The birds are on the move. I'm accustomed to seeing lots of ospreys on my morning walks at South Cape Beach, but it's been apparent since early August that there are fewer of them around. I guess those avian empty nesters have already gone off to play golf in Florida.

Some bird populations, willets for example, just quietly disappear without making a big fuss about it. One morning, I'm suddenly aware that they're gone. Swallows, however, are different; those sleek little birds gather in great swirling flocks in preparation for departure. You can't miss them.

Unlike Canada geese, swallows don't organize themselves into neat formations and fly away with military precision. They are the barnstormers of the bird world. They dart swoop soar plummet and whirl. They do loop-the-loops and barrel rolls. Then, at a signal only they can sense, the flock will assemble on the vegetation, covering it completely and changing it temporarily from green to black. Minutes later, a few individuals resume their flight; others follow, and soon the group is underway again. I stand and watch and am sometimes caught in the midst of this unruly flock. Amazingly, they never bump into me-or one another.

David Kapp, Editor 

____________________________________________ 

Jan & Rick, embarking on their life together in 1967.

Looking at their wedding album, two things strike me: first, everybody is so happy and second, everybody is so young. The bride's sparkling eyes are set in flawless skin, her beautiful wedding dress complimented with a regal tiara. The groom handsome in his tuxedo. It's July 16, 1967, one month after their graduation from college and Jan and Rick Miller are preparing to embark on their new life together. Forty-six years later, in their Southport home, we're sipping coffee and talking about life's path that brought them to this time and place.

Born in Boston, they lived within a few miles of each other, Rick in Dorchester, Jan in Roxbury and later in Mattapan. Rick graduated from Boston Latin School before attending Tufts University, and Jan from the Jeremiah E. Burke High School and then to Northeastern's Forsyth School for Dental Hygienists. They met on Blue Hill Avenue where teenagers went to meet and/or pick up members of the opposite sex. "I remember the night we met," says Jan. "We were 'cruising' and somebody mentioned his name. He was 'cruising' on the other side of the street and we were introduced. I was 15 and he was 16."

Jan's mother was a Jewish homemaker and her father an Italian refrigeration repairman. "He converted," she says, "but my maiden name was Amato, which made for some interesting situations until I explained. My two wonderful families got along very well. My parents were married almost 60 years and had a very good marriage." Jan speaks fondly of her parents and what vibrant people they were, noting that her father was a very talented man who started a Jewish theater group and did Jewish comedy for years after retiring to Florida. Her mother passed away this year at the age of 91.  

Bubbe & Zayde Miller with their grandchildren in 2011. Their daughters Amy & Alison live in Hamilton MA and Minnesota, respectively.

Rick's home was almost the mirror image of Jan's. His mother, a Protestant from Nova Scotia, converted to Judaism when she married his father. They met in Boston while she was attending nursing school and fell in love. She became a registered psychiatric nurse and his father owned a dry goods store in Roxbury. "My mother gave up her career to work with him in the store, six days a week, side by side," he says. "They worked very hard but never made much money. My father never seemed to have either the luck or the risk taking gene to do really well."

After graduating from the Forsyth School Jan became a dental hygienist, a profession she practiced for 40 years. "Not always full time," she notes, "I raised my family but always went back because I loved it." Rick graduated from Tufts in 1967, went to work as an engineer in GE's aircraft engine division in Lynn and stayed on for his entire career. "My father had to borrow a portion of my $1100 tuition [as a commuter] from his siblings so I could go to Tufts," he says. "Seeing how hard my parents struggled to eke out a living, I never wanted to go into business or work for myself. I saw it as a trap that engulfed you. I never saw the successful side of the business world, one that gave you control over your own life, so I went in another direction."  

The Millers moved into their first home, in Beverly, Massachusetts, in 1969 and later, with daughters Amy and Alison, to a larger home in Hamilton. There, they were active in the Beverly Temple, B'Nai Abraham. Rick was president of the temple and Jan president of the temple sisterhood. "Rick was the best president they ever had," Jan says admiringly, "He brought people together. He was excellent!" "Thank you very much, and you were the best sisterhood president they ever had!" he reciprocates. During the interview, they often finished each other's sentences and played off each other's comments, a great affection clearly visible between them. "When we left Hamilton to move to Southport, we were honored as distinguished temple members," adds Jan. "We spent a lot of time working there and loved it; we're still members. We love Southport, too, but we miss our temple family."

