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More than you really
want to know about Wellesley, Mass. If we could get just 1 measly tip from each
of you per year, imagine how much better this site could be? Please do your part and send tips, photos, ideas here.
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Saturday, June 3, 2006
Wellesley Symphony Orchestra sneak peek
 The orchestra has released its list of 2006-2007 concerts including Mozart, holiday pops and a family event featuring A
Midnight Ride of Paul Revere. More here.
Friday, June 2, 2006
Pan Am flight attendants reunite
 The Globe writes about a recent reunion of flight attendants, probably called stewardesses back when they flew, that
included at least one who lives in Wellesley. The women get together and raise money for good causes, while reliving
the good old days. ``You'd be gone for a whole week. Two days in Rome, two days in Tehran," said Elisa Cunningham,
of Wellesley. ``It was a vacation really. It wasn't working." More here.
Outdoor movie at Warren Park postponed til June 17
With rain in the forecast for tomorrow, the Rec Dept. has postponed its outdoor family movie and entertainment event from June 3 to June 17. Questions? 781 235-2370
Wellesley this weekend: Oscar Wilde and fireworks (hopefully)
Wellesley Summer Theatre presents Oscar Wilde's "An Ideal Husband" Friday and Saturday at assorted times... Wellesley's Wonderful Weekend gets extended to Sunday night, when the town picnics and makes another attempt to beat Mother Nature and set off its fireworks
at dusk...More events and details here.
Thursday, June 1, 2006
Class of '06 graduates from Wellesley College
Global public health activist Ophelia Dahl addressed 544 graduating seniors, their families and friends at Wellesley College's 128th Commencement Exercises
this morning. Dahl, a Class of '94 grad, spoke about the many serious challenges to global health that have taken place during
the graduates' time at Wellesley, from the Iraq War to Hurricane Katrina. She also discussed her work in bringing better health
care to Haiti and other countries.
This year's student Commencement speaker, senior Sophie Kim of Alameda,
Calif., emphasized the continued importance of women's colleges.
"Gender equality is more of a reality today than it was
even in our parents' generation, but there is still more progress to be made, particularly in promoting the advancement and
visibility of women in all sectors of society," she said.
For full text of the speeches, click here.
BB
Townsman blockbuster! A profile of The Swellesley Report
This must be "sweeps week" for the Townsman, which today pulls out all the stops and profiles....us. The story also highlights another online site devoted to the town, The Wellesley Podcast, which is worth a listen. Here's wishing many Pulitzer Prizes to Townsman writer Rachel Lebeaux.
BB
Galbraith's take on Harvard vs. Wellesley
A reader pointed us to today's Boston Globe coverage of a memorial service for economist John Kenneth Galbraith, who died in late April. The reader's point: Galbraith was quite the snob. More specifically, the reader directed us to this
snippet from the story:
[Former U.S. Senator George] McGovern said that when his daughter was applying to colleges, he once
asked Galbraith ``as a practical matter" what difference it would make if she attended Harvard rather than Wellesley.
Galbraith, according to McGovern, replied: ``Well, at Harvard, if you're lucky, you might get Galbraith
once a week. At Wellesley, you might get one of my C-minus students three days a week."
BB
Why The Swellesley Report?
We've been asked this question more than
a few times since starting this site. Not that people don't get the name; it's more that they wonder if we might
be rubbing some people the wrong way by using the term "Swellesley". We probably are, though we haven't had any direct complaints.
Nevertheless, we
went with the name for a few reasons, the most obvious of which is that it's pretty easy to remember, which is so important
in this day of online searching.
For those who are
offended, consider that it could be a lot worse. At least we didn't stoop to Welle-sleaze.
Also, think about
other towns in Massachusetts and the nicknames their towns are stuck with: Braindead
(Braintree); Trashland (Ashland); Slummerville (Somerville); or even Snoot-on (Newton). I'm not even going to touch Athol and Nantucket. Then there's my personal favorite:
No Reading (North Reading).
A web site
operator in another town told me a few months back that he was showing our site to a longtime member of the media who
said: "It's funny the first time."
Well, at least we
know we got one laugh. BB
Friends of Morses Pond annual meeting coming up
 The meeting takes place on Tuesday, June 13 at the Wellesley Free Library from 7:30-9pm. Neal Seaborn, vice-chairman of the
board of the Wellesley Natural Resources Commission, will give an update on the Comprehensive Plan for the Management of Morses
Pond and share thoughts on what will happen next and how citizens can help (a cleanup is scheduled for Saturday, June 24 and
volunteers are encouraged to take part). Officers will also be voted on at the meeting. More on the Friends of Morses Pond.
