The exterior of the Lymes’ Senior Center on Town Woods Rd. in Old Lyme. File photo
OLD LYME—Asked by LymeLine in a phone interview on Tuesday, Jan. 30, how the Lymes’ Senior Center Renovation and Expansion project was progressing, chair of the Lymes’ Senior Center Building Committee Jeri Baker responded enthusiastically, “We’re moving forward!”
She explained that her positive outlook stemmed from the fact that this afternoon, Tuesday, Feb. 6, from 2 through 4 p.m., Newfield Construction Management will open the bids for the building trades in the Old Lyme Memorial Town Hall Meeting Room. Baker added, “This is a public event,” adding, “There has been a lot of interest in the project—11 trade packages were sent out and we held a walk-through for the trades last week.”
Jeri Baker addresses the audience in the Lyme-Old Lyme Middle School auditorium during a June 2023 presentation to the public about the Lymes’ Senior Center proposal. Martha Shoemaker, who is now Old Lyme First Selectwoman but was a Selectwoman at the time of this photo, stands at left. File photo.
Commenting, “We are hopeful that the bids come in around the March 2023 estimates,” she noted, “Despite the unexpected and unavoidable delays we experienced, there is genuine excitement now to begin the work.”
Solidifying her recent commitment “to communicate more,” Baker told LymeLine that plans for private fundraising had begun, applications for two grants were in the works and a ground-breaking ceremony was being planned for mid-March.
OLD SAYBROOK—UPDATED 1/29 with full obituary David G. Brown,artistand farmer, 70, of Old Saybrook, CT died peacefully in his home at the Hay House Farm in Old Saybrook on January 19, 2024. David was born in Englewood Cliffs, NJ, on March 27, 1953 to George and Mary (Wyda) Brown. He graduated from Old Saybrook High School in 1971, 2nd in his class. David started college at Middlebury, where he began to paint portraits and still lifes. He longed to see the world though and took a year off to travel overland across Asia. He visited India, Turkey, Pakistan, Iran and Afghanistan, where he saw the Buddhas of Bamiyam, and he trekked through Nepal. This journey would change his life. Upon returning, David attended Dartmouth College, and graduated Summa Cum Laude in 1976 having studied World Geography and Food Problems. He later received a Master of Arts in Liberal Studies from Wesleyan University in 1989.
David returned to Nepal to teach at the Village School in Syrabu from 1976-1978. The residents were refugees from the Tibetan Village of Happiness. He was amazed by how genuinely happy the Tibetans were, despite having so little. During his travels, David took photographs for UNICEF and Save the Children that were later published in a children’s book. When he returned to the U.S., he sought a similarly simple lifestyle, starting a farm in 1986 in Old Saybrook. He moved into a home built from hay bales covered in stucco, which was without plumbing or electricity. There he created his own personal sanctuary, the Hay House Farm, where he melded art and farming into his everyday life. The message of the Hay House was, “this is more than enough”.
From 1987-1991 David taught social studies and art at the Hammonasset School in Madison. One year, he brought his students to Nepal for a month to work at the Tibetan refugee camp. The group brought with them duffel bags full of clothing for distribution. In October, 1991, Tenzin Gyatso, the 14th Dali Lama was invited to Yale to receive an honorary degree. David was asked to drive the Dali Lama and the Tibetan Cabinet around New Haven. At the end of 1992, David helped resettle 20 Tibetan families in Old Saybrook. From 1992-1997, David worked as the Operations Director for the Tibetan Culture Center of CT. From 1993-1997, he served on the Old Saybrook Board of Education. David built the first Buddhist stupa in Connecticut at the Hay House Farm to serve as a place of meditation for the community. It was dedicated in 2007.
David was a talented painter. His work was displayed at the New Britain Museum of Art in 1999, and at the Discovery Museum in Bridgeport in 2000. In 2004 he was featured at an open house at the Florence Griswold Museum where he created “The Installation”, a life-size still life of the inside of the Hay House with the outside painted in the four seasons. The Installation was accompanied by 365 paintings of sunrises from the past year, and a big grid of portraits of his friends – his everyday heroes. He was the recipient of numerous best in show awards in Guilford, Essex, and at the Yale Art Gallery in New Haven. He displayed his work at several solo exhibitions throughout Connecticut.
