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

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Oct. 9 service for Ted Rhoades, 1926–2019

Ted Rhoades

Theodore C. “Ted” Rhoades of Lincoln passed away on October 6, 2019 at the age of 92. Ted was predeceased by Anna, his wife Anna Lou of 58 years, and his parents Otto and Helen (Schwerdtle) Rhoades. He is survived by his niece Carolyn Pratt and family, nephew Chip Pratt and Mel, and nephew Scott O’Neil and family), as well as many close friends.

Ted was born December 31, 1926. He enlisted in the U.S. Navy in 1944 during WW11 & served there until 1959, when he was honorably discharged as an appointed lieutenant (jg). During his time in the Navy, Ted attended Princeton University and graduated in 1949. He then began his long career at Turner Construction Co., retiring in 1989. Not interested in being idle, he founded Ted Rhoades Consulting.

As an active member at St. Peter’s Episcopal Church in Weston, Ted enjoyed visiting the sick and elderly to pray and give communion to them. Ted loved people, playing tennis, the arts (BSO and ballet) and the Boston Red Sox and New England Patriots. He and his wife enjoyed traveling around New England attending art shows.

A service will be held at The Commons in Lincoln on Wednesday, Oct. 9 at 2:30 p.m. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Alzheimer’s Association.

Police log

September 27

Bypass Road (12:30 p.m.)
Three-car motor vehicle crash; one person transported to the Emerson Hospital.

83 Page Rd. (11:08 p.m.)
Resident had a civil matter with parties renting the property. Officers spoke with the resident to assist.

September 28

37 Lincoln Rd. (6:08 a.m.)
Resident reported a raccoon came into their house and left soon thereafter; officer response cancelled.

September 29

Cambridge Turnpike westbound (1:12 a.m.)
Saul Escobar-Barrera, 25, of Leominster was stopped and arrested for two outstanding warrants and also charged with driving on a suspended license. He was transported to Concord Court in the morning.

September 30

Silver Hill Road (9:28 a.m.)
Motor vehicle crash; no injuries.

Lexington Road at Bypass Road (3:36 p.m.)
Motor vehicle crash; no injuries.

Codman Community Farms (1:05 p.m.)
Customer left his wallet behind and another customer took it. It was found that the customer returned the wallet to its owner; no larceny.

Cambridge Turnpike eastbound (3:35 p.m.)
Caller reported car pulled over with driver slumped over the wheel. Officers checked the area; nothing found.

Mt. Misery parking lot, 60 South Great Rd. (7:48 p.m.)
Unattended vehicle parked in the lot. Vehicle later left the lot.

49 Round Hill Rd. (3:00 p.m.)
Family member unable to make contact with relative at the residence. Officers spoke to the resident and advised them to call the reporting party.

North Great Road (4:58 p.m.)
One-car crash Rte. 2A near Bedford Road where car drove into the woods. Sole occupant transported to Lahey Clinic with minor injuries.

4 Boyce Farm Road  (7:38 p.m.)
Officers spoke to the resident in regards to an ongoing civil matter.

October 1

Lincoln Police Dept. (9:25 p.m.),
Operator fell off his moped in front of police station. No injuries; driver cited for motor vehicle violations.

51 Wells Rd. (7:44 p.m.)
Caller reported finding a nail in her vehicle’s tire; not sure if it was intentional or not, requested extra patrol checks of the area.

263 Concord Rd. (10:38 p.m.)
Callers reported what sounds like a fight at the location. When officers arrived a party was ongoing, no fighting found. Officers spoke to the resident, who ended the party.

October 1

Lincoln Road in area of Wells Road (6:03 a.m.)
Caller reported an elderly female walking in the roadway. Officers and the caller assisted her back to her Wells Road residence.

145 Lincoln Road (12:38 p.m.)
Caller reports solicitors or protestors loitering around Donelan’s. The individuals were gone when the officer arrived.

69 Page Rd. (7:16 p.m.)
Resident reports their dog was missing. The dog was later found by a neighbor and the owner was notified.

October 2

Old Bedford Road (7:26 a.m.)
Police and fire responded to reports of a bicyclist who fell off their bike, injuring themselves. Officers and fire personnel located the cyclist and found no injuries.

