Victory Workers 4-H Club
Come and celebrate the end of the winter and start of spring with
the Victory Workers 4-H Club at a Spring Fling!
On Saturday, May 2nd, there will be food, animals, crafts, and great
in-store sales at the Tractor Supply in Chichester. The Victory
Workers 4-H Club will be having baked goods and lunch items for
sale, and members will be teaching take-home crafts. Other members
will also have their animals at the event for viewing and petting.
Also, from April 22nd to May 3rd, Tractor Supplies nationwide are
having a Paper Clover Campaign, where shoppers can buy a paper
clover for $1 and all proceeds go to support 4-H around the country.
Mark your calendars for May 2nd from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. for a
fun-filled day at Tractor Supply!
Pittsfield’s Link To The Salem Witch Trials
By Carl Anderson
A Pittsfield selectman is buried under a boulder in the Catamount
area. Before you start speculating on which one, or how things
could have gotten to this point, we’re talking about a ‘former’
selectman. And before you start trying to recall if you’ve seen Tom
Marston or Ed Vien around lately, we’re talking about 225 years
‘former.’ The selectman in question served Pittsfield about 1790.
His name was Elijah Peaslee and he farmed 500 acres of land where
the Metcalf family now resides. Elijah was a devout Quaker, born in
1741 in Kingston, NH, where he lived until he was married. He and
his wife Esther Goodale had nine children during their 45 year
marriage, all born in Pittsfield, and many of whom moved to New
Jersey upon reaching adulthood. Go figure. Anyway, Elijah met his
demise in Pittsfield, in 1810, hopefully of natural causes and not
as a result of his performance as a selectman. He was reportedly
buried in a grave ‘in the Catamount area’ on his South Pittsfield
farm ‘marked only by a boulder.’
So, what about the witch? Well, Elijah was a direct 4th generation
descendant of Susannah North “Goody” Martin, of Amesbury, Mass., who
was hanged as a witch at Gallows Hill in Salem, Mass., in 1692.
Susannah North was born in England and immigrated with her father
and step-mother to America as a child. She married blacksmith
George Martin, and by the accounts available of her life, despite
being a Puritan, she was outspoken and contemptuous of authority.
She had been accused of fornication and infanticide by a man
claiming that she had a baby in a stable and was discovered
‘wringing its neck;” charges which were later dropped. Susannah saw
more than her fair share of time in courtrooms of the day. She was
accused of witchcraft twice prior to her fateful conviction after a
third accusation in 1692. Despite the severity of her situation,
Goody laughed out loud in the somber Puritan courtroom of Minister
Cotton Mather when her teenage accuser claimed she gave her ‘fits.’
The Martins raised eight children in Amesbury, with direct lineage
to Elijah Peaslee who ended up in Pittsfield in an unmarked grave
under a boulder.
Ref:
freepages.geneology.rootsweb.ancestry.com/susannahmartin
Ref:
www.nj.searchroots.com/EG/peaslee.htm
Cindy’s Hair Affair To Host Open House
Cindy’s Hair Affair, 7 Leavitt Rd,. in Pittsfield, is hosting an
open house on Saturday, May 2nd from 9am until 12pm . Come and say
hello to the crew at Cindy’s, and meet the newbies, Linda Zarzour,
hair stylist, and Nathalie Snyder, licensed Massage Therapist. There
will be raffles for great stuff: gift card for a haircut, DoTerra
essential oils products, a 30 minute therapeutic massage, an
aromatouch technique treatment, and a product basket. Gift
certificates will be available for purchase for a special Mother’s
Day present. Nathalie will also be offering free 10 minute chair
massages and will be available to answer your questions about how
therapeutic massage can improve your health and well-being. Bring a
friend. This is an open house you don’t want to miss!
What’s Up at PYW?
The past few months have been very busy for fundraising at the
Pittsfield Youth Workshop (PYW). We would like to thank everyone who
assisted us, and joined in at the Pasta Dinner meal to raise funds
for replacing the flooring in the Drop-In Center. The evening was a
great success! On Saturday, April 18, 2014 we held the 4th Annual
Spring Fling Fundraiser at the Concord-Epsom Elks lodge. We truly
appreciate the support of DJ Mark Minasalli - he did a fantastic job
with the music, making sure the dance floor was full and the karaoke
singers sounded awesome. We are so grateful for everyone who came
out to support PYW, and all the amazing volunteers who helped plan
and organize the event.
