September 20, 2012 pdf edition - Quaboag Current

PAGE 10 A Turley Publication • www.turley.com I Thursday, September 20, 2012
EMPLOYEES I FROM PAGE 1
fall behind in the department.”
The board approved his request, and
congratulated Williams on his move to
full-time status. They also commented
on the recent situation that occurred
at Williams’ home, the barn fi re that
broke out a few weeks back where Williams
and two of his children were in
the structure when the blaze started.
Selectmen Chair Bob Souza addressed
Williams, saying that he is confi dent
that his training and knowledge prevented
the fi re from being a truly tragic
event, and hopes that he and his family
are doing well in the aftermath.
The board also had an employment
decision to make that was more personal.
On Sept. 5, they held an executive
session to interview, screen and consider
applications for the role of selectmen’s
assistant. The rules governing the board
state that the fi nal interviews must be
held in a public forum, and the fi nal two
candidates were present at the meeting
to be addressed by the board with any
remaining questions. Souza expressed
to both his sympathy for the process,
and expressed that while it must be a
very diffi cult situation to interview in
a public meeting, both women interviewed
remarkably well in his opinion.
Starting with Prokop, Selectman
Robert Downing said that he was very
impressed with her fi rst interview and
her resume. “You come across to me as
a take-charge person, and a self-motivated
person, which I consider the
two most important per-requisites for
this job,” he stated. Prokop agreed that
these attributes described her well. Souza
asked her to explain why she felt that
she was the best candidate for this job.
Citing herself as a professional with over
25 years of experience, Prokop summed
up the sort of work she previously did
for Falcetti Music, and claimed, “I believe
that I hold the skills that are necessary
to accomplish the goals of this offi
ce.” The only other question presented
to Prokop during this process involved
the recent high turnaround rate for the
selectmen’s assistant position.
Selectman David Delanski explained
to Prokop the history of the assistant
over the last couple years, and said that
the board is “looking for someone who
will not be leaving shortly.” Prokop re-
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sponded to this concern, stating that
her “intentions are for the long term.
My family is settled here, we love this
community,” she said and expressed
that she is looking to make this a career
move, not simply a short-term role.
“I believe that
I hold the skills
that are necessary
to accomplish the
goals of this offi ce.”
Loretta Prokop
CANDIDATE FOR
SELECTMEN’S ASSISTANT
Candidate Lillian Gordon was addressed
by Downing, who claimed that
he was very impressed with her response
to the time it took her to answer questions
in the initial interview, and that she
struck him as having a high degree of
confi dence. She agreed. The other two
selectmen addressed the same questions
to her as they did to the previous candidate.
In regards to her being most suited
for this positon, Gordon stated that she,
“believes that my past performance is a
good indicator of my future potential.”
She also stated that she, “loves living
here, and has been waiting to really be
a part of this town. I believe that I have
found the perfect position. I would not
only have a job, but I would be working
for the town that I live in.” In reference
to the recent high turn-around of the
position, Gordon said that she would be
with the board for as long as they were
willing to have her.
After speaking with both candidates,
the board took a short break to
review the resume’s of both candidates
and make any fi nal deliberations. Loretta
Prokop was offered the position
of selectmen’s assistant, and she gladly
accepted the role. Her fi rst offi cial duty
with the board will be during executive
session scheduled to be held on Sept.
25.
RUN I FROM PAGE 1
a fi nance offi cer for the Texas Army
National Guard upon completion
of her training. She hoped to one
day become a part of the FBI. She
graduated summa cum laude with a
3.69 GPA from Norwich University
in 2007 and spent eight consecutive
semesters on the Deans List
and received the COL Conrad D.
Whitney Award for military excellence.
While attending Norwich, she
dedicated much of her time to the
Women’s Rugby team, of which she
was captain during her junior and
senior years, and helped her team to
become fi rst in the North East and
third in the country at the National
Elite 8 Rugby fi nals in Florida. After
her passing she was awarded three
medals: The Meritorious Service
Medal, The Army Commendation
Medal and The Army Achievement
Medal.
In addition to keeping Hurley’s
memory alive, the race allows her
family to fund two $1,000 scholarships
for deserving Tantasqua Regional
High School students each
year.
“It feels really good to give,” said
Hurley’s mother and race organizer
Christine Hurley. “Steph was an
average student in high school and
when she went to college she just
blossomed. It feels good to support
students like that and it felt so good
when we were at the school giving
out the scholarships. It felt like we
were doing this for the right reasons.”
