of the oldest structures still standing at the Hagley Museum and Library is the gunpowder works.

Hagley Museum and Library

The newest arrival is an outstanding exhibit which showcases the scientific and creative genius of Americans. “Nation of Inventors” opened in October 2022 and it takes the visitor on a “walk through time,” beginning with the creation of the Patent Office through an Act of Congress in 1790. The Founding Fathers recognized that a republic would thrive if its citizens had the right to their inventions and this exhibit is a superb visual tour de force through the past 230 years of American innovation.

More than 100 exquisite patent models are present—including one from Thomas Edison for a carbon filament—displaying the enormous range of improvements the human mind generated since the first patent was issued to Samuel Hopkins for a process to generate potash, used in fertilizers. It was signed by President George Washington on July 31, 1790.

The du Pont family stands prominently in this timeline. The family’s operations would become one of the largest chemical companies in the world, generating a wide array of useful and popular products like nylon, Teflon, Kevlar, Corian and others which were vital in energizing the

The “Nation of Inventors” is now on view at the Hagley Museum and Library.

growth engine that was the American economy. “Nation of Inventors” is a wonderfully inspirational exhibit. It will be a treat for inquiring minds, young and old. This author previously worked as an energy/petrochemicals analyst for many years, covering Du Pont and other companies—and the beautifully displayed models along with captivating visuals were a pleasure to behold, even for someone well versed in the subject. Anyone interested in the scientific, creative and economic history of America will thoroughly enjoy “Nation of Inventors” and it is highly recommended. Many thanks to Lucas Clawson, Adam Albright and Caroline WesternOsienski for the guided tour of the facilities.

This author was also treated to a private tour through the powder works, machine shop and power station. The machine shop since the mid-19th century helped service numerous types of equipment. The powder operation

Exhibit highlighting the enormous contribution of the Du Pont company inventions.

Hagley Museum and Library

Jump

created millions of pounds of gunpowder, black powder and other variants that were critical in mining, road building and in the defense of our nation. The Du Pont powder works eventually became one of the largest suppliers of gunpowder to the U.S. government, from the War of 1812 up into the 20th century. Du Pont powder was critical in winning the Civil War, and the du Pont family were staunch supporters of the Union, vowing never to sell powder to the Confederacy.

For those interested in research, the Hagley Library and Soda House provide extensive collections relating to family history and voluminous archives in which to explore the history of America’s premier corporation and others whose roots go back to the earliest years of the 19th century. One can find handwritten letters sent to and from E. I. du Pont, including those that were sent to or from Presidents Thomas Jefferson, James Madison and many others who helped create the country we know today.

A patent model display of invention created by Thomas Edison in the “Nation of Inventors” exhibit.

The Hagley Museum is located at 200 Hagley Creek Road in Wilmington. the Library is at 298 Buck Road. Their website gives information on the many things to explore at www.hagley.org. Tours are available; school field trips are regularly conducted there for children. There is so much to see and learn about our nation’s early industrial and economic heritage, you can never be bored at the Museum or Library. Appointments for research are requested.

Gene Pisasale is an historian, author and lecturer based in Kennett Square. His ten books focus on the heritage of the Chester County/ mid-Atlantic region. His latest book is Forgotten Founding Fathers: Pennsylvania and Delaware in the American Revolution. Gene’s books are available through his website at www.GenePisasale. com and on www.Amazon.com. He can be reached via e-mail at Gene@GenePisasale.com.

Image courtesy of Hagley Museum and Library Du Pont black and smokeless powders advertisement.

A gym for all, and all for the gym

Photos by Ken Mammarella Vickie George is the founder of Paragon Life and Fitness.

Vickie

George,

an advocate for the physically

challenged,

available to

makes exercise

all adults by opening Paragon Life and Fitness

By Ken Mammarella Contributing Writer

Paragon Life and Fitness aims to fill a gap for all sorts of adults seeking a gym in the Pike Creek-Hockessin area.

“Our goal is to focus on each member, helping them reach their highest level of personal satisfaction and well-being,” founder Vickie George said.

