Bruce the Barber gives Southport resident Mike Cowley a periodic shearing.

Bruce Simonds grew up in Rutland, Massachusetts where, he told me, he played on the high school baseball and basketball teams. I was ready to be seriously impressed when he added that his school had only 85 students! He joined the Air Force after high school and became a flight engineer in the Air Training Command. That was followed by a stint with Hamilton Standard as a jet fuel controller.

When that job dried up Bruce said it was time to figure out what he wanted to do for a career. He was torn between becoming a mortician or a barber. He never did tell me how he picked those two fields, but his decision to become a barber seems like a good one. He's a guy who enjoys listening as much as, or almost as much as, talking. Not as much opportunity for that as a mortician.

Would-be barbers in those days attended ten months of school and served an apprenticeship before being certified to practice. He then launched his career by starting his own barbershop in Natick. "Haircuts cost $1.25 when I started out and were $14 when I retired 50 years later," he said. In the next few years he established three more shops in Natick, employing up to ten barbers, to become an entrepreneur in his field.   

After Bruce closed up shop in Natick, he and and his wife Carole built a new home in Yarmouthport.

Bruce met the lady he was to marry in 1960. Carole Conley was a hostess at Ken's Steakhouse in Framingham where Bruce did occasional bartending--another job where listening is an important skill. They married in 1962 and built a house in Sherborne--their home until they moved to the Cape years later. Bruce cultivated a huge vegetable garden in the rich soil on their 30 acres that previously was farmland. With help from the family, he grew everything from Brussels sprouts to potatoes, from corn to tomatoes. Vegetables that couldn't be used wound up at the barbershop for customers or for neighbors who stopped by to chat. The family grew to include two sons and two daughters and today embraces two grandchildren, as well as the requisite sons- and daughters-in-law. 

Catching up with Carole on the phone one day I had the pleasure to speak with a lady whose appealing young voice and enthusiasm carried from her phone to mine. Carole went to Framingham State College where she obtained a degree in education. Once the children were older, she had her own career as a high school teacher.

"Barbershops, like most businesses, had their customs," Bruce said. The owner or manager got the first chair, closest to the door. The other barbers got the following chairs based on seniority. The very last chair, furthest from the door, went to the apprentice who got the customers none of the others had claimed. Bruce broke with that custom and placed his chair last, where the apprentice usually operated. "I had my own regulars and didn't need to be first," he said.  

Bruce called his Natick shop "The Sportsman's Barber Shop" and displayed more than 300 team banners to help convey the message.

Carole told me a funny story about the shop. Bruce rode his bike to the shop on nice days, getting some needed exercise in the process. He always parked his bike in front of the shop, where it was fully visible to barbers and customers through a picture window. One day the bike was stolen and they never did figure out how that could have happened. If a bike could disappear with no one noticing, were the barbers and customers all so near sighted that no one knew what kind of haircuts were being provided or received?

Bruce told me that his shops became known for welcoming disadvantaged children from a local school for exceptional children. One boy, Brian, not gifted with speech, became Bruce's favorite. Years later when they bumped into one another, Brian signaled, recognizing Bruce with gestures signifying a haircut. Brian's mother greeted Bruce with a hug and a kiss and Brian, still shy, gave him a big smile.  

Sports are big in Natick, so Bruce named his shop "The Sportsman's Barber Shop," decorated it with more than 300 sports team banners, and created a private label soft drink to advertise it. He used the term "One of the Last Few" on the bottle to describe the rapid disappearance of traditional men's barbershops as longer hair became fashionable for men and they began to visit unisex hair salons. Is his shop in the Southport Village Center one of a kind on the Cape? Perhaps.  

Natick customers could enjoy a bottle of Sportsmen's Barber Shop "stylish rootbeer" while they waited to be trimmed.

When Bruce retired in 2000, the Simonds built a house on an acre of land in Yarmouthport, where Bruce devoted his time to important things like golf and walks on the beach with Carole and their Corgis. Clamming for quahogs became a weekly event for Bruce, something Carole avoided. He later traded samples and recipes with Joe O'Connor and Ray Dichino at Southport. Either you relish those slimy gastropods or you avoid them with a passion. At least here on the Cape I'm part of a distinct minority that avoids them!

