Jack
He was always formally dressed and ready to do business. His shirt fashionably buttoned the entire way up, tie in place, and tweed sport coat buttoned tight.
Every blond hair combed perfectly parted on the side."
Polly 2004
Anne
Dad - More offline - but I just want to say how much I love you and how wonderful a Dad you are. Couldn't ask for a more loving, happy, fun childhood! And what can I possibly say about all of the hours, days, weeks, months, and years that you spent helping us with projects on our home (minus that one hole in the dining room wall).
Lastly, and most importantly, thank you for being the most amazing grandfather ever. You have made such an incredible impression on Jay and KC with your energy, intelligence, and work ethic. They adore you! Happy 80th birthday and look forward to many, many more!!
Love,
Anne
The Stories
"For as many years as I have been alive, the family has traveled to Squam Lake for a summer vacation. None of us have missed a summer at Squam and some of us, actually just me, have been fortunate enough to spend the entire summer on the lake.
While those who occasionally visit see the scenery and the house as the reason to return, the family comes back each summer (like swallows to Capistrano) to hear little Jack (technically now big Jack) recite and embellish his repertoire of stories. Please understand there are many yarns and each year a new tale or two is added. Every summer the family gathers to reminisce and learn a bit more about their father, mother and ancestors through the dinnertime storytelling ritual led by big Jack.
Here are few of the favorites:"
John 2008
Pearl Diving
"Most years at camp, a boat will be anchored off the far corner of the dock. Every summer when the sea otter (and now the Lilly Pad), are put in the water, the anchor has to be pulled from the bottom of the lake to the surface, so it can be attached to the boat. However, most of the time the anchor gets stuck on something at the bottom of the lake, and the only way to fix this problem is to dive down and free it.
There is only one person in the Evans family who is tough enough for the job, and that is Bapa. Only he can hold his breath long enough to swim down to the bottom of the lake and free the line. We all know that Bapa is a phenomenal swimmer, by far the best in the family, but according to him this is not why he can hold his breath this long. Every year at some point before he dives for the anchor, Bapa will tell several members of the family that the reason he can hold his breath for this long, is because at some point in his life he was a pearldiver! "
Carrie 2008
First Water Skier on Squam Lake
"Jack has achieved many goals in 80 years. Career, community service and family are pursuits at which he has excelled. If you ask him what achievements he is most proud of you would expect to hear accomplishments in the aforementioned areas of his life. However, there would be a few surprises.
Especially if the venue in which he was asked this question was after dinner on the porch of Waialua. Jack has proudly mentioned on too many occasions (which some how has enhanced the humor of the claim) that he was the first person to water ski on Squam Lake.As the story usually goes, Jack returned from a post college graduation trip to Europe with the ability to water ski. The year would have had to been 1950. Apparently while visiting the Italian Riviera, Jack learned to water ski, and as he tells it, the Italians were the inventors of water skiing.
No has ever asked Jack where he acquired water skis and a tow rope on a lake where no one had ever water skied. We can’t stop laughing long enough to ask the question."
John 2008
Angel Food Cake at Lawrenceville School
"From its early days until the late 1970’s, Lawrenceville School would test the mettle of its incoming all male first and second form students in an assortment of ways. One of the most challenging trials was Lower School. Lower, as residents would refer to it, was an imposing brick edifice. Two stories split in the middle by a dining hall on the first floor and a study hall on the second floor. On each side were two “houses”, one house each on the first and second floors. These so called houses were in reality partitioned dormitories. Each student had his own “cube”. Cubes were constructed of two seven foot high plywood walls. There were no doors on the cubes. If your family had the foresight, they would send you to school with a curtain for the front of the cube. In each cube was a cot, a closet and a dresser. There was no room for anything else. Thirty students resided in each of the houses. Viewed from the exterior, a casual observer might think….. Sing Sing or Pilgrim State.
Living in Lower took some adjustment. Like boot camp recruits, students were quickly immersed in a strict regimen of classes, sports, study hall and little casual time. This was not a warm secure home, and there were few reminders of the comforts of home.
