A Final Resting Place: Wellesley Residents at Mount Auburn Cemetery

September 28, 2018 by admin Leave a Comment

Wellesley Historical Society walking tour

A Final Resting Place: Wellesley Residents at Mount Auburn Cemetery

Saturday, October 20, 2018 at 2:00 pm (rain date: Oct. 21, check Wellesley Historical Society website for updates)

Join Kathleen Fahey for a 90-minute walking tour of Cambridge’s Mount Auburn Cemetery and its connections to Wellesley.

Founded in 1831, Mount Auburn was the nation’s first rural garden cemetery and is the final resting place of many Wellesley residents. Kathleen will explore the monuments and beautiful landscaping of this historic site while focusing on well-known Wellesley residents who are interred there such as H.H. Hunnewell, Isaac Sprague V, Alice Cheney Baltzell, Thomas Morton and more.

Mount Auburn Cemetery is located at 580 Mount Auburn Street, Cambridge.

You must RSVP to WHS Director Amanda Fisher at [email protected] if interested in attending, as the cemetery limits the size of tour groups.

The tour will begin promptly at 2:00 pm at the Asa Gray Garden on Lawn Ave which is near the Mount Auburn Street entrance to the cemetery.

Visitors may drive into the cemetery and park on any road that does not have a green line.

*The tour will last approximately 90 minutes and will include walking on paved roads, grass, and gravel paths.

The walking tour is free for Wellesley Historical Society members and $5 for non-members.

Here’s what you missed over the summer in Wellesley

September 5, 2018 by Deborah Brown Leave a Comment

The temperatures say summer, but with Labor Day behind us and a school year stretched out in front, we have to admit it. The grasshopper days are over. Here’s what you missed in Wellesley if you were traveling and enjoying yourself, unplugged and unworried. We stayed on top of things for you. It’s what we do:

1) Local reporter (me) almost hit by car in Wellesley

Our top-read story over the summer concerned my near-flattened experience on Wellesley Avenue. Fortunately I wasn’t struck, but it wasn’t for lack of trying on the driver’s part. My experience certainly struck a nerve in town, and comments about similar close calls poured in. Readers also wrote in to express great relief that I squeaked through…aw, thanks guys. READ MORE

2) MBTA cut down hundreds of Wellesley trees

Anybody who takes the commuter rail hasn’t been able to miss the tree removal work that MBTA contractors have done. We got an email from a chagrined reader who characterized the work as a “horrible hack job” and noted that although “Our property doesn’t abut the tracks, we feel badly for those who do.”

I went down and took a look. Indeed, it’s not pretty. READ MORE

3) Wellesley mourns Robert J. Hinchliffe: Devoted family man, WWII infantryman, longtime town leader and volunteer

Wellesley lost one of its Greatest Generation heroes. As his obituary read, “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…” and the list goes on. Truly a pillar of the Wellesley community. READ MORE

4) Gorgeous Wellesley homes recognized for historically sensitive renovations

The Wellesley Historic Commission (WHC) awarded plaques to homeowners who completed historically sensitive renovations of two of Wellesley’s proud older structures. Among them: 51 Glen Rd., built in 1721 and 309 Walnut St., built in 1900. READ MORE

5) Wellesley dog photobombed by woodland creature — this you’ve gotta see. SEE IT HERE

6) The ant bikes came marching one by one into Wellesley

Wellesley wasn’t among the more than dozen communities selected to take part in a dockless bike rental system involving the Metropolitan Area Planning Council, but such bicycles have nonetheless started to roll into town. Ant Bicycle’s signature green bikes have been popping up all over the place… READ MORE

7) Wellesley Municipal Light Plant offers full internet service for commercial customers

The Wellesley Municipal Light Plant (MLP) on Monday, July 30 made a recommendation to its Board to offer internet service to commercial entities in town as the next step toward moving the program from pilot to permanent status… READ MORE

8) Wellesley mom gets Ambush Makeover on Today Show

Tiffany Zides, an already hot Wellesley mom, entered New York City as her usual self and left as one of “two great girls” plucked from the Today Show throng at Rockefeller Center to get an Ambush Makeover by fashionistas Louis Licari and Jill Martin. READ MORE

9) Wellesley neighbors facing real uphill battle over rehabbed house and yard

Here’s what can happen when a buyer snaps up the cozy Cape abutting your home, cuts down a few dozen trees, and brings in truckloads of soil. READ MORE

10) Is humble Wellesley news site (us!) an enemy of the people?

The call to take up words and defend the very bedrock of journalism came from no less an institution than The Boston Globe. We answered, with aplomb if we may say so ourselves. Before we knew it we found ourselves on the New York Times op-ed page. Yep, that’s what we did with our summer. READ MORE

11) Historic John D. Hardy house to go under review for tear-down

What makes this 132-year-old building historically significant is that it was the home of noted Wellesley civic leader John D. Hardy from its completion in 1896 until his death in 1924. Its association with Hardy is an important factor making it among the most historic houses in the Belvedere Estates/Wellesley Country Club area, and therefore Wellesley. READ MORE

12) Will Wellesley College ban dogs on Lake Waban?

