College news
• The following local students at the Community College of Vermont (CCV) earned associate degrees in spring 2020: Keri E. Ticino of Bellows Falls; Makayla M. Aldrich, Christopher L. Burkheimer, Tia M. Gilbeau, Tyler Lindsay Morris, Billie Jo Rickey, Caitlin C. Senni, Sabrina M. Smith, Bruce M. Sweeter, Jr., Evon Michele Valentine, Ryan S. Weeks, Jessica A. Weiner, and Olivia C. Wright of Brattleboro; Timothy Lahey of Dummerston; Jessica Lee Westclark and Terran J. Williams of Grafton; Jessica J. Wright of Guilford; Kaylee M. Gargett and Mellisa A. King of Jamaica; Henna K. Patel of Ludlow; Corey Francis Powell of Newfane; Katharine A. Bricker, Jennifer M. Hunt, George P. James III, Mary A. Lachenal, and Cassandra Joyce Pedigo of Putney; Skylar E Guida-Dailey of Townshend; Jade M. Hicks and Virginia M. Thiels of Vernon; Olin Ruppert-Bousquet of West Townshend; Isaac R. Gelineau of Westminster; and Taryn Elizabeth Lawrence of Wilmington.
• The following local students at Vermont Technical College all graduated after the spring 2020 semester: Jamie Buffa of Brattleboro, Tana Cutting of Brattleboro, Meka Dearborn of Brattleboro, Kori Griffin of Putney, Alejandra Guizar of Vernon, Sage Hall of Newfane, Kristina Holden of Jamaica, Jonah Koch of South Newfane, Iyla MacArthur of Brattleboro, Emily Mleczko of Putney, Chelsea Ogden of Brattleboro, Mariah Powers of East Dover, Rebecca Snow of Brattleboro, Alexus Vergobbe of Vernon, Parker Waite of Brattleboro, Emily White of East Dummerston, Matthew Wright of Brattleboro.
• Hannah Oxholm of Brattleboro received a B.S. degree in Psychology/Spanish and Hispanic studies from Union College in Schenectady, N.Y.
• The following local students recently graduated from Western New England University in Springfield, Mass.: Tyler Clement of Vernon graduated magna cum laude with a B.S. in engineering and Tylynn Kuralt of Brattleboro graduated with a B.S. in engineering.
• Elena Tansley of Westminster West recently graduated from Ithaca (N.Y.) College with a B.S. in Clinical Health Studies.
• The following local students were honored for academic achievement at Castleton University for the spring 2020 semester: Greer Bills of Wardsboro, Gabrielle Carpenter of Vernon, Saima Cassell of Westminster, Abby Chapman of Brattleboro, Alison Josselyn of Londonderry, Rebekah Lazarek of Westminster, Devin Millerick of Vernon, Brittany Pellerin of South Londonderry, Scarlett Pugliese of South Londonderry, Veronica Stevens of Newfane, and Laura Vogell of Springfield were all named to the President's List for maintaining a 4.0 grade point average. Matthew Barbo of South Londonderry, Jackson Brown of Bellows Falls, Cody Cutler of Newfane, Morgan Derosia of Vernon, Jordan Gouger of Brookline, Joshua Hanson of Guilford, Olson Humphrey of Londonderry, Valentina MacEachern of Vernon, Maria Page of West Halifax, and Kelsey Rabideau of Dummerston were all named to the Dean's List for having a GPA between 3.5 and 3.9.
• Jenna Ross of Brattleboro has achieved President's List honors in the Bachelor of Science of Nursing program at Vermont Technical College for the spring 2020 semester.
• Paige Starkweather of Brattleboro and Olivia Weeks of Vernon were named to the Dean's List for the spring 2020 semester at Endicott College in Beverly, Mass.
• Julia Barton of South Newfane, a student in the School of Health Sciences of the University of New Haven, has been named to the Dean's List for the spring 2020 semester.
• Maxwell Spicer of South Newfane and Tuckerman Wunderle of Bellows Falls were named to the Dean's List for the spring 2020 semester at Emerson College in Boston.
• The following local students were named to the Dean's List for the spring 2020 semester at Ithaca (N.Y.) College: Freesia Capy-Goldfarb of Guilford, Colin Costa-Walsh of Putney, Amelia Graff of Brattleboro, and Brett Swanson of Wilmington.
•Marissa Betit of Vernon has been named to the winter 2020 President's List at Southern New Hampshire University in Manchester, N.H.
School news
• Arin Bates of West Wardsboro will attend Clarkson University in Potsdam, N.Y., as a member of the Class of 2024. Bates, who will be majoring in University Studies, will begin studying at Clarkson in the fall. She is a 2020 graduate of Leland & Gray Union High School.
• Joshua Martyn of Brattleboro is among the 50 students who graduated from the Vermont Academy of Science and Technology at Vermont Technical College in the spring of 2020. They each received a high school diploma and gained credits toward their first year of college.
