Carol Paluca Morrison ’57


Carol Ann (Paluca) Morrison, 79, died on July 21, 2019. She was born on Aug. 23, 1939, in Westfield Mass., the daughter of Ernest and Myrtle Paluca.

Carol lived in Massachusetts until she moved to Southern California in 1964. She was an entrepreneur, owning and operating Christopher Scott’s Toy and Flower shops. She lived in California for 27 years.

Carol returned to the East Coast in 1991, and worked for Rainbow Toys for 23 years. She was a capable multi-tasker, an accomplished buyer, organizer, and sales associate. She was a mentor to the other employees, as well as a store stylist, handling all the displays and arrangements in the store.

In addition to her parents, she was predeceased by her brothers, Ernest Paluca and Dan Paluca. She leaves behind her two sons, Scott Morrison and his wife Marcia (of California), Christopher Morrison and his wife Carole (of Maine), grandchildren, Lauren Jue-Morrison, Charles Finks (of Maine), and Clarissa Finks (of Vermont), sister, Mary (Paluca) Pomeroy, sister-in-law Carol Paluca, several nieces and nephews, and friends in Maine.

Carol loved the natural world. She would delight at seeing the ocean in all its moods, the simple beauty in clouds passing overhead or the wind stirring the trees. One could tell she was most at peace when enjoying nature.

Carol was a loving and supportive mother, wife, friend and mentor. She brightened the lives of many with her simple acts of kindness and considerate ways.

In addition to her children and family, her co-workers and friends at Rainbow Toys, in Falmouth, Maine (truly extended family), were an important part of her day to day life. They were with her to the end, driving her to appointments, shopping, helping in any way they could in her efforts to overcome the challenges of cancer. She could not have asked for a more loving and supportive group of friends.

The world is a better place for having had Carol Morrison in it. She will be missed by many.

Services will be held at a later date this year.

James Harvey Dreikorn ’66

James Harvey Dreikorn, 72, of Longmeadow, MA died unexpectedly on Sun. Nov 3, 2019 with loved ones by his side. Born on June 20, 1947 in Ft. Worth, Texas, he lived the majority of his life in Massachusetts. He graduated from Williston Academy and Kansas State University.
Jim had a distinguished career in the baking industry: President of Dreikorn Bakery, Chairman of N.E Bakery Employees, Director of Quality Bakers of America, Chair of Young Bakery Executives of the American Bakers Association, and V.P of Nissen Baking Co., a member of “The Wild Yeast.” In addition, he was a Director of Westbank.
Jim was dedicated to his volunteer work and was a devoted Trustee to Clarke School for the Deaf, a position he had held since 1986. He was also a Board Member of the Ronald McDonald House in Springfield, MA.
Jim was an avid golfer, gardener, dog lover and Patriots fan. Even after years of living in New England, he remained a proud Texan and his personality matched the size of his native state. He was a loving son, brother, uncle, Godfather, and friend; a loyal confidant whose charisma, charm and humor will be sorely missed.
Jim is predeceased by his parents, Anita and Otto Dreikorn. He is survived by his sister, Darlene (Harvey) Ducker of Friendswood, TX, step-sister Nancy (Dreikorn) Crider of Stuart FL, and friends and loved ones, of which there are too many to count.
Donations can be made in Jim’s memory to Clarke School for the Deaf, 45 Round Hill Rd., Northampton, MA 01060, Ronald McDonald House of Connecticut and Western MA, 501 George Street, Suite A, New Haven, CT 06511, or The Make A Wish Foundation of Western MA, 181 Park Avenue, Suite 12, West Springfield, MA 01089. Private funeral arrangements will be held at the convenience of his family.

Carolyn Clarke Brown ’64

Carolyn Clarke Brown, 73, was born in Northampton, Massachusetts on March 15 (the “Ides of March”), 1946 and died in Rockport, Maine on Oct. 26, 2019. Her parents were Bertram W. Clarke and Katherine Knight Clarke.

At age 16, Carolyn was thrown from a horse and sustained a severe concussion. For two weeks, she hovered on the threshold of death and was not expected to survive. However, she recovered and came to regard all the subsequent years of her life as “extra years.” Those who knew and loved her would argue that there were not enough “extra years.”