As usual in these situations, two issues loom large: dog waste and unleashed dogs. READ MORE

13) Best of Wellesley Business Buzz:

Linden Square:

Code Ninjas is coming into the space formerly occupied by Massage Envy. The computer learning center will welcome girls and boys ages 7-14 to learn to code by building their own video games.

Work continued at Door No. 7. The new chef-driven business from the operators of The Cottage is slated to open soon.

Wellesley Square:

The venerable Page Waterman Gallery, founded in 1917, moved from its Church Square location to 592a Washington St., where its headquarters and restoration studio have been located since 1983.

Red Apple convenience store peeled out. No replacement business there yet.

Orangetheory Fitness, a chain that specializes in 60-minute cardiovascular and strength training workouts has started up its first classes at 56 Central St.

Earlier this summer Le Vernis Nail Studio moved into the former 2nd Time Around space at 574 Washington St., upping the number of nail salons in town to well over a dozen.

Smith & Wollensky steak house opened at the very beginning of summer in the former Blue Ginger space.

Coming soon: Fiorella’s Express, a fast casual Italian eatery at the former Susu Bakery location.

Wellesley Square at Beclare retail spaces:

CouCou, a stylish kids’ store opened in August

Laer Realty Partners added Wellesley to its list of approximately two dozen offices located mostly in Massachusetts

Pucker Gallery expanded beyond its Newbury Street location in Boston. The gallery offers international modern and contemporary art.

Agnes Vision moved over from Washington Street, and La Mia Moda Boutique made the switch from its temporary Linden Square digs.

To look for soon: Barber Walters barbershop

Fiorella’s Express, a fast casual Italian eatery at the former Susu Bakery location.

Wellesley Hills:

Papa Razzi closed for renovations in July and has celebrated its re-opening with a larger bar area and a refreshed menu, and expanded parking. (They’re hiring, BTW.)

Mark’s Pizza was torn down to make way for that expanded parking. The pizza shop’s website says there are plans to re-open in a new location soon, perhaps at the former Zoots spot, but we haven’t heard much lately on this…

Real estate firm Realty Executives took over the Forest Street space in between Wellesley Variety and Deluxe Pizza.

White’s Bakery & Cafe is coming to Wellesley in the former TD Bank location in Playhouse Square on Washington Street. Expected opening in Fall 2018.

Wellesley Police mourn passing of retired Chief Gagnon

August 27, 2018 by admin Leave a Comment

Retired Wellesley Police Chief Joe Gagnon The Wellesley Police Department has announced that retired Police Chief Ernest ‘Joe’ Gagnon passed away on August 21 in Venice, Florida at the age of 82. Chief Gagnon served as a Wellesley Police Officer for 34 years.

Chief Gagnon was a member of the United States Marine Corps for 9 years prior to becoming a Wellesley Police officer. He was appointed to the department as a patrolman in April of 1965, earned a promotion to sergeant in December of 1983, then became the Wellesley Police Department’s first Deputy Police Chief when the position was created in December of 1993.

Gagnon was appointed as Chief of the Wellesley Police Department by the Board of Selectmen on October 14, 1997. He retired from the department in November of 1999 and was succeeded by Terry Cunningham.

A celebration of life for Chief Gagnon will be held at a later date. The Wellesley Police Department will be wearing mourning bands on our badges to honor Chief Gagnon’s service to the community.

Wellesley mourns Robert J. Hinchliffe: Devoted family man, WWII infantryman, longtime town leader and volunteer

July 6, 2018 by admin Leave a Comment

Robert J. Hinchliffe obituary:

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.

Robert Hinchliffe. Wellesley — Robert Hinchliffe waves to the crowd at the Wellesley Veterans’ Parade

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.

Most-read Wellesley stories of 2017

December 31, 2017 by bbrown 1 Comment

As 2017 comes to a close, we look back at those Swellesley Report stories that attracted the most readers. Some of these Wellesley stories were surprising, some were heartening and others were sad.

Here’s to a swell 2018!

In no particular order…

Yes Wellesley, that probably was new Celtics player Gordon Hayward running by you

Monumental Wellesley news: Permanent tribute proposed for our Nobelist, Dr. Joseph Murray

THE Blue Ginger exit interview — Chef Ming Tsai: “I want to go out on top”

Blue Ginger replacement: We wouldn’t steak our reputations on this, but…

Wellesley’s Linden Square is getting closer to making huge changes — hello, Sweetgreen

Gas-p! Wellesley laments departure of legendary mechanic Larry Ng

Wellesley mourns the loss of WHS junior Sarah Calcio

So how’s the Wellesley food waste pilot program going, Supt. Azano-Brown?

Tom Hanks sends Wellesley family a vintage typewriter

Update: Wellesley College raven Pauline managing after mate Henry dies