01940 Spring 2022 V4_Reduced

Healing
hands
X Main Streeters
X Busy Susan
X Pillings painted
X Dynamic doer
X Best brothers
SPRING 2022
VOL. 5, NO. 1

THANK YOU FOR MAKING
2021 THE BEST YEAR EVER!
The Spring Market is heating up
and there is no inventory.
Contact Evelyn for a free market analysis.
617-256-8500
evelyn.rockas@nemoves.com

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489 CHATHAM STREET
LYNN, MA
$450,000
46 LEDGE ROAD
LYNNFIELD, MA
$861,000
8 MONTMORENCI AVENUE
EAST BOSTON, MA
$825,000
49 HOMESTEAD ROAD
LYNNFIELD, MA
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5 WILLIS LANE
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5 JUNIPER ROAD
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5 ELENAS WAY
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$1,257,000 | HIGHEST SALE IN PEABODY
6 MARTIN ROAD
MIDDLETON, MA
$1,325,000
7 CANDLEWOOD ROAD
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$1,305,000
52 COLBURN ROAD
READING, MA
$1,400,000
24 WILDEWOOD DRIVE
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$1,850,000
23 WYOMA ROAD
GLOUCESTER, MA
$2,700,000
20 HIGH ROCK TERRACE
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$3,500,000
4 HAYWARD FARM
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$2,400,000
400 BROADWAY
LYNNFIELD, MA
LISTED AT $729,000
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R
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*Based on closed sales volume and total number of units closed information from MLS for Lynnfield, MA, in all price ranges as reported on 1/13/22 for the period of
1/1/21-12/31/21. Sales volume calculated by multiplying the number of buyer and/or seller sides by sales price. One unit equals one side of a transaction (buyer or
seller). Source data is deemed reliable but not guaranteed. The property information herein is derived from various sources that may include, but not be limited to,
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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
Madison Bethune
Gayla Cawley
Writers
Mike Alongi
Adam Bass
Madison Bethune
Allysha Dunnigan
Alena Kuzub
Sam Minton
Anne Marie Tobin
Photographers
Spenser Hasak
Jakob Menendez
Advertising Sales
Ernie Carpenter
Ralph Mitchell
Patricia Whalen
Design
Amanda Lunn
Edwin Peralta Jr.
Emilia Sun
INSIDE
6 What's Up
10 Fluff it up
12 Pioneer spirit
14 Best brothers
15 Dynamic doer
18 Cable guy
21 Main Streeters
26 Helping hands
28 Illuminators
30 House money
32 Max miler
34 Healing touch
37 Busy Susan
42 Relentless
44 The Toni touch
47 Pillings painted
ESSEX MEDIA GROUP
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Lynn, MA 01901
781-593-7700 ext.1234
Subscriptions:
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01907themagazine.com
LETTER FROM THE PUBLISHER
TED GRANT
Just another fluff piece
Like most relationships, mine with Marshmallow Fluff is complicated.
The affair started when I was young and continues to this day.
One of my favorite childhood memories is the first time my mother packed a Fluffernutter for my school lunch.
I was either in kindergarten, at Marian Court in Swampscott (yes, it was a kindergarten before it became a college
before it became luxury condos), or in grammar school, at St. Joseph’s in Lynn – but that long-gone lunch can best
be described as a holy mess.
She wrapped my Fluffernutter in cellophane and stuffed it into a brown paper bag, and by the time I opened it
at lunchtime it looked as though she had laminated the thing. When unwrapped, it oozed all over my hands and my
desk and whatever else was nearby.
It was the beginning of a beautiful relationship.
I played Lynn Shore Little League, and we practiced at Kiley Park – about a block away from where the stuff
was made, at the Durkee Mower plant on Empire Street. Walking or riding my bike past the place was not unlike
my first visit to St. Patrick’s Cathedral. A religious experience.
I renew my vows with Fluff each year during Lent. Since I was a kid, I’ve given up dessert for Lent.
Fluffernutters are my loophole. Because they are sandwiches, they constitute a meal, not dessert. By the time you
read this, Lent will have begun and my Jewish wife — who can’t get her head around much of what I do, but
certainly not this giving-up-sweets business — will have again become my enabler. Instead of cookies and ice cream
and anything else worth eating, she will be scouring grocery stores for Fluff.
Please, God, let there be no supply-chain issues. Otherwise, I don’t know if I could make it through 40 days, let
alone 40 nights.
Why do I bring this up? Well, living in our 01940 midst is Jon Durkee. Durkee's grandfather H. Allen Durkee
partnered with Fred L. Mower to launch the popular confection in 1918. The Fluff baton was passed to Jon’s father,
Don Durkee, with whom I came in contact through the Lynn Business Partnership and at Tedesco Country Club,
and I can assure you no finer gentleman exists.
As for Jon Durkee, he worked at the family plant a couple of times a week as a kid. He is now president of
Durkee Mower.
Check out Sam Minton's story. It’s sweet.
Elsewhere in this issue, James Whelan has his sights set on running the Boston Marathon in April to raise
money to fight pediatric cancer. Adam Bass has the story.
Xiaoping "Michelle" Wan, owner of Lynnfield Healing Massage in Post Office Square, says, "Here, in the U.S.,
if people work hard, they can build a good life" — and she has the business to prove it and still puts in the hours.
Alena Kuzub has the story.
Lynnfield High students Gavin Fair and Colin McCormick are busy working on a different kind of science
project — inventing a robotic arm. Adam Bass has the story.
After watching the televised plight of Afghan refugees, brothers Avi and Aditya Shrivastava decided to help
them by starting a nonprofit called Safe Havens Kids. Read Ally Dunnigan's story.
Toni Rebelo is the woman who got it done when it came to managing Lynnfield's COVID-19 response. Anne
Marie Tobin has the story.
Susan Parziale is a dual powerhouse specializing as a professional organizer and tireless autism-awareness
advocate. Alena again has the story.
There's only one word to describe Michael O'Brien, Saint Anselm College football player from Lynnfield:
relentless. Mike Alongi has the story.
Nancy Rich and Emily Field founded their home-interior-design business on Main Street and called it, what
else? Main Street Homes. Anne Marie again has the story.
Rock and roll, a trained whale, and a dating show are all part of the story that led Eric Hamlin to become
Lynnfield's media director. Ally is back with the story.
Why does Lynnfield get its electricity from North Reading and Peabody? Madison Bethune explains.
Sophomores at Lynnfield High took a state-mandated Civics Action Project and ran with it, diving deep into
finding ways to address student mental-health and electronics addiction. Madison again has the story.
Emilie Cademartori brought so much energy to her town job that officials decided to give her two jobs under
one title: Director of Planning and Conservation. Anne Marie — who has been quite busy — again has the story.
Finally, designer Edwin Peralta has an eye-catching illustration depicting a scene at Pillings Pond.
So, enjoy this issue of 01940. It’s not all fluff.
COVER
Xiaoping "Michelle" Wan opened Lynnfield Healing Massage in 2006.
PHOTO BY SPENSER HASAK
04 | 01940

Thinking of capitalizing on the market?
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06 | 01940
WHAT'S UP
Solstice stretch
What: MarketStreet Lynnfield with PNC Bank
free fitness classes, including Solstice power
yoga. Pre-registration required.
Where: Gyms and fitness centers at
MarketStreet, or on the MarketStreet
Green, 600 Market St., weather permitting.
When: Sunday, March 6, 11 a.m. See
marketstreetlynnfield.com/events for class
schedule.
Get your game on
What: If you're a middle schooler who
likes to play games — strategy, board, card,
party, even Jackbox — then this supervised
Lynnfield Recreation program is your next
move. See lynnfieldma.myrec.com for
registration information.
Where: Middle School, 505 Main St., Room
209.
When: Thursdays, 2:30-3:30 p.m. through
May 26.
Brush up on your painting
What: Award-winning painter Michael
Holter leads a Zoom watercolor-portrait
demonstration sponsored by the Lynnfield
Art Guild.
Where: Contact info@LynnfieldArts.org for
Zoom link.
When: Thursday, March 17, 6:45-8:45 p.m.
Coffee, toast, and talk
What: Wakefield Lynnfield Chamber of
Commerce sponsors a monthly Breakfast
Club inviting anyone to meet chamber
members and chat about local topics of
interest.
Where: Brothers Deli Restaurant, 404 Main
St., Wakefield
When: Thursday, April 7, 8-9:30 a.m.
What's it worth?
What: Friends of the Lynnfield Library
sponsor auctioneer and appraiser Mike
Ivankovich discussing "what determines
values" and offers participants virtual
appraisals.
Where: Email aporter@noblenet.org to
register and for Zoom link..
When: Wednesday, April 13, 6-8 p.m.

