Editor’s Note

There was a death in my family just as the year was turning and it was an emotional time on every level, but through all the stress and grief, one member of our clan kept her composure.

For me, the future arrived back in the 1960s. It came on wheels, packed with books, and when the door opened, it smelled like a cool breeze from heaven: It was an air-conditioned bookmobile.

Just 150 years ago, one of the most illustrious female orchestral composers in American history was born in Henniker. It’s sad to think that most Granite Staters have never heard her music.

The news told of the horrors of the mass shooting in Las Vegas, but I kept thinking about the brave work of first responders, volunteers and hospital personnel in the wake of such a nightmare.

Building on Hope, a remarkable effort that began in a conference room here at our offices, has a new extreme makeover project — but for this one, the location has to remain a secret.

“In wildness is the preservation of the world,” wrote Henry David Thoreau. Now, physicians and scientists are suggesting that wildness may be the preservation of good health as well.

It may not be one of the first adjectives that come to mind when describing the Granite State, but when people (or states) describe themselves as “cool,” it’s often a sign that they aren’t.

“I wish that in the ear of every son and daughter of New Hampshire, in the summer days, might be heard whispered the persuasive words: Come back, come back.” — Gov. Frank Rollins, 1897

Heroics are often associated with a singular response in a moment of crisis, but what about a whole world in the aftermath of war? What do you call the thousands who answer the call?

My very first note as editor of the precursor of this magazine was for the May issue, back in 1993. Naturally, I took advantage of the column to sneak in a quick “Happy Mother’s Day” to my mom.