01945 Summer 2021

INSIDE 

Setting sail X Parade time X Town counter 

Bank 

on it 

SUMMER 2021 X VOL. 4 ISSUE 2

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A publication of Essex Media Group 

Publisher 

Edward M. Grant 

Chief Executive Officer 

Michael H. Shanahan 

Directors 

Edward L. Cahill 

John M. Gilberg 

Edward M. Grant 

Gordon R. Hall 

Monica Connell Healey 

J. Patrick Norton 

Michael H. Shanahan 

Chief Financial Officer 

William J. Kraft 

Chief Operating Officer 

James N. Wilson 

Controller 

Susan Conti 

Editor 

Thor Jourgensen 

Contributing Editors 

Gayla Cawley 

Sophie Yarin 

Writers 

Mike Alongi 

Bill Brotherton 

Allysha Dunnigan 

Daniel Kane 

Steve Krause 

Tréa Lavery 

Sam Minton 

Photographers 

Spenser Hasak 

Julia Hopkins 

Advertising Sales 

Ernie Carpenter 

Ralph Mitchell 

Patricia Whalen 

Design 

Amanda Lunn 

Edwin Peralta Jr. 

INSIDE 

04 What's Up 

06 Preppy Stitch 

12 House Money 

14 Setting sail 

18 Bank on it 

23 Author Author 

24 Town counter 

26 A story told 

30 Parade time 

32 Cutting edge 

35 Past tense 

36 Step in time 

38 Hope class 

ESSEX MEDIA GROUP 

110 Munroe St., 

Lynn, MA 01901 

781-593-7700 ext.1234 

Subscriptions: 

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01907themagazine.com 

LETTER FROM THE PUBLISHER 

TED GRANT 

An ode to the cheeseburger 

I would consider myself an expert in few things. Very few. In fact, other than clothes (I’m a Ralph Lauren 

Purple Label, Brioni and, on occasion, Kiton guy), my only other expertise might be cheeseburgers. 

I minor in cookies and peanut M&Ms and ice cream (man, I miss Coffey’s). But I major in pizza and 

Mexican and I’ve all but made it my life’s mission to find the ultimate cheeseburger. 

So God has been good to me. He led me to Marblehead — home of Marblehead House of Pizza and 

Howling Wolf and 5 Corners Kitchen. And home of me. 

I’m told all Houses of Pizza are essentially the same — Greek style, as opposed to Italian — but I think 

Marblehead House of Pizza is the best. And Wolf ’s steak chimichanga with refried beans is the greatest 

Mexican since Salma Hayek. 

Then there is the cheeseburger at 5 Corners. The best on planet Earth. Or so says me. 

My relationship with the cheeseburger had a rocky beginning. My mother was not exactly a cooking 

savant. The first time she made a cheeseburger for me it actually came out of the oven — don’t ask — on 

fire. Flames. I’m still sort of surprised she didn’t burn down the kitchen, if not the house. Her subsequent 

attempts were less memorable, but sufficient. 

Thus began my quest. 

Its earliest stages included a place on the Lynnway — called Burger Boy, maybe? — and my introduction 

to McDonald’s came compliments of my cousin Bill, whom I’d visit each summer in Manchester, N.H. He 

took me to one there, on Elm Street, and an obsession was born. 

I spend a fair amount of time in Manhattan (New York, not Kansas), and have sampled dozens and 

dozens — from low end, such as Big Nick’s Burger Joint on the West Side and Whitman’s on the Lower 

East, to high end, $40 burgers at Gramercy Tavern, Peter Luger, Minetta Tavern, Tribeca Grill, Union 

Square Cafe, and the like. 

Boston was always represented. Bristol Lounge at the Four Seasons. Abe & Louie’s. Grill 23. Joe’s. jm 

Curley. I thought the best was at Bouchee on Newbury Street, but that’s no longer with us. 

Obviously, I’ve given this search my best effort. But my current favorite (I say current because I am fickle) 

is at 5 Corners. 

What does this have to do with this edition of 01945? Well, nothing. But I thought you should know 

there is burger greatness in our midst. 

So what is in this edition of 01945? I’m glad you asked. 

Danielle Rogers has a history of creating designs and artistic elements. Now she has taken to 

monogramming. The Preppy Stitch — has there ever been a more Marbleheady name? — is her latest 

venture. Allysha Dunnigan has the story. 

We've had drones on land and drones in the air. Now we have drones on the ocean. And that's thanks to 

SeaTrac of Marblehead, whose prototype drone vessel promises to do all the work at sea that many find 

unattractive. Steve Krause has the story. 

Last month, at the Marblehead town election, a familiar face kept tabs on the results in an old-fashioned 

way — via the whiteboard. Sam Minton profiles Carl Siegal. 

You're never too young to write. Cate Cole, 11, proved that earlier this year, winning an award for her 

one-page fiction piece on a lone wolf trying to escape a forest fire. Krause again has the story. 

And speaking of writing, do you think it's easy writing a book these days? Think again. Kate Anslinger 

has written four books in a mystery series — six overall — and publishes them herself. It involves a lot of 

time and money. Again, Krause has the story. 

Elsewhere, singer Melina Laganas, who just graduated from Marblehead High, will get to refine her skills 

this fall at Berklee School of Music in Boston — on full scholarship, no less. Bill Brotherton has the story. 

It may not be a well-known fact, but slavery was a part of Marblehead in the years leading up to the U.S. 

Civil War. Sam Minton again has the story. 

Since golf is near and dear to a lot of hearts in town, we have this one for you: Brad and Roger Tufts have 

played a lot of golf together over the years, but the brothers shared a first this June. It was their first time 

competing in the Mass Open. Mike Alongi has the story. 

And then there’s the cover story. The National Grand Bank is 190 years old and has always been stable, 

conventional, and predictable — exactly what one would want in a bank. Mike Shanahan profiles the bank 

president and offers an overview of the bank itself. 

Plenty to digest. 

COVER National Grand Bank CEO Jim Nye stands with the bank's 1951 Chevrolet 3100. PHOTO By Spenser Hasak 

02 | 01945

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04 | 01945 

WHAT'S UP 

Mapping Marblehead 

What: Interactive maps and displays 

present the town's history in a way that can 

be enjoyed by all. 

Where: Old Town House, 1 Market Square 

When: Thursdays, 1-7 p.m; Fridays, 1-4 p.m.; 

Saturdays, 10 a.m.-4 p.m.; and Sundays, 1-4 

p.m. through October. 

Wedded bliss 

What: Chandler Hovey, Castle Rock and 

Crocker Park can be booked for weddings. 

Where: Call the town Recreation and Parks 

office, 781-631-3350, to find out if desired 

date and location are available. 

When: Bookings may be made as far out as 

one year from today's date. 

Way to grow 

What: SPUR community roots is looking 

for community garden waterers. 

Where: St. Andrew's Episcopal Church, 135 

Lafayette St. 

When: Go to spur.community/volunteer to 

check the community garden calendar for 

watering dates. 

Sustaining vision 

What: Sustainable Marblehead is a 

community organization working to reduce 

waste and pollution and achieve net-zero 

carbon emissions by 2040. 

Where: Visit sustainablemarblehead.org for 

activities and how to join. 

When: Sustainable's six working groups 

devoted to bicycling, clean energy, a healthy 

harbor and other goals meet regularly. 

Little theatre 

What: Marblehead Little Theatre offers 

music theater classes for kids 7-12. 

Where: Classes are held at the Theatre, 12 

School St. Visit mltlive.com for registration 

information. 

When: Six week-long sessions run through 

August 20 with classes scheduled Monday- 

Friday, 9 a.m.-1 p.m.