To encourage members’ goals, the gym is open daily (more than 80 hours each week), has about 20 workout stations and offers attractive rates.

Plus it has the inspiring story of its founder. “I was an exceptional athlete,” she said, explaining that lettered in three sports in high school. “I’m not humble about that. I was not a spectator in life.”

George played intercollegiate varsity softball, women’s major league fast pitch, basketball, field hockey and racquetball, she writes on the website of Yes U Can, an advocacy nonprofit she co-founded. She also bicycled, hiked and was a certified scuba diver.

George, 67, can still perform 200 chest presses and 300 leg presses.

She’s also a quadriplegic who relies on a wheelchair and help from others to get around and live life.

Roz Jacono works on Gina Kapa’s form in doing a tricep extension.

Paragon Life and Fitness

Continued from Page 27

What Paragon offers

“We’re focused on the individual qualities in life,” George said of Paragon. “We’re not defined by who we are and what we look like. Whether it’s body composition, age, abilities or disabilities, we want to be treated in an equal way.”

The gym’s official address is 5307 Limestone Road, but it’s really on Weatherhill Drive, in an office park just east of Limestone Road and across Stoney Batter Road from Goldey-Beacom College. Paragon took 2,200 square feet of space last used by a law firm, removed interior walls and created a large workout space fronted by a long row of big windows.

For members, it offers circuit training, cardio, free weights and personal training. Since most gym-goers prefer their own music, she said, it lacks the booming soundtrack associated with big-box gyms.

George’s market research found a gap in the area for a gym focused on older adults. Paragon is not, she emphasized, focused on adults with physical disabilities. “But for those who need assistance, which may be about 10 percent or 15 percent, we will be here to help them specifically, because everybody should have the right and opportunity to move their body,” she said.

That assistance includes exercise equipment where users can just roll in on their chairs.

“When COVID-19 hit, and I wasn’t able to get the gym, I knew that a lot of the people that we served in the nonprofit were absolutely devastated,” she said. “It’s not like we could just go out and take a walk around. That’s what drove me to open Paragon.”

What drove George

George grew up in Harrisburg and earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees in program planning and development from Temple University. During her career, she worked primarily as a program director in human services. In 1995,

on Page 30

Gina Kapa does a bicep curl in front of the mirror.

Paragon Life and Fitness

she was 39 and out running with her dog when she felt her right leg not synchronizing with the rest of her body. Two weeks later she was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis.

As this disease has continued to progress, George has continued “to adjust to the challenges that this disease has given her,” she writes in her Yes U Can bio. “She has been gradually losing her physical abilities but has found ways to keep herself both emotionally and physically fit.” One way involved the 2004 founding of Yes U Can, so other people who are physically challenged can exercise as well.

One of her first collaborators was Roz Jacono, who, after being downsized from her job as a fitness instructor, is back working with George at Paragon.

“I’m excited to get back, meet people and help them,” Jacono said. “You become involved in their lives. They’re like work buddies.”

“Ironically, partly due to her disability, the start of Yes U Can and her professional experience, Vickie has become a motivational/guest lecturer and keynote speaker,” George’s bio concludes.

George co-founded Yes U Can USA with Deborah Woolwine, who owns a web development and digital

Continued from Page 28 marketing agency and is “committed to the cause of developing and providing resources to a segment of the population that have ‘fallen through the cracks’ –those with limited mobility and/or disabilities that wish to stay mobile,” Woolwine writes on https://yesucanusa.org.

Yes U Can serves 300 to 400 people each year.

“Perhaps they had Parkinson’s or a stroke, or were recovering from an injury due to an accident,” George said. “It could be MS, cerebral palsy or rheumatoid arthritis. Anybody with a limitation that that couldn’t get the assistance.”

What they hope for

Programming included workout sessions at the

University of Delaware. “They provided, in kind, the space to us so that we could use utilize the hands and legs of students to assist those who needed assistance to exercise.” Some students helped as part of classes and internships. Some just volunteered.

When the pandemic began, UD closed its campus to outsiders, which led George to form the ideas that became Paragon.

