The Wrentham Times

Wrentham Resident Places in District Mathematics Competition

Anneka Ignatius of Wrentham, a student at Dayspring Christian Academy of Attleboro, was among the top five finishers in her grade during the 2013 Eastern Massachusetts/Rhode Island District Math Olympics recently sponsored by the Association of Christian Schools International in Barrington.

Ignatius finished second in the Grade 7 Reasoning  phase of the competition. According to faculty adviser Deryck Maason, a total of 12 DCA students placed in the event, which attracted contestants in Grades 3 through 8 from 10 ACSI-affiliated schools in the two states.

Marathoner Runs to Remember Family and Raise Money

When Sarah Weddle runs the 26.2 miles of the Boston Marathon course this coming Monday, she will have Matthew and Michael Pepin on her mind. The two Pepins are the children of Wrentham's Armand and Kathleen Pepin. Matthew died as a child from a type of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, and Michael past away in 2011 from gamma delta t-cell lymphoma. Both were treated by Dana-Farber, and Weddle is raising money in their honor for the cancer center.

Weddle's connection to the Pepin family is through her sister who is married to Michael and Matthew's brother John and while she lives out of state, she feels the pain of their passing. "Although the Pepins are not technically my own family, they are my sister's family and my niece's family - our lives our forever intertwined," she wrote on her web site. "I cannot appropriately convey the sense of sorrow I feel for the Pepin family, nor can I communicate the sense of hope I feel that one day cancer won't take lives like Michael's. What I can do is run. I can honor the Pepin family's fight; I can honor Michael's life; I can honor the legacy of his children. For every step of the 26.2 miles of the Boston Marathon, I will be a Pepin. I will be a fighter. I will run for all those who cannot run, with Michael beside me."

While Weddle has met her goal of raising $5,000, donations are still being accepted. To support her in her run to remember Wrentham's Matthew and Michael Pepin, visit her fundraising page here.

One Wrong Turn Can Ruin Your Day

Photo provided by the Wrentham Police Department.

Today, a driver unfamiliar with Dunkin' Donuts in Wrentham went the wrong direction in the drive up lane. Once the driver realized her mistake, she took a quick left. Unbeknownst to her, there is a rather large dropoff and she rolled her car. The good news is the driver wasn't hurt.

Brown Joins Nixon Peabody

Scott Brown with Nixon Peabody CEO and managing partner Andrew Glincher. Photo from Brown's Facebook page.

Former U.S. Senator Scott Brown has joined international law firm Nixon Peabody LLP as counsel in the firm’s Boston office. Brown will focus his practice on business and governmental affairs as they relate to the financial services industry as well as on commercial real estate matters. “Nixon Peabody has a national presence and a strong reputation.  The culture is one of collaboration among its lawyers and with clients,” said Brown in a prepared statement. “During my time in politics, I never hesitated to reach across the aisle to work with members of any political party to secure a preferable outcome. My approach is consistent with the way Nixon Peabody does business and I believe we can be successful together.”

Brown joins a number of political and government officials at Nixon Peabody including: Tom Reynolds, a five-term U.S. Congressman who leads the firm’s Government Relations practice; Jim Vallee, former Majority Leader of the Massachusetts House of Representatives; and Navjeet Bal, the former Massachusetts Commissioner of Revenue.

State Honors Pond Home Resident for Her 105 Years

Veronica Carter holds her Massachusetts Senate Resolution given to her by Senator Richard Ross. Senator Ross and Pond Home Administrator Rebecca Annis are behind her.

In 1908 William Henry Taft was president, World War I was off in the future, Major League Baseball only fielded white players, and Veronica (Honahan) Carter was born in West Lynn, MA. Carter, who turned 105 years old in January, was honored with her own day at Pond Home, and State Senator Richard Ross paid a visit to deliver a copy of a resolution passed in the Massachusetts Senate to commemorate the milestone. 
 
Carter lived a life dedicated to education teaching from 1929 until her retirement in 1970. Most of her career was at Oliver Ames High School in Easton, but her career started in Huntington. As an educator, Carter taught commercial subjects like short hand and typing. She also coached girls' basketball, and was an advisor to the school paper and senior class. 

She was the oldest of five children born to Robert and Mary Honahan. Her family moved to Walpole while she was a third grader.  She would eventually graduate as valedictorian from Walpole High School in 1925 and then entered Salem Normal School. 

