Peter and Beverly Kelley, May 10, 2013

Peter and Beverly Kelley, lifelong residents of our town, were members of Lexington High School, class of 1967.  Peter’s mother also grew up in Lexington and was a graduate of LHS, class of 1937.  The Kelleys have contributed, and continue to contribute, in significant ways to town government and community groups and activities.  Their sons are also graduates of LHS: Christopher, 1996; Eric, 1998; and Brian, 2000.  Christopher lives in Colorado and Eric in Vermont.  Brian returned to his home town, works with Peter in his contracting business, and continues the Kelley tradition of public service as a member of Town Meeting.  He and his wife are expecting a baby in early June.

Peter was elected a Selectman in 2003 after serving as a Town Meeting member for 30 years.  He also was a member of the Permanent Building Committee for 10 years.  Beverly has been a Town Meeting member for 12 years.  She has volunteered as a driver for FISH since 1975.  The Kelleys, working with the Chamber of Commerce, the DPW, and volunteers, have spearheaded the holiday lighting that has added a special feeling to the Town Center since its beginning in 2001.  Beverly’s knowledge and great understanding of the  town are reflected in her book, Lexington: A Century of Photographs (1980).  The Kelleys were honored by the town in receiving the WhiteTricorn Hats given yearly at the Patriot Day ceremonies: Peter in 2001 and Beverly in 2007.

The Kelleys feel that Lexington was and is a great place to live and raise a family.  They point to its location, historical significance, excellent schools, and increasing diversity.  They are optimistic about its future.  They are concerned about the decreasing number of smaller homes that are available, but well understand the complexity of the issues of property rights, supply, and demand.

Lexington is indeed fortunate to have had Beverly and Peter Kelley as lifelong residents.

David and Lois Wells, Class of '53 -  March 6, 2013

David and Lois Wells are long-time contributing members of the Lexington community. David’s family moved here when he was a one year old; Lois when she was in 6th grade. They are proud members of the Lexington High School class of 1953, a group that stays active and supportive of its alma mater by contributing two scholarships annually to L.H.S. graduates. Their three
children are graduates of L.H.S: David, a father of two and an electrician; Martha, a mother of two and a registered nurse; and Betsy, a mother of two and a principal of a school in Mongolia.

After college, the Wells lived in Japan for three years.  David had been in the ROTC at Tufts where he was an outstanding student and football player.  In addition to his formal military work, he continued to run track and play football while in the service,
including participating in the Rice Bowl.

Upon completion of David’s Air Force service, the Wells returned to Lexington. After their children were grown,   Lois started a twenty three year career in various administrative positions at the Tufts New England Medical Center.  She now volunteers at the
National Archives and the Lexington Historical Society. David had a successful insurance agency and volunteered, and still
volunteers, for many organizations and good causes. For forty-five years he has been a trustee of the Isaiah Harris Cary
Educational Fund that supports scholarships and the Cary Lecture series.  He chaired a number of important town committees, including ones that led to the Center Pool and a revitalized Center.  For his years of service to the Lexington Historical Society, he was chosen for the Captain Parker Award.  For his many contributions to the town, he was awarded the White Tricorne Hat in
2008.

Lois and David continue to make significant contributions to and be very supportive of Lexington.  They have fond memories of their lives here and feel it is a great place to raise children, run a successful business, make friends, and contribute to
civic life. They see the growth of the town and the much greater diversity of its citizenry as real assets to this historic place.

Natalie Riffin - January 4, 2013
Natalie and Paul Riffin were living in Watertown near Paul’s work at the Arsenal in the early 1950’s when they became
very interested in contemporary architecture.  This brought them to Lexington where TAC (The Architects Collaborative) was planning a new community in South Lexington.  They were among the early residents of Five Fields where they were active members for many years.  They also enjoyed the easy access to Watertown, where Paul continued to work, Cambridge, and Boston.  Lexington provided good schools for their sons, Andy and Tom, and a well-run, attractive town.

Natalie early on became an active member of the LWV, which was then neighborhood based.  She was on its Town Planning Committee and took courses given by planner Sam Snow.  This led to her being voted on to the Planning Board.  She feels that
Lexington did a good job of balancing commercial and residential interests as the town was doubling in size from 12,000 to 24,000.   She also served on the Board of Selectmen for three years but chose not to run for reelection.  She was a long-time
member of the Board of Appeals as an associate member for seven years and a regular member for ten years.  Paul was an active member of the Conservation Commission and an advocate for community gardens.