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call or text: 617.771.2827
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Giving back
in any way
we can.
For more than 120 years, we stood with the
people that stood by us. Last year, we gave
back to the beloved Northeast Arc for all
of their amazing work in our community.
MEMBER FDIC
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771 Salem St., Lynnfield, MA 01940
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10 | 01940
A sticky-sweet legacy
BY SAM MINTON
PHOTOS: SPENSER HASAK

SPRING 2022 | 11
Jon Durkee has been president of
Durkee Mower since the late 2010s,
but he has been involved in the family
business for much longer.
Durkee's grandfather H. Allen Durkee,
along with Fred L. Mower partnered to
create the now popular Marshmallow Fluff
in 1918.
"It's been a family business and I've always
wanted to be a part of it,'' he said.
As a teenager, the current president of the
company worked at the factory during a couple
of summer seasons, but he wasn't overly
preoccupied with his father's profession.
"We had Fluffernutters for lunch fairly
often and a lot of fluff and hot chocolate,
but honestly I was just a regular kid and
wasn't really paying attention to what my
father did for a living," he said.
Durkee never imagined himself as the future
president of the company. Early on, he
just wanted to work with his father, Donald
Durkee.
"I love him very much and I thought it
would be a good career choice, and it was,"
he said.
After getting married, Jon Durkee moved
to Lynnfield in 1987.
"The thing that we liked the best about
Lynnfield was that it's a fairly quiet town,"
he said. "It kind of gave us a New Hampshire
vibe. It's quaint. There's a lot of nice
charm to it."
Durkee Mower, Lynn's Marshmallow
Fluff factory, has been able to stay afloat
during COVID-19 unlike some businesses,
but pandemic-driven, supply-chain issues
have not spared the company.
In January, the factory was forced to shut
down for a few days due to staffing shortages
caused by positive COVID-19 cases. The
factory has also been forced to shut down for
hours at a time due to late deliveries caused
by global supply-chain disruptions.
"That's another thing that COVID has
brought in," he said. "You have trucking
shortages, truck drivers are out and next
thing you know, what you were expecting to
have delivered on Monday doesn't get there
until Wednesday. And the next thing you
know, you've run out of sugar or some other
material that you need to produce."
Durkee Mower has been in Lynn since
1929 when it first moved its opperations to
Empire Street.
Durkee said that the future is hard to
predict, but he hopes that the company will
continue to operate and expand.
"My kids are now working here and I'm
showing them the ropes the way my father
showed me the ropes," he said. "Hopefully it
will last another several generations."
Longtime Lynnfield resident Jon Durkee has seen his family's
Lynn business change through the years.
PHOTO COURTESY | JON DURKEE

12 | 01940
From left, Katherine Cash, Ava Delaney, Hazel
Gonzalez, Brendan Sokop, Cole Hawes advocate for
mental-health days with their Civics Action project.
PHOTO: SPENSER HASAK
Getting into action to help and to heal
BY MADISON BETHUNE
Say "Civics Action Project" to
Lynnfield High School sophomores
and they will start telling
you about how they found ways
to tackle mental-health needs; technology
addiction, and deforestation this past fall.
One group even got the chance to work
with state Rep. Tami Gouveia (D-Middlesex).
The Massachusetts Department of
Elementary and Secondary Education
(DESE) launched Civics Action in 2018,
but COVID-19 and remote learning meant
that the 2020-21 school year was Lynnfield
High’s first time incorporating Civics Action
into its curriculum.
Sophomores debuted the project with
Brian Holihan, a graduate fellow at Merrimack
College, and social-studies teachers,
Dave Forester and Jen Goguen, facilitating
the project.
Holihan kicked it off with a Google
forum asking sophomores to list issues
they are passionate about, and subjects they
wanted to explore. Students with similar
interests formed small groups and dug into
their topics.
“One project that was really cool was a
group of students who wanted to add mental-health
days for students,” said Holihan.
“Rather than a sick day, they'd say, ‘I’m
going to take a mental-health day,’ which is
a great idea, because you see it in workplaces
and everywhere now, but it's not here in the
school system for specific reasons.”
Sophomores Katie Cash, Ava Delaney,
Hazel Gonzalez, Cole Hawes and Brendan
Sokop came up with the action plan
to allow each student to take two mental-health
days — meaning a student could
miss school for reasons other than physical
illness — per semester.
For Delaney, Civics Action offered a
chance to look at herself and her interests
and then decide how to act on those
interests. Her focus group bounced around
potential project ideas with one another,
and settled on the topic of mental health
because they could see their classmates, as
well as themselves, struggling.
“We came to mental-health days because
we experience it first hand,” said Delaney.
“I’ve had a day where I just don’t want to go
to school and that's a conflict we all experience,
so we came to the conclusion that we
wanted to do mental-health days.”
Holihan helped guide the students' investigation
into their chosen topic.
“They learn why it's occurring, where it's
occurring, what is leading it to occur,” said
Holihan. “The key there is they learn about
the root cause of the issue.”
Delaney and her classmates sent an
anonymous survey to sophomores, juniors
and seniors asking questions about their
mental-health struggles and what their
thoughts were on incorporating mental-health
days into the school system.
Most students responded that school,
homework, personal issues, jobs, and sports
were the biggest contributors to their stress.
“All of us saw that people were struggling
with mental health,” said Sokop. “We made
a survey, and they (students) felt positive
about mental-health days.”
With survey results in hand, the students
asked how their classmates could advocate
for change, and did change involve recruiting
help in the community?
The first stop to answering the question
was the high school Guidance Department.
“They identified who we need to talk to,
they had their argument ready, they did research,
they collected data from their peers,
they had all the steps lined up, and then,
when they got to a meeting with somebody
in the Guidance Department, they received
some pushback,” said Holihan.
Would mental-health days be used for
the purpose the Civics Action students envisioned,
or would they be "ditch days?"
“It gave us a step back,” said Gonzalez,
“and we had to examine everything, because
we didn’t really think about it like that and
then we started brainstorming who else we
could talk to.”
With Holihan's help, the students
connected with Gouveia, who is working
on legislation that, if passed, would change
the section of state law on excused absences
from school to include, “that cases of necessary
absence shall include absences for the
mental or behavioral health of the student.”
The students supported Gouveia by
submitting a testimony to the Board of
Education in favor of her bill.
“They (Board of Education) didn’t respond
to our first one so I sent another one
just to make sure that they got it,” said Cash.
“So hopefully they did get it and hopefully
that does help her with passing her bill.”
Not only did the group get to provide input
to Gouveia on her bill, but she attended
the students’ project showcase in the highschool
gymnasium in January, where each
group was able to discuss and present their
final project with family members, classmates,
high-school faculty and local leaders.
“She was really sweet and she listened to
all of our ideas and we actually talked with

SPRING 2022 | 13
her a lot more in depth about it, so it
wasn’t just like our normal presentation.
We talked and talked with her, and it
was really nice to actually see that she
cared about our issue,” said Cash.
Holihan said that what’s unique
about the Civics Action Project is that
students are able to identify the steps
to solve an issue, and actually implement
those steps.
“(Students can) have a conversation
with an actual adult that is knowledgeable
on the topic, build a relationship,
and then through that relationship,
they hopefully get to that final point of
advocating for the change,” he said.
The mental-health group is just one
example of the Civics Action Project at
work in Lynnfield. Topics shouldered by
14 other student groups including technology
addiction, with students Abraham
Chehab, Ethan Francis, Ryan Nguyen,
Arash Saini and Owen White creating a
video to bring awareness to how technology
addiction increases anxiety.
Another group advocated for trees
to be planted on the school property to
combat the deforestation happening in
Lynnfield, due to the increase in people
who want to move into the town.
The group held a bake sale to raise
money to purchase the trees with
each tree costing about $400. Adriana
Buccilli, who is also in the Tree Club at
Lynnfield High, said her group worked
with Department of Public Works
(DPW) Director John Tomasz.
Tomasz told the group he would
get five trees to plant and would bring
in people to help plant them on the
school grounds. The Tree Club's goal is
to plant one tree a year.
The rest of the sophomore class began
their projects after returning from
winter break in January.
The Civic Actions Project’s goal
is for each student, regardless of race,
class, ethnicity, language status, religion,
education, gender identity, sexual
orientation, or disabilty, to be exposed
to civic education. The projects must be
culturally relevant, help to identify students’
civic identities, and apply their
knowledge, skills, and competencies
that are necessary to be an informed
and engaged citizen that can participate
in civics.
By the end of 2022, all public-school
districts in Massachusetts
must be implementing this project into
their curriculum.
“The best decision my wife and I made
was to turn the sale of our home of
nearly 30 years over to Debra Roberts.
I cannot imagine any aspect of the
process being done any better than she
managed it: from timing and
marketing, through staging and bid
negotiations, to handling the buyers’
needs and carrying the burden of any
and all worries we might
otherwise have had right up to and
across the finish line. Debra Roberts is
a master of her craft.”
-Larry and Suzanne, Sellers
Thinking of buying or selling?
Call Debra.
Debra Roberts
debra.roberts@compass.com
781.956.0241
Compass is a licensed real estate broker and abides by Equal Housing Opportunity laws. All material presented herein is intended for informational purposes only. Information is compiled from sources deemed reliable but is subject to errors, omissions,
changes in price, condition, sale, or withdrawal without notice. Photos may be virtually staged or digitally enhanced and may not reflect actual property conditions.