We want to acknowledge our signature sponsors for the evening: The
Mellen Company, The Paige Agency, Citizens Bank - Pittsfield, Joe
Darrah Enterprises, Pleasant View Gardens, Subway of Epsom, Keeley
Painting Company, Rustic Crust, Stars N Stripes Auctions, Jack’s
Pizza, New England Mechanical Overlay, Pittsfield Family Dental
Center, Graylag Cabins, Davis Fuels of Epsom, The Tree Guy,
Pennichuck Corporation and Terry Riel – Century 21 Thompson Real
Estate.
We also want to remind the community that the 13th Annual
Pittsfield Fiddle Contest will be held on Friday, June 5th, 2015.
Save the date, and keep an eye out for more information. We hope to
see you there!
Dorcas Guild – April 2015
The April 14 meeting of the First Congregational Church’s Dorcas
Guild began with a call to order and welcome to the 12 attendees by
President Nancy Fogg at 7:05 p.m. For devotions, Gailann Newton read
“Optimism” from an issue of Daily Word. Paula Corriveau continued
with a reading of Psalm 121, “The Lord is My Guardian.” All joined
in “The Lord’s Prayer,” and observed a moment of silence in
remembrance of Joan Riel.
Mary Jo Powelson read correspondence. Paula reported on the “Just
One” mission project. Minutes of the last meeting were printed on
back of the agenda and were approved as written. The treasurer’s
report accepted. The food basket brought by Paula went
to Evelyn Sheehy Richard and will go next to Nella. The mystery
package brought by Jane Osborne went to Diane Vaughan.
Paula reported on the CAP program – the recipient very grateful as
the needs are immediate. The Concord “PJ Party” continues as our
2015 service project. Nella reported that the new wood music cabinet
is ready and will be installed. Diane was appointed as the new
corresponding secretary.
Nancy volunteered to check with Jitters concerning the Guild’s
annual banquet in June. Bev Murdough volunteered to do the devotions
at the banquet. The Guild is considering new tablecloths for use at
collations. Approximately 12-16 are needed. Several ladies will do
some research.
A memorial donation to the church’s “Organ Maintenance Fund” in
memory of Joan Riel was approved. Gloria O’Connor Biron reported on
the Easter Breakfast and offered thanks for the Guild’s support and
contributions. Our Prayer Partners were revealed, and all enjoyed
refreshments supplied by our hostesses. The next meeting will be
held May 12 with Kathy Bergeron and Mary Jo as hostesses. It is our
“White Elephant” event. Wednesday work group continues each week 10
am to 2 pm.
Pittsfield Fire Department Service News
March 2015
During the month of March 58 calls for emergency service were
received. Fire and EMS personnel responded to: 31 Medical
emergencies, 5 Motor Vehicle collisions, 1 Chimney Fire, 9 Fire
Alarm activations, 2 Service calls, 9 Good intent calls and 1 Power
line down. 5 of the calls were overlapping calls. 3 Mutual aid
responses were provided to other communities and 4 were received
from other communities.
Training topics for the month of March were: Firefighter Cancer
Awareness seminar, Forcible entry training provided by the NH Fire
Academy and a Leadership seminar held at Chichester Fire Rescue.
Burn permits are now required. Burn permits can now
be obtained online at www.nhdfl.org. Burn Permits can still be obtained at the Fire Station.
Should you have any questions or concerns regarding the Fire
Department or to learn more about the Department please stop by the
station, call 435-6807 or visit us at
fire.pittsfield-nh.com.
SAFETY REMINDER: Whether you are pedaling your bike, doing tricks
on a skateboard or riding an ATV, Wear a helmet it could save your
life!
VA Expands Choice Program Eligibility, Effective Immediately
VA Will Now Determine Eligibility Using Driving Distance
Submitted Via Merrill Vaughan,Chaplain
American Legion Peterson-Cram Post 75 Pittsfield
In order to expand eligibility for the Veterans Choice Program, the
Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) today announced that it will
determine eligibility for the Veterans Choice Program based on the
distance between a Veteran’s place of residence and the nearest VA
medical facility using driving distance rather than straight-line
distance. This change has been published in the Federal Register and
is effective immediately.
“VA is pleased to announce the distance calculation change from
straight-line to driving distance for the Veterans Choice Program,”
said Secretary Robert McDonald. “This update to the program will
allow more Veterans to access care when and where they want it. We
look forward to continued dialogue with Veterans and our partners to
help us ensure continued improvements for Veterans’ to access care.”
