Mary was born and raised in Medford, Massachusetts. She attended Boston State College studying elementary education. After college, Mary decided to drive across country to “see it all.” Her travels took her to Mt. Rainier where she eventually climbed the mountain at the urging of her friends.

Mary’s father, a thirty-year veteran of the Medford police force, met Mary in San Francisco and joined her in L.A., Las Vegas and the Grand Canyon.  After her time with Dad, Mary returned to Mt. Rainier to set up house at 8,000 feet.  She applied to the Bellevue School District, near the mountain, and was hired as a 5^th grade teacher to teach conservation and camping.  The job was the perfect fit for an adventurous woman.

After three years of teaching she decided head back to Medford, missing home.  After returning she landed a job teaching in east Boston.  She spent many weekends in the Outward-Bound program where she met her husband John. The program was meant to teach the teachers about desegregation and how the students could learn about one another.

She and her husband travelled to many, many countries during which she developed a love for theater.  She has close friendships with many people at the Cape Cod Playhouse where she has held season tickets for 40 years.

Mary and her husband retired and moved to the Cape to stay in 1995. Mary continued with her adventurous spirit on the Cape and tried everything. Girls Night Out held every Wednesday year-round was a common activity for trying new things. The group would go to the theater on Wednesdays during the summer and then try a different learning experience during the winter at Christine’s.  These experiences included learning to play the Steel Drum.  

Most recently, Mary had a fall and has been in rehab where she tested positive for Covid -19. She is doing very well. Her roommate also tested positive.  They became fast friends while recuperating. Each is looking forward to being well again -- they plan to travel to Ireland together in the fall or spring. Mary is working with her friend to get her to walk 75 feet because that is the distance from the hotel to the pub in Ireland!

Mary will always agree to new adventures to enrich her life.

Charlotte S. - Life as a Professional Volunteer

Charlotte has South Carolina blood running through her veins in spite of the fact that she was born and raised in Pittsfield, MA. Her parents were proud South Carolinians and she summered in SC and wintered in Massachusetts for most of her life.

Before marriage, Charlotte’s volunteerism erupted as she worked with the Junior League of Berkshire County, The Girls Club of Pittsfield, and the Western Massachusetts Girl Scout Council eventually serving as its President. She became an expert teaching third and fourth graders about the American Indians indigenous to Western Massachusetts. 

After a whirlwind career and busy volunteer schedule, Charlotte married in 1960 and raised a family in the Pittsfield area. Her volunteerism continued, as she focused on the elementary school that her daughter attended. She also spent time volunteering at the local hospital. Charlotte and her husband then moved to Southampton, MA where Charlotte established a women’s golf league and became interested in politics serving in the Town Assessor’s Office.

Charlotte and her husband always loved Cape Cod and were thrilled to have the opportunity to move to Yarmouth in 1984. Charlotte has the distinction of having played golf on every golf course on Cape Cod.

Her interest in golf led her to become a Golf Commissioner.  Through that work she became devoted to the Town of Yarmouth.  She was elected Selectman and served multiple terms from 1994 – 2003. The Select board couldn’t completely quell her desire to serve others so she served concurrently on the Barnstable County Assembly of Delegates beginning in 1997 for 12 years. In addition to her elected positions, she volunteered for Cape Light Compact, and served on the board of The Children’s Cove. 

 Charlotte summed up her ninety years as “proud and happy” that she spent so much of her time helping others. She said, “I was never forced to do any of it.  I am pleased with my life and feel that I was able to help people. That makes me happy.”