“Salma, we thank you for 12 years of wonderful and successful
adventures.” (TSH Spring Luncheon and Annual Membership Meeting, May 2015.)
“Thank you Salma,” said Jennifer Brindisi. The Second Half president, and everyone in the room at the Venus de Milo knew who she was talking about and burst into a standing ovation, for Salma Jabbour and her day trips have been a celebrated fixture of The Second Half for a dozen years.
As Jennifer summed it up in her formal report: “And for her 12th and final year Salma Jabbour has, single handedly, orchestrated TSH local trips to: the Sterling and Francine Clark Art Institute in Williamstown and the Yankee Candle Village in Deerfield; John Adams National Historic Park in Quincy and Henry Wadsworth Longfellow’s House in Cambridge; the Harvard Museum and Mt. Auburn Cemetery; Historic Lexington and Concord; as well as trips to musical theater performances of Il Divo Presents, Kinky Boots, and Beautiful.”
One typical reaction: “I’ve taken several trips with Salma, and they’ve always been fun and educational, “ said Paula Gagnon. “She always packs snacks for all of us and is a caring leader! She’s done a wonderful job with these trips, picking th
e destinations, the bus companies, and usually the weather!“
She’s created a legacy and fortunately is also providing a smooth transition so that legacy should continue under the leadership of Paulette Howarth. More on that later.
She certainly hit everything right on the trip to Concord and Lexington this spring. It was a beautiful day to stand on the Green at Lexington where the first shots of the Revolutionary War were fired on that April morning so long ago and walk the bridge in Concord where the “embattled farmer stood.” The trip included an entertaining and very informative docent, a terrific lunch, and a smooth bus ride, all arranged by Salma.
How did it all get started? No one knows better than Salma. Here’s her own mini history of events that should bring back some memories to long-time members.
My inspiration came from a class I took with Jack Edwards called “Exploring New Dimensions of the Universe.” That was in 2003. He mentioned a wonderful planetarium at the Museum of Natural History in New York City called “The Rose Center for Earth and Science.” The class was small, but we all wanted to go. So I said to Jack, “You get the tickets and I’ll get the bus.” We made up a flyer with all the info and sent it to the membership. We ended up with 41 people who had a great time and loved it.
The following year, 2004, I suggested “The Boston Flower Show.” (I had done this trip for the Friends of St. Anne’s Hospital. ) The office gave me the approval and it was easy because I had done it before. That same year the music class wanted to go the Boston
Symphony Orchestra’s open rehearsal, so we did. Catherine Williams, who was teaching the class, got the tickets and I got the bus.That same year in the fall Jack’s class planned another trip to the American Museum of Natural History and The Metropolitan
Museum of Art. So another bus and I was beginning to know how to get a good bus at the right price.
So the next year, 2005, the science class told me about an exhibit at the Boston Science Museum on “Butterflies.” So I planned it and everyone seemed to love it. It went on and on from there; people came to me with ideas or I saw something in the papers, magazines, or on TV of up-and-coming events. People responded because it was cheap, fun, easy, and a great get together. I always tried to pick things that would be interesting to the majority of people in our age bracket.
As these trips went on, I started adding candy as a snack. After a few trips, I decided to upgrade to a healthy snack: granola bars, peanuts, raisins, organic apple, and a bottle of water. That seemed to work and people appreciated it. I just added the cost of the food to the price of the ticket. I based the ticket price on 40 people (the average number of people to sign up for these trips, although it is closer to 50 now), added all the expenses: bus, bus driver’s gratuity, docent fees, admission fees, and food. I tried to keep the ticket price as close to cost as possible. I have kept a record of all these trips in a large notebook as a history of all trips taken.
Fortunately, the story goes on. While Salma is retiring from this volunteer job, there will be a smooth transition to her replacement, Paulette Howarth from Assonet, a long-time member and very well qualified to take over this job. Paulette had extensive experience planning field trips, workshops, and conferences when she worked as a Professor of Clinical Laboratory Science at Bristol Community College.
“I travelled with my students to several conferences throughout New England, planning for registration, transportation, and housing for these events, “ Paulette explained. Sounds like the perfect person for the job!
“I will be working with her this coming year,” Salma said. “Since I have done these trips for twelve years and 33 trips, I think it is time for new ideas and a new facilitator. I feel it always brings new life to a program.”
A sample trip: Photo scrapbook from the trip to Lexington and Concord, Spring 2015.