Village Center Director Sue Aitken learned of Bruce from one of his cousins and, after some gentle persuasion, was instrumental in getting him to open a barbershop at Southport in 2006. Here, in addition to offering haircuts for the bargain rate of $10, he makes visits to his shop convivial by providing his customers with delicious homemade cookies and great, free coffee. (His coffee is actually better than mine using exactly the same equipment.) The number of Southport customers who drop by for a haircut varies widely with the seasons; it can be as few as three on a winter morning and up to 20 on a summer day.

I munched cookies and drank coffee in his shop as Bruce worked on his customers. Hanging out there allowed me to hear some of the world-class humor bandied about while men wait to have their hair cut:  

• One guy quipped, "Bruce clips everybody," and Dan Riley added, "Never trust a guy named Nick to cut your hair."
• Jim Graham offered this lame joke: "Say, did you hear about Bill Bailey?" (Someone bites.) "He's not coming home!" (No one laughs.)
• Bob Brooks said Bruce sometimes went fishing with him, so I asked Bob how Bruce ranks as a fisherman. Bob just chuckled and I decided not to press for details.
• Nick D'Alesandro praised Bruce as the "Michelangelo of barbers." He was next in line for a haircut and perhaps currying favor.
• My contribution: "Men get their ears lowered in a barbershop." 

Some of Bruce's former customers had full heads of healthy hair. A few of his Southport customers still do.

I caught a glimpse of a Bruce's self- deprecating sense of humor when he said his Natick customers would bump into each other, notice a fresh haircut, and say "I see Bruce cut your hair," and then would kid about the uneven sideburns that Bruce was known for. Uneven sideburns are more often due to uneven ears than to barber goofs.

A old friend of Bruce's told me that Bruce "was more than just a barber." He may have been thinking of the fact that at one point he owned four barber shops or of his use of a private label soft drink to promote his shop--signs of a businessman with a flair for innovation. My interpretation is that his generous placement of his barber chair last in line or his pride in catering to disadvantaged kids better sets him apart. 

Julie McDevitt: Southport Pioneer

Julie McDevitt has lived at Southport since 1999, making her one of our community's "Pioneers." Julie was raised in Jamaica Plain, Massachusetts and went to St. Thomas Aquinas High School in her hometown. She is a graduate of Regis College in Weston, Massachusetts and earned a masters degree at Boston College. She keeps in touch with her sisters but has no relatives on the Cape; she's got more relatives in California than Massachusetts.

"Women's education wasn't as easily available then as it is today," she said. "Opportunities for women in higher education were rare; Harvard, Boston College, Yale, Boston University and many other colleges admitted only men. I was among the first group of women admitted to the BC program. Things are much better now and there are actually more women than men enrolled in college in the US. Perhaps we'll even have a woman President one day! There is such a diversity of talent, even in the same family. My sister can sew wonderful things, but I don't even own a needle. I loved teaching, but could never be a nurse. This widespread variety of talent is, I believe, one evidence of a Supreme Being."

"But there is always a good and a bad side to things. We used to walk to school and return home for lunch. Mothers were home when children returned. After school we changed clothes and ran out to play in the neighborhood; not being allowed to go out to play was a serious punishment. Today, they run to their rooms to text on their phones and play with their computers. I wouldn't want to be bringing up kids now. We had a two-party telephone line and today the home phone is becoming obsolete. The most daring thing we did was to hide and sneak a cigarette. Now kids share marijuana and worse drugs. Women married young and by 28 were considered an old maid if you were single. And you were expected to be a virgin. Today you would be considered strange if you were a virgin getting married. Things change, some for worse but some for better. We are a much more tolerant society in many ways and that's good.           

Among Julie's many collections are apple objects and apple images, symbols of her long career as a educator.

