Rockwell sketch nets $14,500 for Vt. library

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ARLINGTON, Vt. — A PREVIOUSLY unknown Norman Rockwell sketch was recently discovered in the Dr. George A. Russell collection at the Martha Canfield Library. With the approval of the library trustees, the pencil drawing was sold at auction through Christie’s for a net price of $14,460. The majority of the money realized by the sale of the drawing was placed in the Russell Collection endowment fund. The fund is used to preserve and document the history of Arlington, Sandgate and Sunderland. The 8-by-10-inch drawing shows a middle-aged man with a fedora on his head, a cigar clenched between his teeth, rolled up pant cuffs, lunch box under his arm and an umbrella in the center of the sketch. He is surrounded by typical New England seasonal activities. Spring finds him eating and fishing, summer pushing a hand mower, fall burning leaves and winter shoveling snow. His cigar and fedora seem to be his constant companion throughout the year. The sketch was discovered by Sarah Smith, a long-time library supporter, member of the board of trustees and volunteer. It is thought that the sketch was rejected by The Saturday Evening Post and that Rockwell, a former resident of Arlington, gave it to Russell in the early 1950s. The Russell Vermontiana Collection is the culmination of more than seven decades of a lifelong love of local history by Russell. Known primarily to the world as the “The Family Doctor” depicted in the famous Rockwell painting, and cherished locally as the wise physician who served area residents from 1911 until his death in 1968, Russell devoted his free time to learning and gathering reference materials focused on local history. His appetite for collecting eventually exhausted the storage space in his home. The people of Arlington were aware of the need to preserve their heritage and on the coctor’s 75th birthday, offered to finance the building of a structure for his entire collection. Russell determined the best location was at the existing Martha Canfield Library, which, at the time, was housed at the Arlington Community House on Route 7A. Through the diligent work of volunteers, the collection grew considerably, especially after it moved, with the library, in 1996 to a new location on East Arlington Road. Now housed in a climate-controlled room on the library’s second floor, Russell’s collection has expanded to include over 6,000 books, journals, diaries, account books, documents, photographs, maps, vital records, family histories and various ephemera. The Russell collection is open Tuesdays from 9 to 5 or by appointment. Information: Bill Budde, curator, 802-375-6153.
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Lanesborough Fifth-Graders Win Snowplow Name Contest

LANESBOROUGH, Mass. — One of the snowplows for Highway District 1 has a new name: "The Blizzard Boss."
 
The name comes from teacher Gina Wagner's fifth-grade class at Lanesborough Elementary School. 
 
The state Department of Transportation announced the winners of the fourth annual "Name A Snowplow" contest on Monday. 
 
The department received entries from public elementary and middle school classrooms across the commonwealth to name the 12 MassDOT snowplows that will be in service during the 2025/2026 winter season. 
 
The purpose of the contest is to celebrate the snow and ice season and to recognize the hard work and dedication shown by public works employees and contractors during winter operations. 
 
"Thank you to all of the students who participated. Your creativity allows us to highlight to all, the importance of the work performed by our workforce," said  interim MassDOT Secretary Phil Eng.  
 
"Our workforce takes pride as they clear snow and ice, keeping our roads safe during adverse weather events for all that need to travel. ?To our contest winners and participants, know that you have added some fun to the serious take of operating plows. ?I'm proud of the skill and dedication from our crews and thank the public of the shared responsibility to slow down, give plows space and put safety first every time there is a winter weather event."
 
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