FALL 2013 - Volume 13 - No. 3 A Publication of the Mayflower Residents Association FALL 2013 - Volume 13 - No. 3 FAMILIAR FACES Joan Baker Floyd Postma A "E s the population here has grown, so have the apartment sizes as well as the number of houses. verything has changed!" That's the answer you'll hear, if you ask Floyd Postma whether there have been changes at Mayflower in the 28 years he has Joan Baker, who has racked up twenty years at the Mayflower, says that (Continued on page 5) (Continued on page 7) Beryl Wellborn Art Heimann U H nassuming and gently-spoken, you might first notice only the trade-mark galluses. Yet Beryl Wellborn is one of the most familiar faces amongst all the independent residents. as life at the Mayflower been static or changed over the years? Ask Art Heimann, who next February will be a veteran of twenty-five years here, and he will tell you that there's been an increase in costs, That s because he s (Continued on page 2) (Continued on page 6) Welcome New Residents WILLIS AND DELORES MONTGOMERY (Story on page 4) DALE AND DONA EMMERT (Story on page 6)
2 - F A L L 2 0 1 3 - V o l u m e 1 3 - N o. 3 FROM THE EDITOR W ELCOME to the Log issue on welcoming. In addition to Alice Breemer s comprehensive and informative account of the newly-enhanced practices for welcoming newcomers to the Mayflower Community, we are starting a new series of interviews by Sue Chasins with long-time residents of the Mayflower which we re calling Familiar Faces. And, as always we are welcoming four new residents with interviews by Janis Peak. WELCOME : a kindly greeting or reception, as to one whose arrival gives pleasure. We also have to say a journalistic good-bye with profuse thanks to Tom Evans, who has served so ably as the Log photographer and provided pictures of well over a hundred newcomers over the years, and to Beryl Wellborn who has extended a welcome hand and listening ear to almost a hundred Mayflower newcomers over the last five years. Thank you Tom and Beryl. We will miss your presence on our pages. Harley Henry WELLBORN (Continued from page 1) our version of Ed Sullivan, the genial host of the weekly Lyceum which is undoubtedly the most popular regularly scheduled event at the Mayflower. Moreover, beginning with the Spring 2009 Log through Summer 2013, Beryl has been The Log writer whose interviews and profiles have helped us welcome ninety-nine newcomers to our community. So, as the saying goes, if you arrived here in the last few years, if you don t know Beryl, you don t know Mayflower. Beryl and wife Deena moved into their Montgomery apartment in May 2008. Asked about his own experience as a newcomer, Beryl admitted he s still pleased about the way he adapted to Mayflower living---sharing space with next-door neighbors, using common laundry facilities, planting his small hidden garden, and all the other adjustments one has to make when moving from a house in a neighborhood to an apartment in a residence hall. This transition is made easier by what Beryl and I agreed to call the Mayflower s nice nosiness. It s good to know you are living with people who know you and are interested in knowing what you are doing, he remarked. In his experience, Beryl advised, adapting is often more difficult for people who are single for whatever reason since they sometimes find it harder to enjoy all the advantages available to them in their new surroundings. Newcomers, he also observed, don t always realize at first how helpful the staff is and how dedicated they are to making people feel comfortable. Long before they arrived here six years ago, Beryl and Deena were well acquainted with the Mayflower. Deena, who moved to Grinnell in 1972, was the receptionist in the main office in Pearson for 13 years, retiring in 1997. Beryl joined the Grinnell College faculty in 1958 and, in addition, served on the board of the Iowa Valley (Continued on page 8)
A t the April 2013 Mayflower Residents' Association (MRA) Town Meeting, Shane Estes, the President-elect, announced the start of a new model for welcoming and orienting new independentliving Mayflower residents. The Mentoring Program assigns current residents to work one-on-one with independent-living newcomers to encourage their active participation in Mayflower's community. Mayflower prides itself on the number of resident-led activities and organizations that regularly fill our calendars and our time. Our community s vitality depends, in part, on this high degree of resident leadership and participation. The mentoring program is specifically aimed at cultivating new leaders and interested participants in the community As a result, new residents are now welcomed in three ways: an introduction provided by the administration, the Neighborhood Host Program and the Mentoring Program. The administrative introduction and the Neighborhood Hosts have for some time provided information to new residents that is immediately necessary to access services and navigate the campus. The Mentoring Program matches a newcomer with a seasoned resident who may already know the new resident or share similar backgrounds and interests. The mentor then