Northampton resident takes second place in poetry contest

Guest columnist Patricia Crosby: 88 seasons and counting

In 1939, in a community far from recovered from the Great Depression, a group of Greenfield residents banded together, deciding that western Massachusetts needed a symphony orchestra. Only six years earlier, one in 10 people in Greenfield were unemployed, and one in eight were dependent on the welfare department. According to “History of Greenfield, Massachusetts 1930–1953, Vol. IV” by Charles Sidney Severance, “Business and commercial life was almost at a standstill … lines were a block long … on Court Square, as unemployed by the hundreds… sought the meager food and clothing available.” But now it was 1939 and the country […]

Joseph E. Reopel

<html><head></head><body>Joseph E. Reopel<br /><br />Easthampton, MA - Joseph E. Reopel, 90, died on September 27, 2026 at Baystate Medical Center. Born in Northampton on November 8, 1935. He was the son of Roman and Delena Imhoff Reopel . Joe was the ...

Peter Mclean

<html><head></head><body>PETER MCLEAN<br /><br />Worthington, MA - Peter Charles McLean, 90, of Worthington, died peacefully on Saturday, September 26, 2026, in Northampton, surrounded by family and friends.<br /><br />Born July 12, 1936, in Holyoke, ...

Judy Hudson

<html><head></head><body>Judy Hudson<br /><br />Pelham, MA - Judith Maddock Hudson died peacefully at her home in Pelham, MA on July 30, 2026, aged 91. She lived a long and rich life, with family, mountains (especially the northern Presidentials of Ra ...

Paul L. Hebert

<html><head></head><body>PAUL L. HEBERT<br /><br />Florence, MA - Paul Leon Hebert, 75, of Florence, Massachusetts, passed away on September 30, 2026.<br /><br />Paul was the son of the late Arthur and Anna Hebert. He was predeceased by his beloved wi ...