14 | 01940
Avi Shrivastava, left, and Aditya Shrivastava are
the founders of the nonprofit Safe Haven for Kids,
started by the duo to try and help alleviate the
struggles that refugee children face.
PHOTO: JAKOB MENENDEZ
Showing that they care
BY ALLYSHA DUNNIGAN
Teenage brothers Avi and Aditya
Shrivastava are passionate about
helping others.
When the pandemic shut down schools
and forced them to learn remotely, the duo
decided to look into expanding their knowledge
in science and technology.
Avi is a junior in high school and Aditya
is in middle school, but both took online
courses in data science and artificial
intelligence (AI) during their 2020 summer
vacation.
The brothers took classes through
Coursera at the University of Michigan and
Stanford.
"We had a lot of free time and we were
both really passionate about learning and
going into computer science and artificial
intelligence," Avi said.
The duo researched the classes and their
father also took similar ones in the past,
recommending they start with the introductory
courses.
"They were difficult but really cool," Avi
said.
The brothers are now hoping to use the
skills they learned in data science and AI to
alleviate refugee issues through their nonprofit,
Safe Havens Kids.
Over the past couple of years, the
brothers saw the struggles that refugees go
through on the news, especially when Kabul,
Afghanistan fell to the Taliban last year.
"There have been children separated
from their families and I was in shock. I
couldn't live separated from my parents,"
Avi said. "Recently with the Afghanistan
situation, we saw people desperately trying
to get out, even climbing onto planes and
trying to escape the country. We really took
that to heart and that's what inspired us to
start Safe Havens."
They used their newfound knowledge
in computer science to help refugee kids by
registering for a nonprofit on LegalZoom.
The idea started small, beginning with
establishing a website that they built on
Wordpress that gives people the option to
donate to the cause.
"Our goal is to help refugees that have
come to America seeking a better life here,"
Avi said. "We wanted to help them with issues
that they have coming, such as housing
and education for the children."
They then shared the idea with their
friends and family, and had friends express
interest in helping. Starting with donations
from mostly family and friends, knowledge
of the nonprofit is growing as the brothers
have been receiving donations from people
they don't know in Lynnfield and other
communities.
To continue expanding outreach, the
brothers went to the Lynnfield School
Committee seeking permission to do a donation
drive in the schools throughout the
month of November, which was successful
and helped increase the effort.
"We got so many items in just one month
and we gave all the supplies to various refugee
centers," Avi said.
The nonprofit partners with the Refugee
and Immigrant Assistance Center in Boston
and the New American Association in Lynn,
with the money and supplies that are donated
going to both.
The brothers are now hoping to expand
their nonprofit and they said the best way
to do so is to get more volunteers and run
more donation drives in various towns.
Some of their friends are implementing
Safe Havens into the communities they
live in, so there are currently volunteers in
Needham, Va.
When the brothers were first telling
their friends about the idea for Safe Havens,
they said they were nervous and unsure how
people would react.
With everyone seeming to respond very
well, the brothers said they were motivated
to do more.
"I didn't know how my friends would
react because nobody has really done something
like this in my school," Aditya said. "I
was kind of worried about what they would
think, but as soon as some of my friends
found out, they were pretty chill and supportive
about it."
Avi and Aditya also plan to improve
the website by adding more features in the
future that leverage AI and data science.
"We feel inspired and we know it's only
going to go up from here," Avi said. "We
want to make this nonprofit even bigger."
As the nonprofit continues to grow, the
brothers said they are sticking to the same
goal of doing what they can to help refugees
settle and build a better life in America.
To learn more about the project or to
donate, visit safehavenskids.org/.

An exceeder
of expectations
BY ANNE MARIE TOBIN
SPRING 2022 | 15
Let's just say that a decision
made by the town's Select
Board a little more than three
years ago has exceeded all
expectations.
When town Conservation Administrator
Betty Adelson retired in 2018, the
priority for her successor fell on finding
someone who could help ensure that some
of Lynnfield's most precious assets — open
land and trees — would be preserved in
perpetuity.
Enter Emilie Cademartori.
It didn't take long after her February
2019 hiring for town officials to realize that
Cademartori's experience in both planning
(she spent nine years as Wenham's town
planner) and conservation presented a
unique opportunity to merge the planning
and conservation departments.
Eight months later, Cademartori became
the town's first director of planning and
conservation.
"All of my education was in environmental
science so consolidating both
departments made sense in that I can apply
my science background into the planning
process, kind of a blend of two skills," said
Cademartori. "It only made sense. The
beauty is that compared to two departments,
when we were in individual silos, now there
is better communication. Information is
centralized, which allows us to give complete
answers when residents call the Select
Board. Before, we just didn't have full
knowledge of each side of the puzzle."
Town Administrator Rob Dolan, who
proposed the merger, said it was clear from
EXCEEDER, continued on page 16
Emilie Cademartori, director of planning &
conservation for Lynnfield's Conservation
Commission, fought to save Willis Woods.
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16 | 01940
EXCEEDER, continued from page 15
the get-go that Cademartori was perfect
for the job.
"It was obvious immediately that
she was capable of combining the departments
under one administrator. We
asked her to develop a plan within both
departments' budgets," Dolan said.
"She had the skill sets which allowed
for centralization under one roof, so to
speak. The conservation and planning
chairs were willing to try it and it has
worked incredibly well. Attorneys,
citizens and developers appreciate her
expertise and her clear straightforward
expectations and process."
That's putting it mildly.
Under Cademartori's guidance, the
town set the stage for three major initiatives
guaranteed to improve the quality
of life of Lynnfielders for years to come.
In October 2021, Town Meeting
voters adopted the Lynnfield Tree Preservation
Bylaw, which aims to protect
trees within designated setbacks on residential
and commercial properties and
within proposed new subdivisions. The
landslide vote was the culmination of
years of language tweaking, addressing
residents' reservations on the scope and
nature of the bylaw.
In late November, the Select Board
voted unanimously to assign its right
to purchase the 20-acre Richardson
Green property on upper Main Street
to the Essex County Greenbelt Association
for $2.7 million. The Select
Board also approved a conservation
restriction, thereby ensuring the land
will be protected from development in
perpetuity.
"Clearly, managing the complicated
process of purchasing Richardson
Woods as a way to preserve open space,
promote responsible development, and
to protect our water supply was a key
achievement this year," said Dolan.
Cademartori said that a perfect
storm of fortunate events combined to
turn a citizens group push to protect
the land from a residential development
into a reality, once thought impossible.
"Nobody really thought the land
could be saved and the developer was
so sure the town had no interest in
acquiring the land," she said. "I told
him 'you never know' and we ended up
getting incredibly lucky. COVID gave
the town more time than it normally
would have had to work through the

SPRING 2022 | 17
Chapter 61 process, which is complicated.
It also gave us time to find the
funding; otherwise we would have had
to ask Town Meeting to fund the whole
thing, but it never came down to that."
Cademartori said state Rep. Bradley
Jones was a key player in acquiring the
final piece of funding in September
2021 — a $1.6-million-plus Municipal
Vulnerability Preparedness grant (MVP)
from the Baker-Polito administration
combined with $200,000 from the Conservation
Commission; $300,000 from
Greenbelt and $571,000 from the town's
American Rescue Plan Act to fund 100
percent of the cost of the project.
The parcel is a key element of the
Vision for Willis Woods project, a
collaborative effort to plan and protect
approximately 600-700 acres of undeveloped
land along the Ipswich River at
the intersection of Lynnfield, Middleton,
North Reading, and Peabody.
"It's a key piece because it will provide
good access to the Willis Woods
property," Cademartori said. "Willis
Woods is bound by private properties
and the river and there is no parking.
The Richardson Green parcel will
allow us to start with a small parking
area, which we never had."
A Beverly native, Cademartori
earned a bachelor of science degree
from the University of Vermont's
(UVM) School of Natural Resources
and a master's in marine-environment
science from the State University of
New York at Stony Brook.
Cademartori and her husband, Greg,
who is the City of Gloucester's director
of planning, attended graduate school
together and originally thought their
mission in life was to "save the world."
"We were ocean people and we
thought our focus would be on saving
water resources so we thought we
would move to Maine, doing the right
thing for the planet, but we realized
that the jobs in environmental science
were all in regulatory roles, not things
like coastal-water planning," Cademartori
said. "So we decided to move back
to the North Shore thinking we would
probably end up working at a regulatory
agency in Boston."
As far as the whirlwind events of
the past year are concerned, Cademartori
said it's all in a day's work.
"We were lucky in that our regulatory
work was down at the time, so we
just slugged away at the permits and
the drudgery that is paperwork," she
said. "It was amazing that all of these
things were teeing up at the same time.
It was pretty crazy and a little nutty at
times in the office, but in the end, it
was fun and extremely rewarding."
Dolan said the timing of Cademartori's
arrival in Lynnfield couldn't have
been better.
"Lynnfield has had many citizens and
dedicated staff working on important
conservation and planning issues. but
Emilie's professional guidance to our
excellent Planning Board and Select
Board is invaluable in a time when development
is so aggressively pursued and
the enforcement of environmental and
zoning bylaws are so key in preserving
the quality of life in Lynnfield," he said.
The Cademartoris live in Beverly with
their son Connor, a senior at Boston
College, and daughter, Corinna, a sophomore
at the University of Vermont.

