Issue Four Summer 2020

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We Are Living History By Julie Tarmy Photo by Karen Hosking, 2013 Smithsonian Magazine Finalist for “The American Experience”. As the Executive Director of the Nahant Historical Society, it’s my job to be aware of the events of history. All the time. For me, history is important every day. Not just the public pieces that everyone hears about, but also the moments that we so often refer to as minutiae. The behind the scenes history. So why write a story on it? If it’s not front-page news, who wants to hear about it? I do... along with all the people at the Nahant Historical Society. Think about it. What you and I did on a Wednesday in January of <strong>2020</strong> was probably not so different from what we did in January of 2019. Maybe there was more snow. Maybe I got together with friends around the conference table in the Society’s resource library. I could have done the same thing in both years. Now fast-forward to May of <strong>2020</strong>. What we did in May of 2019 is a lot different than what we are doing now. Do I have a super memory like Calantha Sears, whose ability to remember details is astounding? No. I just know that in 2019, whatever I was doing here in the office I was doing with an extraordinary group of volunteers. Not today. For the past nine weeks, I have been working at the Society (which has been closed to the public since March 19th) alone. For those of you who have visited our museum, you know this is not a small space. When you are alone, it is HUGE!! Thankfully, there is another tenant here in the building with whom I interact on occasion – the wonderful Jen Gubicza of Zooguu Toys, who stopped production on her toy line to concentrate on making masks for front-line workers. (Jen is one of many talented people who have been cranking out masks.) Being that we are basically the only two ‘full-timers’ in the building, we developed a system for taking the trash and recycling out. She takes the barrels out on Thursday, and I bring them in on Friday. Ordinarily, this small task would be handled by the wonderful folks of the Nahant Preservation Trust, but the building is closed and why expose anyone needlessly to whatever might be in the air? Truth be told, I am not totally alone in the office. As a young Cub Scout pointed out last year, there are a lot of people on the walls looking at me. These would be the ancestral portraits of some Nahant residents. So far, I have refrained from having conversations with them, but I do occasionally acknowledge their presence. I even included them in a Zoom meeting, which brings me to the next piece of historic importance. I have learned to Zoom and do other technological things, some correctly... some still needing work. You have to understand, I use a flip phone! COVID-19 has definitely brought me closer to the 21st century. One new thing I experienced this year with a group of Johnson School sixth graders was judging the Gettysburg address competition virtually. This is an event that I have been privileged to be a part of for many years. Normally, this competition would have been held in the Cafetorium of the Johnson Nahant Magazine | 18
school with 4th, 5th and 6th-grade students observing and learning. Other classroom teachers and distinguished guests would be the judges. The audience would be completed with proud parents looking on as their children vied for the honor of delivering the Gettysburg Address at the Memorial Day ceremony at Greenlawn Cemetery. Alas, not this year. The five fantastic students were in the safety of their homes delivering their speeches into a computer. Having frozen half-way through my delivery in the 8th grade, I have a keen respect for these young scholars. The tradition goes on, but the final delivery will also be done virtually through the dedication and talents of our Veterans, Town employees, and incredible volunteers. Gettysburg Address Competition, Johnson School Incredible. According to Webster’s International Dictionary: surpassing belief; too extraordinary to admit belief; fabulous. This is a word I find myself using over and over these days. Our incredible medical professionals, who courageously walk into the fire of COVID-19; our incredible town workers, who keep us functioning; our incredible residents, who make masks, deliver meals, post inspiring messages on wood, rocks, social media; the incredibly fun initiative of putting stuffed animals in the windows for all to see and be comforted by; and the incredible anonymous folks who do what they can when they can. Which brings me to the point. We Are Living History. The Society’s initiative, We Are Living History, is the result of being inspired by all the good that is being shared in Nahant, which started with Seaside Pizza stepping in to keep our valuable seniors fed when the COA temporarily lost the use of their kitchen(and continuing to offer the general public a change from the frozen or canned meals stocked up at home). Then there is the Johnson School collaborating with Anchor Food Pantry to keep our students fed with healthy meals; the Council on Aging delivering meals and a bit of socially distant social moments to our residents at home; and on, and on. In this time of uncertainty, of drastic changes to our personal and professional lives, of some new-found chaos at home with students out of school, and the unknown of how long this will go on, we want to hear from you about how you are getting through, coping, hanging-in. What kindnesses are you witnessing around town? What do you want others to know? What inspires you in this difficult time? We might be the smallest municipality in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, but we have an amazingly large spirit. Not too long into this pandemic, the brilliance of our kindness star shone. The acts of kindness and generosity flowed through the town. I have room to highlight only some of the memorable history being made, but please know that the Society is aware of all that is being done. Just ask our volunteer, Jane Kirkman, who is sifting through reams of information as she works at home. With the leadership of our social media guru, Susanne Macarelli, the Society began our initiative by highlighting the remarkable heart of Nahant. Our first Facebook post naturally included a photo of Seaside Pizza taken way before COVID-19 made its appearance. This inspiring photo was shot by Karen Hosking, 2013 Smithsonian Magazine Finalist for “The American Experience.” Our goal with this project is to learn about the good that residents are seeing during this dark time. We want to know what people are experiencing; how they are feeling and coping during the unique event. The response so far has been wonderful. People are reaching out with stories of encouragement, inspiration, simple thoughts and quotes, and hope for all. In my experience, the younger generation and the more mature folks often have different perspectives during times like these but one aspect of our ‘new normal’ registers strong across the board. We miss being able to see our friends and family. I reached out to the 3rd and 4th grade teachers at the Johnson School to get a youthful perspective of what life in the COVID-19 episode is like for their students. I even Zoomed with Mrs. Durant’s 3rd grade students, some of whom had very mature questions for me. Julianne wanted to know if this was the same type of pandemic as the Spanish Flu pandemic in 1918-1920. Alex asked if the Spanish Flu started the same way as COVID-19. With social media, and right now so much time at home, these young students are very well informed. Mrs. Durant and Mrs. Shanahan assigned a Social Studies task and asked the students to address specific questions about how they are feeling, what do they miss most, what do the NOT miss, and how are they spending their time. Their answers did not disappoint. You may have guessed that the majority of the students do not miss having 19 | Nahant Magazine
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Issue Four Summer 2020

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