CEMETERY I FROM PAGE 1
gates at a salvage yard in Connecticut,
replacing a few of the bars and getting a
blacksmith from the Village to clean the
gates up a bit and make the pintels, the
hardware used to mount the gates to the
pillars. Camosse Granite, of Worcester,
donated the granite hat became the pillars
of the entrance. Sexton was pleased
with the pieces, he said that he felt the
look and cut of the pieces makes you feel
the age of the cemetery. “You look at
them and they look like something that
you would have seen here two hundred
years ago,” he said.
On Saturday, Sept. 15 Silvia Buck,
chair of the Warren Historic Commission,
led a dedication ceremony for the
new gates. The Commissioners were
present, as was Michalski, along with
his father and grandfather. Michalski’s
grandfather, Bernard Drazek, served the
town of Warren for 42 years taking care
of the Pine Grove Cemetery, and was
delighted to see this improvement for
another local ceremony. Buck said that
she was pleased to, “offi cially accept and
dedicate these gates to this beautiful cemetery,”
and gave Michalski the honor of
opening the gates for the fi rst time. The
Christine said she hoped more
students from Tantasqua attend the
race this year.
“It would be really nice to see a
real strong attendance from Tantasqua
because the scholarship goes
to one of those students,” she said.
Volunteers are also very much
needed for the event, and Christine
pointed out volunteering at the run
is a good way for students to earn
community service hours.
Christine said the family had
done a number of fundraisers over
the years to fund the scholarships
in Stephanie’s memory, but that
they decided the race was what they
wanted to put their energy into.
“Steph was captain of the rugby
team at Norwich and because of that
she became an avid runner,” Christine
said. “She was always running.
One of her best friends, Crystal
Brenner, was a runner too and came
up with the idea of having a run.”
Christine said that besides enabling
the family to give the scholarship,
the race honors Stephanie by
keeping her memory alive.
“This race is all about just bringing
people together, having good
time and good food, lots of laughs
and lots of people telling stories,” she
said. “It keeps us going and gives us
a reason. Stephanie was a free-spirited
girl who lived life to the fullest.
When she walked into a room, I’m
telling you it was like the room was
on fi re. The room was alive. When
she came home she always brought
college friends home with her. We
just want to keep it running.”
TURLEY PUBLICATIONS PHOTO BY JENNIFER ROBERT
Syliva Buck, Warren Historical Commission chair, shakes Michalski’s hand and thanks him for the donation for the
gates while offi cially accepting them on behalf of the Commission.
town of Warren Highway Department
installed the gates for the Commission,
to which Buck stated that they are “extremely
grateful to them,” for doing so.
After the ceremony took place, Michalski
recalled some of his memories
of Scouting, and how earning his Eagle
rank has served him as he transitioned
into adulthood. During the application
and interview process for jobs, he explained,
many of the potential employers
he met with asked him about his being an
Eagle Scout. While Michalski is, rightfully
so, proud of making that rank, he
explained that being part of Scouting in
any capacity is something that is a very
good thing for boys. “It such makes a
man out of you quick,” he chuckled. “If
it’s cold, hot, wet, you gotta keep walking.
I went on a 50-mile hike the fi rst
year I was in the Troop, they told me I
didn’t have to go but I wanted to. I think
my pack weighed more than I did. It was
hard. But you learn so many great things
in Scouts, learn things that are important
when you are older too and a lot of boys
don’t realize how much of an impact what
they learn in Scouting has on the rest of
their lives. Even if you don’t ever make
Eagle, just going through the program is
great, and teaches you so much that is really
important.”
But this year’s run almost didn’t
happen. The family was hit with
another devastating blow when
Stephanie’s grandfather, James M.
Hurley, was tragically killed in an
apartment fi re in August.
“We were going to cancel,” Christine
said. “It’s been a really hard time
for us and there was so much work
to be done. But we were like, ‘Let’s
just do it,’ and everything has been
falling into place so nicely. We are in
essence we are doing this in honor
this year of her grandfather.”
The 5K begins at the maintenance
parking lot of the Tantasqua
High School, proceeds behind the
school and fi eld house to Route 148,
turns Left onto Route 148 and goes
to the second entrance of Webber
Road, ending at the Rod and Gun
Club.
The cost for individuals to walk
is $20, run is $25; the cost of a family
of four to walk or run is $50. Nonrunner
BBQ meal tickets are $10
are available at registration.
Christine said the Rod & Gun
club has been wonderful to her family
over the years, letting them use
the facility for free.
“They’ve been such a huge
supporter of the family and they
are just awesome,” she said.
More information and race registrations
can be found at www.hurleysrockinrun.com
or at www.facebook.com/HurleysRockinRun
or by
e-mailing hurleysrockinrun@gmail.
com. Registration can also be done
on race day.