Rye Over 55 Club: It all began at a picnic 27 years ago

Group numbers 169; Thursday lunches feature chat, speaker; day trips, too

Margaret Carroll


Just plain socializing is what draws most members to club.


In its twenty-seventh year with a membership of 169, the Rye Over 55 Club continues to bring seniors together each month for lunch and entertainment and also to take many day trips.  The whole club idea started when a few couples got together for a picnic one evening at Locke’s Neck. Rye Over 55 was conceived over a bottle of wine.  They would form a club "for oldsters with young ideas."  The first meeting was held in April 1979 and meetings have continued nonstop since then.

THE HISTORY OF THE RYE OVER 55 CLUB, compiled by Dorothy Taylor and computerized by Al Harper, tells of the beginning.  "Meetings were held in the conference room of the library. When a person joined the club, $1.00 was paid and no other annual dues were required.  If additional monies were needed, however, the members were asked to donate another $1.00.  The club voted to hold meetings on the second Thursday of the month (a practice which continues to the present).  A schedule of luncheon speakers and monthly trips was begun.  In other business, the name for the club was discussed and it was decided to be "The Rye Over 55 Club".  Any Rye resident over 55 was eligible to join.  The membership rose to 279.  The meetings were moved to Rye Bethany to accommodate the large numbers.  A gift of $45.00 was made to the library in appreciation for the use of the conference room.

Charter Members:

Jack and Muriel Barr, Clarence and Hazel Beck, Dante and Mary Caminati, James and Ann Collins, Byron and Gaye Curtis, Teresa Dawley, Louis and Irene Emond, Howard and Hilda Griffin, Ardys Hoyt, John and Carolyn Lesuer, Orin and Grace Littlefield,  Victor and Nancy Martin, Earl and Ena McCrea, Barbara McIntyre, Dorothy Mohn,  Eleanor Newbert, Henry and Helen Potvin, Phyllis Sparks, Marjorie Surles, Celia Truman, Ruth Walters, Pauline Wiley, Herbert and Betty Yeaton.  Over the years, Rye Seniors (and later Seniors from neighboring towns) have experienced a variety of activities, formed friendships and stored up lasting memories.

Some of those memories:

SAL ALLOCCO:   As I look back to my arrival in l981 to Rye, N.H., as a newcomer, I realized I had to join the Rye Over 55 group if I wanted to get involved with the community.  Also this meant volunteering.  It didn’t take long before I realized I was Travel Chairman.  I asked for six volunteers and eight came forward to form my committee, who, as of today, are my best friends.  We put together a three day/two night trip to New York City. We hired a local bus, with all 47 seats taken.  We were fortunate to get reservations at the Dunfey Omni Park Hotel in mid-Manhattan which allowed us to include walking and bus tours.  Highlights: Bus tours of City and lower Manhattan Theater - "La Cage aux Folles"- Tours of buildings in Lincoln Center - Metropolitan Museum of Art and reservations for dinners at Windows of the World and Mama Leones.

What will live with me always is our evening dinner at the Windows of the World on top of the World Twin Towers.  The panoramic view through the walls of glass looks due west to the hills of Short Hills, N.J., where I resided before moving to Rye.  A view I will never be able to see again because of 9/11.

BEVERLY LORD;  Having been a member of the Rye Over 55 Club for several years, I would have to confess that some of my most enjoyable moments have been the varied daytrips, traveling by bus to theatres, museums and other points of interest.  The eclectic mix and varied ages of members have led to many delightful social experiences.  The monthly meetings through most of the year with lunch and informative or entertaining programs have been a definite plus.  I hope to continue as a member for many more years.

RUTH McCAULEY (with the Hospitality Committee):  It was during the late 80s or the early 90s that the Hospitality Committee took things into their own hands and decided to cook the February luncheon themselves.  No more local caterers.  They were good but they had limitations.  The Committee would do it themselves!  Gaye Dunn, Bea  Longworth, Mary Rizzo and Ruth McCauley set to work.  It was crazy.  Everyone had suggestions.  We sat down together to figure out the mess.  Ham and beans were always successful. How much to buy?  Ruth thought that would not be too hard.  It’s only arithmetic.  So with pen and paper, we went to work.  One can beans-six servings; 5 lb. canned ham 15 to 20 servings.  We can do this!  The kitchen was busy.  Bea took over the baked beans.  She had a secret recipe which she wouldn’t reveal.  But she chopped a lot of onions!!  Whatever!  It was delicious.  Mary Rizzo took over the ham.  She also knew what she was doing and she did it very well.  Gaye Dunn was all over the place.  She had a lot of input and she was almost always right.  Club members helped setting up and serving: baked beans, cole slaw, baked ham, sliced pineapple, apple pie and cheddar cheese.

