Around Town

City Seeking to Improve Broadband Access, Create Digital Equity

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The following announcement was provided by the City of Watertown:

The City of Watertown, in collaboration with the Massachusetts Broadband Institute (MBI), has embarked on a Digital Equity Planning project to improve broadband access, adoption, and digital literacy in the community. As part of this initiative, Watertown will be hosting a Broadband 101 and Digital Equity Information Session on Tuesday, June 27, 2023 from 6:00-7:30 p.m. that will be open to the public. Planned topics include:

– An introduction to Watertown’s digital equity planning project

– Why broadband is critical to Watertown residents

– The technical evolution of broadband including present and future needs

– The importance of digital equity and forthcoming funding opportunities

– Q&A Session

Please join us on Zoom: https://watertown-ma.zoom.us/j/86338383018

Meeting ID: 863 3838 3018

Before the meeting, learn more about Digital Equity here on our website.

Schools

Watertown Student Graduating from Oregon State University

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The following announcement was provided by Oregon State University:

Oregon State University will graduate more than 7,300 students during ceremonies Saturday, June 17 at Reser Stadium in Corvallis and Sunday, June 18 at OSU-Cascades in Bend, including one from Watertown. The 7,338 graduates will receive 7,583 degrees. There will be 238 students receiving two degrees, two receiving three degrees and one receiving four degrees. OSU’s 2023 graduates represent 34 of Oregon’s 36 counties, 50 states and 71 countries. The graduates will add to the ranks of OSU alumni, who have earned 287,469 degrees over the university’s 154-year history. Local students graduating this June from Oregon State include:

Watertown: Yehan Lee, Bachelor of Science, Computer Science.

Around Town

Watertown Youth Coalition Gives Community Spirit Awards to Several People, Groups in Watertown

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The Watertown Youth Coalition handed out the Community Spirit Awards at Arsenal Park on June 5. (Photo courtesy of Watertown Youth Coalition)

The following information was provided by the Watertown Youth Coalition:

The rain held off on Monday for Watertown Youth Coalition’s annual Community Spirit Awards! We had such a good turnout at Arsenal Community Park for a delightful and uplifting evening, celebrating all the WYC Peer Leaders’ accomplishments this year and any and all who made a positive impact on young people in the Watertown community. Wayside Youth & Family Support Network and the Watertown Youth Coalition would like to thank all those who made this event possible! Congratulations to all of the 2023 Community Spirit Award recipients, especially our Peer Leaders!

Around Town

25 Groups Serving Watertown Receive Grants from Community Foundation

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The following announcement was provided by the Watertown Community Foundation:

The Watertown Community Foundation awarded $135,000 in institutional and program grants at their spring grants celebration last night to support 25 organizations serving the Watertown community. “We received so many great proposals, nearly $200,000 in funding requests this year from over 25 Watertown community-based organizations, including the City of Watertown. It’s exciting to see how our non-profits are responding to the diverse needs of the Watertown community with programs and services that are innovative and positively impact and enrich the lives of our neighbors and residents,” said Mary Ann Mulligan, WCF Co-President and Grants Committee Chair. Spring grant awards fall into two separate categories: institutional and program support. Eleven non-profits central to Watertown received $69,000 in institutional grants to support their organization’s mission, staffing and operating costs.

Around Town

Call for Artists & Writers to Participate in Watertown’s Edible Plants 2023 Project

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The artwork from Edible Plants 2022, Clockwise from top left: Daylily by Patti Murphy, Bee Balm by Niloufar Keyhani, Elderberry by Marija Draskic Brancazio, Wintergreen by Kate Martens, Mayapple by Carol Leonesio, Mountain Mint by Cat Bennett, Huckleberry by Donna Calleja, Red Bud by Debajyoti Biswas, Bearberry by Connie Henry, and Garlic Chives by Jaclyn Kain. The following information was provided by the City of Watertown:

Edible Plants 2023 is the second iteration of the “Edible Plants” project. In the pilot cycle, 10 visual artists were selected to each create a 2-dimensional artwork based on an edible plant found in Watertown. The finished artworks were then on display at four locations around Watertown before being auctioned off. The artists had their work reproduced in a coloring book that was made freely available throughout Watertown, led workshops, and participated in a moderated panel discussion.

Around Town

Armenian Museum Will Preserve Rare Manuscripts With BofA Grant

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Rare manuscripts at teh Armenian Museum of America in Watertown will be preserved with funds provided by a Bank of America grant. Pictured here: Kerry Miles, Art and Heritage Project Manager at Bank of America; Maryann Ekberg, Managing Director, Baernk of America Private Bank; Jason Sohigian, Executive Director, The Armenian Museum of America; and Michele M. Kolligian, President, The Armenian Museum of America. (Photo courtesy of Bank of America). The following announcement was provided by Bank of America:

As part of its Art Conservation Project, Bank of America provided a grant to the Armenian Museum of America of Watertown, Mass., to restore 21 illuminated manuscripts from its collection, one of which dates back to the 13th century, the museum announced this week. Bank of America selected the Armenian Museum of America as one of the 23 cultural institutions that have been named recipients of the 2023 Bank of America Art Conservation Project, a program that provides grants to nonprofit cultural institutions to conserve important works of art. 

This year’s recipients represent a diverse range of artistic styles, media, and cultural traditions across China, Colombia, France, Lebanon, Mexico, Singapore, South Africa, Sweden, the U.K. and the U.S.

The Armenian Museum of America has the largest collection of Armenian artifacts in the United States.

Around Town

Our History: Charles Davenport, Owned Company that Built Railroad Cars

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Charles Davenport’s Fountain Hill Estate (Photo courtesy of the Watertown Free Public Library)

The following article is part of a series on local history provided by the Historical Society of Watertown. It was written by Historical Society President Marilynne Roach for the April 2012 Historical Society newsletter, “The Town Crier.”

In 2005 the Friends of Mount Auburn and the Historical Society of Watertown cosponsored a guided walking tour of Mount Auburn Cemetery in celebration of 375th anniversary of Watertown’s founding. During the walk members of the Historical Society Council and volunteers spoke about the lives of some of Watertown’s notable figures now buried at the Cemetery. The following article was written by Marilynne Roach and read at Davenport’s gravesite. Charles Davenport (1813–1903) began as a woodworker in the carriage building trade.

Entertainment

Small Saves Comic: How a Hockey Players Spend Their Summer

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James DeMarco grew up in Watertown and became a goaltender at age 5. It’s his life’s passion to stand between the pipes and keep the puck out of the net. Combining this with the love of cartooning Small Saves emerged in 1991 and took on a life of his own. “To play goal – then come home and draw Small Saves — is my ideal definition of a good day.”