Williamstown digest

12:00AM / Wednesday, December 22, 2004Print Story | Email Story

Scholarships available The Williamstown Municipal Scholarship Committee has announced the availability of applications for scholarships for the first semester of the upcoming school year. The scholarships are meant for those who have already begun their college experience and for those who are considered to be non-traditional students (enrolled in accredited educational programs beyond the secondary school level). The latter students are often those who have returned to the academic world after a period of time doing other things. Students who have been accepted or are already enrolled in technical or vocational post-secondary programs are eligible to apply. Award recipients must be residents of Williamstown. Current high school seniors, since they are eligible for other scholarship awards, will not be considered for these post-graduate scholarships. They are encouraged to apply in subsequent years when they will meet the post-graduate requirements. The Williamstown Scholarship Committee consists of five town residents appointed by the Selectmen. Scholarship Committee members are Roger Cirone, Margaret Ware, Mark Piechota, Bart vanLuling and Cheryl Yarter. The Committee will consider the financial need, character, scholastic record, involvement in community work and extra-curricular activities of all applicants in determining scholarship recipients. Transcripts of completed work and financial need data are part of the application. Funding for the scholarships comes from voluntary contributions made by town residents. It is anticipated that this yearâ€™s scholarships will total $3,000. Applications are available at the treasurer/collectorâ€™s office in the municipal building, 31 North St., and may be obtained in person or by mail. The application deadline is Feb. 1, 2005, and completed applications must be received no later than 5 p.m. on that date. Awards will be announced in late February, and scholarships will be mailed by early March to the recipientsâ€™ educational institutions for first semester payment. Public meetings A schedule of public meetings in or about Williamstown, as provided by Town Clerk Mary C. Kennedy, 458-9341, from official postings. Meetings are held at the municipal building, 31 North St., unless otherwise indicated: Tuesday, Dec. 28, Historical Commission, 7:30 p.m. Harper Center Elder Services Nutrition Program serves hot meals. Call 458-8250 or 458-5156; 48-hour notice is appreciated. Voluntary donations for van transportation are 50 cents one-way from Williamstown and $1 one-way from North Adams. Service is available 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. daily: Thursday, Dec. 23, 10 a.m., Tai Chi; 11 a.m., van to Wal-Mart; 11:30 a.m., lunch; 1 p.m. crafts; 3:30 p.m., knitting group. Friday, Dec. 24, Harper Center closed â€” Merry Christmas. Monday, Dec. 27, 10:30 a.m., exercise; 11:30 a.m., lunch; 1 p.m., line dancing, blood pressure clinic. Tuesday, Dec. 28, 9 a.m., oil painting; 9:45 and 10:45 a.m., van to Stop & Shop. Wednesday, Dec. 29, 9 a.m., van to Price Chopper; 10:30 a.m., exercise; 11:30 a.m., lunch; 1 p.m., bridge. Deaths Daniel Stanley â€œBeelerâ€ Gardzina, 76, of 136 Meadow St., North Adams, died Sunday, Dec. 19, at Webster Manor Nursing Home 745 School St., Webster, following a short illness. He was born in North Adams on March 11, 1928, a son of John Jacob Gardzina and Victoria Elizabeth (Zdon) Gardzina. He was educated in North Adams schools. He was a veteran of World War II, enlisting in the Navy in 1946 and serving until 1948 in Yap Island in the Carolinas and the South Pacific Theater of Operations. Mr. Gardzina worked for the former Sprague Electric Co. and former Wall-Streeter Shoe Co. in North Adams and later with the Warren Wire Co. of Pownal, Vt. Before his retirement in 1990, he was last employed in the Polyfibron Division of W.R. Grace Co. in Adams, for more than 16 years. He also worked for more than 34 years with Valley Park Bowling Lanes on Curran Highway, North Adams. He was an outstanding candlepin bowler and won many trophies in various competitions. He was a lifelong communicant of St Francis of Assisi Church of North Adams and a member of the Dr. George Curran Post 996 Veterans of Foreign Wars and the Frank Stiles Post 125 American Legion of North Adams. His wife was the former Mary Frances Maloney, who died Jan. 10, 1996. They were married on Sept. 17, 1955, in St. Francis de Sales Church of Bennington, Vt. Mr. Gardzina leaves a daughter, Mary Ellen Severance of Charlton; two sisters, Evelyn Davis and Emily Harrington, both of Williamstown; two brothers, John Gardzina of North Adams and Stanley Gardzina of Aiken, S.C. (formerly of Pittsfield); nieces, nephews, grandnieces and grandnephews. He was predeceased by two sisters, Genevieve Ferdin and Helen Brendza; and two brothers, Edward