"I was brought up to value education, went right into teaching and loved it immediately. I taught at the Charles M. Frolio Academy in Abington. Mine was a sixth grade class and I taught various subjects as well as a separate enrichment program. I taught French (then the 'universal language'), and sometimes Latin; now Spanish has become more important. I have many former students who often come to see me, which is a great pleasure. Today college and beyond is a must, and very expensive. Unfortunately even education doesn't guarantee employment now. I know law school graduates who can't find a job.

"I lived in Gaslight Village, South Weymouth, next to the South Weymouth Naval Air Station Officers Club. The school where I taught was only ten minutes down the road from where I lived. On Friday nights, we teachers would go to the Village Steakhouse across from the Naval Air Station, a place much like Dino's. I met my fiancé there.

"I always loved to travel and have been to every state, many European countries and some Asian ones as well. [Julie has a large wall map with a lot of red pins, showing all the countries she has visited around the globe.] I really enjoyed outdoor life and have hiked and climbed in the Alps and have climbed all the high mountains of New England. When I was the education director of Safari International, I once even won a trophy for the biggest fish caught by a woman and still have that trophy. I liked Switzerland best, and Germany and Italy. In addition to the wonderful scenery, the people were so friendly.  

An enthusiastic traveler and outdoors woman, Julie has visited all 50 US States and many of the countries of Europe and Asia, climbing mountains along the way.

"I liked the food in Greece and France, but the people were not as friendly. Once in France, a waitress was taking our order and she said something unpleasant about Americans in French as an aside to someone else. Having taught French, I understood her and said to our group, 'Let's leave,' and we did."

Julie has many lovely collections on display in her home, reminding her of the days when she was an enthusiastic and inveterate traveler. She also has "shellitis" and displays shell crafts and many shells she's found on local beaches and abroad.

"When I moved to Southport, there were only four streets and fewer than 100 residents. I was on the Advisory Committee (then the only committee) and we met weekly. Everyone knew everyone else and we spent all our time in the Village Center. Now, those of us who were here in those early days call ourselves 'The Pioneers' and have an annual dinner. The late Sally Buswell and I started the Southport Newsletter in 2000. I once wrote in the newsletter, 'The only things we have no control over are weather, death, taxes, and Ron Bonvie.'

"Marge Dow, another pioneer no longer with us, developed the Village Center Library and Angie DeMichele's late husband Bob built all the shelves for the library and didn't charge a thing. And Duke Smith, a Marine veteran now deceased, fought to get the American flag out front. When he succeeded we had a party. He would be so happy to see all the service flags flying today. I'm now the only resident notary. [I can testify that Julie has been very obliging in this role.]

"One day in the early 2000s, a few of us were chatting. We were worried about the resentment young people across the way might feel toward our community and wondered what we could do about that. I promptly said, 'A scholarship!' The Southport Residents Scholarship Committee was born in 2003. It has awarded about 50 scholarships of $1000 each to Mashpee High School graduates on their way to college. There are always more deserving applications than we can grant. We receive very grateful thank you notes. The high school band comes and plays at Pastabilities, our fundraising dinner for the scholarships. We also raise money by raffling off donated crafts and arts from our residents. I was and am still the committee's treasurer. Southport is the only residential development in Mashpee to award scholarships. We are lucky to have a number of committed members on our committee today."

"I always loved the Cape, so I moved here, and that's about it," Julie concluded. And like every good teacher, she asked: "Any questions?" There were, but the answers have already been incorporated above. Thanks, Julie.  

A Visit to (Former) Enemy Territory: North Vietnam

by Maureen Rounds

At 6:00 a.m. one morning in 1998, my late husband and I and two friends disembarked from a plane that had flown us from Bangkok, Thailand to Hanoi, Vietnam, following a two-week tour of northern Thailand organized by Overseas Adventure Travel. North Vietnam had been open to tourists for seven years but Westerners were still a novelty.

We were greeted by our tour guide An, who saw us to our hotel in the heart of the city and left us to rest, promising to return a few hours later.  