There were no secrets or laundry facilities in Lower. Each week students would bundle up their dirty clothes in a laundry box and send them home. And sometime during the week the laundry boxes would arrive back at school with washed and folded clothes inside. While it is not clear if other students would get anything else back in their boxes, Jack did, and it was food. Perhaps it was because Mimi was the Rachael Ray of the time or because Jack had a limited palate as a second former, but the food in the laundry box was usually if not always an angel food cake."
As his fellow housemates got to know Jack, they observed the weekly arrival of the angel food cake in the laundry box and watched Jack with envy as he consumed his angel food cake. Their envy was enhanced by the quality of the dining hall food. It is not clear from the many recitations of this anecdote how long it took his housemates to act. As a former resident of Lower, I have always assumed it was sometime before Thanksgiving.
The weekly cake had become like fresh kill on the savanna. The hyenas were not going to be denied. Banding together, they waited for the right opportunity to pounce. Their chance was delivered when Jack was not there to claim his laundry box one afternoon. Jack was probably at swimming practice or some other extracurricular activity. His housemates grabbed the box and the cake and had a feast. A feast in Lower was defined as any time normal non-school prepared food was consumed.
Each rendition of this story has consistently concluded with a mention that his housemates were upstanding individuals as they left one sliver of cake and a thank you note for Jack in his laundry box."
John 2008
Train Ride to Squam
"Early one morning Jack was awoken with a shake from the family’s governess. He hopped excitedly out of bed for he knew that the next day he would arrive at one of his favorite places in the world, a place where every thing was always the same and he could relax and be himself. On the drive into Philadelphia Jack and his brother Bill took a nap to build up their energy for the long day to come.
When they got to the train station the driver pulled up along the side of the road and unloaded the car while the two boys and the governess strolled inside to receive their tickets, and board the train to Meredith, New Hampshire. They climbed into the Pullman parlor car and took their seats. The ride took a long time and Jack sat up all day looking out the window and picturing the place he would be tomorrow. That night they converted their seats into beds and slept through the night. The next day the boys awoke and prepared to get off the train with exceptionally large grins on their faces. When they arrived at Meredith they stepped off the train and met their chauffeur, Joe Flick. They drove out of the train station through Center Harbor and along Bean Road, until they saw a little white sign displaying the last name of Evans in bold black strokes at the end of a twisted bumpy old dirt road.
As they traveled down this road Jack was dying to jump out of his seat, but he sat quietly and just observed the beautiful sparkling water just down the hill. As the car pulled around the road’s circle Camp Waialua bustling with grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins and friends came into view. When the car had come to its complete stop Jack burst through the door and ran straight to the old wooden dock that stood out into the channel and took a deep relaxing breath."
Polly's 2004 Biography of Bapa
Bats in the Attic
"Necessity is the mother of invention, and on a rainy Squam Lake day, invention is always hard at work. There are plenty of books to read, board games to play and puzzles to assemble, however these activities can satisfy young men only so long.
Around early afternoon, the need to exercise would engage, and Jack, his cousins, brother and friends would invent indoor athletic contests. Fortunately Waialua is a large house. You have to know the house well and have a fertile imagination to identify potential events. Of course, Jack and the rest of the gang knew every nook and cranny in Waialua and all of its interesting idiosyncrasies shall we say.So one rainy afternoon the gang looking for some fun created a new form of tennis. This new variant was not played on a tennis court. Actually the game really had little similarity to traditional tennis other than the fact tennis rackets were involved. You didn’t need a tennis ball.
One of Waialua’s less charming features (of which there are few) are bats. In fact there is a whole volume of stories about the bats in the attic. These stories consist principally of how many ways the Evans family has tried to evict the bats. My personal favorite is how my great grandfather had exterminators tent the entire house and blow some chemical noxious to bats (and humans) into the entire house, and how following the successful eradication, my great grandmother upon returning to the house decided the attic was stuffy and opened the attic windows. You can figure out how that story ends.
So to Jack and the gang, the bats in the attic were vermin and therefore were fair prey or should I say fair play.
