Thank you to the Sealunds

Sandy and her brother Brian in front of our apartment in Rockland.

In 1967 Sandy and I got married while I was still in the Navy. The First class Petty Officer, Jimmy Hughes, from Alabama -- who I worked for at South Weymouth Naval Air Station -- had a second job as manager / janitor at some apartments in Abington. He got us an interview with the builder from Marshfield, who was just about to finish a second set of apartment buildings in Rockland.

Sandy and I got an apartment and the caretakers job. Two bedrooms, brand new apartment, all electric , utilities included, for $139 per month. Eventually we took on new apartments at the end of the street and got our rent down to $16 per month. The owners' names were Carol and Roger Sealund.

As I mentioned, Mr. Sealund was a builder from Marshfield, and a few years later, we bought some land from him. My brother Mike and my Dad helped me clear it, with axes, to make room for a house. I dug out the stumps by hand. Then we asked the Sealunds to built us a brand new house.


In our new-ish kitchen (circa 1975)

That was thirty nine years ago. We are still here.


Grampa and Abel, the maintenance crew.

They really gave us a huge head start in our brand new marriage -- and in life in general.

Carol passed on way too early, but Roger is still working at the company he started, working for his son. He must be somewhere in his eighties. I saw him at the bank a while ago. He hadn't seen me in years.

I said, "Hi Mr. Sealund. How are you?"

He said "Great! How's Sandy?'

His daughter Karen was a steady loyal client of Sandy's at Alexandra's European Skin Care Salon in Duxbury for years.

Sometimes you feel that what you have accomplished in life, you did it all by yourself. But then when you look back, you realize that you had a lot of help.

Thank you, Sealunds, for the wonderful start.