18 | 01940
Eric Hamlin is the executive director of Lynnfield Media Studios.
PHOTOS: SPENSER HASAK
Rock and roll,
a whale and
a dating show
BY ALLYSHA DUNNIGAN
Eric Hamlin worked in a 6-foot-by-6-
foot room that felt like a throwback
to the 1980s before moving to a
studio space in MarketStreet in the
Al Merritt Media and Cultural Center.
The executive director of the Lynnfield Media
Studios since 2009 was born in Pittsburgh, Pa.
Hamlin has worked in media for nearly 37 years,
holding numerous jobs in Pittsburgh and Florida
before moving to the Boston area in 1993 with
his wife, Susie.
Armed with a degree in media production and
photo journalism from the Art Institute of Pittsburgh,
Hamlin began his career while he was still
in college at a small-town newspaper called the
Sewickley Herald, where he worked as a photographer
covering what he referred to as "fun but
weird" stories.
After graduating, Hamlin worked for Ryno Productions,
Inc. where he helped produce corporate
and industrial videos and local cable commercials
before realizing he wanted a change and needed to
get out of the cold.
"I was in my 20s and was just thinking that I
had to get out of there; the weather was driving
me nuts," Hamlin said.
He took his skills to Orlando just as Universal
Studios opened.
"I had always liked Florida and I liked the
whole idea of the Universal Studios, so I decided
to go down there," Hamlin said. "I was living on
pretty much nothing at that point. There was a
little bit of money that I had stockpiled, but I was
doing the old Ramen Noodle special."
Things started to look up when he was hired
by a film company to work as a set photographer
on a movie called "Night Breath," which ended
up falling apart due to problems with the production
company.
"It was kind of a bummer because I was depending
on it financially," Hamlin said.
He then had to rely on freelancing, which
got him a gig with Century III Teleproductions
working on national game shows including a
dating game, "Studs," and a sports show.
The freelance work then brought him to a company
where he worked as a stagehand doing lighting
for U2, Metallica, and Van Halen, and then another
company working with The Beach Boys and The
Doobie Brothers.
"That was a really cool thing," Hamlin said. "I
did this for quite a while to make ends meet."
His next job brought him to SeaWorld, where
he worked as one of the people running the jumbotron
system over Shamu Stadium.
"It was a whole multimedia thing where we
had two live studio cameras in the audience… and
we would rotate as a technical director up top, or
working graphics," Hamlin said. "That was for
hundreds of thousands of people a year. I mean
that thing was packed every day."
During his time at SeaWorld, Hamlin got to
see killer whale Tilikum — of "Black Fish" documentary
fame — up close.
"We used to videotape all of these shows, so I
had a demo reel with a bunch of my stuff and I'm
watching the documentary (Black Fish) and was
like 'wait there's footage of mine in there; that's

SPRING 2022 | 19
mine,’'' Hamlin said. "It was stuff from the
show with them (the whales) sliding across the
stage."
One of his coworker's wives taught with
the woman he would marry.
"We really hit it off and next thing you
know we were talking marriage," Hamlin
said.
Marriage led to talk about moving back
to his wife's hometown of Boston. Hamlin
wasn't a big fan of the idea because of the
weather, but he said "love makes you do these
things."
They moved to the Boston area in 1993,
and Hamlin took on freelancing again.
He stayed in the media business, working
for a company that employed people to work
on television sets for when shows like Dateline
and CNN came to the area.
His next gig brought him to the Boston
Garden, where he took photos for the Celtics,
before becoming the senior videographer
editor for the North Shore region at Comcast
Spotlight.
"I had a lot of great exposure," Hamlin
said.
In 2008, he got laid off from Comcast Spotlight
and started to reassess his career, realizing
he wanted to spend more time with his family.
MEDIA, continued on page 20
Eric Hamlin's love of "Godzilla," and other classic movies, is on display in his office.
“Did you know the average single family home
price in Lynnfield is up 35%?”
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20 | 01940
MEDIA, continued from page 19
"I wanted to get out of the situation
where I'm constantly on the road,"
Hamlin said.
That's when he stumbled across
community-access television, which he
thought was a funny career curveball from
his video-production days in Pittsburgh.
"I thought it was kind of interesting
and that maybe I can kind of do the
pay-it-forward thing and come back
full circle," Hamlin said.
At the time, Lynnfield needed a director
for its media studios. He applied
and got the job.
He began his work in a former storage
closet at Lynnfield High School,
but spent years advocating and searching
for a new location, which led him
to MarketStreet about eight years ago.
"It's a small town and there wasn't a
lot of space or availability to start up a
station," he said. "I looked at commercial
space, but that didn't seem to work
out too well, and that's when Market-
Street came on my radar."
Moving to the studio in Market-
Street from the high school was "like
night and day," Hamlin said.
For the next five to six years, it was
mostly just Hamlin working at the studio,
with freelance help here and there.
Funding for community-access
television depends on the franchise fees
from Comcast and Verizon, which are
based on numbers of subscribers.
Since Lynnfield has a smaller population,
thus less subscribers, they get
around $200,000 to run the facility.
"We were always at a sort of disadvantage
with this, not being able to hire
a ton of people," Hamlin said.
In 2017, he stumbled across a freelancer,
Drew Sanborn, who graduated
from Westfield State University.
Hamlin loved Sanborn's work and drive
and hired him full time as a production
assistant about three years ago.
"He's a great kid and just real positive,"
Hamlin said. "I have him shoot a lot of
the sports games, and then we work handin-hand
with all the boards and groups
townwide that have to be televised."
When the pandemic hit, Hamlin
was forced to rewire the studio equipment
and programs to his house so he
could continue to produce and inform
the Lynnfield community through
virtual programs.
"It worked. We did have hiccups
here and there, but it was very successful,"
Hamlin said.
Hamlin worked with town officials to
get information about COVID-19 out to
the community as quickly as he could.
"You'd shoot something at 8 in the
morning, and it would have to be up by
like 10," he said. "I'd be editing, downloading
a bunch of stuff, and it was quite
the ordeal… We were able to pump out a
bunch of pertinent information."
The recent transition back into the
studio was a little more difficult, having
to reconfigure everything back to how
it was before.
Hamlin said it will be some time
until things are back to normal, with
interviews and live productions in the
studio, but plans to continue to have options
for hybrid interactions via Zoom.
"We're still experimenting with my
engineer on the best ways to do this,"
Hamlin said. "We're just kind of trying
to integrate these new technologies
where we're able to provide these services
in a manner that is easy to watch
and use, but also viable for the studio
and any of our viewers."
Having to deal with the pandemic
and it drastically changing his everyday
work, Hamlin said he did his best to
deal with the curve ball.
Over the years, Hamlin said he has
faced so many "funny things" that led him
on the long road to get where he is today.
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SPRING 2022 | 21
The Art of
Simple but
Stunning
BY ANNE MARIE TOBIN
Practical, functional and, above
all, stunningly beautiful in a
simple sort of way is the best
way to describe what Main
Street Home, a full-service, interior-design
firm owned by Nancy Rich and Emily Field,
delivers to its clients.
How did it all get started? Field was
living in Boston and looking for a home in
Lynnfield. She contacted Rich, a realtor, who
said her neighbor was moving. Field bought
the house, just across the street from the Rich
home on — you guessed it — Main Street.
That was 13 years ago. They became fast
friends, eventually turning their love of fashion
and home decor into a thriving business.
"We wanted to test the waters and found
our first client about 10 or 11 years ago,"
Field said. "We grew organically; it was all
word of mouth. Eventually when we knew
we had a real business, we went all out with
a logo and website."
Main Street Home's latest major project
was on Locksley Road for homeowners
Arthur and Joan Bourque.
"On the walk-through we thought it would
be just a redecorating project, and we were kind
of stunned when Arthur said he had already
hired an engineer, architect and contractor and
wanted to 'blow it up,'" Rich said. "The house
was completely down to the studs and we did
everything from window treatments to new
fixtures and electronics. Everything. It ended
up being an amazing project."
Main Street Home interior design principals Emily Field
and Nancy Rich met 13 years ago.
PHOTOS: SPENSER HASAK
Vibrant blue and green colors on upholstery
and classical window treatments tempered with
neutral wall colors and living spaces combine to
give the space a comfy, homey and warm feel.
The baths are stunning with an array
of large-pattern wallpapers and the latest
fixtures combining to give them a fun feel.
There's state-of-the-art lighting and other
unique amenities throughout.
There's even a pop-up widescreen tele-
STUNNING, continued on page 22
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vision hidden in the footboard of a
custom-made upholstered bed in the
primary bedroom. Simply push a button
and, voila, you're ready to be entertained.
The kitchen features one of the largest
islands you will ever see with seating
for eight or more, a sink large enough
to bathe in and a hidden custom-built
pantry complete with counter space and
floor-to-ceiling open shelving — the perfect
place to hide all those appliances and
gadgets usually found cluttering kitchen
counters.
Arthur Bourque said working with
Field and Rich was pure pleasure.
"They have an enormous amount
of energy," he said. "They were a great
deal of help with planning and had numerous
ideas around the layout of the
rooms including moving some walls
and repurposing certain areas.
"They were responsive and available
during the project and we have sought
their assistance in several follow-up
ideas as they continue to support us in
that effort. We are extremely pleased
with their work and have great respect
for what they did for us."
"'It was the perfect job, we just kind
of picked away at it," said Field. "They
loved the colors and were willing
to take risks. They really trusted us.
We had a couple of things they were
worried about, but we just said, 'let us
finish, don't focus on just one thing.'"
She said it's not uncommon for
people to see singular things, which
causes the focus to be out of context.
"That's why we try to keep people
away until the reveal," Rich said. "We
tell them that there's a reason they
hired us and we have confidence in our
vision for them."
Rich said the Bourques are perfect
examples of that.
"While we had final approval on all
of their ideas, they presented many concepts
that we would never have thought
of," Arthur Bourque said. "We were a
little apprehensive about some of them.
But we trusted them to deliver a product
that would dazzle, and they did that."
Another major project recently
completed was a renovation of a pool
house. The house is loaded with color,
fun "beachy" themed items, fabrics and
artwork and even includes the cutest
kitchen you've ever seen, complete with
a 1950s retro refrigerator.
STUNNING, continued on page 24

