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

GearTicks teach robotics at Girl Scout event

The GearTicks at WPI for the “Geek is Glam” event: Howie Tsang, Ben Morris, Prerna Karmacharya, Andreas Muzila, Erin Crisafi, Amelia Pillar, and Kevin Ji (click to enlarge).

By Prerna Karmacharya

The GearTicks, a local robotics team based in Lincoln, demonstrated their vacuum pump and helped the Girl Scouts build prosthetic hands and drive LEGO Segways at the Girl Scout “Geek is Glam” event on October 13 at WPI in Worcester.

At the event, the Lincoln GearTicks interacted with girls in grades 4–8, teaching them about how robotics is fun and getting them interested in STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math).

Prerna Karmacharya shows a 3D-printed prosthetic hand to a Girl Scout.

The GearTicks also take part in a competition called FIRST Tech Challenge (FTC) for middle and high school students, where they design, build, and program robots to compete in a challenge once a year. Teams all over the globe compete in this competition. FTC also encourages community outreach.

Last year for FTC, the GearTicks designed a vacuum pump as part of their design for their robot and built the pump from parts they made on their 3D printer. The team also spent lots of time perfecting the custom vacuum pump and enjoy sharing knowledge about it with others.

The GearTicks also 3D-printed prosthetic hands as part of the e-NABLE prosthetic hand project. Through building the hands, they are able to give back to the community using their knowledge, and share their skills with others.

The Girl Scouts came in four groups of about 100 kids in each group. Overall there were about 440 Girl Scouts there. Other exhibitors were iRobot and Bose, along with other groups including a few FRC teams.

Lincoln GearTicks team members Amelia Pillar, Erin Crisafi, Howie Tsang, and Andreas Muzila get ready for the Girl Scouts event. 

One of the Girl Scouts worked with GearTick members Prerna and Amelia to build the prosthetic hands. It turned out that this Girl Scout’s foster sister had a prosthetic hand that was also from e-NABLE.

“It overjoyed me to learn about someone who had benefited from these hands,” Prerna said.

The GearTicks hope that they can keep helping the community. They really enjoyed teaching the Girl Scouts about science and engineering, as well as getting them more interested in STEM. The team strives to use their STEM skills to help their local community.

Letter to the editor: removing political signs is illegal

To the editor:

Political election and campaign time is here again, with the attendant practice of candidate signage. Judging by experiences in the past few elections, there seems to be a lack of understanding or appreciation regarding an interpretation of the sign bylaw issued by the town of Lincoln in 2012.

In the words of the town officials, this compromise was developed to recognize the historical practice of town residents; in the apparent interest of restraint, fair play, and courtesy; and to be consistent with statewide legal precedent protecting free speech. The town published a notice at that time defining these interpretations, but apparently many residents did not see that notice since there is widespread misunderstanding. Following are the key points.    

  • Unattended political signs can be placed by right on town-owned land at the designated intersections in Section 16.2 (d) of the Zoning Bylaw. These five locations are at the intersections of:
    • Sandy Pond Road and Lincoln Road
    • Ballfield Road and Lincoln Road
    • Lincoln Road and South Great Road
    • Bedford Road and Morningside Lane
    • Codman Road and Concord Road
  • Political signs can be held by right (without a permit) on town-owned land as long as they don’t impact safety or constitute a hazard for either motorists or pedestrians.
  • One political sign can be placed by right on private land, not to exceed 8 square feet and for no more than 180 days prior to the election.

Enforcement of these provisions is the responsibility of the Building Commissioner. 

It should also be noted that such political signs are the private property of the relevant candidate’s campaign and as such, vandalism and/or unauthorized removal is illegal.

I hope this will clarify misunderstandings and become more widely appreciated by town residents and campaign supporters alike.

Sincerely,

Gary Davis
Indian Camp Lane, Lincoln
Co-Chair, Lincoln Democratic Town Committee

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.