For the first time in many years the Millers will not winter in Florida; their oldest grandson is coming to live with them and attend Cape Cod Community College. They're excited to anticipate a teenager living in their home again, providing an opportunity for him to establish himself personally and scholastically. "This will give him the comfort level he needs," says Rick, "He's excited about going to school here, particularly since his Zaydeh [grandfather Rick] has given him his car." "This is a whole different adventure for us," Jan adds, "but we're really looking forward to it."  

Jan's latest artistic endeavor is the creation of button necklaces, one of which is always a sought-after item in the annual Pastabilities raffle. Here, she wears a necklace designed to feature a brooch given to her by her late mother.

I mention Jan's return to college. "I always regretted that I never got my bachelor's degree," she says, "I had my associate's degree and a degree in dental hygiene but I wanted more. I went to Lesley University not knowing if, at this stage of life, I could even do the work. I earned a BS degree in human services."

"You need a little bit of background here," Rick says. "I lost my family very early. My sister died in 1973 at the age of 34, leaving five children. Her husband couldn't take care of all the kids so a girl of 12 and a boy of 13, about the same age as our daughters, came to live with us. For about five years we were an expanded family. We did a lot of counseling and it wasn't easy, but they have become successful in their own lives. We're proud of having been a part of that."

Jan continues, "After that I decided to go back to college. I was interested in psychology and social work. For several years I did a lot of work at my kid's high school and with agencies in their drug and alcohol abuse programs. The actor David Morse, an alumnus of Hamilton-Wenham High School, participated in our activities. It was wonderful.

"I also worked at the Holocaust Center in Peabody, recording the testimony of holocaust survivors for the Yale University holocaust archives. I did it because of my 'Bubbe,'who came here from Poland before the war and was the only member of her family to survive. I did it for two years and then had to give it up. It just became too difficult to listen to the testimony of the survivors. After a while you become hardened and almost immune to the horror you are hearing. When they tell their stories they relive every moment. You see the emotion in the videos and sense how real the pain still is. No one can ever say it was phony or made up. It was a very important thing for me to go through. Their generation is dying off and soon the only thing that will be left is their testimony. People must never forget." There is a long silence.  

Rick enjoys playing golf and tennis at Southport; he was the Men's Golf Club Champion in 2008 and 2011. But his best golf experience--ever--was playing the Saint Andrews course in Scotland.

Finally I ask, "So why did you move to Southport?" Rick says, "I retired at 60; there was a lot of overseas travel, stressful meetings and a changing corporate culture at GE. We were looking for a 'Florida' type community and looked at Southport, but it was early in the development. A couple of years later we visited again and decided this could work for us." Jan says, "We wanted a place where we felt at home, a real community, and Southport was that place for us. People here feel like family. In the span of just a few weeks Rick retired, our daughter married, we sold our home and moved here in 2005. We have five grandchildren, two with Amy in Hamilton with three with Alison in Minnesota. We are very, very happy here."  

Rick talks about never being bored at Southport, "I play golf and tennis, I love to read, I'm a very contented person." "And you sing in the Southport choir," adds Jan." "It's not a choir," he says, "It's a chorale, I call it the 'Just OK' chorale." We all laugh. "That's one of the things I love about him," says Jan, "he makes me laugh." "And don't forget to mention I won the golf club championship twice," Rick adds."OK," I promised, "it'll be in there."

I ask Jan about her art projects. "I was never professionally trained," she says, "but I took some adult education classes in art. I did cake decorating and interior design and then started painting with watercolors. My latest thing is the button necklace, a fun project. I've given classes at Southport and in Florida and at the senior center in Yarmouth. I enjoy interacting with the people I teach, watching them create and then the excitement of wearing their creation is terrific. I love to work with my hands. I even talk with my hands."

We often meet people and never know the back story that has taken them to this time and place. The story for Jan and Rick Miller is one of giving: giving a home to a niece and nephew who needed love and nurturing, giving their time and effort on behalf of their temple and religious community, giving one's self to record the horrific testimony of a dying generation, giving up a warm winter in Florida in order to give a grandson a home while he finds his identity and a future, and finding joy in creating art and giving others a chance to share and enjoy it.

Rick and Jan Miller are a breath of fresh air in a stale old world.

