DeSorgher: In Honor of Pauline Goucher, 'The First Lady of Medfield'

When talking about Medfield, I often use the line, "it's what makes Medfield, Medfield."

I believe what makes this community such a very special place in which to live are the people here, who do so much, who volunteer, who give of their time and who help one another. I can think of no better example of what makes Medfield, Medfield than Pauline McKinnon Goucher.

I first met Pauline when I was a kid growing up in Medfield, through her daughter, Sarah and Pauline was Mrs. Goucher to me. Sarah and I were in the same class in school and I got to know Sarah as one who loved life completely. 

In high school, she and I were dance partners at the old Youth Center, today’s Pfaff Center, which used to have dances every Saturday night with live bands. Each Saturday, when the very fast songs came on, Sarah and I ran to find each other and danced really fast to the music of those songs. It was only to those fast songs. She had so much energy and life. She was very much the life of the party.

They say the apple does not fall far from the tree and so I can understand when told that one of Pauline’s friend, Pret Bryant, used to always call Pauline, Perky Polly – through Sarah, and then listening to some of Pauline’s long-time friends, I now have a better idea what Pauline was like growing up in Medfield; Make no mistake about it, Pauline, loved to have a good time … whether it was with Joe and Norma Ryan, Kay Connors, Mary McCarthy and her brothers, and so many others, Pauline was someone who so loved life and was so fun to be with, which was one of the attractions to her having so many friends.

I can still picture Pauline flying through the dance floor with Joe Ryan at a town dance or town anniversary celebration … but then again for that matter, Joe was usually flying through the dance floor with just about everybody.

Pauline had more friends than anyone I ever knew; her kindness, sincerity and concern for others, drew many people to her and once to her, a strong bond of friendship. Those of you, who were her longtime friends, know best about Pauline and this special love of life that she had.

Pauline was born here in Medfield on May 2, 1925 and grew up on North Street across from today’s . She loved her little town of Medfield, went through the schools here and graduated with honors with the class of 1943.

There were 29 students in that class. Pauline was a driving force in student government, serving as Vice President of her class. She was co-editor of the high school yearbook, "The Peak," and in an era before Title IX, when there were few girl sports, Pauline was the female manager of the boys’ basketball team … a position she told me she really liked.

Pauline’s Class of 1943, which was the first to graduate from the new high school, today’s , graduated in difficult economic times and endured the impact of the Great Depression. Her class witnessed, fought in and died in WWII. They then went on to pull us out of the horrors of the Great Depression, the Holocaust and fascism and went on to become what Tom Brocrow called “The Greatest Generation.”

One from her class who was killed in the war was John Ross, someone Pauline spent her entire life making sure his memory was never forgotten. She was so proud of the quilt she made in honor and tribute to John. You could see the pride in her eyes and in her expression when she took that quilt out of the chest, where she had it so carefully placed, to show to you.

Pauline was very family orientated. Whenever I would visit her, the discussing would not go very far until she was talking about her parents or sister or her three brothers. She was especially so proud of her three daughters, Carolyn, Diane and Sarah and her grandchildren Douglas, Amy, Rachel, Caitlyn and Nick and always had a photo of one or the other to show you. Above anything else she was a proud mother and grandmother.

What made Pauline so special was her willingness to give back to her community and to treat people with kindness and respect and to be there to help and volunteer when needed. When young Richard Johnson had his legs crushed by a car, Pauline was one of the first to step forward with aid and help the Johnson family. Through her efforts, the Medfield Home Committee was started and it continues helping people to this very day.

She was what Thomas Jefferson called the Active Citizen, serving 31 years as the administrative assistant to the Medfield Board of Selectmen; serving a total of 21 different selectmen (that in itself would be worth a medal). I know, at the time, as a young 20 something selectman, she took me under her wings and guided me through the local political process. As former selectman Sandra Munsey wrote about her friend and quilting buddy: “She guided us, shared with us, encouraged us and organized us.”

Pauline served as the assistant Town Clerk, served on the Zoning Board of Appeals and on some six other town boards. No one was more knowledgeable about the running of town government in Medfield than Pauline Goucher. She never missed Town Meeting or a chance to vote in an election.

She volunteered for years as a leader in girl scouts; got involved as an active member of the and was always willing to share her vast knowledge of town history. She was one of the leaders of both Medfield’s 325th and 350th Anniversaries.

Her talents as a quilter were well known. She wanted the quilt on Medfield history and the quilt on that she worked on, to hang in the high school, where she felt they would be seen forever. I took her request to then principal Andrew Keough, who was not overly excited about two quilts hanging in the high school lobby and who said, I will talk her out of it. 

After one meeting with Pauline he came back saying, what a very special lady - those quilts now hang in the main lobby of the high school auditorium. She also is responsible for having the “Anniversary Quilt” reside in .