Carolyn attended high school initially in the public school system in Williamsburg, Mass. before enrolling in the Northampton School for Girls (now the Williston Northampton School), from which she graduated in 1964. She attended the University of Maine at Orono, earning a B.A. in 1968 and an MLS in 1974. One unique feature of Carolyn’s life is that she had a single job interview in 1968, which launched a 46-year career as an academic librarian at the University of Southern Maine (USM) in Portland. She left the University in 2014 as head of acquisitions and serials services in the library.

She married William B. Hughes in 1982; he died in 1992. She began a long-term relationship with Scott W. Brown in the mid-1990s; they married in 2014. Their wedding has the distinction of (probably) being the only one to have ever taken place at the USM library. Carolyn and Scott did everything together, ranging from activities that were mundane (going to the store or post office) to strenuous (hiking, building walking trails, renovating a barn) to just plain fun (cooking, road trips in their red antique Corvette convertible).

Carolyn was an exceptionally warm, kind, friendly, and generous person who was always willing to pitch in and help. Many describe her as one of the nicest people they had ever met. She loved cooking, as evidenced by her 500-plus cookbook collection. She especially loved cats, and owned many over the years. She loved them all, but her favorite was a one-eyed stray female from a shelter that Scott named MQ (for Monocular Quadruped). MQ was smart, loving, and feisty, just like her owner.

Carolyn’s maternal ancestors were centered in New York and New Jersey, and tended to be educated professionals. In contrast, her paternal ancestors were DownEasters from Machiasport, Maine and they went to sea. Her forebears include numerous sea captains, mariners, and sailors of ships both large and small. Her father and an uncle were crew members on Howard Hughes’ yacht “The Southern Cross” in the 1930s. Another uncle served on Atlantic convoy ships in World War II. Carolyn and Scott have spent many enjoyable times at the family salt water farm in Machiasport, built by a sea captain ancestor in 1841. One particularly interesting marine artifact at the farm is the log book of a great-grandfather who operated the schooner “Saarbruck” in the 1870s. The “Saarbruck” shipped cargo between Machiasport, New York, and Rio de Janeiro.

Carolyn is survived by her husband, Scott of Union and Machiasport; adopted stepchildren, Donna L. Boyle of South Portland and William D. Hughes of Westbrook along with their families; and a cousin, Dawn Woodbrey of Orono and her family. A life-long friend was Judy Carloni of Shapleigh and Englewood, Fla., who Carolyn met when they were both age 3; they remained friends for the next 70 years.

According to her wishes, Carolyn will be buried in the East Union, Maine cemetery alongside Scott’s relatives. A gathering of friends and family to celebrate her life will be held in both Union and Machiasport in the spring.

Carolyn would wish that any donations made should be directed to a local animal shelter, especially to provide support for stray cats.

Mary Amelia Koback ’17

Mary Amelia Koback of Charlotte, NC, died peacefully in her sleep on 10/26/19. She was born on 9/25/98 in Rockville, MD. Her childhood in Gaithersburg, MD, was full of joy. She was a 2017 high school graduate of Williston Northampton School in Easthampton, MA, and was an undergraduate at the University of Pittsburgh, where she was working toward declaring a major in Neuroscience. She was an accomplished pianist, actor, and singer. She was a quick and strong athlete, who once arm wrestled and beat every challenger in her middle-school class, including all the boys. She competed on many teams in swimming, triathlon, soccer, cross country running, and – most-impressively – water polo. She was a leading scorer on the women’s water polo teams both in high school at Williston, where she earned the Most Improved Player award in 2015, and in college at Pitt, where she earned the Rookie of the Year award in 2018. She was also a dedicated lifeguard at many pools and a member of the land activity team at the U.S. National Whitewater Center, where she expertly taught and served guests on the ziplines, jump platforms, and ropes courses. She was insightful and brave. She was caring and supportive to her family and friends, whom she loved and cherished. She leaves her parents, grandparents, sisters, cousins, aunts, uncles, and dogs, all of whom will love and miss her forever. Her memorial service is private, but gifts in her memory can be made to the University of Pittsburgh Women’s Water Polo Team Club at the following link:

https://www.gofundme.com/f/in-honor-of-the-life-of-mary-a-koback?fbclid=IwAR0-wchVQ9QjlStPhXzfmj2ZGzKZxzk943JMkRmO1JD_Q3TQ2DolAlPE2R8