Lincoln Road (1:02 p.m.)
Child reportedly fell off their bike on the sidewalk of Lincoln Rod. Fire Dept. transported the child with minor injuries to Emerson Hospital.

60 Baker Bridge Rd. (5:07 p.m.)
Officer assisting a resident with a civil matter.

51 Wells Rd. (9:57 p.m.)
Resident called reporting they didn’t like their neighbor’s Halloween decorations. Officer responded and advised the reporting party it wasn’t a police matter.

October 3

39 Lexington Rd. (1:48 p.m.)
Resident turned in old ammunition and firearms to be destroyed.

Lincoln Road (4:31 p.m.)
Parking complaint about non-residents parking in the resident lot. Officer responded and issued a parking ticket.

Tower Road (5:46 p.m.)
Caller reports a teenager near the railroad tracks. Officer located the party who was taking videos of passing trains.

40 Beaver Pond Rd. (9:12 p.m.)
Resident reported being scammed out of money from an unknown party.

Police log

September 19

140 Concord Rd. (12:42 p.m.)
Suspicious person wearing a vest in the area of the caller’s residence. Person was a utility company contractor.

21 Deer Run Rd. (4:55 p.m.)
Caller received a suspicious phone call from an unknown person.

Donelan’s Supermarket (18:12)
Juveniles were reported on the roof. Police contacted the juveniles and their parents.

Lincoln Public Schools (4:09 p.m.)
Power failure at school; Eversource notified.

Lincoln Public Schools (4:18 p.m.)
Missing child under 12 — miscommunication between mother and daughter (daughter was at a play date). 

September 21

Sandy Pond Road at Five Corners (9:17 a.m.)
Bicycle violation — bicyclist was riding in and out of traffic.

September 22

57 Lincoln Rd. (12:07 a.m.)
Caller reported hearing loud music. Officers did not hear the music while checking the area.

342 Hemlock Circle (11:46 p.m.)
Caller reported receiving a suspicious e-mail and package. 

Trapelo Road (5:30 p.m.)
Waltham police reported multiple juveniles fishing at the reservoir; two juveniles moved along.

Airport Road (8:43 p.m.)
FedEx truck parked at the end of the road unoccupied. 

6 Short Hill Rd. (9:21 p.m.)
Caller thought she heard someone trying to open her door (she was awaiting the arrival of a family member).

53 Stonehedge Rd. (6:20 p.m.)
Resident spoke to an officer at the station about a civil matter. 

September 23

Lincoln Road (12:10 a.m.)
Officer checked on suspicious vehicle parked in the 3-S parking lot; party checked out OK. 

Concord Road at railroad crossing (12:35 a.m.)
Caller said workers on the tracks had a loud radio. Officer made contact and workers were advised of the complaint; they were cooperative.

Lincoln Police Station (5:03 p.m.)
Resident spoke to an officer about getting assistance for a family member.

Concord Road at S curve  (8:41 p.m.)
Jeiby Castro, 38, of 95 Calvary St. in Waltham was arrested on an outstanding warrant for motor vehicle offenses.

September 25

South Great Road near Weston town line (5:16 p.m.)
Motor vehicle crash — driver crossed center line and struck vehicle heading eastbound. Driver was cited; minor injuries.

September 26

32 Indian Camp Lane (3:51 p.m.)
Report of overdue child — child is home and all is well. 

15 Wells Rd. (8:40 p.m.)
Officer assisted person with information regarding a civil matter.

Police log

September 18

145 Lincoln Rd. (7:49 a.m.) — Man with a Boston address (name withheld for medical privacy reasons) tripped and fell near the train tracks and the resident lot. Police were not sure if he was just wandering around or was awaiting the arrival of the train when he fell. After being seen by the Fire Department, he left via the train. 

145 Lincoln Rd. (2:06 p.m.) — Party reported her vehicle was struck sometime over the past few days (unknown where; possibly in Lincoln). Officer documented the damage.

Codman Community Farms (4:44 p.m.) — Resident reported that she believes her cane was taken from her car while parked in the lot at the corner of Codman and Lincoln Roads.

