Transplant gets Wendell’s Boston Post Cane
WENDELL — The Selectboard honored the town’s oldest citizen with an informal ceremony at the Town Offices on Tuesday.
Dorthee (her full legal name) was born on Jan. 16, 1929. As part of the ceremony, Selectboard Chair Laurie DiDonato presented Dorthee with the Boston Post Cane, “given to the eldest citizen in town since 1908.” Dorthee, 93, also received a certificate and a pin resembling the cane.
“It was simple and very lovely,” Dorthee told the Greenfield Recorder on Wednesday. “Simple is what I’m comfortable with.”
She mentioned she needed a ride to the Town Offices for the ceremony and DiDonato picked her up at home.
Dorthee said she grew up in Michigan and lived in Northampton before settling in Wendell about 35 years ago. She legally changed her name while living in Wendell. She explained “Dor” is simply the first part of the name’s common spelling, and “thee” is “for my connection with everything.”
WENDELL — The town’s Selectboard has hired Jason Rider to remove snow at five town buildings.
Rider got the part-time position with a unanimous vote at the Selectboard’s Dec. 7 meeting after a successful job interview. He will be paid $16.25 per hour, with a five-hour minimum paid for each storm, regardless of time spent removing snow. Any time over the minimum will be billed per hour. Rider will use a town-owned snow blower.
Selectboard Chair Laurie DiDonato said the five buildings are the Town Offices, Town Hall, the Wendell Free Library, the Senior Center and the former Wendell Police Station. The Leverett Police Department has used the station as a substation since the two towns entered a municipal agreement for Leverett to provide its policing services.
DiDonato said Rider, who lives in Millers Falls, was the position’s lone applicant and will replace Tom Wetherby, who has done the snow removal work for several years.