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Danielle Rogers, owner of The Preppy Stitch, sits with her dog, Bo, in Poppy the Preppy Hitch, a 1969 

camper that she uses as a pop-up shop to show off her custom monogramming business. 

PHOTOS: SPENSER HASAK 

Preppy Stitch 

makes its mark 

in Marblehead 

BY ALLYSHA DUNNIGAN 

Danielle Rogers has a history 

of incorporating design and artistic 

elements into her everyday life. After 

spending time as an interior designer, 

painter and embroiderer, Rogers has now 

taken to monogramming. 

The Preppy Stitch is her small 

business, based out of her Marblehead 

home, where she monograms everything 

from blankets to napkins to pillows and 

even water bottles. 

Rogers graduated from Syracuse 

University with a degree in interior 

design, but eventually left the field to 

raise her two sons. 

She then started a business hand 

painting children's furniture, but said 

that shipping was too costly, so she 

decided to end that venture as well and 

focus on being a mom. 

Rogers has always loved monograms, 

and would often monogram things in 

her home as a hobby. She then decided 

to branch out and monogram for other 

people; stitching for her friends made 

her realize that she could make her art 

into a business. 

She now monograms for customers 

across the East Coast and, with a two 

week turnaround, said she has new 

products to be made every day. 

When the pandemic hit, Rogers 

thought her business wouldn't survive. 

She said she didn't think anyone would 

want to order monogrammed items 

during a time that was so crazy, stressful 

and unpredictable. 

With COVID-19 hitting the United 

States so quickly, Rogers noticed the 

lack of personal protective equipment 

at hospitals across the country. Since 

she has a basement full of cloth, yarn, 

sewing and embroidery essentials, Rogers 

decided to make masks. 

When she began making 

monogrammed masks, she had her 

busiest month ever. Last May, Rogers 

said, she was making dozens of masks 

per day and had never had that much 

business. 

PREPPY STITCH, page 08

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"It was crazy," Rogers said. "We were 

shipping out between 25 and 50 orders a 

day, mostly masks." 

Rogers has an assistant, who she said 

has been very helpful during this time. 

While Rogers monogrammed the masks, 

her assistant stitched the fabric together. 

The mask making has now slowed 

down, but Rogers said The Preppy Stitch 

is doing well. 

The Preppy Stitch offers over 40 stitch 

designs, fonts and numerous colors, but 

also does personalized designs as well. 

Rogers has her workshop in her 

basement where she has two large 

monogramming machines as well as 

a table for preparing, measuring and 

completing the work; she also has 

computers where she makes the designs. 

To make a monogram, Rogers will 

insert the letters and colors in the 

monogram onto a flash drive, which then 

goes into the monogram machine. Then 

the machine stitches the design onto the 

product. 

"I really love monograms," Rogers 

admits. "I always have." 

She also keeps inventory and 

coordinates shipping on the other side of 

her basement workspace. 

The majority of her orders are placed 

online at her website thepreppystitch. 

Colored thread spools line the wall of Danielle Rogers' basement studio. 

com. Customers can choose fonts and 

thread colors to put onto products in 

Rogers' inventory, or people can drop off 

their own products for her to monogram. 

During the pandemic, she had a 

contactless system where customers 

could leave the items they wanted 

monogrammed on her front porch, and 

she would ship them back when they 

were done. 

The turnaround for her work is 

around two weeks, depending on how 

busy she is. 

As her business grew, Rogers decided 

to add to her workshop with the purchase 

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of Poppy, the Preppy Hitch. During the 

pandemic, Rogers bought a trailer that 

she renovated to act as a second home for 

her business. 

Putting her interior design skills to use, 

Rogers redid the floors, walls, countertops, 

bathroom and seating areas — and, of 

course, added her monogrammed towels, 

blankets and placemats. 

She also repainted the trailer, to 

match her business' pink, blue and white 

colors. 

The trailer is parked in her driveway 

and is used for her pop-up appearances at 

markets and events. Rogers said she, and 

her mini labradoodle, Bo, like to work 

and design in the trailer sometimes to 

switch things up. 

"It's nice to have Poppy because if I 

want to do a pop-up here, I can do that 

and people won't need to come into the 

house," Rogers said. "I'm so excited to 

see what else I can do with this (Poppy). 

This just opens up a whole new world." 

Rogers was working from home even 

before the pandemic, and she said it's 

nice to have another place to go to work. 

In October, Rogers took Poppy on her 

first road trip, venturing out to Vermont 

for a pop-up show. 

Rogers said she is hoping to do more 

shows now that things are opening back 

up, and said that those she has already 

done have been both successful and fun. 

During the holiday season, Rogers 

had a few pop-ups in her driveway, where 

she opened Poppy up for people to see 

her work. 

She posts the pop-up dates on 

Instagram and sends updates via email, 

so customers know when to come by. 

"It's just different, so it's fun," Rogers 

said. 

PREPPY STITCH, page 10


As a small business owner during 

the pandemic, Rogers faced uncertainty 

and restrictions regarding her sales and 

products. Adjusting to the pandemic was 

tough, she said, but she credited a group 

of female entrepreneurs for helping her 

get through it. 

Five years ago, Rogers went to a 

conference in South Carolina called 

the Southern Sea, where she met other 

female business owners. This group met 

once a week via Zoom, and Rogers said 

she collaborated with the other women 

to incorporate her work into Southern 

magazines and articles, which resulted in 

a large consumer base in the South. 

Through Instagram, Pinterest, 

Facebook and email, Rogers connects 

with her customers in the South to keep 

them up to date with new and exclusive 

products, including her personalized 

napkin twillies. 

"My two little hashtag I always 

use are "#popitwithamonogram" and 

#elevatetheeveryday," Rogers said. "I 

think elevating the everyday really 

embodies so much of my personality and 

what I do." 

Rogers said she is hoping to continue 

to work with her friends in the South 

to grow her business and clientele, and 

wants to bring Poppy on a road trip 

there. 

"I love seeing how much my business 

has been growing and branching out," 

Rogers said. "I have a lot of plans for The 

Preppy Stitch and am excited to see how 

it all plays out." 

Rogers encourages people to follow 

her on social media (@thepreppystitch) 

for updates and information about popups 

and products. 

Danielle Rogers uses her 1969 camper, Poppy 

the Preppy Hitch, as a mobile display of her 

monogramming skills. 

Danielle Rogers, owner of The Preppy Stitch, a custom monogramming business based in Marblehead, 

stands with her 1969 camper, which she purchased during the COVID-19 pandemic. 

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A peek inside 

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SELLING BROKER: 

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LATEST ASSESSED 

VALUE: $3,802,400 

PROPERTY TAXES: $51,558 

YEAR BUILT: 1998/1930 

BUILDINGS: Main + cottage + 

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Barns have capacity to store six cars 

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Marblehead Town Class sails on 

BY TRÉA LAVERY 

On a hazy morning, a group of small, 

brightly-colored sailboats drift slowly 

from their moorings by the Marblehead 

causeway toward the end of the harbor. 

These boats, most crewed by just one 

or two sailors, may look inconsequential, 

but they make up Marblehead's oldest 

continuously-raced fleet. The Town Class, 

affectionately known as "Townies," are 

ready to race. 

On the porch of Corinthian Yacht 

Club, the race committee hangs an orange 

two-by-four from a railing, marking the 

starting line. Traditionally, a sailing race 

committee will be stationed on a boat to 

set the line, but Corinthian's is unique. 

"Coming back and looking at 

that is just beautiful," said sailor Peg 

MacMaster. 