Gardzina and Joseph Gardzina. The funeral was Wednesday from the Flynn & Dagnoli-Montagna funeral home, West Chapels, 521 West Main St North Adams. A Liturgy of Christian Burial was celebrated at St Francis of Assisi Church, North Adams. Burial followed in Southview Cemetery, North Adams. Memorial donations are suggested for the Victory Junction Way, through the funeral home. Harold William Guiden, 78, of 1241 Oblong Road, South Williamstown, died Wednesday, Dec. 15, at the Vermont Veteran Home in Bennington, surrounded by his family and the loving staff on the C wing. He was born in Williamstown on Aug. 10, 1926, a son of Arthur Guiden and Frances (James) Guiden. He attended schools in Williamstown and graduated from the former Williamstown High School in 1944. He was a veteran of World War II, serving with the Navy on the USS Topeka from 1944 to 1946 as a fireman first class After his military caree, he returned to Williamstown and worked for General Electric Co. in Pittsfield and later at the Cornish Wire Co. in Williamstown. For many years he was the caretaker and farm hand on the Cricket Creek Farm on Oblong Road in South Williamstown. He then worked for the J.B. Wood Co. in Williamstown. He was last employed as the owner and operator of the H. W. Guiden Plumbing Co., until his retirement in 1989. He was a member of the Second Congregational Church of South Williamstown, the Richard Reuther Post 152 American Legion in Williamstown and the Williamstown VFW. He leaves his wife, Marguerite â€œMaggieâ€ (Field) Guiden, whom he married on Nov. 17, 1945, in Pittsfield; two daughters, Jean Frances Richer and Bonnie Mae Clark, both of Williamstown; two sons, John Allen Guiden and James Arthur Guiden, both of Williamstown; a sister, Ethel Gildea of Albany, N.Y.; six grandchildren and four great-grandchildren. The funeral was Monday at the Second Congregational Church in South Williamstown, with the Rev. Penny Rich, pastor, officiating. Burial with full military honors followed in the family plot in Southlawn Cemetery, South Williamstown. The Flynn & Dagnoli-Montagna funeral home, West Chapels, 521 West Main St., North Adams MA 01247, was in charge of arrangements. Memorial donations are suggested for Hospice of Bennington County or to the Vermont Veterans Home in care of the C Wing, through the funeral home. Daniel B. Primmer, 88, of 61 Pine Lodge Park, Williamstown, a longtime resident of 363 Henderson Road and former superintendent of the town Highway Department, died Tuesday, Dec. 14, at the Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston. He was born in Williamstown, on April 16, 1916, a son of Daniel B. Primmer and Jennie Jane (Brown) Primmer. He moved to North Adams as a child and attended schools in North Adams. He worked for several years for the Boston & Maine Railroad. He then was a farmer on the family farm on Bee Hill Road, Williamstown. For many years, Mr. Primmer was employed by the town Highway Department and served as superintendent at the time of his retirement in 1980. After his retirement, he owned and operated his own construction company for several years. He also worked part-time as a butcher of livestock. He was a communicant of St. Patrick & Raphael Parish in Williamstown. He was a founding member and past president of the East Mountain Sportsman Club. He served as a board of director of Friends of the Renal Dialysis Unit at Berkshire Medical Center in Pittsfield. He was an avid deer and raccoon hunter and loved woodworking. He gave away many of his projects, including many reindeer made of birch branches at Christmas and rocking horses for children. In his younger years he was an accomplished boxer. He married Livia Mary (Benedetti) Primmer on April 25, 1937. She died on May 27, 1996. He leaves two daughters, Elisabeth Louise Primmer Carmen of Spencerport, N.Y., and Margaret Mary Calagy of Lynbrook, N.Y.; three sons, David Daniel Primmer of Pembroke, John Anthony Primmer of Pownal, Vt., and Michael Bruce Primmer of Oneonta, N.Y; two sisters, Elizabeth Gorman of North Adams and Annabelle Metcalfe of Cranston, R.I.; a brother, Donald Primmer of Clarksburg; 16 grandchildren and three great-grandchildren. He was predeceased by two brothers, I. Weston Primmer and Lewis Primmer. A Liturgy of Christian Burial was celebrated Saturday St. Patrickâ€™s Church, Williamstown. Burial followed in Eastlawn Cemetery, Williamstown. The Flynn & Dagnoli-Montagna funeral home, West Chapels, 521 West Main St., North Adams MA 01247, was in charge of arrangements. Memorial donations are suggested for the FORD Dialysis Unit at BMC or to the St. Patrick & Raphaelâ€™s Food Pantry, through the funeral home.

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Lanesborough Fifth-Graders Win Snowplow Name Contest

02:13PM / Tuesday, December 23, 2025

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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