The latest issue of the Lincoln Chipmunk, the quarterly arts companion to the Lincoln Squirrel, has just been published. See what your friends and neighbors have created, and start working on your own submissions — the next deadline is December 9, 2022. Questions? Call editor Alice Waugh at 617-710-5542 or email lincolnsquirelnews@gmail.com.
Report issued on train near-miss that traumatized Lincoln resident
In a 138-page report, Keolis analyzed the factors involved in the terrifying near-miss between an MBTA commuter train and a car crossing the tracks in Lincoln last spring and recommended fixes so it won’t happen again. But the woman who was driving the car isn’t over it — not by a long shot.
Lincoln resident Betsey Yeats was crossing the tracks eastbound on Route 117 on April 11 after picking up her 17-year-old daughter from a private school in Sudbury. “I’ve been going over that crossing four times a day for 20 years. You get used to trusting that it works,” she told the Lincoln Squirrel. Because of a curve in the tracks and a tree blocking the sight line,”it’s not until you’re really on the track that you can see the train,” which suddenly roared into view. “I felt my body stop and freeze. My foot went off the gas.”
The driver of the train, which was traveling at about 50 miles per hour, saw her car and immediately sounded the horn. “The horn was deafening. My brain didn’t tell my body to move my foot, but somehow I pushed [the accelerator] down to the floor without realizing what I was doing,” Yeats said. Her SUV cleared the train’s path just in time. “I could feel the rush of the train behind us. When I looked in my rear-view mirror, all I could see was the train rushing through. Then I saw the blinking light and the gates coming down… Without a V-8 engine, I don’t know if we would’ve gotten out of there.”
The train screeched to a halt with the last car blocking the road at the crossing, and the conductor notified the dispatcher about three minutes afterwards at 3:18 p.m. Meanwhile, Yeats called Lincoln police, who also reached the dispatcher five minutes later, according to the report by Keolis, which operates the commuter rail for the MBTA.
The incident report is dated April 26, but town officials did not see it until fairly recently because the MBTA and the Federal Railway Administration had to review it and “make sure they were comfortable with it,” Town Administrator Tim Higgins told the Select Board on September 19. Higgins and Police Chief Kevin Kennedy first met with MBTA officials on April 28 and “we got early confirmation at that meeting that it appeared to be human error,” he said.
On that day in April, a Keolis communications and signals maintainer was calibrating the warning system (the connection between the train detection system and crossing control system) in the bungalow near the two adjacent crossings. No train was scheduled to pass through the area during his work — but he wasn’t aware that a train on one of the tracks was running nine minutes late and was actually approaching the crossing.
The maintainer tried to auto-calibrate the systems for each of two tracks and succeeded with one, but after 30-60 seconds, he got an error message for the other, according to his account in the report. Unbeknownst to him, the failed auto-calibration process on that track left the warning system deactivated. Before the system prompted him to try again, he noticed that the crossing gate at Old Sudbury Road had gone down, but not the one on Route 117. Realizing a train was approaching, he moved to open the manual control box for the crossing gate but then saw that the train was almost at the crossing, so “I started waving my hands to try to stop traffic as quickly as I could.”
The train conductor saw Yeats’s car and applied the brakes about 60 feet before reaching the Old Sudbury Road crossing. The vehicle immediately behind Yeats was able to stop just in time.
Until the issue was corrected, trains approaching both crossings as well as the one at Tower Road were required to slow to 30 miles per hour, blow their horn, and be prepared to stop. The speed restriction was lifted at 6:09 p.m.
Yeats later learned that a friend of her daughter’s was two cars behind hers and reported what he saw to the police. “He said it was deafening, the squealing of the brakes… [and the maintainer] was running with his hands up in the air towards the train freaking out.”
The investigation found that the maintainer had not informed the dispatcher that he was about to do maintenance at the crossing, that he had never seen the “calibration fail” error, and was not up to date on his training. Investigators recommended improving training, ensuring that auto-calibration work automatically triggers the fail-safe system, and requiring maintainers to notify the dispatcher to verify that there are no approaching trains before they begin work (“begging the obvious question, why is it a new protocol?” Higgins commented at the Select Board meeting). The maintainer was terminated the day after the incident.
However, Lincoln officials also gave credit to Keolis officials after meeting with them. “They took immediate action, they involved the right people, they followed the right protocol to ensure safety” in the immediate aftermath of the incident, Higgins said.
“They took ownership of it — they weren’t trying to skirt the issue, they were very up front with it,” Kennedy said.
Higgins and Kennedy asked in their meetings with Keolis if the cause of the near-miss was the same as that for an accident in January in which a woman in Wilmington was killed when a train hit her car while crossing the tracks when the gates were up. Keolis said that accident happened because a maintainer deactivated the warning system but forgot to reactivate it before leaving for another assignment, Higgins said.
According to a February 24 WBUR story about the aftermath of that accident, new procedures and requirements were stipulated for when work was done involving roadway crossings. Going forward, “dispatchers would have to get affirmation from the signal maintainer that the system was enabled [and] the maintainer must also remain on location to ensure the system functions properly when the next train passes and, if necessary, deploy it manually,” the story says. It’s unclear when these requirements were actually put in place.
