Demystifying change
As is usually the case, in this part of the country, new endeavors that include change are often viewed with an oversized dose of skepticism. Maybe that’s not a bad thing. As is true nearly everywhere, it will be almost impossible, here, to make a decision that everyone is going to like or agree with, especially when it involves change. What should be agreed upon by all, at this stage of the game, and during the upcoming process, is civility. There are no “bad guys” in this situation. It’s the superficial or at first glance descriptions of the principals and parties involved that should be looked upon with skepticism. It should be remembered that we don’t always know what we don’t know.
Kris and Kerrie Nyman created something that enhanced the character of the area. In doing so they created angst and strong opinions, both pro and con, among zoning officials and neighbors, over the changes they initiated. That’s all part of the area’s history, remembered best by those involved.
The Nymans made changes to a longstanding business previously operated by Orion Ford and Minnie Hart; who’d done the same when they took over the business from Mrs. Harrington, herself a character. Each helped make Noank the special place it is today. Each was given the chance and opportunities to do so by the Copp-Halsey family. The Halseys welcomed it all in on their own shore front property, in front of their home. Stop and think of how many other folks you know that have shared such resources with so many others.
David Collins was right when he said Tom Halsey, the owner’s representative, lives in a grand house across the street and up the hill from the Fords, but that’s only because the family spent years restoring and preserving the grand structure. It was not the only place in town the family quietly, respectfully and generously saved from a sad slide into oblivion. Jane Carson’s little store, on Main Street would have ceased to exist if Tom Halsey’s mom and dad, Ralph and Betsey, had not stepped in. They bought and breathed new life into the old place that Jane and Roy Nelson had rescued and kept going for several years. The Nelsons purchased it from Bernie and Catherine Carson, who put in 37-plus years of stewardship after Bernie’s mother, Jane Carson, died in 1935. The store, one of Jane’s proud accomplishments, opened in 1907.
Tom Halsey’s mother and father took a chance 45 years ago when they first rented, then sold that little store to me. I recently had the opportunity to thank another couple in this town for a similar gift they gave me years ago and I’d like to do the same now, and thank the Halseys for the gift their family gave me, and so many others. A chance. The best gift you can give someone. I hope that the Halseys and all of their tenants in the future get one too.