The Lincoln Squirrel – News, features and photos from Lincoln, Mass.

My Turn

My Turn: Lincoln phone book postponed due to pandemic

By David Levington

The Lincoln Public Library is a treasured resource that has been especially important to many town residents during these past ten months as we’ve all weathered the pandemic together. Our wonderful library staff has truly risen to the challenge to provide much-needed services and outreach activities to help us stay well, safe, and entertained: curbside book pickup for all… expanded book groups and Zoom discussions supplemented with related films… speakers and special programs for all ages via Zoom… and access, by appointment, to the Archives Room and personal browsing. We all thank them heartily for their creative ideas in helping us through this difficult time and appreciate their hard work behind the scenes to provide these opportunities.

The Friends of the Lincoln Library (FOLL) is a nonprofit group that raises funds to augment Library items and activities not included in the town budget. One important and visible project is the Lincoln Telephone Directory, which we publish every two years and distribute to every household. It’s a valuable resource to Town residents as well as for our many sponsors and has provided a major source of funds for the Library from fees paid by our advertisers. This year, the FOLL board has reluctantly decided to postpone the directory for now as we await safer, healthy, and economically more stable times before gathering data and soliciting advertisers. We ask our readers to hold onto their 2019 issues and continue to patronize our advertisers. The directory will remain a valuable resource, just not quite as up to date.

We thank everyone who supports our library — patrons, supporters, business sponsors, staff, and volunteers — and wish you all happy and healthy holidays and new year!

Levington is president of the Friends of the Lincoln Library.

”My Turn” is a forum for readers to offer their views on any subject of interest to other Lincolnites. Submissions must be signed with the writer’s name and street address and sent via email to lincolnsquirrelnews@gmail.com. Items will be edited for punctuation, spelling, style, etc., and will be published at the discretion of the editor. Submissions containing personal attacks, errors of fact, or other inappropriate material will not be published.

My Turn: New Harriet Todd Scholarship announced

Editor’s note: Harriet Todd, who served the community in many capacities including as a Selectman   from 1989-1994, died in 2018.

By Carolyn Caswell Dwyer, Nancy Marshall, and Barbara Slayter

The Lincoln Scholarship Committee (LSC) is delighted to announce the establishment of the Harriet Backus Todd Scholarship in honor of Harriet Todd, longtime resident of Lincoln and widely known by members of this community for her civic engagement and her extraordinary generosity of both time and resources to community institutions and local government.

The first scholarship will be awarded for the academic year 2021-2022 for study at post-secondary institutions or certificate training programs. Its purpose is to encourage students in pursuing studies and/or training consistent with Harriet Todd’s lifetime of devotion to public service and volunteerism, demonstrating both commitment and integrity to a broad range of civic concerns.

In 2019, Harriet Todd made a generous bequest to the town. The Board of Selectmen determined that a portion ($225,000) of that bequest should be designated for a scholarship in Harriet’s name with the intent of sustaining the endowment long term. The BOS charged the LSC with developing the terms of the scholarship and administering the application procedures and the selection of the recipients. Throughout the spring and summer, the LSC worked on refining the terms of the scholarship fund. The BOS formally approved these terms on September 21, 2020.

Rob Todd, Harriet’s husband, noted, “My family and I are impressed with the efforts of the Lincoln Scholarship Committee to bring to fruition an appropriate use of a portion of Harriet’s bequest to the Town. She would be pleased with this lasting contribution to her community, and her family is certainly proud.”

Two scholarships of $5,000 each will be given annually, one for a new and one for a continuing student. Students will be eligible to apply who:

  • Complete a minimum of grades 5–8 on the Lincoln or Hanscom campuses, and
  • Who are Town of Lincoln residents, or
  • Who are resident on the Hanscom Air Force Base, or
  • Who attend Lincoln Public Schools through the METCO Program, or 
  • Who attend Lincoln Public Schools as children of Town of Lincoln employees, and
  • Who graduate from Lincoln-Sudbury Regional High School or Minuteman Regional Vocational Technical School, or other vocational school, and whose tuition is paid for by the Town of

Additional details about the Harriet Todd scholarship will be available on the town website in January when the application process for the Codman Scholarships and the Lincoln Community Scholarships for 2021-2022 are posted.

