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Celebrating Community And Birthdays With The Old Farts

photo by Cookie Step Clockwise from top left: George Smith (90), Max Dumas (93), Roger Layne (96) and Bill James (105) are proud members of the Old Fart Club and active members of the community. They believe age is a number and it is life that must be celebrated.

Tuesday July 12, 2016

By Cookie Steponaitis

You could hear the voices of all ages, stages and generations of lives from the county gathered at the American Legion Post #19 in Bristol on Saturday July 3rd  singing, “Happy Birthday to you! Happy Birthday to you! Happy Birthday you old farts! Happy Birthday to you!” They came together with the Heritage Auto Group, Mount Mansfield Media (MMM) and communities around Bristol to celebrate the birthdays of four men often referred to as ‘the barometer of Bristol’ who reached milestone birthdays. George Smith (90), Max Dumas (93), Roger Layne (96) and Bill James (105) collectively represent 384 years of life, stories and impact and the four old farts were indeed present and loving every minute of it.    The term Old Farts for those outside the Bristol Community refers to a group of men and women who weekly gather for coffee at Cubber’s Restaurant on Main Street in Bristol. This group of older citizens is known for their zest for life and delight in sharing stories with passersby and has become a community fixture which brings more than a smile to residents. “They stand for character and integrity,” explained one resident present. “They simply are wonderful people to be around.”    Their feet are firmly planted in the circle of life in Addison County and each man had family and loved ones next to him in addition to enormous cakes. Fresh vegetables and foods were provided by family and the event was hosted by American Legion Post #19. People mingled, ate and swapped birthday cards for a story and smile. Animated and gregarious, the four Old Farts not only embraced the party but the community and groups that sponsored it. “Hi everybody," exclaimed 105 year old George Smith with a grin and voice that carried through the room. “I’m thrilled to death to be here another year. The secret to living long is to eat good food, enjoy yourself and treat everyone as you would like to be treated.”    The Old Farts were brought together in one place to celebrate and the party was a result of planning by the families and Mount Mansfield Media represented by husband and wife team Jake and Jena Cunavelis. The pair handles the advertising and publicity for the Heritage Auto Group and began their association with the Old Farts Coffee Group back a few years ago when they created  a sixteen minute film on Bristol and the Three Day Stampede calling it, How to Live to Be 100.  “We are so very fortunate,” shared MMM owner Jake Cunavelis, “to be able to make our living working with a company like the Heritage Auto Group that focuses on integrity and celebrating the community. It continues to be our honor and privilege to work with these men here today.” Besides throwing the birthday bash for the older Bristol residents the Heritage Auto Group has featured the men in commercials celebrating life in small town Vermont and the qualities of integrity, honesty and community centered life that resonate through the lives of all four of the old farts present.       
    “You know I’m the baby of this group,” quipped ninety year old George Smith. “Heck, I even barely qualify to make the cut!” Smith was born in May, 1926 and lives across the road on East Street where he was born and grew up. His father owned a grocery store and Smith remembers the Great Depression with a very different focus than many. “I was so fortunate,” shared Smith. “We never went without a meal during the whole Depression Era and dad made sure others didn’t either. We were very lucky indeed.” Smith graduated from high school on D-Day in 1944, enlisted and served in the U.S. Navy aboard the USS Topeka from 1944-1946. Coming home to Vermont, Smith was hitchhiking from Rutland to Bristol and met a man who offered him a job with the railroad. “I just sort of fall into these things,” grinned Smith. “I was so proud to work for them as a telegraph operator. That was a great job.” Smith’s grin gets even wider when he talks about his wife Doris or Dot as she was called. “We had nine children and I have thirteen grandchildren and that’s where my best stories are,” explained Smith. “I could talk about family all day every day.” Another topic that brought George joy to share was about the new fire department building opened in Bristol. Smith served on the department for over fifty years.
