Former Lebanon History Teacher’s True Passion

Art Pease taught History for 36 years at Lebanon High School from 1971-2007 and now at the tender age of 70, he has entered the world of retirement. He has never shaken his passion for the events that make up our history, however, especially history related to Lebanon and its surrounding communities.

You might say that Art went full circle in his lifetime from teaching history to becoming a student of history. Researching tidbits of information of an historical event and sharing what he discovers with future generations has become an obsession. Art was born in Orford, N.H. and credits his mother with introducing him to the intriguing world of reading and history.

“We lived on a farm in Orford in those days, and my mother was an avid reader and very interested in history. She was also a dedicated collector and I recall going with her to the dump and scrounging around looking for bottles and other collectibles. You might say scrounging is in my genes!” Art explained.

These days Art has discovered that “scrounging” for historical memorabilia has become a lot easier with today’s sophisticated research tools including computer access to the entire world. Research on any subject is just a key tap away.

“There are so many resources available these days that it is incredible. I have used about every possible method including the census reports, books, an atlas, the computer and even a detailed map collection done by Dave Miller that not only lists the past Lebanon streets, but the names of the families that lived in each house. It is all there if you do your homework. Ed Ashey, the Lebanon Historical Society curator, and I often cross paths when seeking out historic memorabilia and we often bid on the same items at auctions.”

When Art looks back on his days of teaching Lebanon High School students, he points out that he took various approaches to getting the message across to young minds.

“To me, the study of history should be like a trivial pursuit contest. It should be just plain fun and entertaining at the same time. Back in 1971, I used to teach nine-week courses, so I tried to keep the students interested and I adopted a style based on story telling rather than just roll out facts. I told them to be skeptical about historic facts. Skeptical, but not cynical. I reminded them that sometimes we don’t learn the right lessons from history. What could I learn from studying an historic event?”

Art admits that reading is another of his established passions and, true to form, historical publications top the list… or fiction that is based on history.

“I love to read everything, but non-fiction is my favorite, and always has been. I read fiction novels with a historic background or theme and find them interesting. American History has also been my primary focus, as well. When it is said and done, one thing about studying history is that specific facts are critical and these days you can look them up faster than someone can make them up!” he exclaimed with a hearty laugh.

A self-proclaimed Civil War “buff” as well, Art is right at home in Lebanon where the Soldiers Memorial Building on North Park Street is located. This beautiful structure was built from 1886-1890 by the Civil War Veterans as a memorial to their fallen comrades and as a free public library.

Art will remain on his mission to reveal facts and articles from Lebanon’s history, and currently he has been donating many priceless artifacts to the Lebanon Chamber of Commerce and the Lebanon Historic Society. He has the past well covered, but how does he feel about the future of Lebanon?

“Well, as far as physical expansion of Lebanon, that will be limited by the current layout without room to expand acreage. However, Lebanon remains the hub of the Upper Valley and going forward I see surrounding communities benefiting from increased employment created by expanding and new businesses settling in the area. That will be a key factor in the future.”

As the opioid epidemic sweeps the nation, New Hampshire has become a focal point in the national consciousness. Many regional organizations are working to identify new approaches that address not only substance misuse, but also health and wellness. While many of these organizations focus on treatment and recovery, some have focused more on prevention and addressing community and cultural needs. Lebanon Partners United for Safety and Health (PUSH) is one such initiative.

PUSH is a partnership of community members, students, parents, and stakeholders in Lebanon. The group focuses on education, communication, networking, leadership development, and providing practical resources to promote greater health and safety for youth and their families. PUSH is especially concerned with the areas of substance misuse, suicide prevention, and crisis intervention and response. Their current initiatives are focused on reducing the harms from youth and young adult marijuana use in the Lebanon School District. One of the ways PUSH aims to achieve this goal is through improving community attachment for youth and young adults, as well as increasing access to healthy activities.

At the most recent meeting of PUSH, members discussed the issue that 64 percent of Lebanon youth say they are not utilizing community programs and services. As part of that discussion, the group brainstormed activities for youth, young adults, and families in Lebanon. As part of their work, however, the group discovered that there are already many free or low-cost activities and events that attract a wide range of ages.