works with the new resident until he or she is aware of the activities and programs on-campus, in town and at Grinnell College. Char Ewan, a resident and Mayflower's Facilities Assistant, provides the THE COMPLETE WELCOME F A L L 2 0 1 3 - V o l u m e 1 3 - N o. 3 3 administration s introduction. She assembles packets of information on all aspects of living at Mayflower for all new residents. She is also one of the first contacts residents make as they enter Mayflower because she assists them in determining crucial aspects of remodeling or constructing their homes. Before the new resident moves in, Char informs Shane Estes about the new arrival so that he can appoint a Mentor. Once a new resident has unpacked and settled in (it takes 10 to 14 days), a Neighborhood Host resident volunteer in the same apartment building or Harwich Terrace neighborhood visits the new resident and delivers and goes though the packet prepared by Char and answers questions about the information. The Host typically holds a gathering of immediate neighbors for a social time to allow the new residents to meet their closest neighbors. The Host also acquaints newcomers with how things work in their area or building (laundry time sign up, garbage collection day, recycling locations, how to file work orders, etc.) The Host will also tour the community with the new residents so they learn the names of buildings and how to navigate tunnels and the skywalk. The Host also invites new residents to monthly Neighborhood dinners and campus-wide meetings, but there s no attempt to force attendance at these dinners or meetings. The ultimate goal of the Mentoring Program is to help the newcomer become active within the community in ways the new resident enjoys. Getting to that point does not happen overnight. No matter (Continued on page 4)
4 - F A L L 2 0 1 3 - V o l u m e 1 3 - N o. 3 WELCOME WILLIS AND DELORES MONTGOMERY - B 215 W illis and Delores Montgomery began moving into Buckley 215 on September 7 th from Brooklyn, Iowa, where they have lived for 21 years after moving from the farm where they had lived for 38 years. Their youngest son now lives on the farm. Both Willis and Delores were born and raised in Poweshiek County. They first met at a dance in Deep River, Iowa, during an Orangemen s Parade weekend around July 12 th. Their first two years of marriage were spent near Camp Pendleton, California, where Willis was in the U.S. Marines. The Montgomerys raised three sons, all of whom attended Iowa State University. The oldest now lives in Belgium. The middle son works for Pioneer Seed Corn and lives in Ames and it was he who introduced his parents to the idea of (Continued on page 5) COMPLETE WELCOME (Continued from page 3) where a new resident comes from, the entire process of selling a home, downsizing possessions, packing and then unpacking and trying to adapt to a new environment leaves people exhausted, anxious and sometimes quite sad. Most are not ready to jump into Mayflower's social life as soon as they've unpacked. Thus, mentoring is expected to take time and to move gradually, its pace set by the new resident. Mentors are carefully matched with new residents by Shane Estes. He uses information provided by administrators, who are the new resident's first contacts, to help match newcomers with residents who may already know them or have similar backgrounds, career histories and/ or interests. Gradually the mentor becomes a guide and a sounding board for the newcomer, helping the new resident find a comfort level that leads to deeper involvement. Depending on what the mentor learns about the new resident's interests or expressed curiosity, the mentor will invite the newcomer and You're never too old to have new friends accompany him/her to a variety of activities on campus (such as Lyceum, Chapel, Forum and a host of small groups activities) as well as to events within the larger community surrounding Mayflower. How is the mentoring program working? Shane reports the program is going well but needs a full year of operation before undergoing an MRA assessment. There are currently six residents serving as mentors. There are ways for those of us who aren't mentors to help make newcomers feel welcome and included. New members of the community are usually profiled in the Log each quarter. If you read about a new resident with a career background or interests similar to yours please find a way to strike up a conversation with the newcomer and make a date to attend together an event that touches on that background or interest. Or, simply make a date to have ice cream in the Anchor Room to share career war stories and ideas. You're never too old to have new friends. And the ice cream machine is one of the Mayflower s little treasures Alice Breemer