Natalie also had a strong commitment to human services in the greater Boston community.  She worked at Northeastern University for over fifteen years in rehabilitation administration.  She was the Coordinator for Human Services Field Work. 
Her students had two internships: one in direct services and one in administration.
 
The community orientation of Brookhaven and the fact that they would still live in Lexington appealed to Natalie and Paul and
they moved there five years ago. They saw this move being similar to the one that brought them to Five Fields in the early 1950’s.  Although Paul passed a year ago, he very much enjoyed the adventure of living in his new home.  Natalie has busied herself with Brookhaven activities as a member of its Board of Trustees, its strategies and planning committee, and programs and operations committee.  She continues her interest in music by driving to Boston weekly for Symphony.

Natalie Riffin has given much to our community over the years and continues to lead a busy, productive life.

Dick Michelson - November 4, 2012

Dick Michelson has been an outstanding member of the Lexington community for many years: successful business man, devoted family man, and active civic leader.

RUN AND GROW A BUSINESS

Dick’s grandfather, Isadore “I.J.” Michelson founded Michelson’s Shoes in August 1919. Dick’s father, Harold, became the second owner in the mid 1940s.  Dick himself became the third owner in 1975.  Over the years Michelson’s has been a leading shoe store that serves not just Lexington but also many towns in the area.  It is known for its excellent service and wide selection of shoes.  It has a large inventory, one of the largest in the Boston area, in its basement and in its recently acquired warehouse. In 1990 Dick bought a second store in Needham.

Dick feels that Michelson’s Shoes has done well in Lexington because it has always been a family business with a succession
plan.  His wife, Barbara, has worked in the company as a bookkeeper and accessories buyer. Their sons, Eric, LHS ‘78 and Jerry, LHS ’85, fourth generation, are key contributors.  They have brought new ideas and computer skills they learned at UVM. I recently met a fifth generation granddaughter who was working the cash register.

Michelson’s employs 25 people in the Lexington and Needham stores.    On weekdays eight of them are working in the Lexington store; on the weekends there are ten to twelve.

RAISE A FAMILY

Dick, now 79 years old, has always lived in Lexington.  He feels that it has been a great town in which to do business and to raise a family. He and Barbara have been married 53 years and have three children (Eric, Jerry, and Rhonda, LHS ’80 and seven grandchildren.  All the members of the family still live in Lexington.  Dick himself went to Parker elementary school, Muzzey Junior High, and Lexington High School ‘51.

CONTRIBUTE TO CIVIC LIFE

Early in his civic service career Dick was an active member of the Jaycees.  In November 1965 the work of this organization bore fruit when Lexington was named by Presidential proclamation and public laws as one of the few places in the country that could display the flag 24 hours a day.  Ten years later Dick was a member of a town delegation that went to Washington to extend an invitation to President Ford to attend the Patriots Day Bi-Centennial.  The President did attend and later told people it was one of the highlights of his time in office.

Dick has been a Town Meeting member since 1966 and served for a number of years on the Capital Expenditures Committee. 
He has just recently been appointed to the Board of Appeals. He was honored by the town by receiving the White Tricorne Hat in
1975.  He has been an active member of the Lions Club since 1976.  Sons Eric and Jerry are also Town Meeting members.  Eric is a member of the Appropriations Committee and Jerry is the chairman of the Center Committee.  All three are active in the Lexington Retailers Association which sponsors Discovery Day on Memorial Day weekend and the Halloween Walk.  The latter involves 104 Lexington businesses. 

Dick and his family continue to contribute to making Lexington a vibrant, vital town.

Leona and Charles Martin - September 23, 2012

Leona and Charles Martin, 47 year residents of Lexington, have made many important contributions to our community while raising their two sons and pursuing productive careers.