It was well accepted and we felt successful.  We even made a few bucks for the club.  The hard part was ahead.  Clean the kitchen.  We all hugged each other and made a firm resolution that we would never do this again.  Leave the cooking to the experts!


Alice (facing) is ever ready to help.
ALICE  PROVENCHER (present travel chairperson):  Rye Over 55 Club has been arranging a variety of trips over the years.  Some have been local. Others have been to Europe.  

As Travel Chairman, I  would like to share a list of some of my favorites from the past:  Nordic Cruise: Finland, Norway, Russia, Estonia, Denmark; Canal Tour:  Netherlands, Belgium, Germany;  Hudson Valley Tour including FDR’s home, West Point, CIA, Old Homes; New York City Tour: Statue of Liberty, Broadway Show; Campobello, coast of Maine; North Shore Music Theater, foliage tours, garden tours in Maine, Boston Pops, Portland, Maine Pops; Skating Shows at Cumberland Civic Center.

BARBARA RANDALL:  When I think of Rye Over 55, I remember all the wonderful trips we took.  One of the most pleasant memories is the trip we took to Italy in 1990.  For some of us to actually see the treasures of Italy with our own eyes instead of through a camera is a precious thing to remember.  We saw so much; took a ride on the Grand Canal in Venice in a gondola, took a trip through the ruins of Pompeii, walked along streets of Rome, visited St Peters.  We saw the Michelangelo statue of David, the Sistine Chapel, the lovely Pieta and the statue of Moses.  What wonderful memories we carried home with us.  Of course, there were things we wanted to forget but, for me, I only remember how awful the coffee was in Italy.  That is until Sept. 11, and then, as if by magic, two pictures came to mind.  One was leaving the plane in Milan and walking down a flight of stairs to the tarmac.  We passed between two military men, each one with a machine gun trained on us.  For most of us, this was something we had never experienced.  Then another picture came to mind.  We arrived at the Rome Airport preparatory to boarding our flight to New York, and looked up at the balcony surrounding the airport.  There it was again--squads of military men and police dogs watching us from the balcony.  I guess in our naivety we felt we were safe from such things but Sept 11 proved us wrong.  I’m not sure I would ever want to take another trip like that to Italy but weren’t we lucky to have visited when we did; when we, in our innocence, felt separated from such things and could enjoy some of the treasures of the Old World.


It's humor and companionship, says founding member Mary Rizzo.

MARY RIZZO:  As a member of the Rye Over 55 Club almost since its inception, I think I have seen about all aspects of life in the "fast lane" of aging.  Humor stands out and, on occasion, sadness creeps in.  But over all it has been a great ride to date.  Trips, both domestic and international, have been a highlight, but companionship on a regular basis has kept us perking.

A list of past presidents:

1980-1981 Henry  Potvin
1981-1982 John Swan
1982-1983 Frank Tonis
1983-1984 Teddy Wyatt
1984-1985 Sal Allocco
1985-1986 Calvin Metcalf
1986-1987 John Swan
1987-1988 Barbara Randall
1988-1989 Mary Philbrick
1989-1990 Barbara Pierce
1990-1992 Sylvia Bhagat
1992-1994 Richard Port
1994-1996 Al Harper
1996-1998 Tom Simmonds
1998-2000 Sal Allocco
2000-2002 Margaret Carroll
2002-2004 Alice Provencher
2004-2006 Beverly Lord

A short history of The Rye Over 55 Club is located at the Rye Library.  It was compiled by Dorothy Taylor and computerized by Al Harper for the period 1979-2000.

Monthly luncheons are held at Rye Congregational Church on the second Thursday of the month. Annual dues are $10.00.  Beverly Lord is presently Club President and may be reached at 964-8509.



April, 2006