George’s normal fitness routine includes chest presses, leg presses, lat pulldowns, triceps exercises and rowing, and she credits that routine with staving off other physical woes.

“I can do some miraculous things that my neurologist doesn’t even understand,” she said.

“Once you start the movement, it’s unbelievable, and it is why everybody should have the opportunity to move their body. If I didn’t challenge myself and try different things, I’d never knew that I could do this, which is why Yes U Can started.”

“No matter what your abilities or disabilities are, if you have the will, there will be a way,” said Paragon staff member Gina Kapa, who also worked with Jacono at another gym.

“We hope to create a feeling of community,” Jacono said. “Not just in and out for your routine, but a community.”

Continued on Page 32

Paragon has about 20 workout stations, including these recumbent bikes, which Roz Jacono and Gina Kapa are using.

Paragon is committed to serving the diverse needs of the adult community. Whether you’re an aspiring pickleball player or trying to proactively manage a health condition, Paragon can help you reach your personal best.

Paragon offers a menu of personalized health and fitness services, including one-to-one and personal training. The goal is to focus on each member, helping them reach their own level of well-being. A complete complimentary assessment from certified personal trainers is available to the members, as is a one-hour training session.

For details, go to https://paragonlifeandfitness.com or call 302-234-4040.

Roz Jacono demonstrates an abdominal crunch on an exercise ball.

Inside Winterthur’s enthralling and enormous library

By Ken Mammarella Contributing Writer

A richly illustrated 1570 treatise on architecture by Andrea Palladio (he of Palladian windows fame), a 1776-77 workbook by student Peggey Clayton solving math problems (and writing beautifully on other pages) and a 1933 Sears catalog (one smart dress, in regular and stout sizes, is just 59 cents) are just some of the treasures in Winterthur’s library.

Continued on Page 36

TOP PHOTOS (L to R)

Prang’s Valentine’s cards from the 19th century. In this blank book, hand-covered and dated 1776-77, student Peggey Clayton learned math and displayed her handwriting skills. Catalogs (this is from Sears in 1933) are snapshots of contemporary styles and prices.

Photos by Ken Mammarella

BACKGROUND PHOTO Winterthur Library director Rebecca Parmer in the rare book room.

Winterthur’s Library

Continued from Page 34

There are many, many more, enough to fill 30,000 square feet on five floors: more than 100,000 books; 4,000 collections, which could each include tens of thousands of items; and 4,000 feet of shelving for archives related to Winterthur itself.

So who comes in here?

“Everybody,” said Rebecca Parmer, the library’s director since May. “Advanced scholars, international scholars, faculty members, folks writing books, graduate students and undergraduate students working on their own research or participating in a course with us. But it’s also community members who are doing genealogical research, who just want to be surrounded by things that spark creativity and ideas and who want to look at or feel connected to our past.”

The genesis of the library goes back to du Pont patriarch Pierre Samuel, whose 8,000-book collection was one of young America’s largest private libraries. When his son E.I. died in 1834, an inventory concluded that his most valuable possession was his library, worth five times his silver. The concept was supersized when descendant Henry

Francis du Pont decided to turn his home into a museum of decorative arts, creating a research lab to study what he owned and an academic program to train experts in material culture.

He sent Charles Montgomery (Winterthur’s first curator) and Frank Sommer (the first library director) to Europe to buy stuff. “It was a book-buying spree,” Parmer said. “With a blank check.”

Winterthur’s Library

Continued from Page 36

How it began

“The library would collect architectural pattern books, artisan price and account books, domestic advice manuals, trade catalogues, cookbooks, diaries, travel accounts, fabric swatch books, full runs (with the covers) of the great consumer magazines, dozens of European books – all offering a rare and extraordinary visual catalogue of American history, art and design.” That’s from the introduction to The Winterthur Library Revealed: Five Centuries of Design and Inspiration, a volume published in 2001 to mark the library’s 50th anniversary.

Michael Rodriguez (a strategist for LYRASIS, an international nonprofit serving archives, libraries and museums) called Winterthur’s collections “unique and indispensable.”