In addition to the Medfield Quilt Club, she belonged to several other clubs in town. She was a member and co-historian of the Charles River Quester’s, a club that is interested in the education and preservation of history. She was a member of The Medfield Woman’s Club and the Medfield Bridge Club. With her untiring commitment to Medfield, she served on the committee for organizing joint class reunions of Medfield High School’s past graduates, to insure that reunions’ will take place on a regular basis.

She was instrumental, along with school superintendent Bob Maguire, in the WWII Veterans’ Graduation, which took place in 2003. The committee honored those students who left early, to fight in WWII and who never received their high school diploma. Pauline was one of the driving forces that made the graduation for the veterans happen. She went about finding which of the WWII veterans did not receive their diplomas. She contacted them and secured their arrival to receive their diploma. She watched with pride as they graduated with the high school Class of 2003. To conclude the day, she worked to hold an exhibit and dinner in their honor at the American Legion. She was singled out by the superintendent for her efforts in making the graduation and dinner a reality and a success.

Whatever Pauline did, she did it correctly and with class. Pauline was in charge for almost three decades with putting out the Annual Town Report. But to Pauline, the book was much more than a gathering of town information over the past year; the Town Report was a history book for the future. As a history of the town she made sure it was accurate and informative.

In 2001, Pauline worked with Cheryl O’Malley on the Veterans exhibit entitled “A Salute to Our Armed Forces Past and Present.” She single handedly went about collecting photographs and memorabilia of as many WWII veterans as she could. The exhibit was held in the Dwight-Derby House, where the families of the veterans were assembled and honored.

Pauline watched with pride as the house became filled with stories of the wars by the veterans and family members. And she had special pride in how her friend John Ross was being remembered.

One of the lessons I learned when speaking in public is to never mention names because, you will always leave out someone and that will make someone feel offended. So I will apologize in advance because I know I am going to leave out many names that were so special to Pauline but I cannot possibly have knowledge of all those touched by Pauline over the more than eight decades of her life here in Medfield. 

But as a friend of Pauline, you personally will always know what that special bond of friendship meant.

She had a special love for her friend Bill McCarthy, another person in the Pauline mold who did so much for the town and her close friend Mary McCarthy Downing. When talking to Pauline about Medfield history, she would always refer me to another of her special friends, Joe Ryan and Bill Mann. Go ask Joe, she would say, he will know or if he doesn’t, see Billy Mann.

In town hall she had special friendships with all who worked there. Chuck Fuller, town council for most of Pauline’s years working with the selectmen, had a special bond of friendship. “Miss Gouch,” he would call her.

Irene O’Toole, who followed Pauline as Administrative Secretary, was such a good friend and Ann Thompson, who visited her often and transported her when she could no longer drive. And there was such a special bond between Pauline and Mike Sullivan, there was nothing either one would not do for one another.  And the kindness and friendship that grew between Ed Beard and Pauline and the visits and care he showed her was something she told me she would never forget.

And her Pine Street neighbors, the Gormans and Laracys and Seaveys and others who looked out for one another and created an environment that truly is, what it means, to making Medfield, Medfield.

In 2009, Pauline received the Medfield High School Hall of Excellence Award, and was recognized as an outstanding graduate of Medfield High School who had made significant contributions to her community. She was so proud of that award and her speech to the graduates of the Class of 2009 during the Class Day exercises, reflected that pride. It ended with a standing ovation, and to have high school students give you a standing ovation, in and itself, is an unusual and special thing. Like everyone she met, she had won them over.

The words spoken at Pauline's wake and in the obituary guest book say it all: “Cheerful, warm smile, loved having fun, dedicated to the town, knew everyone and was loved by all, the First Lady of Medfield, wealth of knowledge about Medfield, big smile, warm welcome, knew how to get things done, first one there to offer help, Perky Polly, Pillar of the Town.”

Pauline’s earth body became home to Medfield to lie in rest in Vine Lake Cemetery. But at this moment, Pauline is already at home in heaven; reunited with Sarah and her siblings, and ready to have fun once again with her friends.

Pauline McKinnon Goucher’s life did not end on Jan. 1; it will go on and on in each of us; each of us she touched in someway; expressing kindness towards someone, volunteering to help someone in need, being a good citizen, being Perky Polly, in hundreds of different ways that little piece of Pauline, that is in each of us that are here this morning, will keep her impact alive for the rest of our lives.

We are all better off because of our having known her and her little town of Medfield is better because of the time she spent here. We miss you Pauline, you have made each of our lives a little richer and until we meet again, thank you for who you were and thank you for being a part of our lives.

Medfield town officials remembered Pauline Goucher at the Jan. 3 Board of Selectmen meeting.