Real estate newsletter (Estate, 2-pp., mailer)

SUMMER 2014 - Volume 14 - No. 2
A Publication of the Mayflower Residents Association
SUMMER 2014 - Volume 14 - No. 2
Welcome New
Residents
LISA ADKINS(pg. 7)
BLESSED QUILTS
T
he Ripley United
Church of Christ in
Traer, Iowa, a small town in
north central Iowa, has a
group of ten women who
meet once a month to make
quilts. They do much of
their work in their homes.
Every year, the quilts are
distributed to a variety of
organizations and individuals.
Mayflower's Health Care Center
is a beneficiary of their
dedicated work.
CECIL FLANDER (pg. 5)
Blessing of
the Quilts
Eva Proudfit and Shirley Conn
enjoying their Quilts
Calderwood Family and Jane Knoop
presenting quilt to Rev Selva Lehman
This spring, the Mayflower
received 30 lovely quilts from this
small group, the second such a gift
the Mayflower has received from
the group. Last year Mayflower
(Continued
Quilts on page 2)
BILL FRANCIS (pg. 9)
PHYLLIS SAUNDERS (pg. 10)
SARA and GERRY ADAMS (Story on Pg. 6)
BONNIE and GREG BUNTZ (Story on Pg. 8)
2
SUMMER 2014 - Volume 14 - No. 2
FROM THE EDITOR
T
he publication of this edition of the
Log has been delayed due to the
Editor’s recent and various temporary
residencies in the GRMC and the Health
Center. I want to express my thanks here
for the excellent care I received in both
institutions. I am especially thankful for
the privilege of spending three restorative
weeks on the other side of Park Street in
the capable hands and hearts of some of
the exceptional people who work there.
Thank you all.
Let me also say that, without the
exceptional efforts and talent of Alice
Breemer, this issue would not have been
possible. Thank you Alice for writing above
and beyond your regular assignments. We
ought to give you a by-line for the whole
edition!
In the fall Log we hope to survey and
celebrate the “stewardship” provided by
residents who voluntarily provide so many
services, big and small, to make our
community vital and special. Without
The presence of six welcome articles in
naming individuals, we would like to
this edition should alert readers to some of acknowledge the readiness of so many of
the many new residents who, this summer us to take on multiple responsibilities to
and fall, are joining our community. I
help to sustain us all. If you want to call
anticipate that we will have the pleasure of attention to some of the volunteer services
welcoming at least nine new residents in
you particularly appreciate having, please
the fall issue of the Log. In this regard, we let us know what they are so we can
are much in need of someone to help with include them in our account this fall. You
interviewing newcomers as Janis Peak is
can send them to me at
not able to continue with this assignment. harleyhen@iowatelecom.net or Selva at
If you are interested in helping out, or just selvalehman@gmail.com or Alice at
want to know what’s involved, please
ambreemer@gmail.com.
contact me, Selva or Alice. Thanks to
Thanks for your help.
Jeananne Schild for helping with the
Harley Henry
welcoming in this edition.
the long-standing friendship between
the Ripley UCC church and her.
received 51 quilts. All of the quilts this
When Mayflower received the most recent
group makes are blessed in the church
gift of quilts, Selva asked Joyce Scribner,
before they are distributed and it's fitting
church treasurer, Chair of the Women's
that we here acknowledge the Ripley UCC’s Fellowship Committee and spokesperson of
generosity and support.
the quilters, to send her an e-mail that
Mayflower resident Selva Lehman served detailed the work of the quilting group and
as an interim pastor at Ripley UCC several their projects.
years ago. It was her first ministry in
According to Joyce, the usual recipients
Iowa. Two years ago, the congregation
(Continued Quilt on page 3)
presented a quilt to Selva as a symbol of
(Continued from Quilts page 1)
SUMMER 2014 - Volume 14 - No. 2
3
in Ripley UCC requested that
the quilters make some
quilts for two Chinese
orphanages from which the
woman and her husband had
adopted three children. The
quilters produced 110 quilts
that the family took with
them to distribute to the
orphanages in Shenyang and
Nanchang.