On behalf of the Lincoln Scholarship Committee, the Board of Selectmen, and, indeed the entire town, we offer our deepest gratitude to Harriet Todd and the Todd family for establishing the Harriet Backus Todd Scholarship.

Speaking on behalf of the Board of Selectmen, Jonathan Dwyer said, “This scholarship makes a truly meaningful difference to students in our community. Specifically, it provides financial scholarship opportunities to the 15% of Lincoln’s public school students who live outside the town, in Boston and elsewhere, and are ineligible for our existing resident-restricted scholarships. Also, this scholarship memorializing Harriet Todd is significant to the town as an example of generous service to others. Her gift will help people she never met improve their lives. For all of this, the board is sincerely grateful.”

Dwyer, Marshall, and Slayter are members of the Lincoln Scholarship Committee.

”My Turn” is a forum for readers to offer their views on any subject of interest to other Lincolnites. Submissions must be signed with the writer’s name and street address and sent via email to lincolnsquirrelnews@gmail.com. Items will be edited for punctuation, spelling, style, etc., and will be published at the discretion of the editor. Submissions containing personal attacks, errors of fact, or other inappropriate material will not be published.

My Turn: School Committee thanks district staff and community

By the Lincoln School Committee

We would like to thank the Lincoln School district faculty, staff, and community members for making personal sacrifices, following safety protocols, and recognizing how each of our actions contributes to the overall health of our community and vitality of our schools.  

Remarkably, the Lincoln Public Schools have been open five days a week during this pandemic fall. We are among a handful of Massachusetts school districts — only 3% — who have been able to do so, and thus far (knock wood and fingers crossed) there is no evidence of in-school transmission of the highly contagious virus. 

Children are learning and playing together in person and remotely in small cohorts. Each child has a school-supplied computer tablet and Wi-Fi. Families have direct contacts for support and those needing special services are receiving them. Faculty are collaborating and creating innovative ways to stimulate learning, creativity, and joy during this time of worry, racial reckoning, and isolation — all with the backdrop of a major school building project.

We are grateful, and not just for good luck. Our children are learning together because of comprehensive and collaborative planning and administration, resilient teaching adaptations and innovations, amped-up technology support, and shared commitment to health and safety protocols including masks, distancing, and hand-washing as well as clean and ventilated buildings, outdoor spaces, and school buses.

As we come to the long weekend break and as infection rates rise across our region and the nation, let us all stay safe and take a moment to give thanks for everyone who has made this fall possible in our schools.

The Lincoln School Committee members are Tara Mitchell, Peter Borden, Trintje Gnazzo, Adam Hogue, and Susan Taylor.

”My Turn” is a forum for readers to offer their views on any subject of interest to other Lincolnites. Submissions must be signed with the writer’s name and street address and sent via email to lincolnsquirrelnews@gmail.com. Items will be edited for punctuation, spelling, style, etc., and will be published at the discretion of the editor. Submissions containing personal attacks, errors of fact, or other inappropriate material will not be published.

My Turn: Congratulations to Rep. Katherine Clark

By Joan Kimball and Barbara Slayter 

The Lincoln Democratic Town Committee congratulates our Congresswoman, Katherine Clark, for her election to the role of assistant speaker, making her the fourth-ranking member in the chamber.

This position makes Katherine Clark the most powerful Congresswoman in state history as well as the second-highest ranking Democratic woman in the history of the House after Nancy Pelosi. Her presence will mark the first time there are two women in the top four positions of the party’s House leadership. Along with Rep. Richard Neal of Springfield, who is chair of the Ways and Means Committee, and Rep.Jim McGovern of Worcester, chair of the House Rules Committee, she will wield considerable power within the House of Representatives.

The Boston Globe quoted Clark saying that “Collective leadership is not about individual ambition, but collective good.”

