Peter and Jeanne Palmer
Interviewed by Elizabeth Hein and Ben Griswold
Before moving to Wellesley, Peter was a radar operator during World War II. Peter provided first-hand testimony that radar was the difference in the war. The development of radar allowed American ships to sink Japanese boats without ever seeing them visually. Chief among the days that remain distinct in Peter's memory was the day the atomic bomb was dropped on Hiroshima. Peter, at the time stationed in Hawaii, was scheduled to be shipped off for the invasion of Japan in the coming months. When news of the bomb reached the troops, Peter recalls soldiers dancing with joy, yelling "Hey! We're going to live!"
Jeanne and Peter Palmer moved to Wellesley in 1957 the year they were married. Jeanne's father knew a lot about houses, and was their resident expert during the search. Dwellings in Waltham, Needham, and Dedham all proved futile as Jeanne's father found something wrong at each location. The Palmers ultimately settled on Wellesley only when they found a house that bested even the most fastidious examination of Jeanne's father. After they chose their house, the Palmers remained in Wellesley for so many years because, as Jeanne put it, "Once you come to a town, you make friends, join a church, and it begins to feel like home. Then you never want to leave."
The Palmers have two children: Steven and TJ. As a kid, TJ often went to the town dump, which was called the "incinerator," and foraged for usable parts that had been left behind. He found so many spare bike parts that he constructed an entire working bicycle. Much like Children today, Steven and TJ spent countless summer days swimming at Morse's Pond. The Palmers distinctly remember the swimming instructor, Mr. Pike. Mr. Pike was a man who inspired both fear and love as he made it his mission to teach Wellesley's children how to swim. Jeanne recalls that Steven would often hide behind her chair at Morse's Pond in an effort to evade the swim lesson, but Mr. Pike would inevitably growl, "where is that little shaver?" and track him down until he had mastered his swim lessons. Both TJ and Steven went to elementary school at Hunnewell (Steven spent one year at Hardy) before going to Phillips school for sixth grade. Phillips is now an apartment complex, but used to serve as a transition between elementary school and junior high school.
The Palmers used to live on the same street as Judge W. Arthur Garrity, who in a 1974 ruling ordered that Boston schools must bus to achieve racial integration. Such a decision tapped enormous resentment, and Jeanne can vividly remember the angry crowds that would gather on her street to protest the judge's ruling. "I would drive down our street, and there would be marshalls outside Judge Garrity's house, defending him." The outrage over Judge Garrity's decision would eventually die down, and Judge Garrity passed away in 1999 at the age of 79.
Before moving to Wellesley, Peter was a radar operator during World War II. Peter provided first-hand testimony that radar was the difference in the war. The development of radar allowed American ships to sink Japanese boats without ever seeing them visually. Chief among the days that remain distinct in Peter's memory was the day the atomic bomb was dropped on Hiroshima. Peter, at the time stationed in Hawaii, was scheduled to be shipped off for the invasion of Japan in the coming months. When news of the bomb reached the troops, Peter recalls soldiers dancing with joy, yelling "Hey! We're going to live!"
Jeanne and Peter Palmer moved to Wellesley in 1957 the year they were married. Jeanne's father knew a lot about houses, and was their resident expert during the search. Dwellings in Waltham, Needham, and Dedham all proved futile as Jeanne's father found something wrong at each location. The Palmers ultimately settled on Wellesley only when they found a house that bested even the most fastidious examination of Jeanne's father. After they chose their house, the Palmers remained in Wellesley for so many years because, as Jeanne put it, "Once you come to a town, you make friends, join a church, and it begins to feel like home. Then you never want to leave."
The Palmers have two children: Steven and TJ. As a kid, TJ often went to the town dump, which was called the "incinerator," and foraged for usable parts that had been left behind. He found so many spare bike parts that he constructed an entire working bicycle. Much like Children today, Steven and TJ spent countless summer days swimming at Morse's Pond. The Palmers distinctly remember the swimming instructor, Mr. Pike. Mr. Pike was a man who inspired both fear and love as he made it his mission to teach Wellesley's children how to swim. Jeanne recalls that Steven would often hide behind her chair at Morse's Pond in an effort to evade the swim lesson, but Mr. Pike would inevitably growl, "where is that little shaver?" and track him down until he had mastered his swim lessons. Both TJ and Steven went to elementary school at Hunnewell (Steven spent one year at Hardy) before going to Phillips school for sixth grade. Phillips is now an apartment complex, but used to serve as a transition between elementary school and junior high school.
The Palmers used to live on the same street as Judge W. Arthur Garrity, who in a 1974 ruling ordered that Boston schools must bus to achieve racial integration. Such a decision tapped enormous resentment, and Jeanne can vividly remember the angry crowds that would gather on her street to protest the judge's ruling. "I would drive down our street, and there would be marshalls outside Judge Garrity's house, defending him." The outrage over Judge Garrity's decision would eventually die down, and Judge Garrity passed away in 1999 at the age of 79.