An open-air barber shop in Hanoi

Rest? Not us! Why waste precious time? We quickly unpacked and set out to explore the city on our own. As we exited the hotel, we were approached by two young entrepreneurs calling out: "Hawa you?" and "You buy T-shirt?" These vendors met us every morning. I eventually bought a T-shirt, along with a copy of The Quiet American, by Graham Greene, the only English publication they had.

Strolling on a broad, tree-lined boulevard we passed large, mustard-colored stucco buildings with red tile roofs, which had been built during the period of French Colonial rule. Sidewalks were filled with people going about their business. Barbers offered haircuts right on the sidewalk by hanging a mirror on a tree and providing a chair for customers. Women sold fruits and vegetables from baskets suspended from a pole balanced on their shoulders

A few blocks from our hotel we walked alongside a high wall and came upon a large opening in the wall. We peered in, spotted shops just inside and, thinking that we had found a shopping mall, we proceeded through the opening. We were about to enter the nearest shop when we saw three armed military men with stern countenances walking toward us. Looking around, we realized that we were on the grounds of a military facility in the heart of the city and were about to enter the Vietnam equivalent of a PX. We turned around and departed as quickly as we could. Back on the boulevard, we race-walked until we had reached an intersection some distance away. Only when we had turned the corner did we look back to see, to our great relief, that although soldiers were still watching, they had not followed us.  

Bicycles were a common form of transportation for people and impressive amounts of cargo.

When we recounted our adventure to An, he said we were fortunate that we were not detained by the soldiers. He explained that the location of shops in Hanoi is unique. Rather than malls or small shopping areas with shops selling a variety of goods, Hanoi shops selling the same type of product are found on the same street. Streets are named according to the product sold, thus "Paper Street," "Plumbing Street," and "Furniture Street," and so.

The first stop in our guided tour of Hanoi was the mausoleum that contained the preserved body of Ho Chi Minh, the former Communist leader. Hundreds of Vietnamese citizens carrying elaborate floral wreaths had lined up outside the entrance. An was very proud of the display of Ho's preserved body, which reposed in a glass case. He explained that in past years the body had been sent to Russia for routine preservation procedures. More recently, this was done in Vietnam. The viewing was followed by a tour of a photo gallery depicting Ho's life and his very simple former residence, located next door.  

Thousands of people live in floating homes on boats in Ha Long Bay. Here, three young entrepreneurs tried to interest us in buying shells.

We encountered few automobiles in Hanoi and even fewer outside the city. Motorbikes and bicycles were the common vehicles. Bicycles were used for transporting people and goods. It was not unusual to see a motorbike with a live pig strapped to the back or, in a pottery town, a worker walking beside a bicycle piled high with pots. One of the most unusual sights was that of a man peddling a bicycle while transporting a kitchen base cabinet. In side view, only his legs and feet were visible.  

We spent three days on a trip to the east, with numerous interesting stops along the way. One memorable place was a Buddhist nunnery located atop a hill and reached by climbing more than a hundred steps up a steep incline. As we slowly ascended, a man carrying a bicycle on his shoulder passed us.

Late on the second day of our journey we arrived at Ha Long Bay, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The highlight of our stay was an entire day spent on a boat on which we were the only passengers. Also on board, were An, the pilot, and a cook. Ha Long Bay is dotted with approximately 3000 limestone monoliths, some of which feature magnificent caverns containing stalactites and stalagmites.  

Ha Long Bay's ethereal beauty left us--quite literally--at a loss for words.

An explained that more than 1600 people live in floating houses on the bay, sustaining themselves by fishing and aquaculture. We passed boats that housed people, live pigs and chickens as well as dogs. Late in the morning our pilot pulled alongside a boat to purchase fish for our lunch--none fresher. Lunch was enjoyed on an islet that had a lovely sandy beach. During the remainder of the leisurely trip around the bay we were mostly silent, absorbing the ethereal beauty.

Back in Hanoi, our tour took us to the infamous "Hanoi Hilton," a former French prison built in the 1880s. American POWs, notably Senator John McCain, were held there for interrogation and torture during the war. An demonstrated one type of torture used with the Americans. He sat on a platform that slanted backwards with his legs extended forward and his ankles bound by leather straps. A prisoner would have had to remain bent forward for hours since leaning back would have caused blood to rush to his head and ultimately to unconsciousness.  