Leona served as a member of the Lexington Housing Authority for 25 years, retiring in 2012.  She is also a former member of the Lexington Fair Housing Committee, the Human Rights Committee, the Gammell Legacy Income Trust, Lexington’s Commission
on Suburban Responsibility; Lexington’s No Place for Hate Committee, and the Lexington CommUNITY committee.  She
was also a Town Meeting member for 14 years. She was an active school parent serving as a member of the Harrington School PTA.  Leona performed volunteer work at the Concord Reformatory for eight years.   She also worked outside the home as an editor for D.C. Heath and in human resources affirmative action programs for Wang Laboratories, MIT, and Northeastern University.  As a volunteer, Leona coordinated, for the ten years of its existence, the tremendously successful annual event known
as “Lexfest! Connecting our Cultures.”

Charlie was a successful engineer who retired in 1999 from Raytheon. Previously he had worked at several other engineering
companies as well as for N.A.S.A.  Early in his career, he served on active duty as a commissioned officer in the U.S. Air Force.  He currently works part-time as an independent consultant engaged in educational efforts to increase the number of
females and minorities in the academic pipeline to careers in engineering, a profession in which both groups have been
historically underrepresented.  He also was a member of Lexington’s No Place for Hate Committee. In addition, he
served as one of the community members on the K-12 Science Curriculum Review Task Force for the Lexington Public
Schools, a two-year-long effort. He currently serves as a long-time member of the Diversity Task Force for the Lexington Public Schools, a member of the Board of Trustees of the Lexington METCO Scholarship Fund, and a member ofthe Lexington CommUNITY committee that produces Lexington’s annual commemoration of Martin Luther King Day.  
 
Leona and Charlie are members of the New England Chapter of the Afro-American Historical and Genealogical Society.  They have explored their own families’ backgrounds while researching other aspects of African-American history.  Leona’s ancestors were among the thousands of slaves who joined the British during the Revolution on the promise of liberty and land. They used this promise as a means of escaping to Nova Scotia.  Eventually they immigrated back to Massachusetts.  Leona was born in
Boston and spent her early years in Cambridge until age 8.  She then lived in Medford until her marriage to Charlie in 1958.  She is a 1977 graduate of Framingham State College. On the other hand, Charlie was a child of the Great Migration of 1915-1970 in which millions of African-Americans moved from the South to the North.  He was born in North Carolina and brought to Cambridge in 1940 at age five.  There he was able to begin his life of academic and professional accomplishment. In 1957, he graduated from Harvard with a degree in engineering sciences and subsequently earned a MSEE degree from Northeastern.

Leona and Charlie Martin continue to lead productive lives that make Lexington a special town.

Jackie Davison - August 19, 2012

Jackie Davison moved from Boston to Lexington with her husband, Bob, and their two children in 1954. As in  the case other
Lexingtonians over the years, their move was based on an attractive and well run town, good schools, and close proximity to Cambridge and Boston. Before moving to Gainesville, Florida to be near her daughter  some ten years ago, Jackie contributed a great deal to our community in a variety of important roles and activities.  She early joined the League of Women Voters and later served on its board. She taught at the Harrington School for three years and later served a three year term on The Lexington School Committee.  She participated in the efforts and final Town Meeting actions against rezoning the Routes 2 and 128
intersection for a shopping mall.  It found a place in Burlington instead.    With her LWV publication “Building Schools in Lexington” Jackie was elected to the Planning Board for two terms, and then was appointed to the Board of Appeals Advisory Board.  

Jackie also served on the following boards: The Walden Pond Advisory Commission, The Lexington Field and Garden Club, The Council on Aging, The Lexington Education Foundation, The Friends of Cary Memorial Library, The South Lexington Civic Association, The Eliot Community Human Services Board, and The Town Meeting Members Association.  In addition she was a long time Town Meeting Member, a Docent at Buckman Tavern, and a member of the following organizations: The Lexington
Citizens Committee for the Lexington Public Schools, The Lexington Citizens for Conservation, The Lexington Interfaith Housing Corporation, and The Junior Circle, Florence Crittendon League of Massachusetts.

Jackie was the devoted wife of Bob who passed in 1994 and mother of Laurie and Brooks, both of whom attended the Lexington Public Schools.  She was also a good and loyal friend of many who always was supportive of and helpful to them.
 
Lexington was indeed fortunate to have Jackie Davison as an active, productive citizen for so many years.