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24 | 01940
Whimsy meets style in one of Main Street Home's creations.
Nancy Rich, left, and Emily Field shop retailers for items that
round off their interior-design projects.
STUNNING, continued from page 22
A huge part of the pair's philosophy
is incorporating something personal in
every home.
Sometimes it's all about finding that
one photo or an unusual throw pillow or
a piece of art or fabric, and then building
off it. A client's favorite postcard of
a Cape Cod scene also once served as
the jumping-off point for one project.
The Bourques' inspiration piece? A
bank of cobalt-blue, stained-glass windows
atop the bay windows in the great
room overlooking Lake Suntaug.
"You find that one thing, that one
memory and try to design around it,"
Field said.
Some of their favorite suppliers
aren't really suppliers at all — they are
retailers, the same ones that many of
us frequent, like Target, HomeGoods,
Marshalls, Pottery Barn and Etsy, a
practice the Bourques said helped to
keep their project on budget.
"In our project, they used a wide
variety of resources to complete the
project without tapping the high-end,
expensive designer boutiques that will
kill your wallet," said Bourque.
The duo encourages their clients to
take risks. For the squeamish, the best
place for risk taking is the half-bath
and dining room.
"They are great places for people
who are afraid to jump in," said Rich.
"There are no rules. We love mixing
patterns and prints," said Field. "We
love it when clients say they never
would have thought to do what we did
for them."
Both women say that Main Street
Home isn't your typical design firm
that focuses solely on the style du jour.
It's not what, but how — they design
space around how their clients live and
how they utilize their living spaces.
Rich and Field don't believe in
trends; their favorite homes are classic
Capes and Colonials. If pressed by a
client, however, the duo will add small,
trendy touches that won't make a home
look dated when the fad dies down.
"We will infuse a fun, trendy item
only if it can be easily switched out,"
added Rich. "So it's not so, 'oh, this is
so 2000.' Trends come and go and can
feel so dated in a short period of time.
We want people to do what brings
them joy — something that you will
never get sick of. That's what I do in
my own home and we want to give that
same experience to our clients."

SPRING 2022 | 25
Main Street Home recently expanded
operations. A recent job completed
in 2019 was at the Mookies on Mugford
coffee shop in old Marblehead.
The shop opened just in time to serve
as a location for Adam Sandler's "Halloween
Hubie" movie.
"It was the first time ever doing
anything other than a home, so it was a
big risk," Nancy said.
Both women say their business
relationship is like a good marriage
— each partner has found what she's
good at. Field is the shopper. Rich is
the project manager, (a skill she gained
while working for two construction
companies in a prior career) keeping
everyone on the same page.
While they prefer "soup-to-nuts"
projects, they also handle smaller jobs
and are sensitive to clients' budgetary
constraints.They use everything from
HomeGoods candy dishes to one-of-akind
designer fabrics, like Oscar de la
Renta, to keep things in check.
"We love being able to use higher-end
fabrics," Rich said.
"But that's not in everyone's budget
and we know that it's a luxury to hire a
decorator," Field said, finishing Rich's
sentence (they do that a lot).
"We are truly a team, it's amazing
that we both work so well together,"
said Field.
"Our clients love what we do for
them and we love doing it," added Rich.
Even candy dishes are a design consideration for Emily Field and Nancy Rich.
A pool house bathroom designed by Nancy Rich and Emily Field of Main Street Home.

26
26
|
|
01940
01940
Members of Lynnfield High School's Help
Desk sourced the parts and built their own
PC to run a 3-D printer.
Help Desk member Walter Radulski
removes a 3-D-printed frog which was
created in the Makerspace.
They can help
BY ADAM BASS
When they are not finding new
ideas for robots or helping
others, Lynnfield High School
sophomore Gavin Fair and
junior Colin McCormick can be found working
at the Student Help Desk.
The Student Help Desk is a course
for students that teaches them how to be
independent in solving technical problems,
building new computers and 3D printers,
teaching students computer programming and
code, assisting teachers and working at the
IT department after school. The students also
incorporate what they have learned at the help
desk in their other courses, such as 3D-printing
a chair for a scene in English class or
creating an online resource for students in a
history class.
Fair, McCormick and four other students are
treated as full-fledged adults when working at
the help desk, as the course prepares them for
what real-world experience will be when working
in technology and STEM (science, technology,
engineering and mathematics).
Fair and McCormick launched the Robotics
Club to help fellow students make a difference
in the community.
“Robots are cool,” McCormick laughed. “The
way the club would work is that students would
come in with ideas for robotics that Gavin and I
would help with.”
The students started the robotics club this
year and reported that six students are members.
To demonstrate what the club would be like to
students, Fair and McCormick built a spider-like
contraption as an example.
Their newest project? A robotic arm.
“The arm would use haptic feedback and
pressure sensors attached to the bottom to have
the sense of touch,” McCormick explained. “We
would also use a virtual-reality controller to
control the robotic arm.”
The inspiration for the arm came from
McCormick’s grandfather, who had lost both
his legs. McCormick said he wants to make a
difference by working with prosthetics. While
McCormick is in charge of building the robotics,
Fair takes responsibility for the software
aesthetic, calling it the “magic” behind the
robotics.
“We were inspired by Boston Dynamics
and their work,” Fair said. “Colin was the one
who built it all though. I just did the magic
behind it.”
Since starting the club, the two have
raised $2,000 in funds and have held raffles
and events to advertise their program. They
recently held a meeting with Superintendent
of Schools Kristen Vogel to discuss implementing
more computer-science programs and
robotics into the Lynnfield Public Schools
curriculum.
Kathleen Dario, who works at the information
technology (IT) department at the school,
said she was astounded by the initiative and the
persistence of the two students — saying they
started small, but are making big moves for the
future of LHS.
“They had only an advisor when they started
the club,” Dario said. “Now they hold raffles and
are having meetings with the superintendent.”
One thing McCormick and Fair are looking
forward to is the opportunity to teach younger

PHOTOS: SPENSER HASAK
SPRING 2022 | 27
Members of the Help Desk include, from left, Walter
Radulski, Library Media Specialist Janice Alpert,
Ryan Michalski, Charlie Kane, Colin McCormick,
Gavin Fair (seated), IT Specialist Kathleen Dario.
students in elementary school how to code
by incorporating a nationwide program for
children, “Hour of Code.”
“You have little games and programs
to help move a duck, for example
from point A to point B,” McCormick
explained. “This is very basic stuff and I
think it provides an opportunity for us as
people who understand tech and coding
to provide a more accessible way to teach
it. You think you mastered something, but
try dumbing it down for those who don’t
understand.”
McCormick said he wants to work
in robotics at Boston Dynamics and Fair
wishes to be a front-end developer.
Whatever the future holds for these
two students, McCormick and Fair have
their eyes on the prize in their new robotics
club.
“It is a big thing with tech right now,”
said McCormick. “It's exclusive until
it’s available everywhere, so instead of
being shut out, students should have that
invitation.”
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28 | 01940
Let
there
be
light
And God said, “Let there be
light: And there was light."
If only it were that simple.
Turning on the lights in
Lynnfield requires some help from Peabody
and Reading, dating back to 1909 when
Reading Municipal Light Department
(RMLD) began providing lighting fixtures
to Lynnfield Center, initially illuminating
17 Lynnfield homes.
Four years later, Peabody Municipal
Light Plant (PLMP) joined the party and
began providing lighting to South Lynnfield.
More than 100 years later, PLMP and
RMLD provide electricity to 4,000 and
3,200 Lynnfield accounts, respectively,
sending power to the outlets charging
laptops and appliances and brightening
public spaces like MarketStreet's Green and
streetscapes.
RMLD and PMLP are municipal light
plants (MLPs), which are not-for-profit
and community owned, unlike much larger
power providers such as National Grid or
Eversource that are investor-owned-utilities,
known as IOUs.
Having two MLPs providing electricity to
one town is pretty unusual. Why not use one
larger supplier instead of two smaller ones?
BY MADISON BETHUNE
The split service reflects the town's
historical origins as two villages: Lynnfield
Center and South Lynnfield.
Back in the day, when things were looking
pretty … dark in rural Lynnfield, the
town was too far from larger electric companies
to use them as service providers. The
choice was either continue burning candles
and staying in the Dark Ages, or call on
surrounding towns to bring in some help:
PMLP and RMLD to the rescue.
MLPs can typically set their rates with
power plants for longer periods of time
compared to IOUs, who are usually on a
six-month contract schedule.
This allows MLPs to keep their rates
lower and stable. In fact, RMLD’s rates are
30-35 percent lower than IOU’s, and PM-
LP’s rates are typically 20-25 percent lower
than neighboring MLPs, and are one of the
lowest in the state.
Oh — fun fact: In 1909, the year the
Oval Office was built in the White House,
electricity was brought into Lynnfield by
RMLD. What an illuminating fact.
The next time you’re driving down the
woodsy roads of Lynnfield, thank Peabody
and Reading for installing the wooden poles
along the streets way back when.
There is a lot of history behind how Lynnfield gets its electricity.
PHOTO COUTESY | READING MUNICIPAL LIGHT DEPARTMENT