“Do you know that the Winterthur library holds eminent American artist John Lewis Krimmel’s original sketchbooks, which feature the earliest depictions of a Christmas tree in American art, from 1812/13?” he said. “To see, touch, and experience firsthand these historical items is nothing short of awe-inspiring. The Winterthur library is indispensable

for anyone doing research in the fine and decorative arts.” Kaari Newman, a Ph.D. candidate in English at the University of Delaware, agrees on the importance of the collection and its potential interest. Her doctoral dissertation explores “aunt figures in periodical literature, specifically the ways in which they either support or

The largest books, called elephant folios, are filed together and kept flat to reduce physical damage.

Winterthur’s Library

challenge Victorian notions of family and kin,” and a Winterthur/UD course on British design history opened her eyes “to the wide wide world of decorative arts. I still draw on the object lessons and material cultural aspects I learned in that course when I’m reading and interpreting my texts.”

As part of her graduate certification in museum studies, she also worked at Winterthur, including curating two exhibitions (the latest, “Playing With Paper,” highlights treasures from the Maxine Waldron Collection of Paper Dolls, Toys and Ephemera) and doing a deep dive into the stacks that uncovered “several fun, creative, colorful or otherwise interesting items that could be highlighted for visitors or on Winterthur’s social media channels.”

“The Winterthur library is a storied and internationally recognized institution,” Parmer said.

Colorful era

Winterthur Museum, Garden & Library is famous for its collection of nearly 90,000 objects showcasing decorative and fine arts made in America from 1630 to 1860. The library collection extends further into the past and further

Books are often marked and filed with Library of Congress numbers. Other items are bar-coded and filed according to Winterthur’s own system.

into the future. A recent purchase, for instance, was four 19th century songbooks of Black music that would later be very influential on a lot of American music.

“We’re actively collecting in a way that tries to expand our knowledge and broadens our understanding of who and what makes the American experience,” Parmer said. Many intriguing items are categorized as ephemera –items that were intended to be used or used up and not

Winterthur’s Library

saved, like greeting cards, invitations, labels for boxes and books that that display hundreds of swatches made in Norwich, England. “A lot of people tend to think of the 19th century as very drab, but when you look at these historic samples, you realize just how colorful the era was,” Parmer said.

And it’s not just color that can be analyzed. X-ray fluorescence can figure out the elemental composition of the material, without destroying it.

A working library

Some items have also been digitized, to make them accessible to everyone. But digitization is time-consuming and expensive to do and maintain.

The collections also document changing technologies, such as lithography, a cheaper and faster technique to print in color. “This process enabled the printing industry to just explode,” she said.

Those swatches and other manufacturers’s sample books can interest modern businesses. For instance, on the day Parmer was interviewed for this article, the library was also hosting a team from a home furnishings company looking at old wallpapers.

The temperature and the humidity in the library are carefully

controlled to help preserve items, and if there’s damage, a world-class conservation crew is nearby. Ephemera is often stored in boxes, which further reduce exposure to dust and light.

But this is a working library, and items are available to be touched – with care.

“Everything is meant to be used,” Parmer said. “We balance that with the need for preservation.”

The library’s stacks contain thousands of books, documents and boxed items.

|Greenville & Hockessin Life Photo Essay| Winterthur:

Delaware’s holiday home

by Moonloop Photography Text by Richard L. Gaw

Photos

In what may have been her most well-recognized and quoted verse, the author Marjorie Holmes wrote, “At Christmas, all roads lead home.

crowding and the crushing, the delays, the confusion, we clutch

As Delawareans ease their way into the holidays, all roads may still lead home, but not without a visit to another home

history and architecture that every holiday season unfolds like Yuletide memories.

Winterthur

Winterthur Museum, Garden & Library has become the over the river and through the woods traditional visit for several generations of Delawareans. From former home to an ever-changing bounty of activities for the senses and the soul. featuring all-metal, large-scale Standard Gauge toy trains. Introduced by Lionel in 1906, these technologies of railroads and electricity at the beginning of the 20th century.