Alice and Bill Hinkle - July 15, 2012

Alice (known to many as Mickey) and Bill Hinkle met at Ohio University in the mid-50s.  They came to Cambridge shortly after
their marriage where Bill was a student at MIT. During the following years they raised their four sons while Bill continued his graduate studies and worked at MIT and in industry.  He received his PhD in 1967 at which time they moved to Lexington.  They came to our town for the same reasons that have attracted others over the years: excellent schools, an attractive, well-run town; proximity to Cambridge, Boston, and 128.  In 1994 Bill entered a special program at Harvard preparing math and science professionals for teaching in public schools.  He was a valued member of the LHS faculty for the next ten years.
 
Alice, who had majored in journalism at Ohio University, started working part-time at the Lexington Minuteman in 1981.  She later switched to full-time before being appointed editor.  The paper prospered under her leadership.  After leaving the Minuteman she became a freelance journalist for the Boston Globe.  At this time she became interested in Prince Estabrook, a slave who
became the first Black soldier in the American Revolution.  He was wounded at dawn on April 19, 1775 on the Battle Green in Lexington where “the shot heard around the world” took place.  Alice was intrigued by this act of bravery and the fact that so little
was known about Prince Estabrook. She spent some seven years of research that took great perseverance on her part in the face of no or missing records and many false leads. She was greatly aided by Charles Price, past commander of the Lexington   Minute Men, who played the part of Prince Estabrook for many years in the Patriot’s Day reenactments.  The results of her work was Prince Estabrook, Slave and Soldier, an informative, well-written book which was published in April 2001. A marker given by the Alice Hinkle Memorial Fund in 2008 can be seen on the lawn at Buckman Tavern.
 
In 2002 Alice was diagnosed with cancer.  She passed in 2003 leaving a devoted, loving family and many friends in Lexington. 
In her too short life she did much for Lexington and enriched all of our lives.

Robert E. Kent - June 10, 2012

Bob Kent and his wife Barbara moved to Lexington in 1952 where they raised their four children.  Except for the years 1970-72 when he was Dean of the University of Zambia School of Law in Africa and 1981-92 when he was a professor and dean at Cornell Law School, he has been an active, valued and valuable member of our community.  Bob has also made many contributions to our country, to his universities and students, and to the legal profession.  After graduating from college he served in the U.S. Army, 1943-46.  In addition to his positions in Zambia and at Cornell, he was an instructor, assistant professor, and professor at the Boston University School of Law, 1950-81.  He has also been a visiting professor at Harvard Law School and the Roger Williams School of Law.

Bob was a Town Meeting member, 1956-65, Moderator, 1965-70, and Selectman, 1977-81.  In 1975 at the request of the Bicentennial Committee he researched and gave a presentation on the heritage of town meeting. Over the years he has served on a number of town boards and committees:  Standing School Building Committee; Community Services of Lexington; Lexington Civil Rights Committee; METCO Committee (Barbara and he were a host family for a student in the first METCO class at LHS); Isaac Harris Cary Foundation; and Trustees of Cary Library.  He presently serves on the Lexington Human Rights Committee and the Lexington Selectmen’s Committee on Policies and Procedures.

For sixty years Bob Kent has contributed his many skills, knowledge, and time to our community.

Yu-Chi (Larry) and Sophia Ho - May 13, 2012

When Yu-Chi (Larry) and Sophia Ho moved to Lexington in 1966, they did so for the same reasons that continue to this day: an attractive, well-run town with excellent schools and easy access to Cambridge, Boston, and 128.  At that time there were few Asian-Americans living in Lexington. Today they make up some twenty percent of the town with the school population even higher. Chinese-Americans are the largest of this group with ten percent of Lexington’s total population.
 
Larry came to this country for his higher education and received his S.B. and S.M. degrees in Electrical Engineering from M.I.T. and his Ph.D. in Applied Mathematics from Harvard. He is the Gordon McKay Professor of  Systems Engineering, Emeritus and the T. Jefferson Coolidge Professor of Applied Mathematics, Emeritus, School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, Harvard University.  Since 2007 Larry has become a popular blogger on ScienceNet China where he writes about his 60+years of experience in research and living in the U.S.  At this writing the Hos are preparing for one of their regular trips to Tsinghua University in Beijing where Larry is a chair professor and chief scientist (part-time). 
 