Rain coats were donned, tennis rackets were located and a bamboo fishing pole or two were grabbed. The gang climbed the three flights of stairs to the third floor and opened a door infamously marked with a sign there to this day that reads – “BAT ROOM KEEP DOOR CLOSED”. It is not clear who the author of this handwritten sign was, but I have always wondered if it was my great grandmother.The gang entered the BAT ROOM and opened a window at the far end of the room. A “poler” and a “whacker” were assigned. Others would watch until the poler and whacker positions were rotated. Everyone had to have a crack at the game. The poler would poke the bamboo fishing pole up into the rafters along the underside of the exposed roof shingles. Probably within a few seconds a brown blur would race toward the open window in an attempt to escape the pole jabs.
Of course this was the proof of the game plan as the whacker stood in position near the window with the tennis racket cocked and ready. Don’t mourn the bat so quickly. These creatures come well equipped for this game. Their radar was effective at avoiding all but the fastest and best placed swings. Unfortunately or fortunately depending on your particular point of view, the tennis racket occasionally would find its intended target.It’s not clear if there was a score to this game or the challenge of connecting with just one bat was enough. No one in my generation has ever played bat tennis so this may remain a mystery until a later generation. My generation has not been enlightened as to how many times bat tennis was played or if it was a one time event. Nonetheless even if the game was played only once, it has been a story enjoyed ever summer for over 50 years.
Note to all PETA readers who may trip upon this tale: The latest generation of Evans has come to see their bats in the attic as friends. As Jack reminds us, bats eat 20 times their weight in mosquitoes every day (and leave the evidence on the attic floor!)".
John 2008
Marriage
"Jack got up early one morning after a night of little sleep, but he did not notice his exhaustion all he felt was the butterflies fluttering in his stomach, and the heat of the California air. Jack was nervous, he always knew this day would come but he never so soon. As Jack was getting ready he realized that he had finally found the one, and was getting married to her on that very same day in the wonderful state of California.
When he reached the service he was one of the first people there. He watched people come in groups big and small, and when every one had been seated he took his place on the alter. The first part of the ceremony seemed to go in slow motion, the mother of the bride, the maids of honor, the flower girl and ring bearer, and then finally the most gorgeous bride he had ever seen. Then a second passed and Jack was no longer Jack but part of Mr. and Mrs. John J. Evans III.
In 1952 they had their first child Anne Evans, and three years later their second John J. Evans IIII. In 1962 John and Noreen had their third child Elizabeth Evans, and the family moved away from the city to a town on Long Island called Cold Spring Harbor."
Polly's 2004 Biography of Bapa
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"PS Uncle Bill did an incredible job as best man as well."
Bill Evans 2008
Bill Evans 2008
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"Bapa and Grammy (Jack and Noreen) are the epitome of a perfect couple. They have been married for many years and over all this time they have developed relationship that has taken on a character of its own.
Both of their cars have the initials JJE and NBE marked on the passenger and driver sides. They even drive as a team. I have been in the car with my grandparents numerous times when Grammy will tell Bapa whether or not it is safe to turn into an intersection, or vice-versa.When either Grammy or Bapa is telling a story at the dinner table, they will insert details into the story that the other forgot, or one will inject and say, "Oh, let me tell it!"
After dinner Bapa will always wait patiently (basically hovering about) for Grammy to be done washing dishes and tidying up to go to bed.
One thing that Grammy always has been and always will be in charge of is holding onto the money.
For as long as I can remember Grammy and Bapa have been a single package. Their different personalities compliment each other. I cannot think of Grammy with out a Bapa, or a Bapa without a Grammy"
Carrie 2008
Dinner with Bapa
"It is a weekend at camp, and the dinner table is full. The entire Evans family is in attendance. If an outsider were to enter the screened in porch at Waialua, they may be overwhelmed by boisterous conversations and laughter. Several different discussions can be heard across the table: family members catching up with each other, talking of politics, and recent tales are being exchanged.
Suddenly a "ding-ding" can be heard at the end of the table. Everyone quiets down for the most part, except for two or three people still so engrossed in the conversation, that they don't notice the bell.
