More than you really want to know about Wellesley, Mass.
U.S. Postal Service’s Toni on her rounds through Wellesley. How could she possibly avoid going through a sprinkler on steamy Wednesday in the Manor and Brookdale Avenue area of town?
Thanks to Anthony Elzein for sharing this photo. He writes: “Some run, some hide…. not Toni in this heat…. She springs to the occasion with sprinklers at her feet. She still delivers our mail without fail… who said Wellesley has snail mail!”
The Wellesley Historic Commission (WHC) last week awarded plaques to homeowners who completed historically sensitive renovations of two of Wellesley’s proud older structures. The homes themselves, 51 Glen Rd., built in 1721 and 309 Walnut St., built in 1900, seemed to glow right along with the delighted families at the praise heaped upon them by the WHC. The plaques read: “The Wellesley Historic Commission commends you on your outstanding home renovation and expresses its appreciation of your efforts to preserve our town’s historic character.” The plaque was signed by Grant Brown, Chairman (no relation to The Swellesley Report Browns) and Lawrence McNally, Vice Chairman.
“When we were first looking at it my stepson said, ‘Angela this place is so old it could be haunted. We can’t move in to a haunted house.’ So we saged the house before we moved in.” Problem solved. That’s how Sousa rolls.
For the record, there’s never been any suggestion of paranormal activity detected at the house. The sage ceremony, a ritualistic way to cleanse a place of negative energies or influences, was more of a family bonding activity than an actual spirit shoo-ing.
The for-real part has been the trials and tribulation of a major renovation. At one moment Sousa concedes, “We bit off more than we were expecting. We didn’t fully understand the level of renovation and the amount of time this would take.” But at the next moment Brown, Sousa, and I are all swooning over the original fireplace tile and the rich look of the hardwood and original moldings, and the gracious flow of the house and the size of the rooms. For a moment, all the work and construction challenges are forgotten as we revel in the beauty of the results.
Next I stopped in at 309 Walnut St. to check in with Luke and Zemira DelVecchio and their 5 kids, Agnese, 11; Isaiah, 9; and Miriam, 6; who attend Schofield Elementary School. There’s also Mark, 3; and John Paul, 8 months — you’ve still got time to prepare yourselves for them, Schofield.
Luke’s got serious Wellesley chops having grown up in town on Apple St. He’s done the Triple Wellesley: Hunnewell Elementary, Wellesley Middle School, and Wellesley High. Then for good measure he went for the quadruple and did his undergraduate at Babson. Luke and Zemira are our former neighbors, and they swear they didn’t move out of the neighborhood because The Swellelsey Report was just getting too loud. And even if the’re telling a little white lie, as you can see we just follow them wherever they go. There’s no escaping The Swellesley Report.
I walked into the kind of party atmosphere that’s always happening in a house with five kids. “Hi!” said one as I walked in, waving so exuberantly he fell off the sofa. No tears though, because what good would that do when in two seconds another “crisis” will surely crop up, eclipsing his own? I barreled right in and inserted myself into just another day in paradise with an active family living life in a house that was built to take it in 1900, then renovated in 2017 to take it some more. The six bedroom, 4.5 bath 4,500 square-foot house graciously absorbed me into the controlled chaos.
We’ve posted about this house before, back when contractor Jim Mealey first bought the place in an online bidding process. As he got going on the restoration he was treated as a mini-celebrity. People stopped and thanked him for what he was doing as he worked to bring the house back from years of neglect.
Here are a few pictures:
The Wellesley Historical Commission isn’t done yet. They have plaques to hand out to two more homes. Those addresses have not yet been made public.
Bob Hinchliffe died July 3, 2018 at the age of 95. At his side was his daughter Beth, who was blessed to live her life guided by his honorable and pure moral North Star. He was predeceased by his wives Dorothy (McGlauflin) and Jeanne (Vogel) McMahan, and, had been the utterly dedicated caregiver to both during their lengthy final illnesses.
Born in New Britain, Conn., after his junior year as a ROTC cadet at Boston University (where he was later installed in the Alumni Hall of Fame), Bob entered WWII. As an Army 1st lieutenant and combat infantryman he fought from the beaches of Normandy through Hurtgen Forest, the battle of the bridge at Remagen, the Ardennes, and the Battle of the Bulge (where he was awarded the Bronze Star).
At the end of the war he was stationed in Berlin where he was Aide-de-Camp to the Commanding General of Troops. Last year Congressman Joe Kennedy interviewed him about his WWII experiences, entering the videotape in the Library of Congress.
Bob loved Wellesley and Wellesley loved him, choosing him to lead the parade twice, as the recipient of the Distinguished Service and the Veterans’ Honor awards. He was one of the half dozen longest serving Town Meeting Members in town history; longtime treasurer of the library’s Centennial Fund (when he retired they established the Robert J. Hinchliffe Military History Fund in his honor); President of Wellesley Rotary, the Central Council PTO, and Toastmasters; a board member of the Community Center and the Wellesley Country Club; a SHINE volunteer for the elderly; and, since he moved to town in 1952, a member of many town government boards and committees.
Bob was a steadfast fan of the Patriots since they were founded, and was thrilled when Hall of Famer Steve Nelson gave him a custom made team jersey with his name and #95 on his 95th birthday. He played golf until he was 90, delighting in his hole-in-one; and enjoyed 65 years at the Wellesley Country Club, which recently made him an Honorary Member. At 95 he won his third neighborhood fantasy football league. He had a sharp business mind, and excelled in his career as a Certified Public Accountant for the New England Telephone Company. But his great love was simple time spent with his family.
In addition to his daughter Beth, he is survived by stepchildren Stephen (Janet) McMahan, Beth (the late James) Nagle, Judy (David) Elliott, Carol Sands, and Peter (Elizabeth) McMahan; 13 step grandchildren and 3 (soon to be 4) great grandchildren; his sister-in-law Emily Hinchliffe; special and cherished nieces and nephews with whom he was especially close and whose lives he shared; and the extended Boulder Brook neighborhood family of children, dogs, and friends, who will miss Mr. Bob. He was predeceased by his wives Dorothy and Jeanne, his parents Thomas and Mary (Kehoe), and his siblings Ritamae McCusker, Thomas, Joseph, and Dorothy Lipton.
Visiting hours at the George F. Doherty & Sons Funeral Home, 477 Washington St., (Rt. 16) Wellesley, Friday, July 6 from 4-7 p.m. The Funeral Mass will be at St. Paul, 502 Washington St., on Saturday, July 7 at 12 noon. Interment at Woodlawn Cemetery, Wellesley.
He would have been touched by donations in tribute to his life, made to: Robert J. Hinchliffe Military History Fund, Wellesley Library, 530 Washington St.; or St. Paul Church, 502 Washington St.
Please join the Wellesley Planning Department for its 3rd and final public workshop to support the development of the Town’s Housing Production Plan, Tuesday, June 12, 7pm-9:30pm in the Wellesley High School Cafeteria. The focus of the meeting will be the development of strategies and actions to support the creation of more affordable housing opportunities in Wellesley.
Please visit https://www.wellesleyma.gov/987/Housing-Production-Plan for more information on the Plan, including PowerPoints used at previous meetings and links to Wellesley Public Media videos of the meetings.
Sunday, June 10th is Race Amity Day
You are invited to celebrate with your family from 1:30 – 3:30 at the Warren Playground, 90 Washington Street, Wellesley. Please RSVP Here