The change from straight-line to driving distance roughly doubles
the number of eligible Veterans. Letters are being sent to the
newly eligible Veterans to let them know they are now eligible for
the Veterans Choice Program under this expansion. If a Veteran does
not remember receiving a Veterans Choice Card or has other questions
about the Choice Program, they can call (866) 606-8198.
Effective immediately, VA is also changing the mileage calculation
for beneficiary travel. The change will ensure consistency in VA’s
mileage calculations across the two programs. The beneficiary travel
calculation will now be made using the fastest route instead of the
shortest route.
For more details about the department’s progress and
related information, see
www.va.gov/opa/choiceact/factsheets_and_details.asp.
Josiah Carpenter Library Calendar Of Events May 2015
• Preschool Story Hour Thursdays Story time with Mrs. Grainger
includes snack & craft. May themes will focus on Mother’s Day,
trains, dandelions and eagles, in celebration of Memorial Day
May 7, 14, 21, & 28 @ 10:00-11:00 in the Children’s room
• Maker Program Lego Club will continue Tuesdays May 5 –May 26 @
3:30 – 4:30
Sign up is required
• Eager Readers Young reader’s book club ages K-5th grade will read
books together; write reviews; have fun with unusual book reporting
formats- Thursday, May 14th @ 4:00 pm
• Josiah Teen Book Worms Discussing “Eragon” by Christopher
Paolini Thursday May 7th between 7-8:30 pm at the library
• Library Board of Trustees Meeting Tuesday, May 19th 7 pm
• Michele Albion presents “The Quotable Eleanor Roosevelt” Thursday,
May 21st, at the Pittsfield Middle High School auditorium at 7 pm.
• May 25th Library closed in observance of Memorial Day
• Read Meet & Talk Tuesday May 26th - Join us for an exciting
discussion of “Palisades Park” by Alan Brennert at the Pittsfield
Senior Center @ 10:30- Noon. Stay for a leisurely lunch served by
the Community Action Program!
• Pittsfield Writer’s Circle Thursday, May 28th at 7 pm at the
library
** Attention parents, caregivers and teens: the library is in search
of “Super Hero” costumes that can either be borrowed or donated to
the 2015 Summer Reading Program. Any donations would be graciously
appreciated, stay tuned for the upcoming announcement of the Summer
Reading Program kick-off of “Robin Hood” to presented at the Scenic
Theater in June!!
Pittsfield Historical Society
In The Good Old Summertime
If you’ve had enough of winter and not enough of the current season,
join the Pittsfield Historical Society and spring into summer 2015
with a program featuring memories of summers in Pittsfield,
Wednesday, May 13, at 7 PM at the Museum on Elm Street. We’re
asking all of you to join us by bringing photographs, memorabilia
and stories about bygone summer days, including Old Home Week, the
fairgrounds, the golf course, the start of the Forrest B. Argue
swimming pool, whatever it was that made your summer in Pittsfield
special. In the true style of a summer picnic, refreshments of
lemonade, tea sandwiches and cookies will be served.
Please note this is a change in date; the Pittsfield Players program
has been rescheduled for June 10.
Group Of Respected Medical Experts To Advise VA On Health Care For 9
Million Veterans
Special Medical Advisory Group Led by Dr. Jonathan Perlin of
Hospital Corporation of America
Submitted Via Merrill Vaughan,Chaplain
American Legion Peterson-Cram Post 75 Pittsfield
WASHINGTON – The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) today announced
a new 11-member Special Medical Advisory Group (SMAG) composed of
leading medical experts to assist the Department in delivering
health care to the 9 million Veterans enrolled in the Veterans
Health Administration.
The SMAG is a reconstituted federally-chartered committee that
advises the Secretary of Veterans Affairs, through the Under
Secretary for Health, on matters related to health care delivery,
research, education, training of health care staff and planning on
shared care issues facing VA and the Department of Defense.
“We want the best of the best to work on behalf of our nation’s
Veterans,” said VA Secretary Robert A. McDonald. “We are honored
these respected leaders from the private, non-profit and government
sectors have agreed to join in our mission improve how we provide
the quality health care our nation’s Veterans need and deserve.”
The appointment of the new members of the SMAG comes at a time when
VA is experiencing increased demand for its health care services.