• Well, it's September. Did you ever feel that Labor Day should really be New Years Day? The world seems to start up again after Labor Day. School begins, vacations are over, everyone's buying new fall clothes. It's really the start of a new year. Just
  a thought.
• I recently read that the last survey conducted regarding the effectiveness of the US Congress showed its approval rating at 12%. Here's my question: Who are these 12% of US citizens who think Congress is doing a good job?
• This column is being written on a new computer. Working on a new computer is like driving in England. All your natural impulses are wrong. You think you want to go right, but you should really go left. You want to scroll up, but the old move you used to go up, takes you down. The toughest transition is working with your fingers instead of a mouse. I remember how difficult it was for me to learn how to operate
  a mouse, now I can't, even though I want to. I don't have to tell you--life isn't fair.
• Recently a group protesting Russia's stance on gay rights was shown pouring Russian vodka into the street. Now you're talking. Buy cases of Stolichnaya at full retail price and then pour it into a sewer. That'll show 'em.
• A lot of years ago I thought that being retired meant you never had to shave. My problem is if I go more than two days without shaving I feel unbearably grubby. I don't know how my bearded brethren do it. It gives me a whole new respect for
  the hirsute.
• Think about this. Is there any symbol with more power than a clipboard? If you have a clipboard you can walk into the Pentagon, into a NASA launch chamber, you can go anywhere! It's the clipboard-as-master syndrome.
• Not having grown up in the Boston area, I am not acquainted with the myth that  surrounds Whitey Bulger. I always thought bulger was a wheat substance you boiled like rice and put in salad.
• Sinkholes are terrifying. Whenever I read about another sinkhole opening up in Florida, I'm thankful I live where I live. Residing in Southern California for 22 years with the fear of earthquakes was bad enough, but sinkholes are even scarier.
• The newspapers tell us there are fewer kids suffering from obesity these days. So many of us have spent our lives in borderline obesity it's nice to see that some of the public health programs are finally starting to work.
• By the time you read this, the NFL season will be underway and Harry Golding will be up to his ears in football pools. Harry's an unsung hero because I'm sure he puts a lot of time and effort into those pools and they're greatly enjoyed by the participants. 
• Other unsung heroes: The woodworking guys who did those street signposts. I know I mentioned them earlier, but they are so attractive (the signposts, not the guys) and add so much to the community that I wanted to mention it again.Thanks guys.
• Still one more hero: Frank Mucci. I don't think there's anything glamorous or rewarding about running the men's bocce league, in fact it's a thankless job but Frank's been doing it for two years and doing a great job. Eddie Pirozzi also did a fantastic job and when he turned the reins over to Frank he picked the right guy.

When residents head over to the Village Center for assistance, or when a visitor stops by the Activities Desk with a question, either Donna Halligan or Jean McKeown will be there to greet them. Both women are positive and radiate sincerity, greeting people warmly and always ready to help. Donna describes herself as a happy, outgoing person, and that's confirmed by the friendly smile I received each time we got together for our interview. Jean told me she is reserved, used to be shy, but I found her to be welcoming and animated in our discussions.  

Jean McKeown

In 2009, Jean was an aerobics instructor at Gold's Gym on Route 28 when Julianne Davignon, our health and wellness coordinator, alerted her to an opening for a similar job at Southport. Jean got the job and later that year became an office associate, as well. She continues to teach four exercise classes each week at Southport and is now also responsible for the center's financial records, ordering and maintaining supplies and for chairing the Activities Committee, whose members initiate, research and present an amazing variety of activities for residents to benefit from and enjoy.

Donna joined the staff about two years ago as an office associate and remembers Sue Aitken telling her, "There's no way I can teach you everything you'll need to know in this job. Something new happens every day." Most visibly, Donna shares responsibility with Jean for staffing the Activities Desk in the Village Center lobby, but that's just the tip of the iceberg. She works some weekend desk hours, schedules meetings and room assignments, maintains the monthly calendar, and arranges for the Sunday afternoon movies.

Both Donna and Jean are receptionists, answer the phones, maintain computer files, assist residents with questions and problems, issue parking permits for residents and guests, monitor sign-in for guests, oversee pool activity when a pool attendant is not present, provide an orientation for purchasers of resale units, copy and distribute Happenings and Southport News in print and via email. In brief-they do whatever needs to be done to keep things humming.  