The 16.5-foot, one-design Townies 

were first built in 1932 by Marcus Lowell 

of Amesbury, and arrived in Marblehead 

in 1936. They were designed to be 

accessible to an ordinary townsperson, 

hence the name. Marcus' son, Pert, later 

took over the business, establishing the 

Pert Lowell Company in Newbury, which 

Boats in the Town Class, affectionately named 

"Townies," race around Marblehead Harbor during 

the Monday morning regatta. 

PHOTOS: JULIA HOPKINS 

his son-in-law, Ralph Johnson, runs today. 

To date, they have built over 2,000 of the 

boats in wood and fiberglass models. 

Marblehead Harbor is home to the 

world's largest fleet of Townies, currently 

numbering just over 40. Race committee 

member Bart Snow is to thank for that. 

Snow's parents purchased a Townie 

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in 1953 to provide him with an outdoor 

activity that wouldn't upset his hay fever. 

The next year, he started racing and, in 

1962, he won the first-ever National 

Town Class Regatta in Nahant. 

In the 1990s, after taking a few 

decades off to race other boats, Snow 

was approached by an old classmate to 

join the Town Class Twilight Series, 

which races in the harbor on Tuesday and 

Thursday nights throughout the summer. 

He was disappointed to find that, while 

he was used to seeing upwards of 60 

boats from his old racing days, just 11 

Townies were left to sail Marblehead 

Harbor. 

"We would go out racing and be 

lucky to get three or four on the start 

line," Snow said. "The whole problem 

was that all the boats got sold out of 

town, because it's a 20-year wait for a 

mooring." 

Snow decided to take things into his 

own hands. He got permission from the 

harbormaster to install a trawl along 

the causeway, which could hold 20 

boats. The space was formerly unused, 

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Andrea Dodge and Nick Cann sprint to second place against fellow Townie sailors. 

because at low tide the water is only 

two feet deep — a problem for bigger 

boats, but not for the Townies. Then, he 

set about purchasing every Town Class 

sailboat that became available, traveling 

to Kentucky, the Great Lakes, barns in 

New Hampshire, islands in Maine and 

anywhere else he could find them. 

Snow brings the boats to Pert Lowell 

Co. for renovations, then sells them at 

cost to local sailors. To date, he has sold 

24 of the boats, and has six more in 

varying stages of improvements. 

"It's not a business," he said. "It's just 

fun to get more out there." 

Snow keeps track of each Townie's 

history, too. The retired accountant keeps 

a spreadsheet with more than 1,300 rows, 

each corresponding to a different owner, 

showing who had each vessel during each 

year since it was built. 

Some of them have interesting 

histories. One light teal-colored boat, 

the "Christie B.," was once purchased 

by singer Billy Joel for his then-wife 

Christie Brinkley. 

As more boats pull up to the starting 

line to prepare for the Morning Series 

race, Snow looks out at them through 

binoculars and shouts out the sail 

numbers — 2047, 77, 2083 — to his 

wife, Tuula, who records them on a 

clipboard. 

"We know a lot of them by name, 

because we've been here a few years," 

Tuula Snow said. 

Some of the sailors have been there a 

long time, too. David Cooke started racing 

when he was 13 on a Townie his parents 

bought in 1955, before he was born. In 

2006, he started again, racing with his 

mother, who passed the boat on to him 

after she died. 

Now, Cooke races with his childhood 

friend David Goldsmith on that same 

boat, the "Aufblitzen," German for 

"flash." It bears the number 3, because, 

Cooke said, his father always preferred 

short numbers. 

"I've found the Townie's a slow boat 

to race compared to a lot of other fleets 

I've been in," Goldsmith said. "On the 

other hand, the tactics — going to the 

right, going to the left, rounding the 

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marks — is a lot more challenging than 

a lot of other boats and the fleet race is a 

lot tighter." 

Cooke agreed, but said that 

Marblehead's community is up to the 

challenge. 

"It's become high-caliber now. A lot 

of good sailors come in," Cooke said. "It's 

exciting. You feel like you've accomplished 

something when you do win." 

Cooke's wife, Lynn, said that on top 

of that feeling of accomplishment when 

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her husband wins, she buys him a lobster 

dinner. 

Lynn Cooke prepares to keep time 

on a battery-powered clock mounted 

on a wooden plaque. As the frontrunner 

rounds each mark, she will read out 

the time for Tuula Snow to record. No 

other conversation will be allowed in the 

race committee booth, which ensures 

everyone stays focused on the task at 

hand. 

Out on the water, the same silence 

takes hold aboard each of the 13 Townies 

sailing in today's race. Sailors test the 

wind, milling around the harbor until 

they see a yellow flag fall on the yacht 

club porch and hear a horn that signals 

that it's time to line up. 

Three minutes later, another horn 

sounds as a blue flag falls, and the 

boats position themselves to have the 

straightest shot to the first marker. After 

another three minutes, a red flag signals 

the start of the race. 

"All clear," says race officer John Caslan 

over the radio, and the Townies are off. 

For each race, the committee chooses 

a course based on the direction and 

speed of the wind. Numbered buoys set 

permanently throughout the harbor serve 

as markers which the boats have to round 

once, twice or three times, depending 

on that day's course. Today, the course 

markers are two green cylindrical buoys 

known as "cans," numbered 21 and 22, 

and the racers must make their way 

through the course twice. 

The participants in the race range 

from seasoned pros to families with 

children carrying bubble machines, 

spreading glittering spheres behind them 

as they float through the waves. 

Alec MacMaster, Peg's husband and 

the fleet's safety patrol, says as he follows 

the Townies in a motor-powered yacht 

club boat; when the couple's son was 

younger, they would bring water balloons 

along to the events, coordinating fights 

with other sailors between races. 

MacMaster said the games are part 

of what makes the friendly competition 

so fun. 

"They're more about the joy of 

sailing," he said. "Victory is important, 

but it's not the most important thing." 

Race officer David Graham, another 

mainstay of the Marblehead Town Class 

community, said that this culture is part 

of why he loves the niche sport so much. 

"I love their enthusiasm," Graham 

said. "It's a labor of love." 

The frontrunner, boat number 2086, 

Boats in the Town Class race around Marblehead Harbor. 

rounds the first marker, with the rest of 

the fleet tightly packed behind it. Here 

at the beginning of the race, a sailor 

could reach out and touch her nearest 

competition. As they sail farther, the 

group spreads out more, with the fastest 

vessels separating from the pack and 

stragglers falling behind. 

As they turn past the second marker 

and head back to the starting line to 

begin the second lap, a message comes 

over the radio: The wind has changed, 

and along with it the course. Now, after 

the first marker, they will turn in the 

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opposite direction to buoy number 19, a 

red "nun" named for its pointed top. 

The sailors take the change in stride, 

changing tack to glide out of the harbor 

toward Marblehead Light. 

Finally, 45 minutes after they started, 

the first boat, number 2086, crosses the 

finish line. Seventeen minutes later, the 

last Townie completes the course. 

"Some people say that watching 

sailboat racing is like watching grass 

grow," said Graham. "I don't think of 

it that way. I think it's a thrill in slow 

motion." X 

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Tellers tend to their customers' banking needs at National Grand Bank in Marblehead. 

PHOTOS: SPENSER HASAK 

Fiercely independent 

BY MIKE SHANAHAN 

Change comes slowly to 

National Grand Bank, the 

190-year-old Marblehead 

institution that is one of the few truly 

independent banks still on the North 

Shore. But you get a sense that is 

exactly how the bank — and its nearly 

225 shareholders — like things. Stable, 

conventional and predictable. 

