SUMMER 2012 - Vo l . 12/2 -

Do you know where these

and the other pictures are

located?

Look for them around

Mayflower or find the

answers on page 12

SUMMER 2012 - V o lum e 12 – N o .2

Barbara Fisher

(Story on page 3)

Welcome

New

Residents

A Publication of the Mayflower Residents Association

Daylight Balloon Ascension - Brad Fisher

Still Life - Sara Peak Convery

The Magician’s Passage - Richard Hall

THE MAYFLOWER AS

ART GALLERY

A Continuing Project of the

Art Committee.

See complete story on page 4

Betty Gerber

(Story on page 5)

Doris Page

(Story on page 2)

Dick and Betty Weeks

(Story on page 11)

Dorothy Pinder

(Story on page 10)

Anne Sunday

(Story on page 7)

2 - SUMMER 2012 - Vo lume 12/2

“A thing of beauty is a joy forever,”

proclaimed John Keats. In this

issue we hope to remind you of the many

experiences of beauty offered to residents

of and visitors to the Mayflower at any

time, thanks to the loving efforts of the

many volunteers who make this a beautiful

place.

In mid-summer, when we’re nearly

overwhelmed by the natural beauty our

faithful gardeners sustain for us, we should

not neglect the exceptional art works that

are always on display in our buildings,

including the recent transformation

of the first floor of Buckley into a

resplendent gallery of new works

provided by the Art Committee.

We’ve highlighted just a few of the

aesthetic joys to be found on our

communal walls. In addition,

consider that the host of “puzzlers”

at work in our midst are themselves

joyfully employed in creating

beautiful order out of disorder.

It is easy to get too used to the

beauty that surrounds us, from the

cultivated natural beauty to the art works

that enliven our surroundings. I confess

that I sometimes just use the art works in

Buckley as indicators of the floor the

elevator doors have opened upon and

gaze!

Likewise, while dining in Buckley I

sometimes use the wonderful garden to

tell me the way the wind blows!

As we try to stay awake and open to the

beauty that surrounds us in our gardens

and buildings, let us also keep

ourselves appreciative of the beauty

of all the wonderful spirits of the

members of our community who are

with us each day and are the fullest

expression of the Beautiful in our

daily lives.

In this bountiful season of natural

beauty, remind yourself that there

are always a great many occasions

for you to experience beauty at the

Mayflower.

Harley Henry

FROM THE EDITOR

WELCOME DORIS PAGE - Beebe 105

D oris is a ‘native’ of the Jasper-

Poweshiek County area. She

graduated from Grinnell High School in

1947. Fifty years on the farm! Now that’s

a long time.

Doris and her husband, Judd LaGrange,

farmed in this area. Doris always had a

large garden, helped with 4-H and the

usual work that is part of farm life. She

and Judd had a son, Dan, who lives in

Omaha, NB.

Doris married William Page in 1965. They

made their home in Grinnell. “I worked at

a variety of restaurants and for fifteen

years worked at St. Francis and at the

Mayflower for two years,” she said. She

and William had a daughter, Kimberley

Kaisand (Mike), Brooklyn, IA. She enjoys

her five grandchildren. Both Mr. LaGrange

and Mr. Page are deceased.

She likes playing board games and

bingo. “I do enjoy being outside,” she

added, wiping her forehead. “But not so

much when it is as hot as today.” In the

cooler confines of Beebe, she added, “I do

like being here at Mayflower.”

Beryl Wellborn

SUMMER 2012 - Vo l . 12/2 - 3

G reeting my knock on the door was a

“Woof, woof.” “And this is …?” I

asked. “This is my second, and last,

husband. His name is ‘Mo’, Barbara

laughingly told me. She added, not

smiling, “And I’m farming him out.”

Raised in Paris, IL, after high school

Barbara attended Terre Haute Business

and Commercial College and began her

working career at the Department of Public

Instruction in Springfield, IL where she

met and married her late husband, William

‘Bill’ Fisher.

Barbara and Bill have a son, James

(‘Jim’), and a daughter Jennifer. Jim and

wife Amy live in Mount Clair, CA, and

Jennifer Jones and husband Brian live in

Decorah, IA. There are four grandchildren

for Barbara to spoil. Husband Bill moved

from the banking business to the

telephone industry as an employee of

General Telephone of IL. He was assigned

to General Telephone of the Midwest, and

to Grinnell in 1963.

“We did some traveling - Florida, London,

Hawaii - but now I just travel to see my

kids and their families.” Asked about her

interests, she responded, “I like playing

bridge and enjoy the clubs I belong to and

many friends.”

