History Corner: Barbara Elmes and the Weston Historical Society
Story reprinted by permission of the Weston Historical Society. You can see the post on their Facebook. In addition, the Owl published an In Memorium in November 2021.
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The Weston Historical Society is the grateful recipient of a collection of photos and Town Crier photo essays from the late Barbara Elmes (1933 – 2021). The gift from her sons Derrick, David, and Duncan includes many, many “Town Crier” pages dating back to 2006, which is around the time she became the paper’s photographer (she was active until her death).
Almost every week the front page of the second section of the weekly paper would showcase her color photos, organized around a theme. In the fall, it might be “September Smiles,” or sometimes it was focused around colors (“The Lime Green Scene”), pets (“Meow Mix”) or fashion (“Baggin’ It”). Her choices were often humorous and always illustrative of Weston in the first two decades of the 21st century. Pictured here is one of her Valentines Day pictorials.
For the last several weeks, the Weston Historical Society posts have been highlighting Weston’s deep past but the Historical Society collects current information, too, and these items will be valuable to future researchers to show the clothing, lifestyles, activities, and so forth, of Weston residents today.
A wonderful woman who saw the world in a new way thru a lens. I miss the Crier and her beautiful photos of our town
Barbara was one of my favorite people in Weston. I miss her, and miss her photo essays. An excellent mother, friend and community member.
Barbara was a treasure.
Knowing Barbara quite well from our 40+ years in town, Weston Garden Club, WCL, et al, it was my
blessing, (our, including my husband, Bruce), to have had numerous ‘visits’ with her. such an inquisitive,
caring, and devoted mother, friend, town’s lady of good deeds. It is beyond ‘serendipity’, I believe, that
our Lord/ Higher Power, called for Barbara prior to the misdeed: the termination of the Town Crier.
Perhaps her Spirit does know, and someone will pick up the pace, so to speak…
Thank you and kind regards,
marcy lee
11 hilltop road