Those characteristics have served the 

bank well since its founding in 1831 

as Grand Bank, a name that is less 

presumptuous than it might sound when 

you consider the source of its initial 

deposits. The bank began as a refuge for 

the hard-earned profits of Marblehead’s 

principal trade at the time — fishermen 

who farmed the sea in a place called 

the Grand Banks, an abundant fishing 

ground nearly 1,000 miles east of 

Marblehead, off Newfoundland. The 

“National” was added to the name when 

the bank got its federal charter in 1864. 

Fishing was a serious engine of the 

New England economy in the 1830s — 

so much so that Marblehead was one 

of the 60 largest cities in the United 

States at the time. The Grand Bank 

came to be because the local fleet wanted 

more control over their finances, a local 

institution which avoids speculation 

and would be there for them in good 

times and in bad. That philosophy hasn’t 

changed much in the intervening years. 

The bank takes pride in the fact that 

when you call its headquarters during 

working hours a real person answers every 

call. And you will not find the bank leading 

the charge on changes in technology, 

either. Sure, they have services like online 

banking and mobile deposits, but they don’t 

feel the need to be first in implementing 

innovation. The last “tweet” on their 

Twitter account was posted in 2014. 

“We prefer to let the big guys sort out 

the technology challenges and then we 

follow,” NGB president Jim Nye explains. 

“You don’t come to a bank our size with 

our culture expecting us to be on the 

The mantra that National Grand Bank CEO Jim Nye lives by. 

cutting edge of technology, and we’re 

comfortable with that. You come because 

you know us, we know you, and we can 

be trusted.” 

And while other banks are bent on 

growth through new branches, new 

products and acquisitions, that’s not 

NGB’s style, either. In fact, they lasted 

131 years in their first headquarters 

building on Hooper Street before they 

made a bold move in 1962 by buying the 

abandoned Boston & Maine Railroad 

station on Pleasant Street, where they 

built their current quarters in 1963. For 

all those years, the bank operated with a 

single banking office. 

“We’re centrally located in a small 

town — we think it’s helpful for our 

customers to have us all here in one 

place. If there is a question or a problem 

we can walk down the hall and come up 

with a solution,” said Nye. “Marblehead 

is our market. We don’t need growth for 

growth’s sake.” 

That said, the bank did open its first 

“branch” in 2002 when the new high 

school opened at Tent’s Corner. Inspired 

by a suggestion from longtime business 

education teacher Joan Stomatuk, 

the bank operates a limited service 

branch, operated by students under the 

supervision of the bank’s Matt Martin. 

But don’t expect to see any additional, 

traditional branches. As Nye pointed out, 

“Expansion is not on our agenda.” 

The agenda for the bank is managed 

by an unusually active Board of 

Directors. The group of six directors, 

plus Nye, meets every other Tuesday to 

personally review the details and approve 

most loans. Competitive institutions 

generally delegate that responsibility to 

management, but that’s not the practice 

at NGB. Like the bank, the board is 

very stable. Its last new member joined 

in 2014, and two current directors have 

served since the 1980s. 

“Our board knows our customers and 

knows our market, so they help us make 

better lending decisions,” explained Nye. 

“And if a customer gets into trouble, they


understand the situation already, so we’re 

able to make adjustments and help the 

customer through the problem.” 

Many banks have whole departments to 

deal with delinquent loans and foreclosures; 

that’s not the case for National Grand. 

In fact, they can count on one hand the 

number of formal foreclosures they have 

had in the past 30 years. 

“I think our last one was in 2012,” 

Nye recalled. “It was an unfortunate 

family situation where the elderly 

borrower passed away. We worked 

through the process (and) sold the home, 

and we were able to cover our loan and 

present the widow with the surplus.” 

Such credit quality isn’t an accident. 

With about $425 million in assets, 

the vast majority of their investments 

are in real estate loans: $281 million as 

of March 2021. And nearly all of that 

($246 million) is in one to four family 

residential mortgages; in other words, 

loans to everyday people, not developers 

or speculators. The bank’s staff and 

directors know the neighborhoods, 

current real estate trends and credit 

worthiness of the customers firsthand. 

This familiarity adds a layer of safety to 

their investments. 

“We know when a family is having 

a hard time and we’ll work with them,” 

Nye pointed out. “But, on the other 

hand, it’s hard to live and work in this 

town and bump into our staff in everyday 

life knowing you’ve defaulted on a loan. 

People tend to return our phone calls and 

we work things out.” 

A small sign in Nye’s office speaks 

directly to the strategy that helps set 

them apart from so many other banks. 

The sign says, “It's Nice to be Important, 

but it's more Important to be Nice.” 

For most of the bank’s 50 employees, 

being nice goes beyond day-to-day duties 

in the office. Many of them actively 

serve in volunteer roles in Marblehead 

community organizations, and several hold 

seats on town boards, commissions and 

committees. All of this deepens their ties 

to the community. And the bank puts its 

money where its heart is. From sponsoring 

the annual Fourth of July Horribles Parade 

to encouraging reading by promising kids 

$10 if they read five books this summer, the 

bank supports dozens of causes in town, 

including promoting local businesses. 

When the staff came across a 

1951 Chevrolet 3100 panel van in 

Marblehead’s red-and-black colors, 

they purchased it, cleaned it up and put 

it on the road in town to promote the 

bank and local businesses. The truck, 

with its vintage ‘50s lettering displaying 

the bank’s phone number NE1-6000 

(NE1 stood for the NEptune exchange, 

predating 631), goes on tour to promote 

local businesses during the month of 

December. And local business owners 

appreciate their support. 

“They were there for us when we 

needed them and, frankly, we wouldn’t 

be here without them,” explained Trish 

Brogna, owner of Tony’s Pizza, which 

suffered a devastating fire in 2003. 

“The community would be lost without 

them. They go above and beyond to help 

customers and you can’t ask for anything 

more than that.” 

But does all of this George Baileystyle 

banking really work, financially, in 

the long run? Apparently, yes; it works 

quite well. The bank has been named 

one of the top 200 community banks in 

the United States by American Banker 

magazine eight of the last 13 years based 

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Nye's is a Wonderful Life 

Even though National Grand 

Bank’s President Jim Nye 

doesn’t look like Jimmy Stewart 

when you sit with him in his 

office, you can’t help but think 

back to Frank Capra’s classic 

movie about a friendly local 

banker who’s right in the center 

of things in that small town. 

A larger-than-life cardboard 

check memorializing the bank’s 

commitment to Marblehead 

High seniors stands in the 

corner next to pennants from a 

dozen schools where scholarship 

winners will matriculate this 

fall. The walls and bookcases are 

adorned with trophies, plaques 

and testimonial pictures. And 

the door to his office is so rarely 

closed that it’s a wonder he even 

has one in the first place. 

“I tell people ‘If you see my 

door closed, I must be getting 

grilled by our auditors’, otherwise 

it’s always open,” joked 

Nye. 

During a short visit with him 

to discuss the bank’s history, 

about a half dozen people took 

advantage of the open door — 

some to say “hi," a couple to say 

“thanks for taking care of that,” 

and a few asking him for a favor. 

He knew everyone by name. 

“One of the big advantages 

we have working in a town like 

Marblehead is that, after a while, 

you can get to know everyone, 

or at least know someone who 

knows them,” Nye noted. 

When he says “after a while”, 

he’s being modest. Nye, a legitimate 

Header who was born at 

Mary Alley Hospital, has spent 

virtually all his life in Marblehead, 

and it makes him seem 

like someone out of Central 

Casting for his role as the head 

of the town’s oldest and largest 

bank. 