Since the incident, Yeats said she’s been “researching up a storm” and meeting with Higgins and Kennedy to learn more about what happened. “I want to say how much I appreciate all of their time and support, and their commitment to understanding why this happened. It’s clear that public safety is their top priority and they’ve been doing everything possible to work with Keolis and the MBTA to get the answers we deserve and to get an action plan put in place so this never happens again,” she said last week.
Still, the effects linger. Her daughter has had dreams about being stuck at a crossing with a train coming, and Yeats herself feels anxious every time she hears a train passing through.
“It used to be a nice background noise… I used to enjoy it,” said Yeats, who lives within earshot of the railroad tracks.
Yeats continues to drive over the crossing almost every day, “but I have a very new way of going over that track,” she said. She knows the commuter rail schedule, “and I look at my clock before I get to the train tracks and I look between the trees… I definitely have a lot of built-in mechanisms now.”
Service for Jane Ward on Oct. 2
Jane Ward
A memorial service will be held in Lincoln on Sunday, Oct. 2 for longtime Lincoln resident Jane “Jinx” Leichtle Ward who died on July 14. She leaves behind a sister, four children, four daughter/son-in-laws, six grandchildren, two great-grandchildren, and many friends.
Jane was born in Waterbury, Conn. on July 30, 1933 to Paul Adrian and Eleanor Blondeck Leichtle. Born at the trough of America’s Great Depression, that economic setting and the Second World War which followed were formative childhood experiences. Waterbury, aka “Brass City,” played a major strategic role in the supplying of war materiel. Looking back she characterized herself as “a child of the war.” During the war, Jane learned at the Salvation Army how to knit, which became a lifelong avocation and passion. In adulthood, her children and numerous friends became beneficiaries of her voluminous production of sweaters. Jane’s childhood home was shared with two sisters: Mary Lou Bay, who died in 2016, and Adrienne Maxwell, who survives her sisters.
Jane attended Waterbury’s Crosby High School, graduating as class valedictorian in 1951. She balanced her academic pursuits with being a cheerleader for Crosby’s athletics teams, as well as extracurricular activities such as the school German language club. Relatively small and light, Jane enjoyed sharing recollections of being tossed high up in the air during cheerleading routines.
With Crosby behind her, Jane entered Wellesley College as a Wellesley Scholar. Her fondest recollections from her Wellesley years were connected to the camaraderie she shared with her classmates, in particular with her dorm-mates at Munger Hall in the center of the campus. She formed many friendships while living there which endured for the rest of her life. Taking a break from the intense thinking-heavy demands of academics, summers she worked as a waitress at the Asticou Inn in Northeast Harbor, Maine, near Acadia National Park. It was there that she met Thomas Dillingham Ward. They were married the summer between her college junior and senior years. They separated in 1969 and subsequently divorced.
After graduating from Wellesley in 1955, Jane had four children in slightly over five years: Geoffrey, Benjamin, Thomas Jr., and Eliza. After living in Concord and on Beacon Hill during the initial years of her marriage, she moved to Lincoln to stay — excepting short residences in London and the San Francisco Bay area later in life — in the fall of 1959. After returning for good in 1992, she routinely pronounced Lincoln “the best place in the world to live,” appreciative of its beauty and the town having been a terrific place for raising her children. She was also deeply grateful for the role her circle of friends, constituting a notional village, played in supporting her family and career. Observing them in their adulthoods, she was delighted to pronounce her kids, however different from each other, as all having an “SOH” – sense of humor.
Jane started her professional career in 1964 working for the legendary Cambridge research and development company Bolt Beranek and Newman. She moved on from BBN in 1969, in part over philosophical objections to their contribution to the arms race. She held several management consulting positions over the next seven years before landing at Digital Equipment in 1976, where she remained until she retired in 1992. She met her second husband, David Cope, at DEC in 1978. They soon discovered a mutual intense interest in Africa and its wildlife. After an initial game viewing tour to Kenya, they went on to organize and lead 14 tours themselves — to Kenya, Botswanna, Tanzania, and Zambia. Jane considered her trips with David to Africa to be highlights of her life. They also traveled to Europe many times.
Subsequent to her retirement, Jane and David enjoyed pursuing their individual and common interests from their Lincoln home. Hers included knitting (of course), reading, history, and cooking. Their daily rituals routinely involved doing the New York Times crossword puzzle, games of backgammon, and croquet when the weather allowed. They enjoyed entertaining friends and family and the aforementioned traveling. She and David included grandchildren in several of their trips abroad, reveling in exposing that generation to the wider world. Her first grandchild, Tyler, son of Tom Jr. and his wife Andrea Ward, was born in 1984. He was followed by Christina (1985), also of Tom and Andrea; Kathleen (1988) and Martin (1991), children of Ben and his wife Mary Pat Daly; and Izabel (1997) and Alexander (2003), children of Eliza and husband Tim Mar.
A year after David’s death in 2015, Jane moved from her home of 57 years to an apartment near the town commercial center, where she lived independently until her death. She appreciated her modest unit with its southwestern facing windows, allowing her to enjoy sunsets. A significant avenue of fulfillment during these later years was her participation in the Lincoln Council on Aging’s knitting and bridge groups – the former offering a platform for passing on her knowledge of and passion for the craft to younger enthusiasts. Through to her life’s end Jane proclaimed that she was glad to have been born when and where she was, saying that her generation “lived in the best of times.”
A memorial service will be held for Jane on Sunday, Oct. 2 at 2 p.m. in Bemis Hall. Any contributions made in her memory would be appropriately directed to the Lincoln Council on Aging. Click here for her online guestbook. Arrangements are under the care of Dee Funeral Home.
Town debates changing the name of Columbus Day
“Columbus Taking Possession,” an 1893 painting by L. Prang & Co., Boston.
Columbus Day or Indigenous People’s Day? Several residents at the September 19 Select Board meeting argued in favor of changing the name of the holiday in Lincoln, though the speakers were not unanimous.
As of October 2021, more than 20 Massachusetts towns including Boston had changed the name of the holiday, and a statewide Indigenous People’s Day bill is being considered by state legislature.
Columbus Day, which commemorates the arrival in the Americas of Columbus (a native of Italy whose voyages were subsidized by the Spanish crown) on October 12, 1492, has been a federal holiday in the U.S. since 1934. The first recognition of the anniversary on a national level was in 1892, when President Benjamin Harrison declared Columbus Day as a one-time national celebration after a mob murdered 11 Italian immigrants in New Orleans, according to Wikipedia, which notes that “the proclamation was part of a wider effort after the lynching incident to placate Italian Americans and ease diplomatic tensions with Italy.” Many Italian-Americans now observe Columbus Day more as a celebration of their heritage rather than of Columbus specifically.
Washington Irving’s 1828 book A History of the Life and Voyages of Christopher Columbus “is the source of much of the glorification and myth-making related to Columbus today and is considered highly fictionalized,” NPR noted in 2013 (“How Columbus Sailed Into U.S. History, Thanks to Italians”). However, public opinion has been turning against Columbus, a change initially fueled by A People’s History of the United States, a leftist view of the country’s past that was published in 1980. It’s now accepted by most that Columbus and his Spanish crewmen enslaved and killed Native Americans, who also died in great numbers from smallpox and other diseases introduced by the Europeans.
“Even at a very basic level, we can understand that we’re memorializing brutality, we’re memorializing abuse, we’re memorializing enslavement,” said Lincoln resident Jason Packineau, who is an enrolled citizen of the Three Affiliated Tribes of North Dakota. “I see this name change as an opportunity for leadership, an opportunity to understand we can speak the truth, self-evaluate and learn, and pursue justice.”
Columbus Day serves to “celebrate and honor the value of conquest and war. We know now that Columbus was not only part of that tradition, but he was a particularly brutal participant,” Jena Salon, a member of WIDE Lincoln, said in a statement at the board meeting. “There is no excuse to continue to celebrate and uplift this individual or the tradition from which he comes. We are here to ask the Select Board to stop listing a holiday on our town calendar which explicitly glorifies genocide and human rights violations. This seems like an easy change, one that requires little effort. If we aren’t willing to stand on the right side of issues when they require no sacrifice, what does that say about our true commitment to inclusion, equity, justice, and diversity?”
But John Toto, a Wayland resident and board member of the Italian American Alliance (IAA), argued against changing the name of the holiday. Although he said he agreed that Indigenous people should have their own holiday, he slammed Zinn’s book as being “not true academic knowledge.” He added that Native Americans “also practiced human trafficking, rape as a war tactic, cannibalism — you name it. We don’t talk about that and I wonder why.”
The move to rename Columbus Day is “denigrating him and in fact denigrating Italians,” Toto added. There’s a great deal of divisiveness in the country today, “and this is perpetrating more of that.” He also noted that the day after Thanksgiving was designated as Native American Heritage Day by President Obama in 2009, though it is not a holiday. In an email to the Lincoln Squirrel, he cited several other pro-Columbus sources including an article (“Columbus, Historical Hero: Today’s Cancel Culture’s Convenient Scapegoat”) by Tom Damigella, vice president of the IAA.
The Select Board will continue its discussion of the issue at its October 3 meeting.
Walking, waving Lincoln lady dies at 95
Elinor P. Nichols
By Kathleen Nichols and Katie Creel
Elinor P. Nichols of Lincoln, an indomitable Lincoln walker with a globe-trotting past, died on Sept. 7, 2022. She was born March 11, 1927 in Nagpur, India. Being “from the jungles of central India” was her first story in a lifetime of stories lived and told. It explained the village Hindi she learned from her nanny and the frequency with which she got lost in concrete jungles: “If I had an elephant, I’d be fine,” she would tell the passerby who showed her the way.
While big sister Carol stayed in the bungalow, Elinor and older brother Gale roved narrow paths in search of things different than home. There was the morning the python dropped on them from above. There was the evening the tiger stalked them home and they could not let themselves break into a run, lest they be chased.
