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Westborough resident celebrates 102nd birthday
By Maureen Sullivan Assistant Editor
Vol. 51 | No. 20 | May 16, 2025
Summer Camp & Activity Guide
SOUTHBOROUGH – Plans for a new Margaret A. Neary School were recently thwarted. Residents attending a Special Town Meeting on May 10 at Algonquin Regional High School voted down plans to build a new Neary Elementary School. After more than three hours of deliberations, the project did not achieve the two-thirds vote necessary to pass. The matter was also on the ballot during the town’s May 12 election, after the Community Advocate went to print. If the project passed at the ballot box, it may potentially spur further conversation about the project, and may lead
Shrewsbury’s squares honor veterans
Shrewsbury | 8 Cohen reflects on Select Board journey
Neary | 14
Conlin, Richards reflect on Shrewsbury Select Board victories By Evan Walsh Managing Editor SHREWSBURY – The morning after winning spots on the Select Board, Michelle Conlin and Gregg Richards were thankful. During the town’s Annual Election on May 6, Conlin (2,022 votes) and Richards (1,889 votes) bested three other candidates to secure their spot on the board. In interviews with the Community Advocate on May 7, both candidates said they were thankful for their supporters, and also ready to work for residents over the next three years. “It’s incredibly humbling. It’s an honor to have their trust. I appreciate the encouragement to move forward and continue the work I’ve been doing for the last three years,” said Conlin, who Victories | 5
Page 13
Northborough | 16
Fern-Aileen Symonds Imse shows one of the letters from Hastings Elementary School third-graders as part of her 102nd birthday celebration on April 28 at The Willows. (Photo/Maureen Sullivan)
By Maureen Sullivan Assistant Editor WESTBOROUGH – On April 28, FernAileen Symonds Imse presided over a dinner with some family members and friends at the Willows, where she’s been residing for 12 years. She was celebrating her 102nd birthday, and while there was no big celebration, there were plenty of stories to share. “She truly is a remarkable woman with an incredible life story,” said Jesse Imse, her grandson. Born in Canada in 1923, Fern moved to New York City with her mother, Mary, at a young age. She grew up in the era of Model-T automobiles and silent movies, but saw the nation industrialize – she went to the top of the Empire State Building when it opened 1931. Fern went to the University of Michigan
at Ann Arbor. During World War II, the history major remembered seeing “a lot of people in uniform.” She met her husband, Thomas Paul Imse, a graduate student, during a sock dance at the local church. They were married just after the war. Once her husband got a job as a professor at the College of the Holy Cross, Fern was Westborough-bound. “It was quieter,” Fern said, of living on Myrtle Street during the ’60s and ’70s. “It’s still a very nice town.” Fern soon began her longtime association with several community organizations, including the Westborough Public Library. She served on the Board of Trustees for more than 25 years and was the leader of three community book clubs. She was a trustee when the library built its expansion in 1980. In her honor, the library planted a tree with a plaque. Fern-Aileen | 5
Twelve varsity letters later, Beauchesne set to graduate
Southborough | 25
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