Nye’s parents hailed from Toledo, 

Ohio, and visited Marblehead 

on their honeymoon back 

in the 1950s. They loved the 

town so much that they ended 

up moving there and raising 

four children. Jim, who played 

football, swam and ran track for 

the Magicians, graduated from 

the high school in 1979. His 

first brush with business in town 

was a schoolboy lawn-mowing 

business he and his brother 

started, called “Just Kuts.” 

After studying engineering 

at Maine Maritime Academy 

he transferred to Bentley University 

to hone his business 

skills and ended up working for 

Chase Manhattan in mortgage 

banking. Difficult times in the 

banking industry and a young 

family caused him to switch 

gears and take a job selling baby 

formula for a large company — 

until a chance meeting with a 

friend changed all that. 

“I was attending a wake for 

Brad Sheridan when I bumped 

into Elliot Rothwell, who was 

running National Grand’s 

mortgage department at the 

time,” Nye recalls. “Why don’t 

you come back to banking?” 

Rothwell asked, and the rest, as 

they say, is history. Nye joined 

Marblehead is the 57th 

largest city in the U.S. 

First lighthouse built 

on Marblehead Neck 

First railway station 

opens at the future 

site of NGB 

65 Marblehead men 

and boys lost in squall 

off Grand Banks 

Marblehead organizes 

first police force 

Great Marblehead 

fire destroys much 

of downtown 

Town 

Train service 

Marblehead 

1831 1835 1839 

1846 1853 1864 1877 

1880-1950 

1959 

Grand Bank established 

March 17 

Major Joseph W. Green 

1st GB president 

GB helps finance 

replacement fishing fleet 

Bank gets national 

charter - changes name 

to add “National” NGB helps finance 

rebuilding 

National Grand

National Grand Bank president Jim Nye has an open-door policy for his office and welcomes 

customers and visitors to pop in for questions or just to say "Hi". 

National Grand’s mortgage 

department and ultimately took 

over the group from Rothwell 

when he retired. 

“When Barry Weed decided 

to retire in 2008, I asked the 

directors if I could be considered 

for the president’s job. They 

hired a national search firm and 

they were a bit surprised, but, 

when the process was done, I 

was thrilled to become the 13th 

president of National Grand 

Bank,” Nye says. 

“The only reason we are here 

is to help this community,” he 

adds. 

And he practices what he 

preaches, encouraging many of 

the bank’s management team to 

take active volunteer roles in the 

community. Nye is currently a 

member of the Board of Selectmen 

in Marblehead, and was 

the top vote getter in a recent 

election where 15 people vied 

for the five seats on the board. 

It’s no wonder, based on feedback 

from his peers. 

“I can only speak in superlatives 

about Jim Nye,” said Jackie 

Belf-Becker, who has served 

with Jim as selectperson since 

2005 and currently chairs the 

board. “He is a terrific colleague 

on the board, and, more importantly, 

he is one of the most decent, 

kindest and caring people I 

know. He is a great asset to the 

Town of Marblehead.” 

Ever humble, Jim deflects the 

attention and praise. 

“I’m a lucky guy because I’m 

able to work in a town that I 

love. Marblehead is the greatest 

town in America,” he says with 

a twinkle in his eye. 

And he means it. X 

to 

ends 

“New” post office opens 

on Smith Street 

Town opens 

new high school 

Wall Street 

financial crisis 

1962 1963 1976 1977 2000 2002 2008 2021 

First shares of NGB sold 

to public at $40 

NGB moves into new headquarters 

on Pleasent Street 

NGB share price 

increases to $75 

Barry Weed becomes 

12th president 

Jim Nye becomes 

13th president 

NGB opens its first branch 

at Marblehead High School 

NGB stock 

trades at $7,500 

Original headquarters on Hooper Street. 

circa 1864


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upon its financial performance. 

Shares of National Grand were sold 

to investors in 1962 at $40 per share. 

Shares are closely held by about 225 

shareholders, most descendants of early 

investors. The bank has not sold any 

shares to investors since the 1980s, and 

regularly buys back shares offered to 

it by existing shareholders, so it is not 

as though they are readily available 

— but the most recent purchase price 

was $7,500 per share. To put that into 

context, an investment of $1,000 in 1962 

would be worth approximately $187,500 

at current values. 

But shares, like the bank, are not for 

sale. The bank may well be worth more 

than that if it were to entertain acquisition 

by many of the larger banks in the area 

or a national bank seeking a foothold in 

Marblehead. But that is highly unlikely to 

happen, according to Nye. 

“We are fiercely independent,” he 

noted. “We have no desire to change 

what has been working so well for us for 

so many years.” 

You get the sense that people in 

Marblehead like it that way. X 

Trivia 

The current location of National Grand Bank in 

Marblehead was previously a train depot. 

X When the B&M Railroad 

decided to close their Marblehead 

spur and terminal, 

it left a hole in downtown 

Marblehead. National 

Grand purchased the property 

and built a new headquarters 

in 1963 — later 

expanding in 1983 — creating 

a landscaped front yard where a block of stores once stood. They 

sold their 132-year home on Hooper Street for $40,000 in 1963. 

X The bank’s largest depositor — some $20 million — is the Town 

of Marblehead. The bank competes with other, larger banks for 

deposits, but convenience and service play a big role. The bank has 

about $365 million in deposits. 

X The first great Marblehead fire in 1877 nearly destroyed the 

bank’s Hooper Street headquarters. The fire destroyed 72 buildings, 

costing 1,900 their shoe-industry jobs. The fire consumed the 

building right next to the bank’s headquarters. The replacement 

building was separated on purpose — thus the current courtyard 

between the Hooper Street building and the current home of 

Mahri Jewlers. 

X The bank’s investment management business (which involves a 

partnership with Eastern Bank) grew out of a request from a customer 

during the Blizzard of ’78. The bank didn’t offer investment 

products, but then-president Randy Goodwin walked a customer 

down the street in the snow to Naumkeag Trust and a partnership 

was born. Eastern acquired Naumkeag in 1988.

The trials and tribulations 

of a do-it-yourself author 


BY STEVE KRAUSE 

The next time you decide you want to be 

the next Stephen King, consider what that 

involves. 

"It's not easy," says Kate Anslinger, who 

has carved out a niche as a writer of supernatural 

mysteries, these days with the continuing 

"Grace McKenna" series. 

Grace, she says, is a detective who lives in a 

little north-of-Boston suburb that might — to 

some people — bear resemblance to Marblehead. 

Her deal is that she can ferret out clues 

to major crimes by looking into the eyes of 

criminals. 

But unless you're John Irving or J.K. Rowling, 

your book will not be the top priority at 

Simon and Schuster or any other major publishing 

company. It's more likely you'll have to 

publish it yourself. And, as Anslinger says, that 

may run into spending some money — but in 

the long run it can be advantageous too. 

"I had a small publisher for my first couple 

of books," she said, "but I didn't think it 

worked all that well. So I went with self-publishing. 

For me, it's better." 

And that's for a number of reasons. First, if 

you're under contract with even a small publisher, 

you're limited in what you can write. 

"This way, I have control over what I write 

and when I write," she said. 

And Anslinger loves to write. She's always 

loved to write. Even in her "real job," which 

involves ghost-writing for different people. 

"I love to write so much," she says. "When 

I lived in Boston, I started writing one hour a 

day. That turned into 'Saving Jason' (her first of 

six books she has written)." 

That book was somewhat autobiographical. 

Anslinger is a U.S. Air Force veteran and her 

first husband was a U.S. Marine. Between the 

two of them, they saw plenty of instances of 

post-traumatic stress disorder. Therefore, she 

has a deep knowledge of the condition. 

"Jason, in my book, is a veteran who was 

married to the Marines," she said. "He came 

back from the war with PTSD. The story is 

loosely based (on my experiences)." 

