By Linda Ibbitson Hurd
Special to the Express
When we heard the peepers in August we knew summer was coming to an end. September would bring Labor Day and the start of the school year which would replace our carefree days of fun and playing outside until it was so dark we couldn’t see. Then came the year things changed for a time. I always think of it as the golden, stolen days. 
We were used to hurricanes that came and went during the 1950s but in September 1960, along came Hurricane Donna. At the first mention of a bad storm, our dad had the Coleman stove, lanterns, kerosene and the sterno at the ready. Mom made sure there were enough baked and canned goods, candles, matches and other foods on hand that didn’t need much preparation. Laundry had been done and water frozen in the refrigerator for the cooler when needed. We were ready, now we wait. 
Monday, September 12, no one went to work or school. Dad turned the radio on during breakfast while we still had power. The newscaster reported that Donna made landfall in Southern New England near Connecticut and Rhode Island. The Blue Hill Observatory reported winds were 140 miles per hour and Donna was a Category 4 storm. The four of us kids noticed the concerned look that passed between our parents. 
 A big expansive gravel and dirt driveway was between our house and the big two story, blue asphalt shingled house, where our dad’s parents lived. After a phone call from Grampa, we got ready and walked over to their house. Aunt Sam was already there with her kids. 
 The big old windows in Gram’s house shook and rattled as the whistling winds raised havoc. Trees fell before our eyes, landing in the side yard. Telephone wires came loose and thrashed about in the wind. At that point, gram and mom closed all the curtains, telling us kids to stay far away from the windows. Before darkness set in they turned their attention to lighting the lanterns. Aunt Sam took the kids into the dining room to play games. Fearing a tree might hit the house, I quietly retreated to the attic where I could look out at everything. Dad and Grampa were in the car listening to the radio. I saw them get out, hunching over to brace themselves in the wind as they made it to the kitchen door. I snuck back down before they came in. 
 To our surprise the news was good. The winds had been less ferocious in our area and Donna was on the way north to New Hampshire. The mood instantly lifted and there were hugs and smiles all around and a few tears of relief, thanks to the old wood stove and Gram and mom who made American chop suey and apple pie the day before, we had a good feast! We woke the next morning to a beautiful day. My sister Penny and I were so happy there was no school. Dad was a bulldozer operator and was needed at his job. There was no damage to our house or yard except some debris scattered about which our younger brother and little sister helped us and mom clean up. After lunch, Penny and I went to see the trees that came down in the storm. 
There were three good-sized maple trees lying near one another about 20 feet from Gram’s and nearly the same distance from the house on the other side. We began climbing on the trunks and over the branches and leaves. Other kids in the neighborhood were drawn to the trees and soon there was a group of us walking and climbing all over them. 
The September days after the hurricane were warm and golden. Where the trees lay became a haven for us kids in the neighborhood. Every day after breakfast we were there and we went back after lunch until it was time for supper. One of the boys was good at doing handstands holding onto a branch that was close to the ground. Some of us liked balancing ourselves on the tree trunks while walking on them. The big leafy branches were good hiding places when we played hide and seek and they also became part of a tree house when we played the Robinson family from the book, Swiss Family Robinson. Another day we imagined we were in Sherwood Forest with Robin Hood hiding from the Sheriff of Nottingham. 
 The day we had to go back to school, we couldn’t wait to get home to the trees. When we got there, we stood and stared. Our hearts sank. Our haven was gone. It made us sad to see our trees cut up into piles of logs. We all turned away, no one talked on the way home.
The stolen days in the September sun were a magical time that we all shared and reminisced about through the years. 

Whitman has another vacancy to fill among its ranks of representatives on the Whitman-Hanson Regional School Committee, in the wake of member David Forth’s resignation, announced at the Wednesday, Aug. 21 meeting.
The meeting opened with a moment of silence in honor of member Fred Small, who died July 29.
“I’ve known Fred for many, many years,” said Chair Beth Stafford before the moment of silence. “Fred and I were kind of adversaries when I was on the negotiating team for the W-H [teachers’] union and Fred would bargain against the union, so we had many good old – disagreements, shall we say, and also on the board. But we will miss Fred.
“Fred was a voice of the town of Whitman,” she continued. “Fred was a voice for the students. He was always here for them. He even came when he was ill, he would try to make the meetings. I will, personally, miss him because, the last year or so, he was calling me about once a week to update on how he was doing and how he was feeling and other issues that he might have had.”
She also said Small would be missed on the Whitman Middle School Building Committee, on which he served as chair.
“Fred was always the one to tell us what was going on [Beacon] Hill,” she added. “He was always up to date on all that news and that will, again, be missed.”
She also mentioned his service his 15 years of service to Whitman’s Capital Committee.
“Big shoes to fill,” Stafford said. “It’s unfortunate that we have to do this, but I would like to dedicate this moment of silence to Fred from all of us.”
Interested candidates for either vacancy are invited to send a letter of interest and resume to Whitman Town Administrator Mary Beth Carter at Whitman Town Hall, 54 South Avenue, Whitman, MA, by Sept. 3.
The school district is posting the vacancies with applicants given two weeks to post resumes, copies of which will be forwarded to the Whitman members of the School Committee for their review.
The Select Board requested a change from the Sept. 12 joint meeting date during which the candidates would be interviewed by both boards. The request, made by Select Board Vice Chair Dan Salvucci was in deference to a health issue of a Committee member.
“We don’t have an official date right now, but it will either be the last week in September or the first week in October,” Committee Chair Beth Stafford said. The person selected will only serve until May and must run to fill the remaining two years of Small’s term. The May ballot in Whitman will therefore have four seats to fill – two three-year terms, one two-year term and one one-year term.
Stafford then turned to Forth, saying that one of the Committee’s members wished to speak.