Transitions
• Dan Weintraub was recently appointed as Vermont Academy's new Coordinator of Equity and Inclusion. Weintraub will continue in his roles as history department chair and assistant coach for the girls' varsity soccer team. He takes over the position from Cynthia Murphy, who is becoming the Site Director of Vermont Academy at Liceo Europeo in Madrid, Spain. Weintraub came to Vermont Academy in 2019 after a six-year stint as a history teacher, department chair, and varsity soccer coach at Kimball Union Academy. He has worked in independent and public schools for close to three decades. In addition to his work in the classroom, Weintraub is an internationally licensed soccer coach, a touring singer-songwriter, a storm chaser, and a published author. His 2011 book, The Bodhisattva on the Sideline, examines youth athletics from a Buddhist perspective. Weintraub lives in Chester in a blended family with his partner and their seven children.
Obituaries
• Lincoln Michael Short Calabrese died in the loving arms of his mother on May 8, 2020. Born on March 12, 2020, the son of Katelyn Jill Short and Devan Michael Calabrese, he was a perfectly healthy, beautiful 7 lb., 6 oz. baby boy. Lincoln became severely ill at five weeks and spent his remaining three weeks in the loving care of the Children's Hospital at Dartmouth-Hitchcock (CHaD) in Lebanon, N.H. His charming disposition, beautiful head of hair, and perfect chin made everyone who came in contact with him fall in love with him. Lincoln is survived by his parents, his sisters Alexis Amber Short and Nevaeh Sophia Calabrese, his maternal grandparents Kelly Merrigan Short and Terry Douglas Short, his paternal grandparents Kim Perrone-Ryter and Michael Roman Calabrese, his maternal great-grandparents Julia Creek Merrigan and Howard and Clairice Short, his paternal great grandparents Barbara Palmer, John Perrone, and Beverly Legonelli. Lincoln also leaves many aunts, uncles and cousins. Memorial information: Donations to Children's Hospital at Dartmouth, 1 Medical Center Drive, Lebanon, NH 03766.
• Maxine Annie Coughlin, 98, of Brattleboro. Died peacefully June 15, 2020, with her family at her side, at her home. Born in Brattleboro on July 23, 1921, daughter of Max and Mary (Whitney) Snow, she was raised and educated in Brattleboro and graduated from Brattleboro High School with the Class of 1940. She worked as a keypunch operator at the Holstein-Friesian Association, which she retired from in 1987 following 25 years of faithful service. Maxine was also a devoted homemaker whose life centered around her family. She enjoyed knitting and was known for her beautiful sweaters. Maxine also loved to play cards and dining out at one of her many favorite restaurants. In 1941, she married John Howard Coughlin, who predeceased her in 1966. She is survived by two daughters, Anita M. Parent and her husband, Richard, of Hinsdale, N.H., and Sandra J. Woodward of West Brattleboro; one son, John H. “Jack” Coughlin, Jr. of Brattleboro; eight grandchildren, seven great-grandchildren, five great-great-grandchildren, and many nieces, nephews, great nieces and great nephews. Maxine was predeceased by three sisters, Elizabeth Harris, Maryann Boutwell, and Eleanor Snow. Memorial information: Graveside services will be for the immediate family only. She will be laid to rest next to her late husband in Meetinghouse Hill Cemetery. Donations to Rescue, Inc., P.O. Box 593, Brattleboro, VT 05302. To share a memory of Maxine or send condolences to her family, visit www.atamaniuk.com.
• Ruth Gaffney Gage, 78, of Peru, Vt. Died on June 10, 2020. Born Nov. 16, 1941, Ruth grew up the oldest of the Gaffney girls on a farm in Rochester, Vt., where she had a happy childhood and first developed her lifelong love of animals and the natural beauty of our state. Since 1976, her home on South Road in Peru was a place of love to share with countless pets - dogs and cats, mostly - and beautiful flower gardens. Over the years her house was a symbol of her love, a refuge for innumerable friends and family who might stay for dinner, or for weeks at a time depending upon their need. As a real estate broker at Bromley Village in Peru for the last 50 years, she became well known for her professionalism and her caring demeanor. In an industry dominated by men, she was a leader who became well known for her strength and tenacity, and was a role model for other women who sought to advance their careers. Ruth was a loving mother, and her sons John and Jamie grew up in Peru blessed by her love and strong moral character. Her positive influence kept them rooted with pride here in Vermont. She was a doting and loving grandmother to five grandchildren - Azurah, Marjon, Lula, Aidan, and especially her oldest, Dylan, who lived with her for the last 15 years of her life and gave her great happiness throughout her waning years. Memorial information: Graveside services were held at the Peru Village Cemetery on June 20. Expressions of love and sympathy may be placed and viewed online at www.atamaniuk.com, and donations can be made in her name to the Springfield Humane Society, 401 Skitchewaug Trail, Springfield, VT 05156.