Published December 16, 2020
By DAN TOMASELLO
LYNNFIELD — A proposal seeking to rename the Historical Centre in honor of a prominent local family will be discussed during the Board of Selectmen’s meeting on Monday night, which will begin at 7 p.m. on Zoom teleconference.
The Historical Commission recently proposed renaming the Historical Centre to the Pope-Richard Family Historical Centre in honor of late Historical Commission member Steven Richard and his family. Steven passed away from COVID-19 on March 24, 2020 at the age of 58. Steven’s father, Earl, lost his battle with the virus five days later at the age of 99.
“Not only was Steven Richard respected by everyone who had the privilege to meet him, he was truly one of the most passionate people when it came to Lynnfield’s history,” said Historical Commission Chairman Kirk Mansfield in an email sent to the Villager. “It probably came very easy to Steven because he grew up in a family who spent generations living here and preserving it. Steven’s passing was not only unexpected, it was a devastation felt by the entire community. Since that time, the commission has struggled to find a way to honor our fellow historian and his remarkable family. We finally decided that, after we restore the Historical Centre, we would like to change the name of the building to the Pope-Richard Lynnfield Historical Centre. It is the very least we can do for a family who made such a tremendous impact on our community.”
Steven served on the Historical Commission for a number of years and was a member of the Historical Society’s Board of Directors, where he diligently worked to maintain and preserve the Meeting House. He and his wife, North Shore Music Theatre General Manager Karen Nascembeni, helped organize the Historical Society’s Country Store fundraiser each December, a town tradition that he loved dearly and had attended since he was a baby. He worked as a photographer and as a contractor, and was a parishioner of Centre Congregational Church. He and Karen got married in Ocean Point, Maine in September 2000.
Earl enlisted in the U.S. Navy and served during World War II as an Air Seaman, 2nd Class. While serving in World War II, Earl witnessed a number of battles and survived the sinking of the USS Vincennes in the Pacific Ocean. He married Edie Pope in October 1949. He worked for the New England Telephone Company until he retired in 1983.
Edie, who passed away in December 2017, served as the Historical Society’s president for a number of years. Similar to Steven and Karen, Edie and Earl helped run the Country Store, where she oversaw the ham and bean supper table while Earl ran the greens department. She was also a member of the Centre Club and was a longtime parishioner of Centre Congregational Church along with her husband and four children. She was raised on Pope Farm, which is where Summer Street School is now located.
Karen said the proposal seeking to rename the Historical Centre in honor of the Pope and Richard families is incredibly touching.
“We are honored that the Historical Commission and the town are considering this,” said Karen in an interview with the Villager. “While many people have done great things to preserve the history of our town, I think you would be hard pressed to find so many members of a family who have contributed so much for several decades to the present.”
Since surviving her horrific ordeal with the virus, Karen has spent the last five months raising awareness about COVID-19 and has been urging people to follow the state’s guidelines. She appeared on WCVB Channel 5 last week, where Karen thanked a group of nurses at Lahey Hospital and Medical Center in Burlington for saving her life. She told the nurses she will be inviting them to opening night when North Shore Music Theatre reopens.
“I just wanted to look every one of you in the eye and say thank you from the bottom of my heart for how hard you worked to save my life,” said Karen.