This year, this industrious
group of quilters was asked
by the Church's Missions
The Ripley Quilters
Committee to produce 40
quilts in the 40 days
between Ash Wednesday and Easter
(Continued Quilts from page 2)
Sunday. This was a fund-raising effort
of the quilts include the residents at
benefiting the Church World Services'
Sunrise Hill Nursing Home in Traer, the
Blanket Project. CWS is able to buy
House of Hope in Waterloo (a safe house
blankets for $1 each then ship them to
for battered women and their children),
help people trying to survive disasters.
the Veterans' Homes at Marshalltown and While the ladies sewed like crazy, church
Des Moines, the Intensive Care Nursery at members signed pledge cards promising to
Covenant Hospital in Waterloo and victims give anywhere from 25 cents to a dollar
of house fires. “We are not a large church, per finished quilt. The money raised was
but these ladies enjoy their quilt projects
sent to the Church World Service for its
and are dedicated to helping others,” Joyce Blanket Project. Joyce reported, “Church
reported.
members were very generous and $1,200
The quilting group has often undertaken was donated to the CWS Blanket Project."
large projects in addition to providing for
When Pastor Bob Fread expressed concern
their usual recipients, projects which have about the possibility of sore fingers
resulted in the Ripley UCC Church Quilting following this marathon effort, he was told
Group becoming an International donor.
that any problems were likely to be sore
In 2009, the quilters made 79 quilts for
backs. “I'm the youngest person in the
the International Health Partners in
quilters' group and I'm 62,” Joyce said.
Tanzania, Africa. The quilts were for
Once the quilts were blessed and
patients' beds and the patients were able
distributed to the Mayflower and other
to take them home when they were
recipients, the quilters took off the month
discharged. Joyce said, “For some people of May to rest backs and fingers. Now
the quilt was their only shelter.”
they're back at work, bless them.
In 2012, a young woman who grew up
Alice Breemer
4
SUMMER 2014 - Volume 14 - No. 2
IT’S OFFICIAL: HERE COMES WATERTOWER SQUARE!
I
t took twelve hard-hatted shovelers
to turn the earth, five speakers to
commemorate the occasion, and the
chaplain to bless the site. It took 125
spectators—Mayflower residents, future
residents, and other friends of the
Mayflower, including the mayor, who
braved the damp weather to witness the
event. And of course it took Bob Mann,
who has worked so hard to make it all a
reality, to preside.
Wednesday, August 6, 2014 has now
been formally added to the Mayflower’s
chronicle of important events as work has
officially begun on Watertower Square
which, in less than a year, will have
become a ten million dollar complex of 26
apartments which will increase the
Mayflower Community’s population by 40
or more new residents.
In the meantime, the curious will no
doubt enjoy the fun of being “sidewalk
superintendents” as the building goes up.
Once the current excavation is completed
and the basement is poured, contractors
will build the outside walls and a roof. By
then, winter will be here and the structure
will be covered with heavy plastic so work
can continue inside out of the wind and
snow. Once inside, the contractors will
build interior walls, floors, stairs, and
elevator shafts. Plumbing, electrical and
HVAC contractors will follow to complete
their installation work.
Those of us in Edwards, Pearson and
Montgomery will especially have lots to
watch during the next few months, at least
until our view is blocked by the heavy
plastic in winter. If you live elsewhere on
campus, make a plan to take walks
regularly on Broad Street. This building is
going to go up fast!
For a while this summer the big day
waited for the completion of some loose
ends, a common feature of the
development of large construction projects
such as Watertower Square according to
Bob Mann. These included dealing with
construction bids that exceeded the
original budget by $2 million, acquiring pre
-commitments for 65% of the 26
apartments in the building, and securing
the signatures of all the land's
shareholders on the lease that authorizes
Mayflower's use of the land for 99 years.
The construction timetable is now in place.