MONTGOMERY (Continued from page 4) moving to Mayflower. Their household auction was scheduled for October 5 at their home in Brooklyn. They will be quite relieved--- especially Delores---when this event is over. During their 61 years of marriage Willis served on the Brooklyn-Guernsey-Malcom School Board for six years while Delores was a volunteer at Brookhaven Nursing Home for 20 years serving as a patient advocate on the Care Review Committee. BAKER (Continued from page 1) increasingly those entering have wished for more space, so that smaller units have been combined. The second floor of Buckley, for example, where Joan lived until now, held 20 apartments when she first knew it. Now it has only 14. When she first came, Joan lived in Altemeier. At that time, she says, most of her neighbors were very keen on the a la carte suppers served in the dining room. They were itemized and quite inexpensive, so one could have a nice supper for very little money. But, Joan added, "When the price went up to $1.25 for a supper, all my neighbors stopped coming." Even at that time, Joan said, the noise in the dining room was the chief complaint -- some things don't change! And when a patron donated funds to pay for redecorating the dining room, the noise level did not drop. The Bistro was initiated after she came, Joan said, and remains popular because of its longer hours, the light menu, the noreservation policy, and the inexpensive prices. In 1993, when she came, Joan said, the F A L L 2 0 1 3 - V o l u m e 1 3 - N o. 3 5 As members of the Brooklyn Presbyterian Church, they both served offices in the church and Delores has been forever in the Presbyterian Women s group, serving many, many church dinners. Delores has a lovely china doll collection from many places in the United States. Given the work of moving from Brooklyn to the Mayflower, she now needs some time to unpack and arrange the collection in their new home. Janis Peak Health Center had just opened. Until then, health services were on the first floor of Beebe, with only the second floor devoted to assisted living. On arriving here, Joan decided her first step should be to make a place for herself in town. She quickly did so, with the advantage of being a Grinnell College graduate. She may have audited more courses at the College than any current resident. More recently, she has taken on a number of Mayflower volunteer jobs with the Mini Gift Shop, library committee (including reviewing new books) and others, along with assorted temporary committee assignments. In 1991, when she first signed onto the waiting list here, there were carports on Second Avenue. That area now holds Harwich Terrace North. Joan felt that the carports were a good option for protection from severe weather, as well as providing off-street parking at a lower cost than the garages. Joan is both a Grinnell College alumna and a continuing and ever-learning student. Sue Chasins
6 - F A L L 2 0 1 3 - V o l u m e 1 3 - N o. 3 HEIMANN (Continued from page 1) WELCOME DALE AND DONA EMMERT- HT D ale and Dona Emmert moved to 730 Broad Street on September 5 th from their farm home south and east of Grinnell where they have lived since 1955. The Emmerts married in 1952 after Dale had enlisted in the Army, and was stationed at Camp Chaffee near Fort Smith, AK. They lived there for two years. Dale worked for Poweshiek County Engineering on the county roads after high school, and again when he returned from Camp Chaffee. In 1955 they moved to a farm near Ewart, Iowa. They raised three daughters and one son; two daughters live the same as everywhere else. Secondly, he says there has been an increase in the number of residents in independent living. Those, of course, are the big items. There are quite a few more! Art says there is more diversity among residents, so that it's possible to find someone from nearly any field, and a good many who have retired from the field of education. In addition, he says that the Mayflower is far more attractive physically now than it was 25 years ago, and what's more, he says, residents are making their own apartments more attractive. When the Heimanns came here they moved into the second Terrace duplex built here. In fact, Art declares, "It's just a wonderful place to be." And Art should know. He has served on so many boards and community activities, from the Older Iowans Legislature (chairman for a term) to the local Boy Scouts, the county Council on Older Iowans, Iowa Natural Heritage Foundation, Second Mile -- you name it! He also was President of the MRA and was in North Carolina, one (who is an artist) in Iowa City while their son lives in Pennsylvania Natives of Poweshiek County, they were active at Friends Church in Ewart until it closed. Now they are part of the Presbyterian Church in Montezuma. They visited South Texas for several winters and then decided to spend winters in North Carolina close to their daughters for a month at a timeshare. Both were avid Sunday golfers for many (Continued on page 7) honored by the governor for his work for the elderly. He is particularly pleased with a change he sees in the relationship between the town, the Mayflower and Grinnell College. Art and his wife raised their five children not far from Grinnell, and he says that 50 or so years ago there was a considerable split between the college and the town. How different it is these days! Another strong plus for Art is this: "We've been very fortunate in having administrators who are willing to listen to the residents." In fact, he says, Bob Mann originated the Listening Group, which is not a part of the MRA, and of which Art himself is chair. According to Art, Bob Mann listens to the concerns of residents, considers the input of the group, and does what he can to help -- a real plus, for us all! All this activity, along with his busy woodworking shop in his home, keeps Art Heimann younger than many a senior 20 or 30 years his junior. The Mayflower is lucky to have him here, and for such a long time. Sue Chasins
