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ONTHE HORIZON
THE NEWSLETTER OF NOBLE HORIZONS
AUTUMN 2012, NUMBER 52
ONLINE AT WWW.NOBLEHORIZONS.ORG
Auxiliary Donates New Car
In honor of Noble’s 40th anniversary, the Noble Horizons
Auxiliary has purchased a 2012 Ford Escape. The newest addition
to Noble’s fleet of
vehicles, the silver
SUV will be used for
resident transportation to medical appointments and a variety of outings. The
auxiliary is nearly as
old as Noble itself,
having been founded
in 1975.
The “High Priestess of Health”
Jane Brody To Speak At Noble
In yet another event celebrating Noble Horizons’ 40th anniversary
year, best-selling author and New York Times columnist Jane Brody will
make a special visit on Saturday, November 10 at 2 p.m. Ms. Brody
will speak on healthy aging, take questions
from the audience, and sign copies of her
books, which will be available for sale. There
is no charge for the lecture. There is a charge
of $20 per person to attend a wine and hors
d’oeuvre reception with Ms. Brody following
her talk.
Jane Brody’s “Personal Health” column appears weekly in the Times Science Section and
is syndicated in 100 newspapers nationwide.
With degrees in biochemistry and journalism,
Jane Brody
Ms. Brody is the principal author of more than
a dozen books, including two best-sellers: Jane Brody’s Nutrition Book
and Jane Brody’s Good Food Book.
Additionally, she has made hundreds of radio and television
appearances and starred in her own ten-part show on public television.
Dubbed the “High Priestess of Health” by Time, Ms. Brody has won
many prestigious awards for journalistic excellence. Her most recent
book, published in 2009, is Jane Brody’s Guide To the Great Beyond: A
Practical Primer for Preparing for the End of Life.
Jane Brody’s appearance at Noble Horizons is co-sponsored by the
Noble Horizons Auxiliary, VNA Northwest, The Hotchkiss School,
Jay’s Lawn Care, Alliance Rehabilitation, and Taylor Propane.
Frank Finney and Nick outside the Noble
woodworking shop.
On The Job At
Noble Horizons
Last spring, two HVRHS graduating
seniors spent a few of their school hours
each week gaining real world experience and
exploring potential careers by volunteering
at Noble as part of a transition to work
program. In class, they developed such
necessary skills as writing a resumé and
applying for a job while at Noble they got
a chance to get a first-hand look at what
holding a job is all about. Adam worked
directly with residents and the nursing staff
while Nick worked one-on-one with Noble’s
master carpenter Frank Finney.
The program proved a great success from
both sides. Nurses spoke highly of Adam’s
pleasant demeanor and helpful attitude in
continued on page 4
NobleNotes
Volunteer Recognition Dinner
Noble’s honored its 130+ volunteers for their combined 5,716 hours
of service to Noble and its residents
at a dinner on April 17. Outstanding
volunteers were Ellen Carneski and
Josh Brennan, while Robert Julien and
Mary Barton were tapped as Volunteers
of The Year.
Audrey Whitbeck Remembered
The Noble Horizons Auxiliary has
announced that it will provide $4,000
annually to fund arts programming at
Noble Horizons in memory of Audrey
Whitbeck, a long-time stalwart of
the auxiliary, who died unexpectedly
on March 13, 2012. Also in her
memory, the auxiliary purchased new
cabinets that have been installed in the
Community Room to store recreation
department art supplies.
Mrs. Whitbeck was one of the
auxiliary’s most active and dedicated
members, serving as historian for many
years and as chair of the Christmas
Fair. She was gracious, unstintingly
generous with her time and talents,
and is greatly missed.
Tag Sale Fever… once again gripped
the Noble community in July, incapacitating those with a weakened resistance to great bargains. These regular
Auxiliary sales ultimately help Noble
residents, but by the looks of it they
are another way the wider community
turns to Noble for fun and fortune.
Sometimes
the perfect
lamp brings
a smile.
2
Actress, Designer Linda Dano
Creates Magical Holidays
Emmy-Award winning actress Linda Dano, also an accomplished
interior designer, will present a workshop demonstrating how to create
beautiful holidays on October 20 at
2pm in the Community Room.
