Progress has been made this week in the renovation of the Humphreys House, but there was yet another setback. Mr. Ed Hammond, our champion in helping us to get the home, died in a tragic car accident this past week. The Town of Berlin will be sorely missing an amazing man, who did much for the town and those who lived and worked here. I was struck with an empty feeling when I heard the news, as we were so looking forward to sharing the completion of the renovations with Mr. Hammond. At his funeral, all dictated by Mr. Hammond before his death, he said to stick this in somewhere, and the words seemed to mean so much. The poem is titled "Success" and is often attributed to Emerson...

 

To laugh often and love much; to win the respect of intelligent persons and the affection of children; to earn the approbation of honest citizens and endure the betrayal of false friends; to appreciate beauty; to find the best in others; to give of one’s self; to leave the world a bit better, whether by a healthy child, a garden patch or a redeemed social condition; to have played and laughed with enthusiasm and sung with exultation; to know even one life has breathed easier because you have lived—this is to have succeeded.