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WISE Reaches Out
By Pat Hurton
Outreach committee members have been taking the WISE message to the community at large, setting up a display table this summer at the Worcester Public Library and at a recent UMass Med School 5K race. We also set up a table at Charlie’s in September on campus to introduce WISE to the Assumption undergraduates. Interest from the public was significant, and we hope to do more promotions in the future. If you have a contact or recommendation for a WISE display or publicity, please contact Pat Hurton at pjhurton@yahoo.com.
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My Summer Vacation
By Deena Madnick
Last May my husband, Ron, and I celebrated his 80th birthday with a gift to travel to and stay at Langley Castle in Northumberland, located in northeast England.
The castle, now a luxury hotel and restaurant, was originally constructed between 1350, as a defense post, by Sir Thomas de Lucy. In 1405, though, a fire destroyed the interior. All that remained were the seven foot walls, which apparently lay untouched until 1882 when local historian Cadwallader Bates bought the property and restored it with his wife Josephine.
The castle has unusual architectural features, including a portcullis boss, stone arches, and a stone spiral staircase. A small chapel, dedicated to Bates' memory, was built with permission of Pope Leo XIII. It occupies the top of the southeast tower. Another tower, on three floors, features a fine display of twelve outstanding garderobes (medieval latrines), a sign the castle served not only as a family home, but also as a garrison.
In 1986, my brother-in-law, Stuart Madnick, a professor at MIT's Sloan School, bought Langley Castle and had it transformed into a hotel and restaurant.
Like other visitors to Langley Castle, we took in area sights: Hexham Abbey, parts of which go back 1300 years; Hexham goal; Corbridge Roman Town; Durham Bridge; Durham Cathedral; and Newcastle, where we heard Ron's brother Stuart lecture at Northumbia University on cyber security.
The highlight of the week though was, like a country fair day, Northumberland Day 2017 with activities (such as music, art and food stalls, a falconry display, and a bakers' presentation of the world's largest stottie) on the Langley Castle grounds.
You can click the following links for more information about Langley Castle, Northumberland sights, and Northumberland Day 2017.
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Member Spotlight: A Serendipitous Reunion
By Elaine Bloom
Zelda Schwartz discovered that Marvin Levy and Terry Young had a previous connection decades before meeting this fall in the WISE course "Out of Africa," led by Lillian Corti. We wondered how such an unexpected reunion happened, and Terry was glad to explain. She grew up in Brooklyn, New York, but she and her husband moved to central Massachusetts thirty-nine years ago, when he was offered a position at UMass Medical School. They have two adult children and three grandchildren. Terry has been a member of WISE for about ten years.
Terry had reconnected with Marvin Levy a number of years ago, in another WISE class that they were both in, along with his wife Lila. Terry says, “Lila had asked a number of questions and had made a number of comments, and based on her accent, it seemed obvious to me that she was from Brooklyn, so I spoke with her after class. When I told her what part of Brooklyn I was from (Bensonhurst), she said that her husband was also from that area.”
Upon further conversations with Lila and Marvin, they realized that he had taught social studies in the high school that Terry had attended, and that he had been her social studies teacher for a semester. They also discovered that they grew up just a few streets away from each other in Brooklyn. The two couples have celebrated this reconnection by going out to dinner, and Terry has also gone out to lunch with Lila several times.
From Brooklyn to Worcester, from high school to the campus of Assumption College, WISE has helped make the miles and years disappear for two of our members. Congratulations on your serendipitous reunion!
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Save the Date
By Cookie Nelson
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WISE Birthday Brunch at Wachusett Country Club
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WISE Anniversary Lecture by Stephen Kurkjian
Watch for a flyer coming soon
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Veterans Day ceremony on Assumption campus
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Lecture “Life in Denali” on campus
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WISE Holiday Lunch on campus
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