Although best-known as an actress
in the role of the flamboyant Felicia
Gallant on the daytime soap Another
World, Ms. Dano was actually a design
major at the University of California
at Long Beach. She created her own
line of fashion accessories for the costconscious buyer for the QVC network
and is Founder, President and CEO of
Strictly Personal, a New York-based Linda Dano
fashion consulting business creating complete wardrobes to match a
client’s taste, personality and lifestyle.
Ms. Dano is the author of Looking Great…It Doesn’t Have To Hurt
(1997) and Living Great (1998.) For six years she co-hosted Attitudes
on the Lifetime network and has appeared on many national talk
shows.
In addition to winning an Emmy for her work on Another World,
Ms. Dano received three additional Emmy nominations and many
Soap Opera Digest and MVP awards. She has the distinction of having
appeared on all four of ABC’s daytime soaps.
For many years Ms. Dano has contributed her time to a number
of worthy organizations, serving as honorary chairman of the
National Alzheimer’s Association, as a spokesperson for the National
Osteoporosis Foundation, and as co-host of QVC’s annual “FFANY
Shoes on Sale,” which raises millions for breast cancer awareness and
research. Drawing on her own experience recovering from depression,
she embarked on an awareness campaign to help others recognize and
understand the illness.
Linda Dano’s holiday workshop is offered free of charge, but
registration is required. Register on-line at ww.noblehorizons.org or
call Caroline Burchfield, Director of Community Relations, at 860435-9851, x190.
Author Gary Taubes To Speak on October 28
On Sunday, October 28, at 2:00 pm, The Hotchkiss School and
Noble Horizons will host best-selling author and New York Times
contributor Gary Taubes. The topic of his talk and the title of his
recent book is Why We Get Fat And What To Do About It.
Taubes is an award-winning writer who challenges the assumptions associated with the nutritional science behind America’s dietary
guidelines. Taubes, who also wrote the best-seller, Good Calories, Bad
Calories, delivers rigorous scientific research in layperson’s terms.
Taubes will speak in the Science Lecture Hall at the Hotchkiss
School, located at 11 Interlaken Road. Registration for this free program is at www.noblehorizons.org or 860-435-9851, ext. 190.
Important Personnel
Changes Announced
Noble is seeing two significant retirements this fall and a move
from one key position to another. Retiring after 36 years is Director
of Admissions and
Social Services,
Barbara Tobias.
Long-time Director
of Nursing (DON)
JoAnn Luning,
RN, who has been
Wellness Coordinator
for the last seven years
will retire after 31
years. Her position
will be taken over by Margaret Adams, RN, and Joanne Luning, RN
Margaret Adams, RN,
also a former Director of Nursing, who is leaving the post of Assistant
Director of Nursing.
Ms. Luning says she’s never had a dull day as Wellness Coordinator, in which she is primarily concerned with the continued health
and well being of cottage and Cobble residents.
Ms. Luning and Ms. Adams were friends long before they joined
Noble. In fact, as DON, Ms. Adams hired Ms.
Luning to succeed her. Some years later, Ms.
Luning hired Ms. Adams back as Assistant
DON. Now it has come full circle as Ms.
Adams takes over as Wellness Coordinator
upon Ms. Luning’s retirement.
Barbara Tobias, who always wanted to be
a social worker, was, for nearly 25 years, both
Director of Social Services at Noble and the
town’s social worker, heading Salisbury Family
Services. In 1983, she was named Noble’s
Barbara L. Tobias
Director of Admissions as well.
Ms. Tobias and her husband, Don, plan to
split their time between their home in Norfolk and their house on
Cape Cod, with ample time spent in Denver where she intends to
continue to be very involved grandmother to Tess, 12, Jude, 8, and
Birtukan, called Bibi by her family, almost 3, who was adopted as a
baby from Ethiopia.
Administrator Eileen Mulligan
Receives Community Award
Eileen Mulligan, Administrator of Noble Horizons, is the recipient of the 2012 Maplebrook School’s President’s Award in honor of
her many years of exemplary public service to her community. The
award was presented at a breakfast on June 5 at the Amenia, NY
campus. A scholarship will be given annually in her name.
3
Bonnie Hunter, Thearaputic Recreation Director, standing on left, and instructor Pam
Church, right, peer over the shoulders of
one group of pottery class participants.