Nationally, VA completed more than 51 million appointments between
May 1, 2014, and March 31, 2015. This represents an increase of 2.4
million more completed appointments than during the same time period
in 2013-2014. In March 2015, VA completed 97 percent of appointments
within 30 days of the Veteran’s preferred date.
Serving as SMAG Committee Chair is Dr. Jonathan Perlin, who
previously served as VA Under Secretary for Health from 2004-2006.
Dr. Perlin is currently Chief Medical Officer and President of
Clinical Services for the Nashville, Tennessee-based Hospital
Corporation of America (HCA). In this capacity, Dr. Perlin provides
leadership for clinical services and improving performance for HCA’s
166 hospitals and more than 800 outpatient centers and physician
practices. Recognized perennially as one of the most influential
physician executives in the United States by Modern Healthcare, Dr.
Perlin is a recipient of numerous awards.
Other Committee members:
Karen S. Guice, MD, M.P.P.
Dr. Guice serves as Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense
for Health Affairs and Principal Deputy Director, TRICARE Management
Activity. In these two roles, Dr. Guice assists in the development
of strategies and priorities to achieve the health mission of the
Military Health System (MHS), and participates fully in formulating,
developing, overseeing and advocating the policies of the Secretary
of Defense. The Office of Health Affairs is responsible for
providing a cost effective, quality health benefit to 9.6 million
active duty uniformed Service Members, retirees, survivors and their
families. The MHS has a $50 billion annual budget and consists of a
worldwide network of 59 military hospitals, 360 health clinics,
private-sector health business partners, and the Uniformed Services
University.
Joy Ilem, Deputy National Legislative Director, DAV
Ms. Ilem, a U.S. Army service-connected disabled Veteran, was named
Deputy National Legislative Director of the of the 1.2
million-member Disabled American Veterans (DAV), in June 2009. In
this capacity, Ms. Ilem directs the advancement of DAV’s public
policy objectives.
Thomas Lee, MD
Dr. Lee serves as Chief Medical Officer for Press Ganey, which
advises and consults with healthcare businesses to help identify the
best practices for the organization and the patient. Dr. Lee joined
Press Ganey in 2013, bringing more than three decades of experience
in health care performance improvement as a practicing physician, a
leader in provider organizations, researcher and health policy
expert. As Chief Medical Officer, Dr. Lee is responsible for
developing clinical and operational strategies to help providers
across the nation measure and improve the patient experience, with
an overarching goal of reducing the suffering of patients as they
undergo care and improving the value of that care. In addition to
his role with Press Ganey, Dr. Lee is an internist and cardiologist,
and continues to practice primary care at Brigham and Women’s
Hospital in Boston.
Ralph Snyderman, MD
Dr. Snyderman is former president and CEO of the Duke University
Health System and director of Duke’s Center for Research on
Personalized Health Care. He currently serves as Chancellor Emeritus
for the Duke University Department of Medicine. He is former Chair
of the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC).
Jennifer Daley, MD
Dr. Daley is a Senior Adviser for the consulting firm, Cambridge
Management Group. She is nationally recognized for her expertise in
operational improvement, patient safety, quality and service
excellence. Dr. Daley is a past recipient of a U.S. Naval
Academy-Harvard Business Review Ethical Leadership Award in July
2007.
James Henry Martin, MD
Dr. Martin has been practicing emergency medicine and primary care
medicine in the Chicago area since 1978 and is currently on the
medical staffs of Captain James A. Lovell Federal Health Care
Center, North Chicago; and Metro South Medical Center, Blue Island,
IL. He has extensive clinical research experience in the area of
nasal insulin studies. Dr. Martin is currently developing a nasal
mupirocin spray foam to eradicate nasal MRSA, and a nasal foam
medication formulation. He has had 14 US patents issued and over 40
foreign patents issued, including a patent in 2014 covering the
formulation above.
Melvin Shipp, OD, MPH, DrPH
Dr. Shipp serves as Dean Emeritus, College of Optometry for The Ohio
State University. He has served as a consultant, panelist and
reviewer for several federal institutions –notably, the Food and
Drug Administration, the Health Resources and Services
Administration and in several capacities with the National Eye
Institute (NEI) of the National Institutes of Health. Dr. Shipp also
has assumed leadership and membership roles within a variety of
non-federal, national health-related organizations. He is a Fellow
of the American Academy of Optometry, and a Diplomate and former
Chair of the Public Health and Environmental Optometry Section. Dr.