We Lincoln Democrats appreciate not only the work that she does on our behalf and on behalf of our country, but also her key role in recruiting Democrats to win in the House during the 2018 election. We also appreciate her focus on the looming problems of health care, racial justice, and climate change.

In a letter to us, her constituents, Katherine Clark wrote:

“The challenges facing our country are great, but so are the possibilities. Democrats in Congress are resolute in our commitment to eliminating the virus, aiding families, and recharging our economy in the face of this pandemic. While vitally important, our work cannot end there.

“This is the moment for America to unite together and finally build a nation that fulfills our promise of justice for all. We cannot settle for normal, but must instead expand the parameters of prosperity to ensure everyone has the same opportunities for success.

“As Assistant Speaker, my work will be guided by everyday Americans who have stood up this year to protect and strengthen our nation—from the heroic frontline workers who bravely put the security and health of others before their own, to the record number of Americans who took to the streets this summer and took to the polls this November, who energized our democracy and brought a renewed urgency to our fight for racial, climate, and economic justice.

“The House Democratic majority, in partnership with President-elect Biden and Vice President-elect Harris, will meet this moment of historic challenges and confront it with historic progress.

“With faith in our country and optimism for our future, I am eager to get to work.”

Three cheers for Katherine Clark! We wish her and our country well.

Kimball and Slayter are co-chairs of the Lincoln Democratic Town Committee.

”My Turn” is a forum for readers to offer their views on any subject of interest to other Lincolnites. Submissions must be signed with the writer’s name and street address and sent via email to lincolnsquirrelnews@gmail.com. Items will be edited for punctuation, spelling, style, etc., and will be published at the discretion of the editor. Submissions containing personal attacks, errors of fact, or other inappropriate material will not be published.

My Turn: Thanks for “Turkey Tin” donations

By Tomasina Lucchese and the SVdP team

On behalf of the St. Vincent de Paul Food Pantry of Lincoln and Weston, we would like to thank all who participated in our Turkey Tin project last week. Together we distributed 120 food baskets filled with all the fixings for a thanksgiving meal, including a grocery store gift card for a turkey.

The only thing more heartwarming than seeing those bountiful baskets lined up was witnessing the varied groups, parishes, clubs, troops, friends, and families who came together to pass the blessings on to our neighbors in need. We are very fortunate to be part of such a generous and thoughtful community.

May you all have a peace-filled and happy Thanksgiving.

SVdP team members Larry Buell, Gretchen Covino, and Karen Salvucci distributing the Turkey Tins.

The SVdP of Lincoln and Weston works with people in need who live, work or go to school in Lincoln or Weston.  We are currently serving people twice a month at the SVdP Food Pantry located behind St Joseph’s Church in Lincoln.  SVdP also offers emergency financial assistance to help with bills, rent, etc. For more information or to make an online donation to support this ministry, please click here.

If you or somebody you know is in need of food or emergency financial help, please reach out at 781-899-2611 x4 or svdplincolnweston@gmail.com. This is a challenging time for many and although it can be difficult to ask for help, we are here to support. Everything is kept completely confidential.

”My Turn” is a forum for readers to offer their views on any subject of interest to other Lincolnites. Submissions must be signed with the writer’s name and street address and sent via email to lincolnsquirrelnews@gmail.com. Items will be edited for punctuation, spelling, style, etc., and will be published at the discretion of the editor. Submissions containing personal attacks, errors of fact, or other inappropriate material will not be published.

My Turn: Thanks to Town Clerk Valerie Fox

By Joan Kimball, Barbara Slayter, and Stephen Binder

We of the Lincoln Democratic and Republican Town Committees want to thank Town Clerk Valerie Fox for all her work to make the elections run smoothly this year. These two fall elections were particularly challenging with Covid-19.

Valerie and her staff put a great deal of thought into planning for voting by mail, the positioning of the drop box, and enabling us to vote safely, whether it be early, or by mail, or on the election days. We appreciate her notifications to all of us voters about timing and alternative ways to vote.

Kimball and Slayter are co-chairs of the Lincoln Democratic Town Committee, Binder is writing on behalf of the Lincoln Republican Town Committee.

