There are many ways great people are commemorated — plaques, statues, books, parks, names of buildings, streets and towns. These tributes are created for people whose contributions made a difference in the lives of the people and communities they served. Barbara Sanden of Phillipston commemorates great people through her quilts.
She has made quilts to honor three people she looked up to — retired state Sen. Steve Brewer, state Sen. Anne Gobi and Phillipston’s Don Wilson. All of them made lasting contributions and their outreaches touched her heart. Barbara said, “It makes me feel good to make a quilt for people I care about. While I’m making a quilt for someone, I think about the person all the time. I feel happy and excited.”
Sen. Brewer’s was the first commemorative quilt she made. He was admiring quilts she had on display in the Phillipston quilt exhibit and when he complimented her on her masterful work, she asked him if he’d like her to make one for him. He was thrilled, and they decided that a pictorial one of the State House would be great.
As Barbara worked, she thought about what a good listener he was, and how well he remembered everyone he met — “He could always put a name with a face. I don’t know how he remembered everyone. He seemed to have a soft spot for our town and the people here.”
Sen. Brewer said he was “blown away” when he saw the quilt. He said, “It is one of the most touching gifts I’ve ever received. Every detail is perfect, even the drapes in the windows are the right color.” He planned to hang it in his office, but when Senate President Therese Murray saw it, she wanted it to be in her reception room where everyone could see it. And there it hung with distinction until it retired to Barre along with Sen. Brewer in 2014.
Barre showed its pride for their hometown senator by honoring him in the Barre Historical Society with a distinguished room, called the Stephen Brewer Museum, and he hung Barbara’s quilt in the museum’s most prominent place — straight ahead for everyone to see when they enter the room.
Sen. Anne Gobi didn’t know that Barbara was making a quilt for her; it was a complete surprise when she received the call asking for her address so Barbara could mail it to her. In true caring Gobi fashion, the senator said she’d come to get it in person.
She went to Barbara’s house to receive a beautiful Betsy Ross flag quilt with the 13 stars that represent the 13 original colonies. Each of the two-inch star sections is perfectly pieced with 13 tiny pieces of fabric. The eagle she quilted in the center of the stars was designed by her husband, Daniel.
Sen. Gobi said, “Barbara puts her heart and soul into everything she does. I’m proud to have it in the hallway that leads to several Senate offices where it can be admired by many. It’s very special to me. Several people were amazed to see that the flag was the work of a quilter; they thought it was a painting.”
When I asked Barbara why she decided to make a quilt for Sen. Gobi, she said, “She’s sincere. She always listens when we talk to her. I like her so I wanted to do something nice for her.”
Recently, Barbara finished a Queen Lake quilt to honor Don Wilson of Phillipston, who passed away last year. She and Sheila Buell, Don’s partner, designed the quilt together to represent the place where he lived and loved. Sheila said, “The making of this quilt has been a healing project for me. I spent a lot of time with Barbara in designing it. She asked for my input to be sure I would be happy with the quilt. I wanted every square to represent something on the lake that was important to Don. He would have loved it. I plan to move to Nevada to be near my family. The quilt will go with me and always keep Don near.
Barbara was Don’s health care worker, so had the opportunity to become good friends with him and Sheila. She said, “He was a pleasure to be with. He was good natured and had a good sense of humor. We had fun playing card games and Parcheesi. Despite his physical problems, he never complained. I was pleased when Sheila asked me to make a quilt in his memory.”
All three of these quilts by Barbara were made for people who have made a lasting impact. All three loved people. All three loved the natural environment.
Sen. Brewer’s leadership career began in 7th grade when he was elected to be class president, a position he held through grade 12. After college, he returned to his home town and served three terms as selectman. From there, he worked as an aid for Sen. Bob Wetmore, a position that prepared him for eight years as State Representative and for 16 years as State Senator. He said his positions allowed him to serve people. He said, “I love people,” and that caring is evident in the numerous expressions of appreciation in his museum from people and organizations throughout the district he served.
Sen. Gobi of Spencer also has a history of leadership. First, she served as a high school history teacher, then studied law and established her own law practice. It was in that position that her caring personality was very evident. She helped women who were in dangerous domestic violence situations. A friend who recognized her strength in caring about people suggested that she run for State Representative, which would give her the opportunity to help a wider range of people. She ran and won, then went on to fill the State Senate seat when Sen. Brewer retired in 2014.
The senators told about important projects they both worked on that were very satisfying — protecting the Quabbin reservoir for recreational access, finding good placements for residents of the Templeton Developmental Center when it closed, and the legalization of same sex marriages, Massachusetts being the first state in the country to take that big step.
Don Wilson also had a lifetime of caring. He established a successful business building skylight structures for commercial buildings. He shared his success with the town of Phillipston to aid it and protect its rural character for the future. He purchased many large parcels of land and turned them over to conservation organizations such as Fisheries and Wildlife and Mount Grace Land Trust. Also, he donated land needed for the building of the dam on Queen Lake and served as president of the Queen Lake Association. When he passed on, he generously remembered the church, library and historical society. His outreach made a difference.
Barbara Sanden put a lot of time, thought and love into the making of the quilts. They are memorials to be treasured about people to be treasured. If all of us sought to reach out to people and our surroundings with time, thought and love, what a wonderful world this would be.
Occasional columnist Carole Gariepy of Phillipston has written seven books, all nonfiction. A recent one is a travel book, “Why Go There?” In her younger years, she was a teacher.