“Farmer Brown” became a fixture of the Connecticut shoreline community and was well known for his jam, eggs, produce, honey, paintings, and Lhasa Apso-derived dogs (a breed originating in Tibet). He hosted an annual “daffodil brunch” every spring at The Hay House, when tens of thousands of daffodils bloomed throughout the farm. He was a regular vendor at numerous farmer’s markets in the region, most recently in Chester. David was also the author and illustrator of the children’s book, “Getting Along like Cats and Dogs: Kitty and Puppy at the Hay House.” He inspired countless residents of Connecticut and beyond to respect the earth, live simply, and do what you love.
David was preceded in death by his parents, and his sister, Marjorie Szerlip. He is survived by his sister, Audrey Brown and her husband Peter Cummin of Mystic, and his nephews Aaron and David Szerlip and their wives and children.
A celebration of his life will be in the Spring when the daffodils are in bloom.
Editor’s Note: The following text and photo is our original article published Jan. 26, prior to receiving the full obituary.
This file photo of David Brown was taken Jan. 23, 2017 when he joined the throng of protesters at a ‘Sister March ‘in Old Saybrook. The march was, in many ways, a response to the November 2016 election of President Trump.
OLD SAYBROOK — David G. Brown, age 70, of Old Saybrook, Conn. passed away on Friday, Jan. 19, 2024. He lived and died in The Hay House in Old Saybrook, which had neither electricity nor plumbing. He was an accomplished painter and a deeply spiritual man. He sold flowers, jams and more at numerous local markets. He was a remarkable man.
An obituary and details of services have not been posted yet. We have been promised them by David’s sister as soon as they are available, and will publish them immediately after receiving them.
If you did not know him, it is hard to explain why there is such a widespread and extensive outpouring of grief in response to David’s unexpected passing. Perhaps the tribute that Carol Adams posted on Facebook may help. Carol is the founder and owner of Ashlawn Farm Coffee—we publish her words here with her permission.
First of all, it seems that anything anyone may say about David Brown is sure to fall short and be an understatement. With that in mind, I just would like to express that it still just doesn’t feel possible that David Brown is not walking this earth anymore.
What an incredible life!
He was hugely present in our community: as a talented and dedicated painter, an organic gardener, a farmer, a teacher, a caretaker of the earth, a dog breeder, a spiritual person, a helper, an organizer, a constant thinker, an idealist, a philosopher and a friend.
And you would just run into him everywhere.
I don’t think I’ve ever met anyone who didn’t know David or at least know of him!
My coffee house is blessed to have his painting of our farm (where the coffee business started and thrived for the first 15 years) above the Cafe entrance and we think back fondly on the many years of David’s annual art shows before Christmas at Ashlawn!
David was a main character and a favorite at the Lyme Farmer’s Market at our farm in Lyme, and it was from him that we got our sweet little doggy Princess, a Malti-Shit who is a side character in his now-almost-famous children’s book.
David also painted my three children, works that we will always treasure. He surely was a special guy, one of a kind.
So many of us will sure miss David! What a void he leaves by going too soon, but he enriched our lives, his town, this whole area, and the lives of lots and lots of people.
Old Lyme Resident State Trooper Matt Weber (second from left) and members of the Old Lyme Police Department gather for a photo with Mahmoud (back row, center) and Fadia (seated, right) Alkhalawi during a welcome visit to the Alkhalawi’s at their home. Juliette Meus, Co-Chair of the Lyme-Old Lyme Refugee Resettlement Committee, sits to the left of Fadia.
OLD LYME—UPDATED 1/28 with donation information and additional names in photo above: Old Lyme Resident State Trooper Matt Weber and his team of Old Lyme Police Department (OLPD) officers recently took time out of their busy schedules to visit with the recently-arrived Alkhalawi family, who are refugees from Syria.
The OLPD presented the family with a restaurant gift-card as a welcoming gesture to the Lyme-Old Lyme community. The family enjoyed the visit by the OLPD and were especially appreciative of the gift card.
The family is being assisted by the Lyme-Old Lyme Refugee Resettlement Committee in a variety of ways.