”My Turn” is a forum for readers to offer their views on any subject of interest to other Lincolnites. Submissions must be signed with the writer’s name and street address and sent via email to lincolnsquirrelnews@gmail.com. Items will be edited for punctuation, spelling, style, etc., and will be published at the discretion of the editor. Submissions containing personal attacks, errors of fact, or other inappropriate material will not be published.

My Turn: It takes a village

By Sara Mattes

On Saturday, Sept. 19, the Lincoln Historical Society was on the move with its “Book Brigade.” Over 60 cartons of books (1,700 lbs. at last calculation) were moved from the basement of Bemis Hall for temporary storage elsewhere while Bemis Hall is being cleaned and made rodent-free.

Young and not-so-young accomplished the move in matter of hours. Critical to the success were the young, strong backs and good spirits of Lukas Lenkutis and Peter Covino.

Sara Mattes
Lincoln Historical Society

”My Turn” is a forum for readers to offer their views on any subject of interest to other Lincolnites. Submissions must be signed with the writer’s name and street address and sent via email to lincolnsquirrelnews@gmail.com. Items will be edited for punctuation, spelling, style, etc., and will be published at the discretion of the editor. Submissions containing personal attacks, errors of fact, or other inappropriate material will not be published.

Left to right: Jim Cunningham, Craig Donaldson, Gus Brown, Don Hafner, Chris Taylor, and Lukas Kenkutis.

My Turn: Maintain the diversity that’s already here

By Dilla Tingley

We had an interesting discussion at the Antiracism/Diversity Roundtable on October 15, but I would like to emphasize something I do not think got sufficient attention. Before we spend so much energy on considering new housing options to promote diversity, let’s work to maintain the diversity we already have.

There is a diverse population of residents already in Lincoln who are struggling to be able to afford to stay. The Council on Aging recently initiated the Rental Assistance Program. after applying for and receiving $30,000 from CPA (Community Preservation Act) funds. We are now assisting eight families and have 12 on a three-year waiting list. This program is not limited to seniors.

These families that qualify will only pay 30% of their income, however small, on rent. This is real affordability. As we learned, the affordable units at Oriole Landing. because of a narrow range of income limits based on the “area median income” (which is high) go to individuals who are quite well-to-do. Only 11 of the 15 “affordable” units are spoken for. What does this tell us? This type of housing is not meeting our needs.

Let us add funds to our Rental Assistance Program so that the 12 families on the wait list will be able to stay. Funds should continue to be added as more needy families are identified. They represent a diversity that is already here. The Housing Trust has funds that might appropriately be used for this purpose.

Dilla Tingley is chair of the Lincoln Council on Aging.

”My Turn” is a forum for readers to offer their views on any subject of interest to other Lincolnites. Submissions must be signed with the writer’s name and street address and sent via email to lincolnsquirrelnews@gmail.com. Items will be edited for punctuation, spelling, style, etc., and will be published at the discretion of the editor. Submissions containing personal attacks, errors of fact, or other inappropriate material will not be published.

My Turn: More kudos for Mostue

(Editor’s note: see also this appreciation of Mostue by Lincoln’s Nancy Marshall.)

By Radha Raman Gargeya

You all know Patty Mostue. Around here, service in cause of public education has another name: it is Patty Mostue. She was a Lincoln Public Schools School Committee member for six years. Now, she is completing 15 years as a Lincoln-Sudbury Regional School Committee member. As a former L-S School Committee member, this is what I know of Patty.

At School Committee meetings, her comments and questions are incisive, offer information, and are effortlessly yet precisely crafted. Everyone leaves the discussion well-informed and full of thought. She has a deft sense of humor. When I grow up, I want to be Patty Mostue.

Patty led the committee at L-S as chair and vice chair over many years. She led us and taught us by the power of example. Most of the time, she let her work speak. She prepared the most thorough L-S performance report. It is unrivaled and still the only one of its kind at L-S. She studied, with the help of various administrators, the incoming students from Sudbury and Lincoln, how they performed at L-S, and how they were placed upon high school graduation.