Winterthur

House Christmas tree in 1961, that featured decorations The Nutcracker.

celebrate American history, creativity, and their causes. A large-scale gingerbread version of Winterthur will cake creations have been featured on TLC and the Food Network.

Yuletide at Winterthur runs through January 8, 2023 and will be open daily from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., and for selfguided tours from 10 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Winterthur will stay open late on Wednesdays in December for evening tours, live jazz, and a different workshop each week, from a wine tasting to a chocolate tasting, and more. The Museum Store is open daily for holiday shopping, featuring unique home décor, gifts, jewelry, and more that celebrate Winterthur’s beauty, indoors and out.

Winterthur Museum, Garden & Library is located at 5105 Kennett Pike, Winterthur, Del. 19735. To learn more, visit www.winterthur.org., or call 302-888-4600.

Hockessin resident recognized as PT Home Health Care Hero of the Year

Michele Puzio, who works at BAYADA Home Health Care’s Delaware Pediatrics Home Health office, helps local children receiving essential care.

Puzio, a resident of Hockessin, was chosen out of thousands of hopefuls as the national Physical Therapy (PT) Hero of the Year by BAYADA Home Health Care. She was honored as a hero for her selfless dedication and commitment to her young clients and their families.

Countless BAYADA clients know that with Puzio on the case, therapy is something they never have to worry about. Her “luminous smile, inspiring passion, and relentless optimism” have helped clients achieve their full potential. Just as importantly, she inspires hope, even when—or especially when—hope is hard to come by.

One example is client Marissa Guariano, who lives with cerebral palsy. Puzio has been working with Marisa for 19 years, helping her accomplish countless goals. Currently, they are working toward a solution to help Marissa achieve her dream of walking up the stairs to receive her diploma at graduation.

“The single most important thing to me is how Michele has been able to reduce Marissa’s pain,” said Marisa’s mother Susan Guariano. “I don’t know what she does or how she does it, but she knows how to reduce and alleviate Marissa’s pain. She has been a constant source of comfort and joy.”

Outside of her BAYADA duties, Puzio is involved

with GoBabyGo, a project started at the University of Delaware aimed at increasing mobility and improving quality of life solutions for children whose access to such may be limited during their early developmental years for a variety of reasons. At the latest GoBabyGo event, Puzio helped distribute mobility cars to nine children with varying conditions.

Puzio accepted the prestigious award for exemplifying the highest standards of care at the company’s annual awards meeting held in Washington, D.C. earlier this year.

“Nothing has made me happier than my lifetime of work with my clients,” Puzio said as she accepted the award. “It has been my absolute pleasure and privilege to help these children achieve their greatest potential. I believe that mobility is not only one of our greatest gifts, it is a human right. I am so proud to be a part of an organization that encourages and inspires me to be innovative in helping our children discover their independence, and the joy of living that brings.”

The Hero of the Year Award is part of BAYADA’s Hero Program, which allows the company to recognize and reward those who exceed the highest standards of quality care and work ethic at an office, division, and national level. Heroes can be nominated by their colleagues and clients. All BAYADA employees and clients can nominate any registered nurse, licensed practical nurse, home health aide, or other professional caregivers.

& Hockessin Q & A|

Dr. Meghan Walls Director of External Affairs Nemours Children’s Health

Nemours Children’s Health recently named Hockessin resident Dr. Meghan Walls as its Director of External Affairs, Delaware Valley. In this pivotal role, Dr. Walls will work to build awareness of the Nemours Children’s Health mission and garner support for its strategic objectives with elected officials and community leaders.

Recently, Dr. Walls met with Greenville & Hockessin Life to discuss her new position, key objectives for Nemours Children’s Health, as well as major concerns about children’s health and hopeful breakthroughs.

Greenville & Hockessin Life: In your new role with Nemours Children’s Health, you have been given the responsibility of promoting and garnering support for its strategic objectives with elected officials and community leaders through policy and legislation. Define a few of those key objectives.