Lebanon Recreation and Parks offers teen programming after school and during the summer and school breaks. The Summer Outdoor Adventures program offered Lebanon teens opportunities to spend their vacations rock climbing, mountain biking, kayaking on the Connecticut River, stand up paddleboarding, and through-hiking the Appalachian Trail. In the winter, programming includes ski trips, ice fishing, and excursions to indoor adventures throughout the state. Meanwhile, the Lebanon Libraries offer teen book groups, hands-on computer building, free movies, and comic workshops. The library’s TechGirlz series was open to middle school girls this summer and offered workshops in podcasting, designing mobile apps, coding, and website design.

Given the teen programming already in place, PUSH’s next priority is finding ways to help youth overcome the barriers to accessing the plentiful programs throughout the city. Angie LeDuc, the Drug-Free Community Partnership Coordinator for Dartmouth-Hitchcock Community Health, says, “The goal of PUSH is to be a connector. We are looking to protect young people and help them feel understood and have a connection to their community.”

PUSH has meetings approximately every four weeks in locations throughout Lebanon and they are open to the public. The group welcomes new members. Members of PUSH have the chance to gain experience working on public health issues, network with other community members, and be a part of positive community change. For more information about joining the group or attending a meeting, visit uvalltogether.com or email Angie.M.Leduc@hitchcock.org

“If it has happened to a traveler, we have probably seen it!”

There are brave people in the world who willingly put themselves at risk to save us when we are in harm’s way. They have chosen to devote their lives to a company that rescues us just about anywhere we choose to travel around the globe – Global Rescue.

At home here in Lebanon when we fall and need help, we dial 911 and an ambulance and its well-trained crew comes to our rescue usually in a matter of minutes. But, what if we are in South Africa on a Safari, and are mauled by a lion? We are losing blood and need to get to a hospital, but are not sure where there is one or how long it will take to get there.

If we are wise, we had become a member of Global Rescue before we left, and at our fingertips are doctors and hundreds of other supportive people ready to jump in and solve our problem. We had set up a pre-arranged way to communicate with Global Rescue personnel, a doctor listened as our group described the event, and was able to receive a photo of the wound. Advice is given for stabilizing both us and the wound, while at the same time Global Rescue’s support staff have located the best nearest hospital where we can be transported safely to medical care.

How did this concept of saving people who travel to unique places around the globe come about? Dan Richards, who grew up in the Upper Valley, has always been an active, strong, smart adventurer. As he traveled, at times to dangerous destinations, he thought about how he might get out of sticky situations to safety. Who would come to his rescue in faraway places where dangers constantly lurked?

During Dan’s career development, he attended The Amos Tuck School where he studied with world-class thinkers, exploring ideas and learning the framework for decision-making. This education formed the groundwork for his idea to combine his travel experience with his entrepreneurial abilities.

In 2004, Global Rescue was born. Dan is the founder and CEO, and his wife, Melissa, is a Vice President and the company’s General Counsel. Dan forged a unique collaboration with Johns Hopkins Medicine, and Global Rescue now provides first-class medical consulting services along with the ability to deploy personnel to the site of a traveler’s crisis just about anywhere in the world.

Dr. Devon Davis poses with a life-size poster of a Global Rescue mission

Dan says, “We can help people during their moment of greatest need or their darkest hour. If it has happened to a traveler, we have probably seen it. We use all means at our disposal to deliver our services and to get the folks that we’ve pledged to get out of harm’s way to safety.”

Global Rescue provides medical and security crisis response services to individuals, families, corporations and governments. Before setting off on a trip, one becomes a “member” by purchasing the appropriate membership. Travelers download the Global Rescue “app” which includes GPS tracking and a one-touch emergency button. Two-way communication is paramount to the success of a rescue.

Global Rescue’s response team is made up of highly-trained critical care paramedics and physicians, and security personnel – many of whom are drawn from special operations in the military. All are ready to jump into action when “the call” comes in. There are over 200 medical centers all over the world, thousands of aircraft under contract and ready to go, and teams all over the world that can be mobilized quickly by Global Rescue.

When the call comes in to any one of the operation centers, like the one here in Lebanon, they provide potentially life-saving advice on that first phone call. These are the “nerve centers” where everything is coordinated. Their network gives them access to a huge range of assets that allow Global Rescue to operate in virtually any environment imaginable.

Dan Richards, CEO, with large wall display showing many of the various missions in which they are engaged every day.