Council on Aging activities in November

Coffee with photographer Barbara Peskin
November 1 at 2:45 p.m.
Join artist Barbara Peskin on Thursday, Nov. 1 at 2:45 p.m. to celebrate her exhibit “Moments in Nature,” shown in the Bemis Hall gallery through mid-November. Barbara enjoys sharing photos that play on the patience to let nature unfold as you observe, listen and watch and may come unexpectedly in quiet moments. Her photos come from places like Yellowstone and the Grand Tetons, along with photos of mergansers and puffins from Maine, and more from Lincoln and local areas.

Lunchtime jazz
November 2 at 12:30 p.m.
At lunchtime on Friday, Nov. 2, the Lincoln Traditional Jazz Band will be upstairs at Bemis with a menu of delicious oldies but goodies for your enjoyment. Give yourself a break, join your fellow seniors. Relax, take the weight off, sit back and enjoy the music. Trombone, cornet, clarinet, piano, and drums will be in the house from 12:30–1:30.

Toni Lynn Washington and Sax Gordon Beadle play the blues
November 4 at 2 p.m.
All ages are invited to a free concert by renowned Boston-area blues vocalist Toni Lynn Washington and acclaimed saxophonist Sax Gordon Beadle on Sunday, Nov. 4 at 2 p.m. at Bemis Hall. The performance is the Second Annual Ronna Cooper Memorial Concert and is sponsored by the Friends of the Lincoln COA. It is a gift from Margo Cooper in celebration of her mother’s life. Washington has delighted and awed audiences in Boston and around the country and the globe for decades as both a singer and songwriter. Marty Ballou on bass, Bryan Claunch on keyboard and Tom Avery on drums will back up Toni Lynn and Sax Gordon. [Read more…] about Council on Aging activities in November

Letter to the editor: vote for three progressive candidates

To the editor:

You may not have heard about three candidates who are running for three important statewide offices because they do not take money from corporations, lobbyists, or super PACs. Thus there aren’t expensive TV ads and mass mailings for them. These three candidates aim to keep BIG money out of politics.

Jamie Guerin, running for state treasurer, will work to shift the power back into the hands of the people and communities. She will work to built socially just investment programs and divest from corporations that move jobs overseas, that pollute our environment and create abusive work environments. She will work to ensure that local communities—not national conglomerates—benefit from the cannabis business. She supports the movement for a state bank, now under consideration in 17 states to end the influence of Wall Street in local politics. Profits from a state bank go directly into the state budget, which means greater revenue for state programs and more support for students seeking reasonable, low-interest loans for education. Jamie supports investing in the people.

Juan Sanchez, running for secretary of the Commonwealth, supports campaign finance reform and ranked-choice voting. Ranked-choice voting will happen in Maine for the first time this year. It allows voters to vote their real choices for office without “throwing away” their vote. Massachusetts needs ranked-choice voting. Juan supports transparency in politics and increasing and improving voter education. He is running against a long-term incumbent who has been criticized by the League of Women Voters, among others, for misusing taxpayer money.

Jed Stamas, a candidate running for auditor, understands the role of auditor in moving the priorities of Beacon Hill away from corporate interests. As auditor, he will be an independent watchdog, ensuring that Democrats and Republicans are not playing political games with taxpayer money. He will ensure that tax revenues are used ethically and efficiently to benefit the people of Massachusetts. Close auditing of agencies ensures accountability.

Please vote for Jamie Guerin, Juan Sanchez, and Jed Stamas—candidates who are responsive to all the people. They exemplify integrity. If you support progressive values, please support these super candidates who want to put power back in the hands of the people and communities. A vote for them is a vote to give the power back to ourselves.

Sincerely,

Jean Palmer
247 Tower 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.

Lucretia Giese, 1937–2018

Lucretia Giese

(Editor’s note: the following obituary was submitted directly to the Lincoln Squirrel by Lucretia’s brother, Henry B. Hoover Jr.)

Lucretia Hoover Giese (1937-2018) died at her home in Lincoln on October 16, 2018 of cancer. Born in Lincoln on May 23, 1937 as an identical twin to the late Henry B. and Lucretia J. Hoover, Lucretia graduated from Oberlin College and received her master’s degree in 1980, working subsequently at the Seattle Art Museum and as assistant curator in the Department of Paintings at the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston.

