Use this search box to find articles that have run in our newspapers over the last several years.
Date: 6/14/2022
SOUTH HADLEY – The South Hadley Selectboard hosted a hybrid meeting on June 7, its first since the death of Vice Chair Sarah Etelman.
Chair Jeff Cyr spoke about the legacy she left behind.
“Prior to anything else I would like to recognize Sarah Etelman. All members are present this evening except for Sarah. She is no longer with us in person after a courageous battle with an illness and unfortunately passed on June 3. For those of you that were not aware, Sarah’s favorite color was purple and we are all wearing purple in some fashion in Sarah’s honor and the flowers behind her nameplate represent her presence at this meeting.”
Cyr continued, detailing the amount of care Etelman gave to her beloved community.
“She owned a home in South Hadley since 1997 and spent most of the past 20 years working for nonprofit organizations in the Pioneer Valley. During her eight years at Careerpoint, now MassHire, she managed the training department and taught computer skills to adults. She worked as a development director of Girls Inc. of the Valley since early 2011. She was elected in 2013 to the Selectboard. She was a town meeting member, a Know Your Town member, and served on the Democratic Town Committee as chair. She was also a South Hadley Farmers Market board member. Sarah delivered meals to homebound neighbors, coordinated food drives, and worked with the South Hadley community coalition to prevent suicide. Sarah was a huge advocate for the symposium of understanding that was meant to create a safe space for diverse views on topical subjects. Sarah was the leader behind that initiative and really helped bring it to life. At this time … I would like to recognize a moment of silence for miss Sarah Etelman.”
A warm remembrance from Selectboard member, Andrea Miles followed Cyr’s introduction.
“I just want to acknowledge that Sarah is the reason that I am on the board,” Miles said. “It was at a Democratic Town Committee meeting in the winter of 2016 that she was looking for someone to run for a vacated Selectboard seat, and I had never been to a meeting before and I have never met her, but within a week or two we had sat down for dinner, and even though we were there for me to ask her questions, she had basically convinced me to run by the end of that meeting. I was gracious in her sharing with me the wealth of knowledge and the people she knew in this town.”
Fellow board member Renee Sweeney spoke up next, saying, “I’ll just say that she is not the reason I ran the first time but she’s the reason I ran again after I lost, so, in some ways, she’s also why I’m here.”
Selectboard Clerk Carol Constant talked about her respect for Etelman throughout the years.
“I always admired Sarah’s passion and commitment to the town of South Hadley. Her outspoken advocacy to access devoting for all girls and women’s well being, and, well, everyone’s wellbeing. Through [COVID-19] she was fierce advocate for keeping our community members healthy by preaching mask-wearing and vaccinations. Remember when you had to go online to get an appointment? Sarah spent countless hours, mostly in the middle of the night, getting appointments for anyone that needed one. I especially appreciated the way she welcomed me on the Selectboard by answering my many questions. I will miss her outspokenness at our meetings and seeing her walking along Newton and College Street. May her memory be a blessing.”
The meeting that followed detailed future planning and economic development bids for firms to update the town’s Housing Production Plan, a special thank you to local veterans agents for putting together events on Memorial Day, and discussion of an open town clerk position that has been vacant since May 4.
A new sign for Woodlawn Park has been designed, though pricing and installation timelines, are not solidified for launch quite yet.