Sophia has been very active in the Lexington community.  Most recently she managed Weidong Wang’s successful campaign for the Lexington Housing Authority.  She has been involved for many years with the Chinese American Association of Lexington (CAAL) which now has some 300 members. She has also served with the Lexington Education Foundation and the Cary Library Foundation.  She presently is a member of the Community Center Task Force which was appointed by the Selectmen.
 
The Hos feel that they made the right decision when they moved to Lexingtonand they plan on continuing to live here. They have found it a friendly community. Their three children, Adrian, Christine, and Lara, were stimulated by the schools and have had successful academic, professional and family lives. Lexington, in turn, has been enriched by the Ho family and all that they have contributed to it.

The Busa Family - April 8, 2012

In 1906, Antonio Busa and his younger brother, Francesco (Frank) left their home in Santo Stefano DiBrigo, a small city near Messina, Italy for America in search of a better life.  After landing in New York, they traveled to Massachusetts, eventually locating in  Lexington.  They were followed by brothers Gaetano (Guy) in 1910 and Giovanni (John) in 1913.  Thus started the Busa family in Lexington, farmers and entrepreneurs who have given so much to the community,
            
In 1910, Antonio married Lilian Galletta who had come to America at a young age to help her aunt with her growing family.  In 1919, Antonio bought land in Lexington, Shay Land.  By 1930, the “Busa Brothers” were well established.  Antonio and Lilian had nine children, including Alfred and Dan who established the A & D Realty Trust in 1950.  In the 1960’s, they also entered the liquor business.  In 1971, Alfred was elected Selectman and served effectively and conscientiously for twelve years.  Cousins Bill, LHS ’64, and Dan, Jr., LHS ‘71 have followed their fathers’ examples and have expanded A & D Realty Trust into many different areas, have had close and successful families, and have contributed much to Lexington.  Dan, Jr. himself was a member of Town  Meeting and a Selectman, 1992-99.  
 
The fourth generation of Busas in Lexington has continued the tradition of hard work, academic and athletic success, love of family, and service to the community.  Cousins Andrew and Michael now work for A & D. The town has acquired the Busa Farm on Lowell  Street which has been owned and run by Dennis, LHS’69. The Selectmen have determined that some affordable housing will be built and a community farm established there in the near future.
             
Dan, Sr., age 88, an active citizen of Lexington who contributed to many town groups and good causes died on April 4th. 
He always took pride in the over 100 years of success and service of the Busa Family in Lexington.

Note:  This  account was based on a paper written for a local history course by Ashley Busa, LHS’03, and an interview with Bill and Dan, Jr.  

Lexington's Rhodes Scholars - March 11, 2012

Lexingtonians Marshall Bautz, Alphonse Galdes, Morton Kahan, Joseph Nye, Robert Rotberg, and Eugene Skolnikoff.  What do our fellow citizens have in common with Bill Bradley, Wesley Clark, Bill Clinton, Jonathan Kozol, Nicholas Kristof, and David Souter?  They were all recipients of Rhodes Scholarships for two years of study at the University of Oxford.  Rhodes Scholarships are the oldest, most celebrated international fellowship awards in the world.  They are given for outstanding scholarly achievements, character, commitment to others and the common good, and potential for leadership.

Nobel Prize Laureates - February 12, 2012

Two years ago Lexington residents felt great pride when fellow citizen Peter Diamond was named a Nobel Laureate in Economics.  The Nobel Prize is given in six fields:  Physics, Chemistry, Physiology or Medicine, Literature, Peace, and Economic Science.  During the years of its existence, 1901-2011, only 826 individuals and 20 organizations world wide have received this prestigious award in one of these fields.  Nine other Laureates lived in our town at some point during their distinguished careers: Henry Abrams (Peace, 1985); Konrad Bloch (Medicine, 1964), Nicco Bloombergen (Physics, 1981); Henry Kissinger (Peace, 1973); Salvador Luria (Physics, 1969): Mario J. Molina (Chemistry, 1995); Clifford Shull (Physics, 1994); Robert Solow (Economics, 1987); and Samuel C.C. Ting (Physics, 1976).

This column will be updated monthly. 


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