From there, she went to "Underwater 

Secrets," which spans two generations, and is 

based on a lake in New Hampshire where she 

grew up. 

"I had to do a lot of research on that," she 

Kate Anslinger is a Marblehead-based freelance writer and author of the Grace McKenna mystery novel series. 

PHOTO: SPENSER HASAK 

said. "It's about a woman who finds secrets of 

her mother's past life in the underwater parts 

of the lake." 

Then came her move toward self-publishing, 

and with it, the birth of Detective Grace 

McKenna, a sleuth who has the often-unenviable 

gift of being able to read into the eyes of 

criminals. 

"She can see flashes of crimes they have 

committed," Anslinger said. "And she struggles 

with the images." 

McKenna solves crimes in all of the books. 

None of the settings are the same, but they all 

take part in fictional communities based on 

cities and towns in either metropolitan Boston 

or New Hampshire. Eras also vary. 

The first of her "McKenna" books was 

"The Gift," followed by "Buried Secrets," 

"Never Tell," and her latest, "Family Photos." 

"I have a team of about 20 early readers 

who I hire to catch inconsistencies, and to 

proofread," she said. "One thing you learn 

quickly is that you can't have an ego." X


A patented talent 

BY SAM MINTON 

Carl Siegel tallies votes for the Board of Selectmen on June 22. 

If you make your way to Abbot Hall 

to vote in a local election, there's a 

good chance that you have seen one 

of Carl Siegel's many inventions. 

Siegel has called Marblehead home for 

a little while now. He ventured to the city 

from Buffalo, N.Y. in 1960 in order to take 

a job with General Electric in Lynn after 

graduating from college. Now retired, he 

has kept busy by doing carpentry work. 

Beyond carpentry and engineering, 

Siegel actually lays claim to quite a popular 

invention that football fans will be familiar 

with. If you look at the officiating crew in 

NFL games, a piece of their equipment 

was created by Siegel: the self-proclaimed 

"bean bag" that you can see officials sporting 

around the waist. 

Officiating crews use the bean bags to 

mark various spots on the field, including 

the spot of a fumble or where a punt had 

been caught. While it might be called a 

bean bag, there actually aren't any beans in 

the equipment; it's filled with gravel from 

fish tanks. 

Unfortunately, the Marblehead resident 

ran into some problems. He couldn't get 

the bag to stay on his waist. So Siegel decided 

to make one with gravel on each end 

and a space to put over a belt. This allowed 

for the weight to keep them from falling. 

After personally testing the invention, 

Siegel put out an ad in a referee magazine 

and was able to sell a few bean bags to 

NFL officials. 

"So what I did then is, I got a hold of 

the official and I sent 120 of them down to 

the NFL free of charge," said Siegel, "and 

that's how I got in the NFL." 

Siegel has continued to make the bean 


bags. He actually has made them for the 

NFL's biggest game of the season. 

"I make a bean bag for the crew that 

worked the Super Bowl," he said. "On one 

side it has the Super Bowl number and on 

the other side it has their (the official's) 

position and number so it's personalized." 

Having something that is used by the 

football league to this day is something 

that the Marblehead resident is really 

proud of. 

"I watch (the games) and I look for 

them," said Siegel. "They're in some of the 

colleges, and I have my local organization 

where they buy them from me. It's a fun 

thing." 

While it has seen success, Siegel never 

patented his invention — so he never made 

any money off of the idea. 

"(The NFL) copied the design, but I 

made them long enough ago that, even if 

I had a patent, it would have run out," he 

explained. "I do it more for fun. I don't 

make any money, really." 

Another one of Siegel's inventions has 

more of a local impact: He has had a part 

in Marblehead's local elections for more 

than 30 years, and he created the boards 

upon which votes are tallied to this day. 

"The previous town clerk, Betty Brown, 

they just had a piece of board up there 

and they (would) write on it," Siegel said. 

"I talked to Betty and I said 'I'll make a 

couple of boards for election results.' So I 

made those two boards, and since I have 

made them I have been posting the votes 

on it. I missed one year, but other than that 

I've been doing it for more than 30 years."


Carl Siegel is an Abbot Hall fixture during town 

elections. 

Carl has been tallying votes during town elections more than 30 years. 

As for Siegel's election participation, 

he said he is just happy to be able to play 

a part in his community. In the past, he 

had helped set up and take down voting 

machines for local elections. 

Living in a small town has its advantages 

and being able to get to know everyone 

is what has kept Siegel in Marblehead. 

"When my children were young, I 

worked and coached in Little League, and 

we had our own youth football program, 

and you get to meet a lot of people that 

way," he said. "Now I'm in Rotary (club), 

so you get to know people. That's the best 

part of a small community." X 

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Lauren McCormack, Marblehead Museum executive director, shows a historical photograph of the grave of Agnes, a slave in the 1700's who is buried in Old 

Burial Hill with the family that owned her. 


Museum unearths town's slavery history 

BY SAM MINTON 

It might come as a surprise to some, 

but slavery was alive and well in 

Marblehead in the days before the 

Civil War. 

When it comes to the historical 

American practice of slaveholding, a lot of 

the focus seems to go toward the southern 

United States — but the northern United 

States is not without guilt. Lauren McCormack, 

executive director of the Marblehead 

Museum, noted that it wasn't uncommon for 

upper-class families in town to hold slaves. 

While the environs were not similar to the 

plantations of the South, the upper class 

could typically have a few enslaved people in 

the household. 

"I don't think it would have been seen as 

unusual or strange to find enslaved people in 

Marblehead — which is true for all of New 

England," said McCormack. "That's a story 

that we're finally starting to tell correctly: that 

slavery was not absent from New England 

and certainly was not absent in Marblehead." 

The first ship that brought slaves to 

Massachusetts colony was built right in Marblehead. 

Built in 1636, the "Desire" is viewed 

as the first ship to traffick enslaved people of 

color into and out of Massachusetts Bay, and 

was just the third ship built in the colony. 

As the Marblehead Museum director, 

McCormack was able to recount specific 

disputes between the Native Americans and 

the colonists in various parts of New England 

around the time. There was one "skirmish" in 

Connecticut that colonists won, which led 

to Native American boys and women being 

put onto the ship and sent to the Caribbean, 

destined to become slaves. When the 

"Desire" returned, the ship brought with it 

the first slaves of African descent to Massachusetts. 

McCormack said that it has been hard to 

pinpoint the amount of enslaved people who 

lived in Marblehead at any given time. 

"It was not an unusual thing; the records 

are a little spotty," she explained. "It's a hard 

history to get at because the documentary 

sources are not always present to really find 

the exact numbers or anything more than 

a name of somebody, unfortunately. We are 

working on a database that will capture what 

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Lauren McCormack, the executive director of the Marblehead Museum, stands in front of the newly-acquired building next to the Jeremiah Lee Mansion which 

will become an immersive museum bringing to life the history of slavery in Marblehead. The building was the former slave quarters for the mansion. 

we do know and make that available to the 

public." 

She added that the database should be 

ready to be launched by 2022. 

There is also the story of Agnes, a slave 

in 18th-century Marblehead who had 

appeared to be buried with the family that 

owned her in Old Burial Hill. McCormack 

revealed that they had found that, while 

Agnes' headstone is at the top of the hill, 

Samuel and Elizabeth Russell are buried 

closer to the bottom of the hill. 

As far as McCormack knows, Agnes 

is the only slave to be buried in the 

cemetery. This was rather unusual for the 

time, as historians have noted that slaves 

were usually buried in unmarked locations 

outside the town burial plot. McCormack 

also noted that Agnes had a rather elaborate 

headstone. 

