Regional Notebook: May 27, 2024

11 local students earn degrees from Fitchburg State

FITCHBURG — Fitchburg State University held its 128th commencement exercises earlier this month, awarding graduate and undergraduate degrees and honoring distinguished alumni and community leaders.

The following 11 Franklin County and North Quabbin students received degrees: Kamron Hoff of Ashfield, bachelor’s degree in psychological science; Greggory J. Lang of Greenfield, master’s degree in curriculum and teaching; Dylan James Boivin of Orange, bachelor’s degree in computer science; Amanda Finch of Orange, bachelor’s degree in nursing; Brett Anthony Houck of Orange, bachelor’s degree in human services; Denise Aline Rivard of Orange, master’s degree in curriculum and teaching; Tearra Verheyen of Orange, bachelor’s degree in business administration; Alex James Stellato of Phillipston, bachelor’s degree in criminal justice; Tyssen J. LaBombard of Shelburne Falls, bachelor’s degree in computer science; Hannah Aimee Wildman-Lyon of Shutesbury, bachelor’s degree in nursing; and James Joseph Deery of Turners Falls, master’s degree in business administration.

Museum hosting Community Days

HADLEY — The Porter-Phelps-Huntington Museum at 130 River Drive (Route 47) invites all residents of Amherst, Shutesbury and Leverett to a Community Day on Saturday, June 8, for free guided tours from 10 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Tours are available every half hour.

Community Days will continue on Sunday, June 9, for residents of Hadley, South Hadley and Sunderland; Saturday, June 15, for residents of Northampton, Hatfield, Whately and South Deerfield; and Sunday, June 16, for residents of Pelham, Belchertown and Granby.

The museum contains a collection of the belongings of several generations of one extended Hadley family, dating back to the house’s establishment in 1752 by Moses and Elizabeth Porter. The farmstead was a year-round home for generations before becoming a rural retreat for the family in the 19th century. The house and its activities include the labor and livelihood of many artisans, servants and enslaved people. Their lived experiences are being brought to the forefront at the museum in the form of a tour that highlights the lives of six enslaved men and women at the house: Zebulon Prutt, Cesar, Peg, Phillis, Rosanna and Phillis. Additionally, the tour highlights the role of “past-keeping” by exploring the home’s transition into a museum in the 20th century.

The Porter-Phelps-Huntington Museum is open for the season through Oct. 15, Saturday through Wednesday from 1 to 4 p.m. For more information, visit pphmuseum.org or call 413-584-4699.