She met her late husband, Paul E. Giese, in Seattle and moved back to the Boston area, where they were married on July 23, 1966. They took up residence in Lincoln, where her architect father remodeled a house for them. Paul worked for the Cambridge-based consulting firm Arthur D. Little, and Lucretia for the Museum of Fine Arts.

In the late 1970s, Lucretia returned to graduate school, receiving her PhD in fine arts from Harvard University in 1985 with her thesis, “Winslow Homer: Painter of the Civil War.” An academic career at the Rhode Island School of Design followed, where she was professor of history of art and visual culture from 1989, retiring as professor emeritus in 2007.

Lucretia helped found and was a board member of Friends of Modern Architecture/Lincoln that advocates mid-century Modern architecture in New England. Her post-retirement activities included serving as chair of the Lincoln Historical Commission and membership on the council of Historic New England. Her father designed the first Modern house in Lincoln (1937), which through her and her brother’s efforts, became the first of that period to be accepted into Historic New England’s Stewardship Program.

She and her husband continued to enjoy outdoor activities, cultural events and museums while traveling extensively in this country and abroad.            

Lucretia is survived by her brother, Henry B. Hoover, Jr., of Bedford. Contributions in her memory to Harvard’s Henry B. Hoover Fellowship are welcome. Checks may be made out to the Harvard University Graduate School of Design (note the Henry B. Hoover Fellowship in the memo line) and mailed to Alumni and Development Services, Harvard University, P.O. Box 419209, Boston, MA 02241.

A celebration of Lucretia’s life is planned.

Letter to the editor: support Gonzalez and Palfrey on Nov. 6

To the editor:

We write to express our support for Jay Gonzalez and Quentin Palfrey, the Democratic candidates for governor and lieutenant governor of Massachusetts.

Gonzalez and Palfrey are experienced public servants with a bold vision to pursue the values, policies and investments required to tackle the big challenges to provide a better future for every Massachusetts individual and family. The status quo and the wait-and-see approach are not good enough.

Jay Gonzalez served as president and CEO of CelticCare Health and New Hampshire Healthy Families dedicated to helping low-income residents access health care. He served as Gov. Deval Patrick’s secretary of administration and finance managing the state budget, and was chairman of the board of the Massachusetts Health Connector, where he oversaw implementation of the Massachusetts’ health care reform.

Quentin Palfrey served as deputy general counsel for strategic initiatives in the U.S. Commerce Department and was President Obama’s senior adviser for jobs and competitiveness fostering innovation and creating American jobs. He was also chief of the Health Care Division in the previous Massachusetts attorney general’s office, where he played an important role in the implementation of health reforms and consumer protection efforts.

As candidates for governor and lieutenant governor, they have defined at length their priorities to invest in public schools at all levels to make Massachusetts a leader once again in expanding access to high-quality healthcare, and to create opportunity for all residents of the Commonwealth—not just the wealthy. They will re-engage Massachusetts prior commitments to pursue climate change goals and clean energy sources.

Now more than ever, we need bold leaders in Massachusetts who will stand up for those working families being left behind. Thank you for joining us in voting for Gonzalez and Palfrey on November 6.

Sincerely,

Gary Davis and Barbara Slayter
Co-chairs, Lincoln Democratic Town Committee

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.

News acorns

Climate change film at St. Anne’s

There will be a showing of the film “Burned: Are Trees the New Coal?” at St. Anne’s Episcopal Church on Tuesday, Oct. 30 as part of the church’s ongoing series of films on climate justice. This film tells the little-known story of the accelerating destruction of forests for fuel, and probes the policy loopholes and subsidies of the burgeoning biomass power industry.

Halloween parade at Lincoln Woods

An image from last year’s Halloween parade.

All Lincoln residents of all ages are invited to the second annual Halloween parade at Lincoln Woods. Costumes encouraged but not required. Gather in the parking lot at 50 Wells Rd. beginning at 5 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 31; the parade will begin at 5:30 p.m. The parade is short and is accessible for most people, strollers, wheelchairs, wagons, ghouls and of course, brooms. Free parking for the event in the MBTA lot behind Donelan’s.