Boston is a major Operation Center. “Boston was chosen because it has a major hub airport and the talented employees of a major city,” explained Dan. The headquarters for Global Rescue is right here in Lebanon, comfortably housed in a large part of the Rivermill Complex. Dan says he chose Lebanon because, “It is two hours from Boston, so it’s far enough to likely escape any calamity impacting Boston, but close enough to manage without needing an airplane. New Hampshire is also very business-friendly relative to Massachusetts, and our employees enjoy an unparalleled quality of life in the Upper Valley relative to Boston.”

Many people work here in Lebanon, and might be your neighbor: Dr. Devon Davis is Director of Medical Operations and provided much information for this article; Scott Mitcham, Senior Specialist, Operations Department; Sarah Stroschein, Specialist, Operations Department.

An example of some missions Global Rescue has been involved with includes over 70 just this year, alone, on Mt. Everest. Two paramedics are stationed there for the two most popular climbing months and have many other resources under contract, including helicopters, ready to set out as needed. Another involved a stroke victim in a South African hospital. Several Global Rescue medical personnel dispatched to help, and through Global Rescue’s services, a plan was set to bring the member home to the USA. In fact, Global Rescue has been involved in most of the major global crises in the last decade: Mumbai, Haiti, Lebanon … conflicts, earthquakes, volcanoes, floods, etc. They have worked to remove those members who have become trapped in situations and who want to flee to safety.

Dan assures us that, “We will not stop until the care that’s needed is provided and the people who need to come home have been brought home.”

In recent years, the trend in the ski industry is for major corporations to own most of the country’s ski resorts. Companies such as Vail Resorts, Peak Resorts, and Boyne USA own resorts across the United States, and even internationally. Yet a few independent mountains still operate, drawing local residents and visitors alike, who like the idea of supporting a locally run, locally managed ski operation.

New England once was home to numerous small, local ski operations. Many of these have disappeared over the years, victims of the appeal of huge ski resorts with dozens of trails, major snow making capabilities, and numerous amenities, such as waterparks, hotels and conference centers, and multiple restaurants.

One small, local, and independent ski area that still exists is here in Lebanon; the Storrs Hill Ski Area. Located right in the heart of the town, Storrs Hill affords local skiers, youth groups, and school teams the luxury of a ski experience close to home.

Erling Heistad at the dedication of the
Heistad Hill in 1954; plaque now mounted
on the front of the takeoff

Storrs Hill’s history goes back to the 1920s, when a Norwegian immigrant to the area, Erling Heistad, had a plan to develop ski jumping as a sport in New Hampshire. Heistad created the first ski jump on the hill, and also was instrumental in clearing the first ski trail. As skiing grew in popularity in the 1930s, a rope tow was installed on the hill, allowing skiers and jumpers to take greater advantage of the area.

Heistad’s son, current Lebanon resident Erling Heistad, says his father was dedicated to introducing ski jumping to the young people of Lebanon. “He was an engineer, and very interested in the design of ski jumps,” says Heistad of his father.

The elder Heistad built his first jump at Storrs Hill in 1923. That first jump was located further up the hill from the current 50-meter jump. Along with constructing that first jump, the elder Heistad founded Lebanon’s first outing club, enlisting high school students in the effort to construct, use, and maintain that jump. The ski jump at Storrs Hill was not the only one his father constructed, says Heistad. “He had a goal of a jump in every neighborhood in town,” Heistad says.

Giving Lebanon’s children a winter recreation opportunity was important to his father, Heistad says. “He was really interested in the kids.” Even today, evidence still remains of those early neighborhood ski jumps Heistad and his students built.

After construction of that first ski jump at Storrs Hill, other jumps were built over the years at Storrs Hill, including the current 50-meter jump, first constructed in the 1950s. “He designed them all,” says Heistad of his father.

The ski area at Storrs Hill was operated by the city of Lebanon for many years; however, by the mid 1980s, the cost to the city of operating the hill became too expensive. From that point on, Storrs Hill fell under the supervision of the Lebanon Outing Club (LOC). A volunteer effort, the LOC members work year-round to keep the local ski slope open and running.