After the visit, Howard Margules, who is a member of Refugee Resettlement Committee, shared an email with LymeLine that had been sent to both State Trooper Weber and Old Lyme First Selectwoman Martha Shoemaker, which read as follows: “On behalf of the Lyme-Old Lyme Refugee Resettlement Committee, I want to thank Resident Trooper Matt Weber and his team of officers for taking the time to visit with the Alkhalawi family, and for their kind offer of support.”
The email continued, “Mahmoud and Fadia were so pleased to have the opportunity to meet the officers, and it was very reassuring for them to know that people in authority care for them. They thank the officers for the restaurant gift card and I am sure the family will savor the meal.”
In conclusion, the email stated, “The visit was greatly appreciated!”
Editor’s Notes: i) For further information about the Lyme-Old Lyme Refugee Resettlement Committee, visit this link. ii) To donate online to the Lyme-Old Lyme Refugee Resettlement Committee, visit this link on the First Congregational Church of Old Lyme website and select Refugee Resettlement in the dropdown Fund menu. iii) To donate by mail to the Lyme-Old Lyme Refugee Resettlement Committee, make your check payable to: First Congregational Church of Old Lyme with Refugee Resettlement Committee in the memo line. Mail to P.O. Box 172 Old Lyme, CT 06371
Jim Ward, founder and president of the Lyme-Old Lyme Food Share Garden, was named Old Lyme’s 2023 Citizen of the Year at Monday night’s Annual Town Meeting. Ward, second from left, stands with the Old Lyme Board of Selectmen after being presented with his award. Old Lyme First Selectwoman Martha Shoemaker is at left, Selectman Jim Lampos at right and Selectwoman Judith Read is second from right.
OLD LYME — UPDATED 11:30 a.m. with Ward’s response to receiving the award and more photos: James ‘Jim’ Ward, founder and president of the Lyme-Old Lyme Food Share Garden (LOLFSG), was named Old Lyme’s 2023 Citizen of the Year at Monday night’s Annual Town Meeting held in the Meeting Hall of Old Lyme’s Memorial Town Hall.
Despite the cold, many friends and supporters of Ward turned out to celebrate his success, although, in keeping with years of tradition, he himself knew nothing about the impending award. Ward was tricked into attending the meeting having been advised that a friend was receiving it!
Old Lyme First Selectwoman Martha Shoemaker opened her announcement of the 2023 honoree for the award with the words, “In my opinion, choosing the Citizen of the Year award is one of the hardest decisions the board of selectmen make all year. The reason for that is because we have so many deserving citizens in Old Lyme.”
She noted that the board of selectmen appreciated all the letters of recommendation for the 2023 Citizen of the Year that were sent this year.
Old Lyme Selectwoman Jude Read studies the text of the proclamation naming Jim Ward (second from left) as Old Lyme’s 2023 Citizen of the Year.
Shoemaker continued, “As a teacher, I always taught my students to not judge a book by its cover. Our 2023 Citizen of the Year has been called by his neighbors, “A quiet man.”” She then gently joked, “After hearing his accomplishments, you may wonder how he can be quiet.”
Quoting Mahatma Gandhi’s famous words, “In a gentle way, you can shake the world.,” Shoemaker said, “This year’s recipient is a master at figuring out how to create and lead a non-profit organization, build grassroot financial support, and oh, rally people to grow, harvest, and send over 5,000 pounds of fresh vegetables to food banks across the region. All on an accelerated timeline.”
She then announced, “Our 2023 Citizen of the Year is Old Lyme resident Jim Ward, President of the Lyme-Old Lyme Food Share Garden, and a Champion for creating community around local environmental and food security solutions.”
Asked early Tuesday morning, his reaction to being named to the honor, Ward responded via email, saying, “Having processed last night I would like to thank my better half, Sheila, the LOLFSG Board of Directors, the garden volunteers and all those who have supported us financially.”
He added, ” It takes a village to raise a community garden. It is has been an honor for me personally and for the garden community to be recognized as the Citizen of the Year.”
Ward concluded, “Thanks to all who nominated me and wrote letters of support and to the Board of Selectpersons for their selection.”