52 Stonehedge (4:59 p.m.) — Caller reported seeing a bobcat earlier in the area.

10 Garland Rd. (9:12 p.m.) — Caller reported seeing someone in the woods with a flashlight; it was found to be a neighbor.

September 17

90 Codman Rd. (10:24 a.m.) — Caller reported furniture had been moved from a storage pod into the house by someone unknown.

53 Wells Rd. (3:07 p.m.) — Person wanted to speak to a police officer in regards to ongoing family issue.

1 Harvest Circle  (3:47 p.m.) — Resident received a scam call claiming to be police with a arrest warrant if they didn’t pay money. No money was exchanged; resident was advised of ongoing scams.

South Great Road at Route 126 (6:16 p.m.) — Caller saw a deer near the roadway and was concerned for its wellbeing.

September 16

157 Bedford Rd (1:17 a.m.) — An area hospital notified Lincoln police of a dog bite. The information was passed along to the Animal Control Officer to handle.

Bruce Kirkcaldy, 66, of 75 Harrington Rd. in Waltham was stopped and arrested on Route 117  for OUI/liquor (second offense) and speeding.

82 Virginia Rd. (4:54 p.m.) — Caller reported a small brush fire in front of the residence.

September 15

Cambridge Turnpike eastbound (4:31 p.m.) — Samantha Bradford, 25, of 5 Roseville Square in Lynn was arrested as a passenger in a car for an outstanding warrant for larceny under $1,200.

September 14

Old Sudbury Road (3:18 p.m.) — Minor car crash, no injuries. Seventeen-year-old male was issued a citation for a passing violation and a marked-lane violation. 

September 13 

30 Silver Hill Rd. (2:45 p.m.) — Resident reported someone applied for a loan in his name and the loan application was denied.

Police log

(Editor’s note: The Lincoln Squirrel will start publishing a selection from the daily logs of the Lincoln Police Department roughly once a week.)

September 12

Motor vehicle accident — Cambridge Turnpike eastbound (9 a.m.)
No injuries; one vehicle towed.

Road rage – Cambridge Turnpike eastbound (10:10 a.m.)
Incident involving two vehicles traveling eastbound when one driver threw their iced coffee at the other. The call was transferred to the State Police. 

September 11

Aid to public – 231 Aspen Circle (5:49 p.m.)
Police assisted a resident who wanted to report a missing family member who lives elsewhere. They were referred to the department where the person lives.  

Suspicious circumstances – Wells Road (12:26 a.m.)
A resident complained about teenagers in the Lincoln Woods community room after it closed. 

September 9

Noise complaint – 49 Wells Rd. (11:56 a.m)
Person was playing loud music; police told then to turn it down.

Suspicious circumstances – 168 Lincoln Rd. (1:33 a.m.)
Person reported an odd light flashing in the back of the house. It ended up being a vehicle from SavaTree that had its hazard lights flashing.

September 7

Suspicious circumstances – 241 Old Concord Rd. (1:52 p.m.)
Resident wanted a storage container off his property. He allowed an individual to store stuff in it but he now wants it gone. 

Suspicious person – Trapelo Road. (6:06 p.m.)
People were fishing.

September 6

Missing person over 21 – deCordova Sculpture Park and Museum (2:56 p.m.)
A woman got lost on the trails while hiking and police helped her get her back to the deCordova. She wasn’t injured and walked out of the woods on her own.

Warrant arrest – Hanscom law enforcement, 3 Robbins Rd., Bedford (9:03 am.)
Minaie Mohsen, 67, of 95 Webster St. in Needham was arrested on an outstanding warrant.

 

Town seeks bids for road work this fall

Town officials hope to resurface or repair several roads in town this fall and have asked for bids to be submitted by September 30. If all goes well, contractors will be hired and the work completed by the end of October, though DPW Superintendent noted that paving contractors are very busy and the timetable will depend on their availability.

The areas targeted for work are:

  • Bedford Road (segment at the Five Corners intersection)
  • Bedford Lane (segment)
  • Sunnyside Lane (segment)
  • Route 117 (South Great Road) from railroad tracks east to #327, plus Tower Road apron
  • Lincoln Road northbound from Codman Road to first driveway (patch repair only)

Veteran teacher Gail Wild says goodbye to Magic Garden classroom

By Alice Waugh

Gail Wild and students outside Magic Garden.

