Faces of Taylor

In 2021, Taylor Community and the Wright Museum are working together to shed light on Americans who lived during World War II. Featuring video interviews in which World war II-era Taylor Community residents share their perspectives on life during and immediately after World War II, this collaboration is now live!

William Cronin, WWII Veteran

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Reaching into his back pocket, William Cronin retrieved his wallet and pulled out a few essential pieces of history – a part of his own past that he keeps close by his side to this day. These pieces of history, now tattered and worn, were his official military documents from WWII, which is just part of the story he shares in the second installment of the recently released Faces Of Taylor video series.

“I entered the war halfway through my sophomore year in high school after Pearl Harbor because I wanted to protect my country,” Cronin explained.

Joined by his wife of 70 years in the filming of his segment on Faces of Taylor, Cronin shares many of his adventures during WWII, including why he selected the Navy as his branch of choice.
 
“I went into the Navy because I like to fish,” he laughed, as he explained that while growing up in New England he had always enjoyed fishing.
 
“There were three fishing rod outfits on board, and I fished at ports where there was no action,” added Cronin, who said he was close with the chef on board who had the rods in his possession.
 
In sharing his experiences, Cronin also expressed some of the hardships he experienced while overseas, including the difficulty he had spending time away from his family.
 
“I had a good mother and father and a good family, thank God,” he said.
 
Expressing appreciation at Cronin’s candor throughout the segment, Mike Culver, executive director of The Wright, said Faces of Taylor underscores something most people today do not consider when thinking about WWII.
 
“Many of the men and women were teenagers when they enlisted,” he said. “Some of the people that went off to war were little more than kids at the time. It is pretty extraordinary to think of the courage they had to make the sacrifices they did at such a young age.”
 
Gretchen Gandini, Director of Development and Community Outreach at Taylor Community, agreed and said Faces of Taylor has “stirred up many memories” for residents.
 
“It has been an incredible experience to see their faces light up as they share their life stories,” she said. “That is really the best part for me.”

Faces of Taylor will culminate in a 30-minute pre-recorded video that will be released in the fall as part of a special virtual event that includes additional interviews with residents.
 
In addition to Faces of Taylor, Taylor Community is co-presenting Shaped by Conflict: Mementoes of the WWII Era, an exhibit that provides an in-depth look at common mementos and personal items of the WWII era. Additional exhibit sponsors include Some items in the exhibit, co-presented by Weirs Publishing Company and John and Evelyn Frank.

Joe Picard, WWII Veteran

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Sitting in a crimson red chair in the living room of his charming apartment, 96-year-old Joe Picard took a deep breath, looked into the camera, and began to recall his memories from more than 70 years ago during World War II.

Powerful moments like these have been captured throughout the summer, with veterans and family members of veterans alike sharing their stories from the World War II era as part of a collaboration between Taylor Community, a nonprofit continuing care retirement community, and the Wright Museum of WWII.

Picard’s recollection of the war has become the first story unveiled in the “Faces of Taylor” series of videos that shed light on some of their residents who experienced life during WWII.

In the first video, Picard shares his experience enlisting for the draft in 1943 and of his service overseas, while discussing how his unit moved through Scotland, England, Germany and France until his return home in 1945. Commonly called “Pic” while in the military, Picard was a Field Clerk in his battery.

At times, Picard choked up and looked off into the distance deep in thought while recalling the friends he had lost, including his best friend who originally was a native of Laconia.

“It has been an incredibly moving and emotional experience filming these stories and recording the audio pieces for this project,” said Alana Persson, a Taylor Community employee who is filming the Faces of Taylor series.

Persson, who said she has shed both tears with residents and laughter throughout the filming process, said the project has meant a lot to her due to her childhood ties to Taylor.

“Growing up, my mom was a volunteer at Taylor, and each week she visited residents in the Taylor Home. One resident in particular named Tony, I grew very fond of because of the incredible stories he would tell, so I began visiting weekly,” said Persson, going on to note that Tony happened to be a WWII veteran and former prisoner of war.

While Tony has since passed, this opportunity has meant a lot to Persson as now she is able to capture other stories so that they too can be shared.

“I’ve pursued this project with Tony often on my mind, realizing that while I can’t capture his story, I can capture other stories like Joe’s so that these stories and people can live on,” said Persson.

According to Mike Culver, executive director of the Wright Museum, first-person narratives from WWII veterans are “increasingly rare.”

“Joe’s story underscores the importance of the Wright Museum in being able to present these stories to people of all ages,” he said. “We are thrilled to work with Taylor Community on this project.

Other videos in the series will be released monthly in addition to accompanying written stories.

“As a museum, part of our role is to preserve not just artifacts, but the memories of the way things were and how they connect to today,” added Culver. “This is a collaboration that has all of us deeply moved.”

One such individual that has been deeply moved like Culver has been Gretchen Gandini, Director of Development and Community Outreach at Taylor Community. Like Persson, Gandini has grown close with many residents, including Picard, which has made the project incredibly meaningful to see come to fruition.

“I’ve come to know so many residents while working at Taylor and one of my favorite parts of working here is listening to their stories,” said Gandini. “So many of our beloved residents have lived incredible lives, and it’s wonderful that through this partnership with The Wright their stories can be shared with the greater community.”

Faces of Taylor will culminate in a 30-minute pre-recorded video that will be released later in the summer as part of a special virtual event that includes interviews with residents.

In addition to Faces of Taylor, Taylor Community is co-presenting Shaped by Conflict: Mementoes of the WWII Era, an exhibit that provides an in-depth look at common mementos and personal items of the WWII era. Some items in the exhibit, co-presented by Weirs Publishing Company and John and Evelyn Frank, includes sweetheart jewelry, trench art, journals and diaries, and more.