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CLARKS SUMMIT — Abby Peck, a member of the 1984 and 1988 United States Olympic rowing teams and board member of the Countryside Conservancy, served as the keynote speaker of the Waverly Community House Women’s History Month Luncheon March 27 at Glen Oak Country Club.
The Waverly resident spoke about her mother’s vision that helped create the Countryside Conservancy Trolley Trail as well as the value of connection and community in daily life.
“In 1932, the Northern Electric Railroad filed for bankruptcy and in 1945 my grandfather bought the company and most of the 12-mile right of way from Clarks Summit to Lake Winola,” Peck said. “In 1979, my dad inherited both the railway and the water company my grandparents had owned. From that time, the idea of a 12-mile trail connecting the communities along the right of way began to cultivate in my mom’s mind.”
In 1994, the Countryside Conservancy, dedicated to protecting the local green space, farms, woods, and fields, was founded.
According to Abby, her mom, Rosamond “Roz” Peck, saw the Trolley Trail as a place accessible to all to walk through and enjoy the woods, a place for kids to learn how to ride bikes without their parents worrying about cars, a place to push strollers, to jog, and to cross country ski.”
Peck reflected back on lessons she learned from her mother, mainly that simple interactions with others can have a profound impact.
“My mom was a wonderful person,” Peck said. “She was an amazing role model and teacher in so many ways, but I came to realize that her greatest gift was her ability to connect. She smiled and greeted everyone she met. Although her primary dedication was to her family, her second was to the community. She grew up here exploring the woods, riding bikes, and making friends. She loved the Waverly Community House. It was where she played tennis and performed in shows.”
According to Peck, in today’s fast-paced, electronically-charged world, many people can lose track of what’s important in their lives.
“We are so caught up in getting to and from work, meetings, activities, and appointments, not to mention getting engrossed in technology, that our face to face connections can easily go unnoticed,” she said. “In a world that often feels scary and out of control, we can regain our bearings by choosing to create connection in our daily lives. The way we choose to interact with others creates waves of energy, negative or positive, and that energy contributes to the kind of day we are having and the community in which we live and work.”
Peck, who was born and raised in the Abingtons before moving to the Boston area, was inspired by the show of support for her ailing mother and decided to move back home for good.
“It’s because of mom and her gift of connection that I am back as part of this wonderful community,” she said. “When I returned (home) in 2003 to care my mom after her stroke, it was her connection to this community and it’s connection to her that motivated me to stay.
“After she came home from the hospital, still not conscious, a group of women formed Peck’s Angels and put up a green mailbox at the end of our driveway. Every day for more than a year, until she died, an angel put a gift or a note for my dad and I in the mailbox. Each day we smiled and cried, overwhelmed with deep appreciation and amazement at the number of people that loved her and their devotion to her. I realized I could live in Boston for 25 more years and not come close to the amazing sense of community I felt here. That green mailbox remains a daily reminder of the power of loving connections.”