To deal with the unexpected $2 million
(Continued on top of next page)
SUMMER 2014 - Volume 14 - No. 2
(Continued from previous page)
hike in bids, each bid was subjected to
“value engineering,” a process by which
construction features are reviewed with the
focus on reducing costs while maintaining
appearance and quality. Value engineering
has been worth the effort because it
lowered bids by about $1 million. As of this
writing, all bids have been signed.
At this point, Mayflower has precommitments for 17 of the 26 apartments
(65%) in Watertower Square.
Interestingly, all but two of these precommitments come from Grinnell
residents. One pre-commitment comes
from Wisconsin and another from
Minnesota. The effect of having so many
new residents coming from Grinnell will
5
result in a big upsurge in available housing
for sale in the community, something that
has been missing in the local housing
market for awhile.
Believe it or not, the building will be
ready for finishing work by May 1, 2015.
By then, we may not see Jack Morrison
and his talented team for quite awhile
because they'll be fully occupied for a long
time on designing each apartment's layout
and installing finishing materials to
resident specifications. There is an order to
this process, which is dictated by new
residents' staggered move-in dates. Thus,
Jack and his crew won't be trying to finish
all their interior work in all the apartments
at the same time.
Alice Breemer/ Harley Henry
WELCOME CECIL FLANDER - Buckley 302
C
ecil and Esther Flander came to the
Mayflower in March. Sadly, after
several weeks in the Health Center, Esther
died in April shortly before what would
have been their 68th wedding anniversary.
from the Montezuma fire station and their
garden, mostly tomatoes, has been a
highlight on Hwy 85.
Cecil, one of seven children, was raised
in Harper, Iowa. During the Depression his
family moved to Eddyville where he and
Esther met and married.
Cecil and his sons hunted and trapped in
the area throughout the years. Three of his
sons served in Viet Nam. All their children
live in Iowa, from Swisher to Des Moines,
with two living in Grinnell. One son is
deceased.
In 1955, Cecil and Esther moved to
Montezuma where, over the years, all nine
of their children--five boys and four girls-graduated from Montezuma high school.
Recently, when a variety of health issues
led the Flander’s children to suggest and
investigate a more helpful place for their
parents to live, they chose the Mayflower.
Cecil was a farm hand for 20 years and
helped raise lots of cattle; for the next 15
years he was a custodian at Montezuma
high school. He has been retired for 23
years. The Flanders lived across the street
Cecil feels comfortable here and enjoys
socializing at the daily noon meal in
Buckley dining room and participating in
the men’s Thursday morning coffee group.
Janis Peak
6
SUMMER 2014 - Volume 14 - No. 2
WELCOME GERALD AND SARA ADAMS -HTS
G
erald, who most often is called
Gerry, and his wife, Sara, have
lived in the Grinnell community since 1998
and moved recently to 530 Mayflower
Lane. They will be active and talented
additions to the Mayflower community.
position of Registrar and Associate
Academic Dean of the College.
After Gerry finished his graduate degree,
the couple headed to southern California
where Gerry joined the chemistry faculty at
Whittier College and Sara became the
director of a Quaker elementary school and
then taught at a Catholic girls' high school.
The couple has one son and two
grandchildren who live in the Boston, MA
area. After many years of full-time
teaching at Whittier, Gerry moved to the
They both love to travel and are regular
participants in the Road Scholar Program,
which offers year-round programs of five
to ten days on a wide variety of topics
nationally and internationally. And,
they've already jumped right into
Mayflower activities. Gerry is on the
gardening committee and Sara serves on
the Lyceum committee.
After 28 years at Whittier College, Gerry
and Sara found they no longer enjoyed
living in Southern California and wanted to
move to an area that was not so far from
Gerry and Sara are both from California their son and two grandchildren. They
and they began their long relationship
came to Grinnell where Gerry became the
during their junior year of high school in an Registrar at Grinnell College and Sara first
American history class. Even though they worked in the College's bookstore and then
attended different colleges during their
became an admissions counselor. They
undergraduate years, they remained a
retired from Grinnell College in 2008.
couple. Following their undergraduate
Between them, the Adams’s have a
commencement, they were married and
wealth of talent. Both are master
went to Oregon where Gerry completed his gardeners, Sara is a committed activist in
Ph.D studies in biochemistry and Sara
the local Democratic Party organization
began teaching high school mathematics
and Gerry is a highly skilled woodworker.
and later worked at the Oregon State
Sara enjoys volunteer work with children
University Library.
and Gerry is self-taught in calligraphy.