“I worked at the Mayflower for four years,

from 1993 to 1997, as Activities Director,”

she reminded me. “So the community

won’t be completely new.”

As ‘Mo’ escorted me to the door, Barbara

remarked, “Well, I’m looking forward to

the move, I just hope I can get everything

done in time when E11 is ready for me.”

Beryl Wellborn

WELCOME BARBARA FISHER - Edwards 11

Tent Tops - Brad Fisher

4 - SUMMER 2012 - Vo lume 12/2

I magine what the halls of the

Mayflower buildings would look like

without any pictures hanging there?

That's the way it was when, in the late

1990's, a few residents formed the

Mayflower Art Committee. Artist Netia

Worley was the ringleader and is still active

with the committee's two other members,

artist Merle Zirkle and Warren Reinecke.

The committee's aim is to enhance the

impression presented by the public areas

here, both for residents and for visitors

and potential residents.

The Art Committee’s most recent project

resulted in an impressive array of more

than twenty framed art works in the first

floor hall of Buckley which turned the

passageway from the dining room to the

north end of the building into delightful

gallery.

The Art Committee, recognized and

approved by Director Bob Mann, is solely

responsible for hanging artworks in public

areas. In its fifteen or so years of activity,

it has received many compliments and

enthusiastic thanks from residents, as well

as outsiders, who have discovered to their

delight that the Mayflower, if you are

looking for it, houses much beauty.

What the Art Committee needs, not

surprisingly, is money. Though it is not a

Mayflower Residents Association

committee, it has occasionally had some

financing from the MRA. The management

also has occasionally been able to supply

monetary support; but there is a real need

for interested residents to donate.

Donations of money naturally are the

most helpful, but donations of artworks are

also accepted, and all gifts are

acknowledged by both the committee and

management for tax exemptions. The Art

Committee is also in search of one or two

additional residents who would be willing

to serve on the committee.

When the committee first put itself

together, the original members surveyed

the Mayflower buildings to check out what

was there -- very little. Then they tried to

see what was needed by conducting an

inventory of all the halls and public spaces

to establish the goal of providing the most

needed beautification in each building. As a

result, these dedicated volunteers for

beauty have provided art for the two newly

organized rehabilitation rooms in the

Health Center, as well as some hangings in

the new conference room in Pearson.

In the past six years or so, Merle

reports, they have placed 115 works in

Mayflower buildings, pictures of course, but

also a new vase of flowers in Beebe, a

mobile, and many other works of art,

whatever has been judged as appropriate

for the empty spaces.

The group usually buys artworks prints

from commercial houses; then Merle and

Netia do the matting and framing--as they

have done for the impressive number of

new works that adorn the walls of the first

floor of Buckley---themselves, to save that

cost at least. They can often be seen busily

at work in the Mayflower’s exceptionally

equipped (thanks to Netia and Merle) craft

room in Edwards. But the materials

naturally must be purchased.

Take another look at the committee's

early goal. Wouldn't most

residents say it is succeeding beautifully?

Sue Chasins

THE MAYFLOWER AS ART GALLERY

A Continuing Project of the Art Committee

SUMMER 2012 - Vo l . 12/2 - 5

“W ell, I’m just a Grinnell girl”

Betty said. “I had to have an

apartment in a single story building. I

wanted windows so I could see my car and

be able to get to it if there is an

earthquake!” She said all this with her

engaging smile. A San Francisco resident

for 25 years Betty has had to think of the

possibility of an earthquake.

Born and reared in Grinnell, Betty

graduated from Grinnell High School in

1953, attended Grinnell College, then

transferred to the University of Iowa to

study Editorial Journalism, earning a BA

and an MA in Magazine Journalism and

English.

Her professional years were very

rewarding. Now married, she worked for

the Graduate College Dean at Iowa and

was a reporter for the Cedar Rapids

Gazette, later promoted to Woman’s

Editor. While teaching in the Berkeley Hills,

she returned to Grinnell to visit family

each July and August and sometimes

worked for the Grinnell Herald-Register.

She also wrote Continuity for KGRN.

“Working on the staff of newspapers

gave me the opportunity to meet many

interesting people. Some were running for

or held public office, others just

‘newsworthy’, especially Rose Kennedy.”

Betty’s teaching career took her to West

High in Iowa City; Central High in Phoenix,

AZ; Jefferson High in Portland, OR, and for

25 years at her favorite, Berkeley Hills.

There she saw “200 English and

Journalism students each day.” While in

the Bay area, Betty developed water

exercises for older people. “Those

participating could do so year-round

because the weather was such that we

never had to move inside.”