Elinor’s boundless compassion was born in the starving India of the 1930s. She fed her chapattis to famished dogs at the railway station. She slept with orphaned baby squirrels. After leaving her parents, Esther Gale and Kenneth Lyon Potee, to board at Kodaikanal International School, a British hill station, she experienced hunger firsthand. Privation rooted her life in gratitude: if you’re alive and not hungry, It’s Good Enough.
At school, when Elinor wasn’t attracting suitors with her sunny disposition, she was rescuing the brown rats that the kitchen cooks caught, strangled, and threw over the wall into the school playground. The rats that survived till morning she wrapped in a pair of underpants so they couldn’t bite, hid them in her dresser, fed them until they recovered, then released them near the kitchen.
Elinor started Oberlin College in the middle of World War II. To her naïve eyes, America was an alien place with alien values: money, bridge, alcohol, movies, and cigarettes. It took twelve weeks for her mother’s comforting letters to answer Elinor’s homesick ones.
Her college majors, sociology and psychology, helped make sense of things, and people. After marrying Roger Nichols, she earned a master’s degree in psychiatric social work (the first class to graduate from that program at the University of Iowa). As her class of three crossed the stage, the dean whispered to her, “You’re the best student we’ve ever had.” Following a year of visiting patients at home, Elinor gave birth to Kathleen and Wendy.
To pay off medical school debts, the family decamped in 1957 to Dhahran, Saudi Arabia, a small compound built on rocky, barren hills near the world’s most productive oil well, Dammam #7. Camels instead of elephants, deserts instead of jungles, more admirers of her vim: to Elinor it felt like home. Being cute in a tennis dress was fun. Driving a forehand shot to the far baseline was more fun. Yet when imminent loss dispirited her opponent, Elinor threw the game — invisibly and gently. Winning didn’t mean diddly-squat. Jogging home after three sets in 110℉, tennis shoes squishy wet, she thought she could never be happier. Happiness was also water skiing on the Persian Gulf, jumping the wake — until she wiped out and fell into a salty sea of jellyfish and sea snakes.
In another life, Elinor would have been an archeologist. Clambering between pre-Islamic ruins, she could see camouflaged blonde chert arrowheads where others saw only rocks. She led Girl Scout troops into the desert to scramble up jabals (mountains) and explore riverbeds. Around campfires at night her guitar and sweet voice led the singing. When her son Quaife was born in 1961, she sang him spirituals and folk songs.
Inheriting an Arabian mare posed a challenge. She knew her Indian elephants but it was obvious that horses were too big and frightening to ride so she exercised Sheer by walking her in circles. Her Girl Scouts snickered, “Mrs. Nichols, we’ve been talking and we think you’re too scared to ride Sheer.” “I’m not scared,” she said, “I just need the exercise.” The girls hoisted her ninety-six pounds into the saddle. Soon, she was cantering yellow dunes. Soon, galloping the endless beaches.
Twice the family drove 4,000 miles from London to Arabia, jerry cans of water strapped to the bumpers of a Land Rover, Elinor handing sandwiches to her three children riding outside on the hood and roof. From Istanbul in the west to Sharjah in the east, in souks and harbors, her Hindi opened doors — a gold smuggler in Dubai offered her passage on his sailing dhow — but it was humor, kindness, and warmth that won her a world of friends. Those who shared their addresses received years of airmail postcards, an honor they returned by arriving on her doorstep at nap time — horrifying.
In 1970, Elinor moved to a marsh island in Cohasset Harbor, south of Boston, where she discovered a plethora of animals that needed her. She fed the possums, porcupines, ducks, chipmunks, and squirrels. She fed the coyotes and foxes that eat them. Spying from a mile away her white Toyota heading home, red-tailed hawks circling overhead screeched for their daily chicken wings. On the front lawn, raccoons dined on dog food. When an exhausted mother of five kits leaned against Elinor to rest while her babies ate from Elinor’s cupped hands, the two mothers needed no words.
Amirah, her Newfoundland, roamed the nearby beaches in search of picnics. The phone would ring: “Come get your dog. She just ate our hot dogs.” Elinor would jump into a canoe and paddle across the harbor. Willingly, Amirah would clamber into the bow and ride serenely until a seagull flew by, whereupon she’d capsize the canoe and paddle towards Portugal.
Unable to pay the mortgage on Bailey’s Island, Elinor and Roger founded University Associates for International Health, a nonprofit. Staffing Arabia’s hospitals and professional schools sent Elinor crisscrossing Eurasia to interview and hire hundreds of employees.
After Roger became director of Boston’s Museum of Science in 1981, Elinor threw herself into organizing blockbuster exhibits and raising money to build an Omni theater. Widowed at age 60 in 1987, her stories of Ramses the Great drew crowds to their final exhibit.
Elinor gave her grandchildren the world. Riding camels past the Great Pyramid of Giza was not enough; they searched for better pyramids, got lost, and ended up in an Egyptian Army firing range. At age 85, Elinor moved to Lincoln, wrote a memoir, True Tales of Jungle India, and explored her new town, walking four miles a day, every day, in every weather. She waved to bus drivers, talked to police officers, pet dogs, and told her stories to whomever would listen — which, it turned out, was everyone.