She married George Carter Jr. in 1941.  Together the couple traveled extensively around North America. Carter never flew on a airplane but saw the country by car. With her husband, she was a fixture at Oliver Ames High School games. "They always went to football games, basketball games, spring sports, track and baseball," says her nephew, John Dodge. 

Veronica Carter with five of her former students from Oliver Ames High School – four from the class of 1949 and one from the class of 1964. Veronica was advisor to both classes

Carter was an avid photographer and an active member of the Easton Historical Society.She spent her retirement years in Walpole and New Hampshire and lived in her own home until she was 100. She then moved to Pond Home where she is now the oldest resident. Despite retiring over 40 years ago, she is still remembered by former students who've sent letters from all over the country wishing her well on her 105th birthday. 

On March 6th, Ross presented the State Senate resolution to Carter which provides highlights of her long, illustrious life and congratulated her on the "occasion of her one hundred and fifth birthday" and "extends to her its best wishes for continued health and happiness."

Carter lives at Pond Home, 289 East St., Wrentham, MA.

Neubecker Earns Eagle Scout Rank

Neubecker stands with his parents while Troop 131 Scoutmaster Alan Plantamura speaks. Photo courtesy of Chris Roman.

Plan, develop, and give leadership to others in a service project helpful to any religious institution, any school, or your community. That's one of the many requirements a Boy Scout must complete to earn the rank of Eagle Scout, and that's exactly what Troy Neubecker did when he decided to raise the funds and oversee the creation of a 9/11 Memorial for the Town. He accomplished that goal with the dedication of the memorial this past September and now a granite reminder of the 9/11 tragedy stands in front of Wrentham Town Hall. Thanks to his efforts and fulfilling all the other requirements necessary to receive the rank, Neubecker is now an Eagle Scout. Sunday, Neubecker along with his family, friends and members of Wrentham Troop 131, celebrated his accomplishment at a special Court of Honor. 

To learn about the dedication of the memorial, read Hundreds Remember 9/11 as New Memorial is Unveiled.

Islanders’ Snow Remembers Rivalry of the Lakes

Hockey has taken Garth Snow to the highest levels of the sport but decades later, the Wrentham native still remembers the fierce rivalry between Lake Pearl and Lake Archer.

The General Manager of the New York Islanders says that even though twenty or more years have passed, he and his friends still remember the heated games on the frozen lakes. “To this day friends I have on both lakes still talk about the bragging rights and who had the better hockey players on which lake,” Snow says, a former Lake Pearl player. “We would always kick Lake Archer’s butt.”

These days Snow spends his time trying to make the New Islanders into a Stanley Cup caliber team. “Anyone that is in this business is in it to win a championship,” Snow explains. “I’m no different than anyone else.”

The change from player to general manager, while different, still satisfies Snow’s competitive nature. “The big difference from being a player is you’re mostly concerned about your own preparation and being prepared for that next game,” Snow says. “As a manager now you look out for not only a team in the NHL but your AHL team, your prospects whether they’re in junior hockey, college hockey, Europe, scouting for the next wave of Islander. It’s a fun challenge and definitely a transition from worrying about myself to worrying about 100 different aspects of the organization.”

Snow’s roots are still in town. His mother still calls Wrentham home and he has family and friends in the area. He makes it to Wrentham to visit and the recent NHL lockout gave him extra time to return to his hometown. Whenever he is in the area scouting local college and AHL teams, he’s able to drop in on Wrentham. “I get back into town several times a year,” Snow says. “I have lots of family and friends still living there. It’s always a treat when I can get back and spend time with them.”

Growing up in Wrentham he spent most of his time trying to keep up with his brothers. Snow is the youngest of five (4 boys and 1 sister). He played youth hockey in Foxboro and went to Mount Saint Charles for high school. He was just inducted into the Mount Saint Charles Hall of Fame this past summer. He played his college hockey at the University of Maine where he won a National Championship. Snow also played for the U.S. National team in the 1994 Olympics and in the 1998 World Championship. His NHL playing career spanned 12 years suiting up for Quebec Nordiques, Philadelphia Flyers, Vancouver Canucks, Pittsburgh Penguins and the New York Islanders.

He remembers playing at the Norfolk Ice Arena, in Foxboro, and in Franklin. “I have memories of my Mom carting my brothers and me around from rink to rink,” Snow says. “That commitment was something appreciated on my brothers’ part and my part."