Fall Work Day in the Sculpture Park

The deCordova Sculpture Park is looking for volunteers to help beautify the park for fall visitors. Meet in front of deCordova store on Saturday, Nov. 3 anytime between 10 a.m. and noon. There will be water, snacks, and “I Dig deCordova” T-shirts to thank volunteers. Please RSVP via email to dduddy@decordova.org, and bring work gloves and some of your own tools if possible (rakes, pruners, spades, brooms). Children are welcome to help with parental supervision.

Water Dept. seeks assistant

The town’s Water Department is looking to hire a part-time (24 hours a week) administrative assistant. Responsibilities include processing accounts-payable invoices; water meter billing; water meter database management; and payroll, general clerical, and project-based work. The hourly rate range is $22.02–$27.89 based on experience. Click here for the full job description and application information, or email jobs@lincolntown.org by November 9.

Fuel and financial assistance available from town

If you need help paying your winter fuel bill, the Fuel Assistance Program may be able to help. The program provides a cash benefit, payable to an authorized fuel provider, for both home owners and renters with eligible incomes and heating costs. Recipients may be eligible for other benefits, such as weatherization services, heating system repairs, and discount utility rates. To apply for fuel assistance, residents of all ages should call the Lincoln Council on Aging at 781-259-8811 to set up an appointment.

When Lincoln residents of any age have an unforeseen and extreme financial emergency that threatens their well-being, the Lincoln Emergency Assistance Fund and the Small Necessities Project may be able to help. The fund is supported entirely by the Ogden Codman Trust, the First Parish of Lincoln, and donations. For more information or to ask for assistance from the fund, call the COA at 781-259-8811.

Ted Knowlton, 1926–2018

Ted Knowlton

(Editor’s note: this obituary was submitted directly to the Lincoln Squirrel by Polly Knowlton Cockett, Ted Knowlton’s daughter.)

Edward “Ted” Almy Knowlton, 92, of Lincoln died peacefully on October 2 with his special dog, Boomer, at his feet and his wife of 33 years, Anne “Annie” (Preston) Raker Knowlton, by his side.

Ted was born to Edward “Ned” Allen Knowlton and Leila May (Osborne) Knowlton of Holyoke, Mass., on August 26, 1926 in Westerly, R.I. The family summered in Groton Long Point, Conn., where they owned the Duck, a 24-foot open sailboat which Ted skippered for many years. He attended public schools in Holyoke through grade 10, completed school at Phillips Exeter Academy, and enlisted in the Army Air Corps in 1944.

At Yale University, Ted lived in Branford College and graduated in 1950 with a B.S. in industrial administration, a combination of engineering and economics. In 1951, Ted married the late Marianne (Heimburg) Knowlton, and they and their four children lived in Winchester, Mass. for many years.

Following a variety of engineering jobs, including developing an innovative line of products, six with patents, Ted gained electronics experience, capping his career at NEC Electronics by developing a floating-point math package for computer controllers. Combining his computer and mechanical skills, as well as his musical pursuits, Ted built and developed a computer-controlled precision piano tuner—with the prototype gracing his grand piano in the living room for many a year.

Throughout his life, Ted was deeply engaged in music as a jazz pianist, which built on early classical training followed by self-taught jazz improvisation during high school and university, and regular gigs for the remainder of his life, including teaching at Berklee College of Music in Boston. He cherished the myriad musical colleagues he had the privilege to play with over the years, and his legendary jazz parties will be remembered.

With his wife Annie, Ted became involved in the New England Old English Sheepdog Rescue as a charter member, and created NEOESR’s website and database. Ted philosophically evolved to embrace the abiding concepts of truth, beauty, goodness, and love.

Ted is survived by Annie; his children Laurence (Suzanne), Polly (Robin), and Liza (Clifford); stepchildren Robert (Annette), Deborah, Michael (Leslie), and David (Lisa); many grandchildren, step-grandchildren, great-grandchildren, nieces, and nephews. He was predeceased by son Edward and siblings Sylvia, Archa, Bessie, and Harriette.

A celebration of Ted’s life will be held at a later date. In lieu of flowers, please consider a memorial donation to a charity of your choice.