She is survived by her children, Kathleen, Wendy, and Quaife Nichols, and her grandchildren Kathleen and Roger Creel, and Wellesley, Denver, and Alex Nichols.
A memorial service in her honor will be held on Saturday, Nov. 5 at 1 pm at the First Parish Church. Please RSVP here for the preceding luncheon at noon. Donations in her honor may be made to the Nature Conservancy.
Editor’s note: Following is a remembrance written and posted on LincolnTalk by Kathleen Nichols.
In the beginning she walks easily. Four miles a day, seven days a week, no matter the weather. Eager to meet you, wanting to hear your story, ready to tell a story, hoping your dog was friendly.
Thanks, nice dogs large and small, for warm fur and wet kisses.
Thanks, Lincoln Garden Club, for the water fountain and the beauty of Peace Park. She needed both.
Thanks to Lincoln’s school children who, racing past on Wednesday afternoons without knocking her down, gave of their exuberance.
Thanks, Lincoln, for offering her rides on wet and cold days. And for accepting when she cheerfully and unequivocally declined. Declining made her feel stronger.
She needs a cane now, hearing aids, glasses. She forgets your names and faces, is amazed you know hers.
Thanks, Lincoln Police Department, for protecting her crosswalk and listening to her tall tales.
Thanks, Lincoln Library, for supplying a steady stream of good books.
She wears out several canes. Now switches to a rollator — red — so she can paint the town. Miles per day decreases to three. Pace: slow but resolute.
Thanks, Lincoln, for calling her an inspiration; it made her try harder.
Thanks, bus drivers of Doherty’s Garage, for every honk, wave, smile.
Mark Twain said, “I can live for two months on a good compliment.” Thanks, young biker who shouted, “Hello, Invincible!”
Pierce Hill Road gets steeper. She stops to rest in the middle of the road. Thanks for stopping to ask if she’s ok. And for telling her to move over.
Onwards and upwards she walks.
It takes three heart attacks to stop her.
When last seen, Mama was heading east towards Harvard Medical School, eager to tell her story to medical students studying anatomy.
Thanks, Lincoln, for seeing, accepting, protecting, and cherishing her.
Police log for September 8-19, 2022
September 8
Lincoln Road (10:33 a.m.) — Caller was concerned about a party at Donelan’s who drove away in their vehicle with the trunk open. An officer was unable to locate the vehicle on Lincoln Road.
South Great Road (12:30 p.m.) — Caller reported a truck parked on Route 117 causing a hazard. An officer responded; the truck was off the roadway and not impeding traffic.
Concord Road (1:07 p.m.) — Officer checked on a party walking in the roadway on Route 126. They were walking home to Waltham; officer gave them a ride to the Weston town line on Route 117.
Conant Road (8:05 p.m.) — Caller requested a well-being check on the resident as they could not get in touch with the party. While en route, the caller canceled as they were able to get in contact with the resident.
September 9
Weston Road (8:01 a.m.) — Caller reported a truck blocking the roadway. An officer responded; a construction truck was looking to access a house on a common driveway on Weston Road. The officer assisted the party.
Mary’s Way (2:12 p.m.) — Caller reported a vehicle parked in a no-parking zone at Oriole Landing. They were advised to contact the management company as it’s on private property.
Harvest Circle (3:36 p.m.) — A police cruiser was on Harvest Circle for a medical emergency and a party backed into the cruiser, causing minor damage.
Huckleberry Hill (5:09 p.m.) — Fire Department reported an odor of natural gas outside the residence. National Grid was contacted.
Chestnut Circle (6:17 p.m.) — Caller reported their cat was missing. Animal Control was advised.
Silver Birch Lane (8:42 p.m.) — Caller reported their neighbor’s dog was barking. An officer responded and everything was quiet.
Lincoln Road (9:25 p.m.) — Officer responded to a two-car crash Lincoln Rd at Route 117. As a result of the investigation Yoshizumi Nagamachi, 62, of Arlington was arrested and charged with OUI–liquor. No injuries reported.
September 10
Cambridge Turnpike westbound (7:30 a.m.) — Caller reported various items were placed in their driveway in an apparent prank. An officer responded and took a report.
DeCordova Sculpture Park (8:33 a.m.) — Report of a party fishing in the reservoir. An officer responded and advised them to move along.
Sandy Pond Road (8:41 a.m.) — Caller reported finding a dog while walking on the trails and was concerned for its well-being. An officer responded along with the dog officer. The dog was healthy and the dog officer contacted its owner.
Patterson Road, Hanscom AFB (1:05 p.m.) — Caller from the school requested a well-being check on a student on base. Officers responded and everything was fine with the student.
Cambridge Turnpike eastbound (4:00 p.m.) — Officer checked on a vehicle pulled off the roadway. Everything was fine.
White Avenue, Concord (5:38 p.m.) — Concord Fire Department requested an engine in the area of White’s Pond. The Fire Department was canceled while en route.
Silver Birch Lane (9:48 p.m.) — Caller reported their neighbor’s dog was barking. Officer responded and everything was quiet.
Silver Birch Lane (10:25 p.m.) — Caller reported their neighbor’s dog was barking. Officer contacted the dog owner and told them to bring the dog in for the night.
September 11
Walden Street, Concord (1:21 p.m.) — Concord police requested assistance in checking the Pine Hill well on Walden Street, as they had a camera activation and their officers were busy. Officers responded and walked around the area; no sign of anyone.
Wheeler Road (8:15 a.m.) — Caller reported while running that a dog was off leash and was barking and being a nuisance. Party was advised of the leash law and was connected with Animal Control.
Oxbow Road (3:12 p.m.) — Wayland police requested assistance in locating a party with Alzheimer’s who walked away from their residence. Officers checked the area. Wayland police reported the party was safely located in Wayland.
September 12
Concord Road (8:54 a.m.) — Two-car crash at the intersection of Routes 126 and 117. No injuries; one vehicle was towed.
Vandenberg Drive, Hanscom AFB (1:56 p.m.) — Hanscom Security Forces requested assistance with a party at the gate who was involved in a crash and was possibly intoxicated. An officer responded and the State Police were on scene as well. Hanscom Security Forces handled the matter.
Concord Turnpike, Concord (3:18 p.m.) — Lincoln firefighters assisted Concord Fire Department with a multiple-vehicle crash on Route 2 westbound at the town line.
Lincoln Road (5:59 p.m.) — Report of an odor of gas outside the Bank of America. The Fire Department responded and checked and found no gas meter readings in the area.
September 13
Old Cambridge Turnpike (7:33 a.m.) — Caller asked to speak to an officer regarding a family member’s behavior. Officer responded and spoke to the party and assisted them with resources. The party was brought to Emerson Hospital suffering from a medical emergency.
Concord Road (8:51 a.m.) — Minor two-car crash. Officers assisted the parties with exchanging paperwork.
South Great Road (6:41 p.m.) — Officer checked on a party pulled to the side of the road. Party was programing their GPS.
Baker Farm Road (7:23 p.m.) — Report of residential debris dumped on the private way. An officer responded and took a report.
Deerhaven Road (9:00 p.m.) — Caller from Boston asked to speak to an officer regarding property that had not been returned to them and was currently believed to be at a residence in Lincoln. An officer found that the matter was civil in nature and explained the caller’s legal options.
September 14
Lincoln Gas and Auto, South Great Road (12:46 a.m.) — Officer found a bay door to the business was open. Officers checked inside; everything is secure and they were able to close the door.
Cambridge Turnpike eastbound (3:15 a.m.) — State Police were pursuing a stolen vehicle on Route 2 coming into Concord from Acton. Officers responded to the area to assist if necessary. The pursuit ended in Concord by Route 126. The Lincoln officers cleared the area and did not get involved.
Lincoln Road (9:56 a.m.) — Caller reported someone using a leaf blower. An officer responded and advised the user of the town bylaw.
Marguerite Avenue, Waltham (12:45 p.m.) — Waltham Fire Department requested an ambulance to a residence. Fire Department responded and transported a party to Newton-Wellesley Hospital.
Cambridge Turnpike eastbound (1:15 p.m.) — Report of a crash at the Lexington town line. Officers responded and the crash was located in Lexington; State Police and Lexington Fire Department handled.
South Great Road (2:31 p.m.) — Two-crash near Mt. Misery with minor damage. An officer responded and moved the parties into the parking lot., then assisted them in exchanging paperwork.
Trapelo Road (5:04 p.m.) — Two-car crash at Old County Road; no injuries.
September 15
Nothing of note.
September 16
Boyce Farm Road (12:38 p.m.) — Party asked to speak to an officer, but the matter was civil in nature. The caller was given their legal options.
Mill Street Extension (12:47 p.m.) — Officer delivered paperwork to a resident from the Registry of Motor Vehicles.
Cerulean Way (1:05 p.m.) — Caller reported hearing a loud noise the previous night and woke up to find a pane of glass on their door was broken. An officer responded and it did not appear to be malicious.
Cambridge Turnpike eastbound (2:56 p.m.) — Fire Department responded to a multiple-vehicle crash at the Concord town line.
September 17
Lincoln Woods (1:46 a.m.) — Caller reported hearing loud banging noise being made by one of their neighbors. An officer responded and spoke to the party; everything was quiet and it was unclear who was making the noise.
Wells Road (9:54 a.m.) — Caller reported a woman walking around the area smoking who appeared to be lost. An officer responded to the area and was unable to locate the party.
Donelan’s Supermarket (3:06 p.m.) — Fire Department assisted a party who locked their keys in their car.
DeCordova Sculpture Park (5:17 p.m.) — Officer responded to the parking lot for a report of a minor motor vehicle crash and assisted the parties with exchanging papers.
Ridge Road (8:33 p.m.) — Concord police reported finding property belonging to a Lincoln resident. An officer attempted to make contact with the resident.
September 18
Trapelo Road (10:29 a.m.) — Caller reported a man and woman at the corner of Trapelo Road and Silver Hill Road and the women appeared to be upset. Officers responded but were unable to locate anyone in the area.