Not so fast on SAT exam extensions
Wellesley High School guidance director Thom Hughart is among those concerned that some
students might be stretching the term "learning disability" to garner themselves more time to take their SAT exams, according
to a story in today's Boston Globe. ``I've got one or two I'm now looking at that I'm probably not going to grant,"
Hughart tells the Globe. ``Students can't just say they get distracted and nervous and they need extra time." More here.
BB
Wednesday, May 31, 2006
Attack of the Winter Moth caterpillars
 Wellesley's Park & Tree Management group is warning that Winter Moth caterpillars have been defoliating trees in town, though the good news is that the green, inchworm-like
bugs generally stop feeding in June. Extra attention, including watering, is recommended during the summer and fall to help affected trees regain their health.
Michael Quinn, assistant superintendent for Park & Tree suggests visiting this site to find an arborist to help you out or to visit this UMass site for more info (photo from Mass Department of Conservation and Recreation).
BB
Curious about cops?
 The Wellesley Police Department is now accepting applications to join its Citizen Police Academy, an 11-week program that starts
Sept. 20 and gives citizens a behind-the-scenes look at how the department operates. Classes cover topics such as E911 and
dispatching, motor vehicle law and narcotics investigation. Contact Officer Marie Cleary at 781 235 1212 for more info. (You
must give the department the OK to do a criminal history records check on you if you apply for the course.) The class is limited
to 25 participants and classes start at 6:30pm on Wednesday nights mid-September through mid-December. To date, 2 people have
signed up, so there's room for you...BB
History lesson: Remembering Wellesley's Emily Balch
James Buckley, who writes a history column that runs in the MetroWest Daily News, this
week focuses on Emily Balch, who won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1946 for her efforts toward achieving worldwide peace. Balch, who taught at Wellesley College,
made particular efforts to foster better relations between the U.S. and China. (Balch died in 1961.... as far as I can tell
there's no news hook to this column other than that her prize was awarded 60 years ago this year.) Read more.
BB
Tuesday, May 30, 2006
Reporter with Wellesley ties in critical condition after bomb attack in Iraq
CBS newswoman Kim Dozier, who graduated from Wellesley College in 1987, was critically wounded by a roadside bomb Monday
that killed two colleagues. She is being treated for multiple injuries, including head and leg wounds, a U.S. military spokesman
said. More on Dozier here.
Wellesley this week: An Oscar Wilde play, a drama fest, how to be a cop and graduation day
at Wellesley High
 Wellesley Summer Theatre's production of my autobiography, I mean Oscar Wilde's (left) "An Ideal Husband," kicks off tonight at
7pm and presentations run through June 24 at Wellesley College... A drama festival takes place at Babson College beginning on Thursday...Also Thursday, sign-up begins for the youth police academy in town... All that hard work by local students culminates Friday with Wellesley High's graduation.
More details on these and other events here.BB
Monday, May 29, 2006
Observing Memorial Day
 Official town activities take place Tuesday. Memorial Day observances will be held at Woodlawn cemetery at 7pm, Village Church Cemetery at 7:15pm, Town War Memorial Site
at 7:30pm. In the event of rain, observances will take place in the Great Hall at Town Hall at 7pm.BB
Sunday, May 28, 2006
4 or more kids is the new 3 in Wellesley
The Boston Globe Magazine profiles a handful of Wellesley families, including the Mortons (8 kids)
and Heffernans (4 kids), in its cover story about how more families are having more kids. The story, which
narrowly misses meeting the Globe's rule of thumb that the term SUV must be mentioned within the first 200 words of any article
referring to Wellesley, raises lots of questions. These include: What impact does a big family have on the kids' education?
And: Are these people insane? It also cites pressure felt by those in Wellesley without big families. "Around here,
we're the weird people on the street that just have one [child]," says one Wellesley mom, who acknowledges getting worn
down by questions such as: "When are you going to have number two?"
Read the full story, which includes slick audio slideshows of 2 Wellesley families, here.
BB
Wellesley man among those working on Indy 500 crew
Larry Corda of Wellesley is among a handful of men who join forces annually to help put a car into the legendary
race. This year they had to go above and beyond the call of duty to piece together a car in time for the race after their
initial vehicle got creamed in an accident. Read more.
BB
More commuter trains along Wellesley route?
 The state is considering the addition of more commuter trains along the Worcester-Framingham-Boston route that winds through Wellesley, but a big sticking point is the traffic problems this could exacerbate in towns such as
Framingham and Ashland. In those towns, unlike in Wellesley, train crossings create traffic jams. More here.BB
Cub scouts collecting damaged American flags
The St. Paul Cub Scout Pack 186 will be collecting damaged American flags again this year to present to veterans for proper
retirement on Flag Day. If you have a badly faded or torn American flag, a collection box will be available
in the St Paul church foyer from May 28th through June 11th.
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Swell links (friends of The Swellesley Report)
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