Page 6 - SEPT2024

Page 6
NEWFOUNDLAKELIFE.COM
September 2024
PETER BROWN
continued from page 2
our thinking and actions about Newfound Lake and, perhaps more importantly, the 72,000 acres of land and water forming an ecosystem around its clear water.
Today, that land and the wa- ters that course over it have a familiar name boldly signaled on a large sign on Route 3A, a sign that welcomes all to The New- found Lake Watershed. Prior to 1990, many folks passing a sim- ilar sign would have had trou- ble deciphering “watershed”. However, these days, because of Peter Brown’s personal curricu- lum (he was always a teacher), we have learned the meaning of the word. A humorous visual aid in Peter’s curriculum was a Newfound Lake Region Asso- ciation float in Bristol’s 4th of July Parade in 1991. The float featured the base of a grain hop-
per borrowed from a farm in Alexandria. The base was funnel-shaped. Although somewhat of a cognitive stretch, one could see how water from the top of the funnel ended up flowing to a central basin (Newfound Lake).
Fittingly, our helmsman was born near the water in Portland, Maine and spent his early years on an island
in Casco Bay. It turned out that his parents, Irene and Louis Brown, lived a life of frequent moves. To provide young Peter with a stable home, they turned the re- sponsibility of his upbringing over to Peter’s aunt and uncle, Evelyn and Jack Rice. Peter was nurtured lovingly in their Hollis, New Hampshire home.
After high school, Peter at- tended Plymouth Teachers' College (now Plymouth State University). He met his future
Peter with his grandson, Stanley Peter Corneau
bride, Madelyn Pike, at college during the 1949 -1950 academic year. His studies, but not the couple’s romance, were inter- rupted by military service from 1951 to 1954. Madelyn and Peter were married in 1954 while Peter was still in uniform. Shortly thereafter, Peter and Madelyn bought a house in Alexandria.
THE Traveler’s
Rest
Women’s Clothing Jewelry
It would be home for the rest of their lives together. Sadly, that togetherness would end as Madelyn succumbed to MS in 1992.
Nonetheless, the years shared in the Alexandria “homestead” were warm with love and noisy with industry as Peter wielded the tools and machinery of woodworking to restore furniture and repair boats. Softer sounds were elicited by Madelyn’s sensitive paint- ing of portraits, animals, and landscapes as well as her skill- ful sewing of sails. Also, there was the sound of music, of Peter playing his trombone
or singing sea shanties. In the
decade of the 1960s, the love
and the noise grew in tandem
as Madelyn and Peter adopted
a girl, Jane. Later, a second child
was adopted, another girl. They
named her Lucy. In 1970, the
couple experienced the surprise
of a biological child, a boy, natu-
rally to be given the name Peter.
During their time in Alexandria,
the Browns added a waterfront
603-
cottage next to a marina on West Shore Road to their properties. This became “The Alexandria Boat Shop,” a place to welcome and instruct would-be sailors. They would later expand the shorefront facilities to accommo- date a growing interest in sailing.
With all of his activities (in- cluding teaching assignments in Meredith and Bristol), it is a wonder that our helmsman found time to make another commitment. However, Peter was deeply moved by the need to protect Newfound Lake and its environs. He joined the Newfound Lake Region Asso- ciation when it was founded in 1985. He became a member of the Board of Directors shortly thereafter and President of the Association in 1990, a year of new initiatives, multiple ongo- ing programs, and high drama. Peter, with the help of dedicated volunteers and a new executive director with the propitious name, Change Parker, oversaw the implementation of NLRA’S efforts to monitor and main- tain Newfound’s water quality,
2 Central Street, Bristol, NH 03222 (603) 744-6172
Accessories
OPEN: 10AM TO 6PM TUESDAY - SUNDAY; CLOSED MONDAYS Comfortable • Sustainable • Affordable • Fabulous