Gail Wild came for the music but stayed for the Moonbeams.

Today is the last day as the Moonbeam Room teacher at the Magic Garden Children’s Center for Wild, 65, who’s retiring after a Lincoln career that began as a music specialist. She’s been teaching preschool in various locations since 1975, with the last decade or so in the room populated mostly by three- and four-year-olds. Wherever she was, music has always been a centerpiece of her approach.

“Whether you’re a [classroom] teacher or a music teacher for young children, the most important ingredient is to make it fun,” Wild said. “The younger they are, the more like sponges they are. If something’s fun, they gravitate to it. And music is such a huge umbrella.” She’s introduced her young charges to everything from jazz, blues and opera as well as lullabies and rhyming songs.

Music is an important way to unify children and get them on the same page, at least for a little while. “If you spend time around young children, it can get very loud, with 10 to 20 realities going on simultaneously — everyone wants attention and wants to be heard,” she said. “When we sit for music, we become one voice,” using music to express feelings, or focus on the natural world or being kind.

As a high school student about to go to Tufts University in the early 1970s, “I didn’t have a clue what I wanted to do, but knew I didn’t want to wear nylons or sit in an office behind a desk,” Wild said. Her older sister had studied early childhood education at Connecticut College and that sounded interesting, so she enrolled in the Eliot-Pearson Department of Child Study and Human Development at Tufts. Since most of the students there were women who many assumed were looking for husbands, the running joke was that “pre-med was on the hill and pre-wed was in child development,” she laughed.

In Wild’s first preschool job in Arlington, about half her students did not speak English at home, so songs like “Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star” and the alphabet song were easily shared experiences for the whole group. “It’s the idea of having a common voice,” she said.

Gail Wild in the Moonbeam Room.

Wild is not disappearing altogether from Magic Garden — she’ll go back to being a part-time music specialist while also spending more time doing massage therapy (she earned her degree in that field in 1984).

“I love doing healing work with people — it’s a wonderful way to connect that’s the exact opposite of working with children. You deal with grownups, stay in one place and don’t talk, for the most part, but you’re still retaining that connection, just doing it with your hands rather than your voice,” she said.

It hardly needs saying that what Wild will miss most at Magic Garden is the people, and not just the children. In the summer, the school hires interns, and some of them are college students who are also Magic Garden “alumni,” she said. “That’s pretty sweet to have someone come back and say ‘I remember when I was in Moonbeam!’”

“I’ll miss the amazing co-teachers I get to spend my days with, and I’ll miss a lot of laughing” —  and of course, her students, she added. “Pretty much on a daily basis, you walk in the door and you have some bright eyes ready to give you a hug and happy to see you. That’s a great benefit you don’t get in some other jobs.”

Just recently, Wild was reading aloud the classic book Corduroy and got to the part where the titular stuffed teddy bear goes upstairs in a department store to sleep on one of the beds in the furniture showroom. “And a kid says ‘But Gail, how can he go to bed there? There’s no toothbrush!’ I just love those moments that make you smile from ear to ear when you get into the world of a three-year-old,” she said.

Wild also looks askance at the increasing emphasis nationwide on education for younger and younger children. “Parents shouldn’t worry about academics at all at this age. It’s more about can your child play, do they have an imagination, can they socially interact with others?”

The most obvious change Wild has seen during her career has to do, not surprisingly, with technology, which has consumed not just children but the adults around them. “Kids have a lot more knowledge at their fingertips, and they’re probably more computer-savvy at three than I am now. It’s their second language. But I worry when I go to a restaurant and see parents checking out their phones rather than engaging eye to eye with their kids. A lot of them will grow up with that—not making eye contact when they’re talking to someone,” she said.

“What children want is [adults’] full attention, and I get that they don’t always have that attention to give when they’re running around trying to make dinner or something. But if your child is acting out or feels sad, you are the sun in their world, and they just want you shining on them—knowing that even if it’s just for 10 straight minutes, it’s about them.”

