Jim Scott ’55 writes: “I have been retired from high school and college science teaching (thanks to the role model of Helen Boyden) for more than a decade, but I have remained active mainly in two areas. I have been a member of the Board of The Kestrel Land Trust, a Pioneer Valley land trust which operates in 19 cities and towns in the Amherst and Northampton area. This land trust recently secured the largest every (3600+ acres) conservation restriction on private land in the history of Massachusetts. It is very rewarding to help maintain the beauty and open space of the Valley. I have also been active in the 5 College Learning In Retirement, an organization for peer senior learning. Last fall I offered a seminar on recent advances in knowledge of the Solar System, and this spring I am offering one on “The Lust For Spices”, an investigation into the nature of spices and the history of the spice trade through the ages.
My wife, Nina, “failed” retirement from 34 years in the Spanish Department of UMASS and is currently Chair of the Spanish Department at Amherst College. Our three children all live here in Massachusetts and three of our grandchildren live in Germany and four here in Massachusetts.
The Deerfield/Amherst area continues to be an exciting, stimulating, and beautiful place to live.
Here is a photo of Nina and me at our vacation cottage in Friendship, ME, where I have been going since before I was born. My grandfather bought the cottage in 1918 !! Friendship is the second largest lobstering harbor in Maine. Now in retirement we tend to spend as much time as possible there from mid June until September. We spend as much time as possible sailing our Pearson Triton (28′) sailboat. Most of our summer neighbors there have been there as long or longer. Both my brother, Tom Scott ’50 and John C. Armstrong ’45 were Deerfield graduates who also summer in Friendship.”