The bell tolls for Federspiel

LENOX – “This doesn’t need to be about me, but about community, I’m just one piece of a larger puzzle.”

Those words were humbly spoken by Town Manager Gregory T. Federspiel in a gathering to pay tribute to him on his last full day of service of 14 years.

He will be acting with the same title at the lovely coastal town of Manchester-by-the-Sea.

And what better day to commemorate his countless contributions to the town than on Flag Day (June 14), a day back in 1777 when, by resolution of the Second Continental Congress, our flag was adopted to the United States of America.

Symbolic of the day’s event was the ringing of the library’s town bell for the first time in decades. The bell has been dormant in the library’s basement and it was the publisher of The Berkshire Beacon, George C. Jordan III, in company with Lenox Library Executive Director Sharon Hawkes and the board of selectmen, who initiated its welcome revival.

Beneath blue skies and sunshine, the Lenox Memorial Middle and High School Band played “America the Beautiful” and our national anthem, “The Star-Spangled Banner,” under the direction of Jonathan Cade.

Standing in uniform, Lenox Police Officer Sean Ward and Nicholas Felix, both of the VFW Color Guard, held the flags over the spot where the historic great elm tree once stood.

The ceremony commenced with the Pledge of Allegiance, and Mr. Jordan spoke in sentiment as Flag Day is the day his parents G. Carlton Jordan Jr. and Dorothy P. Jordan were married in Freeport, Maine.

Selectman W. David Roche said a few words to honor the town manager as did retired selectman Joe Nolan; they were both in agreement of his outstanding service over the years.

A history of the bell was given by Assistant Librarian Amy Le Fave. The bell was once part of the old courthouse, now the building in which the library is housed.

The library has a document telling the story of a farmer who once was late for his court case and therefore wrote a letter asking for a bell to prevent this from happening again.

The letter reads:

“I hope their Honours will confide this matter, and order the Clerk, or Treasurer, or Sheriff, or somebody, I don’t care who, whose proper business it is to do such things, to go to Hartford, or some other place, where they make bells, and get one just large enough to be heard as far around as the attendants upon Court lodge, and bring it up, this winter. I believe the public in general are of the same opinion; for I have talked with several of my neighbors upon the subject, and they all agree that they are willing to bear their proportion of the expense, and wish it to be granted. I hope their Honours will take it in good part from,

A Plough Jogger.”

Engraved on the bell is “Enos Doolittle – 1792 – Hartford.”

State Representative William “Smitty” Pignatelli (D-Lenox) spoke of the bell’s significance, giving credit to Mr. Jordan for bringing it to fruition.

Rep. Pignatelli reminisced on his experiences as a previous board member and spoke highly in reference to the town manager, saying, “He did a great job.”

Passionately, he talked of the town and the great elm tree that once stood as a pillar of the community in front of the library becoming diseased, and the lament felt by the town on the day it was cut down.

In the next moments came the affecting peal of the bell and who better to ring it than Mr. Federspiel, where on this ideal day its beautiful sound resonated through the streets of Lenox.

Beacon goodbye

Mr. Jordan followed by saying, “One of my goals for this newspaper was to bring on a young staff as part of an educational laboratory and help them hone their skills before moving on.”

He gave recognition to one of the Beacon’s talented reporters, Bera B. Dunau, as he moves on to a daily paper, The Oneonta Star.

Mr. Dunau wished Mr. Federspiel luck, as he had established good rapport with him and the selectmen, providing a lot copy for the paper.

A luncheon was given at the town hall following the ceremony organized by Land Department Secretary Peggy Ammendola where officials of the town gathered to exchange gestures and last words to Mr. Federspiel.

A citation in recognition of 14 years of service was awarded to Mr. Federspiel and endorsed by Governor Deval Patrick. Mr. Federspiel smiled in appreciation and said, “Thank you and once again… it’s all about building a great community. I’m grateful for the honor.”

Rep. Pignatelli joked, “I just received a text from the governor that Manchester-by-the-Sea just fell into the sea.”

The politician also offered a citation from the Massachusetts House of Representatives acknowledging the work of the town manager.

Posted by Janel M. Harrison on June 20, 2013. Filed under Community Events,News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry