Fran Lynggaard Hansen
Stylists unite for a friend in need
Loretta Palazzo recalls her first impressions of Re Sheppard.
"All those years ago, she popped into Boomerang looking for a job," says Palazzo, the owner of the clothing store on Main Street. "I noticed right away that she is artistic, she was dressed so cool. Soft spoken, super kind. That's how we became friends."...
Marking midwinter
Brattleboro Winter Carnival continues apace — and evolves — after 68 years
A tradition carries on this week with the start of the Brattleboro Winter Carnival's 68th year. Since 1993, Carol Lolatte has brought her organizational talents to the committee organizing the celebration, and Lolatte, who by day works as recreation and parks director for the town, has served as president...
Organizers hope to draw attention to Ukraine war
Speech from Lithuanian diplomat, a campaign to fund first aid kits, and a walk to raise awareness will mark the second anniversary of Russia’s invasion
Kerry Secrest and her brother, Christian Stromberg, agree that the war in Ukraine matters to the world. "In 1906, my Lithuanian great-grandparents arrived in the U.S., fleeing the Russians as well," explains Secrest, of Brattleboro, who serves as honorary consul of Lithuania to Vermont. "Growing up, we only knew...
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Family business
Barry Stockwell remembers his father, Raymond Stockwell, returning from work in the Putney Paper Mill in the 1960s. Each day, Raymond, a supervisor in charge of maintenance, would "grab a little whisk broom he kept on the top of the refrigerator and whisk the paper off the top of his hat. Then he'd sit down in a kitchen chair to unwind and tell us about his day," he reminisced. Until its current owner, Soundview Vermont, closed the paper mill at...
The kindness of strangers
Fran Lynggaard Hansen, a Brattleboro native with deep connections to local history and to people everywhere, is a Commons reporter and columnist. The Chinese town of Hangzhou is the place where centuries ago the silk industry began. Since it was only a few hours from the school where I worked, I took a bus there for a long weekend and explored the city's many silk museums and traditional gardens. When traveling alone, I begin with a list of must-see places...
Inspired to learn
Rachael Morse's life is a testimony to hard work, determination, and never, ever giving up despite life challenges that many, even most, would find insurmountable. The 36-year-old Brattleboro native just graduated magna cum laude from Southern New Hampshire University with a bachelor of science degree in geoscience. Morse's thirst for knowledge is never-ending: "Statistics, physics, chemistry, coding computers - I love learning about it all," she says. While graduating from college honors achievement for a student of any age, it...
Bringing holiday cheer to Nicaragua
Brattleboro native Ian Diamondstone has done a lot of traveling through his work buying certified organic specialty spices in Central America, but he's found a second home. "You know how it is," he says, smiling. "You travel to a country where you […] feel at home, you want to spend more time there, and over time you find yourself returning. Along the way, you make friends and then it feels even more like home." About six years ago, in Chichigalpa,
‘We’re all strong’
Thelma Sharlow, who has lived in town for 77 of her 94 years, says that her life "has been complicated." Her story started in the hills of West Virginia where her father cared for Sharlow and her two sisters, Kitty and Eva Ann, after their mother walked away from the family when Sharlow - then Thelma Colleen Facemire - was 5 years old. "My dad was a West Virginia hillbilly. Once, he took me into the mines on his shoulder...