“I had a busy professional life, no power

but opportunities to make sure women

were treated fairly in the work place. It’s

good to be home. I am fortunate to know

many people at the Mayflower and in the

community.”

Beryl Wellborn

WELCOME BETTY GERBER - Montgomery 9

BUCKLEY ART GALLERY

6 - SUMMER 2012 - Vo lume 12/2

THE BEAUTY OF THE MAYFLOWER’S GARDENS Residents Conspire With Nature

S ixty-four seedling geraniums, twelve

large geraniums and 107 annual

flowers were all planted in various flower

beds here in early May by Garden

Committee workers.

Dot Anderson, committee chair, is

justifiably proud of the planting done by

the committee and other resident

volunteers. She has high hopes for

continuing success in the gardens; more

residents than ever have come to weed

and help.

Each Wednesday morning, volunteers

weed and try to keep the flower beds

looking their best; the work goes on from

9 to 10:30am. To be sure, Dot has no

objection to a volunteer pulling a weed any

time at all.

Some workers have schedules of their

own. Dorothy Breuning has responsibility

for keeping the entire Park Street side of

Buckley weed-free. She works twenty

minutes every day. Weeds hardly dare

show their faces there! Dot Anderson

hopes more residents will take

responsibility for a small section, or even a

whole garden, so that each area can be

given continuing care.

The Mayflower Garden Committee goes

back to at least 1993. It is supported by

the Mayflower Residents Association, which

this year contributed $300 to pay for all

those geraniums and seedlings. Some

seven or eight residents, members of the

committee, are responsible for watering

specific sections each day, a serious job in

Iowa summers, especially this hot summer.

The Courtyard Garden, between Pearson

and Buckley, the street side gardens in

front of all buildings, and the Secret Garden

between Pearson and Montgomery, were

professionally designed and planted some

ten or more years ago. But the many other

gardens surrounding us are the work of

talented and eager volunteers.

The committee works closely with

management and gets help when needed.

Ben Pearce, head of the outside facilities

staff, attends the committee's meetings

and helps with advice and ideas.

The Garden Committee's charge is "to

revise and keep the policy and the

volunteers up to date with email and

posters. We're hopeful that more residents

will volunteer, including part-timers." The

day of the spring garden clean-up, twenty-

four residents turned out to help, and each

Thursday there may be ten or more

weeders.

Love of horticulture at the Mayflower also

expresses itself in the vegetable garden on

Second Avenue opposite Altemeier where

six residents work small plots under the

committee's supervision, with one section

set aside for tomatoes. The plan, Dot said,

is to put ripe tomatoes in the various

buildings for any resident to take. Or a

resident may pick a ripe tomato, if he or

she is careful. What a committee!

As to problems. At the southeast corner

of Edwards, the plants are too overgrown

to be attractive; on the west side of

Montgomery there is heavy shade.

"I think we get a lot of physical and

spiritual help from looking at a garden,"

says the hard-working committee chair.

Sue Chasins

SUMMER 2012 - Vo l . 12/2 - 7

“H ow did a girl from Harrisburg, PA,

born, educated and working “Out

East,” find herself as a pastor among the

corn and bean fields of Iowa?”

Smiling, almost laughing, Anne replied,

“It was God’s will. What happened was

that I sent out resumes. The congregation

of a rural church near Clarkesville, IA

responded: we visited via telephone. The

result was I became their pastor (a

commitment lasting for ten years) and my

two dogs and I came to Iowa with an

easterner’s stereotypical view of the state

and the Midwest and---was I wrong! I liked

Iowa and the Mayflower so much that,

even though I was still working, I wanted

my parents to retire here.” Jim and Mary

Sunday live in Altemeier and their

daughter has now joined them here at the

Mayflower.

Having retired as an active pastor, Anne

is studying to be certified as a spiritual

director by completing the Spiritual

Direction Preparation Program at the

Franciscan Spirituality Center in La Crosse,

WI. “This [new] ministry brings great joy

to my heart…I love it!” Her new

responsibilities? “Briefly, to help people

reflect on how they recognize God’s

presence and grace in their lives and

deepen their relationship with God.”

In addition to her studies, Anne reads

favorite authors and enjoys playing Bible

word games on the internet.

Early in her working life Anne taught

Spanish at the high school level and also

served as a tourist guide. Her son, Rik,

quite young at the time, became “the tour

guide,” having memorized his mother’s

script. One group from the Bronx spoke

Spanish and later gave Rik a gift at

Christmas.”