Cory Grant, president of the LOC, and
Ryan Cilbrith, director of the Ski Patrol at
Storrs Hill

Cory Grant, LOC president, says operating Storrs Hill is a labor of love for the members of the group. During the ski season, Grant estimates that 8 to 10 volunteers work at the hill each day. Volunteers perform all the functions normally associated with running any ski slope. Those functions include snow making, grooming, operating the lifts, ticket taking, and coaching. Grant says he puts in an average of 25 to 30 hours each week helping to keep the hill operating in the winter. The work does not end during the summer, either. Volunteers spend time on course and equipment maintenance, as well as grant writing and fundraising during the off-season.

Of course, skiing is not the only activity at Storrs Hill. Ski jumping remains an important part of this local venue. Storrs Hill has a storied history as a ski jump area, and that activity continues today, with many high school meets held there. In fact, New Hampshire is the only state that offers competitive ski jumping as a sport for high school students. Other towns in New Hampshire that offer ski jumping for competitors are Newport, Plymouth, Andover, and Hanover.

Storrs Hill boasts a 25-meter jump, and a 50-meter jump, along with a beginners 10-meter, in-ground jump. School meets and ski jumping tournaments take place at the Storrs Hill jumps during the season. Some veterans of ski jumping at Storrs Hill go on to bigger and better things – Lebanon’s Nick Alexander learned the art of ski jumping at Storrs Hill as a child, and went on to be a long time member of the U.S. ski jumping team, appearing in two Olympics.

What is it like learning to ski jump at Storrs Hill? Former Hanover resident and high school ski jumper, Robin Colt, first experienced jumping at the Lebanon hill in the 1990s. At around age 10, Colt first tried jumping on the hill’s smaller 10-meter jump. She says she found that experience similar to going over hills while alpine skiing. The next step was moving to the 25-meter jump. Colt says climbing to the top of this jump, and preparing to take off, caused the adrenaline to pump. “You have a pit in your stomach,” says Colt.

One of the most important aspects of learning to jump is practicing your form, Colt says. She adds the instruction she received at Storrs Hill was great. “The coaching there was unbelievable,” she says, giving special accolades to her father, Rick Colt, and John Farnham, long-time manager of the ski area, and ski jumping coach.

Erling Heistad says his father continued to work with young ski jumpers throughout his life. When a new jumper was hesitant to make a jump, the elder Heistad would issue a challenge. “He would say, ‘if I go off, will you go off?”’ Usually the challenge worked. Heistad said his father continued ski jumping until age 69.

Operating a ski area is a daunting proposition. Despite relying on volunteers for much of the labor at Storrs Hill, there are considerable operating costs in running the ski area. Grant estimates the annual budget for operating Storrs Hill is around $85,000. The City of Lebanon (which owns the Storrs Hill property) provides some funding for operations to the LOC. Grant says the LOC also relies on an endowment for some of the budgetary needs, but his group also spends considerable time writing grants and fundraising for hill operations. Lift tickets and season pass sales also help run Storrs Hill, though the LOC keeps prices low on these to allow as many as possible to use the slope.

Besides the normal costs associated with operations, certain capital improvements are necessary from time to time. Last year, Grant says the LOC needed a new pump for snow making operations; the contractor involved afforded them a great discount, but the pump still cost $20k. This year, Grant says they are making lift and cable upgrades, along with replacing the windows in the lodge, which are failing. New stainless steel track for the 25- and 50-meter jumps are another addition.

The Ring of Fire is the closing of the jumping
program, typically the last scheduled
competition for the year. All participants
are welcome to ski through the ring of fire
at the end of the event.

Not only local skiers take advantage of the ski facilities at Storrs Hill; local school teams practice there. Grant says teams from both Lebanon High and Hanover High practice on the slope. Open skiing and lessons are available; the Lebanon Recreation & Parks Department offers youth ski and snowboard lessons at Storrs Hill. Grant says lessons are also available for those brave enough to try their hand at ski jumping. Storrs Hill also offers weekend night skiing.

Despite being a small ski area, Storrs Hill does have a big claim to fame. World Cup and Olympic slalom champion Mikaela Shiffrin spent some of her early years skiing at Storrs Hill, before moving on to Burke Academy and the U.S. Ski Team. In the mid 2000s, Shiffrin could often be found practicing for hours on the Storrs Hill slopes.

Sometimes small-town dedication creates the most far-reaching results!