James Desrocher: 259 S. Main Street, Middleton, MA 01949, Tel. 978-972-5114, www.mytrueviews.com
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30 | 01940
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SPRING 2022 | 31
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32 | 01940
Going the
Extra Mile
BY ADAM BASS
Some run in marathons for glory
and bragging rights. Others
run because it's fun. For James
Whelan, he is going the extra mile
by not only running in the Boston Marathon
this April to raise money for children
suffering from pediatric cancer, but donating
$5 of his own money for every $50 donation
raised.
“I don’t want people to think I was just
asking for money with this run,” he explained.
“I wanted to show I was putting in
the effort. It’s not about me, it is about these
kids.”
Whelan, 23, said his reason for donating
and running in the marathon was because he
wanted to make a difference in the lives of
these children. He has had family members
who are fighting or have died of cancer and
knows classmates who are survivors. His
mother, Lisa, who works as a nurse at Mass
General Brigham, tells Whelan stories of
those who are suffering from cancer every
night when she comes home from work.
“I want to tell these children that you
are not alone and you can’t give up now,”
Whelan said. “If I can run a marathon and
not give up on these kids, I can show them
you can fight too.”
Despite his set goal, Whelan will need to
raise more money to ensure he can keep the
donation chain alive during the marathon.
To raise money for donations, Whelan has
a website and is considering holding silent
auctions and raffles to get people engaged in
his cause.
“I need to raise a minimum of $75,000,”
said Whelan. “I know I only have three
months to go but if you were in my shoes,
you would be amazed just how fast time
flies.”
After graduating from Endicott College
in May 2021 with a bachelor's degree in
economics and a minor in finance, Whelan
started working at Mass General Brigham,
helping children who are suffering from
pediatric cancer. He learned about the marathon
through an Instagram post and signed
up to be part of the Mass General Brigham
team. As part of the training regiment, runners
do three-to-four-mile runs a day, ab and
core exercises and even a 5k run.
When it comes to marathons, this will be
Whelan’s first. He took up running last year
as a way not only to help him stay physically
healthy, but mentally healthy.
“There’s a zen when it comes to running,”
Whelan said. “I ran to get out of the
house during the COVID-19 pandemic and
it helped me stay in the present. I would
usually run around the lake in Wakefield as
it would be a five-mile run.”
Whelan’s friends and family are also
Lynnfield's James Whelan is running the Boston Marathon in April to raise money for children
with pediatric cancer.
PHOTOS: SPENSER HASAK

SPRING 2022 | 33
supporting his mission to run in the
marathon. One of Whelan’s biggest
supporters is his father, Daniel Whelan,
who is described as his “coach.”
“My dad, when he found out I was
running, was kind of surprised,” Whelan
said, laughing. “He has always been
there for me though. Whenever I went
out for a run he would ask how many
miles I ran and had encouraged me to
keep going with my running.”
When asked about any worries he
has about the marathon, Whelan said
he was a little intimidated about the
infamous Heartbreak Hill.
That said, he believes that if he can
conquer Heartbreak Hill, it will send
a message to the children he is raising
money for — that the climb may be an
uphill battle, but you can conquer no
matter the circumstances.
“This marathon is not for me,” he
said. “As a kid, you don’t realize about
the treatments and experiences. I hope
to make a difference not just for my
peers, but for these kids.”
After graduating from Endicott College in May 2021,
James Whelan started working at Mass General
Brigham, helping children with pediatic cancer.
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34 | 01940
Xiaoping “Michelle” Wan owns and operates Lynnfield Healing Massage Therapy.
PHOTOS: SPENSER HASAK
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SPRING 2022 | 35
Can you imagine starting a new
life in a foreign country, on
your own, not knowing the
local language, not having
friends, just having a dream?
How long do you think it would take
you to master a new profession, learn the
language and open your own successful
business?
It took Xiaoping “Michelle” Wan, the
owner of Lynnfield Healing Massage located
in Post Office Square, 10 years to open her
own massage studio; and she still works
seven days a week to make sure her clients
are satisfied and the studio is clean and
welcoming.
Wan moved to the U.S. from China in
2006. She grew up on a farm with no central
heating and worked at a state-owned company
as a bookkeeper until it went bankrupt.
After that, Wan became an esthetician at a
spa. But she dreamed of coming to the U.S.
since she was little. She said she didn’t like
policies in China.
“Here, in the U.S., if people work hard,
they can build a good life,” Wan said. “I love
freedom.”
In China, women over 30 years old,
women with children or divorced women
struggle to find a job and experience sexism,
Wan said.
She came to the U.S. in hopes of building
a better life for herself and her daughter,
who she was able to put through college and
a graduate school in Canada. They reunited
only in 2019.
To support herself in the new country,
Wan first worked at a supermarket. She knew
some massage techniques from back home,
but went to a massage school in 2009 to
learn more and get her license.
Over the years she made friends who
guided her through massage training and she
mastered English. After getting her massage
license, Wan worked for several years gaining
more experience.
When she had enough savings and confidence
to open her own massage studio, she
rented three rooms in Post Office Square
in 2006 and dubbed her business Lynnfield
Healing Massage because of the many
documented health benefits of professional
therapeutic massage.
Wan said it is not easy to find a studio
like hers outside of Chinatown. She views
herself as an ambassador for Chinese massage,
dispelling negative images of Asian
massage parlors.
“I like this country and I wanted to do
something nice,” Wan said.
Some clients brought those myths to their
appointments and found Healing Massage
quickly dispelled their misimpressions. She
also opened Lynnfield Healing Massage with
HANDS, continued on page 36
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36 | 01940
HANDS, continued from page 35
the idea to give other single, divorced
women with children an opportunity to
work.
The first week in business Wan
worked by herself. Now, she employs a
half-dozen people, mostly Chinese and
Vietnamese women with professional
licenses.
Lynnfield Healing Massage offers a
wide range of services from relaxing to
sports massages, couples massages, foot
massages, along with Thai, hot stone
and silicone cupping.
Many pregnant clients have found
relief from prenatal massage and send
Wan baby pictures once the child is
born. Wan has also ventured into using
cannabidiol (CBD) oils and lotions, after
studying their therapeutic properties.
Over the years, Wan’s business has
received considerable positive feedback,
with a 4.5-star-review rating on Yelp
and 4.8 rating on Google.
In the rare instances when a customer
doesn’t get the results they hoped
for, Wan tries to reach out, analyze
customer concerns, and offer a solution.
She is a firm believer in treating her
customers the way she would like to be
treated herself. Oftentimes she offers
her customers little gifts around the
holidays — a free additional 10 minutes
of massage, a CBD-oil treatment for
free, or a scarf.
“Michelle is the best. She is always
accommodating with the appointments;
she will bend over backwards,” said
Denis, a customer from Malden who has
been a regular for about five years. “The
rooms are always nice and clean.”
Wan is constantly beautifying Healing
Massage by adding fresh flowers
inside and planting flowers outside
and making her office more inviting.
She expanded into Peabody during the
pandemic but found it difficult to find
people who wanted to work.
She made a difficult decision to close
down the Peabody location, deciding to
rent more space adjacent to her Lynnfield
office. Wan renovated it and added
three more massage rooms.
Several years ago, Wan became a
Lynnfield resident herself. Even though
the business is good, she still works seven
days a week, making sure everything
runs smoothly.
“I love this country,” said Wan. “This
is my dream and so my dream came true
even though I am older.”
A lamp filled with Himalayan salt
adds ambience to a massage room.
Choices are plentIful at Lynnfield Healing Massage Therapy.
Flowers adorn a massage table at Lynnfield Healing Massage Therapy.

