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ANOTHER BIG RAIN

MAY 2010 VOICE: Similar to the flood-like waters, which inundated much of Eastern Massachusetts in May 2006, the three-day torrential rainstorm of this March 13-15 again raised havoc with a chunk of our state's population.
In '06 we highlighted Peabody where Association Vice President Joe DiFranco reported that downtown Peabody was flooded, requiring the evacuation of a number of elderly housing apartments. Some 12 inches of rain fell in the North Shore area.

Worse Than Blizzard of ‘78

In the annals of Central Massachusetts, the ice storm of this past December 11-12 is rated as worse than the Blizzard of ’78 in severity and hardship for many members.

With little warning, other than expected freezing rain on the eve of December 11, members were awakened during the night by a widespread power outage and the sound of trees snapping. When dawn arrived it appeared that he world had returned to a veritable Ice Age. And winter was still 10 days away.

MIDDLEBORO RETIREES ORGANIZING LOCALLY

2007 JULY - As communities focus more and more on paying for health insurance, local retirees have been organizing to better defend against attempts to reduce their benefits or shift costs onto them. This is not an entirely new phenomenon, since there are examples of municipal retiree groups, with a long and productive history, such as in Newton, Plymouth and Attleboro.
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Death of Bob Hamilton Leaves Opening For Berkshire VP

2007 MAY - Robert Hamilton, our Berkshire area Vice President, passed away this February after a lengthy battle with Parkinson’s Disease.
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Madeline Sullivan Passes On

Madeline Sullivan

2007 MAY - Shortly before going to press, we received word that Association Secretary Madeline Sullivan had passed away after a lengthy illness.

Sullivan was a true pioneer of group insurance here in Massachusetts. In 1956, she was one of the first people hired by State Group Insurance Commission Director Bill Burke. Burke himself had just been appointed by Governor Christian Herter to head the new agency created in October 1955.