    For ninety three year old Max Dumas, the stories shared that day revolved around his time in World War Two, his family and time with the U.S. Post Office. Dumas was raised on a farm, worked in Connecticut after graduation until his enlistment in World War Two and served from 1943-1945. He grinned when he spoke of returning home to his wonderful wife Mary. “We were married fifty-seven years before she passed,” explained Dumas. “We had four children, one grandchild and one great-grandchild. She was the most wonderful partner.” When not chatting about family, Dumas shared stories of his work for the Post Office. “In my day, rural delivery met really rural delivery,” chuckled Dumas. “My daily route was seventy-five miles and over 500 stops. It was an absolutely wonderful job and I loved talking to the people and hearing what was going on in their lives.” It was difficult to get in questions about today’s generation with the amount of people in line to wish Max Dumas a Happy Birthday and share a memory or two, but in a quick series of responses Dumas felt that the greatest skill that needed improvement today was communication and felt relationships and business dealings are often crushed because people cannot talk to each other. Dumas’s voice took on an emotional tone when thanking those who turned out to wish him well as he shared, “This town is a wonderful town to live in. Something this special you don’t forget right away. Thank you.”
    Ninety-six year old celebrant Roger Layne was the quietest of the four men present but what he shared spoke volumes about service to nation and community. Layne was born in Starksboro and was a B-17 pilot in the Army Air Corps during World War Two flying many missions during his involvement in the European Theater. Layne was shot down over Germany and spent fifteen months as a prisoner of war during 1944-1945. “That is an experience that changes a man,” shared Layne. “It quickly gets in place in your mind what is important in life and what is not. I was in a movie theater in New Hampshire the day the attack on Pearl Harbor happened. That whole period shaped my life.” Upon returning home Layne married wife Helen who was also a nurse during the war and together raised a family. Rooted in service and connection to the land, Layne spoke with pride about his family and love of the town and area people. “I really do appreciate people coming to this,” shared Layne. “Seeing everyone makes the day so much more special.”
    Bill James at 105 is the oldest of the men being celebrated and needed no microphone to reach out to the community. His voice boomed across the room and welcomed the crowd to the gathering that in his opinion marked the blessing of being alive for another year. Bill James was born in Lincoln and lived and worked on a farm for the first twenty-five years of his life and to hear James tell it “milked a fair share of cows and cut a parcel or two of hay.” He got a job with the local power company CVPS in 1936 and his “getting acquainted with electricity began.” While working for CVPS, James started climbing telephone poles and working as a lineman. “It figures,” chuckled James. “I retired in 1974 and they started using electronic bucket lifts in 1975!” While his career did not include this new type of technology, CVPS made certain that James went up in a bucket for his 90th birthday in celebration of a man who could still climb the pole and perform the job if needed. James laughed out loud when asked about family and said, “Got quite a bit of those to tell about. Four children, five grandchildren, three great-grandchildren and two great-great grandchildren. You don’t have time now for all the stories I can tell, but come over and see me.”
    Each of the four men was presented with plaques from the Heritage Automotive Group entitled the More Love Community Service Award. Phil Devoid and Larry Lussier were on hand to help present the awards. “I have lived in this community for my whole life,” shared Devoid. “It is such a pleasure to be here today and celebrate with each of you.” With more commercials to make and an upcoming video project on Addison County Field Days, this will not be the last appearance of these members of the Old Fart Club. “Still got more commercials to make,” quipped Smith. “And rumor has it on the streets that my public needs me!”
    While July 4th brings to mind reasons to cherish freedom, community and family, it seems that this July Bristol might just have a corner on the market of reasons for joy. In the midst of a weekend that includes barbeques, parades and fireworks, the town opened a new fire department building and paused to celebrate the lives of four men who are pillars in the community and living examples of what draws people to living in a small town. The name Bristol comes from the old English and means, “bridge where people come together” which was apparent on this summer day to bystanders and visitors. As this reporter closed the door quietly and left the event conversation flowed and outside the parking lot the words could still be heard, “I thought I recognized you, last time we got together, how is your wife? I’ll look for you in the parade tomorrow.”  The Champlain Valley is generations strong and rich in heritage, stories, and commitment to being the kind of people that treat others well.          

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