Alice Breemer
SUMMER 2014 - Volume 14 - No. 2
7
WELCOME LISA ADKINS -Pearson 207
L
isa moved from her Grinnell home
to Pearson in June. She is a direct
descendant—the great-greatgranddaughter of James Francis Adkins,
who immigrated to Iowa in 1865 from
Kentucky after serving in Kentucky's
Mounted Infantry during the Civil War. He
and his wife farmed near Grinnell for 29
years and retired to live in town. James
was a member of the Grand Army of the
Republic, an organization of Civil War
veterans. The couple had nine children,
one of whom was Lisa's great-grandfather.
Much of this information appears in an
article published in the July 14, 2014 issue
of the Grinnell Herald-Register. The article
marked the 150th anniversary of the Civil
War and detailed the Adkins family's long
relationship with Grinnell. Lisa's parents,
James Edward and Esther, still live in
Grinnell.
After graduating from Grinnell High
School, Lisa enrolled in Grinnell College,
later transferring to Iowa State University,
where she completed her bachelor's
degree in studio and art history. She then
returned to Grinnell, where she began
working in the Grinnell College Library.
While Lisa had not intended to remain in
her home town all her life, she found that
she enjoyed her work, the College and the
community. So, she remained here for 30
years, retiring in 2011.
Lisa is something of a world traveler,
having visited France, Italy, Great Britain
and Egypt. After returning from a vacation
in England, Lisa discovered she had a brain
tumor. Removal of the tumor and
subsequent radiation treatments to ward
off regrowth left her with some cognitive
deficits, short-term memory problems and
balance issues, which forced her to take
early retirement and make early selection
of a retirement community.
History is fascinating to Lisa so she
enjoys a variety of programs on PBS, the
History channel and the Heroes channel.
Her father chairs the local group charged
with determining the future of the
Veterans building in Grinnell while Lisa is a
member of the City Council's Historic
Preservation Commission. She also
volunteers at the Drake Community Library
in the children's department.
Lisa reported that she is quite happy
with her apartment overlooking Broad
Street. She is particularly pleased that
staff member, Ben Pearce has replanted in
the central campus garden some of her
favorite plants--tickseed, Stella D'oro and
wild ginger--from her Grinnell home. In
her spare time, Lisa enjoys doing the New
York Times' crossword puzzles, and she
does them in ink! She also enjoys
socializing with other residents in the
Buckley dining room.
Alice Breemer
Lisa’s favorite plants
8
SUMMER 2014 - Volume 14 - No. 2
WELCOME GREG AND BONNIE BUNTZ - HTN
G
reg and Bonnie Buntz met as
undergraduates at the University of
Iowa. Greg is a native of Shenandoah,
Iowa, and Bonnie grew up in Baltimore,
Maryland. Greg served four years in the
United States Air Force before earning his
Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in
business at Iowa. From Iowa City they
moved to Columbus, Ohio where Greg
completed his Ph.D in public administration
at Ohio State University. Following other
moves in academia, they eventually
settled in Stockton, California where Greg
was a tenured professor at University of
the Pacific. He taught classes in Public
Policy, Management and Conflict
Resolution and was instrumental in the
development of The San Joaquin County
Mediation Center.
They were lured back to Iowa in 1994
when Greg spent a 6-month sabbatical at
the Iowa Peace Institute that was located
in Grinnell. That move was made
permanent when Greg was offered the job
as Executive Director of the Peace
Institute.
Bonnie earned a Master's Degree at
Pacific and then worked as a Project
Director at San Joaquin County Health
Care Services where she designed and
managed multi-agency programs for
women and children and a culturally
sensitive health outreach program for
Southeast Asian Refugees. She also
volunteered with the refugee population as
an advisor/advocate, girl scout leader and
soccer team manager. At the Peace
Institute she wrote grant proposals and,
along with Greg, was a trained mediator.