Donna Halligan

Donna hails from Melrose, Massachusetts but spent most of her school years in St. Louis. Her family included six brothers and sisters. In 1977, when her family moved back East, Donna stayed behind to finish her undergrad degree at the University of Missouri in St. Louis. Later, she earned an associate degree as a clinical and administrative medical assistant and went to work for a surgeon. When her father had a stroke and left her Mom with four kids still at home, she returned to Massachusetts to help out.

Donna  got a job with the phone company, which she held for 20 years, met and married Scott Halligan, the information and communications supervisor for the Mashpee Police Department, and moved with him to Marstons Mills. Donna's son Jesse excelled in school and his parents urged him to apply to Sturgis, a top-rated high school in Hyannis. He was awarded a full scholarship and graduated with honors. With their support he attended Centenary College in Shreveport, Louisiana; he now works for the college.

Jean is from Holbrook, Massachusetts. She attended schools there, worked part-time for the Phillips Brothers Chemical Company and married her high school sweetheart shortly after graduation from high school. They built a home in North Easton. Jean had an office job with Cherry Webb & Touraine until their daughter Cindy came along about a year later. Sadly, Jean's husband died in a drowning accident shortly thereafter; Jean found herself with a six-month-old baby and virtually no resources.  

Jean & Patrick McKeown with Carmella and Cinnamon,  a gift from their daughter Cindy.

With encouragement from her parents, Jean moved back home and embarked on a 19-year career as an executive assistant and office manager for Christy's Markets while helping to care for her grandmother in her final years. When her grandmother died, Jean inherited her home in Holbrook. Daughter Cindy graduated from high school and took a job with State Street; subsequently she accepted a position in one of their offices near San Francisco and continues to live there.  

In 2004, Jean married Patrick McKeown, a fellow employee of Christy's who came to this country from Ireland in 1984. Patrick now owns and operates a retail food service company in Hyannis. They enjoy walking on the beach and in the woodlands with their two miniature Doberman Pinschers, a gift from Cindy. Jean fills her leisure time with aerobics, playing the piano and reading, "mainly mysteries and thrillers," especially books by John Grisham and James Patterson. She shares Patrick's interests in football, bowling and gardening.  

Donna & Scott Halligan vacationing in Florida in 2007

Donna mentioned that they have six cats at home! "It just kind of happened; they seem to find us," she said. She and Scott are avid Red Sox fans (her favorite player is "Big Papi") and they enjoy traveling in the US. Her leisure time activities include reading, solving puzzles and, recently, Zumba, the "hypnotic Latin rhythm" exercise routine. Given Donna's cheerful disposition it's no surprise that Scott is a practical joker. She told me she's a great audience!

In our discussions, both Donna and Jean told me how much they enjoy working at Southport and with the people who live here. I found something similar in their backgrounds: in different ways, family has been very important for both of them. Donna and Scott went the extra mile for their son Jesse; without their active encouragement he might not have gone to Sturgis or Centenary College. Family was Jean's anchor following her first husband's death; their support made it possible for her to cope. Family involvement made the difference.

As a result of the time I spent with them for this interview, I now have a much greater appreciation for what Donna and Jean contribute to our lives at Southport than I did before. They are the indispensable link between the Village Center's activities and Southport's residents and guests.

Like a leaf slowly changing color

awaiting its cold death

before it dances on the wind

and falls to the ground,

or that long holding musical note

before it changes pitch and sound,

I am in a period of transition

as life goes on all around me

even as I am part of the flow,

there are times I am silent and still,

     waiting for a sign on which way to go.

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 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.    

Frank Lord, a native of Newton, Massachusetts, earned his BA degree at Brown University and his MEd at Boston University. His experience in the US Navy counseling troubled young sailors led to a 38-year career as a school guidance counselor, primarily in Wellesley and Duxbury. Following retirement, he and his wife Betsy helped to build over 250 homes with Habitat for Humanity. After moving to Southport, Frank's interest in education and local history motivated him to spearhead the relocation of Mashpee's One Room Schoolhouse, for which he received the 2009 Mashpee Chamber of Commerce Distinguished Service Award-as "The Schoolmaster." He serves on the Mashpee Historical Commission; the Community Preservation Act Committee; the Board of Trustees, Tales of Cape Cod; and is President, Mashpee One Room Schoolhouse Preservation Council, Inc.     

 SPECIAL THANKS TO

Rick & Jan Miller for their interview and photographs,