Joan Vernon, Weston Selectwoman,
DGH
Mrs. Vernon, the chairwoman of the Board of Selectmen, died Sunday,
February 13, 2005, in Newton-Wellesley [Massachusetts] Hospital, at the
age of 72.
This week, flags at all Weston, Massachusetts, town buildings are at
half-staff to pay tribute to Mrs. Vernon's service to the community for
more than three decades.
When the Blizzard of 1978 brought the state to a standstill, Weston
Selectwoman Joan (Burst) Vernon swung into action. In her
characteristically "get-it-done" manner, she persuaded the local
supermarket to stay open and recruited friends and family who had
four-wheel-drive vehicles to make deliveries to snowbound residents.
"Joan called me to see if the statute we had passed authorizing
blizzard expenditures beyond our appropriations limit would extend to
taking over the market. And it did," recalled Weston Selectman Harold
Hestnes, an attorney who was also on the board then. "Then she just
physically moved in and ran the store."
For two days, Hestnes said, he and Mrs. Vernon's husband were among the
group who helped make deliveries. "The store management was cooperative
and stood around in amazement," he said.
"To the extent that Weston could have a town mother, Joan was it," said
Ann Leibowitz, a former selectwoman. "She loved the town and was
personally dedicated to town government and to strong citizenship
participation. She was smart, reliable, and energetic. She said what
she meant and meant what she said."
Mrs. Vernon and her husband, Dr. James K. Vernon, a surgeon for 35
years at Newton-Wellesley Hospital, have lived in Weston for 36 years.
Mrs. Vernon was twice elected to the Board of Selectmen, the second
time in March 2003. "Communication is what makes government," she was
once quoted in the Globe as saying. "You have to listen, and I strongly
believe that's an important thing. I've always been open to people's
opinions."
A registered nurse, she grew up in Verona, New Jersey, and graduated
from Mountainside (N.J.) School of Nursing. She earned a bachelor's
degree from Northeastern University. The Vernons, who were married 41
years, met while she was working as a nurse in Salt Lake City, Utah.
Mrs. Vernon's fondness for Weston started soon after they arrived
there. Serving on the Finance Committee from 1972 to 1974, she was a
bundle of energy. She was "a petite, slim woman who never walked
slowly," Leibowitz said. "Occasionally, Joan walked with a skip. She
did not stroll, unless she was playing golf. She had a wonderful sense
of humor, which could sometimes be outrageous."
Her style of public service was set early on, colleagues said. "Joan
knew how to get things done in no uncertain terms," Leibowitz said.
"She was a born executive. She either encouraged you or bullied you,
but it got done."
Mrs. Vernon was a student of government, Hestnes said. "She was a
policy wonk. My motto was, 'When in doubt, let Joan do it,' and she
did. She was the opposite of a political backslapper. She saw the
issues and called them the way she wanted to and let the chips fall
where they may. She was not just there to deliver good news."
Mrs. Vernon first served as selectwoman from 1974 to 1980. Leibowitz
recalled her candor as a member of a committee choosing one of two
candidates for a new police chief. One was a seasoned veteran, the
other a younger, very attractive man, she said. To soften the blow to
the younger one, Mrs. Vernon told him, "I know your mother must be very
proud of you." It brought down the house, Leibowitz said.
Mrs. Vernon went on to serve on many local boards and commissions --
she chaired a panel in 1999 and 2000 that helped Weston adopt a town
manager form of government. That, Leibowitz said, was what she was most
proud of.
J. Ward Carter, Weston's executive secretary for 50 years and briefly
the town administrator before retiring, said of Mrs. Vernon, "There was
no member of the board [of Selectmen] more committed to making the town
a better place to live."
But Mrs. Vernon's favorite role, friends said, was as wife, mother, and
grandmother, one who was always willing to get down on the floor and
play with her grandchildren. Christmas was her favorite season, they
said. The Vernons' traditional Christmas parties were neighborhood
favorites.
She worked to make life better outside of Weston, too, supporting many
civic causes. She spent seven years tutoring and setting up a computer
program for the Roxbury Alliance for Children and was an active
volunteer with the Salvation Army.
"She was the person to have around in a moment of crisis. She held your
hand while she navigated through it," said Mrs. Vernon's son, David, of
Snohomish, Wash.
In addition to her husband and son, she leaves two grandchildren.
Boston Globe
Brad Ferguson
<peri...@eudoramail.com> wrote:
> Mrs. Vernon, the chairwoman of the Board of Selectmen, died Sunday,
> February 13, 2005, in Newton-Wellesley [Massachusetts] Hospital, at the
> age of 72.
First John Vernon, now Joan Vernon.
Any Jane Vernons out there better watch out.