Dr. Meghan Walls: Nemours Children’s Health is committed to serving its patients and families, and supporting policies that give families better access to care from a holistic standpoint. It is essential that when we do this work, we partner with community leaders and elected officials to meet our goals. One of the things we really pride ourselves on is not working in a silo, and our partnerships enable us to accelerate our ability to serve families.

Broadly speaking, two of the key legislative objectives on our agenda are making sure that children have health care coverage, and that we expand and assure access to mental health care.

In your qualified opinion, what is the number one concern regarding children’s health today?

We know that about 80 percent of the impact on children’s health takes place outside of the medical setting. Exacerbated by the pandemic, social factors and environmental factors are both playing a huge role in children’s mental health, and Nemours is committed to addressing these issues on a local and national level, in order to work toward creating the healthiest generations of children.

Let’s take these concerns a step further. The mental health of children continues to be affected by the influence of societal and peer pressure, the in-your-face impact of social media, and the need to succeed academically. That is a ton of bricks for any young person to handle. In your role as a clinician, what patterns in child behaviors have you been seeing?

During the height of COVID-19, I was seeing a lot of children and adolescents, and I called the pandemic “the perfect storm for poor mental health.” There were increases in isolation and an increasing sense of the loss of control due to many more unknowns. For our older kids, we saw increases in depression, anxiety and low moods, and for our younger kids, we saw additional changes in behavior brought upon by factors such as the loss of sleep.

Dr. Meghan Walls

If there was any good news during the pandemic, it was that it brought more focused attention on these issues that enabled families to learn how to reach out and say, “My son or daughter is struggling. Let’s get him or her help, now.”

The pandemic has come in waves, and we continue to see these ups and downs in children’s difficulties, but at the same time, we know that kids can be resilient, and we anticipate that we will see improvements in behavior as we continue to navigate this new normal. I see COVID-19 as a universal trauma, and we are still picking up the pieces of that, but as we do so, I anticipate that we will see our children function better as we get further from the height of the pandemic.

How can parents begin to help their children sort through this mess to find contentment, and gain self-acceptance?

There are two major things I have been telling parents throughout the pandemic and continue to do so. The first is normalizing and validating the pandemic.

It is important for children to hear their parents tell them, “It’s been a really hard couple of years. I know you have a lot more pressure, and have to do a lot more online education, and we can understand why you’re more stressed.”

Sometimes, parents feel so much pressure to always say and do the right thing, but here is what we know: The most predictive factor in resilient children, beyond anything else – is the presence of at least one supportive and consistent caregiver. Spending quality time with our kids -- listening to them, validating them and making them feel heard – goes a very long way. These conversations give kids the assurance that they and their parents are in this together.

What breakthroughs and initiatives - policy, legislation, clinical and otherwise - are you seeing in the area of children’s health? In other words, what progress is giving you the biggest hope for the overall health of children?

In our work at Nemours Children’s Health, we are

Courtesy photo

Dr. Meghan Walls is the Director of External Affairs at Nemours Children’s Health, Delaware Valley.

seeing more and more of the general public gain clear information about mental health care, and it’s one of the most important things we are doing. As we work through improving policies that truly speak to children’s wellness, we are making things more accessible, creating a more broad and public forum, and giving them the gift of letting them make the decisions for their children in a more informed way.

What is your favorite spot in Greenville or Hockessin?

My top spot is Ashland Nature Center, which is where my husband and I let our kids and our dogs run around and get some exercise. It is easily accessible to our house, and during COVID-19, it was by far my family’s favorite place to get out of the house and get some fresh air.

Meghan Walls organizes a dinner party, and can invite anyone she wishes – famous or not, living or not. Who would we see around that dinner table?

My mom is at the top of that list, and my table would also include Barack and Michelle Obama; Edith Wilson, the wife of President Woodrow Wilson; Taylor Swift; Meghan Markle and Princess Diana; Bill Gates; F. Scott Fitzgerald and Jacqueline Kennedy.

What item can always be found in your refrigerator?

I have two young children, so I think the only acceptable answer here is ketchup.

To learn more about Nemours Children’s Health, visit www.nemours.org.

-- Richard L. Gaw

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