Beryl Wellborn

WELCOME ANNE SUNDAY - Montgomery 3

THE SECRET GARDEN

Lovingly cared for and improved by Beryl Wellborn

There is a colorful glimpse on page 12

8 - SUMMER 2012 - Vo lume 12/2

W hat IS it about puzzles,

particularly jig-saw puzzles, at the

Mayflower? Walk into the lounge at

Buckley or Altemeier, as well as some

other locations; you’ll likely see a table

laden with piles of colorful puzzle pieces

waiting to be linked with others to be

magically transformed into a discernible

scene or portrait!

A newcomer to the Mayflower, I asked

longtime friend Joan Baker if she’d explain

the fascination for this colorful enterprise.

Like me, she became intrigued with

puzzles as a child and has never lost that

passion. As other members of the

Mayflower Community, she’s frequently

drawn to the challenges of jig-saw as well

as crossword puzzles. She’s discovered

that “there are all kinds of puzzle people in

this town, as well as here at the

Mayflower!”

I’ve wondered what is it that intrigues

some people and not others in the pastime

of putting together a puzzle. Maybe

boredom has something to do with it;

many residents have had long and busy

careers before retiring and now are

challenged to create some kind of

meaningful order out of the chaos of a

thousand-piece puzzle as a compelling as

well as a satisfying pastime. Many of us

also have a certain esthetic that moves us

to replace disarray with something

beautiful as well as orderly.

But when we’re drawn to the table, how

do we proceed? Is there a strategy? Joan

said she first studies the puzzle’s box cover

to identify areas for sorting the pieces. For

instance, straight-edge pieces, colors, sky

and a horizon, buildings, water, trees. etc.

The puzzle-master goes through all the

pieces, sorting them into these pre-

determined categories then “bags” each

group!

The puzzler then starts assembling

pieces with the straight edges, then

focuses on an area adjacent to those edge

pieces. For instance, in a landscape, she

starts with the “sky area” piles and places

them face up and grouped by shape, with

a separate group for horizon pieces, then

assembles first the horizon, then the

remaining sky pieces.

A conversation with Dorothy Breuning in

Buckley added to my understanding of this

complex creative pastime by showing me

examples of puzzle varieties. For example,

a puzzle which has individual pieces with

different colors on both sides provides the

even more puzzling material for two

puzzles in one! One has to figure out how

to lay out the pieces with the “appropriate”

side up, or else risk total puzzle chaos.

Not everyone at the Mayflower finds

satisfaction in leaning over a table full of

little pieces of colorful disorder with a

fellow problem solver or two. But those

who do experience a challenge and magic

in transforming apparent chaos into a quite

beautiful work of art.

Thanks to some insight from a couple of

puzzle-masters, I found that puzzling can

be a satisfying exercise in creating order

out of chaos as well as a pleasant way to

get acquainted with others and maybe

even make new friends. The profusion of

puzzle boxes I saw stacked in Buckley

closets suggests there are very many

opportunities waiting to occupy one’s

retirement.

Loree Rackstraw

PUZZLING YOUR WAY FROM DISORDER TO BEAUTIFUL ORDER

SUMMER 2012 - Vo l . 12/2 - 9

NEW DIRECTOR OF HOME SERVICES

A once-familiar face has returned to

the Mayflower. Kellie McGriff, whom

some residents will remember as the

director of nursing services, in marketing

and sales, and as activities director in 2000

-2007, has returned to our community.

Kellie is an RN and a licensed long-term

care administrator with a great deal of

experience in the provision of care for

older persons. She and her husband Brett

have two sons, Zach and Cole.

We welcome Kellie’s return as Director of

the Mayflower Home Services. “As we age,

all of us are faced with changes. Our goal

in the program is to assist people through

this transition with professional and

personalized care. Our services are

available to any person living at Mayflower

Homes as well as anyone in the greater

Grinnell community.”

”We want to keep residents in their

homes as long as possible with

compassionate care, housekeeping,

laundry, assistance with medications, as

well as providing needed transportation for

any specific needs that people have in their

daily living.”

Kellie’s office is located on the second

floor of the Health Center. Tina Frascht,

CNA, is a member of Kelli’s staff. As the

program grows and new developments

need to be shared, additional information

will appear in The Informer as well as in a

soon to be published brochure..

For further information, call Kellie at

1-641-236-6151 or Cell 641-990-0405.

One can also e-mail her at:

kmcgriff@mayflowerhomes.com

or view the Mayflower’s Web site

Beryl Wellborn

CREATING ORDER OUT OF CHAOS

1 0 - SUMMER 2012 - Vo lume 12/2

F ate? Destiny? It doesn’t matter,

but . . . “Albert and I were married

in my parents’ home here in Grinnell and

began married life in an apartment across

the alley from the Montgomery’s. We each

had a garden in our backyards, so

Reverend Montgomery and I, when

working in our gardens at the same time

discussed both our gardens and other

matters. He told me of his plan to sell his

home and begin the Mayflower; later, he

said he had sold his property and would

be starting his dream project.” Beaming,

Dorothy added, “And now, 62 years later,

I am living in the Mayflower community.”