F A L L 2 0 1 3 - V o l u m e 1 3 - N o. 3 7 (Continued from page 6) years. Donna was a member of Blue Point Friendship Club for close to 30 years. She also has several collections in their living room, though they are too fragile to share with the Treasure Chest in Pearson. After Dale s strokes and hospitalizations, the Emmert s son suggested that they move into Grinnell and, luckily, 730 Broad Street was available. Dale has a wonderful TV/sun room where he can enjoy lots of Central Park activities and hear the Thursday concerts. Janis Peak POSTMA (Continued from page 1) lived here the longest of any current resident. "This was a small community when I moved in. Now it's a whole different ballgame," he said. He's all in favor of the relatively new neighborhood dinners, as one way to help residents connect, "even when you can't remember the names of those you dined with." At least, Floyd added, "You'll know they are neighbors when you see them." When he and his late wife, Gerry, moved to the Mayflower, two sisters of Gerry's already were residents. At that time, Beebe was a one-floor building, and Floyd's sisters-in-law were active in the push to raise funds to pay for the second floor. In addition, the physical plant was smaller: Altemeier was built shortly after the Postmas arrived, and the Harwich Terrace homes were just beginning to be built. At that time, he recalls, Buckley contained 55 apartments. His current apartment is one of the combinations of two smaller units. And there were no garages, until several years after he came. One memory stands out: he recalls the day he and his wife had to leave their apartment for a brief time. The workmen had just finished building the skywalk and required access to complete attaching its west end. In fact, the Health Center itself was built in the Postmas' first years here; what is now the Anchor Room was an apartment, and the gardens and ponds in the space between Buckley and Pearson were installed. "They built the ponds and moved the goldfish in, laid the bricks, planted the trees and shrubs; it made a great difference from the original space, which had not been cleaned up at all," Floyd reported. A native Iowan, Floyd had served in the tank corps during World War II, and later was a machine shop supervisor at Farmhand. He was also a fisherman, bridge player, and furniture refinisher among other hobbies, and was active in the UCC-Congregational Church. He served as MRA president in 1996, and considers his work to collect and preserve the historical records of the Mayflower his signal achievement here. "The records were scattered everywhere, just stuck in drawers in various places," he said. He recruited Ralph Snyder, a resident and retired Chicago librarian, who took on the job and assembled what is now the Mayflower Archive at the Drake Library. Some papers inevitably had been lost, but the bulk of the archive is indeed impressive. Sue Chasins
8 - F A L L 2 0 1 3 - V o l u m e 1 3 - N o. 3 WELLBORN (Continued from page 2) Community College for 20 years. He was also on the Grinnell-Newburg School Board, the SEED Committee, and the State Board of Trustees for Community Colleges. Hence, when I asked Beryl about changes he d seen, he cited two broad examples. The first was the significant improvement in town/gown relations. When I first came to Grinnell there was a certain amount of elitism that led college folks to prefer living north of Sixth Avenue. That s all changed now. Beryl credits Presidents Leggett, Drake and Ferguson for improving the relationship between town and gown, adding nowadays non-college folks realize that the students aren t always representative of the college as a whole. Here, on the south end of town, Beryl has seen enormous growth at the Mayflower over the years, especially the creation of the Health Center with its skywalk and its recent renovations, along with the rapid and extensive growth of the Harwich Terrace homes starting in 2000. I had to ask how Beryl and Deena first got together. Beryl recalled he asked her to go with him to a performance of Show Boat at the Des Moines Civic Center. Smiling, Beryl added, she said yes even before I told her where we were going. Harley Henry Nonprofit Organization U.S. Postage PAID Grinnell, IA Permit No. 130 Robert G. Mann, Executive Director 616 Broad St., Grinnell, Iowa 50112 (641) 236-6151 http://www.mayflowercommunity.org THE LOG is published quarterly by the Resident s Association - Mayflower Community of Grinnell, IA STAFF Editor: Harley Henry Feature Writers: Sue Chasins; Alice Breemer, Janice Peak Layout Editor/Photos: Selva R. Lehman Proofreader: Janet Neff