The man at the head of the table waits very patiently to begin his story. He clears his throat and begins to speak, although someone forgets it is time to listen and continues his or her conversation. The man doesn't ring his bell again or make a sound, instead he shoots them a stern look, and they pipe down immediately.
The patriarch continues with his story, a tale they have all heard before, but this does not matter. Everyone listens intently, as the beloved father and grandfather tells a tale of his youth with great detail and enthusiasm.
These stories never grow old, because they are told so well. Bapa's entire ritual of gaining attention at the dinner table is a shining example of the pride he takes in being at the head of our family."
Carrie 2008
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The signal that the story telling is about to commence is Jack a/k/a Papa sliding forward on his seat reaching for his belt to unbuckle it and partially unzipping his fly.
John 2008
John 2008
Early Years
"Jack got up early one Monday morning as he always did. He made his bed and did his day-to-day chores, such as cleaning his room and feeding the dog.
After breakfast he got on his bike and peddled the five long miles to his school, Franklin and Marshal Academy. He went to his classes, his favorite of which was English because he enjoyed reading, and writing. When the bell rang, he rushed to the pool for swim practice. 
That day he got of his bike, and walked to one end of the gardens to where there was a waterspout and a watering can. He lifted the watering can and placed it under the spout of the faucet, and pumped. He took a little sack out of his pocket and poured out some of the contents into the watering can. He strolled through the rows and rows of ripened fruits and vegetables while giving each its fill of water and nutrients.
That day same as every other Jack rode the rest of the way home with a feeling of fulfillment and accomplishment, knowing that he was doing something that was helping his family, and the country."
Polly's 2004 Biography of Bapa
Pets
While not officially a family pet "the chicken" has a long and venerable history
When he was finally finished weeks after he had started he sat for a long time and just looked at his large accomplishment. He marched into the house and gathered the family together and brought them all outside. Anne and Liz both shreaked with joy and Noreen cried of joy, this is what he had labored for, to make his family happy, this is why he made the stable for their two new ponies." Polly 2004
Note: Chicks and Ducks see "The Stories" / Sorry no pictures of Sim
Corky
”You have taught me many things over the years that I am very appreciative of apparently starting with how to cross my legs. Clearly I needed help with combing my hair but I think I have that better now…now that I have so much less of it. Happy 80th from your favorite son-in-law."
Corky 2008
Retirement
"Jack has grown older now but he is just as proud, he stands with his shoulders back and head up. There is something different from his younger years, an essence of wisdom and experience stands firmly on his face. He has pearly white hair, which is just as thick as any man’s. Jack is not a big man, but he has a strong and confident body."
Polly's 2004 Biography of Bapa
Built a house
Portland Museum of ArtJack served as the Acting Director and President of the Board of Trustees at The Portland Museum of Art.
The Portland Museum of Art, founded in 1882, is Maine's largest public art institution. The Museum's three architecturally significant buildings unite three centuries that showcase the history of American art and culture.
Victoria Mansion
Jack served as a trustee on the Board of Victoria Mansion.
Victoria Mansion is a National Historic Landmark and one of the finest example of residential design from the pre-Civil War era in America. With superb architecture and well-preserved original interiors that were among the most lavish and sophisticated in their day.
Piper Shores
Jack served as President and Chairman of the Piper Shores Board of Directors during the inception and construction of the facility and additionally served as a member of the board after his Chairmanship. Piper Shores is a nonprofit organization formed by a group of prominent Maine citizens with a shared vision.Piper Shores was a Silver Seal Winner of the 2003 Best of Senior Housing Design Awards.
Southern Maine Agency on Aging
Jack is currently on the Board of the Southern Maine Agency on Aging, he has been working on their new stategic plan. The list of services this organization provides to the aging in Maine is amazing. The Mission of the Southern Maine Agency on Aging is to assure that older people living in Southern Maine, especially those who are frail, living alone, or have low incomes, receive the support necessary to maintain their independence in the community.
Built another house
Antiques
"He has grown to learn many amazing skills one of which is the craft of wood working, that he uses in his day-to-day life to help restore antiques for family and friends.