In an interview with the Marblehead 

Racial Justice Team, Pastor James Bixby 

indicated that documents from Essex Probate 

Court showed that Agnes was a female 

servant, meaning that she was there to serve 

the women of the house. 

Agnes' headstone was stolen in the 

1970s, but thanks to efforts from the Marblehead 

Racial Justice Team, the headstone 

will be replaced. The group raised more than 

$7,000 and, according to Bixby — who 

helped organize the fundraiser — the new 

stone is in the middle of being carved. 

Local historian Louis Meyi has noted 

that during the 1600s and 1700s, many 

Marblehead residents owned slaves. The 

system was firmly in place until 1780 when 

the Massachusetts court system ruled that 

slavery wasn't compatible with the newly-adopted 

state Constitution. 

Meyi and the members of the MRJT are 

hoping to be able to increase awareness when 

it comes to the town's history of slavery. 

McCormack said that it's difficult to 

figure out one sole reason why slavery isn't 

talked about as much in this region, but 

believes that the issue "goes way back." 

"There was the sense of the 'good versus 

the bad' or the 'North versus the South,' and 

I think that was perpetuated, the idea that 

there was no slavery here. You also hear 'oh 

but slavery was nicer here' (as if) somehow 

people were treated more nicely in the North 

than they were in the South but there were 

still enslaved people," she said. "You can't get 

around that. But I think, for many reasons, 

we weren't taught that in schools. I don't 

know if it wasn't seen as important enough, I 

certainly wasn't taught a lot about New England 

slavery in school or slavery (in general) 

in school." 

Now McCormack believes that, as we 

learn more, the tide is shifting and will 

continue to do so. 

"I think that as historians we're definitely 

a part of that (shift)," she said. "We

want to be telling the full story and not just 

the Eurocentric story, and to recognize the 

humanity of people. It just helps explain a lot 

of what is going on today." 

For McCormack, it is extremely important 

for residents of Marblehead to be aware 

and knowledgeable of the town's history 

when it comes to slavery. 

"If you want to study the history of any 

town, (including) Marblehead, then you 

have to study all of it; sometimes people 

will say 'well we don't want to be negative,' 

but to me, I don't see it as being negative 

to talk about these things that happen," she 

said. "What we're trying to do is recognize 

everybody that contributed in some way, 

shape or form to the town — and certainly 

people of color did that. Certainly, whether 

they were enslaved or not, they were a part of 

the community. They informed the history of 

the community, and if we ignore that or we 

choose not to focus on that then we're missing 

out on a part of the past that's informing 

the present." X 

Lauren McCormack said Agnes, a slave in 18th-century Marblehead, is buried at the top of Old Burial Hill. 

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Horribles Parade 

PHOTOS BY JULIA HOPKINS 

William Tracy, also known as "Uncle Sid," leads the parade at the Marblehead Horribles Parade. 

A patriotically-attired Max Urena throws candy to the crowd. 

Owen Williams, 6, dressed as a firefighter complete 

with engine for the Horribles Parade on July 4.


Revelers decked out in red, white, and blue take to the street for the Marblehead 

Horribles Parade on July 4. 

Revelers decked out in red, white, and blue take to the street for 

the Marblehead Horribles Parade. 

Will White, 3, and Connor Ridge, 7, showed off their patriotic spirit during a July 4 fire engine ride.


She put a cutting edge on a new idea 

BY STEVE KRAUSE 

Drones have come to land and 

drones have come to air. Now 

they're going to sea, too. 

That's the idea behind SeaTrac, which bills 

itself as the next wave of uncrewed surface 

vehicles. Alessandra Bianchi, who labels 

herself the "Communications Queen Bee 

of SeaTrac," explains that "people would like 

autonomous boats for jobs in the water that 

are dirty, dull, dangerous or expensive." 

Bianchi says there are plenty of uses for 

drone boats that don't threaten any existing 

maritime occupations. SeaTrac, headquartered 

on Hoods Lane in Marblehead, is the 

brainchild of two longtime entrepreneurs, 

Buddy Duncan and James "Jigger" Herman. 

They met in the hallway of the MIT naval 

architecture department, and discovered they 

both had entrepreneurial sides to them. 

"They have been collaborating ever since 

— and very successfully," said Bianchi, who, as 

well as being the communications director, is 

married to Herman. With a journalism background, 

Bianchi used to cover startups for Inc. 

Magazine. Now, she's actively working for one. 

"The karma of the universe has come to 

make me humble and appreciative of how 

challenging it is to make something out of 

nothing." she says. 

Duncan and Herman's first company was 

Cutting Edge Inc., a forerunner of computer-controlled 

fabric cutting machines. That 

ended up as high as No. 86 on Inc's list of 

fastest growing companies in North America. 

HomeLogic, the second startup by the 

two, specialized in home automation almost 

a decade before the term "smart home" came 

into being. 

Duncan was passing time in a Chinese 

hotel room one day, overseeing manufacturing 

of HomeLogic components when he saw, 

on YouTube, videos of autonomous surface 

vessels. He thought he could do better, and 

when he and Herman could get together, they 

got to work. 

They spent the next two years designing 

and building a red prototype boat. Their second 

model, this one yellow, has more speed (5 

knots), solar panel power (750 watts), battery 

capacity (6.75 kilowatt hours), motor power, 

payload capacity (70 kilograms), easier launch 

and recovery, and a lower price point by half 

than alternative autonomous vessels. 

"Their mantra is to make products that 

are simple, reliable, and cost-effective," said 

Bianchi. "That's their playbook. They have 

learned how to solve problems for demanding 

customers." 

Bianchi said the company approaches 

customers in the military, scientific and commercial 

fields — commercial meaning offshore 

wind, oil and gas. 

"All these stakeholders are interested in 

collecting real-time data in the water, whether 

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Alessandra Bianchi demonstrates a state-of-the-art drone boat. 

PHOTO: ALESSANDRA BIANCHI 

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water-column parameters, such as nutrient 

makeup of what's actually in the water," said 

Bianchi. 

Also, she said, cameras and sensors can be 

strapped to these boats to survey what lies on 

the ocean floor. 

"You have to know what the topography 

looks like, for example, if you want to put an 

offshore wind tower on the ocean floor," she 

said. 

Drones have become part of life in other 

areas, she says, from Roomba vacuum cleaners 

to aircraft. 

"Now," she said, "they’ve come to the sea. 

And the ocean covers 71 percent of the planet. 

It's like the Wild West of blue technology. " 

Bianchi says SeaTrac's way of measuring 

the amount of harmful red tide material in the 

water is much more accurate. 

"That's really a big deal," she said. "That 

much algae in the water can close beaches to 

tourists." 

Another potential benefit might be listening 

to sharks, she said. 

"I don't think they make sounds," she said, 

"but they have some predictable behaviors. 

There's a 'shark whisperer' on the Cape 

now who has tagged some of them. He is 

studying migratory shark behaviors. He says 

he can learn a lot by the precise behavior he 

could capture, in theory, on the boat. If you 

can dream it up, it might be feasible with an 

uncrewed surface vehicle." 

There are practical advantages to this too. 

Uncrewed boats don't require overtime. 

"Our boat will work overtime for as long 

as you want," she said. "It doesn't require food. 

Just sunshine. There's smart technology inside 

of it, it can plot a course and it can change 

course on the fly. It can 'mow the lawn,' or do 

tight patterns back and forth. Maybe a person 

might be seasick doing that, but not our boat." 

The only real human requirement is the 

"man in the loop." 

