Professor Morin volunteers in Tsunami ravaged Japan.

When professor emeritus Gerry Morin left to spend his 20th summer in Japan he could never have imagined the devastation he would witness on a sunny Saturday in July in an earthquake and tsunami ravaged section of that country.

Morin, who for two decades has taught at a summer camp at The American School in Japan in Tokyo, joined a group of 58 volunteers who travelled to the city of Ishinomaki in the northeastern coastal region of Japan to join the ongoing relief efforts in an area devastated by the March 11 natural disaster.

He, and the other summer camp teachers, counselors, and staff, filled two busses for the seven- hour ride from Tokyo to Ishinomaki. Outfitted with masks, shovels, wheel barrels, and bags, they spent six hours clearing storm drains of foul sludge. They bagged the sludge and stacked the bags. They then had a seven-hour return trip to Tokyo.

Even though Morin had seen the devastation numerous times on the televised evening news, he said, he wasn’t prepared for the eerie quiet set to a back drop of twisted metal and rubble as far as the eye could see. There were vestiges everywhere, he said, of where life used to exist including a school where half the faculty and students were swept away.

“We had the opportunity to provide a day of relief work for the survivors of that disaster and an opportunity to see what has been accomplished since ocean waves and fires destroyed a major section of that Japanese community. Although four and a half months have passed and evidence of the rebuilding process can be seen in some areas, the destruction is so monumental in scale, it will likely take many years to complete the task,” Morin said. “I was reminded, upon entering the coastal area of the city of Ishinomaki, of the observation made by a U.S. Marine officer upon entering the city of Nagasaki at the end of World War II – ‘It was like walking into a tomb’. This once-crowded section of the city was smashed into bits by the power of ocean waves or was incinerated by the fires that accompanied the earthquake and tsunami.  Clean-up efforts have barely begun in this area. Although there are acres of fragments of human habitation, signs of life have disappeared. The quiet that one experiences in lingering in this area is truly unsettling.”

Although retired, Gerry Morin continues to teach courses such as Modern China & Japan and World Civilization I and II in the Global Studies Department at Northern Essex.

Arthur Gomez and Jeff Gould perform in Inner Monologues

A musical production, Inner Monologues: A Song Cycle, featuring the works of young talented Broadway and Off Broadway composers, will be presented by Northern Essex Community College’s Top Notch Players Friday and Saturday, Sept. 16 and 17 at 7:30 p.m. in the Chester W. Hawrylciw Theater on the third floor of Spurk Building on the Haverhill campus.

Directed by Arthur Gomez, Geehae Moon, and Abby Hilton, and produced by NECC professor, coordinator of theater and technical director of the Top Notch Players Susan Sanders, the production will feature Orlik Guzman, Hilton, and Moon all of Haverhill; Danny Potter of Merrimac; Jeff Gould  of Amesbury; Arthur Gomez of Methuen; Dierdree Glassford  of Newmarket, NH, and Kevin Kimball  of Newton, NH.

It will feature the songs of Scott Alan, Benj Pasek and Justin Paul, Sam Carner and Derek Gregor, and Michael Kooman and Christopher Dimon.

Tickets are $10 for general admission and $8 for students and seniors. Tickets are available at the door.

For additional information contact Susan Sanders at ssanders@necc.mass.edu

Nancy Merz Nordstrom

Nancy Merz Nordstrom, the author of a guidebook on how to craft successful and satisfying senior years, will speak at Northern Essex Community College’s free special event on Wednesday, Sept. 14, from 2 to 4 p.m. in the Hartleb Technology Center in room 103B on the Haverhill campus, 100 Elliott Street.

Her book, “Learning Later, Living Greater – the Secret for Making the Most of Your after 50 years,” looks at creating a life of personal growth and social involvement. She will discuss the lifelong learning movement in both the United States and abroad. In addition, she will explore the Elderhostel Institute Network and examine how important it is to continue to learn after the age 50.

Over the next 20 years, 78 million baby boomers will face transition into a new kind of retirement. Merz Nordstrom wrote this book to help baby boomers with this transition.

Sponsored by NECC’s Life Long Learning Program, this event is free and open to the public. For additional information contact Charlene Boucher, director of Life Long Learning at cboucher@necc.mass.edu or 978-556-3825.

Lisa Sanborn of Georgetown is the recipient of a NECC Foundation scholarship

More than 200 Northern Essex Community College students will receive over $169,000 in scholarships for the 2011/2012 academic year.

“Our students are deeply appreciative of the many generous individuals and organizations that make these scholarships possible,” said Jean Poth, vice president of institutional advancement.  “For many of our students, a scholarship is what allows them to stay in school.”

Scholarships range from $500 to $1,500 and come from a variety of sources, including private donors, memorial donations, local businesses, and private foundations.

New this year is a $1,000 scholarship donated by the Women of NECC in honor of former President David Hartleb and his wife Patricia of Bradford.  President Hartleb retired in June after 15 years at the college.
The Carol Wallace Scholarship award is also new this year in honor of faculty member Carol Wallace of Chelmsford on her retirement.  Wallace taught at the college for 30 years and this May was named professor emeritus of radiologic technology.

Other new awards include the Covanta Energy Corporation Endowed Scholarship, the LeBlanc Family Scholarship in memory of the late Joseph L. LeBlanc of Haverhill (father of NECC professor Joseph LeBlanc), the Bette Brown Memorial Scholarship in memory of Bette Brown a former staff member at the college, and the Jack Wysong Memorial Alumni Scholarship.  Professor Wysong, a longtime resident of Newburyport, was a member of the first graduating class of Northern Essex and returned to the college as a full time faculty member and administrator.

“Establishing a scholarship can be a very appropriate way of honoring an individual,” said Poth.  “A scholarship also is a very effective way of giving back to the community since the great majority of our students are from the Merrimack Valley.”

To establish a permanent endowed scholarship, donors must make a minimum pledge of $10,000.  For more information, contact Poth at 978 556-3624 or jpoth@necc.mass.edu.

View list of scholarship recipients »