NORTH ADAMS - Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts (MCLA) celebrated its 105th Commencement exercises on Saturday, May 29, 2004 at 11:00 a.m. in the academic quadrangle. This year, 302 students, including 30 master's candidates received degrees. Catherine "Cady" Coleman, Ph.D., a Lieutenant Colonel in the United States Air Force and an Astronaut at NASA delivered the keynote address.
Coleman received a Doctor of Science. Also receiving honorary degrees this year were Josh Simpson, extraordinary glass artist, receiving a Doctor of Fine Arts; Hulda Hardman Jowett, a longtime member of the MCLA Board of Trustees receiving a Doctor of Humanities; and John Murphy, Ed.D., a prominent and internationally recognized educator with 38 years of experience, who received a Doctor of Pedagogy.
In commenting on the honorary degree recipients, President Mary Grant said, "I am honored to have the opportunity to recognize these individuals for their tremendous contributions to our community in the areas of science, art, civic engagement and education. Each represents role models for our students, and in different ways they have touched the lives of so many through their achievements and leadership." In recognition of their awards, the honorary degree recipients will have books placed in MCLA's Freel Library in their names.
Cady Coleman, currently with NASA, serves as the lead astronaut charged with repairing tiles on the space shuttle. She received her Doctorate in polymer science and engineering from the University of Massachusetts and a B.S. in Chemistry from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. She was commissioned as a 2nd Lieutenant in the Air Force in 1983, and entered active duty in 1988, assigned to the Wright Patterson Air Force Base.
She was selected by NASA in 1992, reporting to the Johnson Space Center and has served as the lead astronaut for long term space flight habitability issues. A veteran of two space missions, she has served as a lead mission specialist and has logged over 500 hours in space. In one of her missions, she orbited the Earth 256 times and traveled over six million miles. Coleman is a member of the American Chemical Society, the Society for Photo-Optical Instrumentation Engineers, the American Society of University Women and the International Women's Air and Space Museum. She resides in Shelburne Falls with her husband, Josh Simpson and their son.
Josh Simpson, renowned glass artist, was featured with his wife in a PBS Documentary, "Where the Earth Meets the Sky, the Glassworks of Josh Simpson," in which he demonstrates how he developed his craft, much of which melds into his wife's profession with his pieces modeling planets. He is well-know for his unique and recognizable style with distinct features adorning all of his pieces of art.
In his artist statement, Simpson says, "Glass is an alchemic blend of sand and metallic oxides, combined with extraordinary, blinding heat. The result is a material that flows and drips like honey. When it's hot, glass is alive!" His work has been shown throughout the world and can be seen at the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston, Yale University Art Gallery and the Chrysler Museum in Norfolk, Virginia. He has received numerous awards and honors for his work including a People's Choice. Simpson earned his B.A. from Hamilton College, where he first began to blow glass.
Hulda Jowett, a former three year chairperson and ten year member of the College's Board of Trustees, joins her late father, James A. Hardman, Jr., long-time owner and editor of the North Adams Transcript in receiving her degree. They are the first father-daughter recipients of similar recognition from the College. A graduate of Skidmore College and former area teacher, Jowett has long been active in civic and community affairs in north Berkshire County, including former memberships on the North Adams Historical Commission and the Board of Directors of the Northern Berkshire YMCA.
Currently Jowett holds directorships on the Hoosac and Williamstown Savings Banks, as well as their parent organization, Mountain One Financial Partners and is a Corporator of Northern Berkshire Health Systems. She is also a member of the MCLA Foundation's Endowment and Trust Committee. In addition, she, and other members of her family have created the James and Robert Hardman Fund, which provides financial support for a host of non-profit entities in northern Berkshire County.
A current member and former chairperson of the North Adams Public Library's Board of Trustees, she also leads the organization's building committee in its ambitious expansion of the facility. She is a member of the committee for the North Adams Public Schools Gateway Fund. Jowett resides in North Adams with her husband Lawrence, a member of the Class of 1968. They are the parents of two grown sons, David, a member of the Class of 1994, and Brian.
John Murphy, a native of North Adams and member of the Class of 1958, currently resides in Florida and serves as President of Education Partners, a wholly owned subsidiary of the St. Joe Arvida Company, which builds planned communities throughout the United States. Murphy earned his Doctorate in Education from the University of Massachusetts, and has served as a teacher, principal and superintendent in districts from New Jersey to Maryland, where he was accredited with a dramatic turnaround of the Prince George's County Schools. In 1989, he was awarded the prestigious Leadership for Learning Award, presented by the American Association of School Administrators.
As superintendent for the Charlotte-Mecklenburg school district in North Carolina, he convened a World Class Panel consisting of the nation's leading experts in education to sculpt a concrete plan of action for school reform, which resulted in the school district becoming a model for public education in the United States. In 1974 he received the Distinguished Alumni Award from MCLA for his accomplishments.
Four of Murphy's children are graduates of the College - Dan Murphy in 1979, Nancy Morris in 1981, William Murphy in 1985 and Robert Murphy in 1986.
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Former Harry's Supermarket Under Construction for Restaurant
Late last month, the Conservation Commission greenlit some tree pruning on the property. New windows and a new door can be seen in the front of the building.
"It's a substantial renovation that's currently underway here," Brent White of White Engineering said, speaking on behalf of the applicant and owner, Huajie Zhu.
A fire gutted the longtime Wahconah Street supermarket in 2023, and the following year, Zhu purchased the property for $460,000 two years ago to build a restaurant with hibachi in the existing footprint of the more than 100-year-old building.
White explained that the project has been ongoing for over a year, and the Community Development Board granted the property a waiver to reduce the minimum required number of parking spaces so that additional spaces aren't needed.
He noted that, looking at the site plan, there is very little room to do so. A mirror will be installed near the sharp turn on Bel Air Avenue to alleviate traffic concerns.
Pruning will be done on trees in the southeast corner of the existing paved parking lot, as a number of branches are hanging over. The new owners also intend to patch, sealcoat, and re-stripe the parking lot.
A fire tore through the building less than an hour after the supermarket closed for the day three years ago. An automatic sprinkler system is required for the new use.
Cassidy Flynn scattered five hits in a complete-game effort in the circle as Lenox upset top-seeded Hoosac Valley, 3-2, in the quarter-finals of the Division 5 State Tournament. click for more
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Jason Codey struck out 13, walked two and allowed just an infield single as the Generals earned a 7-1 win over Wahconah to claim their third straight regional title. click for more
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