Pierce House (3:22 p.m.) — Caller reported that friends were following them in their vehicle to an event at the Pierce House and they got separated and didn’t have a cell phone. An officer found them at Doherty’s garage and brought them to the Pierce House.
South Great Road (5:09 p.m.) — A resident called the station reporting having phone problems and that they didn’t have food. An officer responded and brought them some food. Officers followed up with the Council on Aging and Human Services.
Cambridge Turnpike eastbound (7:18 p.m.) — Caller reported a party walking along the highway. An officer located a juvenile who was walking back to Lexington; he contacted the parent, who picked them up.
September 19
Deerhaven Road (9:07 p.m.) — Call regarding a lost/stolen cell phone pinging in the area of Deerhaven Road. The matter is under investigation.
Bedford Road (4:23 p.m.) — Party reported a humming sound coming from a utility pole. An officer responded and did not hear anything coming from the pole.
Walden Street, Concord (8:43 p.m.) — Concord police asked Lincoln officers respond to the residence to assist with a mental health emergency.
News acorns
Order daffodil bulbs to benefit SSEP
Order daffodil bulbs to support South Sudanese Enrichment for Families (SSEF) Women’s Program by Friday, Sept. 30. All funds raised will go toward continuing education such as ESL and financial literacy. Pickup at the Lincoln mall on Saturday and Sunday, Oct. 22 and 23, where SSEF will also sell vibrant cloth napkins made from African patterned fabric. Click here to order bulbs.
Scarecrow Classic 5K coming up
Register for the 10th annual Scarecrow Classic 5K, a road and trail race through Lincoln’s conservation land that raises funds for the LLCT, on Sunday, Oct. 16 starting at 9:30 a.m. Participants are encouraged to register by October 3 to guarantee their Scarecrow Classic T-shirt and (new this year) a Scarecrow Classic mesh running cap. A virtual participation option is also available through the registration form. Visit scarecrowclassic5k.com to learn more and register.
Pumpkin picking in October
Matlock Farm, continually run by the Lincoln’s Flint family since the 17th century, will be hosting its annual pumpkin-picking event in October. There will be hay rides, farm-themed photo ops, and more. The event is a great way to enjoy an autumn afternoon with your family in a safe, socially distanced setting. The events will take place on Saturdays and Sundays on all five weekends in October (weather permitting) from noon–4 p.m. in the field by 28 Lexington Rd.
Library offers virtual programs
The Lincoln Public Library will present the following virtual events hosted by the Tewksbury Public Library in collaboration with several Massachusetts libraries. Sponsored by the Friends of the Lincoln Library. Advance registration required.
- “Billy Joel the Piano Man” — Thursday, Oct. 6 from 2-3 p.m. Details and registration.
- “The Films of Alfred Hitchcock” — Friday, Oct. 14 from 4-5 p.m. Details and registration.
- “Jewish Immigrants and the American Antiques Trade” with Historic New England — Monday, Oct. 24 from 11 a.m.–noon. Details and registration.
Lincoln’s Feinberg profiled in news story
Gabriel Feinberg, a 2021 L-S graduate, was recently profiled in the sports section of the Metro West Daily News for his fencing, notably his role in the NCAA championship win for The Ohio State University Fencing Team and his spot on the Junior’s Men’s Epee USA Team. He hopes for to compete in the 2024 Summer Olympics. Read more on this Olympia Fencing Center web page.
Property sales in August 2022
7 Todd Pond Rd. — Carolyn Birmingham Trust to Nora Iluri for $1,752,00 (July 27)
46D Indian Camp Lane — Benjamin Herzig to Sungil Jung and and Yurim Yi for $322,295 (July 20)
143 Chestnut Circle — Donald Kennedy to Gloria Dimambro for $760,000 (July 15)
338 South Great Rd. — Stephen Amelia to Wajdi and Polina Kanj for $1,950,000 (July 13)
48 Conant Rd. — Meghan K. Lytton Trust to Jonathan Sheffi and Judyta Frodyma for $2,650,000 (July 12)
54 Conant Rd. — Meghan K. Lytton to Marit van Buuren and Willem Ruben for $1,625,000 (July 8)
23D South Commons — Philip Loheed to Rudolph Huspas for $678,910 (July 7)
0 Conant Rd. — Martha Davis Trust to Jame and Camilla Ross for $1,300,000 (July 1)
News acorns
Lincoln Dems co-host election discussion
Join an informational presentation and discussion, “Sorting Out the Midterms: How to Support Key Senatorial and Congressional Candidates in the National Midterms,” via Zoom on Thursday, Sept. 22 from 7–8 p.m., hosted by the Lincoln Democrats and Force Multiplier (FM) with speakers Tom Hallock and Ed Loechler, two of FM’s founders. Click here to register. This is not a fundraiser; no fee to attend.
