Eliot’s Eagle eye                                                              

Sees a little, knows a little, tells a little ....

…The Eagle needs a new phone!! Well, actually the Eliot first aid team needs an updated phone. Nothing fancy, but it does need to work on the 5G network. So, if you’re upgrading your smartphone, please consider donating your old one to Eliot. The Eagle will even give you a shout out in the spring newsletter; how can you resist that? Contact Bev at registrar@eliotinstitute.org if you can help.

…Wedding bells finally rang out for David Olson and Melanie Grew on September 3.  After numerous COVID delays, these two lovebirds finally got hitched. July Elioteers from far and wide gathered in Portland to celebrate.

…Also in Portland this September, Divneet Kaur and Rob Kaye were married in a traditional Sikh wedding ceremony. Rob is the son of Debbie and Ted Kaye, brother to Mason, uncle to Rose, Jack, and Clarke, nephew to Tom, grandson to Polly, and the list goes on. The Eagle is delighted that Divneet has joined our Eliot family. 

…And upcoming nuptials, at a date still to be determined, for a couple very near and dear to the Eagle’s heart: Adam Hesterberg proposed to Jackie Bredenberg in an elaborate surprise that involved six Boston area parks and a ring from Adam’s grandmother (that’d be the Eagle’s mom). Best of all, she said, “yes”! 

…Heidi Alford sent the Eagle this message: “Gerry and Heidi have fond memories of Eliot. We miss especially the small group experiences. Alicia is teaching preschool and loves the little ones. We are surviving COVID isolation with the beauty that surrounds us, daily scene changes with weather and our property, and virtual contact with a core group of UU's. Seabeck memories sustain us!” And for all who are missing Heidi, she’ll be at Winter Eliot. Sign up and see her there!!

The Eagle Weeps

…Betsey Page passed away this fall after a short illness. Betsey was a true Eliot long-hauler whose attendance record reaches back at least through July 1996 and that’s only as far back as our database goes. I know she was attending even before then! Over the years, Betsey took on many volunteer and staff roles for Eliot: children’s staff, boat dock coordinator, and small group facilitator, to name a few. And of course, there were her recitations of cat poems at the talent show! Betsey touched many Eliot lives and we will miss her.  You can read a bit more about Betsey by following this link to the UUC website: https://www.uuchurch.org/2022/all-in-the-family-betsey-page/

…Another longtime July Elioteer, Carol Alice, died on October 9, 2022. Carol attended July Eliot camps regularly from 2011 up until the pandemic, with a couple of Winter Eliots thrown in for good measure. She brought a vibrant presence to camp, both with her personality and colorful socks! She often served as a small group facilitator and wholeheartedly took part in every aspect of camp life. She will be missed. Our hearts go out to her partner, John Shannock. A service for Carol will be held on December 10, at 2pm at the Unitarian Universalist Church of Vancouver, Washington. The address is 4505 E 18th Street; Vancouver WA 98661.

Opportunity knocks

…Would you like to be a volunteer correspondent for Eliot’s Eagle Eye? Do you like to listen in on conversations, ask nosy questions, and collect tidbits of intel? Bev’s retirement is on the horizon and Eliot could use someone to take over writing this twice-yearly column. It’s not part of her job description, but it IS everyone’s favorite part of the newsletter. In fact, it might be nice to have one correspondent from each camp, so reach out and let Bev know if you’re interested. You can start today!

The Eagle always writes this column with a tiny cloud of anxiety resting over her head.  Whose news has she missed?  She knows she’s forgotten a juicy bit of gossip that she tucked away in her brain, but forgot to write down.  She hates leaving anyone out and apologizes in advance for any omissions.

Enlighten the Eagle: send your bit of high-flyin’ news to registrar@eliotinstitute.org for publication in the next edition of our newsletter.