Two area veterans get Quilts of Valor

ORANGE — Veterans Dereck G. Dowler and Alfred O. “Ollie” Ohlson received Quilts of Valor at a ceremony at the North Orange Grange on May 14.

The honor was made possible by the Quilts of Valor Foundation, a nonprofit that aims to literally and metaphorically comfort veterans with the healing love of a homemade quilt as an expression of gratitude for their sacrifices. The quilts were crafted by Nancy Blackmer, the Orange town clerk and North Orange Grange secretary.

Dowler served in the Air National Guard from October 1998 to June 2005. He attained the rank of staff sergeant (E-5) and was awarded the Meritorious Service Medal while serving in Operation Iraqi Freedom. Dowler comes from a long line of men who served in the military, with his grandfather serving in the U.S. Navy and his father and brother having been in the Air National Guard as well.

During his time in the military, Dowler also pursued his education, earning a master’s degree. He was also awarded the Pioneer Valley Excellence in Teaching Award. He reached the rank of Eagle Scout and is now an assistant scoutmaster in Orange.

Ohlson served in the U.S. Marine Corps from 1956 to 1964, surviving 14 weeks of basic training on Parris Island and four weeks of infantry training at Camp Geiger, North Carolina. The Laos Crisis began in the early 1960s and Ohlson was picked to travel as a foot soldier to make a landing in the landlocked Southeast Asian country. While at sea on a dock landing ship, the vessel encountered a typhoon. The vehicles it was carrying slammed against the side of the ship and Ohlson had to frantically put the trucks back together. As he and his comrades got within 20 miles of the country, Laos had entered a cease-fire treaty and Ohlson did not have to make a landing as a foot soldier. All the ships, troops and commanders stayed in the Philippines, working closely with the Navy Seabees.

He worked at L.S. Starrett Co. in Athol until taking a job in the engineering department at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. He was a volunteer firefighter from his high school days until he had triple bypass surgery in 1996. He also served as New Salem’s constable for years until his grandson, Andrew, took over the post in 2022.

Historical Society acquires trove from town’s square dancing heyday

ORANGE — The Orange Historical Society promises a blast from the past when its 41 North Main St. doors reopen for summer tours in June, as new displays will include memorabilia and photographic and textual archives hailing from the town’s celebrated square dancing history.

“The Jumptown Twirlers,” a bygone local dance club established in 1962, set petticoats awhirl and spirits high on dance floors near and far, including at the 1964-1965 New York World’s Fair. Organizational remnants include ornamental dance hall embellishments, action photos, yellowed headlines and official club documents.

The formally organized square dancers were named after the town’s moniker as an international pioneer in recreational parachuting. Founded by Dana and Rita Blood, the club formed the same year that Orange famously hosted the sixth World Sport Parachuting Championships. That sport spectacular ran for three weeks in the summer of 1962, welcoming foreign contingents representing dozens of countries, including those of the Eastern Bloc.

The Jumptown Twirlers collection, donated by Marilyn (Lemire) Dupel Cunningham and Dorothy (Wetmore) Grant, can be enjoyed on Sundays from June through September, when the Historical Society museum is open for guided tours from 2 to 4 p.m., or by appointment by calling President Kathryn Schiappa at 978-544-6814.

New Salem public health nurse to deliver free presentation

NEW SALEM — The town’s public health nurse, Carolyn Hochard, will deliver a free presentation on Tuesday, June 4, about ticks, tick-borne illnesses and tick bite prevention.

The presentation is set for the New Salem Public Library at 23 South Main St. from 5:30 to 7 p.m. For more information, call the North Quabbin Health Collaborative at 413-500-6414.

Hochard is also available for drop-ins to handle wellness concerns, medication questions, healthy lifestyle discussions and monthly vital sign monitoring. She is in New Salem the second Tuesday of every month from 2 to 4 p.m. at the Stowell Building, 19 South Main St.