Husky Tales

the crown jewels of maine

“The Maine Tourmaline Necklace,” crafted with Oxford County gems in the 1970s by Addison Saunders ’51, has been worn over the years by the first ladies of Maine, often at inaugural events.

On January 3, it was worn for the first time by a governor.

Janet Mills, the first female governor of Maine, wore the state necklace at her post-inaugural celebrations.

Annemarie Saunders, Addison’s daughter, recalls being at the 1977 presentation of the new necklace to Gov. James Longley and his wife, Helen.

“Everything about the necklace is Maine,” said Annemarie.

The idea to create it was born in 1976, four years after a huge tourmaline find in Newry. Jeweler and gemologist James Vose proposed it to the Maine Retail Jewelers Association, who unanimously accepted Saunders “to be the goldsmith to create and design this most magnificent necklace, which will represent the State of Maine’s mineral and historical wealth for all to see in future generations to come.”

At that time, Saunders, who passed away in 2008, was working as a selftaught goldsmith. He had grown up in Bethel, according to Annemarie, and from the age of about 10 followed his interest in gems by searching for them at the Songo Pond Mine in Albany and keeping his own little workshop in a corner of the family barn.

After Gould, he attended the Colorado School of Mines for a time, but then went into jewelry crafting.

Its centerpiece is a 24.58-carat pink tourmaline donated by Dean McCrillis of Plumbago Mining Corp. of Newry,

according to Vose’s book. The 23 smaller tourmalines were purchased from Plumbago.

The gold came primarily from the Swift River in Byron, and had been panned over 27 years by Elinor and Alton Hamlin of Norway and Margelia and Norman Hamlin of Otisfield.

“I remember seeing him fabricate the gold strips,” Annemarie said. Three pear-shaped gems above the centerpiece tourmaline are surrounded by 16 gold nuggets that symbolize the 16 counties of Maine, she said.

The finished piece was presented by the Maine Retail Jewelers Association to the Longleys at the Maine State Museum. The same day, according to Vose, the Maine Legislature passed a resolution recognizing the gift to the people of Maine.

aaloisio@bethelcitizen.com

evolution of dreams

“We dreamed of Olympic Gold, being the best in the world, yet great success always keeps company with failure. When everything fell apart, dreams of Olympic success were smashed. For a time the loss consumed us. We found Freeride by chance, and the discovery changed our world in ways we couldn’t have imagined. We found our tribe.”

In January, Jackie Paaso ’00 competed in her 10th and final season on the Freeride World Tour. A big mountain skier, she also co-directed and co-starred in the film “Evolution of Dreams,” which premiered at The Gem in Bethel in October.

A world-class free skier who lives in Finland, Paaso moved to Bethel at age 12 and was excited to premiere the film in her hometown before it went to festivals all over Europe.

The movie is the culmination of a two-year project that explores what happens when the passion for your dreams fades. Paaso and co-star Eva Walkner have moved from regulated ski courses to big mountain skiing, which allowed them more freedom.

Jackie held a Q&A following the film as well as a raffle to raise money for the Brass Foundation, to create educational programs for avalanche awareness and backcountry safety. Paaso gave an assembly in Bingham to show the film’s trailer.

“I’ve got one thing left on my checklist,” she says, “and if you’ve been following my career at all, I think you know what that is. So it’s all or nothing in 2019. Most important will be having fun and skiing the way that makes me the proudest. If one thing is for sure, I’ll do my best to make sure whoever ends up on top has to work for it.”

a very special education

When Louise Kennedy Hackett’s son, Tim, was diagnosed with autism, little did she suspect the role she and her husband, David, would play for the next 50 years in the lives of so many other New Hampshire families with children with special needs.

Tim had the first individualized education plan in NH. By the 1980s, the Merrimack Special Education Program, where David taught, was considered one of the best in New England!

Louise, class of ’61, became a family coordinator for the NH Developmental Disabilities Council and later joined the National Autism Society Board of Directors. She and David were recently honored as founding members of NH Society for Children and Adults with Autism.

Louise had studied social work at Bates (where she met David) and eventually landed a job at the NH Division of Developmental Services, holding meetings for families of children with disabilities, educating them about what they should ask for from their school districts — helping them develop life skills that would lead them to some level of employment, and the social skills necessary to interact in the community.

“I enjoyed it,” says Louise, “getting out of the office, driving all around the state. I met really neat families, but advocacy is exhausting too. It takes a lot of energy to deal with people, and to keep the conversation going between families and the representatives of their school districts.”

Most rewarding for her was meeting the families and spending time with them, going back often in some cases.

“They were very appreciative,” she says, “so that helped too. We had monthly meetings in several areas of the state, and I would see many of the same families every month. I’ve known some a very long time, through Special Olympics as well.”

She and David were also involved in local groups with other families, many of whose children are in their late 40s or early 50s now.

“It’s nice to have friends who understand. The other day we were talking about whether our kids should have a colonoscopy, now that they’re over 50. I don’t know how we got here. I’ve known one family since our kids were 6 — now they’re turning 51! We’ve been very supportive of each other.”

At a conference in St. Louis, she and David invited other families from New England to meet with them. The room rapidly filled with families waiting to get involved. That evening is what launched the New England Autism Conference, now in its 32nd year.

“Looking back, I can’t believe how much we did,” she says. “Most of it was a lot of fun. We mostly wanted to find ways to have fun and spend time with our kids.”

Source: Nashua Telegraph