He travels around with great ease going from one part of the basement to the other knowing exactly what he was doing and exactly how he was going to do it.
He measures with precision, and cuts wood as if it were butter. He drills holes exactly where he means to and hammers nails in two tremendous strokes. His angles are always right and he knows exactly how to make something look just perfect. Jack is very proud of his work and it always looks exactly how it should look and it fits exactly how it should fit."
Polly 2004
Furniture collage coming
Polly
Happy Birthday Bapa,
I just wanted to say thank you for all you've done. You are the best grandfather one could ever hope for. I truly appreciate all the things you have done for me. All the summers on Squam and Christmas's would never have been the same without you. You're a great inspiration to all of us. Your hard work and humility show through in every thing. Thanks for being a great role model and grandfather.
Love Polly
Manny Hanny
"He was always formally dressed and ready to do business."
Polly 2004
"So you can see when he is taking care of his responsibilities
he really gets the job done."
Polly 2004
he really gets the job done."
Polly 2004
The Holidays
"One Christmas eve a miniature family gathered in a little room, each person finding a place to sit, on the floor, in a chair, or on someone’s lap. As the small family gets settled in an older man makes his way to the center of the room and finds an appealing place to slowly lower his body to the ground.
All the people in the room quiet down as the man in the center gathers his possessions off the floor, a small old leather bound book and a delicate figurine of a donkey carrying a pregnant women draped in cloth.
The man finishes the story and closes the book, the children sit dazed in thought, possibly about the wonderful story, or maybe just about the presents that jolly Chris Kringle will bring to their tree later just that very same night.
The man stands and brushes off his green corduroy pants. He silently walks out the door knowing that in one year he would be reading the exact same story and loving it just as much as he just had."
Polly's 2004 Biography of Bapa
Squam
"The 1899 Waialua has remained in the Evans family ever since John J. Evans purchased it in 1916. Five generations have now enjoyed the Squam "camp", located opposite Kent Island"
Quote from "Squam" by Rachel Carley
Waialua is Hawaiian for Sweet Water.
Scenes from Squam
Most of these fish are labeled with the date and location of their demise"Bapa's Morning Dip is legend"- Carrie 2008
"When the car had come to its complete stop Jack burst through the door and ran straight to the old wooden dock that stood out into the channel and took a deep relaxing breath. He loved this place and would return here for many years, in fact only missing it one summer out of his 76 years of life so far."
Polly 2004
Polly 2004
For 25+ years Jack and Noreen have had a group of friends spend a long weekend at Squam. Each year Mary Jo writes a poem to commemorate the occasion. I happen to have 2004's entry.
An Epiphany (of sorts)
Do politics drive you crazy? Have you had enough
Of name-calling, image bashing, accusations, lying, and bluff?
When Republicans rant and rave and Democrats complain and whine
Do you long for a monarchy with no partisan party line?
Do you wish states weren’t divided and coded red or blue
With the gray states a battleground for candidates old and new?
Do you care what Teresa says or what the Bushes’ daughters do
Or that Cheney’s daughter is gay or Alexandra’s blouse “see-through”?
When Kerry was seen to flip-flop or when George Bush’s syntax failed,
Why must the Times and the Journal make certain these guys are nailed
As for the cartoonist’ drawings, aren’t you tired of K’s jaw, G’s ears
And hearing about the good days when Bush 2 overdosed on beers?
Or about Kerry’s purple heart, given, it is claimed, for a scratch?
It’s a dog-eat-dog election. That’s our U.S. politics – natch
But politics are explosive, volatile and loaded with zest.
But wouldn’t you miss the whoop-la, the speeches, parades and the rest?
Now I’ve tried hard to stay neutral, but in doing so it’s been tough,
Thus I think I’ll now be truthful. (It’s allowed – I’m writing this stuff.)
I know that except for the XXXXXXX, none of you will vote as I wish.
I hope your candidate loses. Our country needs Kerry not Bush!
August 2004
Mary Jo
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This video from 2006 reminds me of the breakfast scene in "The Big Chill". Yes Bapa and Grammy, you've been on youtube for nearly two years.
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