Shipp is only the second optometrist to receive the DrPH degree; he
is the first to do so through the highly competitive Pew Health
Policy Doctoral Fellowship Program at the University of Michigan.
James Weinstein, DO, MD
Dr. Weinstein serves as Chief Executive Officer and President of
Dartmouth Hitchcock, a nonprofit academic health system that serves
a patient population of 1.2 million in New England. Anchored by
Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center in Lebanon, NH, the system
includes the Norris Cotton Cancer Center; the Children’s Hospital at
Dartmouth-Hitchcock; affiliate hospitals in New London, NH, and
Windsor, VT; and 24 Dartmouth-Hitchcock clinics that provide
ambulatory services across New Hampshire and Vermont. Under Dr.
Weinstein’s leadership, Dartmouth-Hitchcock is working to create a
“sustainable health system” for patients, providers, payers and
communities. Dr. Weinstein also is a member of the Institute of
Medicine (IOM) of the National Academy of Sciences. He serves on the
IOM Committee on advising the Social Security Administration on
Disability. Most recently, Dr. Weinstein was one of four members
appointed to the IOM Board on Population Health and Public Health
Practice.
Deborah Trautman, PhD, RN
Ms. Trautman is Chief Executive Officer for the American Association
of Colleges of Nursing (AACN), a role she assumed in 2014. At AACN,
she oversees strategic initiatives, signature programming and
advocacy efforts led by the organization known as the national voice
for baccalaureate and graduate nursing education. She has authored
and coauthored publications on health policy, intimate partner
violence, pain management, clinical competency, change management,
cardiopulmonary bypass, the use of music in the emergency department
and consolidating emergency services.
Bruce Siegel, MD, MPH, President and CEO, America’s Essential
Hospitals
Dr. Siegel serves as President and Chief Executive Officer of
America’s Essential Hospitals (formerly the National Association of
Public Hospitals and Health Systems). Dr. Siegel has an extensive
background in health care management, policy and public health.
Before joining NAPH, he served as Director of the Center for Health
Care Quality and Professor of Health Policy at the George Washington
University School of Public Health and Health Services. He also
previously served as President and CEO of two NAPH members: Tampa
General Healthcare and the New York City Health and Hospitals
Corporation. In addition, Dr. Siegel has served as Commissioner of
Health of the State of New Jersey. Among many accomplishments, Dr.
Siegel has led groundbreaking work on quality and equity for the
Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, as well as projects for the
Commonwealth Fund, the California Endowment and the Agency for
Healthcare Research and Quality. He also was ranked as one of the
“50 Most Influential Physician Executives” and one of the “100 Most
Influential People in Healthcare” in 2011 by Modern Healthcare.
Currently, he chairs the National Advisory Council for Healthcare
Research and Quality.
The announcement of the Special Medical Advisory Group follows the
introduction of the Veterans Health Administration’s “ Blueprint for
Excellence,” which lays out strategies for transformation to improve
the performance of VA health care now —making it more
Veteran-centric by putting Veterans in control of their VA
experience.
The SMAG Committee is scheduled to conduct its first
meeting on May 13, 2015. More information about SMAG may be found
at
www.va.gov/ADVISORY/SMAG.asp.
Obituaries
Ourice A. (Langevin) Rothwell
Ourice A. (Langevin) Rothwell was reunited with her beloved late
husband, Robert Saturday, Jan. 17, 2015.
She was born in Pittsfield, the daughter of Peter and Alphonsine
(Frenette)Langevin and lived in Pittsfield all of her life. She was
a member of the Park Street Baptist Church for many years and later
joined the Loudon Center Freewill Baptist Church. She worked for the
former Pittsfield Shoe Co. and the Pittsfield Weaving Co. She later
became a dedicated housewife and enjoyed working in the vegetable
garden and attending weekly church suppers.
She was the widow of Robert L. Rothwell who she married January 1st
1943, and they spent 61 years together.
She leaves two sons, Robert E. Rothwell and wife, Phyllis of
Lakeland, Fla. and Peter Rothwell and wife Ina, of Center Barnstead.
A daughter, Sandra Clough of Dover. Four grandchildren and five
great-grandchildren, nieces and nephews.
She was predeceased by brothers, Edward, Oliver and William Langevin
and a sister, Ora Foss. A half-brother, Wilfred Berry and
half-sisters, Alice Baum, Olivine Perkins and Alma Tasker.
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