Old Lyme’s 2023 Citizen of the Year, Jim Ward, addresses the audience after overcoming the surprise of being named recipient of the honor.
The full text of Shoemaker’s explanation of and justification for Ward being this year’s honoree follows in italics:
A passionate environmentalist, Jim quietly takes actions to help others learn how to make a difference in our environment, because teachers believe every moment is a teachable moment – The catalyst for his community building efforts began when Jim participated in the 2020 UConn Master Gardening Program. Jim’s required outreach hours for the program were met by volunteering at the Food for All garden in Clinton.
His admiration for how the Food For All garden and other similar gardens in the region met the increasing needs of community food banks was equaled by his appreciation for the sense of community they created. This was something Jim thought the Lyme-Old Lyme community could replicate.
In seeking a potential site for a food bank community garden here, Jim presented his ideas to the Old Lyme Parks & Recreation Commission and the Inland Wetlands Commission; and through his thorough and considerate presentations to both, gained support to utilize a parcel of land at Town Woods Park for his envisioned community garden. He and his wife Sheila thought the location perfect because of its close proximity to the onsite playground, sports fields, and the Lymes Senior Center, making the garden accessible to all ages in both towns.
In March 2021, Jim held a Zoom meeting open to all residents to plan the food bank community garden at Town Woods Park. The goal would be to provide fresh produce to help alleviate food insecurities and support healthy nutrition to families in Old Lyme, Lyme, and surrounding communities.
Friends and supporters of Jim Ward, who braved the cold to see him accept the award, gathered round him after the presentation to celebrate hiis success. From left to right are Ward’s neighbors, the Gotowkas—Tom and Christina, and Elizabeth Rubitski, Ward stands fourth from right and his wife Sheila McTigue-Ward is to his left. (Editor’s Note: We will add the additional names when we have confirmed them.)
That Zoom meeting resulted in a handful of volunteers ready to take on Jim’s challenge. The rest of 2021 was spent raising money, building garden fencing, and preparing the soil. In 2022, their first growing season, the Food Share Garden logged more than 700 hours of volunteers’ time in producing and donating over 2500 pounds of fresh produce to the Shoreline Soup Kitchens & Pantries, and the United Way of Southeastern Connecticut.
During this past year’s second growing season, Jim’s leadership contributed to 31 volunteers logging over 1000 hours, again producing more than 2500 pounds of produce, and converting over a thousand pounds of food waste to compost for next year’s garden.
Still in just its second growing season, the Lyme-Old Lyme Food Share Garden was one of three giving gardens to receive the Innovation Award from the United Way of Southeastern Connecticut.
Liz Rubitski, has volunteered with Jim and the LOLFSG for three years and says it’s been an absolute pleasure. She goes on to say “Jim’s leadership style is impressive. He balances inclusivity with decision making so that everyone stays focused and this results in accomplishing tasks efficiently with high quality. This can be seen with how far the garden has come in just 3 years. In addition to board leadership his hands-on work ethic is inspiring, he literally never shies away from getting his hands dirty.”Liz concludes with “and as if that wasn’t enough, Jim is fun to be around!”
Peter Hunt who serves on the Board of Directors for the Lyme Old Lyme Food Share Garden was happy to share that,“Jim is a down to earth guy with a great idea and the drive to realize it. Jim is a good leader in that he can set an agenda but be flexible and a good listener. He shares decision making and credit for accomplishments. He really works year-round on the garden and is there early and stays late during the season.”
From the beginning, Jim’s holistic thinking for the garden included not just growing vegetables, but also ensuring the garden was healthy through pollination and compost initiatives. Early in the planning process Jim reached out to Pollinate Old Lyme to promote the future food share garden as a public pollinator garden where people could visit and see what a pollinator meadow looks like. Cheryl Poirier, a co-leader of Pollinate Old Lyme said, “Jim reached out to us as soon as the Town Woods property was secured to talk about supporting a pollinator meadow. Suzanne Thompson and I stood with Jim out amidst a tangle of invader species and the occasional native plant and heard Jim’s vision for not only the vegetable garden that would support food banks, but also for a pollinator garden that would attract the butterflies and bees that would naturally pollinate the proposed vegetable plants. That February afternoon in 2021 it was clear there was still a long way to go, including building his team. But you look at that garden today with the adjacent pollinator meadow of native asters, milkweed, rudbeckia, and more, and you think wow, here is someone who can make things happen.”
