Quaker Scholar To Speak at Susan B Anthony Birthplace Museum Celebration

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ADAMS, Mass.—Psychology-of-peace expert, author, and Quaker Dr. Rachel M. MacNair will be speak at the annual birthday celebration for Susan. B. Anthony. Hosted by the Susan B. Anthony Birthday Museum in Adams, Mass., the event will take place on Sunday, Feb. 15 at 2:00 p.m. in G.A.R. Memorial Hall at the Adams Free Library, 92 Park Street.

Dr. MacNair is a nationally recognized psychologist, sociologist, author, and peace scholar whose work reflects a lifelong commitment to Quaker principles of equality and nonviolence, values deeply shared by Susan B. Anthony and the Quaker community in which she was raised.

A graduate of Earlham College, a historic Quaker institution known for its emphasis on peace studies and civic responsibility, MacNair holds a doctorate in psychology with interdisciplinary training in sociology. Her work has been recognized with multiple professional awards honoring her contributions to ethics, education, and peace studies. In 2011, she was awarded the Outstanding Service Award from the American Psychological Association.

Born into a Quaker family in Adams, Mass., Susan B. Anthony was shaped by the Religious Society of Friends' (Quaker) teachings on the inherent equality and dignity of all people, which guided her lifelong advocacy for women's rights, abolition, and social justice.

"Dr. MacNair's scholarship offers a meaningful lens through which to understand Anthony's Quaker upbringing here in the Berkshires and how those values shaped her advocacy for women's rights throughout her life," said Lucy Czaja Anthony, an Adams' resident and Birthplace Museum board member.

The Feb. 15 event will begin with a reception for attendees, followed by the keynote speaker, and questions from the audience. Seating is limited, and attendees are encouraged to arrive early. G.A.R. Memorial Hall is located on the second floor. Elevator access is available via the Melrose Street entrance.

For more information, visit www.susanbanthonybirthplace.org or e-mail info@susanbanthonybirthplace.org.

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Cheshire Seeks Options West Mountain Runoff

By Sabrina DammsiBerkshires Staff
CHESHIRE, Mass. — The recent increase in rain has exacerbated an ongoing issue of flooding in the neighbors of West Mountain and Curren Roads. 
 
A few months back, a resident of West Mountain Road, Michael Lemanski, adjacent to Curren Road, complained about the runoff from Curren coming down the hill and into his yard. 
 
Over the years, the area's drainage system has changed. Initially, runoff would flow into the woods through a pipe on the right side of Curren Road, which then connected to a pipe on the left side, channeling water across the road and into the woods, said Corey McGrath, Department of Public Works director.
 
Then a garage was built and a pool was put in, so this system changed to a "strict 90" and ran it along the edge of the road, underneath the driveway, another 60 feet, then daylighted the runoff into a privately owned field.
 
"It's never worked. It's always been a problem. It overflows. It's not big enough. It goes down the driveway, and it cuts across his lawn, and washes out everything," McGrath said during the Select Board meeting on Tuesday. 
 
Now, McGrath is proposing installing a storm basin on the right side of Curren Road, pipe it farther down the road on the town's right of way, totally surpassing Lemanski's property, directing the water across the road, and then daylight it into that field. 
 
"Now, I don't know if we're removing one headache and getting another one, dumping it into that property," he said. 
 
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