Thinking back to his high school days he also remembers the dedication of his parents to get him to Mount Saint Charles in Woonsocket and back home to Wrentham. “I was very fortunate to have a set of parents that were willing to make the commitment travel wise, commuting every day to Mount and back to Wrentham,” Snow says. “Mount had an outstanding program.”

While his job is now in the front office, Snow does get out on the ice to play in staff games. “It’s not at the same pace as when I was playing, but it’s always good to get out on the ice-- sweat and compete,” he says. “It’s still the greatest game on Earth.”

The New York Islanders will play in Boston on April 11. It might be another change for Snow to visit his old stomping grounds and perhaps relive the great hockey rivarly of Wrentham's lakes.

Introduction to The Ernie Schaaf Story

Portrait of Ernie Schaaf Courtesy of the Boston Public Library, Leslie Jones Collection.

During the month of February, The Wrentham Times is celebrating the life of Ernie Schaaf. He was a 24-year old Wrentham fighter who died tragically 80 years ago. His death devastated a family, broke the hearts of a community, and left questions on how such a tragedy could happen. It is an American story about a Wrentham man few know and even fewer remember.

To commemorate his life, The Wrentham Times will publish a series of articles on the boxer culminating with a presentation at Fiske Public Library on February 13th, at 7 pm. Click Fallen & Forgotten: The Ernie Schaaf Story to read the first installment.

A Picture is Worth a Thousand Words

From Photographer David Lee Black's Wrentham series.

He is a storyteller that doesn't use the written word. Photographer David Lee Black tells mythical and romantic tales through the images he captures with his camera. Occasionally his adopted hometown of Wrentham plays a key role in his art. "My photography is mostly about storytelling," Black says. "Wrentham has no shortage of charming and beautiful story telling locations."

Originally from Missouri, Black has been been interested in photography since he was a young boy. He remembers the Photography Merit Badge was one of the first ones he pursued on his way to earning the Boy Scout rank of Eagle. Over the years, his approach evolved into his current distinctive style.

In some of his work, models portray historical characters juxtaposed with a unique setting. In many cases, very familiar Wrentham locations serve as the back drop. It's the beauty and inspiration that the town offers that makes him happy he decided to settle here over twenty years ago. He also says, Wrentham not only serves his art, but it's also been a great place to raise his two daughters.

He connects to the Helen Keller quote about her days in town. Keller said, "Always I look back to Wrentham as the place where I lived most serenely, where I did my work quietly, and enjoyed undisturbed the treasures of books and of nature."

"That always resonated with me strongly," Black says. 

White Barn Farm was one of many Wrentham locations featured in a photo series on the town.

In a series specially about Wrentham, all the models were either residents or had a direct connection to the community. Each portrayed characters in different but well known spots creating a story in each shot. In all the images, the town played a key character. (Click here to view more of Black's Wrentham's series.)

Currently, Black's work is on display at the Looking Glass Cafe in Wrentham, the Attleboro Art Museum and the Biltmore in Providence. He also has an exhibit at the Old Fiske Museum which can be seen through a special arrangement with the Wrentham Cultural Council. In April, his work will be on display at the Terrace Cafe.

Antonitis Pleads Guilty to Bank Fraud

Debra Antonitis, the former Wrentham Co-Operative Bank employee charged with bank fraud, pleaded guilty on Monday as part of an agreement with the U.S. Attorney.

Last November it was announced by the United States Attorney and FBI that Antonitis had been arrested and charged with making 143 fraudulent transfers of funds through the records system of the Wrentham bank in order to take $112,385. In the announcement released by the U.S. Attorney's office it said, Antonitis allegedly created fictitious withdrawals from customers' accounts and transferred the funds to herself in cash or in deposits to her own accounts.

As part of the plea agreement, the U.S. Attorney's office recommends a sentence of one year probation, with the first six months being home detention, a $3,000 fine, and restitution of $112,385.

Antonitis is scheduled to be sentenced on April 10th at 2 pm in front of U.S. Federal Judge William Young.

In regards to Antonitis' guilty plea, Wrentham Co-operative Bank president Jeff Liber said, "We are glad that she has accepted responsibility for her actions and on behalf of the bank and our customers, we look forward to seeing justice served."