Magazine Archive
Magazine Archive
RONNIE LEAVITT: Helping the World From Home
Ronnie Leavitt’s first job at Harlem Hospital as a physical therapist (NYC), her 6 month backpacking trip around the world, and her Masters of Public Health (Columbia University) each led her to a lifetime of volunteering in less developed nations and volunteering locally with social action groups to fight against the “-isms”; “ racism, antisemitism, sexism, ableism, and homophobia.
POWER LUNCH: Veterans Build Bridges and Confront Loneliness
The founder of Building Bridges, an initiative to foster veterans’ healing through shared monthly lunches, remembers the first not-so-successful gathering in Northampton at the old World War II club. “One veteran came,” he says. “You could hear a pin drop.” But a seed was planted, and three had lunch the next week.
LOCAL HAUNTINGS? Jeff Belanger Has a Story For You
JEFF BELANGER IS OBSESSED WITH HAUNTINGS. Best known for his work on the “Ghost Adventures” series and “New England Legends” podcast, the Southbridge-born ghosthunter is coming to the East Longmeadow Public Library on October 1 with a slate of scary stories. “I’m into anything weird,” he says. “Mostly ghosts, but anything on the fringe. I feel like that’s where we learn the most about who we are.”
FINDING HOME: The Burger Family Journey
The Burger family might currently live in Longmeadow, but a walk through their family history might as well be a walk through Disney’s Epcot Worlds. This multi-generational family might have planted the seeds of success around the globe, but now they are setting deep roots in Longmeadow.
Wenonah to The World: John Hanifin & His Music
“Longmeadow is such a beautiful town, there really is no other town like it. It holds a special place in my heart as I grew up here and I know I will always consider it my home, no matter where I end up.”
The Hanifin family’s roots in Longmeadow dates back to the 1800’s when the Hanifin’s had a farm down in what is now called “The Meadows” and a house on Longmeadow Street.
Lost and Found: Jake Marmer’s Love of Language is a Steady Compass
“There was an underlying sense of, ‘This is my home, but I belong somewhere else,’” says Jake Marmer of his childhood in Soviet Ukraine. The accomplished poet and Head of School at Lander-Grinspoon Academy in Northampton was raised in a Jewish family, where he was acutely aware of systemic repression and its lengthy history. But as a young student who loved the humanities, he learned that poetry was sacred. His grandmother was a teacher of literature and language, and learning poems by heart was a duty and a joy.
Longmeadow Lacrosse Wins 21st Championship
LONGMEADOW LAX: THE 2024 DII CHAMPIONS
In what was a nail-biter, the Longmeadow Lancers came out on top after a long season, capturing the state championship after defeating Marshfield 11-10 in triple overtime to capture the 2024 D-II State Championship.
The Sky’s the Limit for Brook Wolcott
Brook Wolcott was in the eighth grade when she decided to take to the skies. There were no pilots in her family. There were no ready role models. She would forge her own flight path.
“I want to let others know that this is attainable, because I didn’t think I’d be able to do it,” says the now 17-year-old licensed private pilot. “Because it was such a crazy – it’s just such a wild thing to do, to be a pilot. You don’t see a lot of eighth graders who want to fly airplanes.”
Chris Freeman’s Parlor Room Collective Liberates the Iron Horse
Three years ago, Chris Freeman, new to Northampton, had a tight circle of friends. Today he has a village.
The executive director of the Parlor Room Collective and the man who took the reins of the Iron Horse insists that the nonprofit, which oversees the club, is a product of his “being at the right place at the right time.”
Moving & Finding Meaning: Meet the Monroe Family
“I’ve lived all over the US mostly in big cities or places where you live in a subdivision,” said Longmeadow Neighbors feature resident Amy Monroe.
“I love that in Longmeadow you have more of a sense of community. I love that kids bike to school and we have sidewalks everywhere. It’s a great place to raise a child.”
Felicia Lundquist: Breaking New Ground
In a way, Felicia Lundquist is like a new pair of glasses for people who don’t realize they’ve been looking through outdated lenses. The training manager at Think Again Training and Consulting is a lifelong social activist who celebrates diversity in all its iterations. “People use ‘diversity’ when thinking about race,” she says, “but in the work we do we’re talking about all forms of identity – queer, people of color, disabled, immigrants … We’re thinking about who does not carry privilege and making sure we center those voices.” And making sure those people are seen – not glanced over, but taken in.