Session on gardening and climate change
“Making a Meadow: Easy Tips for Incorporating a Native Meadow” with Lincoln Common Ground and eco-gardener Diana Rice will take place on Sunday, Sept. 25 from 2–4 p.m. Gardening to counter climate change is actually much easier in the long run than maintaining a turf grass lawn or traditional garden as it frees homeowners from from mowing and using chemicals, gas and lots of water to maintain a landscape. Supervised children and families are welcome. Click here for location and registration. Questions? Email Emily Haslett at emhaslett@gmail.com.
Grown-ups’ night at the Tack Room
All are welcome to LincFam’s Grown-Ups’ Night Out on the Tack Room patio on Wednesday, Sept. 28 from 7:30–9:30 p.m. Please RSVP by emailing info@lincfam.org.
Upcoming Lincoln Conservation Dept. programs
Autumn conservation trail walks — Join conservation staff on Tuesday mornings starting September 20 as we visit different trails in Lincoln. Registration is required in order to keep group size under 15 people and to ensure we can contact you in case of cancellation due to weather or public health concerns. Click here for destinations and registration link.
Ranger-led trail walks — Explore Lincoln’s open space and trails on the first Saturday of each month with Will Leona, Lincoln’s conservation ranger. Walks are generally 2 miles long and are appropriate for all ages. Click here to RSVP (select the tab at the bottom with the date you wish to participate).
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- October 1 — Harrington Woods/Beaver Pond (meet at parking area on north side of Rt. 117 at Weston/Lincoln town line)
- November 5 — Farm Meadow/Coburn East. Meet at Lincoln MBTA parking lot (free on weekends)
- December 3 — Mt. Misery (meet at Mt. Misery parking lot on Route 117 at 60 South Great Rd.)
Volunteer conservation crew on Fieldwork Fridays — Town land management staff will host three volunteer workdays focused on invasive plant species control on September 30 (Codman South), October 28 (Beaver Pond), and November 18 (Sudbury River canoe launch). Volunteers will get a chance to make a positive impact on our conservation land and enjoy the great outdoors. Click here to RSVP (select the bottom tab with the date you wish to participate). Meeting location, event details, and waiver will be emailed to registrants prior to the workday. Questions? Email conservation@lincolntown.org or call 781-259-2612.
Garden Club event for prospective members
All Lincoln residents are cordially invited to the Lincoln Garden Club’s wine and cheese evening for new and prospective members on Sunday, Oct. 2 at 5 p.m. Come hear about the club’s many horticultural events and meet some members. Please RSVP to Ann Parke at annparke@verizon.net or Lucy Sprayregen at lucypage@aol.com.
Jacques Maroni, 1923-2022
Jacques Maroni
Jacques R. Maroni died on September 8, 2022, at the age of 99. Born to Robert and Valentine Maroni in Paris, France on January 9, 1923, he graduated from Lycee Janson de Sailly in Paris, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (Class of ’43) and the Harvard Business School (Class of ’48). A U.S. Navy veteran who served in World War II, he worked for the Ford Motor Company for 37 years and was married to his beloved wife, Marilyn “Linette” Maroni, for 62 years.
He was raised in the 16th arrondissement of Paris and developed lifelong passions for tennis (competing as a junior in the French Open in 1938) and skiing (enjoying his last runs at Alta when he was 89). He was generally on the first and last chairs of the day, but always left the mountain to have lunch with his wife when she stopped skiing.
After the fall of France in June 1940, his parents placed him and his brother on one of the last tugboats to leave the St. Malo harbor for safety in England, and later the U.S. He loved the energy of America and went to work at Ford after attending Harvard Business School on the GI bill. He held various executive positions over four decades, the most important of which was an assignment with an advertising executive and his assistant on marketing a new car. He married the assistant, and the marriage lasted. The car was the Edsel, and it did not.
He had prodigious curiosity. He held the patent for the automatic pilot and was the first person at Ford to use a computer in the fifties. He concluded his Ford career as Director of Energy and Environmental Planning, where he encouraged the company to support alternative sources of energy in the seventies and eighties.
After retiring in 1988, he moved to the house his father built in Lincoln in 1952. There he focused on landscaping the fields, as his father had before him, and investing in technology. He loved the outdoors.
His singular focus, however, was always his family. He would hold hands with his wife, take pride in his daughter’s medical career and compare investment ideas with his son. However, he became most focused on his three grandchildren. Bopop (a name he warmed to gradually) loved their special days together when they were young and learning about their adventures when they became adults. He would often speak of his childhood in Paris, and took great pride in family trips with his grandchildren to explore his favorite city.
He was born in his parents’ apartment in Paris in the 1920s and died in his parents’ home in Lincoln in the 2020s. To the end, he vividly remembered every decade. He loved new ideas, hated small talk and devoured books on future technology and world history in equal measure.
He leaves behind his wife, Linette Maroni of Lincoln; his sister, Claudine Harris of Iowa City, Iowa; a daughter and son-in-law, Jaman Maroni and Mike Terry of New York, N.Y.; a son and daughter-in-law, Kevin and Polly Maroni, of Brookline; and grandchildren Polly, Kate, and Jack Maroni.
Arrangements are under the care of Concord Funeral Home; click here to leave a remembrance. Donations in Maroni’s name can be made to Emerson Hospital.