SPRING 2022 | 37
Squared away
the Susan way
BY ALENA KUZUB
Susan Parziale left the corperate world to become is a
professional organizer and autism-awareness advocate.
PHOTOS: SPENSER HASAK
Don't let Susan Parziale's big
blue eyes and a radiant smile
fool you: She is a determined
commander of shelves, closets
and attics, who will make you get rid of all of
your clutter and dust-collecting trinkets.
That is because Parziale is a professional
organizer, who has been named among the
best of Boston for the fifth time in a row by
Expertise.com.
Parziale decided to try organizing in 2008
when her daughter, Jenna, started going to a
private autism school, the Nashoba Learning
Group, at the age of 5.
Parziale had worked for 10 years at Goodwin
Procter as an administrative assistant
before and missed being around people. At
the same time, she was good at organizing
and people told her that she could be a professional
organizer.
“I was driving Jenna back and forth from
school and I (thought) either I can shop every
day or I can take this little thing that I’m
really good at, which is organizing, and make
it into a career,” said Parziale.
Parziale got her first clients after sharing
her interest in organizing with her running
group, and then little by little built her business
by getting work from friends of friends,
advertising on Craigslist and later joining
Facebook and real-estate groups. She still
has a couple of clients who were attorneys at
Goodwin Procter that she worked with.
Today, among the services Parziale provides
are residential organization of attics,
garages, kitchens, help with downsizing,
moving, estate-sales oversight, small-business
and home-office organization including work
zones, filing systems and office relocation,
management of charitable donations, as well
as specialty services like wine-cellar setup
with barcoding, remote administrative assistance
and concierge services.
Parziale said listening to the client and
what they want, and being patient is one of
the traits that helps her in her work. The
client has to be ready to purge, she said.
“You just don’t want to shuffle things
around. They have to be ready to let it go,”
Parziale said.
Parziale will listen to clients' stories about
every photo, but will also keep them moving
along, and help them save the special things.
It can be especially hard on older people
who have to get rid of a lot because they are
downsizing and going to an assisted-living
facility.
PARZIALE, continued on page 38

38 | 01940
PARZIALE, continued from page 37
Even professional organizer Susan Parziale's designated
"junk" drawer uses small bins to keep items in their place.
“I tell them I’ll have an estate sale
for you and everything will go to a new
family and have a new life,” Parziale
said. “They don't miss anything once
it’s gone.”
Parziale usually works alone, occasionally
using the help of her sister
or a girlfriend at an estate sale. A job
can take her anywhere from four visits
organizing a playroom, to five days for
organizing an attic, to an entire summer
for setting up a home for an international
couple relocating to the U.S.
One interesting specialty service
Parziale developed is organizing wine
and wine cellars. When a friend called
her and asked her to organize their
secret wine cellar where several families
stored their wine, Parziale responded
that she had never done it before.
She ended up getting online, perusing
wine-chat sites and finding the
best program for organizing wine that
everybody used. Now, Parziale arranges
wine by region and scans barcodes of
each bottle.
That is how she got to meet
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Wonderful, whose wine collection she
maintains, and many other prominent
business owners in Boston.
Parziale also provides a unique service
for special-needs families, helping
them create and maintain binders with
educational materials and medical
records and bills.
“I discount my rate to autism families
because I am also an autism mom,”
Parziale said. “The paperwork with having
a special-needs child is voluminous
and it really needs to be pretty much in
one spot.”
She said that tracking all of the
paperwork can be overwhelming even
for her because new documents come in
constantly and very fast.
“(I) really like to help as many families
as I can,” Parziale said.
Parziale loves her job. She loves
when people tell her that they don’t
even miss their old clothes and can now
walk into their closet and see everything
that they own.
And she advises that people talk to a
few organizers before committing to one.
“Make sure that they’re a good fit
because you will be working closely with
these people,” said Parziale.
Parziale credits advocating for her
daughter helped motivate her career
choice. Jenna was diagnosed with autism
at 2 years old.
She didn’t know much about autism,
except for what was shown in the movie,
"Rain Man." But Jenna did not behave
like Dustin Hoffman’s character,
Raymond.
“I didn’t realize it was this huge
spectrum,” said Parziale. “They say, if
you met one person with autism, you
met one person with autism. I always
would tell everybody they are like snowflakes.
They’re all the same, but they’re
all different.”
Parziale and her husband, Jonathan,
immediately started to look at services,
including a speech specialist and physical
therapist, but there was a shortage of
information as social media was not as big
16 years ago. Someone recommended they
look into the Autism Support Center.
“They had weekly meetings and I
met some really great mothers who just
pointed me in the right direction of
services, where I could go,” said Parziale.
Eventually, she started the Boston
autism moms/dads Facebook group be-
PARZIALE, continued on page 40
Professional organizer Susan Parziale uses
white dishes to keep her cabinet looking tidy.
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SPRING 2022 | 41
PARZIALE, continued from page 39
cause none of the existing groups were
from Massachusetts.
“It just kept growing and growing
and growing. And now it’s all parents
bouncing amazing ideas off of each
other,” said Parziale.
About 2,000 members of the group
share information about events, doctors,
the best towns to live in, services and
other topics. Services are the No. 1 help
that autism parents need, said Parziale.
Through her Facebook group she sees
how parents of young children struggle
to find the right specialists, respite care,
funding, good home-skill instructors and
other forms of family support. There are
waitlists for service providers and neuropsychologists
who diagnose children.
“A lot of times you just can’t move
forward with other services if they don’t
have that diagnosis.”
A lot of the public schools can’t provide
the services the families need and
good providers often leave the agencies
they work for.
“It’s just never ending. Here we are,
you know, 16 years later. And it’s the same
stories: better services, better service providers,
long wait lists,” said Parziale. “It’s a
hard life. It’s not an easy life."
Another difficult aspect of being autism
parents is that some of them don’t
get to experience the usual milestone
moments in the lives of their children
like prom, graduation from schools, their
first boyfriend or girlfriend, driving a
car, and getting ready for college. Jenna
doesn’t have friends to hang out with
outside of her specialized private school.
“A lot of that stuff is hard. That’s
the emotional side for parents,” said
Parziale.
They do get together with other autism
parents and throw birthday parties
for their kids.
“Because we’re all in the same boat
and there’s no judgment,”
The Parziales do a lot of fundraising
and advocacy for autism. Susan Parziale
volunteered for the Doug Flutie Jr.
Foundation for many years and was a
co-chair of its annual gala one year.
Last year they organized their first
big autism awareness event in Lynnfield
— a parade — supported by the Lynnfield
Police Department. The Parziales
are planning on doing it again this year
in April for Autism Awareness Month.
Doing it the Susan way:
1. If you haven’t worn something in a year or two, get it out of the house.
2. Don't hold onto things, don’t hold on to furniture, saving it for your kids.
Trust me, they don’t want it. Instead, make a little money by selling your clothes and
shoes on Facebook Marketplace, Poshmark, Marcari or other websites and apps.
3. When you go to the mailbox, don’t attack the mail until you’re ready to
look at it. Do it over the recycling bin, throw unwanted paper into recycling and
take the bills and put them into a dedicated basket. Take the magazines and put
them in a rack.
4. Use the wall space. If you think you have no space to store things, take a
look at your walls. Simple shelving can create a lot of room.
5. That broken item that you said you were going to fix is now clutter. If it
takes you longer than a year to get it fixed, then that's it, it's gotta go.
Having a "spot" for everything is one of the best ways to
keep your home organized, says Susan Parziale.
Susan Parziale's home office is a shrine to neatness.

42 | 01940
Surrounded by family and teammates from the football team, Mike O'Brien, center
left, signs his National Letter of Intent to play football for Saint Anselm next year.
PHOTOS: SPENSER HASAK
"I'm just so grateful for all the time I was able to spend here at Lynnfield and for all of
the memories I made over these past four years," said Saint Anslem College-bound
Michael O'Brien.
O'Brien
scores
with
gratitude
and pride
BY MIKE ALONGI
When Lynnfield senior
Michael O'Brien signed
his National Letter of
Intent (NLI) to continue
his football career at Saint Anselm College,
a number of emotions were running through
his head. But the two main ones were gratitude
and pride.
"I'm just so grateful for all the time
I was able to spend here at Lynnfield
and for all of the memories I made over
these past four years," said O'Brien, who
happens to be the grandson of Boston
Bruins legend Ken Hodge. "From the
minute I stepped foot on the field here as
an eighth-grader for workouts, the school,
program and community have all been so
supportive and welcoming. I couldn't have
asked for a better place to play highschool
football."
"This is a guy who can only be described
with one word — relentless," said Lynnfield
coach Pat Lamusta. "His work ethic and his
determination to return to the field and be
there for his teammates was incredible and
it's going to serve him well moving forward."
But O'Brien's career at Lynnfield High
has not been without its ups and downs.
Some of the ups included getting the
starting nod at center as a sophomore and
getting more votes as a team captain than
almost any other player in recent memory.
But the downs were tough. Early in his
junior season — which if you remember
was played from March to May this past
year — O'Brien took a strange hit on his
knee and tore his ACL, ending his season
before it could really even begin. The news
became even worse when his doctors and a
number of physical trainers told him that
his football career may very well be over
entirely.
"That was really tough to hear, and I was
almost in denial at first," said O'Brien, who
noted that he never truly even considered