Girl Scouts hit benchmark for community success

Proudly showing off their colorful bench are (left to right) Girl Scouts Lucy Dwyer, Courtney Mitchell, Marielle Soluri, and Rebecca Lupkas.

Lincoln Girl Scout Troop 82742 has installed a pair of six-foot-long benches at the Lincoln Mall shopping area after building them as part of a Silver Award project. 

To earn the award, seventh-grade Girl Scouts Lucy Dwyer, Rebecca Lupkas, Courtney Mitchell, and Marielle Soluri adhered to a specific problem-solving regimen that includes identifying issues they care about, exploring the community to identify needs, finding areas where needs and cares overlap, and engaging stakeholders while developing a long term solution that is also sustainable. 

The benches, made of materials generously donated by Concord Lumber, meet a community need that gives students a place to eat without interfering with other shoppers. Over the course of nine months, the Girl Scouts interviewed students, shopkeepers, landlords, and town officials about problems, researched various solutions, reviewed alternatives with these audiences and responded to feedback

Lucy Dwyer and Courtney Mitchell work on building their Scout troop’s bench.

During the construction process, they learned how to choose materials and waterproofing treatment, transfer design specifications to materials, use a radial arm saw and drills, fasten materials, and apply finishes. The award requires the project to consume more than 50 hours of effort each, which was easily surpassed.

The troop installed the benches at Lincoln Station and are continuing to work with the Rural Land Foundation to add additional bins for trash, recycling, and possibly compost as well as signage for the bins, which was also an identified need.

— Submitted by Carolyn Dwyer and Tara Mitchell, leaders of Troop 82742

Letter to the editor: gratitude for Lincoln’s Pierce House

To the editor:

Sometimes, it is important to send a note of gratitude. Here is mine for today.

Many of us enjoy the generosity of those around us and those who came before. From time to time, that generosity should be publicly acknowledged. The Fourth of July approaches, we must thank all who have made this beloved Lincoln event possible. One aspect of our celebrations, our after-parade luncheon put on by the Boy Scouts, should remind of  the essential role its host, the Pierce House, plays in the life of our community.

In 1910, John H. Pierce, like several of his wealthy contemporaries, made a substantial gift to the town. He willed both his house on Weston Road and the surrounding 30 acres. Little could he have imagined  how well that gift would serve the town — how vibrant it would become and how essential to so much of our community life!

Since it was opened for public use decades ago,  it has welcomed us all to celebrate weddings, graduations, birthdays, and retirements, as well as to mourn passings. It also hosts many town events such as our First Day open house, where up to 500 of us have come together to welcome in the New Year in an all afternoon, all-ages event of food and music and conversation. The house also welcomes events for town organizations such as the Garden Club and others.

We have not only John Pierce and his family to thank for all this, but also the volunteer Pierce House Committees and professional house managers over the years. Many traditions of hospitality were introduced by Richard Silver and his wife Susan. And recently, Nancy Beach has continued and expanded on that legacy.

The house has thrived under their professional leadership, and the town has been the beneficiary.

It is especially remarkable  how well Pierce House has served the town, given it has done so on a shoestring budget.

While offerings to the community at low or no cost and community use has grown, the portion of the budget, financed by town funds, has not. And this, again, is due to the work of the Pierce House Committee and former manager Silver and current manager Beach. They have skillfully balanced the use of the house for non-resident events such as weddings, in such a way that those revenues offset much of the expense of running the house for our use. We are all beneficiaries of their efforts.

So, as we sit under the tent and enjoy our lunch this Fourth of July and look out over the beautiful grounds and park, think of John Pierce and all members of Pierce House Committee, past and present. And, we should also remember the work of house managers Richard Silver and Nancy Beach. If it were not for all of them, we would not have this gem, this wonderful asset serving us all in the heart of Lincoln. They all deserve a note of gratitude.

Sincerely,

Sara Mattes
71 Conant Rd., Lincoln

Letters to the editor must be signed with the writer’s name and street address and sent via email to lincolnsquirrelnews@gmail.com. Letters will be edited for punctuation, spelling, style, etc., and will be published at the discretion of the editor. Letters containing personal attacks, errors of fact or other inappropriate material will not be published.