Around Town
Compiled by Edd Merritt

Congratulations...

to Adam Bates, M.D. of Charlotte and Erin K. Hall, M.D. of Hamilton Square, New Jersey, who were married October 2 in Philadelphia where Dr. Hall is completing her residency in psychiatry. Dr. Bates is a hospitalist at Fletcher Allen Health Care and the son of Tom and Lorna Bates of Charlotte.
to Spencer Powers, a medical student at Tufts University School of Medicine, who received his white coat at the annual White Coat Ceremony October 3. The ceremony, at which entering medical students are “cloaked” by the Deans and faculty of the school, is held following completion of the first term. Spencer is the son of Victoria and Mark Powers of Charlotte. He is a graduate of CVU High School and the University of Maine.
to Lois McClure, who was presented with the Founders Award by the Vermont Medical Society at its 196th annual meeting held at the Basin Harbor Club, Vergennes, on October 3. She and her late husband, Warren, were recognized for their efforts on behalf of patients and caregivers who travel to Fletcher Allen Health Care for cancer treatments. Lois is also a supporter of the Lund Family Center and the University of Vermont’s new Center on Aging.
to Berta Geller, Ed.D., a research professor of family medicine at the University of Vermont and a member of the Vermont Cancer Center. Berta has been invited to speak at the 12th annual Breast Cancer Conference Saturday October 24. She will discuss her first-of-a-kind study sponsored by the National Cancer Institute. The study is unique insofar as it goes beyond standard research topics – such as early detection, prevention and improved treatments – to help service providers better understand the physical, emotional, social and spiritual needs of cancer survivors.
to Magdalena Naylor, M.D., Ph.D. who was featured in the Fall 2009 edition of Vermont Medicine, published by the University of Vermont’s College of Medicine. A clinician and researcher, Dr. Naylor is
exploring the body’s central nervous system in order to help patients deal more effectively with chronic pain. Her studies have illuminated how the brain deals with pain and point to ways the mind can help treat the body. She is supported in her efforts by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) which have funded her MindBody Medicine Research Clinic and currently provide over $3 million for her neuroimaging research. The article suggests four relaxation exercises that Dr. Naylor says benefit not only people with chronic pain, but also anyone experiencing tension.
to author and Charlotte News columnist Elizabeth Bassett on the publication of an up-dated edition of her book, Nature Walks in Northwest Vermont and the Champlain Valley, Full Circle Press publishers. The book contains not only point-to-point guidance on hikes, but also information on a variety of plants and wildlife along the way. Fellow writer Chris Bohjalian says it’s “an indispensable companion for your exploration of this region.”
Thanks to Rose Cardenas of Mt. Dora, Florida, for alerting us to the following two items:
to Elizabeth Bluemle, author and co-owner of the Flying Pig Bookstore in Shelburne, whose thoughts on books have appeared in the news recently. Elizabeth was asked what she recommends for autumn reading by the Burlington Free Press in its October 4 “Living Section.” One recommendation happens to be Elizabeth Bassett’s Nature Walks. In a second piece, the New York Times “Arts” section asks her assessment of the new Winnie-the-Pooh sequel, Return to the Hundred Acre Wood. Calling her thoughts “less sanguine” than some others, the article quotes Elizabeth, who is also president of the Association of Booksellers for Children, as saying that spin-offs and sequels tend to be “thin soup.” She is concerned they may keep children away from the original, better written books, because it is “too much to hope” that another writer can capture the “voice, character, setting, pacing (and all the other elements of bookmaking) in the right measure.”
to Holly Boardman, who is featured in the October 2009 Better Homes and Gardens for her use of homegrown squash and pumpkins in her annual pumpkin party held in her backyard. The article says that Holly takes various sizes of multi-colored pumpkins and turns them into “luminaria and vases for fall-touched branches.” Her daughter Quinn is an accomplished pumpkin painter.

Sympathy...

is extended to family and friends of Marlene Preston of Charlotte, who passed away September 27 at the age of 83. She and her husband Harry lived with their six children on the lake. After working for Colonial Distributors in Burlington for many years, Marlene moved on to UVM’s Department of Continuing Education before finishing her working career at Champlain Oil Company. The family asks that those wishing to make donations in her memory do so to the American Heart Association, 434 Hurricane Lane Williston, Vermont 05495 or to Fletcher Allen Health Care, Support Stroke Care, 1 South Prospect Street, Burlington, Vermont 05401.
is extended to family and friends of Padma Aladjem of Charlotte who passed away at the age of 85. Earning a Ph.D. in biochemistry and following a post-doctoral fellowship at the University of Michigan, Padma worked in research at the National Institutes of Health in Washington, D.C., before moving on in her research to the University of Southern California. Her survivors include her husband Frederick and daughter Eva Aladjem and son-in-law Bill Fraser-Harris of Charlotte.
is extended to family and friends of Carroll Cromie of Williston (otherwise known as Bun or Bud) who passed away October 4 at the age of 86. Bud grew up in Charlotte before joining the Army during World War II and serving in Germany. The family asks that in lieu of flowers, donations in his memory be made to Green Mountain Nursing Home, 1102 Ethan Allen Avenue, Colchester, Vermont 05446 for the continuing needs of their special child, Peter.
is extended to family and friends of Edward Bartholomew of South Burlington, who passed away October 4 at the age of 65. His surviving family includes his brother-in-law Ted and sister Joan Braun of Charlotte. The family asks that in lieu of flowers, donations in his memory be made to the Humane Society of Chittenden County.
is extended to family and friends of Hilda (Van Alstine) Finkbeiner of Witherbee, New York, who passed away October 5 at the age of 97. Her surviving family includes her son Ed and his wife, Deonie Finkbeiner, now of Homer, New York, but prominent Charlotte residents for a number of years. The family asks that those wishing to make donations in Hilda’s memory do so to the Moriah Ambulance Squad in Moriah, New York.
is extended to family and friends of Edward Abare of North Ferrisburgh, who passed away October 6 at the age of 83. His surviving family includes his son Brian Abare of Charlotte. The family asks that, in lieu of flowers, those wishing to make memorial contributions do so to the Transplant Department of Fletcher Allen Health Care, 1 South Prospect Street, Burlington, Vermont 05401.