"Somebody will want to be watching what 

the boat is doing and where it's going," she 

said. "We can do it for the customer, or they 

can. You can be at your desk sipping a cup of 

coffee as your drone is doing what you would 

have been doing. 

"If you learn some new piece of information 

that makes you want to change your 

course, it can be done with the click of a 

mouse. On good days, I feel like I'm in a James 

Bond movie. On challenging days, I wish I'd 

taken more math courses."

Screen printed textiles are on display at the Marblehead Handprints exhibit at Marblehead Museum, celebrating the town's vibrant history. 

Time traveling 


Marblehead 

was incorporated in 1649 

The town was settled by Europeans 

in 1629 as part of Salem 

and that was the case until 1649 

when Marblehead broke off as 

its own town. Some say that 

Marblehead separated because 

its residents were less religious 

than those in Salem. 

Old Town House 

was built in 1727 

The Old Town House was used 

as a meetingplace for the town 

until they moved to Abbot Hall. 

For a century and a half, this was 

where elections were held and 

where town meetings would be 

held. Frederick Douglass once 

spoke at the Old Town House. 

The Spirit of '76 

was painted in 1876 

This painting is something 

that a lot of people think of 

when they think about Marblehead. 

According to a local 

historian, someone who knew 

the artist wanted to bring the 

painting to Marblehead and it 

was installed in Abbot Hall. 

Marblehead Pottery 

was first made in 1908 

Marblehead Pottery was 

founded by Dr. Herbert Hall, 

who holds the distinction of 

being known as the father of 

occupational therapy. He used 

trades and crafts to help patients 

adjust to life while living with 

various physical ailments. The 

pottery business took off, and is 

still collected today. 

J.O.J. Frost dies in 1928 

Frost didn't start painting 

until his 70s after the death of 

his wife, and it is believed that 

he painted over 100 pieces. Frost 

considered himself a historian; 

he often painted memories or 

stories told to him by his elders. 

Marblehead Handprints 

were first made in 1970 

Kathy Walters and Molly 

Haley founded the screenprinting 

business in Molly's home 

where they screen printed various 

fabrics for a variety of projects 

and purposes. The former 

business was most well-known 

for its bags. At one point, 

Handprints even had a window 

display in Saks Fifth Avenue in 

Manhattan.


Star-bound singer 

BY BILL BROTHERTON 

It was the afternoon of April 2 when Marblehead 

High graduate Melina Laganas 

grabbed that day’s mail and spotted the 

envelope from Berklee College of Music. She 

opened it with a bit of hesitation and slowly 

unfolded the letter. 

“Congratulations. You have been accepted…” 

She started to cry. Better yet, the prestigious 

Boston school had awarded her a full-tuition, 

four-year Berklee City Music College 

Scholarship, a highly competitive merit- and 

need-based award. 

“I had to read the letter over and over and 

over. I was crying. I was so happy,” she said. 

She ran to share the great news with her 

parents. 

“I thought she was pranking me,” recalled her 

dad, William, a Swampscott native, with a 

laugh. “It was the day after April Fools.” The 

estimated tuition for four years at Berklee is 

$190,032. 

Berklee, in fact, has already been a great 

fit for Melina. She received a Berklee City 

Music High School Academy 5-week 

summer intensive scholarship three years 

in a row and recently received the Unsung 

Hero award for Berklee’s pre-college summer 

ensemble program. 

“It was good to see that the work I put in was 

noticed,” said Melina, relaxing on a bench at 

Chandler Hovey Park. “It was so great to be 

with kids who shared the same interests and 

passions as me.” 

The college provided her and other students 

with a piano, mic and electronic digital 

instrument. 

The Laganas home on Pleasant Street has always 

been filled with music. Her dad, a 1984 

Swampscott High grad and owner/caterer of 

Eastern Harvest Foods, would blast his classic 

rock albums (Kinks, Stones). Her mom, Enid, 

prefered the pop hits of Shakira, Gwen Stefani 

and Christina Aguilera. 

Melina’s tastes are a bit more eclectic. She 

gushes about Jacob Collier, Jill Scott, Erykah 

Badu, Dinosaur Jr. and Charlie Puth — who 

graduated from Berklee with a degree in music 

production and engineering, the very program 

Melina plans to major in. 

Daughter and dad have attended many concerts 

together, mostly at Lynn Auditorium 

when Wiliam, who grew up on Shelton Road 

in Swampscott, prepared and served meals

to the performers, which included Billy 

Idol, Toto and Air Supply. 

Her younger siblings, Aristotle, 15, and Oleana, 

12, enjoy music but not to the passion level 

of Melina. 

It was clear from the start that Melina had 

a special talent as a singer. She was the first 

recipient of the Lynn YMCA’s Rising Star 

title. At age 14, she fronted a band of young 

musicians from School of Rock/Lynn that 

performed a set of Rolling Stones songs in 

Central Square as part of the Downtown 

Lynn Cultural District’s 10th annual Clock 

to the Rock 5K road race/celebration. 

At Berklee’s summer program that first year, 

she was the youngest — by three years — of 

the 138 kids who participated. 

“After my audition there I knew immediately 

I wanted a career in music and I wanted to 

go there," she said. "Berklee was the only 

college I applied to. That probably wasn’t 

very smart, but it was where I wanted to go.” 

She will live on campus this fall. 

“I’m actually really shy. I used to dread going 

on stage. No more. Now I’m excited.” 

After school nearly every weekday since her 

freshman year, Melina took the MBTA bus 

from Marblehead and the Blue Line train 

from Wonderland to Berklee in Boston’s 

Back Bay. She’d finally arrive home at about 

10 p.m. Most nights she’d start her Marblehead 

High homework at 11, get a few hours 

of sleep, and then do it again the next day. 

For the past year-plus, Berklee’s lessons were 

taught online via Zoom. 

“It was isolating," Melina said. "It messes 

with your head not to be in the same room 

with professors and fellow students.” 

She credits Berklee professors, including 

David Alexis and Tia Fuller — pop diva 

Beyonce’s saxophonist of choice — for 

helping to fan the flames of her musical 

passion. Singer-songwriter Livingston 

Taylor, a professor of voice, has also aided 

her development. 

“I’d like to make music that means something 

to me and that matters. I’d like to make 

a connection with people who understand 

me and feel like they know me by what I 

write,” she said. X 

Musician Melina Laganas juggled work and school to pursue her music-making dreams.


Class of '21 commences 

PHOTOS BY JULIA HOPKINS 

Graduates receive their diplomas at the Marblehead Class of 2021 commencement ceremony. 

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Graduates applaud as they are celebrated for their achievements at a commencement ceremony on June 4.


a return to normal 

After one of the most challenging 

years that any of them have ever 

faced in and out of the classroom, the 

Marblehead High School Class of 2021 got 

its first real taste of normalcy on Friday, June 

4, when 247 seniors graduated on the turf at 

Piper Field. 

The Class of 2021 was described by Marblehead 

Superintendent of Schools Dr. 

John Buckey as "exceptional" and praised by 

Marblehead High Principal Daniel Bauer for 

getting through a year that he said was challenging 

in many ways. Bauer also thanked the 

community for the part it played, acknowledging 

the more than $200,000 in scholarships 

that were donated to assist over 100 students 

with their next steps. 

Positive memories were looked back upon 

by Class President Daniel Walter Howells, 

Valedictorian Theodore James Chemel and 

Salutatorian Jack Norman Dalton; at the end 

of the ceremony, a fountain of black and red 

caps went shooting into the sky. 

A big balloon arch celebrates the Class of 2021 commencement following two academic years dominated 

by COVID-19. 

Valedictorian Theodore James Chemel addresses 

fellow graduates.


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