Forth then announced his resignation in favor of continuing his education.
“It is most appropriate at this time for the torch to be passed to the next generation of young parent-leaders, who are ready to represent our district and lend their voices and experiences to the next emerging generation,” Forth said. “I will resign as a Whitman representative to the Pre-K to 12 W-H Regional School Committee, effective Sept. 1.”
He plans to pursue higher education to expand his capacity to contribute, and answered a question once put to him by former Facilities Director Ernest Sandland, who asked what Forth had learned as a member of the School Committee.
“The voice of youth that we have had with you on here … has always been true to himself,” Stafford said.
Superintendent of Schools Jeff Szymaniak said Forth’s announcement was bittersweet for him as well.
“He’s done a really nice job on the committee, but I’m so happy for you to move into what you want to do, too,” he said. “It’s pretty cool.”
“I don’t know what your next steps are, but you will be missed,” said Committee member Dawn Byers, whom Forth had thanked for urging him to run in the first place and being such a staunch supporter.
Forth said ideology does not guide the School Committee. Personality and life experiences help guide and shape people’s views and empathy has been its greatest asset in achieving results over the past years.
“We should look beyond politics and toward a shared belief that people want an excellent education for their kids, a safe and healthy environment to live in and affordability to choose the life they wish to pursue,” he said – a community-first approach.
“One of my unique experiences growing up in our community, which has guided my decision-making over the last five years was the opportunity to live in and attend both schools in Whitman and Hanson,” Forth said. “As a teenager, when deciding whether to pull nomination papers to run for office, I asked myself, ‘What does it mean to be a leader?’”
He said those internal deliberations brought him to two conclusions.
“I decided that being a leader meant not having to be the most intelligent individual in the room but being receptive and understanding each other’s strengths and utilizing those abilities in the areas warranted when those moments are justified,” Forth read from a prepared statement. “Understanding who is the best fit for the particular situation and uplifting them to be successful in the endeavor will help us to succeed collaboratively as a community.”
Prioritizing the success of the collective over one’s individual needs is what makes a successful leader, he concluded.
His second conclusion, he said, was rooted in his days as a student at Hanson Middle School, where a teacher had already noticed – when he was 12 – that his passion was in the areas of history and politics, long before he did.
“Mrs. Blauss would pull me aside after mock debates in class, asking, ‘Have you ever thought about being a lawyer?” he said, recalling another of her lessons about Cincinnatus.
“The need to evaluate the health of the institution consistently and understanding that any institution dependent on one individual over too long in our democracy is reflective of a failure of those who have been serving it,” Forth said.
“I campaigned at the age of 19 to change our community’s culture,” he said, noting he had offered an ambitious platform of services for the district and sought to empower voices representing those affected my McKinley-Vento, foster youth and students struggling with circumstances beyond their control, understanding the lingering effects of the Great Recession and a pandemic.
Since he first ran, nine out of 10 School Committee members, four out of five Hanson Select Board and three out of five Whitman Select Board members have left office.
“We’ve had a sweeping change of represntation across our community, which is more optimistic, welcoming and supporting of the next generation of leadership,” he said. “Over the last five years, I’ve seen our community’s culture shift in a direction more reflective of our community as a whole.”
Parents have organized, used their voices and helped deliver results that will be felt in the community for generations, such as the expansion of early childhood education and the approval of the new middle school in Whitman, he concluded.
In other business, a donation to the district raised more testimonials to what Small meant to the Committee.
School Committee member Steve Bois made is annual donation of an Acer Chromebook, in Small’s memory, and asked that a letters of appreciation be sent to Small’s widow and children.
When asked if he wanted to say a few words, Bois said, “Sure, here it is,” and placed the boxed computer on the table.
“You know, I told Fred years ago, ‘Oh, good! We’re sitting opposite each other. We can kick a ball back and forth,” Bois said. “You always had to keep it light with Fred because you never knew what was coming next. He kicked my fanny just like he would anyone else’s – but then he’d have some good news for me later.”
He pointed to instances when Small was mentoring Forth, who was still a teenager when he was first elected to the committee.
“One of the proudest things I saw was him talking with David [about] various things, his willingness to help David – and I’m not singling David out …Bois said.
“No, I’m glad you’re sharing this,” Forth said.
“This was a lot on your shoulders as a teenager, turning 20 at the time,” Bois continued. “David, you’re going to continue on in many ways … and you kind of remind me a little bit of Fred. … You’ve got the questions and you know the answers. I know this is about Fred, but a torch is always passed on.”
“Over the last couple weeks I’ve had a lot of time to reflect among a lot of things pertaining to the committee, but specifically toward Fred,” Forth said, sharing some of his own personal experiences with Small that members of the community and committee colleagues might not have been privy to.
Forth recalled that he was a high school freshman with he first encountered Small via a video clip posted online about the School Committee. Later, when Forth began contacting School Committee members to advocate for his fellow students, it was Small and the Committee chair who approached him with their phone numbers, telling him if he ever needed any assistance, to give them a call.
When Forth ran for School Committee and won, Small was one of the first people to reach out to him.
“Over the last few years, of course Fred and I have had our disagreements, particularly toward budget season,” he said. “But Fred has helped me improve as a person. He’s challenged me, he’s helped me think differently, and reflecting, of course, over the last year, I got to see a different side of Fred that wasn’t reflective of the bureaucrat people have tried to project on us who serve in these elected roles.”
They spoke about cars after Forth bought his, about family and different perspectives after exchanging terse deliberations in meetings.
“He’s always been open and honest and he’s treated me with respect and decency,” Forth said in a voice thick with emotion. “Understanding that we may have different objectives or different pathways, but we have the same common goal – trying to improve our community. My experiences with Fred will long outlast my time on this committee.”