To the editor:
I am writing to ask the citizens of Lincoln for your support of my candidacy for the Bemis Trust at the polls on Monday, March 28. (This year, the election follows our Annual Town Meeting by one week.) In the 1990s, I was honored to serve as a Bemis trustee.
The Bemis Trust is an example of the generosity of one of Lincoln’s luminaries: George Bemis. In 1892, Mr. Bemis provided money for “a new Town Hall in which shall be a room of sufficient capacity and proper construction for public lectures… and to provide an annual course of public lectures in said Hall of an instructive and elevating character,” resulting in the Bemis Free Lecture Series. In 1982, another generous Lincolnite, John Todd, left a bequest to complement the Bemis endowment and expand the charge to provide “entertainment and recreation.”
The series has brought the town together to be entertained and to both listen to and discuss important topics of the day. I would hope, if honored with election this year, to work with fellow trustees to continue that tradition and to continue the tradition of collaboration with other town organizations, both public and private. In my past life as a trustee, we worked with the Lincoln Public Schools and the PTO to bring programs to the classroom and the lecture hall. Who can forget the wolves of “Mission: Wolf” walking around a circle of children seated on the floor of the Smith gym!
We also co-sponsored, with the Rural Land Foundation (RLF) and Lincoln Land Conservation Trust, a memorable evening with Warren Flint, Sr., who shared stories of Lincoln and how our innovative land conservation efforts came to be. Also, the Bemis Trust worked with the Planning Board and the RLF to bring a weekend of events, culminating in several hundred Lincolnites coming together in an all-day charrette to dream and reimagine the future for our commercial retail center—brought to reality as The Mall at Lincoln Station.
The Bemis Trust has brought us memorable events over the years, and the current trustees have some exciting event planned for this spring and fall. I would be honored and delighted to join them for future planning. I ask for your consideration and your vote on Monday, March 28.
Sincerely,
Sara Mattes
71 Conant Rd.
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Thank you for running for election to participate in this worthwhile part of our community life. Also, it’s good to be reminded of the history of this informative series of lectures.