In semi-retirement, Bonnie and Greg ran
the Conflict Resolution Center of Iowa.
They conducted training programs and
mediated disputes for various agencies and
groups in Iowa. Along the way they raised
three sons, which they say was their
greatest accomplishment and most
rewarding experience. All three boys
played baseball and soccer. Greg coached
both sports and served as a state licensed
soccer referee. They now enjoy being the
grandparents of six grandchildren.
For several years, Bonnie and Greg have
viewed the Mayflower as their “final
destination.” They became friends with
many residents by participating in the
morning swims at the college pool. One of
these friends, Judy Kuehl, enlisted them to
be resident advocates at the Health
Center, Beebe and the South Village. They
were impressed with the quality of care
that was available, another reason they
have chosen to live at Mayflower. When
Nancy Hendrickson decided to move to an
apartment on the main campus, her North
Harwich Terrace home seemed to be just
what they had been looking for. Along
with Mickie, their Maltese dog, they are
feeling very comfortable in their new
surroundings.
Bonnie and Greg meet the definition of
active seniors. They are avid bicycle riders
and have participated in RAGBRAI almost
every year since 1995. They moved this
year rather than bike across Iowa. They
report that moving is the more difficult of
the two. If they aren’t swimming, walking,
or riding bicycles they might be found at
GRMC’s Wellness Center in exercise
classes.
(Continued on top of next page )
SUMMER 2014 - Volume 14 - No. 2
9
Though they are happy to be back in
Iowa for most of the year, their current
Bonnie does volunteer work at Grinnell
plans are to spend the most severe months
Regional Medical Center and Greg is active of the Iowa winters someplace else.
in the local Lion’s Club and its volunteer
Fortunately their children live in warmer
service programs. They are loyal
places so there will be visits to Texas and
supporters of the University of Iowa. If
California plus stays in other locations such
the Iowa football or basketball team is
as Arizona.
playing a home game, you will find them in
Jeananne Schild
their seats at the stadium and the arena.
(Continued from last page)
WELCOME BILL FRANCIS - Montgomery 9
B
ill Francis, a tall, athletic-looking
fellow, moved into Montgomery a
couple of months ago. He's a familiar sight
around Grinnell because he's lived here for
about 25 years and drives either a car with
a kayak attached to its top or a 10-speed
bike.
A native of Buffalo, NY, Bill earned his
B.A. at Binghamton University in New
York state and his Ph.D in social
psychology at the University of Pittsburgh.
He taught for a while at Lawrence
University in Appleton, WI, then returned
east to work in academic computing at
Georgetown University.
and applications in education came first to
big wealthy universities, like Georgetown,
which, he said, “caused great excitement.
Small, private colleges frequently
complained about their lack of access.”
Under Bill's guidance, Grinnell College
began using its considerable financial
Because Bill likes the Midwest, he
means to acquire and install the cabling
responded when Grinnell College
necessary to link computers across the
advertised for a Director of Information
campus, and he worked with faculty to
Technology and was hired in 1989. At that introduce computer applications in a wide
time, the College's faculty and staff used
variety of curricula. Classroom application
stand-alone computers that did not
of increasingly sophisticated computer
support even campus wide e-mail and
programs continued to grow as access to
there were few disciplines that made use
the Internet allowed connections to other
of computer applications. With the
campuses and to an unlimited amount of
expertise he acquired at Georgetown, Bill
information.
came to Grinnell College at exactly the
In addition to his professional life, from
right time.
which he is now retired, Bill is something
Bill reports that the Internet and
(Continued on page 10)
development of sophisticated programs
10
SUMMER 2014 - Volume 14 - No.
and park his bike in the breezeway
of an athlete. He regularly participates in between Montgomery and Pearson.