Than Long Water Puppets

On our final evening we enjoyed a magical performance of the famous Than Long Water Puppets. Water puppetry is a tradition that dates to the 11th century when it originated in the villages of the Red River Delta area of northern Vietnam. Puppeteers stand in a pool of water, hidden behind a curtain, and manipulate the vibrantly painted wooden figures with rods that remain out of sight under the water. Thus, the puppets appear to be moving over the water. The puppets perform Vietnamese folk tales that have been passed down for generations, depicting aspects of life such as harvesting, fishing and festivals. A traditional Vietnamese orchestra provides musical accompaniment.

During the drive to the airport the next morning we presented our tips to An in a unusual container we had purchased on Paper Street: a mock cell phone constructed from cardboard. Earlier in our stay he had told us that there were three things a young Vietnamese male wanted: a motorbike, a leather jacket and a cell phone. While he possessed the first two, he did not have a cell phone. His wide smile indicted that we had chosen the perfect gift.  

When you read a history book (or historical novel), do you ever wonder what historical sources the author used to provide the factual basis of her story? And how reliable are those sources?

I recently read an account of King Phillip's War, which erupted in 1675 between the English and their Native American allies and other New England tribes led by Metacomet, known to the English as 'King Phillip of the Wampanoag.' In proportion to the population involved, the war was, in one year, the bloodiest war in American history. More than half of the newly settled English towns with their inhabitants, crops and livestock were wiped out. At the end of the war, the survivors of the thousands of Metacomet's followers--men, women and children--were sold into slavery in the West Indies. (1)

The author cited a wide variety of historical sources to justify her conclusions: in one 24-page chapter there were 131 footnotes. For the casual reader, constantly flipping to the back of the book to read footnotes can be distracting and even annoying. However, for the curious reader with an interest in history, footnotes provide an opportunity to explore sources that give additional, sometimes contradictory information about the same incident. But when there are contradictions, how do you know which is the more reliable source? How can we determine that the information does not reflect a personal prejudice or hidden agenda?

Throughout the book, the author frequently cited a report written in 1677 by Daniel Gookin about the war: An Historical Account of the Doings and Sufferings of the Christian Indians in New England, in the Years 1675-1677. Impartially Drawn by One Well Acquainted with that Affair, and Presented unto the Right Honourable Corporation Residing in London, Appointed by the King's Most Excellent Majesty for Promoting the Gospel among the Indians in America.

Gookin's claim to be well acquainted and impartial in reporting on such a bloody war where each side tortured and massacred prisoners raised my concern about who he was and how reliable that claim might be. Since all of the firsthand accounts of this war were written by non-Indian authors who usually pictured the Indians as "immoral savages" and the English as "innocent victims," I was suspicious that Gookin's report might not be "impartially drawn."  

I've frequently come across Gookin's name in other books about early American history but have never been interested enough to investigate his background. This time I did, and found the following description of his life written by one of his contemporaries. (2)

"He first established himself in Virginia and in 1644 moved his family to Cambridge. Soon after, he was appointed captain of the Cambridge military company and chosen a member of the house of deputies. In 1652 he was first elected as a magistrate and four years later appointed by the general court as superintendent of all the Indians who had submitted to the government of Massachusetts. He executed this office with such fidelity, that he appears to have been continued in it until his death in 1687.  

"After the start of King Phillip's War the general court of Massachusetts passed several severe laws and the Indians of Natick and other places, who had subjected themselves to the English government, were hurried down to Long Island in Boston Harbor, where they remained all winter, and endured inexpressible hardships. But the only magistrate who opposed the people in their rage against the wretched natives, was our author; in consequence of which he exposed himself to the reproaches of the other magistrates, and to the insults of the populace, as he passed through the streets. Gookin was too confirmed a patriot, to feel any resentment; nor did he wish to abridge the liberties of the people, because he had suffered the unmerited effects of their licentiousness. The features of his honest mind are in some measure displayed in his book but we will add for the information of those who wish to be more in good understanding, rigid in his religious and political principles, but zealous and active, of inflexible integrity, and exemplary piety, disinterested and benevolent, a firm patriot." 