Meet LEEF! Longmeadow Raises Money For Education with LEEF
Imagine a day in an 8th grade classroom where students are transported to the depths of the sea, or the top of a mountain - all made possible by donated VR headsets. Or a high school student coming home with a 3D printed wooden contraption that they envisioned, designed and built with 3D printers. These opportunities are available to Longmeadow students when passionate teachers collaborate with the Longmeadow Educational Excellence Foundation (LEEF) to enrich their curriculum.
The Ekus Women Are a Culinary Family
When Sally Ekus was 4 years old, she had dinner with Julia Child. Technically, the already legendary chef was a guest of her parents, who were running a culinary agency in Hatfield, Massachusetts. And before they plated an elaborate Chinese feast, it should be noted that Sally was supposed to be sleeping.
But the smell of the meal wafted up the stairs to her bedroom, and soon Sally could hear Child’s distinctively loud, high-pitched voice mingling with her mother’s.
“I wish I could say I understood the gravitas of the situation,” she says now. “I had tremendous FOMO (Fear of Missing Out) as a kid, and I knew enough to know that she was someone very special.”
Running, Volunteering & Remembering: Nicole Dalto
It seems like no matter what she’s doing, recent Longmeadow transplant Nicole Dalto is making the best of it - for her family, for her community, and for herself. Whether it’s in her nonprofit work for others, time in the garden, running, as a hobby, or something as simple as a walk with her pet, Dalto is always thinking of others.
Harriet Rogers Blazed a Trail for Women
“Did you ever think you’d come into a mess like this?” Harriet Rogers asks. Though I’ve only known her for about an hour, I’ve learned quickly that she is wryly funny.
Truthfully, this interview is a little messy. In the day room at Rockridge, the assisted living facility where Harriet has lived for the past 17 years, she holds court on the couch. Around the room, 3 generations of her family listen attentively, pass around old photos, share anecdotes or shout questions. The shouting is necessary because sometimes everyone speaks at once. They are thrilled to memorialize her, and they don’t want me to miss a thing. Her nieces Susan and Jackie Ahlemeyer sit to her right; Jackie’s husband Bill and brother-in-law Bill Klaes are in the back; and Jackie’s son Brian his kids Jackson, Charlie, Joey and Grace, who have flown in from California, sprawl on the opposite couch. There are countless others here in spirit.
Veteran, Author & Resident: Meet the Fortsch Family
School assemblies can run the gamut, from fun to flops and everything in between. So when one man with one story book can keep the attention of 300+ elementary students, you know the subject matter is good. And this subject matter, and our subject this month, is the Fortsch family, who have made their way from Longmeadow to Afghanistan and back again.
1,000,000 Books Strong: Meet the Volunteers Behind Link To Libraries
Excitement filled the air on a Wednesday morning at Liberty Elementary School in Springfield. The 4th grade students had three special visitors, Jaimie Cambi of Longmeadow and her two daughters Elle (age 10) and Summer (age 5), who were there to be welcomed as the school’s new Link to Libraries Community Book Link Sponsor. As a result of their family’s generous sponsorship, Liberty Elementary School’s library receives between 200-250 new high-quality books each year.
Laurel Boyd Lives to Dance
For Laurel Boyd, dancing was an awakening. While growing up outside of Boston, the studio was a refuge from the chaos that lived in her house. It was where she escaped, not just to a space but to a place inside of her that yearned to move. When she was 9, she found joy in jazz. Her teacher, a trained ballerina, was both elegant and boundless. “Part of me thought, ‘Maybe I can be strong and powerful and beautiful,’” she remembers. “‘Maybe I can be really excellent at something.’”
Family and Fine Jewelry: Meet the Furnari Family
The Furnari family is basically the only logical choice for a Valentine’s Day edition of Longmeadow Neighbors. Between their romance that began by chance a decade ago this month, and their business, who have helped people symbolize their love for nearly a half century - the parallel rings true.
Monte Belmonte Gives Voice to the Community
Monte Belmonte has a great fake laugh. Ha-ha! “It sounds like a record skipping,” observes his 10-year-old, Pax. We’re at the Shea Theater in Turners Falls, where the longtime, bigtime radio personality and his family have been instructed to ham it up for the camera. On cue, Pax giggles infectiously. Monte’s wife Melissa, his 16-year-old Enzo and his 19-year-old Atticus are much quieter laughers, though all the kids are naturals on-stage. But while Monte made a name for himself on-air at Northampton’s WRSI “The River,” he never had to contend with the camera. He actually hates having his picture taken. But he loves being a voice for the community.