Dorothy is a graduate of Iowa State

University with a degree in Journalism.

Her professional work began in Chicago. “I

worked for a company at the stockyards,

of all places, as a home economist.” In

Chicago during WWII she met Albert, ’Al’

to all of us who knew him, who was

stationed there.

She is the mother of Martha Pinder and

Peggy Elliot (Doug), both living in

Grinnell; Anne Pinder living in Spain; Joe

Pinder living in Washington, DC, and

Jeanne Pinder living in New York City.

Jeanne’s daughters are Phoebe and Juno.

Dorothy’s other son Larry is deceased.

During her active years, in addition to

raising six children, Dorothy worked at the

Grinnell Herald-Register. Under the

auspices of the US State Department, she

and Al brought many international visitors

here. “We had many visitors in our home

and also arranged for local residents to

host them. It was a great way to let our

visitors see the real America.”

Dorothy was also active in the Iowa

Newspaper Association, the Grinnell Arts

Council, and Greater Grinnell

Development. She is the author of a short

history of Grinnell, In Old Grinnell,

published in 1995.

Smiling, she looked out her window and

observed. “Even with all the bad in the

world, there is much more that is good

and many good people, for which I am

thankful.”

Beryl Wellborn

WELCOME DOROTHY PINDER - Buckley 320

SUMMER 2012 - Vo l . 12/2 - 1 1

D ick’s mother was his high school

English teacher. Guess who else

was a student in that class? You’re right,

Dick’s future wife, Betty. Isn’t it

interesting how clever some girls are to

get to know their future mother-in-law? It

worked well for both Betty and Dick.

Neither failed the English class and later

they became husband and wife.

Betty graduated from the University of

Rochester, NY, majoring in English. Dick

went to Princeton, majoring in physics.

Smiling, Betty recalled, “We kept our

romance going by having to communicate

the old-fashioned way, writing letters,

many letters.” Dick came to the

University of Rochester to earn both an

MS and a Ph D. in physics. They have

been married for 58 years.

Their life together began in Rochester.

Betty taught school and later opened a

craft shop in Concord, MA. More

importantly, she and Dick raised three

children: Dan (Randi), Des Moines, IA;

Geoffrey (Karen), Griswold, IA, and

Elizabeth ‘Liz’ (Michael) Hazelmeyer,

Tacoma, WA. There are three

grandchildren.

Dick Weeks was particularly interested

in optics. He chaired the commission for

NASA which sought to assure that the

blunders in the construction of the Hubble

Telescope were not repeated in the

Chandra x-ray telescope which is still in

orbit.

Dick worked for the then Polaroid

Corporation for fifteen years. In 1980, he

was awarded the prestigious David

Richardson Medal by the Optical Society of

America for “significant contributions to

technical optics.”

In retirement, they’ve enjoyed the

beaches of Maine and sailing also occupied

much of their time. Betty is still interested

in crafts and antiques. Dick’s many

interests include photography. Both like to

read. Now they are interested in the

activities at the Mayflower

as well as those at Grinnell

College, especially the

theatre and musical

productions, and other

opportunities in the larger

Grinnell Community.

They are also glad to be

closer to family. “We should

have come to the

Mayflower four years ago,”

said either Betty or Dick. It

doesn’t matter which one

said it, both agreed.

Beryl Wellborn

WELCOME DICK AND BETTY WEEKS - Buckley 207

1 2 - SUMMER 2012 - Vo lume 12/2

Robert G. Mann, Executive Director

616 Broad St., Grinnell, Iowa 50112

(641) 236-6151

http://www.mayflowercommunity.org

THE LOG is published quarterly by the Resident’s Association - Mayflower Community of Grinnell, IA

STAFF Editor: Harley Henry; Photography: Thomas Evans;

Layout Editor: Selva R. Lehman; Feature Writers: Beryl Wellborn.; Sue Chasins; Loree Rackstraw;

Nonprofit

Organization U.S. Postage

PAID Grinnell, IA

Permit No. 130

Location of Pictures:

Daylight Balloon Ascension - Pearson Lounge area

The Magician’s Passage - Montgomery Lounge

Still Life - Edwards east hallway

Puddle - Health Center - Room 206

Tent Tops - Pearson Lounge

Other featured art is located in the Buckley Art Gallery

Puddle - Barbara Riggs A glimpse of The Secret Garden