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From 1920 to 1948, Connie Small and her husband Elson tended lighthouses along the Maine and New Hampshire Coast living a lifestyle that will never be repeated again in American history.
Guests at this past June’s gala American Lighthouse Foundation event held in Portsmouth, New Hampshire also witnessed history that will never again be repeated; the 100th birthday celebration of Connie Small, the most celebrated lady in modern lighthouse history.
Connie is as sharp with her wit, humor and memory as she was back in 1920 when she took that first long climb up rung ladder that went straight up to the living quarters at Channel Light in Lubec, Maine. She remembers that day as if it were yesterday; she was terrified and told her husband she couldn’t do it. He said, “Oh yes you can! You grab that rung and you look up, don’t look down.” Connie said those words are the words she has lived by ever since.
At 83, she wrote the best selling book, The Lighthouses Keeper’s Wife and since then she has given over 550 lectures on lighthouses, has appeared on every major TV network, and has given hundreds of interviews. She does this, she says, so people will never forget the history and role played by the men and women who once tended our nation’s lighthouses.
On June 2nd it was the lighthouse community’s turn to honor and thank her for her hard work in helping to keep those memories alive for future generations.
She was picked up by a white stretch limousine and driven to the convention center where hundreds of guests were awaiting her. In the limousine, in full dress uniform, were her Coast Guard escorts, Senior Chief Tom Dutton and Chief Petty Officer Mark Cutter.
As she stepped from the limo, one might have thought she was a movie star as the cameras rolled and the cameras flashed. As she approached the entry door to the banquet room the audience spotted her and you could here the murmur of voices through the audience as the excitement grew.
Bill Thomson, a longtime friend of Connie’s and a well-respected author and lighthouse historian took to the podium to introduce Connie, giving a brief synopsis of her amazing life. As Connie entered the room with her Coast Guard escorts on either side a thunderous round of applause and cheers welcomed her, truly befitting the “First Lady of Light.”
The evening was then followed by a number of presentations of awards and gifts to Connie, which included birthday wishes from the Governor of New Hampshire, United States Senators, a Coast Guard Admiral, members of the House of Representatives, a birthday cake and a song from a local school group.
Bill Younger, founder of Harbour Lights and one of the lighthouse community’s most popular personalities, was the evening’s featured speaker. He explained why and how Harbour Lights got involved in lighthouse preservation and why it’s important to keep alive the memories of the stories of Connie and others like her.
In honor of Connie’s birthday Harbour Lights pre-released its new limited edition collectible of Portsmouth Harbor Lighthouse at the end of the evening’s program. Attendees were allowed to purchase the replica with a portion of the proceeds going to the newly formed Friends of Portsmouth Harbor Lighthouse, which is a new chapter of the American Lighthouse Foundation. The replicas were then autographed by ALF president Tim Harrison and Bill Younger, founder of Harbor Lights.
This story appeared in the July 2001 edition of Lighthouse Digest Magazine. For subscription information about the print edition, click here.
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