Suzanne Thompson added,“Jim Ward is visionary, pragmatic, and resourceful. He is a quiet source of inspiration and has a can-do attitude. He accomplishes big things. We are fortunate to have Jim and his wife Sheila living in town.”
WFSB TV personality, Attorney and Old Lyme resident Eric Parker served as Moderator for the event.
Jim also serves our town as co-chair of the Solid Waste and Recycling Committee. Although this committee doesn’t have the most glamorous of names, we rely on them for policy recommendations and opportunities to reduce the Town’s trash, which is not just important for our environment but also for our taxpayers’ wallets. One important way to reduce trash is to encourage our residents to compost their food waste. Jim’s enthusiasm for nature’s way of recycling led to his creation of a pilot composting program in his Library Lane neighborhood. Just this summer, the neighborhood collected over 700 pounds of food waste for composting. As Suzanne Thompson added, “Jim is showing the rest of us that yes, we can do this.”
And stay tuned, this committee is working to bring us closer to better composting options for all our residents.
Jim will always be the first to give others credit and there are many people who have become involved in these projects whether making financial donations or digging in the dirt. But the success of any volunteer endeavor depends on someone who can provide enthusiasm, guidance, and recognition to others. Jim’s neighbors Christine and Tom Gotowka said, “We are impressed that he always acknowledges the role of his core team and the large cadre of volunteers in what has certainly been a successful endeavor that has reflected well on our community.”
And as Peter Hunt further shared, ” Old Lyme is blessed to have the nonprofit sector and schools that it does, but the blessing would not be possible without the contributions and leadership of folks like Jim.”
Growing, Caring, Sharing. These are the guiding words of the Lyme-Old Lyme Food Share Garden. These three words also represent why the Board of Selectmen is happy to present Mr. Jim Ward with the 2023 Citizen of the Year award.
Shoemaker concluded, “Jim, I am sure your family, friends, and your fellow citizens of Old Lyme, will join me in thanking you for not just thinking about solutions for food insecurity and environmental issues, but for also taking action and bringing the rest of us along for the ride. Congratulations Jim!”
Editor’s Note: We add our own hearty congratulations to Jim — such a well-deserved award for a truly remarkable man. Well done, Jim!
Instructor Mini-grants up to $1000 Offered Plus Materials to Lead Hands-on Arts Opportunities for Lyme and Old Lyme Teens This Summer
Teen artists enjoy painting ‘en plein air’ during last year’s Lymes Creative Arts program. Photo by Kristen Thornton.
LYME-OLD LYME — The application window is now open for instructors wishing to lead arts programming for Lyme and Old Lyme teens this summer. Lymes Creative Arts is offering mini-grants of up to $1000 plus materials to instructors providing hands-on arts opportunities.
A collaboration of the Lymes Youth Service Bureau (LYSB), and the Sustainable Committees of the Towns of Lyme and Old Lyme, “Lymes Creative Arts” is now in its fourth year of providing arts programming to teens as a way to enrich their lives and find fulfillment in artistic expression. The program began in the summer of 2020 when Lyme-Old Lyme Schools and other organizations including LYSB were concerned about the isolation and stress teens were facing during the COVID pandemic.
Lymes Creative Arts was created “by students for students” and offers affordable and accessible creative arts programming for middle school and high school residents of the two towns. The initiative is designed to reduce barriers to participation such as access to program options, time availability, and financial hardship.
Learning the art of tiling at Lilywork Artisan Tile studio in Old Lyme was a popular program offered last year by Lymes Creative Arts. Photo by Lilywork Artisan Tile.
Proposals for arts programming can include areas such as hands-on visual arts, craft-making, literary arts, and performing arts.
Applicants do not need to be professional instructors, but must demonstrate the ability to lead arts instruction for teens, and pass a background check.
Applications are due Feb. 16. Artist Instructors will be notified mid-March and will be provided a letter of agreement.
Programming must occur between June 20 and Aug. 20, 2024. Full grant instructions and an application are posted at LYSB.org/teenarts.