Based on the above description of Daniel Gookin, who earned the respect and admiration of his peers for both his official and personal life, I feel confident that he is a knowledgeable and reliable source.  

SOURCES  

(1) Jill Lepore, The Name of War: King Philip's War and the Origins of American Identity, 1998

(2) A Short Account of Daniel Gookin, Massachusetts Historical Society Collections, Vol.II, 1793

Sandy Bernstein is a freelance writer and web designer. Her poetry, articles, and fiction have appeared in such publications as The Writer Magazine, Writers' Journal, Poetic Voices, Flashquake Magazine, Mind Fire, and many other print and web publications. She is a long time member of the Stoneham Writers Group. Currently she is working on a novel, an excerpt appears on her website www.sandybernstein.net.  If you have a
Kindle, you can access her short story "Creepies"on Amazon for $.99. www.amazon.com/dp/B00BKMXDDS

  

Dick Fellenberg moved to Southport in 2003. He organized and runs the Bionics program, coordinates the Helpers program, and is a volunteer broadcaster for the Audible Local Ledger, a radio station for blind/visually-impaired people. He has two daughters, four grandchildren and two great grandchildren.



   

David Kapp, with his wife Billie, moved from Connecticut to Southport in 2009. David retired from a career as a university library administrator, after working in the libraries at Brandeis, Harvard and the University of Connecticut. He was a building consultant for the planning of a number of major university libraries and was, for many years, the editor of Connecticut Libraries. Billie enjoyed a career as an educator and social sciences consultant. The Kapps are frequent visitors to Hawaii where their son, daughter, grandson and other family members live. 

Bob Mendes began his career as an advertising copywriter at Doyle Dane Bernbach in New York before becoming senior vice president of marketing for a west coast department store chain. He left that position to start Pacific Sports, a sports and general marketing agency. There he developed "The Reading Team," a children's literacy program sponsored by the National Football League and the American Library Association, which used NFL players as literacy role models. Bob is the author of "A Twentieth Century Odyssey, the Bob Mathias Story." After retiring, he served as executive director of the Glendora (CA) Chamber of Commerce. When grandson Adam was born, Bob and Bette moved to Cape Cod, where they recently celebrated their 45th wedding anniversary. Neither retires well. He's had a number of part-time jobs, has written two more books, and volunteers; Bette serves on committees at Southport and at the Falmouth Jewish Congregation. Their son Steve is a pediatrician and lives in Marion with his wife Sarah and their children, and a second son, Jeff, practices law in Indianapolis. 

Maureen Rounds, following in the footsteps of other family members, undertook a career in dentistry, becoming a dental hygienist in her mid-thirties. In 1976, she was offered a position on the faculty of the Tufts University Dental School, just one of three members without a DMD or DDS. At Tufts, she taught preventive dentistry, public health, community dentistry and geriatric dentistry; coordinated community outreach programs and was involved in research, primarily in the area of geriatric dental health. She retired in 1998 and moved to Mashpee with her husband, Austin, who died in 2008. She moved to Southport in January 2011.

 

Ernest Ruber and his wife of 55 years, Natalie, came to Southport in 2002 and enjoyed their life together here until her death in early 2011. Ernie retired from Northeastern University where he was Professor of Biology and Ecology. He designed and recently revised the interpretive nature trail at Southport and has written many nature/science articles for Southport Village Voices. He reports for Southport News on pool tournaments, in which he usually plays and frequently wins. Ernie has two adult children and a grandchild.

    

  SPECIAL THANKS TO

Julie McDevitt & Bruce Simonds

for their interviews,  

to Paul Butters (Bread Makers),

Donna Halligan (Sing-a-Long),

and Maureen Rounds (Viet Nam) 

for their photos,

and to my proofreader Billie Kapp.