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The Westfield News Serving Westfield, Southwick, and the surrounding Hilltowns
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“Fools act on imagination without knowledge, pedants act on knowledge without imagination.” — Alfred North Whitehead
MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 8, 2014
VOL. 83 NO. 209
75 cents
Southwick residents walk for Jimmy Fund By Hope E. Tremblay Staff Writer BOSTON – On Sunday, Sept. 21, the Rollins family of Southwick will join more than 8,500 people in the Boston Marathon® Jimmy Fund Walk. Walkers are expected to raise more than $7.5 million for the Jimmy Fund for lifesaving adult and pediatric patient care and cancer research at DanaFarber Cancer Institute. This year’s event will bring the Boston Marathon Jimmy Fund Walk’s 26-year fundraising total to more than $100 million. The Boston Marathon Jimmy Fund Walk raises the most money of any single-day walk in the nation. Michael Rollins said his family began walking in 2011 because his daughter works for the DanaFarber Cancer Institute. Even though they started walking to support her work, they continue to walk and raise money because of the people they help. “Everybody’s family has someone who has had cancer,” said Rollins, citing his brother-in-law and his aunt as two examples of people in his family who have battled the disease. Rollins said the walk offers two options to its participants – a half-marathon 13.5-mile walk and a five-mile walk. “I do the five-mile because I’ve had two strokes,” said Rollins. Despite his own physical limitations, Rollins said he will continue to raise funds and walk because of the children who benefit from the fundraiser. “Along the route they have pictures of kids, so you know who you’re walking for,” he said. The funds raised by walkers in the one-day fundraising event directly benefit New England residents, as well as patients across the globe affected by all types of cancer. Doctors and scientists worldwide use treatment and research advances made at DanaFarber Cancer Institute to care for their patients and to conduct research. Walkers can choose from four routes along the historic course: Hopkinton 26.2-mile, rolling start: 5:30 to 7:30 a.m.; Wellesley High School 13.1-mile, rolling start: 8:30 to 10:30 a.m.; Boston College 5-mile, rolling start: 10 a.m. to 12 p.m.; and DanaFarber Cancer Institute 3-mile: 1:30 p.m., which will include many patients and their families. Walkers starting from Dana-Farber are escorted by members of the Massachusetts Chiefs of Police Association. The Jimmy Fund has been the official See Jimmy Fund, Page 7
Guardsmen from the 104th Fighter Wing stand at ease at the memorial service of Lt. Col. Morris “Moose” Fontenot, Jr. (Photo by MSgt. Aaron Smith, Public Affairs, 102nd Intelligence Wing)
104th Fighter Wing honors fallen hero By Peter Francis Staff Writer WESTFIELD – The bagpipes pierced the air at Barnes Air National Guard Base yesterday, as guardsmen, family, and local, state and federal dignitaries paid their respects to Lt. Col. Morris “Moose” Fontenot, Jr. Fontenot, who died last week when his F-15C Eagle fighter jet crashed near Deerfield Valley, Virginia, had served as wing inspector general for the Air National Guard 104th Fighter Wing and was remembered by those who knew him best during his short tenure in Westfield. Fontenot’s wife Kara and daughters Natalie and Nicole were present, along with his extended family. Fontenot’s daughters were presented with their father’s Award of Meritorious Service. Fontenot served as a squadron commander at multiple locations and served active duty assignments in Washington D.C., Japan, Idaho, Florida, Alaska and several deployments to the Middle East before he joined the Massachusetts Air National Guard in February 2014. “This has been the most difficult week of my Air Force career, losing a friend and brother-in-arms to such a tragedy affects me to the core,” said Col. James Keefe,
who remembered Fontenot as an officer whose ‘future was limitless.’ “In his own words taken from his application for an inspector job, ‘My goal is to stay in the military as long as I can and keep contributing in any way that I can.’” “He was a remarkable officer with unlimited potential,” remarked Keefe, who listed Fontenot’s awards and accolades, which included the Meritorious Service Medal, Air Medal, Aerial Achievement Medal, Air Force Commendation Medal, Air Force Achievement Medal, and Combat Readiness Medal. “His coworkers will tell you his demonstration of loyalty, devotion to duty and true patriotism were unlike any other.” said Keefe, who also spoke of Fontenot’s tenure as an Air Force legislative liaison and congressional fellow for former Congressman Neil Abercrombie of Hawaii, where he made “countless contributions to the greater good of the Air Force and this nation.” Described by Lt. Col. Jeff Blake as a real “fighter pilot’s fighter pilot”, Fontenot registered 2,363 hours in flight, including 240 hours of combat during his career, which began following his high school graduation in 1992, when he was selected to attend the United States Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs, Colorado, graduating
in 1996. “Moose’s career is full of accomplishments and dedication to his family and fellow fighter pilots,” said Blake. “Leadership like Lt. Col. Fontenot’s is not taught – his leadership is in the fiber of a man.” Brig. Gen. Robert Brooks stated that while he didn’t know Lt. Col. Fontenot personally, after talking to his many friends and fellow pilots, Fontenot’s memory brought to mind a bible verse, Proverbs 25:17. “As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another,” Brooks quoted. “I’m sure every pilot in the 104th Fighter Wing and many of you in the audience felt sharpened by Moose and just as you were sharpened by him in his life, I have been sharpened by him in his death.” Brooks said it was evident to him that Moose made an impact in a short amount of time. “In a day when people want something for nothing, it is crystal clear that Moose was a great American and wanted nothing despite giving his all,” said Brooks. “I suspect Moose would challenge you and tell all of you to get back on the horse, get back See Fallen Hero, Page 7
Councilor seeks to hire scriveners By Dan Moriarty Staff Writer WESTFIELD – A member of the City Council sent a motion to committee to assess the cost of hiring part-time scribes to record and publish the minutes of meetings for council committees, as well as other boards and commissions which currently do not have staff performing that function. At-large Councilor David A. Flaherty argued Thursday that minutes of meetings,
required under the state’s open meeting law, are chronically insufficient and fail to meet the standard required. “There is a gap in meeting the requirements of the open meeting law,” Flaherty said, “A lot of detail is missing. There may be other options.” “I recognize the challenge of the cost of hiring scribes to take and publish minutes, but the open meeting law requires the publication of minutes,” Flaherty said. “Often the minutes are the agenda with a list of
who was present and the outcome of votes, but no comments of the discussion of issues.” Ward 4 Councilor Mary O’Connell said that she frequently requests minutes of various meetings from the City Clerk while investigating issues before the City Council. An example of that was a vote taken by the Community Preservation Committee on an issue now in City Council See Scriveners, Page 3
Baby squirrels rescued from rain gutter By Carl E. Hartdegen Staff Writer WESTFIELD – Three baby squirrels survived their encounter with a team of roofers and, although they were displaced, appear to have been reunited with their mother. The city’s animal control officer, Kerri Francis, reported Wednesday that she had
been contacted by a member of a roofing crew working to replace a roof on Pearl Street and the man told her that the crew had discovered a nest with three baby squirrels in a rain gutter. Francis said that the workers put the babies, and the mulch they were nesting in, into a bucket, all the while listening to the
mother squirrel who was “going crazy.” The ACO said that when she arrived she put the babies into a hollow at the base of a nearby oak tree and covered them with the nesting mulch. When the crew left for the day, Francis See Baby Squirrels, Page 3