Hands To Work,
Imaginations At Play
T
wo interesting craft programs were
held at Noble this past summer. Lynn
Meehan, a devoted volunteer with a
particular interest in nature, developed
brief botany lectures leading up to a dried
flower demonstration and art projects using
colorful, pressed blooms. Also of noteworthy
value was a novel process of drying fresh
blossoms by placing
them in a special
frame and then
into a microwave
oven. Not only was
the drying speeded,
but the procedure
yielded abundant
quantities of flowers.
The Whitridge
Nursing Wing was
the site of “Create
Lynn Meehan, standing,
With Clay,” a
shares a framed pressed
flower arrangement
hand-building
with a Noble resident.
and potter’s wheel
mini-course led by the energetic and
enthusiastic Pam Church. With plenty
of hands-on participation, all manner of
bowls and fanciful creatures, faces and
miniature everyday objects were made. Ms.
Church made a point of explaining how the
successful potter learns to express herself,
especially when using the wheel, from a calm
place deep within.
Assisting in both programs were members
of the Recreation Department with occasional visitors dropping by to see all the fun.
It Must Be A
Country Thing
Parents’ Days Observed
Mother’s Day and Father’s Day were suitably celebrated this
year. A Mother’s Day ice cream social for family and guests had as
it’s entertainment the nostalgic music performed by the 3-piece band,
Sentimental Journey, a local favorite.
There was a Father’s Day concert in the Chapel featuring a
virtuoso jazz performance by Gypsy Swing, followed by refreshments
on the Riga Patio.
Cuddley Lambs and
impish baby goats
visited Noble this
past spring and
summer where they
were kissed, petted
and played with
in ways most farm
animals rarely
experience. thanks
go to the Vo-Ag
students at
Housatonic Valley
Regional High
School and our own
Mary Tracy, R.N.,
who raises goats.
On The Job continued from page 1
transporting residents and carrying out other
responsibilities, while taking the time to
develop a special bond with one particular
resident. Frank Finney and Nick hit if off
right away and enjoyed an especially strong
working relationship. As Mr. Finney said:
“Most people look forward to Fridays. I look
forward to Tuesdays and Thursdays when
Nick is going to be here.”
After graduating in June, Adam went
on to land a job in Salisbury. Nick worked
at Noble through the summer with funding
from a federal youth jobs program, honing
his skills in carpentry as well as general
maintenance.
Pictured from above left, Adam
spots cottager Les Wiltshire as he
works out in the Fitness Center.
Outside, Adam pauses from his active
day for a quick photo.
Below from left, Nick learns from
Frank Finney the value of carpentry
jigs, especially when repeating a
particular measurement. Under the
watchful eye of Mike Norvill, Nick
repairs a damaged bed frame.
If one thing is proved by this
HVRHS/Noble partnership, it is that
nothing beats hands-on training as
a learning experience. Noble staff
enjoyed working with the students and
watching their skills develop.
Please call (860) 435-4537, x142,
or email [email protected]
with change of address corrections.
4
O U R
A N D
I N V A L U A B L E V O L U N T E E R S
V O L U N T E E R O F T H E Y E A R
One day, more than 35 years ago, Fran Wagner, founder and
first president of the newly-formed Noble Horizons Auxiliary,
asked her friend, Mary Barton,
if she’d be willing to help with a
special project, the very first Noble
Christmas Fair. “Just for a couple of
hours,” Mrs. Wagner said.
“Naturally, I stayed for the
whole day,” Mrs. Barton said.
And that was the beginning of a
remarkable and unbroken series
of activities to raise funds that the
auxiliary puts to use for the benefit
of Noble’s residents. Mrs. Barton
has proven herself to be what every
successful organization needs: a
worker, someone who rolls up her
sleeves and does what needs to be
Mary Barton
done, whether it’s hauling hundreds
of items out of storage for one of Noble’s much-anticipated tag sales
or helping set up the very popular Festival of Trees.
For more than 20 years Mrs. Barton shouldered the chairmanship
of Noble’s Community Picnic, which brought together Noble
N
oble Horizons is known for offering educational opportunities outside the ordinary. In a recent Russian literature class
taught by Keith Moon, instructor at The Hotchkiss School, participants read an Alexander Pushkin short story “The Queen of
Spades,” a novel by Mikhail Lermontov, “A Hero of Our Time,”
and three short stories by Nikolai Gogol.