early morning (6:00 A.M.!) tennis matches
Bill has three grown children. Henry
at the College's courts, playing about
lives and works in Washington, DC. Andy
twice a week with several other local men. lives in California and is currently at a
He also kayaks at Rock Creek Lake, the
Buddhist retreat. Claire is currently living
Krumm Preserve waterway and the Des
in Grinnell. None of the children is
Moines and Cedar rivers. An avid bike
married yet, but he looks forward to
rider, Bill is more often seen around town becoming a grandfather.
on his bike than in his car. He appreciates
Alice Breemer
that he can store his kayak under his deck
(Continued from page 9)
WELCOME PHYLLIS SAUNDERS - Buckley 101
P
hyllis Saunders is feeling
comfortably settled into her Buckley
apartment after her recent move from the
Grinnell home she shared with her husband,
Kenneth (Pepper), for 55 years. She and
Pepper had been married 62 years at the
time of his death in January of this year.
While the move has been challenging,
Phyllis reports that she is adjusting well to
life at the Mayflower.
Phyllis Paulson was born on a farm near
Grinnell and was the youngest of eight
children. She attended country school until
6th grade then went on to graduate from
Grinnell High School. She subsequently
attended secretarial school at the American
Institute of Business (AIB) in Des Moines;
at the same time she worked as a
bookkeeper for Thriftway Grocery Store for
as many as 35 or more hours a week.
where he served for 16 months. He was
discharged on July 4, 1953. Upon his
return, he leased a DX Station on the
corner of 6th and State Street where the
Presbyterian Church is now located. In
August of 1956, he leased and later
purchased the DX Station on the corner of
6th and West Streets. For 32 years, Phyllis
was the bookkeeper for the business; a true
partner in all respects.
After retiring from the DX Station in
1985, Pepper began his second and third
careers. He drove a truck for Miracle
Equipment Company delivering playground
equipment to McDonald’s Restaurants
located all across the country. Phyllis often
travelled with him and they were able to
visit national parks and see most all of the
United States. In addition, they
accomplished their goal of visiting every
county courthouse in Iowa and have also
It was during this time that her brother,
been to Hawaii. As a third career, Pepper
Keith Paulson, did her the greatest favor
assisted with funerals at the Smith Funeral
she can imagine. He introduced her to
Pepper Saunders who was then working at Home for 24 years until he recently and
a Shell Station in Grinnell located where the reluctantly needed to retire. In May of this
Pizza Hut has operated until recently. After year, Pepper was honored with a “Hero by
Example” award from the Iowa
Pepper was drafted into the Army, they
were married before he went to Korea
(Continued on next pg)
SUMMER 2014 - Volume 14 - No. 2
11
downsizing has been a great help to Phyllis
in her move to the Mayflower. Diane plays
Transportation Museum in recognition of
the banjo and Jerry plays the harmonica.
his work.
They have performed at the Mayflower and
Through the years the Saunders enjoyed hope to continue doing so whenever they
are in town.
taking an annual summer vacation with
their children. Their son, Kenneth II, and
Besides traveling, Phyllis enjoys country
his wife Miriam live in Grinnell where Ken
music, walking, attending family events
works at Grinnell College. Their daughter, and playing cards. She is also interested in
Diane and her other half, Jerry, live in
genealogy. On display in her apartment
southern Alabama. Jerry and Diane are
are several lovely quilts that she has made.
seasoned travelers in a recreational vehicle In earlier years she and Pepper liked to
and for a time made it their primary
bicycle and attend square dances.
residence. Their experience with
Jeananne Schild
(Continued from page 10)
A TIME OF DEDICATION
On a rainy morning Residents, Board
members, Staff, Dignataries, and
Neighbors gathered to bless and dedicate
the ground for the Watertower Square
12
SUMMER 2014 - Volume 14 - No.
The dirt was turned and blessed and
after a job well done we gathered
around the Mayflower Cookie Table to
share and celebrate
A group of Residents visiting
Trustee Austin Jones visits
with Esther Bethel
Trustee Jenny Erickson, Facilities Manager
Jack Morrison, Resident Marie Eisenman
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
Layout Editor: Selva R. Lehman
Feature Writers: Alice Breemer; Janis Peak; Jeananne Schild
Photographers: Selva Lehman, Luther Erickson