She was on the Negotiations Subcommittee several times. She gathered the contracts of comparable school districts, researched them, analyzed them, and presented her findings to the rest of the subcommittee. Her work was invaluable. She served on the Policy Subcommittee, Evaluation Subcommittee, and Safety Review Subcommittee amongst many others.

No document ever written by any one for the school escaped Patty’s insistence on clarity of thought, expression, and, of course, grammar. Some of us have the scars to show. It made us better the next time we wrote or spoke.

Patty is a strong supporter of the METCO educational program for students from Boston. She is a great champion of students with special needs. She is respected in Sudbury, Boston, and of course, in Lincoln and at Lincoln-Sudbury High School.

These are but a few examples of many such efforts by Patty — the hallmarks being hard work, thorough preparation, and excellent presentation. Through her example, she trained many other School Committee members — not in a formal way, but by kindling the desire to be better at what one does.

So, the question to ask is why? Why does Patty work so hard and so effectively? The answer is simple: her love and care that our children learn at great public schools that are a bit better tomorrow than they are today.

For her gift of love for education, I am very thankful. I trust the communities of Boston, Sudbury, and Lincoln are grateful. Patty would say that the students need not thank her — just be good students, good people, and good citizens.

Radha Raman Gargeya of Sudbury was a member of the Lincoln-Sudbury Regional School Committee from 2007–2019.

”My Turn” is a forum for readers to offer their views on any subject of interest to Lincolnites. Submissions must be signed with the writer’s name and street address and sent via email to lincolnsquirrelnews@gmail.com. Items will be edited for punctuation, spelling, style, etc., and will be published at the discretion of the editor. Submissions containing personal attacks, errors of fact, or other inappropriate material will not be published.

My Turn: Praise for Mostue’s years of school committee work

By Nancy Marshall

It is with joy mixed with a little sadness that I write to honor the accomplishments of one Patricia M. Mostue, PhD, on the conclusion of a long and worthy tenure as a member of both the Lincoln School Committee and, for the last 15 years, the Lincoln-Sudbury Regional School Committee. Her extended final term on the LSSC will conclude at the end of the Sudbury Annual Town Meeting, which begins on September 12.

Patty brought a significant combination of talents to her service. Her doctorate in math and statistics was a complement to the diverse array of talents on each school committee. Her willingness to dig deeply into the details, whether procedural, analytical, mathematical, or grammatical, was of great benefit to all of us. Her compassion for and commitment to children was always obvious and deep.

In her various tenures, she has demonstrated an unwavering investment in excellent teaching, public education and in our children. Through her work in the Worcester Public Schools administration and her kind persistence and encouragement in tutoring and college counseling many local teens over the years, she put her talents to work and guided her students to successful outcomes.  

Patty was firm in her convictions. She was calm and direct as chair in both great and painful times for L-S. Her deft leadership on the two school committees, her many tireless hours (sometimes deep in data analysis to simply and compellingly reassure parents that their children could find success with an L-S education), her genuine smile and quick wit — these are but a few of many reasons to be grateful.

Patty honored good educators. She supported and ably defended the hard work of the administration and staff at L-S. Patty was also a great colleague. She shared a ride with my predecessor Eric Harris and then with me to my nine years of meetings at LSRHS, crossing Sherman’s Bridge in beautiful sunsets, snow, rain and almost always home in the dark. I learned so much and am grateful for her mentoring as I onboarded the LSSC for her support, companionship, frank opinions, and willingness to listen.

Patty and her husband Brooks can now map their plans and opportunities for easier mornings and uninterrupted weeknights, of time with their growing family, opera, meals, travel, and spontaneity. Thank you, Patty, for your time, your endurance, and personally, for your continued friendship. Our towns and schools are all the better because of you. And happy birthday!

”My Turn” is a forum for Lincoln residents to offer their views on any subject of interest to other Lincolnites. Submissions must be signed with the writer’s name and street address and sent via email to lincolnsquirrelnews@gmail.com. Items will be edited for punctuation, spelling, style, etc., and will be published at the discretion of the editor. Submissions containing personal attacks, errors of fact, or other inappropriate material will not be published.