Mr. Moon says “it was a deep thrill for me to listen to reactions to these novels from people with more life experience than
my [Hotchkiss] students or I have. These are brilliant, complex
works of literature and every new perspective on them is a delight
for me; it helped that our group was particularly thoughtful.”
residents, their families and friends from
throughout the community. In addition to
persuading a whole team of auxiliary members
and volunteers to take on the sheer hard work
of serving a hundred or more hungry people,
she recruited her husband, the late Dick
Barton, to enlist his Masonic Lodge brothers
in making their famous fried chicken. And
when the auxiliary got the idea of holding
a pancake breakfast at Town Grove, Dick
Barton was manning the griddle.
Mrs. Barton’s most recent triumph was
the summer tag sale in July. She chairs the
two auxiliary tag sales that are held every
year, summer and winter, though the exact
dates vary. When her practiced eye judges
that the large storage area that holds donated
tag sale items is full enough, she knows it’s
time for another sale.
In recognition of her service as the
auxiliary’s president, vice-president, onetime chair of virtually every committee
and enthusiastic participation in countless
auxiliary projects over 35 years, Mrs. Barton
was named Volunteer of the Year at the
annual volunteer dinner last April.
Why does she do it? Being active and
useful is part of it. And, Mrs. Barton says she
has made so many wonderful friends through
her auxiliary activities. “The people who
live here have lived such interesting lives,”
she says. “I’ve made a lot of nice friends.”
Now she’s looking forward to moving
into a Noble cottage herself. “I’m on the list
and when my name comes up I’ll move in.
I’m really looking forward to it.”
Asked if she’s down-sized yet she paused
just a moment before saying that she can
always put whatever she can’t use in her next
Noble tag sale.
Give the most valuable thing you own: your time.
To find out how you can volunteer at
Noble Horizons, call Joanne Moore,
Director of Recreation, at (860) 435-9851, x154.
Noble Goes Smokeless
While Noble Horizons has been a
smoke-free environment inside for many
years, it will become a totally smokefree campus on January 1, 2013. Signs
will be put in place to inform visitors
and remind those who live and work here
that smoking is prohibited everywhere on
Noble Horizons property.
5
C A L E N D A R
A soon-to-be classic!
Get copies for holiday giftgiving and don’t forget
one for yourself!
H
The affordable local shopping
experience! Always a Sale!
C O M I N G
E V E N T S
October 7
Fall Festival Chili Cook-Off, Noon-2pm; AwardWinning Chili for sale, live music with GOZA,
Noble Horizons campus, entry fee
beginning
October 8
Kickstart Food for Life Cooking and Nutrition
Classes with Jane Sirignano; Mondays through November 5, 5:30-7:30pm, Community Room, FREE
October 10
Estate Planning in the Twilight Period of the BushEra Tax Cuts, 1-2:30pm, Community Room FREE
October 18
Updates in Diabetes Care with Anne Hummel, RN,
7-8:30pm, Learning Center, FREE
October 20
Linda Dano, Actress, Author and Interior
Designer: “Creating and Sharing Holiday Magic,”
Presentation and Workshop, 2pm,
Community Room, reservations, FREE
October 28
Best-selling author Gary Taubes, “Why We Get
Fat and What We Can Do About It,” 2pm,
The Hotchkiss School Science Lecture Hall,
FREE
November 10
Jane Brody, New York Times columnist and Author,
1pm, Community Room, book signing and reception to follow, FREE ($15 fee for reception only)
beginning
November 17
Festival of Trees, Saturday, November 17 through
Saturday, December 1, Noon-4, Thursdays-Fridays
until 6pm, Community Room, FREE
The Country Store
Festival of Trees Gala and Auction, Saturday,
December 1, 5-7pm, Community Room,
admission
at Noble Horizons
Monday-Friday 10-3:30
Saturday 12-3
O F
December 8
Noble Horizons Auxiliary Holiday Fair,
Community Room 9-3pm, FREE
www.noblehorizons.org
17 Cobble Road
Salisbury, CT 06068
107
Springfield, MA
Permit No.
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Non-Profit ORG
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