SPRING 2022 | 41
giving up on football. "But to be honest,
that might be what motivated me the
most to come back and play. I wanted to
prove everyone wrong."
And prove them wrong he did.
On Oct. 15, 2021, less than eight
months after suffering an injury that
normally takes more than a year to heal,
O'Brien — who stands at 6 feet 2 inches
and weighs in at 290 pounds — was back
on the field with his Pioneer teammates
and making an impact on the field.
"It was a lot of hard work, but I never
wanted to give up," said O'Brien. "I
pushed myself every day to come back
and play, but I stayed smart the whole
time and made sure I didn't rush things."
A big part of O'Brien never giving up
on his dream to return to football was his
efforts during his junior year both in his
rehab and in working on his role with the
team. Lamusta says that O'Brien never
missed a workout or practice during his
entire junior season, even after having
surgery.
That also meant continuing to work
on recruiting and finding a school that
was the perfect match.
That's where Saint Anselm came
in. After initially making contact with
O'Brien during his sophomore year, the
Hawks stuck with O'Brien all the way
through his injury and rehab.
"To be honest, when I put on that
Saint Anselm jersey during my visit
there, it felt like a part of me had
been missing and I just found it," said
O'Brien. "They were the only guys
who stuck with me ever since reaching
out sophomore year and all the way
through my injury, my rehab and my
return. (Running backs) Coach (Price)
Ferguson and (offensive line) Coach
(Hunter) Mackay came by the house on
Wednesday, and that just sealed the deal
for me."
And so when O'Brien signed his NLI
surrounded by his family, his coach and
a number of his high-school teammates,
the next chapter in his football journey
was started.
Now, according to O'Brien, comes the
hard work.
"The level of play from high school
to college football is a huge jump, and I
know I'm going to have to keep working
hard if I want to be able to compete for
a starting spot," said O'Brien. "After
working through what I have over the
past year, I think I have the ability to step
in and contribute."
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Merriam-Webster defines
a most valuable player as
“the player who contributes
the most to his or
her team's success.”
In Lynnfield, one can make a strong
case that COVID Nurse Liaison Toni Rebelo
is the town's MVP, hands down.
"Lynnfield has had an incredible team
working together throughout this pandemic,
but Toni Rebelo in my book, may be
our MVP," said Select Board Chair Dick
Dalton. "She has managed every aspect of
how the town and schools have responded to
COVID-19 and has done so with an incredible
amount of expertise and skill. The work
she has done in the schools has been vital."
Rebelo had been working as a parttime
nurse in the district when she was
watching a School Committee meeting
and learned that the town was creating a
COVID nurse-liaison position.
"I thought it was interesting as I knew
this person would play a significant role
with the Health Department and Emergency
Management Team," Rebelo said. "I
had already established relationships with
families so I thought it would be a good
place for me to really help."
Rebelo reached out to a friend who had
seen the job posting. The friend mentioned
Rebelo as a possible candidate to
Huckleberry Hill School Principal Melissa
Wyland. She encouraged Rebelo to apply.
Superintendent of Schools Kristen
Vogel said the decision to hire Rebelo was
a no-brainer.
"Glenn and I interviewed a couple of
candidates and it was evident immediately
that Toni was the person we wanted," said
Vogel. "We never could have anticipated
how essential she would be to our district
and town to navigate all of the mitigation
strategies, testing, contact tracing and
reaching out to families."
Rebelo said she had no idea what she
was in for.
"I remember getting the DESE protocols
and guidance and thought, 'Wow,
there are going to be some serious challenges.'
It was only then I realized the
magnitude of what we were all facing. We
had no playbook; this was new to everyone.
"One thing I did know was we had to

Toni Rebelo is the COVID-19 nurse liaison and nurse
coordinator for the Lynnfield Public Schools.
PHOTOS: SPENSER HASAK
make decisions based on facts and
science and not on emotions," Rebelo
said. "We made it a point to base all
decisions on the data."
As the parent of three children,
the Melrose native understood what
people were feeling as the pandemic
ramped up and schools were struggling
to remain open.
"It was an emotional time for all
of us, but we needed to stay focused,"
she said. "We knew that kids needed
to be in school so that was always the
No. 1 goal."
Rebelo said she will never forget
the weekend when the middle school
hosted its first vaccination clinic for
children ages 5-11. More than 550
children rolled up their sleeves and
got their first doses of the Pfizer
vaccine.
"That definitely had to be one of
the highlights of the last year and
a half," Rebelo said. "The children
knew how important it was to get
their shots. There was genuine excitement
in the air. That age group had
gone through so much, but we saw
their strength and resiliency. I can't
think of anything more satisfying
than those clinics, as we were able to
give them the normalcy and freedom
they had not had."
The effort hasn't been easy at
times with parents challenging many
COVID policies and guidelines.
Through it all there were contentious
confrontations and Rebelo remained
the voice of reason, saying it's important
to try to see where people are
coming from.
"Parents are speaking for themselves
and while we may not agree
with the process, the commonality is
we all want the best for our children,"
Rebelo said. "We have different ways
of getting there but we must remain
focused on the data that keeps
us honest. The reality is that the
vaccines and masks are what will get
us through to the end. We can't let
emotions get in the way. We must do
what's best for the group. That's what
public health is all about."
Town Administrator Rob Dolan
said there have been many people
who have gone "above and beyond"
battling through the pandemic. He
commended the efforts of Rebelo
and Davis, who he described as
MVP-worthy. But when it comes to
the schools, Rebelo is in a league of
her own, a true "citizen hero" whose
positive energy is "contagious.
"Under her direction, in an almost
impossible environment of ever-changing
rules set by every level
of government, it has been Toni's
compassionate and pragmatic style
that not only has kept our community
safe but reopened Lynnfield schools
faster than most," Dolan said. "That
kept youth sports and school athletics
running. She used her medical
expertise as a nurse practitioner to
aid educators, parents and students
during this pandemic."
Davis said Rebelo has been an
"amazing" addition to the town's
Emergency Management Team who
possesses a "wealth" of medical
knowledge and "outstanding" organizational
skills.
While it was unclear at the time
the position was created how the
position would evolve, Davis knew it
was critical to put a process in place to
connect the schools, Board of Health
and EMT core-management team.
"From the moment that Kristen
and I interviewed her it was obvious
that Toni would be a great fit for our
vision of a liaison," Davis said. "I
have no doubt that having Toni in her
role as liaison kept countless children
in school due to her attention
to detail through contact tracing and
being one of the first school districts
to have a test-and-stay program up
and running. Navigating the ever-changing
guidance from the CDC
as well as the DPH was a constant
challenge."
Vogel echoed Davis' sentiments,
saying Rebelo is "truly a team player.
"I do not know how we would have
been able to manage without Toni on
our team," said Vogel. "She always
makes decisions that keep the safety
and health of our students, staff and
families at the forefront."
Last fall, Rebelo was honored with
the School Committee's Dorothy
Presser Award. The award is reserved
for a district employee who goes
above and beyond in his or her commitment
to education.
School Committee Vice Chair
Stacy Dahlstedt said Rebelo touched
every level from pre-K to 12 in her
REBELO, continued on page 46
SPRING 2022 | 45

46 | 01940
Catherine O'Brien receives her first dose of the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine
from Lynnfield school nurse Toni Rebelo at a Lynnfield Middle School
COVID-19 vaccination clinic
REBELO, continued from page 45
management of close contacts and tracing, cases
and travel restrictions.
"Every principal spoke to her every day; she was
the voice of reason and understanding in a tumultuous
time," Dahlstedt said. "Her guidance was
invaluable."
Always quick to deflect attention away from
herself, Rebelo credited the entire community.
"Everybody went above and beyond for our
children," said Rebelo. "None of what I did would
have been able to have been accomplished if it
wasn't for every person's piece of that puzzle."
Rebelo is hoping that September will "bring us
back to pre-COVID days.
"Science has made great strides and with the
vaccines available to everyone by then, we are
peeling off all those layers toward normalcy," she
said. "The past two years have been a sacrifice for
everyone so my hope is by then we'll come out in a
better place."
A class act through and through, Rebelo continues
to express her gratitude for being a part of
Lynnfield's team.
"I am incredibly grateful to be a part of this
team," she said. "We had one goal and we worked
to achieve that goal together. That's why we are
Lynnfield and where we are today. Fighting this
battle has been a group effort from the beginning.
Summer Street School teacher Lisa Pasciuto, left, comforts first-grader Aiden McKeon
as he receives his first dose of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine from Toni Rebelo.

Picture perfect
SPRING 2022 | 47
Essex Media Group designer/illustrator Edwin Peralta Jr. sketched
Pillings Pond and used a digital program to enhance the work.

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